v3.24.0.1
COVER PAGE - USD ($)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Feb. 20, 2024
Jun. 30, 2023
Cover [Abstract]      
Document Type 10-K    
Document Annual Report true    
Document Period End Date Dec. 31, 2023    
Current Fiscal Year End Date --12-31    
Document Transition Report false    
Entity File Number 001-35517    
Entity Registrant Name ARES COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION    
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code MD    
Entity Tax Identification Number 45-3148087    
Entity Address, Address Line One 245 Park Avenue    
Entity Address, Address Line Two 42nd Floor    
Entity Address, City or Town New York    
Entity Address, State or Province NY    
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code 10167    
City Area Code 212    
Local Phone Number 750-7300    
Title of 12(b) Security Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share    
Trading Symbol ACRE    
Security Exchange Name NYSE    
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer No    
Entity Voluntary Filers No    
Entity Current Reporting Status Yes    
Entity Interactive Data Current Yes    
Entity Filer Category Accelerated Filer    
Entity Small Business false    
Entity Emerging Growth Company false    
ICFR Auditor Attestation Flag true    
Document Financial Statement Error Correction [Flag] false    
Entity Shell Company false    
Entity Public Float     $ 527,664,761
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding   54,422,613  
Documents Incorporated by Reference
Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for its 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this annual report on Form 10-K are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.
   
Entity Central Index Key 0001529377    
Amendment Flag false    
Document Fiscal Year Focus 2023    
Document Fiscal Period Focus FY    
v3.24.0.1
Audit Information
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Audit Information [Abstract]  
Auditor Firm ID 42
Auditor Name Ernst & Young LLP
Auditor Location Los Angeles, California
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CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
ASSETS    
Cash and cash equivalents $ 110,459 $ 141,278
Loans held for investment ($892,166 and $887,662 related to consolidated VIEs, respectively) 2,126,524 2,264,008
Current expected credit loss reserve (159,885) (65,969)
Loans held for investment, net of current expected credit loss reserve 1,966,639 2,198,039
Loans held for sale, at fair value ($38,981 related to consolidated VIEs as of December 31, 2023) 38,981 0
Investment in available-for-sale debt securities, at fair value 28,060 27,936
Real estate owned, net 83,284 0
Other assets ($3,690 and $2,980 of interest receivable related to consolidated VIEs, respectively; $32,002 and $129,495 of other receivables related to consolidated VIEs, respectively) 52,354 155,749
Total assets 2,279,777 2,523,002
LIABILITIES    
Secured funding agreements 639,817 705,231
Notes payable 104,662 104,460
Secured term loan 149,393 149,200
Collateralized loan obligation securitization debt (consolidated VIEs) 723,117 777,675
Due to affiliate 4,135 5,580
Dividends payable 18,220 19,347
Other liabilities ($2,263 and $1,913 of interest payable related to consolidated VIEs, respectively) 14,584 13,969
Other liabilities ($2,263 and $1,913 of interest payable related to consolidated VIEs, respectively) 14,584 13,969
Total liabilities 1,653,928 1,775,462
Commitments and contingencies (Note 9)
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY    
Common stock, par value $0.01 per share, 450,000,000 shares authorized at December 31, 2023 and 2022 and 54,149,225 and 54,443,983 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively 532 537
Additional paid-in capital 812,184 812,788
Accumulated other comprehensive income 153 7,541
Accumulated earnings (deficit) (187,020) (73,326)
Total stockholders' equity 625,849 747,540
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 2,279,777 $ 2,523,002
v3.24.0.1
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Loans held for investment $ 2,126,524 $ 2,264,008
Loans held for sale, at fair value 38,981 0
Other assets 52,354 155,749
Payable $ 14,584 $ 13,969
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share) $ 0.01 $ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares) 450,000,000 450,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares) 54,149,225 54,443,983
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares) 54,149,225 54,443,983
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary    
Loans held for investment $ 892,166,000 $ 887,662,000
Loans held for sale, at fair value 38,981,000  
Interest receivable 3,690,000 2,980,000
Other assets 32,002,000 129,495,000
Payable $ 2,263,000 $ 1,913,000
v3.24.0.1
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Revenue:      
Interest income $ 198,608 $ 170,171 $ 133,631
Interest expense (109,652) (65,994) (50,080)
Net interest margin 88,956 104,177 83,551
Revenue from real estate owned 3,970 2,672 18,518
Total revenue 92,926 106,849 102,069
Expenses:      
Management and incentive fees to affiliate 12,263 14,898 12,136
Professional fees 3,054 3,350 2,436
General and administrative expenses 7,244 6,394 4,741
General and administrative expenses reimbursed to affiliate 3,434 3,777 3,016
Expenses from real estate owned 2,518 4,309 18,548
Total expenses 28,513 32,728 40,877
Provision for current expected credit losses 91,825 46,061 10
Realized losses on loans 10,499 0 0
Unrealized losses on loans held for sale 995 0 0
Gain on sale of real estate owned 0 2,197 0
Income (loss) before income taxes (38,906) 30,257 61,182
Income tax expense (benefit), including excise tax (39) 472 722
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders $ (38,867) $ 29,785 $ 60,460
Earnings per common share:      
Basic earnings (loss) per common share (in dollars per share) $ (0.72) $ 0.58 $ 1.43
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share (in dollars per share) $ (0.72) $ 0.57 $ 1.42
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding:      
Basic weighted average shares of common stock outstanding (in shares) 54,281,998 51,679,744 42,399,613
Diluted weighted average shares of common stock outstanding (in shares) 54,281,998 52,126,256 42,681,505
v3.24.0.1
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]      
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders $ (38,867) $ 29,785 $ 60,460
Other comprehensive income (loss):      
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on derivative financial instruments (7,486) 4,642 2,844
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale debt securities 98 55 0
Comprehensive income (loss) $ (46,255) $ 34,482 $ 63,304
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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
Total
Common Stock
Additional Paid-in Capital
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Accumulated Earnings (Deficit)
Beginning balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2020   33,442,332,000      
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2020 $ 473,015 $ 329 $ 497,803 $ 0 $ (25,117)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity          
Sale of common stock (in shares)   13,637,237,000      
Sale of common stock 204,779 $ 136 204,643    
Offering costs (436)   (436)    
Stock-based compensation (in shares)   64,489,000      
Stock‑based compensation 1,940   1,940    
Other comprehensive income (loss) 2,844     2,844  
Net income (loss) 60,460       60,460
Dividends declared (63,974)       (63,974)
Ending balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2021   47,144,058,000      
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2021 678,628 $ 465 703,950 2,844 (28,631)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity          
Sale of common stock (in shares)   7,190,369,000      
Sale of common stock 106,267 $ 72 106,195    
Offering costs (233)   (233)    
Stock-based compensation (in shares)   109,556,000      
Stock‑based compensation 2,876   2,876    
Other comprehensive income (loss) 4,697     4,697  
Net income (loss) 29,785       29,785
Dividends declared $ (74,480)       (74,480)
Ending balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2022 54,443,983 54,443,983,000      
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2022 $ 747,540 $ 537 812,788 7,541 (73,326)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity          
Stock-based compensation (in shares)   241,207,000      
Stock‑based compensation 3,991   3,991    
Repurchase and retirement of common stock (in shares)   (535,965,000)      
Repurchase and retirement of common stock (4,600) $ (5) (4,595)    
Other comprehensive income (loss) (7,388)     (7,388)  
Net income (loss) (38,867)       (38,867)
Dividends declared $ (74,827)       (74,827)
Ending balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2023 54,149,225 54,149,225,000      
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2023 $ 625,849 $ 532 $ 812,184 $ 153 $ (187,020)
v3.24.0.1
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Operating activities:      
Net income (loss) $ (38,867) $ 29,785 $ 60,460
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:      
Amortization of deferred financing costs 3,899 7,096 9,895
Accretion of discounts, deferred loan origination fees and costs (6,135) (10,347) (8,433)
Stock-based compensation 3,991 2,876 1,940
Depreciation and amortization of real estate owned 1,016 0 825
Provision for current expected credit losses 91,825 46,061 10
Realized losses on loans 10,499 0 0
Unrealized losses on loans held for sale 995 0 0
Amortization of derivative financial instruments (921) (1,029) 0
Gain on sale of real estate owned 0 (2,197) 0
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:      
Other assets (19,879) (17,674) (18,545)
Due to affiliate (1,445) 1,424 1,006
Other liabilities 1,811 1,162 1,192
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities 46,789 57,157 48,350
Investing activities:      
Issuance of and fundings on loans held for investment (199,829) (652,720) (1,241,996)
Principal collections and cost-recovery proceeds on loans held for investment 288,626 824,940 534,973
Proceeds from sale of loans held for sale 37,200 0 0
Receipt of origination fees 1,463 8,513 7,632
Purchases of capitalized additions to real estate owned 0 0 (144)
Proceeds from sale of real estate owned 0 38,227 0
Purchases of available-for-sale debt securities 0 (27,872) 0
Amounts received (paid) under derivative financial instruments 0 2,085 (150)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 127,460 193,173 (699,685)
Financing activities:      
Proceeds from notes payable 0 105,000 15,869
Repayments of notes payable 0 (51,110) (27,880)
Payment of secured funding costs (4,049) (4,467) (13,066)
Proceeds from issuance of debt of consolidated VIEs 0 0 540,471
Repayments of debt of consolidated VIEs (55,051) (85,856) (121,246)
Dividends paid (75,954) (71,807) (58,424)
Proceeds from sale of common stock 0 106,267 204,779
Repurchase of common stock (4,600) 0 0
Payment of offering costs 0 (163) (324)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities (205,068) (159,667) 627,174
Change in cash and cash equivalents (30,819) 90,663 (24,161)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 141,278 50,615 74,776
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period 110,459 141,278 50,615
Supplemental Information:      
Interest paid during the period 103,717 57,819 40,126
Income taxes paid during the period 375 250 1,406
Supplemental disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities:      
Dividends declared, but not yet paid 18,220 19,347 16,674
Other receivables related to consolidated VIEs 32,002 129,495 128,589
Assumption of real estate owned 84,300 0 0
Assumption of other assets related to real estate owned 353 0 0
Assumption of other liabilities related to real estate owned 1,713 0 0
Transfer of senior mortgage loan to real estate owned 82,940 0 0
Secured funding agreements      
Financing activities:      
Proceeds from secured funding agreements 43,668 267,192 970,036
Repayments of secured funding agreements (109,082) (402,008) (885,541)
Secured term loan      
Financing activities:      
Proceeds from secured funding agreements 0 0 90,000
Repayments of secured funding agreements 0 0 (50,000)
Secured bowowings      
Financing activities:      
Repayments of secured funding agreements $ 0 $ (22,715) $ (37,500)
v3.24.0.1
ORGANIZATION
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION
Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, the “Company” or “ACRE”) is a specialty finance company primarily engaged in originating and investing in commercial real estate loans and related investments. Through Ares Commercial Real Estate Management LLC (“ACREM” or the Company’s “Manager”), a Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) registered investment adviser and a subsidiary of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) (“Ares Management” or “Ares”), a publicly traded, leading global alternative investment manager, it has investment professionals strategically located across the United States and Europe who directly source new loan opportunities for the Company with owners, operators and sponsors of commercial real estate (“CRE”) properties. The Company was formed and commenced operations in late 2011. The Company is a Maryland corporation and completed its initial public offering (the “IPO”) in May 2012. The Company is externally managed by its Manager, pursuant to the terms of a management agreement (the “Management Agreement”).
 
The Company operates as one operating segment and is primarily focused on directly originating and managing a diversified portfolio of CRE debt-related investments for the Company’s own account. The Company’s target investments include senior mortgage loans, subordinated debt, preferred equity, mezzanine loans and other CRE investments, including commercial mortgage backed securities. These investments are generally held for investment and are secured, directly or indirectly, by office, multifamily, retail, industrial, lodging, self storage, student housing, residential and other commercial real estate properties, or by ownership interests therein.

    The Company has elected and qualified to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for United States federal income tax purposes under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), commencing with its taxable year ended December 31, 2012. The Company generally will not be subject to United States federal income taxes on its REIT taxable income as long as it annually distributes all of its REIT taxable income prior to the deduction for dividends paid to stockholders and complies with various other requirements as a REIT.
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SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company, the consolidated variable interest entities (“VIEs”) that the Company controls and of which the Company is the primary beneficiary, and the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries. The consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments and reclassifications that, in the opinion of management, are necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s results of operations and financial condition as of and for the periods presented. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts and disclosures. Global macroeconomic conditions, including high inflation, changes to fiscal and monetary policy, high interest rates, potential market-wide liquidity problems, currency fluctuations, labor shortages and challenges in the supply chain, have the potential to negatively impact the Company and its borrowers. These current macroeconomic conditions may continue or aggravate and could cause the United States economy or other global economies to experience an economic slowdown or recession. We anticipate our business and operations could be materially adversely affected by a prolonged recession in the United States or other major global economy.

The Company believes the estimates and assumptions underlying its consolidated financial statements are reasonable and supportable based on the information available as of December 31, 2023, however, uncertainty over the global economy and the Company’s business, makes any estimates and assumptions as of December 31, 2023 inherently less certain than they would be absent the current and potential impacts of current macroeconomic conditions. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Variable Interest Entities

The Company evaluates all of its interests in VIEs for consolidation. When the Company’s interests are determined to be variable interests, the Company assesses whether it is deemed to be the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is required to consolidate the VIE. Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 810, Consolidation, defines the primary beneficiary as the party that has both (i) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact its economic performance, and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses and the right to receive benefits from the VIE which could be potentially significant. The Company considers its variable interests, as well as any variable interests of its related parties in making this determination. Where both of these factors are present, the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary and it consolidates the VIE. Where either one of these factors is not present, the Company is not the primary beneficiary and it does not consolidate the VIE.
 
To assess whether the Company has the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance, the Company considers all facts and circumstances, including its role in establishing the VIE and its ongoing rights and responsibilities. This assessment includes first, identifying the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance; and second, identifying which party, if any, has power over those activities. In general, the parties that make the most significant decisions affecting the VIE or have the right to unilaterally remove those decision makers are deemed to have the power to direct the activities of a VIE.

To assess whether the Company has the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE, the Company considers all of its economic interests, including debt and equity investments, servicing fees, and other arrangements deemed to be variable interests in the VIE. This assessment requires that the Company applies judgment in determining whether these interests, in the aggregate, are considered potentially significant to the VIE. Factors considered in assessing significance include: the design of the VIE, including its capitalization structure; subordination of interests; payment priority; relative share of interests held across various classes within the VIE’s capital structure; and the reasons why the interests are held by the Company.

For VIEs of which the Company is determined to be the primary beneficiary, all of the underlying assets, liabilities, equity, revenue and expenses of the structures are consolidated into the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

The Company performs an ongoing reassessment of: (1) whether any entities previously evaluated under the majority voting interest framework have become VIEs, based on certain events, and therefore are subject to the VIE consolidation framework, and (2) whether changes in the facts and circumstances regarding its involvement with a VIE cause the Company’s consolidation conclusion regarding the VIE to change. See Note 16 included in these consolidated financial statements for further discussion of the Company’s VIEs.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include funds on deposit with financial institutions, including demand deposits with financial institutions. Cash and short‑term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when acquired are considered cash and cash equivalents for the purpose of the consolidated balance sheets and statements of cash flows.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, loans held for investment, available-for-sale debt securities and interest receivable. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents with financial institutions and, at times, cash held may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured limit. The Company has exposure to credit risk on its loans held for investment and available-for-sale debt securities. The Company and the Company’s Manager seek to manage credit risk by performing due diligence prior to origination or acquisition and through the use of non‑recourse financing, when and where available and appropriate.

Loans Held for Investment

The Company originates CRE debt and related instruments generally to be held for investment. Loans that are held for investment are carried at cost, net of unamortized purchase discounts, deferred loan fees and origination costs and cost-recovery proceeds (the “carrying value”). Loans are generally collateralized by real estate. The extent of any credit deterioration associated with the performance and/or value of the underlying collateral property and the financial and operating capability of the borrower could impact the expected amounts received. The Company monitors performance of its loans held for investment portfolio under the following methodology: (1) borrower review, which analyzes the borrower’s ability to execute on its
original business plan, reviews its financial condition, assesses pending litigation and considers its general level of responsiveness and cooperation; (2) economic review, which considers underlying collateral (i.e. leasing performance, unit sales and cash flow of the collateral and its ability to cover debt service, as well as the residual loan balance at maturity); (3) property review, which considers current environmental risks, changes in insurance costs or coverage, current site visibility, capital expenditures and market perception; and (4) market review, which analyzes the collateral from a supply and demand perspective of similar property types, as well as from a capital markets perspective. Such analyses are completed and reviewed by asset management and finance personnel who utilize various data sources, including periodic financial data such as property occupancy, tenant profile, rental rates, operating expenses, and the borrower’s exit plan, among other factors.

    Loans are generally placed on non-accrual status when principal or interest payments are past due 30 days or more or when there is reasonable doubt that principal or interest will be collected in full. Accrued and unpaid interest is generally reversed against interest income in the period the loan is placed on non-accrual status. Interest payments received on non-accrual loans may be recognized as income or applied to reduce loan carrying value depending upon management’s judgment regarding the borrower’s ability to make pending principal and interest payments. Non-accrual loans are restored to accrual status when past due principal and interest are paid and, in management’s judgment, are likely to remain current. The Company may make exceptions to placing a loan on non-accrual status if the loan has sufficient collateral value and is in the process of collection.

    Loan balances that are deemed to be uncollectible are written off as a realized loss and are deducted from the current expected credit loss reserve. The write-offs are recorded in the period in which the loan balance is deemed uncollectible based on management’s judgment.

Current Expected Credit Losses

FASB ASC Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (“ASC 326”), requires the Company to reflect current expected credit losses (“CECL”) on both the outstanding balances and unfunded commitments on loans held for investment and requires consideration of a broad range of historical experience adjusted for current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecast information to inform credit loss estimates (the “CECL Reserve” or “CECL Reserves”). Increases and decreases to expected credit losses impact earnings and are recorded within provision for current expected credit losses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. The CECL Reserve related to outstanding balances on loans held for investment required under ASC 326 is a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of the Company’s loans held for investment in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The CECL Reserve related to unfunded commitments on loans held for investment is recorded within other liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. See Note 4 included in these consolidated financial statements for CECL related disclosures.

Loans Held for Sale

Although the Company generally holds its target investments as long-term investments, the Company occasionally classifies some of its investments as held for sale. Investments held for sale are carried at fair value within loans held for sale, at fair value in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, with changes in fair value recorded through earnings.

Real Estate Owned

    Real estate assets are carried at their estimated fair value at acquisition and are presented net of accumulated depreciation or amortization and impairment charges. The Company allocates the purchase price of acquired real estate assets based on the fair value of the acquired land, buildings and improvements, furniture, fixtures and equipment, intangible assets and intangible liabilities, as applicable.

Real estate assets are depreciated or amortized using the straight-line method over estimated useful lives of up to 40 years for buildings and improvements, up to 15 years for furniture, fixtures and equipment and over the lease terms for intangible assets and liabilities. Renovations and/or replacements that improve or extend the life of the real estate asset are capitalized and depreciated over their estimated useful lives. The cost of ordinary repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Other than amortization related to intangible assets and liabilities for above-market or below-market leases, depreciation or amortization expense related to real estate assets is included within expenses from real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Amortization for above-market or below-market leases is recognized as an adjustment to rental revenue and is included within revenue from real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
    Real estate assets are evaluated for indicators of impairment on a quarterly basis. Factors that the Company may consider in its impairment analysis include, among others: (1) significant underperformance relative to historical or anticipated operating results; (2) significant negative industry or economic trends; (3) costs necessary to extend the life or improve the real estate asset; (4) significant increase in competition; and (5) ability to hold and dispose of the real estate asset in the ordinary course of business. A real estate asset is considered impaired when the sum of estimated future undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the real estate asset over the estimated remaining holding period is less than the carrying amount of such real estate asset. Cash flows include operating cash flows and anticipated capital proceeds generated by the real estate asset. An impairment charge is recorded equal to the excess of the carrying value of the real estate asset over the fair value. When determining the fair value of a real estate asset, the Company makes certain assumptions including, but not limited to, consideration of projected operating cash flows, comparable selling prices and projected cash flows from the eventual disposition of the real estate asset based upon the Company’s estimate of a capitalization rate and discount rate.

The Company reviews its real estate assets, from time to time, in order to determine whether to sell such assets. Real estate assets are classified as held for sale when the Company commits to a plan to sell the asset, when the asset is being actively marketed for sale at a reasonable price and the sale of the asset is probable and the transfer of the asset is expected to qualify for recognition as a completed sale within one year. Real estate assets that are held for sale are carried at the lower of the asset’s carrying amount or its fair value less costs to sell.

Available-for-Sale Debt Securities

The Company acquires debt securities that are collateralized by mortgages on CRE properties primarily for short-term cash management and investment purposes. On the acquisition date, the Company designates investments in CRE debt securities as available-for-sale. Investments in CRE debt securities that are classified as available-for-sale are carried at fair value. Unrealized holding gains and losses for available-for-sale debt securities are recorded each period in other comprehensive income (“OCI”). The Company uses a specific identification method when determining the cost of a debt security sold and the amount of unrealized gain or loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into earnings.

Available-for-sale debt securities that are in an unrealized loss position are evaluated on a quarterly basis to determine whether declines in the fair value below the amortized cost basis qualify as other than temporary impairment (“OTTI”). The OTTI assessment is performed at the individual security level. In assessing whether the entire amortized cost basis of each security will be recovered, the Company will compare the present value of cash flows expected to be collected from the security with the amortized cost basis of the security. If the present value of cash flows expected to be collected is less than the amortized cost basis of the security, the entire amortized cost basis of the security will not be recovered and an OTTI shall be considered to have occurred.

Available-for-sale debt securities are generally placed on non-accrual status when principal or interest payments are past due 30 days or more or when there is reasonable doubt that principal or interest will be collected in full. Accrued and unpaid interest is generally reversed against interest income in the period the debt security is placed on non-accrual status. Interest payments received on non-accrual securities may be recognized as income or applied to reduce amortized cost basis depending upon management’s judgment regarding collectability of the debt security. Non-accrual debt securities are restored to accrual status when past due principal and interest are paid and, in management’s judgment, are likely to remain current.

Debt Issuance Costs

Debt issuance costs under the Company’s indebtedness are capitalized and amortized over the term of the respective debt instrument. Unamortized debt issuance costs are expensed when the associated debt is repaid prior to maturity. Debt issuance costs related to debt securitizations are capitalized and amortized over the term of the underlying loans using the effective interest method. When an underlying loan is prepaid in a debt securitization and the outstanding principal balance of the securitization debt is reduced, the related unamortized debt issuance costs are charged to expense based on a pro‑rata share of the debt issuance costs being allocated to the specific loans that were prepaid. Amortization of debt issuance costs is included within interest expense, except as noted below, in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations while the unamortized balance on the (i) Secured Funding Agreements (each individually defined in Note 6 included in these consolidated financial statements) is included within other assets and (ii) Notes Payable, the Secured Term Loan (each defined in Note 6 included in these consolidated financial statements) and secured borrowings (described in Note 7 included in these consolidated financial statements) and debt securitizations are each included as a reduction to the carrying amount of the liability in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. Amortization of debt issuance costs for the note payable on the hotel property that was recognized as real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets (see Note 6 included in these consolidated financial
statements for additional information on the note payable) is included within expenses from real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

Derivative Financial Instruments

Derivative financial instruments are classified as either other assets (gain positions) or other liabilities (loss positions) in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets at fair value. These amounts may be offset to the extent that there is a legal right to offset and if elected by management.

On the date the Company enters into a derivative contract, the Company designates each contract as a hedge of a forecasted transaction or of the variability of cash flows to be received or paid related to a recognized asset or liability, or cash flow hedge, or as a derivative instrument not to be designated as a hedging derivative, or non-designated hedge. For all derivatives other than those designated as non-designated hedges, the Company formally documents the hedge relationships and designation at the contract’s inception. This documentation includes the identification of the hedging instruments and the hedged items, its risk management objectives, strategy for undertaking the hedge transaction and an evaluation of the effectiveness of its hedged transaction.

The Company performs a formal assessment on a quarterly basis on whether the derivative designated in each hedging relationship is expected to be, and has been, highly effective in offsetting changes in the value or cash flows of the hedged items. Changes in the fair value of derivative contracts are recorded each period in either current earnings or OCI, depending on whether the derivative is designated as part of a hedge transaction and, if so, the type of hedge transaction. For derivatives that are designated as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of the unrealized gains or losses on these contracts is recorded in OCI. If it is determined that a derivative is not highly effective at hedging the designated exposure, hedge accounting is discontinued and the changes in fair value of the instrument are included in current earnings prospectively. The Company does not enter into derivatives for trading or speculative purposes.

Revenue Recognition

    Interest income is accrued based on the outstanding principal amount and the contractual terms of each loan or debt security. For loans held for investment, the origination fees, contractual exit fees and direct origination costs are also recognized in interest income over the initial loan term as a yield adjustment using the effective interest method. For available-for-sale debt securities, premiums or discounts are amortized or accreted into interest income as a yield adjustment using the effective interest method.

    Revenue from real estate owned represents revenue associated with the operations of a mixed-use property classified as real estate owned that was acquired in September 2023 and a hotel property classified as real estate owned that was sold in March 2022.

Revenue from the operation of the mixed-use property consists primarily of rental revenue from operating leases. For each operating lease with scheduled rent increases over the term of the lease, the Company recognizes rental revenue on a straight-line basis over the lease term when collectability of the lease payment is probable. Variable lease payments are recognized as rental revenue in the period when the changes in facts and circumstances on which the variable lease payments are based occur. Certain of the Company’s mixed-use property leases also contain provisions for tenants to reimburse the Company for property operating expenses. Such reimbursements are included in rental revenue on a gross basis. Rental revenue also includes amortization of intangible assets and liabilities related to above and below-market leases.

Revenue from the operation of the hotel property was recognized when guestrooms were occupied, services had been rendered or fees had been earned. Revenues were recorded net of any discounts and sales and other taxes collected from customers. Revenues consisted of room sales, food and beverage sales and other hotel revenues.
Net Interest Margin and Interest Expense
    Net interest margin in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations serves to measure the performance of the Company’s loans and debt securities as compared to its use of debt leverage. The Company includes interest income from its loans and debt securities and interest expense related to its Secured Funding Agreements, Notes Payable, securitization debt, the Secured Term Loan (each individually defined in Note 6 included in these consolidated financial statements) and secured borrowings (described in Note 7 included in these consolidated financial statements) in net interest margin. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, interest expense is comprised of the following ($ in thousands):
For the Years Ended December 31,
202320222021
Secured funding agreements $51,670 $33,602 $16,403 
Notes payable (1)7,678 3,410 2,275 
Securitization debt50,814 29,341 20,104 
Secured term loan7,037 7,028 4,353 
Secured borrowings— 845 6,145 
Other (2)(7,547)(8,232)800 
Interest expense$109,652 $65,994 $50,080 
____________________________
(1)    Excludes interest expense on the $28.3 million note payable, which was secured by a hotel property that was recognized as real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet until its sale in March 2022 (see Note 6 included in these consolidated financial statements for additional information on the note payable). Interest expense on the $28.3 million note payable is included within expenses from real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
(2)    Represents the net interest expense recognized from the Company’s derivative financial instruments upon periodic settlement.
Income Taxes

The Company has elected and qualified for taxation as a REIT commencing with its taxable year ended December 31, 2012. As a result of the Company’s REIT qualification and its distribution policy, the Company does not generally pay United States federal corporate level income taxes. Many of the REIT requirements, however, are highly technical and complex. To continue to qualify as a REIT, the Company must meet a number of organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that the Company distributes annually to its stockholders at least 90% of the Company’s REIT taxable income prior to the deduction for dividends paid. To the extent that the Company distributes less than 100% of its REIT taxable income in any tax year (taking into account any distributions made in a subsequent tax year under Sections 857(b)(9) or 858 of the Code), the Company will pay tax at regular corporate rates on that undistributed portion. Furthermore, if the Company distributes less than the sum of (i) 85% of its ordinary income for the calendar year, (ii) 95% of its capital gain net income for the calendar year, and (iii) any undistributed shortfall from its prior calendar year (the “Required Distribution”) to its stockholders during any calendar year (including any distributions declared by the last day of the calendar year but paid in the subsequent year), then it is required to pay a non-deductible excise tax equal to 4% of any shortfall between the Required Distribution and the amount that was actually distributed. The 90% distribution requirement does not require the distribution of net capital gains. However, if the Company elects to retain any of its net capital gain for any tax year, it must notify its stockholders and pay tax at regular corporate rates on the retained net capital gain. The stockholders must include their proportionate share of the retained net capital gain in their taxable income for the tax year, receive a credit for their share of the tax paid by such REIT, and are deemed to have paid the REIT’s tax on their proportionate share of the retained capital gain. Furthermore, such retained capital gain may be subject to the nondeductible 4% excise tax. If it is determined that the Company’s estimated current year taxable income will be in excess of estimated dividend distributions (including capital gain dividend) for the current year from such income, the Company accrues excise tax on estimated excess taxable income as such taxable income is earned. The annual expense is calculated in accordance with applicable tax regulations. Excise tax expense is included in the line item income tax expense (benefit), including excise tax in the consolidated statements of operations included in this annual report on Form 10-K.

The Company formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, ACRC Lender W TRS LLC (“ACRC W TRS”), in December 2013 in order to issue and hold certain loans intended for sale. The Company also formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, ACRC 2017-
FL3 TRS LLC (“FL3 TRS”), in March 2017 in order to hold a portion of the CLO Securitizations (as defined below), including the portion that generates excess inclusion income. Additionally, the Company also formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, ACRC WM Tenant LLC (“ACRC WM”), in March 2019 in order to lease the hotel property classified as real estate owned, which was acquired on March 8, 2019. Entity classification elections to be taxed as a corporation and taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) elections were made with respect to ACRC W TRS, FL3 TRS and ACRC WM. A TRS is an entity taxed as a corporation that has not elected to be taxed as a REIT, in which a REIT directly or indirectly holds equity, and that has made a joint election with such REIT to be treated as a TRS. A TRS generally may engage in any business, including investing in assets and engaging in activities that could not be held or conducted directly by the Company without jeopardizing its qualification as a REIT. A TRS is subject to applicable United States federal, state and local income tax on its taxable income. In addition, as a REIT, the Company also may be subject to a 100% excise tax on certain transactions between it and its TRS that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis. For financial reporting purposes, a provision for current and deferred taxes has been established for the portion of the Company’s GAAP consolidated earnings recognized by ACRC W TRS, FL3 TRS and ACRC WM. The income tax provision is included in the line item income tax expense, including excise tax in the consolidated statements of operations included in this annual report on Form 10-K.

FASB ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”), prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. The Company has analyzed its various federal and state filing positions and believes that its income tax filing positions and deductions are well documented and supported. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, based on the Company’s evaluation, there is no reserve for any uncertain income tax positions. ACRC W TRS, FL3 TRS and ACRC WM recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits within income tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations. Accrued interest and penalties, if any, are included within other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets.

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income consists of net income (loss) and OCI that are excluded from net income (loss).

Stock-Based Compensation
The Company recognizes the cost of stock‑based compensation, which is included within general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. The fair value of the time vested restricted stock or restricted stock units (“RSUs”) granted is recorded to expense on a straight‑line basis over the vesting period for the award, with an offsetting increase in stockholders’ equity. For grants to directors and officers and employees of the Manager, the fair value is determined based upon the market price of the stock on the grant date.

Earnings per Share

The Company calculates basic earnings (loss) per share by dividing net income (loss) allocable to common stockholders for the period by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding for that period after consideration of the earnings (loss) allocated to the Company’s restricted stock, which are participating securities as defined in GAAP. Diluted earnings (loss) per share takes into effect any dilutive instruments, such as restricted stock, RSUs and convertible debt, except when doing so would be anti‑dilutive. See Note 11 included in these consolidated financial statements for the earnings per share calculations.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2023-07 Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which enhances disclosure requirements to segment reporting. ASU No. 2023-07 will improve financial reporting by requiring disclosure of incremental segment information on an annual and interim basis to develop more useful financial analysis and includes the following changes: (i) single segment entities must follow segment guidance, (ii) must name the title and position of the chief operating decision maker and (iii) the ability to elect more than one performance measure. ASU No. 2023-07 does not change how a public entity identifies its operating segments, aggregates those operating segments, or applies quantitative thresholds to determine its reportable segments. ASU No. 2023-07 is effective beginning in annual periods after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted and retrospective adoption is required for all prior periods presented. The Company is currently assessing this guidance and determining the impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09 Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which intends to improve the transparency of income tax disclosures. ASU No. 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024 and is to be adopted on a prospective basis with the option to apply retrospectively. The Company is currently assessing the impact of this guidance, however, the Company does not expect a material impact to its consolidated financial statements.
v3.24.0.1
LOANS HELD FOR INVESTMENT
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Receivables [Abstract]  
LOANS HELD FOR INVESTMENT LOANS HELD FOR INVESTMENT
As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s portfolio included 46 loans held for investment, excluding 167 loans that were repaid, sold, converted to real estate owned or transferred to held for sale since inception. The aggregate originated commitment under these loans at closing was approximately $2.4 billion and outstanding principal was $2.2 billion as of December 31, 2023. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company funded approximately $215.9 million of outstanding principal, received repayments of $181.1 million of outstanding principal, sold two loans with aggregate outstanding principal of $41.5 million to third parties, converted one loan with outstanding principal of $82.9 million to real estate owned and transferred one loan to loans held for sale with outstanding principal of $37.9 million. As of December 31, 2023, 69.0% of the Company’s loans have Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) floors, with a weighted average floor of 1.13%, calculated based on loans with SOFR floors. References to SOFR or “S” are to 30-day SOFR (unless otherwise specifically stated).
 
The Company’s investments in loans held for investment are accounted for at amortized cost. The following tables summarize the Company’s loans held for investment as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 ($ in thousands):

 As of December 31, 2023
Carrying Amount (1)Outstanding Principal (1)Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective YieldWeighted Average Remaining Life (Years)
Senior mortgage loans $2,090,146 $2,118,947 7.5 %(2)9.3 %(3)1.1
Subordinated debt and preferred equity investments36,378 39,098 8.1 %(2)15.3 %(3)1.8
Total loans held for investment portfolio $2,126,524 $2,158,045 7.5 %(2)9.4 %(3)1.1

 As of December 31, 2022
Carrying Amount (1)
Outstanding Principal (1)
Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective YieldWeighted Average Remaining Life (Years)
Senior mortgage loans $2,225,725 $2,243,818 8.4 %(2)8.8 %(3)1.3
Subordinated debt and preferred equity investments38,283 39,003 14.0 %(2)14.0 %(3)2.8
Total loans held for investment portfolio$2,264,008 $2,282,821 8.5 %(2)8.9 %(3)1.4
______________________________

(1)The difference between the Carrying Amount and the Outstanding Principal amount of the loans held for investment consists of unamortized purchase discounts, deferred loan fees and origination costs and cost-recovery proceeds.
(2)Unleveraged Effective Yield is the compounded effective rate of return that would be earned over the life of the investment based on the contractual interest rate (adjusted for any deferred loan fees, costs, premiums or discounts) and assumes no dispositions, early prepayments or defaults. The total Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective Yield is calculated based on the average of Unleveraged Effective Yield of all loans held by the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 as weighted by the total outstanding principal balance of each loan.
(3)Unleveraged Effective Yield is the compounded effective rate of return that would be earned over the life of the investment based on the contractual interest rate (adjusted for any deferred loan fees, costs, premiums or discounts) and assumes no dispositions, early prepayments or defaults. The total Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective Yield is calculated based on the average of Unleveraged Effective Yield of all interest accruing loans held by the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 as weighted by the total outstanding principal balance of each interest accruing loan (excludes loans on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and 2022).
A more detailed listing of the Company’s loans held for investment portfolio based on information available as of December 31, 2023 is as follows ($ in millions):

Loan Type
LocationOutstanding Principal (1)Carrying Amount (1)Interest RateUnleveraged Effective Yield (2)Maturity Date (3)Payment Terms (4)
Senior Mortgage Loans:
OfficeIL$159.0$154.0(5)7.6%(5)Mar 2025(5)I/O
MultifamilyNY132.2131.4S+3.90%9.7%Jun 2025I/O
OfficeDiversified121.9121.9S+3.75%9.4%Jan 2025(6)P/I(7)
IndustrialIL100.7100.6S+4.65%10.4%May 2024I/O
MultifamilyTX100.099.5S+3.50%9.7%Jul 2025I/O
Residential/CondoNY91.086.4S+8.95%—%(8)Apr 2024(8)I/O
Mixed-useNY76.776.6S+3.75%9.5%Jul 2024I/O
Residential/CondoFL75.075.0S+5.35%10.7%Jul 2024(9)I/O
OfficeNY73.171.3S+3.95%—%(10)Aug 2025I/O
OfficeAZ69.269.0S+3.61%9.4%Oct 2024I/O
OfficeNC68.968.8S+3.65%9.5%Aug 2024I/O
OfficeNC68.767.2S+4.35%—%(11)Mar 2024(11)P/I(7)
MultifamilyTX68.468.2S+2.95%8.7%Dec 2024I/O
Multifamily/OfficeSC67.066.9S+3.00%8.6%Nov 2024I/O
MultifamilyOH57.056.5S+3.05%8.8%Oct 2026I/O
OfficeIL56.949.8S+3.95%—%(12)Feb 2024(12)I/O
OfficeIL56.055.7S+4.25%10.1%Jan 2025I/O
HotelNY50.750.4S+4.40%10.1%Mar 2026I/O
OfficeMA48.748.2S+3.75%9.8%Apr 2025I/O
OfficeGA48.548.4S+3.15%8.8%Dec 2024(13)P/I(7)
IndustrialMA47.547.2S+2.90%8.4%Jun 2028I/O
HotelCA46.946.5S+4.20%10.0%Mar 2025I/O
Mixed-useTX35.335.3S+3.85%9.5%Sep 2024I/O
Student HousingCA34.034.0S+3.95%9.3%Jan 2024(14)I/O
OfficeCA33.230.6S+3.45%—%(15)Dec 2023(15)I/O
MultifamilyCA31.731.6S+3.00%8.6%Dec 2025I/O
MultifamilyPA28.228.2S+2.50%7.9%Dec 2025(16)I/O
IndustrialNJ27.827.7S+3.85%9.8%May 2024I/O
IndustrialFL25.525.4S+3.00%8.6%Dec 2025I/O
MultifamilyWA23.123.0S+3.00%8.5%Nov 2025I/O
MultifamilyTX22.822.8S+2.60%8.3%Oct 2024I/O
OfficeCA20.520.4S+3.50%9.1%Nov 2025(17)P/I(7)
IndustrialCA19.619.1S+3.85%—%(18)Sep 2024(18)I/O
Student HousingAL19.519.5S+3.95%9.7%May 2024I/O
MultifamilyWA18.818.8S+3.10%—%(19)Sep 2023(19)I/O
Self StoragePA18.218.1S+3.00%8.7%Dec 2025I/O
Self StorageNJ17.617.4S+2.90%9.0%Apr 2025I/O
Self StorageWA11.511.4S+2.90%9.0%Mar 2025I/O
Self StorageIN10.810.6S+3.60%9.7%Jun 2026I/O
IndustrialTX10.010.0S+5.35%11.1%Dec 2024I/O
Self StorageMA7.77.7S+3.00%8.6%Nov 2024I/O
Self StorageMA6.86.7S+3.00%8.6%Oct 2024I/O
IndustrialTN6.46.4S+5.60%11.3%Nov 2024I/O
Self StorageNJ5.95.9S+3.00%8.8%Jul 2024I/O
Subordinated Debt and Preferred
Equity Investments:
MultifamilySC20.620.5S+9.53%15.3%Sep 2025I/O
OfficeNJ18.515.912.00%—%(20)Jan 2026I/O
Total/Weighted Average $2,158.0$2,126.57.5%
_________________________

(1)The difference between the Carrying Amount and the Outstanding Principal amount of the loans held for investment consists of unamortized purchase discounts, deferred loan fees and origination costs and cost-recovery proceeds. For the loans held for investment that represent co-investments with other investment vehicles managed by Ares Management (see Note 14 included in these consolidated financial statements for additional information on co-investments), only the portion of Carrying Amount and Outstanding Principal held by the Company is reflected.
(2)Unleveraged Effective Yield is the compounded effective rate of return that would be earned over the life of the investment based on the contractual interest rate (adjusted for any deferred loan fees, costs, premiums or discounts) and assumes no dispositions, early prepayments or defaults. Unleveraged Effective Yield for each loan is calculated based on SOFR as of December 31, 2023 or the SOFR floor, as applicable. The total Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective Yield is calculated based on the average of Unleveraged Effective Yield of all loans held by the Company as of December 31, 2023 as weighted by the outstanding principal balance of each loan.
(3)Reflects the initial loan maturity date excluding any contractual extension options. Certain loans are subject to contractual extension options that generally vary between one and two 12-month extensions and may be subject to performance based or other conditions as stipulated in the loan agreement. Actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities stated herein as certain borrowers may have the right to prepay with or without paying a prepayment penalty. The Company may also extend contractual maturities and amend other terms of the loans in connection with loan modifications.
(4)I/O = interest only, P/I = principal and interest.
(5)The Illinois loan is structured as both a senior and mezzanine loan with the Company holding both positions. The senior position has a per annum interest rate of S + 2.25% and the mezzanine position has a fixed per annum interest rate of 10.00%. The mezzanine position of this loan, which had an outstanding principal balance of $45.1 million as of December 31, 2023, was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and therefore, the Unleveraged Effective Yield presented is for the senior position only as the mezzanine position is non-interest accruing. In March 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the Illinois loan from March 2023 to March 2025. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $1.7 million of interest payments and other fees in cash on the mezzanine position of the Illinois loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan and the borrower is current on all contractual interest payments.
(6)In December 2023, the borrower exercised a 12-month extension option in accordance with the loan agreement, which
extended the maturity date on the senior diversified loan to January 2025.
(7)In April 2022, amortization began on the senior North Carolina loan, which had an outstanding principal balance of $68.7 million as of December 31, 2023. In January 2023, amortization began on the senior Georgia loan, which had an outstanding principal balance of $48.5 million as of December 31, 2023. In February 2023, amortization began on the senior diversified loan, which had an outstanding principal balance of $121.9 million as of December 31, 2023. In December 2023, amortization began on the senior California loan, which had an outstanding principal balance of $20.5 million as of December 31, 2023. The remainder of the loans in the Company’s portfolio are non-amortizing through their primary terms.
(8)The New York loan is structured as both a senior and mezzanine loan with the Company holding both positions. The senior and mezzanine positions each have a per annum interest rate of S + 8.95%. The senior and mezzanine loans were both on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. In June 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification agreement to, among other things, modify certain construction milestones. Upon the closing of the modification agreement, the New York loan was no longer in default. In September 2023, the borrower exercised a six-month extension option in accordance with the loan agreement, which extended the maturity date on the New York loan to April 2024.
(9)In June 2023, the borrower exercised a 12-month extension option in accordance with the loan agreement, which extended the maturity date on the senior Florida loan to July 2024.
(10)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $1.4 million of interest payments in cash on the senior New York loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan and the borrower is current on all contractual interest payments.
(11)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. In March 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the senior North Carolina loan from March 2023 to March 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $1.4 million of interest payments in cash on the senior North Carolina loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan and the borrower is current on all contractual interest payments.
(12)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. In June 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the senior Illinois loan from June 2023 to December 2023, and in December 2023, the maturity date was further extended to February 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $5.2 million of interest payments in cash on the senior Illinois loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan and the borrower is current on all contractual interest payments. See Note 17 included in these consolidated financial statements for a subsequent event related to the senior Illinois loan.
(13)In December 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the senior Georgia loan from December 2023 to December 2024.
(14)In June 2023, the borrower exercised a six-month extension option in accordance with the loan agreement, which extended the maturity date on the senior California loan to January 2024.
(15)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. In March 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the senior California loan from March 2023 to November 2023, and in November 2023, the maturity date was further extended to December 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the senior California loan, which is collateralized by an office property, is in maturity default due to the failure of the borrower to repay the outstanding principal balance of the loan by the December 2023 maturity date. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $2.5 million of interest payments in cash on the senior California loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan. The Company is in the process of a foreclosure of the property with legal title of the property expected to be acquired in the second quarter of 2024. Once legal title of the property is acquired, the Company will derecognize the senior California loan and recognize the office property as real estate owned.
(16)In December 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, reduce the interest rate on the senior Pennsylvania loan from S+4.00% to S+2.50% and extend the maturity date from December 2023 to December 2025.
(17)In November 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the senior California loan from November 2023 to November 2025.
(18)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. In February 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the senior California loan from March 2023 to September 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $374 thousand of interest payments in cash on the senior California loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan and the borrower is current on all contractual interest payments.
(19)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. As of December 31, 2023, the senior Washington loan, which is collateralized by a multifamily property, is in maturity default due to the failure of the borrower to repay the outstanding principal balance of the loan by the September 2023 maturity date.
(20)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $2.1 million of interest payments in cash on the mezzanine New Jersey loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan and the borrower is current on all contractual interest payments. See Note 17 included in these consolidated financial statements for a subsequent event related to the mezzanine New Jersey loan.

The Company has made, and may continue to make, modifications to loans, including loans that are in default. Loan terms that may be modified include interest rates, required prepayments, asset release prices, maturity dates, covenants, principal amounts and other loan terms. The terms and conditions of each modification vary based on individual circumstances and will be determined on a case by case basis. The Company’s Manager monitors and evaluates each of the Company’s loans held for investment and is maintaining regular communications with borrowers and sponsors regarding the potential impacts of current macroeconomic conditions on the Company’s loans.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, the activity in the Company’s loan portfolio was as follows ($ in thousands):
Balance at December 31, 2021$2,414,383 
Initial funding578,652 
Origination fees and discounts, net of costs(9,577)
Additional funding96,057 
Amortizing payments(4,333)
Loan payoffs(821,513)
Origination fee and discount accretion10,339 
Balance at December 31, 2022$2,264,008 
Initial funding114,542 
Origination fees and discounts, net of costs(1,646)
Additional funding 101,592 
Amortizing payments(16,169)
Loan payoffs (1)(179,808)
Loans sold to third parties (2)(41,489)
Loans transferred to held for sale (3)(37,939)
Loan converted to real estate owned (see Note 5)(82,676)
Origination fee and discount accretion 6,109 
Balance at December 31, 2023$2,126,524 
_________________________

(1)    In September 2023, the Company received a discounted payoff on a senior mortgage loan with outstanding principal of $35.0 million, which was collateralized by a hotel property located in Illinois, in conjunction with a short sale of the hotel property by the borrower to a third party. At the time of the discounted payoff, the senior mortgage loan was in default due to the failure of the borrower to make certain contractual reserve deposits by the May 2022 due date and due to the borrower not making its contractual interest payments due subsequent to the January 2023 interest payment date. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recognized a realized loss of $4.9 million in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations as the carrying value of the senior mortgage loan exceeded the net proceeds from the payoff of the loan.
(2)    In January 2023, the Company closed the sale of a senior mortgage loan with outstanding principal of $14.3 million, which was collateralized by a residential property located in California, to a third party. At the time of the sale, the senior mortgage loan was in maturity default due to the failure of the borrower to repay the outstanding principal balance of the loan by the May 2021 maturity date. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recognized a realized loss of $5.6 million in the Company's consolidated statements of operations upon the sale of the senior mortgage loan as the carrying value exceeded the sale price of the loan. In addition, in April 2023, the Company closed the sale of a senior mortgage loan with outstanding principal of $27.2 million, which was collateralized by an office property located in Illinois, to a third party. At the time of the sale, the senior mortgage loan was in maturity default due to the failure of the borrower to repay the outstanding principal balance of the loan by the January 2023 maturity date. The Company did not recognize any realized gain or loss in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations upon the sale of the senior mortgage loan as the carrying value was equal to the sale price of the loan.
(3)     In December 2023, the Company entered into a sale agreement with a third party to sell a senior mortgage loan with outstanding principal of $37.9 million, which is collateralized by a mixed-use property located in California. In March 2023, the senior mortgage loan was not repaid upon its contractual maturity, which triggered an event of default under the loan agreement and as of December 31, 2023, the loan remains in default. As of December 31, 2023, the sale had not yet closed and the loan was reclassified from held for investment to held for sale and is carried at fair value in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. The Company recognized an unrealized loss of $995 thousand in the Company's consolidated statements of operations upon reclassifying the loan to held for sale as the carrying value of the senior mortgage loan exceeded the fair value as determined by the estimated net proceeds available from the agreed upon sale price of the loan and loan reserves. See Note 17 included in these consolidated financial statements for a subsequent event related to the sale of the senior mortgage loan.

Except as described in the table above listing the Company’s loans held for investment portfolio, as of December 31, 2023, all loans held for investment were paying in accordance with their contractual terms. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had nine loans held for investment on non-accrual status with a carrying value of $399.3 million. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had three loans held for investment on non-accrual status with a carrying value of $99.1 million.
v3.24.0.1
CURRENT EXPECTED CREDIT LOSSES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Credit Loss [Abstract]  
CURRENT EXPECTED CREDIT LOSSES CURRENT EXPECTED CREDIT LOSSES
    The Company estimates its CECL Reserve primarily using a probability-weighted model that considers the likelihood of default and expected loss given default for each individual loan. Calculation of the CECL Reserve requires loan specific data, which includes capital senior to the Company when the Company is the subordinate lender, changes in net operating income, debt service coverage ratio, loan-to-value, occupancy, property type and geographic location. Estimating the CECL Reserve also requires significant judgment with respect to various factors, including (i) the appropriate historical loan loss reference data, (ii) the expected timing of loan repayments, (iii) calibration of the likelihood of default to reflect the risk characteristics of the Company’s floating rate loan portfolio and (iv) the Company’s current and future view of the macroeconomic environment. The Company may consider loan-specific qualitative factors on certain loans to estimate its CECL Reserve. In order to estimate the future expected loan losses relevant to the Company’s portfolio, the Company utilizes historical market loan loss data licensed from a third party data service. The third party’s loan database includes historical loss data for commercial mortgage-backed securities, or CMBS, issued dating back to 1998, which the Company believes is a reasonably comparable and available data set to its type of loans. The Company utilized macroeconomic data that reflects weak economic growth in the near term given current macroeconomic conditions; however, the actual financial impact on the Company of the current environment is highly uncertain. For periods beyond the reasonable and supportable forecast period, the Company reverts back to historical loss data. Management’s current estimate of expected credit losses as of December 31, 2023 increased compared to the current estimate of expected credit losses as of December 31, 2022 primarily due to an increase in the CECL Reserves for risk rated “4” and “5” loans in the portfolio as a result of the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, including high inflation and interest rates, volatility and reduced liquidity in the office sector and other loan specific factors partially offset by shorter average remaining loan term and loan repayments during the year ended December 31, 2023. The CECL Reserve also takes into consideration the assumed impact of macroeconomic conditions on CRE properties and is not specific to any loan losses or impairments on the Company’s loans held for investment, unless the Company determines that a specific reserve is warranted for a select asset.
    
In certain instances, the Company may identify specific loans to be collateral dependent. The Company considers loans to be collateral dependent if both of the following criteria are met: (i) loan is expected to be substantially repaid through the operation or sale of the underlying collateral, and (ii) the borrower or sponsor is experiencing financial difficulty. The determination of whether these criteria are met for an individual loan requires the use of significant judgment and can be based on several factors subject to uncertainty.

For such loans that the Company determines that foreclosure of the collateral is probable, the Company estimates the CECL Reserve based on the difference between the fair value of the collateral (less costs to sell the asset if repayment is expected through the sale of the collateral) and the amortized cost basis of the loan as of the measurement date. For collateral dependent loans that the Company determines foreclosure is not probable, the Company applies a practical expedient to estimate the CECL Reserve using the difference between the collateral’s fair value (less costs to sell the asset if repayment is expected through the sale of the collateral) and the amortized cost basis of the loan. To determine the fair value of the collateral, the Company may employ different approaches depending on the type of collateral, including methods such as the income approach, the market approach or the direct capitalization approach. These methods require the use of key unobservable inputs, which are inherently uncertain and subjective. Determining the appropriate valuation method and selecting the appropriate key unobservable inputs and assumptions requires significant judgment and consideration of factors specific to the underlying collateral being assessed. Additionally, the key unobservable inputs and assumptions used may vary depending on the information available and market conditions as of the valuation date. As such, the fair value that is used in calculating the CECL Reserve is subject to uncertainty and any actual losses, if incurred, could differ materially from the CECL Reserve.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s CECL Reserve for its loans held for investment portfolio is $163.1 million or 717 basis points of the Company’s total loans held for investment commitment balance of $2.3 billion and is bifurcated between the CECL Reserve (contra-asset) related to outstanding balances on loans held for investment of $159.9 million and a liability for unfunded commitments of $3.2 million. The liability was based on the unfunded portion of the loan commitment over the full contractual period over which the Company is exposed to credit risk through a current obligation to extend credit. Management considered the likelihood that funding will occur, and if funded, the expected credit loss on the funded portion.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the senior mortgage loan on an office property located in Illinois with a principal balance of $56.9 million, the senior mortgage loan on an office property located in California with a principal balance of $33.2 million and the senior mortgage loan on a multifamily property located in Washington with a principal balance of $18.8 million were each downgraded to a risk rating of “5.” As of December 31, 2023, each of these loans was assessed individually and the Company elected to assign specific CECL Reserves of $39.7 million on the Illinois office loan, $14.7 million on the California office loan and $2.1 million on the Washington multifamily loan. The specific CECL Reserves for each of these loans were based on the Company’s estimate of proceeds available from the potential sale of the collateral property less the estimated costs to sell the property and the specific CECL Reserves are included in the Company’s total CECL Reserve.
Current Expected Credit Loss Reserve for Funded Loan Commitments    

    Activity related to the CECL Reserve for outstanding balances on the Company’s loans held for investment as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was as follows ($ in thousands):
Balance at December 31, 2021 (1)
$23,939 
Provision for current expected credit losses42,030
Write-offs
Recoveries
Balance at December 31, 2022 (1)
$65,969 
Provision for current expected credit losses93,916 
Write-offs— 
Recoveries— 
Balance at December 31, 2023 (1)
$159,885 
__________________________

(1)     The CECL Reserve related to outstanding balances on loans held for investment is recorded within current expected credit loss reserve in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

Current Expected Credit Loss Reserve for Unfunded Loan Commitments    

    Activity related to the CECL Reserve for unfunded commitments on the Company’s loans held for investment as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was as follows ($ in thousands):

Balance at December 31, 2021 (1)
$1,308 
Provision for current expected credit losses4,031 
Write-offs— 
Recoveries— 
Balance at December 31, 2022 (1)
$5,339 
Provision for current expected credit losses(2,091)
Write-offs— 
Recoveries — 
Balance at December 31, 2023 (1)
$3,248 
__________________________

(1)     The CECL Reserve related to unfunded commitments on loans held for investment is recorded within other liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

The Company continuously evaluates the credit quality of each loan by assessing the risk factors of each loan and assigning a risk rating based on a variety of factors. Risk factors include property type, geographic and local market dynamics, physical condition, leasing and tenant profile, projected cash flow, loan structure and exit plan, loan-to-value ratio, debt service coverage ratio, project sponsorship, and other factors deemed necessary. Based on a 5-point scale, the Company’s loans are rated “1” through “5,” from less risk to greater risk, which ratings are defined as follows:
Ratings    Definition
1Very Low Risk
2Low Risk
3Medium Risk
4High Risk/Potential for Loss: Asset performance is trailing underwritten expectations. Loan at risk of impairment without material improvement to performance
5Impaired/Loss Likely: A loan that has a significantly increased probability of default and principal loss

    The risk ratings are primarily based on historical data as well as taking into account future economic conditions.

    As of December 31, 2023, the carrying value, excluding the CECL Reserve, of the Company’s loans held for investment within each risk rating by year of origination is as follows ($ in thousands):
20232022202120202019PriorTotal
Risk rating:
1$$37,756$$$$$37,756
2103,69911,427264,24954,340433,715
310,616470,254427,214121,90783,64928,1911,141,831
486,44471,298153,96886,39215,878413,980
518,75230,64749,84399,242
Total$114,315$605,881$762,761$294,627$200,688$148,252$2,126,524

Accrued Interest Receivable

    The Company elected not to measure a CECL Reserve on accrued interest receivable due to the Company’s policy of writing off uncollectible accrued interest receivable balances in a timely manner. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, interest receivable of $13.0 million and $14.0 million, respectively, is included within other assets in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets and is excluded from the carrying value of loans held for investment. If the Company were to have uncollectible accrued interest receivable, it generally would reverse accrued and unpaid interest against interest income and no longer accrue for these amounts.
v3.24.0.1
REAL ESTATE OWNED
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Real Estate Owned [Abstract]  
REAL ESTATE OWNED REAL ESTATE OWNED
On September 8, 2023, the Company acquired legal title to a mixed-use property located in Florida through a consensual foreclosure. Prior to September 8, 2023, the mixed-use property collateralized an $82.9 million senior mortgage loan held by the Company that was in maturity default due to the failure of the borrower to repay the outstanding principal balance of the loan by the February 2023 maturity date. In conjunction with the consensual foreclosure, the Company derecognized the $82.9 million senior mortgage loan and recognized the mixed-use property as real estate owned. As the Company does not expect to complete a sale of the mixed-use property within the next twelve months, the mixed-use property is considered held for use, and is carried at its estimated fair value at acquisition and is presented net of accumulated depreciation or amortization and impairment charges. The Company did not recognize any gain or loss on the derecognition of the senior mortgage loan as the fair value of the mixed-use property of $84.3 million and the net deficit held at the mixed-use property of $1.4 million at acquisition approximated the $82.9 million carrying value of the senior mortgage loan. Certain operating assets and liabilities of the mixed-use property are included within other assets and other liabilities, respectively, in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets and include items such as prepaid expenses, rent receivables, straight-line rent receivables and payables and trade payables.
The following table summarizes the Company’s real estate owned as of December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):

Land$21,337 
Buildings and improvements52,224 
In-place lease intangibles21,276 
Above-market lease intangibles547 
Below-market lease intangibles(11,084)
Total real estate owned84,300 
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization (1,016)
Real estate owned, net$83,284 

The Company did not have any real estate owned as of December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2023, no impairment charges have been recognized for real estate owned.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company incurred net depreciation and amortization expense of $1.0 million. With the exception of amortization related to intangible assets and liabilities for above-market or below-market leases, depreciation and amortization expense is included within expenses from real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Amortization related to intangible assets and liabilities for above-market or below-market leases is recognized as an adjustment to rental revenue and is included within revenue from real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

Intangible Lease Assets and Liabilities

The weighted average amortization period for the intangible lease assets and liabilities acquired in connection with the Company’s real estate owned was 9.3 years as of the acquisition date.

The following table summarizes the Company’s intangible lease assets and liabilities that are included within real estate owned as of December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):
GrossAccumulated AmortizationNet
Assets:
In-place lease intangibles$21,276 $(767)$20,509 
Above-market lease intangibles547 (35)512 
Liabilities:
Below-market lease intangibles(11,084)322 (10,762)

The following table summarizes the amortization of intangible lease assets and liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):

Consolidated Statement
of Operations Location
Amount
Assets:
In-place lease intangiblesExpenses from real estate owned$767 
Above-market lease intangiblesRevenue from real estate owned(35)
Liabilities:
Below-market lease intangiblesRevenue from real estate owned322 
The following table summarizes the estimated net amortization schedule for the Company’s intangible lease assets and liabilities that are included within real estate owned as of December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):
In-PlaceAbove-Market Below-Market
Lease IntangiblesLease IntangiblesLease Intangibles
2024$2,304 $111 $1,027 
20252,232911,027
20261,82176618
20271,70151571
20281,60341542
Thereafter10,8481426,977
Total$20,509 $512 $10,762 

Future Minimum Lease Payments

The following table summarizes the future minimum contractual lease payments to be collected by the Company under non-cancelable operating leases, excluding tenant reimbursements of expenses and variable lease payments, as of December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):

2024$9,771 
20259,885
202610,002
20279,903
20289,895
Thereafter34,015
Total$83,471 

Gain on Sale of Real Estate Owned

On March 8, 2019, the Company acquired legal title to a hotel property located in New York through a deed in lieu of foreclosure. Prior to March 8, 2019, the hotel property collateralized a $38.6 million senior mortgage loan held by the Company that was in maturity default due to the failure of the borrower to repay the outstanding principal balance of the loan by the December 2018 maturity date. In conjunction with the deed in lieu of foreclosure, the Company derecognized the $38.6 million senior mortgage loan and recognized the hotel property as real estate owned. As of the date of the deed in lieu of foreclosure, the Company did not expect to complete a sale of the hotel property within the next twelve months and thus, the hotel property was considered held for use, and was carried at its estimated fair value at acquisition and was presented net of accumulated depreciation and impairment charges. The Company did not recognize any gain or loss on the derecognition of the senior mortgage loan as the fair value of the hotel property of $36.9 million and the net assets held at the hotel property of $1.7 million at acquisition approximated the $38.6 million carrying value of the senior mortgage loan. 

On November 8, 2021, the Company entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement to sell the hotel property to a third party for $40.0 million and the sale closed on March 1, 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recognized a $2.2 million gain on the sale of the hotel property as the net carrying value of the hotel property as of the March 1, 2022 sale date was lower than the net sales proceeds received by the Company. The gain on the sale of the hotel property is included within gain on sale of real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. In connection with the sale of the hotel property, the Company provided a senior mortgage loan to the buyer of the hotel property. The initial advance funded under such loan was $30.7 million, with up to another $25.0 million of additional loan proceeds to be available for future advances to cover a portion of the anticipated property renovation plan costs, provided certain conditions are satisfied. At closing, the buyer contributed $12.9 million of equity into the purchase. Additionally, the buyer is required to fund an additional $8.7 million of equity associated with the anticipated property renovation plan costs.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company did not incur depreciation and amortization expense related to the hotel property. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company incurred depreciation and amortization expense of $825 thousand related to the hotel property.
v3.24.0.1
DEBT
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]  
DEBT DEBT
Financing Agreements

The Company borrows funds, as applicable in a given period, under the Wells Fargo Facility, the Citibank Facility, the CNB Facility, the MetLife Facility and the Morgan Stanley Facility (individually defined below and collectively, the “Secured Funding Agreements”), Notes Payable (as defined below) and the Secured Term Loan (as defined below). The Company refers to the Secured Funding Agreements, Notes Payable and the Secured Term Loan as the “Financing Agreements.” The outstanding balance of the Financing Agreements in the table below are presented gross of debt issuance costs. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the outstanding balances and total commitments under the Financing Agreements consisted of the following ($ in thousands):

December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Outstanding BalanceTotal
Commitment
Outstanding BalanceTotal
Commitment
Secured Funding Agreements:
Wells Fargo Facility$208,540 $450,000 (1)$270,798 $450,000 (1)
Citibank Facility221,604 325,000 236,240 325,000 
CNB Facility— 75,000 — 75,000 
MetLife Facility— 180,000 — 180,000 
Morgan Stanley Facility209,673 250,000 198,193 250,000 
Subtotal$639,817 $1,280,000 $705,231 $1,280,000 
Notes Payable $105,000 $105,000 $105,000 $105,000 
Secured Term Loan$150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 
   Total$894,817 $1,535,000 $960,231 $1,535,000 
______________________________

(1)The maximum commitment for the Wells Fargo Facility (as defined below) may be increased to up to $500.0 million at the Company’s option, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including payment of an upsize fee.

Some of the Company’s Financing Agreements are collateralized by (i) assignments of specific loans, preferred equity or a pool of loans held for investment or loans held for sale owned by the Company, (ii) interests in the subordinated portion of the Company’s securitization debt, or (iii) interests in wholly-owned entity subsidiaries that hold the Company’s loans held for investment. The Company is the borrower or guarantor under each of the Financing Agreements. Generally, the Company partially offsets interest rate risk by matching the interest index of loans held for investment with the Secured Funding Agreements used to fund them. The Company’s Financing Agreements contain various affirmative and negative covenants, including negative pledges, and provisions regarding events of default that are normal and customary for similar financing arrangements.

Wells Fargo Facility
 
The Company is party to a master repurchase funding facility with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (“Wells Fargo”) (the “Wells Fargo Facility”), which allows the Company to borrow up to $450.0 million. The maximum commitment may be increased to up to $500.0 million at the Company’s option, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including payment of an upsize fee. Under the Wells Fargo Facility, the Company is permitted to sell, and later repurchase, certain qualifying senior commercial mortgage loans, A-Notes, pari-passu participations in commercial mortgage loans and mezzanine loans under certain circumstances, subject to available collateral approved by Wells Fargo in its sole discretion. The funding period of the Wells Fargo Facility expires on December 15, 2025. The initial maturity date of the Wells Fargo Facility is December 15, 2025, subject to two 12-month extensions, each of which may be exercised at the Company’s option, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including payment of an extension fee, which, if both were exercised, would extend the maturity date of the Wells Fargo Facility to December 14, 2027. Advances under the Wells Fargo Facility accrue interest at a
per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month SOFR plus a pricing margin range of 1.50% to 3.75%, subject to certain exceptions.

The Wells Fargo Facility contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, which are normal and customary for similar repurchase facilities, including the following: (a) limitations on the incurrence of additional indebtedness or liens, (b) limitations on how borrowed funds may be used, (c) limitations on certain distributions and dividend payments in excess of the minimum amount necessary to continue to qualify as a REIT and avoid the payment of income and excise taxes, (d) maintenance of adequate capital, (e) limitations on change of control, (f) maintaining a ratio of total debt to tangible net worth of not more than 4.50 to 1.00, (g) maintaining a ratio of recourse debt to tangible net worth of not more than 3.00 to 1.00, (h) maintaining liquidity in an amount not less than the greater of (1) $5.0 million or (2) 5% of the Company’s recourse indebtedness, not to exceed $10.0 million (provided that in the event the Company’s total liquidity equals or exceeds $5.0 million, the Company may satisfy the difference between the minimum total liquidity requirement and the Company’s total liquidity with available borrowing capacity), (i) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio (expressed as the ratio of EBITDA (net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), as defined, to fixed charges) for the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the last date of the applicable reporting period to be at least 1.25 to 1.00, (j) maintaining a tangible net worth of at least the sum of (1) approximately $135.5 million, plus (2) 80% of the net proceeds raised in all future equity issuances by the Company and (k) if certain specific debt yield, loan to value or other credit based tests are not met with respect to assets on the Wells Fargo Facility, the Company may be required to repay certain amounts under the Wells Fargo Facility. As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the Wells Fargo Facility.

Citibank Facility

The Company is party to a $325.0 million master repurchase facility with Citibank, N.A. (“Citibank”) (the “Citibank Facility”). Under the Citibank Facility, the Company is permitted to sell and later repurchase certain qualifying senior commercial mortgage loans and A-Notes approved by Citibank in its sole discretion. The initial maturity date of the Citibank facility is January 13, 2025, subject to two 12-month extensions, each of which may be exercised at the Company’s option assuming no existing defaults under the Citibank Facility and applicable extension fees being paid, which, if both were exercised, would extend the maturity date of the Citibank Facility to January 13, 2027. Advances under the Citibank Facility accrue interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month SOFR plus an indicative pricing margin range of 1.50% to 2.10%, subject to certain exceptions. Prior to the January 2022 amendment, the Company incurred a non-utilization fee of 25 basis points per annum on the average daily available balance of the Citibank Facility to the extent less than 75% of the Citibank Facility was utilized. Subsequent to the January 2022 amendment, the Company incurs a non-utilization fee of 25 basis points per annum on the average daily positive difference between the maximum advances approved by Citibank and the actual advances outstanding on the Citibank Facility. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company did not incur a non-utilization fee. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred a non-utilization fee of $11 thousand and $598 thousand, respectively. The non-utilization fee is included within interest expense in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

The Citibank Facility contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, which are normal and customary for similar repurchase facilities, including the following: (a) maintaining tangible net worth of at least the sum of (1) 80% of the Company’s tangible net worth as of September 30, 2013, plus (2) 80% of the total net capital raised in all future equity issuances by the Company, (b) maintaining liquidity in an amount not less than the greater of (1) $5.0 million or (2) 5% of the Company’s recourse indebtedness, not to exceed $10.0 million (provided that in the event the Company’s total liquidity equals or exceeds $5.0 million, the Company may satisfy the difference between the minimum total liquidity requirement and the Company’s total liquidity with available borrowing capacity), (c) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio (expressed as the ratio of EBITDA (net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), as defined, to fixed charges) for the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the last date of the applicable reporting period to be at least 1.25 to 1.00, (d) maintaining a ratio of total debt to tangible net worth of not more than 4.50 to 1.00, (e) maintaining a ratio of recourse debt to tangible net worth of not more than 3.00 to 1.00 and (f) if certain specific debt yield and loan to value tests are not met with respect to assets on the Citibank Facility, the Company may be required to repay certain amounts under the Citibank Facility. The Citibank Facility also prohibits the Company from amending the management agreement with its
Manager in a material respect without the prior consent of the lender. As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the Citibank Facility.

CNB Facility
    The Company is party to a $75.0 million secured revolving funding facility with City National Bank (the “CNB Facility”). The Company is permitted to borrow funds under the CNB Facility to finance investments and for other working capital and general corporate needs. In February 2023, the Company exercised a 12-month extension option on the CNB Facility to extend the maturity date to March 11, 2024. Advances under the CNB Facility accrue interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of, at the Company’s option, either (a) SOFR (with a 0.35% floor) plus 2.65% or (b) a base rate (which is the highest of a prime rate, the federal funds rate plus 0.50%, or Daily Simple SOFR plus 1.00%) plus 1.00%; provided that in no event shall the interest rate be less than 2.65%. Unless at least 75% of the CNB Facility is used on average, unused commitments under the CNB Facility accrue non-utilization fees at the rate of 0.375% per annum. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred a non-utilization fee of $285 thousand, $284 thousand and $146 thousand, respectively. The non-utilization fee is included within interest expense in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

The CNB Facility contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, which are normal and customary for similar financing facilities, including the following: (a) limitations on the incurrence of additional indebtedness or liens, (b) limitations on how borrowed funds may be used, (c) limitations on certain distributions and dividend payments following a default or event of default, (d) limitations on dispositions of assets, (e) maintenance of minimum total asset value by the borrower under the CNB Facility and its subsidiaries and (f) prohibitions of certain change of control events. The agreements governing the CNB Facility also impose certain covenants on the Company, including the following: (i) maintaining a ratio of total debt to tangible net worth of not more than 4.50 to 1.00, (ii) maintaining a tangible net worth of at least 80% of the Company’s net worth as of September 30, 2013, plus 80% of the net cash proceeds raised in equity issuances by the Company after March 12, 2014, (iii) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio (expressed as the ratio of EBITDA (net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), as defined, to fixed charges) for the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the last date of the applicable reporting period of at least 1.25 to 1.00, (iv) limitations on mergers, consolidations, transfers of assets and similar transactions and (v) maintaining its status as a REIT. As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the CNB Facility. See Note 17 included in these consolidated financial statements for a subsequent event related to the CNB Facility.

MetLife Facility    

The Company is party to a $180.0 million revolving master repurchase facility with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (“MetLife”) (the “MetLife Facility”), pursuant to which the Company may sell, and later repurchase, commercial mortgage loans meeting defined eligibility criteria which are approved by MetLife in its sole discretion. In June 2023, the Company exercised a 12-month extension option on the MetLife Facility to extend the maturity date to August 13, 2024. Advances under the MetLife Facility accrue interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month SOFR plus a spread of 2.50%, subject to certain exceptions. Unless at least 65% of the MetLife Facility is utilized, unused commitments under the MetLife Facility accrue non-utilization fees at the rate of 0.25% per annum on the average daily available balance. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred a non-utilization fee of $297 thousand, $247 thousand and $162 thousand, respectively. The non-utilization fee is included within interest expense in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
The MetLife Facility contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, which are normal and customary for similar repurchase facilities, including the following: (a) limitations on the incurrence of additional indebtedness or liens, (b) limitations on how borrowed funds may be used, (c) limitations on certain distributions and dividend payments following a default or event of default and (d) limitations on dispositions of assets. The agreements governing the MetLife Facility also impose certain covenants on the Company, including the following: (i) maintaining a ratio of total debt to tangible net worth of not more than 4.50 to 1.00, (ii) maintaining a ratio of recourse debt to tangible net worth of not more than 3.00 to 1.00, (iii) maintaining a tangible net worth of at least 80% of the Company’s net worth as of September 30, 2013, plus 80% of the net cash proceeds raised in equity issuances by the Company after August 13, 2014, (iv) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio (expressed as the ratio of EBITDA (net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), as defined, to fixed charges) for the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the last date of the applicable reporting period of at least 1.25 to 1.00, and (v) if certain specific debt yield, loan to value or other credit based tests are not met with
respect to assets on the MetLife Facility, the Company may be required to repay certain amounts under the MetLife Facility. As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the MetLife Facility.
Morgan Stanley Facility
    The Company is party to a $250.0 million master repurchase and securities contract with Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A. (“Morgan Stanley”) (the “Morgan Stanley Facility”). Under the Morgan Stanley Facility, the Company is permitted to sell, and later repurchase, certain qualifying commercial mortgage loans collateralized by retail, office, mixed-use, multifamily, industrial, hospitality, student housing or self storage properties. Morgan Stanley may approve the mortgage loans that are subject to the Morgan Stanley Facility in its sole discretion. In July 2023, the Company amended the Morgan Stanley Facility to, among other things, extend the initial maturity date of the Morgan Stanley Facility to July 16, 2025, subject to one 12-month extension, which may be exercised at the Company’s option, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including payment of an extension fee, which, if exercised, would extend the maturity date of the Morgan Stanley Facility to July 16, 2026. Advances under the Morgan Stanley Facility generally accrue interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month SOFR plus a spread ranging from 1.75% to 2.25%, determined by Morgan Stanley, depending upon the mortgage loan sold to Morgan Stanley in the applicable transaction.

The Morgan Stanley Facility contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, which are normal and customary for similar repurchase facilities, including the following: (a) maintaining tangible net worth of at least the sum of (1) 80% of the Company’s tangible net worth as of September 30, 2013, plus (2) 80% of the total net capital raised in all future equity issuances by the Company, (b) maintaining liquidity in an amount not less than the greater of (1) $5.0 million or (2) 5% of the Company’s recourse indebtedness, not to exceed $10.0 million (provided that in the event the Company’s total liquidity equals or exceeds $5.0 million, the Company may satisfy the difference between the minimum total liquidity requirement and the Company’s total liquidity with available borrowing capacity), (c) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio (expressed as the ratio of EBITDA (net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), as defined, to fixed charges) for the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the last date of the applicable reporting period to be at least 1.25 to 1.00, (d) maintaining a ratio of total debt to tangible net worth of not more than 4.50 to 1.00 and (e) if certain specific debt yield and loan to value tests are not met with respect to assets on the Morgan Stanley Facility, the Company may be required to repay certain amounts under the Morgan Stanley Facility. The Morgan Stanley Facility also prohibits the Company from amending the management agreement with its Manager in a material respect without the prior consent of the lender. As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the Morgan Stanley Facility.

Notes Payable

Certain of the Company’s subsidiaries were party to two separate non-recourse note agreements with the lenders referred to therein, consisting of (1) a $28.3 million note that was closed in June 2019, which was secured by a hotel property located in New York that was recognized as real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets and (2) a $23.5 million note that was closed in November 2019, which was secured by a $34.6 million senior mortgage loan held by the Company on a multifamily property located in South Carolina.

The $28.3 million note was repaid in full in conjunction with the sale of the hotel property that was recognized as real estate owned on March 1, 2022. See Note 5 for further details. Advances under the $28.3 million note accrued interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month LIBOR plus a spread of 3.00%.

In June 2022, the Company repaid the $23.5 million note in full. Advances under the $23.5 million note accrued interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month LIBOR plus a spread of 3.75%.

In July 2022, ACRC Lender CO LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company entered into a Credit and Security Agreement with Capital One, National Association, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the lender referred to therein. The Credit and Security Agreement provides for a $105.0 million recourse note (together with the two non-recourse note agreements discussed above, the “Notes Payable”). The $105.0 million note is secured by a $133.0 million senior mortgage loan held by the Company on a multifamily property located in New York and is fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Company pursuant to a Guaranty of Recourse Obligation. The initial maturity date of the $105.0 million note is July 28, 2025, subject to two 12-month extensions, each of which may be exercised at the Company’s option, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including payment of an extension fee, which, if both were exercised, would extend the maturity date to July 28, 2027. The $105.0 million note accrues interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month SOFR plus a spread of 2.00%. As of December 31, 2023, the total outstanding principal balance of the note was $105.0 million.

The $105.0 million note contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, including the following: (a) maintaining
tangible net worth of at least the sum of (1) 80% of the Company’s tangible net worth as of June 30, 2022, plus (2) 80% of the total net capital raised in all future equity issuances by the Company and (b) maintaining liquidity in an amount not less than the greater of (1) $5.0 million or (2) 5% of the Company’s recourse indebtedness, not to exceed $10.0 million (provided that in the event the Company’s total liquidity equals or exceeds $5.0 million, the Company may satisfy the difference between the minimum total liquidity requirement and the Company’s total liquidity with available borrowing capacity). As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the $105.0 million note.

Secured Term Loan

The Company and certain of its subsidiaries are party to a $150.0 million Credit and Guaranty Agreement with the lenders referred to therein and Cortland Capital Market Services LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent for the lenders (the “Secured Term Loan”). The maturity date of the Secured Term Loan is November 12, 2026. Advances under the Secured Term Loan are subject to the following fixed rates: (i) 4.50% per annum until May 12, 2025, (ii) after May 12, 2025 through November 12, 2025, the interest rate increases 0.125% every three months and (iii) after November 12, 2025 through November 12, 2026, the interest rate increases 0.250% every three months. As of December 31, 2023, the total outstanding principal balance of the Secured Term Loan was $150.0 million.

The total original issue discount on the Secured Term Loan was equal to 0.50% of the commitment amount and represents a discount to the debt cost to be amortized into interest expense using the effective interest method over the term of the Secured Term Loan. For both the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the estimated per annum effective interest rate of the Secured Term Loan, which is equal to the fixed interest rate plus the accretion of the original issue discount and associated costs, was 4.6%.

The Company's obligations under the Secured Term Loan are guaranteed by certain subsidiaries of the Company. Certain subsidiaries of the Company entered into a Pledge and Security Agreement with the collateral agent under the Secured Term Loan, pursuant to which the obligations of the Company and the subsidiary guarantors under the Secured Term Loan are each secured by equity interests in certain of the Company's indirect subsidiaries and other assets. In addition, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries entered into a Negative Pledge Agreement with the collateral agent under the Secured Term Loan, which prohibits pledging or otherwise encumbering, subject to permitted encumbrances, certain of the assets which were not subject to the Pledge and Security Agreement.

The Secured Term Loan contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, which are normal and customary for similar financing agreements, including the following: (a) limitations on the incurrence of additional indebtedness or liens, (b) limitations on how borrowed funds may be used, (c) limitations on certain distributions and dividend payments following a default or event of default, (d) limitations on dispositions of assets and (e) prohibitions of certain change of control events. The agreements governing the Secured Term Loan also impose certain covenants on the Company, including the following: (i) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio (expressed as the ratio of EBITDA (net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), as defined, to fixed charges) for the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the last date of the applicable reporting period to be at least 1.10 to 1.00, (ii) maintaining a ratio of total debt to tangible net worth of not more than 4.50 to 1.00, (iii) maintaining a tangible net worth of at least 80% of the Company’s net worth as of September 30, 2021, plus 80% of the net cash proceeds raised in subsequent equity issuances by the Company, (iv) maintaining an asset coverage ratio greater than 115%, (v) maintaining an unencumbered asset ratio greater than 125%, (vi) limitations on mergers, consolidations, transfers of assets and similar transactions, (vii) maintaining its status as a REIT and (viii) maintaining at least 65% of loans held for investment as senior commercial real estate loans, as measured by the average daily outstanding principal balance of all loans held for investment during a fiscal quarter and as adjusted for non-controlling interests. As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the Secured Term Loan.
Financing Agreements Maturities

At December 31, 2023, approximate principal maturities of the Company’s Financing Agreements (excluding potential extension options) were as follows ($ in thousands):
Wells Fargo
Facility
Citibank
Facility
CNB FacilityMetLife FacilityMorgan Stanley FacilityNotes PayableSecured Term LoanTotal
2024$— $— $— $— $— $— $— $— 
2025208,540 221,604 — — 209,673 105,000 — 744,817 
2026— — — — — — 150,000 150,000 
2027— — — — — — — — 
2028— — — — — — — — 
Thereafter— — — — — — — — 
$208,540 $221,604 $— $— $209,673 $105,000 $150,000 $894,817 
SECURED BORROWINGS
    A subsidiary of the Company was party to a secured borrowing arrangement related to a transferred loan that was closed in February 2020. In April 2019, the Company originated a $30.5 million loan on an office property located in North Carolina, which was bifurcated between a $24.4 million senior mortgage loan and a $6.1 million mezzanine loan. In February 2020, the Company transferred its interest in the $24.4 million senior mortgage loan to a third party and retained the $6.1 million mezzanine loan. The Company evaluated whether the transfer of the $24.4 million senior mortgage loan met the criteria in FASB ASC Topic 860, Transfers and Servicing, for treatment as a sale – legal isolation, ability of transferee to pledge or exchange the transferred assets without constraint and transfer of effective control – and determined that the transfer did not qualify as a sale and thus, was treated as a financing transaction. As such, the Company did not derecognize the $24.4 million senior mortgage loan asset and recorded a secured borrowing liability in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The initial maturity date of the $24.4 million secured borrowing was May 5, 2023, subject to one 12-month extension, which could have been exercised at the transferee’s option, which, if exercised, would have extended the maturity date to May 5, 2024. Advances under the $24.4 million secured borrowing accrued interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month LIBOR plus a spread of 2.50%. In July 2022, the $30.5 million loan was fully repaid and thus, the $24.4 million secured borrowing liability was derecognized.
v3.24.0.1
SECURED BORROWINGS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]  
SECURED BORROWINGS DEBT
Financing Agreements

The Company borrows funds, as applicable in a given period, under the Wells Fargo Facility, the Citibank Facility, the CNB Facility, the MetLife Facility and the Morgan Stanley Facility (individually defined below and collectively, the “Secured Funding Agreements”), Notes Payable (as defined below) and the Secured Term Loan (as defined below). The Company refers to the Secured Funding Agreements, Notes Payable and the Secured Term Loan as the “Financing Agreements.” The outstanding balance of the Financing Agreements in the table below are presented gross of debt issuance costs. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the outstanding balances and total commitments under the Financing Agreements consisted of the following ($ in thousands):

December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Outstanding BalanceTotal
Commitment
Outstanding BalanceTotal
Commitment
Secured Funding Agreements:
Wells Fargo Facility$208,540 $450,000 (1)$270,798 $450,000 (1)
Citibank Facility221,604 325,000 236,240 325,000 
CNB Facility— 75,000 — 75,000 
MetLife Facility— 180,000 — 180,000 
Morgan Stanley Facility209,673 250,000 198,193 250,000 
Subtotal$639,817 $1,280,000 $705,231 $1,280,000 
Notes Payable $105,000 $105,000 $105,000 $105,000 
Secured Term Loan$150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 
   Total$894,817 $1,535,000 $960,231 $1,535,000 
______________________________

(1)The maximum commitment for the Wells Fargo Facility (as defined below) may be increased to up to $500.0 million at the Company’s option, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including payment of an upsize fee.

Some of the Company’s Financing Agreements are collateralized by (i) assignments of specific loans, preferred equity or a pool of loans held for investment or loans held for sale owned by the Company, (ii) interests in the subordinated portion of the Company’s securitization debt, or (iii) interests in wholly-owned entity subsidiaries that hold the Company’s loans held for investment. The Company is the borrower or guarantor under each of the Financing Agreements. Generally, the Company partially offsets interest rate risk by matching the interest index of loans held for investment with the Secured Funding Agreements used to fund them. The Company’s Financing Agreements contain various affirmative and negative covenants, including negative pledges, and provisions regarding events of default that are normal and customary for similar financing arrangements.

Wells Fargo Facility
 
The Company is party to a master repurchase funding facility with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (“Wells Fargo”) (the “Wells Fargo Facility”), which allows the Company to borrow up to $450.0 million. The maximum commitment may be increased to up to $500.0 million at the Company’s option, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including payment of an upsize fee. Under the Wells Fargo Facility, the Company is permitted to sell, and later repurchase, certain qualifying senior commercial mortgage loans, A-Notes, pari-passu participations in commercial mortgage loans and mezzanine loans under certain circumstances, subject to available collateral approved by Wells Fargo in its sole discretion. The funding period of the Wells Fargo Facility expires on December 15, 2025. The initial maturity date of the Wells Fargo Facility is December 15, 2025, subject to two 12-month extensions, each of which may be exercised at the Company’s option, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including payment of an extension fee, which, if both were exercised, would extend the maturity date of the Wells Fargo Facility to December 14, 2027. Advances under the Wells Fargo Facility accrue interest at a
per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month SOFR plus a pricing margin range of 1.50% to 3.75%, subject to certain exceptions.

The Wells Fargo Facility contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, which are normal and customary for similar repurchase facilities, including the following: (a) limitations on the incurrence of additional indebtedness or liens, (b) limitations on how borrowed funds may be used, (c) limitations on certain distributions and dividend payments in excess of the minimum amount necessary to continue to qualify as a REIT and avoid the payment of income and excise taxes, (d) maintenance of adequate capital, (e) limitations on change of control, (f) maintaining a ratio of total debt to tangible net worth of not more than 4.50 to 1.00, (g) maintaining a ratio of recourse debt to tangible net worth of not more than 3.00 to 1.00, (h) maintaining liquidity in an amount not less than the greater of (1) $5.0 million or (2) 5% of the Company’s recourse indebtedness, not to exceed $10.0 million (provided that in the event the Company’s total liquidity equals or exceeds $5.0 million, the Company may satisfy the difference between the minimum total liquidity requirement and the Company’s total liquidity with available borrowing capacity), (i) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio (expressed as the ratio of EBITDA (net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), as defined, to fixed charges) for the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the last date of the applicable reporting period to be at least 1.25 to 1.00, (j) maintaining a tangible net worth of at least the sum of (1) approximately $135.5 million, plus (2) 80% of the net proceeds raised in all future equity issuances by the Company and (k) if certain specific debt yield, loan to value or other credit based tests are not met with respect to assets on the Wells Fargo Facility, the Company may be required to repay certain amounts under the Wells Fargo Facility. As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the Wells Fargo Facility.

Citibank Facility

The Company is party to a $325.0 million master repurchase facility with Citibank, N.A. (“Citibank”) (the “Citibank Facility”). Under the Citibank Facility, the Company is permitted to sell and later repurchase certain qualifying senior commercial mortgage loans and A-Notes approved by Citibank in its sole discretion. The initial maturity date of the Citibank facility is January 13, 2025, subject to two 12-month extensions, each of which may be exercised at the Company’s option assuming no existing defaults under the Citibank Facility and applicable extension fees being paid, which, if both were exercised, would extend the maturity date of the Citibank Facility to January 13, 2027. Advances under the Citibank Facility accrue interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month SOFR plus an indicative pricing margin range of 1.50% to 2.10%, subject to certain exceptions. Prior to the January 2022 amendment, the Company incurred a non-utilization fee of 25 basis points per annum on the average daily available balance of the Citibank Facility to the extent less than 75% of the Citibank Facility was utilized. Subsequent to the January 2022 amendment, the Company incurs a non-utilization fee of 25 basis points per annum on the average daily positive difference between the maximum advances approved by Citibank and the actual advances outstanding on the Citibank Facility. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company did not incur a non-utilization fee. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred a non-utilization fee of $11 thousand and $598 thousand, respectively. The non-utilization fee is included within interest expense in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

The Citibank Facility contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, which are normal and customary for similar repurchase facilities, including the following: (a) maintaining tangible net worth of at least the sum of (1) 80% of the Company’s tangible net worth as of September 30, 2013, plus (2) 80% of the total net capital raised in all future equity issuances by the Company, (b) maintaining liquidity in an amount not less than the greater of (1) $5.0 million or (2) 5% of the Company’s recourse indebtedness, not to exceed $10.0 million (provided that in the event the Company’s total liquidity equals or exceeds $5.0 million, the Company may satisfy the difference between the minimum total liquidity requirement and the Company’s total liquidity with available borrowing capacity), (c) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio (expressed as the ratio of EBITDA (net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), as defined, to fixed charges) for the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the last date of the applicable reporting period to be at least 1.25 to 1.00, (d) maintaining a ratio of total debt to tangible net worth of not more than 4.50 to 1.00, (e) maintaining a ratio of recourse debt to tangible net worth of not more than 3.00 to 1.00 and (f) if certain specific debt yield and loan to value tests are not met with respect to assets on the Citibank Facility, the Company may be required to repay certain amounts under the Citibank Facility. The Citibank Facility also prohibits the Company from amending the management agreement with its
Manager in a material respect without the prior consent of the lender. As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the Citibank Facility.

CNB Facility
    The Company is party to a $75.0 million secured revolving funding facility with City National Bank (the “CNB Facility”). The Company is permitted to borrow funds under the CNB Facility to finance investments and for other working capital and general corporate needs. In February 2023, the Company exercised a 12-month extension option on the CNB Facility to extend the maturity date to March 11, 2024. Advances under the CNB Facility accrue interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of, at the Company’s option, either (a) SOFR (with a 0.35% floor) plus 2.65% or (b) a base rate (which is the highest of a prime rate, the federal funds rate plus 0.50%, or Daily Simple SOFR plus 1.00%) plus 1.00%; provided that in no event shall the interest rate be less than 2.65%. Unless at least 75% of the CNB Facility is used on average, unused commitments under the CNB Facility accrue non-utilization fees at the rate of 0.375% per annum. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred a non-utilization fee of $285 thousand, $284 thousand and $146 thousand, respectively. The non-utilization fee is included within interest expense in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

The CNB Facility contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, which are normal and customary for similar financing facilities, including the following: (a) limitations on the incurrence of additional indebtedness or liens, (b) limitations on how borrowed funds may be used, (c) limitations on certain distributions and dividend payments following a default or event of default, (d) limitations on dispositions of assets, (e) maintenance of minimum total asset value by the borrower under the CNB Facility and its subsidiaries and (f) prohibitions of certain change of control events. The agreements governing the CNB Facility also impose certain covenants on the Company, including the following: (i) maintaining a ratio of total debt to tangible net worth of not more than 4.50 to 1.00, (ii) maintaining a tangible net worth of at least 80% of the Company’s net worth as of September 30, 2013, plus 80% of the net cash proceeds raised in equity issuances by the Company after March 12, 2014, (iii) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio (expressed as the ratio of EBITDA (net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), as defined, to fixed charges) for the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the last date of the applicable reporting period of at least 1.25 to 1.00, (iv) limitations on mergers, consolidations, transfers of assets and similar transactions and (v) maintaining its status as a REIT. As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the CNB Facility. See Note 17 included in these consolidated financial statements for a subsequent event related to the CNB Facility.

MetLife Facility    

The Company is party to a $180.0 million revolving master repurchase facility with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (“MetLife”) (the “MetLife Facility”), pursuant to which the Company may sell, and later repurchase, commercial mortgage loans meeting defined eligibility criteria which are approved by MetLife in its sole discretion. In June 2023, the Company exercised a 12-month extension option on the MetLife Facility to extend the maturity date to August 13, 2024. Advances under the MetLife Facility accrue interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month SOFR plus a spread of 2.50%, subject to certain exceptions. Unless at least 65% of the MetLife Facility is utilized, unused commitments under the MetLife Facility accrue non-utilization fees at the rate of 0.25% per annum on the average daily available balance. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred a non-utilization fee of $297 thousand, $247 thousand and $162 thousand, respectively. The non-utilization fee is included within interest expense in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
The MetLife Facility contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, which are normal and customary for similar repurchase facilities, including the following: (a) limitations on the incurrence of additional indebtedness or liens, (b) limitations on how borrowed funds may be used, (c) limitations on certain distributions and dividend payments following a default or event of default and (d) limitations on dispositions of assets. The agreements governing the MetLife Facility also impose certain covenants on the Company, including the following: (i) maintaining a ratio of total debt to tangible net worth of not more than 4.50 to 1.00, (ii) maintaining a ratio of recourse debt to tangible net worth of not more than 3.00 to 1.00, (iii) maintaining a tangible net worth of at least 80% of the Company’s net worth as of September 30, 2013, plus 80% of the net cash proceeds raised in equity issuances by the Company after August 13, 2014, (iv) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio (expressed as the ratio of EBITDA (net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), as defined, to fixed charges) for the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the last date of the applicable reporting period of at least 1.25 to 1.00, and (v) if certain specific debt yield, loan to value or other credit based tests are not met with
respect to assets on the MetLife Facility, the Company may be required to repay certain amounts under the MetLife Facility. As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the MetLife Facility.
Morgan Stanley Facility
    The Company is party to a $250.0 million master repurchase and securities contract with Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A. (“Morgan Stanley”) (the “Morgan Stanley Facility”). Under the Morgan Stanley Facility, the Company is permitted to sell, and later repurchase, certain qualifying commercial mortgage loans collateralized by retail, office, mixed-use, multifamily, industrial, hospitality, student housing or self storage properties. Morgan Stanley may approve the mortgage loans that are subject to the Morgan Stanley Facility in its sole discretion. In July 2023, the Company amended the Morgan Stanley Facility to, among other things, extend the initial maturity date of the Morgan Stanley Facility to July 16, 2025, subject to one 12-month extension, which may be exercised at the Company’s option, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including payment of an extension fee, which, if exercised, would extend the maturity date of the Morgan Stanley Facility to July 16, 2026. Advances under the Morgan Stanley Facility generally accrue interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month SOFR plus a spread ranging from 1.75% to 2.25%, determined by Morgan Stanley, depending upon the mortgage loan sold to Morgan Stanley in the applicable transaction.

The Morgan Stanley Facility contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, which are normal and customary for similar repurchase facilities, including the following: (a) maintaining tangible net worth of at least the sum of (1) 80% of the Company’s tangible net worth as of September 30, 2013, plus (2) 80% of the total net capital raised in all future equity issuances by the Company, (b) maintaining liquidity in an amount not less than the greater of (1) $5.0 million or (2) 5% of the Company’s recourse indebtedness, not to exceed $10.0 million (provided that in the event the Company’s total liquidity equals or exceeds $5.0 million, the Company may satisfy the difference between the minimum total liquidity requirement and the Company’s total liquidity with available borrowing capacity), (c) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio (expressed as the ratio of EBITDA (net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), as defined, to fixed charges) for the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the last date of the applicable reporting period to be at least 1.25 to 1.00, (d) maintaining a ratio of total debt to tangible net worth of not more than 4.50 to 1.00 and (e) if certain specific debt yield and loan to value tests are not met with respect to assets on the Morgan Stanley Facility, the Company may be required to repay certain amounts under the Morgan Stanley Facility. The Morgan Stanley Facility also prohibits the Company from amending the management agreement with its Manager in a material respect without the prior consent of the lender. As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the Morgan Stanley Facility.

Notes Payable

Certain of the Company’s subsidiaries were party to two separate non-recourse note agreements with the lenders referred to therein, consisting of (1) a $28.3 million note that was closed in June 2019, which was secured by a hotel property located in New York that was recognized as real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets and (2) a $23.5 million note that was closed in November 2019, which was secured by a $34.6 million senior mortgage loan held by the Company on a multifamily property located in South Carolina.

The $28.3 million note was repaid in full in conjunction with the sale of the hotel property that was recognized as real estate owned on March 1, 2022. See Note 5 for further details. Advances under the $28.3 million note accrued interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month LIBOR plus a spread of 3.00%.

In June 2022, the Company repaid the $23.5 million note in full. Advances under the $23.5 million note accrued interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month LIBOR plus a spread of 3.75%.

In July 2022, ACRC Lender CO LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company entered into a Credit and Security Agreement with Capital One, National Association, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the lender referred to therein. The Credit and Security Agreement provides for a $105.0 million recourse note (together with the two non-recourse note agreements discussed above, the “Notes Payable”). The $105.0 million note is secured by a $133.0 million senior mortgage loan held by the Company on a multifamily property located in New York and is fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Company pursuant to a Guaranty of Recourse Obligation. The initial maturity date of the $105.0 million note is July 28, 2025, subject to two 12-month extensions, each of which may be exercised at the Company’s option, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including payment of an extension fee, which, if both were exercised, would extend the maturity date to July 28, 2027. The $105.0 million note accrues interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month SOFR plus a spread of 2.00%. As of December 31, 2023, the total outstanding principal balance of the note was $105.0 million.

The $105.0 million note contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, including the following: (a) maintaining
tangible net worth of at least the sum of (1) 80% of the Company’s tangible net worth as of June 30, 2022, plus (2) 80% of the total net capital raised in all future equity issuances by the Company and (b) maintaining liquidity in an amount not less than the greater of (1) $5.0 million or (2) 5% of the Company’s recourse indebtedness, not to exceed $10.0 million (provided that in the event the Company’s total liquidity equals or exceeds $5.0 million, the Company may satisfy the difference between the minimum total liquidity requirement and the Company’s total liquidity with available borrowing capacity). As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the $105.0 million note.

Secured Term Loan

The Company and certain of its subsidiaries are party to a $150.0 million Credit and Guaranty Agreement with the lenders referred to therein and Cortland Capital Market Services LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent for the lenders (the “Secured Term Loan”). The maturity date of the Secured Term Loan is November 12, 2026. Advances under the Secured Term Loan are subject to the following fixed rates: (i) 4.50% per annum until May 12, 2025, (ii) after May 12, 2025 through November 12, 2025, the interest rate increases 0.125% every three months and (iii) after November 12, 2025 through November 12, 2026, the interest rate increases 0.250% every three months. As of December 31, 2023, the total outstanding principal balance of the Secured Term Loan was $150.0 million.

The total original issue discount on the Secured Term Loan was equal to 0.50% of the commitment amount and represents a discount to the debt cost to be amortized into interest expense using the effective interest method over the term of the Secured Term Loan. For both the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the estimated per annum effective interest rate of the Secured Term Loan, which is equal to the fixed interest rate plus the accretion of the original issue discount and associated costs, was 4.6%.

The Company's obligations under the Secured Term Loan are guaranteed by certain subsidiaries of the Company. Certain subsidiaries of the Company entered into a Pledge and Security Agreement with the collateral agent under the Secured Term Loan, pursuant to which the obligations of the Company and the subsidiary guarantors under the Secured Term Loan are each secured by equity interests in certain of the Company's indirect subsidiaries and other assets. In addition, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries entered into a Negative Pledge Agreement with the collateral agent under the Secured Term Loan, which prohibits pledging or otherwise encumbering, subject to permitted encumbrances, certain of the assets which were not subject to the Pledge and Security Agreement.

The Secured Term Loan contains various affirmative and negative covenants and provisions regarding events of default that are applicable to the Company and certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, which are normal and customary for similar financing agreements, including the following: (a) limitations on the incurrence of additional indebtedness or liens, (b) limitations on how borrowed funds may be used, (c) limitations on certain distributions and dividend payments following a default or event of default, (d) limitations on dispositions of assets and (e) prohibitions of certain change of control events. The agreements governing the Secured Term Loan also impose certain covenants on the Company, including the following: (i) maintaining a fixed charge coverage ratio (expressed as the ratio of EBITDA (net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization), as defined, to fixed charges) for the immediately preceding 12-month period ending on the last date of the applicable reporting period to be at least 1.10 to 1.00, (ii) maintaining a ratio of total debt to tangible net worth of not more than 4.50 to 1.00, (iii) maintaining a tangible net worth of at least 80% of the Company’s net worth as of September 30, 2021, plus 80% of the net cash proceeds raised in subsequent equity issuances by the Company, (iv) maintaining an asset coverage ratio greater than 115%, (v) maintaining an unencumbered asset ratio greater than 125%, (vi) limitations on mergers, consolidations, transfers of assets and similar transactions, (vii) maintaining its status as a REIT and (viii) maintaining at least 65% of loans held for investment as senior commercial real estate loans, as measured by the average daily outstanding principal balance of all loans held for investment during a fiscal quarter and as adjusted for non-controlling interests. As of December 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants of the Secured Term Loan.
Financing Agreements Maturities

At December 31, 2023, approximate principal maturities of the Company’s Financing Agreements (excluding potential extension options) were as follows ($ in thousands):
Wells Fargo
Facility
Citibank
Facility
CNB FacilityMetLife FacilityMorgan Stanley FacilityNotes PayableSecured Term LoanTotal
2024$— $— $— $— $— $— $— $— 
2025208,540 221,604 — — 209,673 105,000 — 744,817 
2026— — — — — — 150,000 150,000 
2027— — — — — — — — 
2028— — — — — — — — 
Thereafter— — — — — — — — 
$208,540 $221,604 $— $— $209,673 $105,000 $150,000 $894,817 
SECURED BORROWINGS
    A subsidiary of the Company was party to a secured borrowing arrangement related to a transferred loan that was closed in February 2020. In April 2019, the Company originated a $30.5 million loan on an office property located in North Carolina, which was bifurcated between a $24.4 million senior mortgage loan and a $6.1 million mezzanine loan. In February 2020, the Company transferred its interest in the $24.4 million senior mortgage loan to a third party and retained the $6.1 million mezzanine loan. The Company evaluated whether the transfer of the $24.4 million senior mortgage loan met the criteria in FASB ASC Topic 860, Transfers and Servicing, for treatment as a sale – legal isolation, ability of transferee to pledge or exchange the transferred assets without constraint and transfer of effective control – and determined that the transfer did not qualify as a sale and thus, was treated as a financing transaction. As such, the Company did not derecognize the $24.4 million senior mortgage loan asset and recorded a secured borrowing liability in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The initial maturity date of the $24.4 million secured borrowing was May 5, 2023, subject to one 12-month extension, which could have been exercised at the transferee’s option, which, if exercised, would have extended the maturity date to May 5, 2024. Advances under the $24.4 million secured borrowing accrued interest at a per annum rate equal to the sum of one-month LIBOR plus a spread of 2.50%. In July 2022, the $30.5 million loan was fully repaid and thus, the $24.4 million secured borrowing liability was derecognized.
v3.24.0.1
DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]  
DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
The Company uses derivative financial instruments, which includes interest rate swaps and interest rate caps, on certain borrowing transactions to manage its net exposure to interest rate changes and to reduce its overall cost of borrowing. These derivatives may or may not qualify as cash flow hedges under the hedge accounting requirements of FASB ASC Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). Derivatives not designated as cash flow hedges are not speculative and are used to manage our exposure to interest rate movements. See Note 2 included in these consolidated financial statements for additional discussion of the accounting for designated and non-designated hedges.

The use of derivative financial instruments involves certain risks, including the risk that the counterparties to these contractual arrangements do not perform as agreed. To mitigate this risk, the Company only enters into derivative financial instruments with counterparties that have appropriate credit ratings and are major financial institutions with which the Company and its affiliates may also have other financial relationships.
The following tables detail our outstanding interest rate derivatives that were designated as cash flow hedges of interest rate risk as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 ($ in thousands):

As of
December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Interest Rate DerivativesNumber of InstrumentsNotional Amount
Rate (1)
IndexWeighted Average Maturity (Years)Number of InstrumentsNotional Amount
Rate (1)
IndexWeighted Average Maturity (Years)
Interest rate swaps
0 (2)
1$410,0000.2075%
LIBOR (3)
0.4
Interest rate caps
0 (4)
0 (4)
_______________________________

(1)    Represents fixed rate for interest rate swaps and strike rate for interest rate caps.
(2)    In December 2023, the Company's interest rate swap derivative expired and its term was not extended. At the expiration date, the interest rate swap derivative had a notional amount of $30.0 million.
(3)    Subject to a 0.00% floor.
(4)    In March 2022, the Company re-calibrated its net exposure to interest rate changes by terminating its interest rate cap derivative, which had a notional amount of $170.0 million on the termination date and a strike rate of 0.50%. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recognized a $2.0 million realized gain within OCI in conjunction with the termination of the interest rate cap. In accordance with ASC 815, the realized gain was recognized within current earnings over the remaining original term of the interest rate cap derivative as it was designated as an effective hedge. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized a realized gain of $921 thousand and $1.0 million, respectively, through a reduction in interest expense on the termination of the interest rate cap within current earnings.

The following table summarizes the fair value of our derivative financial instruments ($ in thousands):

 
Fair Value of Derivatives in an Asset Position (1) as of
Fair Value of Derivatives in a Liability Position (2) as of
December 31, 2023December 31, 2022December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
Interest rate derivatives$— $6,565 $— $— 
____________________________

(1)    Included in other assets in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
(2)    Included in other liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
v3.24.0.1
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
As further discussed in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, the impact of the current macroeconomic conditions on the Company’s business is uncertain. As of December 31, 2023, there were no contingencies recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as a result of such conditions, however, if global market conditions worsen, it could adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

    As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had the following commitments to fund various senior mortgage loans, subordinated debt investments, as well as preferred equity investments accounted for as loans held for investment ($ in thousands):
As of
December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Total commitments $2,274,584 $2,510,308 
Less: funded commitments (2,158,045)(2,282,821)
Total unfunded commitments $116,539 $227,487 

The Company from time to time may be a party to litigation relating to claims arising in the normal course of business. As of December 31, 2023, the Company is not aware of any legal claims that could materially impact its business, financial condition or results of operations.
v3.24.0.1
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]  
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
At the Market Stock Offering Program

On November 22, 2019, the Company entered into an equity distribution agreement (the “Equity Distribution Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company offered and sold, from time to time, shares of the Company’s common stock, governing as “at the market offering” program having an aggregate offering price of up to $100.0 million. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company sold an aggregate of 190,369 shares of the Company’s common stock under the Equity Distribution Agreement at an average price of $15.33 per share. The sales generated net proceeds of approximately $2.9 million. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company sold an aggregate of 137,237 shares of the Company’s common stock under the Equity Distribution Agreement at an average price of $15.68 per share. The sales generated net proceeds of approximately $2.1 million. There were no shares sold during the year ended December 31, 2023, and the “at the market offering” program is currently unavailable.

Stock Repurchase Program

On July 26, 2022, the Company’s board of directors approved a stock repurchase program of up to $50.0 million, which was in effect until July 26, 2023 (the “Repurchase Program”). On July 25, 2023, the Company’s board of directors renewed the Repurchase Program of up to $50.0 million, which is expected to be in effect until July 31, 2024, or until the approved dollar amount has been used to repurchase shares. Pursuant to the Repurchase Program, the Company may repurchase shares of its common stock in amounts, at prices and at such times as it deems appropriate, subject to market conditions and other considerations, including all applicable legal requirements. Repurchases may include purchases on the open market or privately negotiated transactions, under Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, under accelerated share repurchase programs, in tender offers and otherwise. The Repurchase Program does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of shares of its common stock and may be modified or suspended at any time at its discretion. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company repurchased a total of 535,965 shares of the Company’s common stock in the open market through the Repurchase Program for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $4.6 million, including expenses paid. The shares were repurchased at an average price of $8.58 per share, including expenses paid.

Common Stock

There were no shares of the Company’s common stock issued in public or private offerings for the year ended December 31, 2023. See “Equity Incentive Plan” below for shares issued under the Equity Incentive Plan described below.

On May 20, 2022, the Company closed the public offering of an aggregate of 7,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, generating net proceeds of approximately $103.2 million, after deducting transaction expenses.

Equity Incentive Plan
 
On April 23, 2012, the Company adopted an equity incentive plan, which was amended and restated in June 2018 (as further amended, the “Amended and Restated 2012 Equity Incentive Plan”). In February 2022, the Company’s board of directors authorized, and in May 2022, the Company’s stockholders approved, the first amendment to the Amended and Restated 2012 Equity Incentive Plan, which among other things, increased the total number of shares of common stock the Company may grant thereunder to 2,490,000 shares. Pursuant to the Amended and Restated 2012 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended by the first amendment, the Company may grant awards consisting of restricted shares of the Company’s common stock, restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and/or other equity-based awards to the Company’s outside directors, employees of the Manager, officers, ACREM and other eligible awardees under the plan. Any restricted shares of the Company’s common stock
and RSUs will be accounted for under FASB ASC Topic 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation, resulting in stock-based compensation expense equal to the grant date fair value of the underlying restricted shares of common stock or RSUs.
 
Restricted stock and RSU grants generally vest ratably over a one to three-year period from the vesting start date. The grantee receives additional compensation for each outstanding restricted stock or RSU grant, classified as dividends paid, equal to the per-share dividends received by the Company’s common stockholders.

The following tables summarize the (i) non-vested shares of restricted stock and RSUs and (ii) vesting schedule of shares of restricted stock and RSUs for the Company’s directors and officers and employees of the Manager as of December 31, 2023:

Schedule of Non-Vested Share and Share Equivalents
 Restricted Stock Grants—DirectorsRSUs—Officers and Employees of the ManagerTotal
Balance at December 31, 202216,137 832,472 848,609 
Granted 64,266 426,750 491,016 
Vested (46,188)(176,941)(223,129)
Forfeited — (20,165)(20,165)
Balance at December 31, 202334,215 1,062,116 1,096,331 

Future Anticipated Vesting Schedule
Restricted Stock Grants—DirectorsRSUs—Officers and Employees of the ManagerTotal
202433,798 272,404 306,202 
2025417 365,881 366,298 
2026— 281,613 281,613 
2027— 142,218 142,218 
2028— — — 
Total 34,215 1,062,116 1,096,331 
The following table summarizes the restricted stock and RSU compensation expense included within general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations, the total fair value of shares vested and the weighted average grant date fair value of the restricted stock and RSUs granted to the Company’s directors and officers and employees of the Manager for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 ($ in thousands):
 For the Years Ended December 31,
 202320222021
Restricted Stock and RSU GrantsRestricted Stock and RSU GrantsRestricted Stock and RSU Grants
DirectorsOfficers and Employees of the ManagerTotalDirectorsOfficers and Employees of the ManagerTotalDirectorsOfficers and Employees of the ManagerTotal
Compensation expense $552 $3,439 $3,991 $399 $2,477 $2,876 $329 $1,611 $1,940 
Total fair value of shares vested (1)450 1,882 2,332 338 1,623 1,961 460 1,009 1,469 
Weighted average grant date fair value575 4,609 5,184 390 4,654 5,044 403 4,255 4,658 
___________________________

(1)    Based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NYSE on each vesting date.

As of December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the total compensation cost related to non-vested awards not yet recognized totaled $9.0 million, $8.0 million and $6.0 million, respectively, and the weighted average period over which the non-vested awards are expected to be recognized is 2.1 years, 2.3 years and 2.3 years, respectively.
v3.24.0.1
EARNINGS PER SHARE
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]  
EARNINGS PER SHARE EARNINGS PER SHARE
The following information sets forth the computations of basic and diluted earnings per common share for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 ($ in thousands, except share and per share data):

For the Years Ended December 31,
202320222021
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders$(38,867)$29,785 $60,460 
Divided by:
Basic weighted average shares of common stock outstanding:54,281,998 51,679,744 42,399,613 
Weighted average non-vested restricted stock and RSUs (1)— 446,512 281,892 
Diluted weighted average shares of common stock outstanding:54,281,998 52,126,256 42,681,505 
Basic earnings (loss) per common share$(0.72)$0.58 $1.43 
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share$(0.72)$0.57 $1.42 
_______________________________
(1)    For the year ended December 31, 2023, the weighted average non-vested restricted stock and RSUs of 709,731 shares were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings (loss) per common share as the impact of including those shares would be anti-dilutive.
v3.24.0.1
INCOME TAX
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
INCOME TAX INCOME TAX
    
    The Company wholly owns ACRC Lender W TRS LLC, which is a taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) formed to issue and hold certain loans intended for sale. The Company also wholly owns ACRC 2017-FL3 TRS LLC, which is a TRS formed to hold a portion of the FL3 CLO Securitization and FL4 CLO Securitization (as defined below), including the portion that generates excess inclusion income. Additionally, the Company wholly owns ACRC WM Tenant LLC, which is a TRS formed to lease from an affiliate the hotel property classified as real estate owned acquired on March 8, 2019. ACRC WM Tenant LLC engaged a third-party hotel management company to operate the hotel under a management contract prior to the sale of the hotel on March 1, 2022.

The income tax provision for the Company and the TRSs consisted of the following for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 ($ in thousands):
For the Years Ended December 31,
202320222021
Current $34 $42 $450 
Deferred — — — 
Excise tax (73)430 272 
   Total income tax expense (benefit), including excise tax$(39)$472 $722 

    For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred an expense (benefit) of $(73) thousand, $430 thousand and $272 thousand, respectively, for U.S. federal excise tax. Excise tax represents a 4% tax on the sum of a portion of the Company’s ordinary income and net capital gains not distributed during the calendar year (including any distribution declared in the fourth quarter and paid following January) plus any prior year shortfall. If it is determined that an excise tax liability exists for the current tax year, the Company will accrue excise tax on estimated excess taxable income as such taxable income is earned. The annual expense is calculated in accordance with applicable tax regulations.

The TRSs recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within income tax expense in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Accrued interest and penalties, if any, are included within other liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
As of December 31, 2023, tax years 2019 through 2023 remain subject to examination by taxing authorities. The Company does not have any unrecognized tax benefits and the Company does not expect that to change in the next 12 months.
v3.24.0.1
FAIR VALUE
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]  
FAIR VALUE FAIR VALUE
The Company follows FASB ASC Topic 820-10, Fair Value Measurement (“ASC 820-10”), which expands the application of fair value accounting. ASC 820-10 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accordance with GAAP and expands disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. ASC 820-10 determines fair value to be the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. ASC 820-10 specifies a hierarchy of valuation techniques based on the inputs used in measuring fair value.

In accordance with ASC 820-10, the inputs used to measure fair value are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:

Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2—Prices are determined using other significant observable inputs. Observable inputs are inputs that other market participants would use in pricing a security. These may include quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk and others.

Level 3—Prices are determined using significant unobservable inputs. In situations where quoted prices or observable inputs are unavailable (for example, when there is little or no market activity for an investment at the end of the period), unobservable inputs may be used.

GAAP requires disclosure of fair value information about financial and nonfinancial assets and liabilities, whether or not recognized in the financial statements, for which it is practical to estimate the value. In cases where quoted market prices are not available, fair values are based upon the application of discount rates to estimated future cash flows using market yields, or other valuation methodologies. Any changes to the valuation methodology will be reviewed by the Company’s management to ensure the changes are appropriate. The methods used may produce a fair value calculation that is not indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values. Furthermore, while the Company anticipates that the valuation methods are appropriate and consistent with other market participants, the use of different methodologies, or assumptions, to determine the fair value of certain financial and nonfinancial assets and liabilities could result in a different estimate of fair value at the reporting date. The Company uses inputs that are current as of the measurement date, which may fall within periods of market dislocation, during which price transparency may be reduced.

Recurring Fair Value Measurements

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company is required to record derivative financial instruments at fair value on a recurring basis in accordance with GAAP. The fair value of interest rate derivatives was estimated using a third-party specialist, based on contractual cash flows and observable inputs comprising credit spreads.

Loans Held for Sale

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had one loan held for sale. Loans held for sale are required to be recorded at fair value on a recurring basis in accordance with GAAP. The Company determined the fair value based on the anticipated transaction price to be received from the third party that is expected to purchase the loan. During the fourth quarter of 2023, the loan was transferred into Level 3 with a total carrying value of $39.0 million. Upon transfer, the Company recorded the loan at fair value, which resulted in the recognition of an unrealized loss of $995 thousand in the Company's consolidated statements of operations as the carrying value exceeded the fair value as determined by the anticipated transaction price for the sale of the loan.

Available-for-Sale Debt Securities

The Company designates investments in CRE debt securities as available-for-sale on the acquisition date of such CRE debt securities. The Company is required to record investments in available-for-sale debt securities at fair value on a recurring basis in accordance with GAAP. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company acquired three CRE debt securities
for an aggregate purchase price of $27.9 million, which consisted of floating rate, investment grade rated debt securities that had a weighted average coupon of SOFR plus 2.47%. The Company’s available-for-sale debt securities have a contractual maturity greater than 10 years from the purchase date.

As of both December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had three CRE debt security investments designated as available-for-sale debt securities. The following tables summarize the Company’s investments in available-for-sale debt securities as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 ($ in thousands):

As of December 31, 2023
Face AmountAmortized CostUnamortized DiscountUnrealized Gain (Loss), Net
Available-for-sale debt securities$28,000 $27,906 $94 $154 


As of December 31, 2022
Face AmountAmortized CostUnamortized DiscountUnrealized Gain (Loss), Net
Available-for-sale debt securities$28,000 $27,881 $119 $55 


The fair value of available-for-sale debt securities was estimated using third-party broker quotes, which provide valuation estimates based upon contractual cash flows, observable inputs comprising credit spreads and market liquidity.

The following tables summarize the financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 ($ in thousands):
As of December 31, 2023
Level 1Level 2Level 3Total
Financial assets:
Interest rate derivatives$— $— $— $— 
Loans held for sale— — 38,981 38,981 
Available-for-sale debt securities— 28,060 — 28,060 
Financial liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives$— $— $— $— 

As of December 31, 2022
Level 1Level 2Level 3Total
Financial assets:
Interest rate derivatives$— $6,565 $— $6,565 
Available-for-sale debt securities— 27,936 — 27,936 
Financial liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives$— $— $— $— 

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company did not have any nonfinancial assets or liabilities required to be recorded at fair value on a recurring basis.
Nonrecurring Fair Value Measurements

The Company is required to record real estate owned, a nonfinancial asset, at fair value on a nonrecurring basis in accordance with GAAP. Real estate owned consists of a mixed-use property that was acquired by the Company on September 8, 2023 through a consensual foreclosure. See Note 5 included in these consolidated financial statements for more information on real estate owned. Real estate owned is recorded at fair value at acquisition using Level 3 inputs and is evaluated for indicators of impairment on a quarterly basis. Real estate owned is considered impaired when the sum of estimated future
undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the real estate owned over the estimated remaining holding period is less than the carrying amount of such real estate owned. Cash flows include operating cash flows and anticipated capital proceeds generated by the real estate owned. An impairment charge is recorded equal to the excess of the carrying value of the real estate owned over the fair value. The fair value of the mixed-use property at acquisition was estimated using a third-party appraisal, which utilized standard industry valuation techniques such as the income and market approach. When determining the fair value of a mixed-use property, certain assumptions are made including, but not limited to: (1) projected operating cash flows, including factors such as property operating expenses and re-leasing assumptions that take into account the number of months to re-lease, market rental revenue and required tenant improvements; and (2) projected cash flows from the eventual disposition of a mixed-use property based upon the Company’s estimation of a capitalization rate, discount rates and comparable selling prices in the market. The fair value of the mixed-use property was estimated using significant unobservable inputs such as capitalization rates ranging from 6.4% to 8.3% and discount rates ranging from 8.0% to 9.5%.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company did not have any financial assets or liabilities or nonfinancial liabilities required to be recorded at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. As of December 31, 2022, the Company did not have any financial assets or liabilities or nonfinancial assets or liabilities required to be recorded at fair value on a nonrecurring basis.

Financial Assets and Liabilities Not Measured at Fair Value
 
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the carrying values and fair values of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities recorded at cost are as follows ($ in thousands):
As of December 31,
20232022
Level in Fair Value HierarchyCarrying ValueFair
Value
Carrying ValueFair
Value
Financial assets:
   Loans held for investment3$2,126,524 $1,944,718 $2,264,008 $2,233,319 
Financial liabilities:
   Secured funding agreements2$639,817 $639,817 $705,231 $705,231 
   Notes payable 2104,662 105,000 104,460 103,635 
   Secured term loan3149,393 134,024 149,200 137,571 
Collateralized loan obligation securitization debt (consolidated VIEs)2723,117 705,033 777,675 749,242 

The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, interest receivable, due to affiliate liability and accrued expenses, which are all categorized as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy, approximate their fair values due to their short-term nature.
 
Loans held for investment are recorded at cost, net of unamortized purchase discounts, deferred loan fees and origination costs and cost-recovery proceeds. To determine the fair value of the collateral, the Company may employ different approaches depending on the type of collateral. The Company determined the fair value of loans held for investment based on a discounted cash flow methodology (1) for risk rated “1”, “2”, or “3” loans, on a portfolio basis and (b) for risk rated “4” or “5” loans, on an asset-by-asset basis, in each case taking into consideration various factors including capitalization rates, discount rates, leasing, occupancy rates, availability and cost of financing, exit plan, sponsorship, actions of other lenders, and comparable selling prices in the market. The Secured Funding Agreements and Notes Payable are recorded at outstanding principal, which is the Company’s best estimate of the fair value. The Company determined the fair value of the Secured Term Loan and collateralized loan obligation (“CLO”) securitization debt based on a discounted cash flow methodology, taking into consideration various factors including discount rates, actions of other lenders and comparable market quotes and recent trades for similar products.
v3.24.0.1
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Management Agreement

The Company is party to an Amended and Restated Management Agreement under which ACREM, subject to the supervision and oversight of the Company’s board of directors, is responsible for, among other duties, (a) performing all of the Company’s day-to-day functions, (b) determining the Company’s investment strategy and guidelines in conjunction with the
Company’s board of directors, (c) sourcing, analyzing and executing investments, asset sales and financing, and (d) performing portfolio management duties. In addition, ACREM has an Investment Committee that oversees compliance with the Company’s investment strategy and guidelines, loans held for investment portfolio holdings and financing strategy.

In exchange for its services, ACREM is entitled to receive a base management fee, an incentive fee and expense reimbursements. In addition, ACREM and its personnel may receive grants of equity-based awards pursuant to the Company’s Amended and Restated 2012 Equity Incentive Plan and a termination fee, if applicable.
 
The base management fee is equal to 1.5% of the Company’s stockholders’ equity per annum, which is calculated and payable quarterly in arrears in cash. For purposes of calculating the base management fee, stockholders’ equity means: (a) the sum of (i) the net proceeds from all issuances of the Company’s equity securities since inception (allocated on a pro-rata daily basis for such issuances during the fiscal quarter of any such issuance), plus (ii) the Company’s retained earnings at the end of the most recently completed fiscal quarter determined in accordance with GAAP (without taking into account any non-cash equity compensation expense incurred in current or prior periods); less (b) (x) any amount that the Company has paid to repurchase the Company’s common stock since inception, (y) any unrealized gains and losses and other non-cash items that have impacted stockholders’ equity as reported in the Company’s consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP, and (z) one-time events pursuant to changes in GAAP, and certain non-cash items not otherwise described above, in each case after discussions between ACREM and the Company’s independent directors and approval by a majority of the Company’s independent directors. As a result, the Company’s stockholders’ equity, for purposes of calculating the management fee, could be greater or less than the amount of stockholders’ equity shown in the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
 
The incentive fee is an amount, not less than zero, equal to the difference between: (a) the product of (i) 20% and (ii) the difference between (A) the Company’s Core Earnings (as defined below) for the previous 12-month period, and (B) the product of (1) the weighted average of the issue price per share of the Company’s common stock of all of the Company’s public offerings of common stock multiplied by the weighted average number of all shares of common stock outstanding including any restricted shares of the Company’s common stock, RSUs, or any shares of the Company’s common stock not yet issued, but underlying other awards granted under the Company’s Amended and Restated 2012 Equity Incentive Plan (see Note 10 included in these consolidated financial statements) in the previous 12-month period, and (2) 8%; and (b) the sum of any incentive fees earned by ACREM with respect to the first three fiscal quarters of such previous 12-month period; provided, however, that no incentive fee is payable with respect to any fiscal quarter unless cumulative Core Earnings for the 12 most recently completed fiscal quarters is greater than zero. “Core Earnings” is defined in the Management Agreement as net income (loss) computed in accordance with GAAP, excluding non-cash equity compensation expense, the incentive fee, depreciation and amortization (to the extent that any of the Company’s target investments are structured as debt and the Company forecloses on any properties underlying such debt), any unrealized gains, losses or other non-cash items recorded in net income (loss) for the period, regardless of whether such items are included in other comprehensive income or loss, or in net income (loss), and one-time events pursuant to changes in GAAP and certain non-cash charges after discussions between ACREM and the Company’s independent directors and after approval by a majority of the Company’s independent directors. On April 25, 2022, the Company and ACREM entered into an amendment to the Management Agreement to (a) exclude $2.4 million of net income associated with the sale of the real estate owned property for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and to (b) include $2.0 million of net income associated with the Company’s gain on the termination of its interest rate cap derivative for the three months ended March 31, 2022, in each case, with respect to Core Earnings for the three months ended March 31, 2022. Core Earnings is defined in the Management Agreement and is used to calculate the incentive fees the Company pays to ACREM. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred incentive fees of $334 thousand, $3.4 million and $2.8 million, respectively.

The Company reimburses ACREM at cost for operating expenses that ACREM incurs on the Company’s behalf, including expenses relating to legal, financial, accounting, servicing, due diligence and other services, expenses in connection with the origination and financing of the Company’s investments, communications with the Company’s stockholders, information technology systems, software and data services used for the Company, travel, complying with legal and regulatory requirements, taxes, insurance maintained for the benefit of the Company as well as all other expenses actually incurred by ACREM that are reasonably necessary for the performance by ACREM of its duties and functions under the Management Agreement. Ares Management, from time to time, incurs fees, costs and expenses on behalf of more than one investment vehicle. To the extent such fees, costs and expenses are incurred for the account or benefit of more than one fund, each such investment vehicle, including the Company, will typically bear an allocable portion of any such fees, costs and expenses in proportion to the size of its investment in the activity or entity to which such expense relates (subject to the terms of each fund’s governing documents) or in such other manner as Ares Management considers fair and equitable under the circumstances, such as the relative fund size or capital available to be invested by such investment vehicles. Where an investment vehicle’s governing documents do not permit the payment of a particular expense, Ares Management will generally pay such investment vehicle’s allocable portion of such expense. In addition, the Company is responsible for its proportionate share of certain fees
and expenses, including due diligence costs, as determined by ACREM and Ares Management, including legal, accounting and financial advisor fees and related costs, incurred in connection with evaluating and consummating investment opportunities, regardless of whether such transactions are ultimately consummated by the parties thereto.
 
The Company will not reimburse ACREM for the salaries and other compensation of its personnel, except for the allocable share of the salaries and other compensation of the Company’s (a) Chief Financial Officer, based on the percentage of his time spent on the Company’s affairs and (b) other corporate finance, tax, accounting, internal audit, legal, risk management, operations, compliance and other non-investment professional personnel of ACREM or its affiliates who spend all or a portion of their time managing the Company’s affairs based on the percentage of their time spent on the Company’s affairs. The Company is also required to pay its pro-rata portion of rent, telephone, utilities, office furniture, equipment, machinery and other office, internal and overhead expenses of ACREM and its affiliates that are required for the Company’s operations.
 
Certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, along with the Company’s lenders under certain of the Company’s Secured Funding Agreements, as well as under the CLO transaction have entered into various servicing agreements with ACREM’s subsidiary servicer, Ares Commercial Real Estate Servicer LLC (“ACRES”). The Company’s Manager will specially service, as needed, certain of the Company’s investments. Effective May 1, 2012, ACRES agreed that no servicing fees pursuant to these servicing agreements would be charged to the Company or its subsidiaries by ACRES or the Manager for so long as the Management Agreement remains in effect, but that ACRES will continue to receive reimbursement for overhead related to servicing and operational activities pursuant to the terms of the Management Agreement.

The term of the Management Agreement ends on April 25, 2024, with automatic one-year renewal terms thereafter. Except under limited circumstances, upon a termination of the Management Agreement, the Company will pay ACREM a termination fee equal to three times the average annual base management fee and incentive fee received by ACREM during the 24-month period immediately preceding the most recently completed fiscal quarter prior to the date of termination, each as described above.

The following table summarizes the related party costs incurred by the Company for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, and amounts payable to the Company’s Manager as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 ($ in thousands):
IncurredPayable
For the Years Ended December 31,As of December 31,
20232022202120232022
Affiliate Payments
Management fees $11,929 $11,456 $9,384 $2,946 $3,026 
Incentive fees334 3,442 2,752 — 1,264 
General and administrative expenses 3,434 3,777 3,016 1,154 1,232 
Direct costs (1)124 165 35 58 
   Total$15,821 $18,840 $15,161 $4,135 $5,580 
_______________________________

(1)    For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, direct costs incurred are included within general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

Investments in Loans

From time to time, the Company may co-invest with other investment vehicles managed by Ares Management or its affiliates, including the Manager, and their portfolio companies, including by means of splitting investments, participating in investments or other means of syndication of investments. For such co-investments, the Company expects to act as the administrative agent for the holders of such investments provided that the Company maintains a majority of the aggregate investment. No fees will be received by the Company for performing such service. The Company will be responsible for its pro-rata share of costs and expenses for such co-investments, including due diligence costs for transactions which fail to close. The Company’s investment in such co-investments are made on a pari-passu basis with the other Ares managed investment vehicles and the Company is not obligated to provide, nor has it provided, any financial support to the other Ares managed investment vehicles. As such, the Company’s risk is limited to the carrying value of its investment and the Company recognizes only the
carrying value of its investment in its consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the total outstanding principal balance for co-investments held by the Company was $236.7 million and $213.7 million, respectively.
Loan Purchases From Affiliate

One or more affiliates of the Company’s Manager may originate commercial real estate loans, which may be made available for purchase by other investment vehicles, including the Company and other Ares Management managed investment vehicles. From time to time, the Company may purchase such commercial real estate loans from affiliates of the Company’s Manager. The Company’s Manager will approve the purchase of such loans only on terms, including the consideration to be paid, that are determined by the Company’s Manager in good faith to be appropriate for the Company and provided that the Company has sufficient liquidity. The Company is not obligated to purchase any loans originated by affiliates of the Company’s Manager. In addition, from time to time, the Company may purchase loans, including participations in loans, from other Ares Management managed investment vehicles. Loans purchased by the Company from affiliates of the Company’s Manager or other Ares Management managed investment vehicles are purchased at fair value as determined by an independent third-party valuation expert and are subject to approval by a majority of the Company’s independent directors. No loans were purchased by the Company from affiliates of the Company’s Manager or other Ares Management managed investment vehicles for the year ended December 31, 2023.
v3.24.0.1
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS  
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
The following table summarizes the Company’s dividends declared during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 ($ in thousands, except per share data):

Date DeclaredRecord DatePayment DatePer Share AmountTotal Amount
November 3, 2023December 29, 2023January 17, 2024$0.33 $18,220 
August 2, 2023September 29, 2023October 17, 20230.33 18,082 
May 2, 2023June 30, 2023July 18, 20230.35 (1)19,180 
February 15, 2023March 31, 2023April 18, 20230.35 (1)19,345 
Total cash dividends declared for the year ended December 31, 2023$1.36 $74,827 
November 2, 2022December 30, 2022January 18, 2023$0.35 (1)$19,347 
July 29, 2022September 30, 2022October 17, 20220.35 (1)19,196 
May 3, 2022June 30, 2022July 15, 20220.35 (1)19,198 
February 15, 2022March 31, 2022April 14, 20220.35 (1)16,740 
Total cash dividends declared for the year ended December 31, 2022$1.40 $74,481 
November 3, 2021December 31, 2021January 19, 2022$0.35 (1)$16,674 
July 30, 2021September 30, 2021October 15, 20210.35 (1)16,524 
May 4, 2021June 30, 2021July 15, 20210.35 (1)16,528 
February 17, 2021March 31, 2021April 15, 20210.35 (1)14,248 
Total cash dividends declared for the year ended December 31, 2021$1.40 $63,974 
_______________________________
(1)     Consists of a regular cash dividend of $0.33 and a supplemental cash dividend of $0.02.
v3.24.0.1
VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES
Consolidated VIEs

As discussed in Note 2, the Company evaluates all of its investments and other interests in entities for consolidation, including its investments in the CLO Securitizations (as defined below), which are considered to be variable interests in VIEs.
CLO Securitizations

On January 11, 2019, ACRE Commercial Mortgage 2017-FL3 Ltd. (the “FL3 Issuer”) and ACRE Commercial Mortgage 2017-FL3 LLC (the “FL3 Co-Issuer”), both wholly-owned indirect subsidiaries of the Company, entered into an Amended and Restated Indenture (the “FL3 Amended Indenture”) with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as advancing agent and note administrator, and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee, which governs the approximately $504.1 million principal balance of secured floating rate notes (the “FL3 Notes”) issued by the FL3 Issuer and $52.9 million of preferred equity in the FL3 Issuer (the “FL3 CLO Securitization”). The FL3 Amended Indenture amends and restates, and replaces in its entirety, the indenture for the CLO securitization issued in March 2017, which governed the issuance of approximately $308.8 million principal balance of secured floating rate notes and $32.4 million of preferred equity in the FL3 Issuer.

As of December 31, 2023, the FL3 Notes were collateralized by interests in a pool of 16 mortgage assets having a total principal balance of $526.0 million (the “FL3 Mortgage Assets”) that were closed by a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and approximately $31.0 million of receivables related to repayments of outstanding principal on previous mortgage assets. As of December 31, 2022, the FL3 Notes were collateralized by interests in a pool of 16 mortgage assets having a total principal balance of approximately $429.4 million that were closed by a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and approximately $127.6 million of receivables related to repayments of outstanding principal on previous mortgage assets. On April 13, 2021, the FL3 Issuer and the FL3 Co-Issuer entered into a First Supplement to Amended and Restated Indenture (the “2021 Amended Indenture”) with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as advancing agent and note administrator, and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee, which governs the FL3 CLO Securitization. The purpose of the 2021 Amended Indenture was to, among other things, extend the reinvestment period to March 31, 2024. During the reinvestment period, the Company may direct the FL3 Issuer to acquire additional mortgage assets meeting applicable reinvestment criteria using the principal repayments from the FL3 Mortgage Assets, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including receipt of a Rating Agency Confirmation and investor approval of the new mortgage assets.
 
The contribution of the FL3 Mortgage Assets to the Issuer is governed by a Mortgage Asset Purchase Agreement between the Seller and the FL3 Issuer, and acknowledged by the Company solely for purposes of confirming its status as a REIT, in which the Seller made certain customary representations, warranties and covenants.
 
In connection with the securitization, the FL3 Issuer and FL3 Co-Issuer offered and issued the following classes of Notes: Class A, Class A-S, Class B, Class C and Class D Notes (collectively, the “FL3 Offered Notes”) to a third party. The Company retained (through one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries) approximately $58.5 million of the FL3 Notes and all of the $52.9 million of preferred equity in the FL3 Issuer, which totaled $111.4 million. The Company, as the holder of the subordinated FL3 Notes and all of the preferred equity in the FL3 Issuer, has the obligation to absorb losses of the CLO, since the Company has a first loss position in the capital structure of the CLO.

On January 28, 2021, ACRE Commercial Mortgage 2021-FL4 Ltd. (the “FL4 Issuer”) and ACRE Commercial Mortgage 2021-FL4 LLC (the “FL4 Co-Issuer”), both wholly owned indirect subsidiaries of the Company, entered into an Indenture (the “FL4 Indenture”) with ACRC Lender LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Seller”), as advancing agent, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as note administrator, and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee, which governs the issuance of approximately $603.0 million principal balance secured floating rate notes (the “FL4 Notes”) and $64.3 million of preferred equity in the FL4 Issuer (the “FL4 CLO Securitization”). For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the FL4 Issuer and FL4 Co-Issuer are disregarded entities.

As of December 31, 2023, the FL4 Notes were collateralized by interests in a pool of 9 mortgage assets having a total principal balance of approximately $404.1 million (the “FL4 Mortgage Assets”) that were closed by a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and approximately $1.0 million of receivables related to repayments of outstanding principal on previous mortgage assets. As of December 31, 2022, the FL4 Notes were collateralized by interests in a pool of 12 mortgage assets having a total principal balance of approximately $458.3 million that were closed by a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and approximately $1.9 million of receivables related to repayments of outstanding principal on previous mortgage assets. During the period ending in April 2024 (the “Companion Participation Acquisition Period”), the FL4 Issuer may use certain principal proceeds from the FL4 Mortgage Assets to acquire additional funded pari-passu participations related to the FL4 Mortgage Assets that meet certain acquisition criteria.

The sale of the FL4 Mortgage Assets to the FL4 Issuer is governed by a FL4 Mortgage Asset Purchase Agreement between the Seller and the FL4 Issuer, and acknowledged by the Company solely for purposes of confirming its status as a REIT, in which the Seller made certain customary representations, warranties and covenants.
In connection with the FL4 CLO Securitization, the FL4 Issuer and FL4 Co-Issuer offered and issued the following classes of FL4 Notes to third party investors: Class A, Class A-S, Class B, Class C, Class D and Class E Notes (collectively, the “FL4 Offered Notes”). A wholly owned subsidiary of the Company retained approximately $62.5 million of the FL4 Notes and all of the $64.3 million of preferred equity in the FL4 Issuer, which totaled $126.8 million. The Company, as the holder of the subordinated FL4 Notes and all of the preferred equity in the FL4 Issuer, has the obligation to absorb losses of the FL4 CLO Securitization, since the Company has a first loss position in the capital structure of the FL4 CLO Securitization. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company paid down $55.1 million and $85.9 million of the FL4 Offered Notes, respectively.
 
The FL3 CLO Securitization and the FL4 CLO Securitization are collectively referred to as the “CLO Securitizations.” As the directing holder of the CLO Securitizations, the Company has the ability to direct activities that could significantly impact the CLO Securitizations’ economic performance. ACRES is designated as special servicer of the CLO Securitizations and has the power to direct activities during the loan workout process on defaulted and delinquent loans, which is the activity that most significantly impacts the CLO Securitizations’ economic performance. ACRES did not waive the special servicing fee, and the Company pays its overhead costs. If an unrelated third party had the right to unilaterally remove the special servicer, then the Company would not have the power to direct activities that most significantly impact the CLO Securitizations’ economic performance. In addition, there were no substantive kick-out rights of any unrelated third party to remove the special servicer without cause. The Company’s subsidiaries, as directing holders, have the ability to remove the special servicer without cause. Based on these factors, the Company is determined to be the primary beneficiary of each of the CLO Securitizations; thus, the CLO Securitizations are consolidated into the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

The CLO Securitizations are consolidated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 810 and are structured as pass through entities that receive principal and interest on the underlying collateral and distributes those payments to the note holders, as applicable. The assets and other instruments held by the CLO Securitizations are restricted and can only be used to fulfill the obligations of the respective CLO Securitizations. Additionally, the obligations of the CLO Securitizations do not have any recourse to the general credit of any other consolidated entities, nor to the Company as the primary beneficiary.

The inclusion of the assets and liabilities of the CLO Securitizations of which the Company is deemed the primary beneficiary has no economic effect on the Company. The Company’s exposure to the obligations of the CLO Securitizations are generally limited to its investment in the entity. The Company is not obligated to provide, nor has it provided, any financial support for the consolidated structures. As such, the risk associated with the Company’s involvement in the CLO Securitizations are limited to the carrying value of its investment in each of the entities. As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s maximum risk of loss was $238.2 million, which represents the carrying value of its investments in the CLO Securitizations.

Non-consolidated VIEs

The Company evaluated its senior mortgage loan investment that is collateralized by a residential condominium property located in New York, and it was determined to be an interest in a VIE. However, the Company was not deemed to be the primary beneficiary. The Company’s exposure to the obligations of the VIE is generally limited to its investment and the Company is not obligated to provide, nor has it provided, any financial support to the VIE. As such, the risk associated with the Company’s involvement in the VIE is limited to the carrying value of its investment. As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s maximum risk of loss was $86.4 million, which represents the carrying value of its investment in the VIE.
v3.24.0.1
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Subsequent Events [Abstract]  
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company’s management has evaluated subsequent events through the date of issuance of the consolidated financial statements included herein. There have been no subsequent events that occurred during such period that would require disclosure in this annual report on Form 10-K or would be required to be recognized in the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023, except as disclosed below.

The Company’s board of directors declared a regular cash dividend of $0.25 per common share for the first quarter of 2024. The first quarter 2024 dividend will be payable on April 16, 2024 to common stockholders of record as of March 28, 2024.
In January 2024, the Company closed the sale of the senior mortgage loan collateralized by a mixed-use property located in California that was in maturity default due to the failure of the borrower to repay the outstanding principal balance of the loan by the maturity date. As of December 31, 2023, the loan was classified as held for sale and was carried at fair value of $39.0 million, which was equal to the final sale price.
In January 2024, the Company amended the CNB Facility to, among other things: (1) extend the initial maturity date of the CNB Facility to March 10, 2025, subject to one 12-month extension, which may be exercised at the Company's option if certain conditions described in the CNB Facility are met, including applicable extension fees being paid, which, if exercised, would extend the maturity date to March 10, 2026 and (2) set the interest rate on advances under the CNB Facility to a per annum rate equal to the sum of, at the Company's option, either (a) a SOFR-based rate plus 3.25% or (b) a base rate plus 2.25%, in each case, subject to an interest rate floor.

In January 2024, the mezzanine loan held by the Company on an office property located in New Jersey did not receive the January 2024 interest payment, which triggered an event of default under the loan agreement. As of February 20, 2024, the outstanding principal balance of the mezzanine New Jersey loan is $18.5 million.

In February 2024, the senior mortgage loan held by the Company on an office property located in Illinois was not repaid upon its contractual maturity, which triggered an event of default under the loan agreement. As of February 20, 2024, the outstanding principal balance of the senior Illinois loan is $56.9 million.
v3.24.0.1
Pay vs Performance Disclosure - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Pay vs Performance Disclosure      
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders $ (38,867) $ 29,785 $ 60,460
v3.24.0.1
Insider Trading Arrangements
3 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Trading Arrangements, by Individual  
Rule 10b5-1 Arrangement Adopted false
Non-Rule 10b5-1 Arrangement Adopted false
Rule 10b5-1 Arrangement Terminated false
Non-Rule 10b5-1 Arrangement Terminated false
v3.24.0.1
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation
Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company, the consolidated variable interest entities (“VIEs”) that the Company controls and of which the Company is the primary beneficiary, and the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries. The consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments and reclassifications that, in the opinion of management, are necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s results of operations and financial condition as of and for the periods presented. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.
Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements
Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts and disclosures. Global macroeconomic conditions, including high inflation, changes to fiscal and monetary policy, high interest rates, potential market-wide liquidity problems, currency fluctuations, labor shortages and challenges in the supply chain, have the potential to negatively impact the Company and its borrowers. These current macroeconomic conditions may continue or aggravate and could cause the United States economy or other global economies to experience an economic slowdown or recession. We anticipate our business and operations could be materially adversely affected by a prolonged recession in the United States or other major global economy.

The Company believes the estimates and assumptions underlying its consolidated financial statements are reasonable and supportable based on the information available as of December 31, 2023, however, uncertainty over the global economy and the Company’s business, makes any estimates and assumptions as of December 31, 2023 inherently less certain than they would be absent the current and potential impacts of current macroeconomic conditions. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Variable Interest Entities
Variable Interest Entities

The Company evaluates all of its interests in VIEs for consolidation. When the Company’s interests are determined to be variable interests, the Company assesses whether it is deemed to be the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is required to consolidate the VIE. Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 810, Consolidation, defines the primary beneficiary as the party that has both (i) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact its economic performance, and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses and the right to receive benefits from the VIE which could be potentially significant. The Company considers its variable interests, as well as any variable interests of its related parties in making this determination. Where both of these factors are present, the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary and it consolidates the VIE. Where either one of these factors is not present, the Company is not the primary beneficiary and it does not consolidate the VIE.
 
To assess whether the Company has the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance, the Company considers all facts and circumstances, including its role in establishing the VIE and its ongoing rights and responsibilities. This assessment includes first, identifying the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance; and second, identifying which party, if any, has power over those activities. In general, the parties that make the most significant decisions affecting the VIE or have the right to unilaterally remove those decision makers are deemed to have the power to direct the activities of a VIE.

To assess whether the Company has the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE, the Company considers all of its economic interests, including debt and equity investments, servicing fees, and other arrangements deemed to be variable interests in the VIE. This assessment requires that the Company applies judgment in determining whether these interests, in the aggregate, are considered potentially significant to the VIE. Factors considered in assessing significance include: the design of the VIE, including its capitalization structure; subordination of interests; payment priority; relative share of interests held across various classes within the VIE’s capital structure; and the reasons why the interests are held by the Company.

For VIEs of which the Company is determined to be the primary beneficiary, all of the underlying assets, liabilities, equity, revenue and expenses of the structures are consolidated into the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

The Company performs an ongoing reassessment of: (1) whether any entities previously evaluated under the majority voting interest framework have become VIEs, based on certain events, and therefore are subject to the VIE consolidation framework, and (2) whether changes in the facts and circumstances regarding its involvement with a VIE cause the Company’s consolidation conclusion regarding the VIE to change. See Note 16 included in these consolidated financial statements for further discussion of the Company’s VIEs.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include funds on deposit with financial institutions, including demand deposits with financial institutions. Cash and short‑term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when acquired are considered cash and cash equivalents for the purpose of the consolidated balance sheets and statements of cash flows.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, loans held for investment, available-for-sale debt securities and interest receivable. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents with financial institutions and, at times, cash held may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured limit. The Company has exposure to credit risk on its loans held for investment and available-for-sale debt securities. The Company and the Company’s Manager seek to manage credit risk by performing due diligence prior to origination or acquisition and through the use of non‑recourse financing, when and where available and appropriate.
Loans Held for Investment
Loans Held for Investment

The Company originates CRE debt and related instruments generally to be held for investment. Loans that are held for investment are carried at cost, net of unamortized purchase discounts, deferred loan fees and origination costs and cost-recovery proceeds (the “carrying value”). Loans are generally collateralized by real estate. The extent of any credit deterioration associated with the performance and/or value of the underlying collateral property and the financial and operating capability of the borrower could impact the expected amounts received. The Company monitors performance of its loans held for investment portfolio under the following methodology: (1) borrower review, which analyzes the borrower’s ability to execute on its
original business plan, reviews its financial condition, assesses pending litigation and considers its general level of responsiveness and cooperation; (2) economic review, which considers underlying collateral (i.e. leasing performance, unit sales and cash flow of the collateral and its ability to cover debt service, as well as the residual loan balance at maturity); (3) property review, which considers current environmental risks, changes in insurance costs or coverage, current site visibility, capital expenditures and market perception; and (4) market review, which analyzes the collateral from a supply and demand perspective of similar property types, as well as from a capital markets perspective. Such analyses are completed and reviewed by asset management and finance personnel who utilize various data sources, including periodic financial data such as property occupancy, tenant profile, rental rates, operating expenses, and the borrower’s exit plan, among other factors.

    Loans are generally placed on non-accrual status when principal or interest payments are past due 30 days or more or when there is reasonable doubt that principal or interest will be collected in full. Accrued and unpaid interest is generally reversed against interest income in the period the loan is placed on non-accrual status. Interest payments received on non-accrual loans may be recognized as income or applied to reduce loan carrying value depending upon management’s judgment regarding the borrower’s ability to make pending principal and interest payments. Non-accrual loans are restored to accrual status when past due principal and interest are paid and, in management’s judgment, are likely to remain current. The Company may make exceptions to placing a loan on non-accrual status if the loan has sufficient collateral value and is in the process of collection.
    Loan balances that are deemed to be uncollectible are written off as a realized loss and are deducted from the current expected credit loss reserve. The write-offs are recorded in the period in which the loan balance is deemed uncollectible based on management’s judgment.
Current Expected Credit Losses
Current Expected Credit Losses
FASB ASC Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (“ASC 326”), requires the Company to reflect current expected credit losses (“CECL”) on both the outstanding balances and unfunded commitments on loans held for investment and requires consideration of a broad range of historical experience adjusted for current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecast information to inform credit loss estimates (the “CECL Reserve” or “CECL Reserves”). Increases and decreases to expected credit losses impact earnings and are recorded within provision for current expected credit losses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. The CECL Reserve related to outstanding balances on loans held for investment required under ASC 326 is a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of the Company’s loans held for investment in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The CECL Reserve related to unfunded commitments on loans held for investment is recorded within other liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. See Note 4 included in these consolidated financial statements for CECL related disclosures.
Loans Held for Sale
Loans Held for Sale

Although the Company generally holds its target investments as long-term investments, the Company occasionally classifies some of its investments as held for sale. Investments held for sale are carried at fair value within loans held for sale, at fair value in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, with changes in fair value recorded through earnings.
Real Estate Owned
Real Estate Owned

    Real estate assets are carried at their estimated fair value at acquisition and are presented net of accumulated depreciation or amortization and impairment charges. The Company allocates the purchase price of acquired real estate assets based on the fair value of the acquired land, buildings and improvements, furniture, fixtures and equipment, intangible assets and intangible liabilities, as applicable.

Real estate assets are depreciated or amortized using the straight-line method over estimated useful lives of up to 40 years for buildings and improvements, up to 15 years for furniture, fixtures and equipment and over the lease terms for intangible assets and liabilities. Renovations and/or replacements that improve or extend the life of the real estate asset are capitalized and depreciated over their estimated useful lives. The cost of ordinary repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Other than amortization related to intangible assets and liabilities for above-market or below-market leases, depreciation or amortization expense related to real estate assets is included within expenses from real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Amortization for above-market or below-market leases is recognized as an adjustment to rental revenue and is included within revenue from real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
    Real estate assets are evaluated for indicators of impairment on a quarterly basis. Factors that the Company may consider in its impairment analysis include, among others: (1) significant underperformance relative to historical or anticipated operating results; (2) significant negative industry or economic trends; (3) costs necessary to extend the life or improve the real estate asset; (4) significant increase in competition; and (5) ability to hold and dispose of the real estate asset in the ordinary course of business. A real estate asset is considered impaired when the sum of estimated future undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the real estate asset over the estimated remaining holding period is less than the carrying amount of such real estate asset. Cash flows include operating cash flows and anticipated capital proceeds generated by the real estate asset. An impairment charge is recorded equal to the excess of the carrying value of the real estate asset over the fair value. When determining the fair value of a real estate asset, the Company makes certain assumptions including, but not limited to, consideration of projected operating cash flows, comparable selling prices and projected cash flows from the eventual disposition of the real estate asset based upon the Company’s estimate of a capitalization rate and discount rate.

The Company reviews its real estate assets, from time to time, in order to determine whether to sell such assets. Real estate assets are classified as held for sale when the Company commits to a plan to sell the asset, when the asset is being actively marketed for sale at a reasonable price and the sale of the asset is probable and the transfer of the asset is expected to qualify for recognition as a completed sale within one year. Real estate assets that are held for sale are carried at the lower of the asset’s carrying amount or its fair value less costs to sell.
Available-for-Sale Debt Securities
Available-for-Sale Debt Securities

The Company acquires debt securities that are collateralized by mortgages on CRE properties primarily for short-term cash management and investment purposes. On the acquisition date, the Company designates investments in CRE debt securities as available-for-sale. Investments in CRE debt securities that are classified as available-for-sale are carried at fair value. Unrealized holding gains and losses for available-for-sale debt securities are recorded each period in other comprehensive income (“OCI”). The Company uses a specific identification method when determining the cost of a debt security sold and the amount of unrealized gain or loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into earnings.

Available-for-sale debt securities that are in an unrealized loss position are evaluated on a quarterly basis to determine whether declines in the fair value below the amortized cost basis qualify as other than temporary impairment (“OTTI”). The OTTI assessment is performed at the individual security level. In assessing whether the entire amortized cost basis of each security will be recovered, the Company will compare the present value of cash flows expected to be collected from the security with the amortized cost basis of the security. If the present value of cash flows expected to be collected is less than the amortized cost basis of the security, the entire amortized cost basis of the security will not be recovered and an OTTI shall be considered to have occurred.
Available-for-sale debt securities are generally placed on non-accrual status when principal or interest payments are past due 30 days or more or when there is reasonable doubt that principal or interest will be collected in full. Accrued and unpaid interest is generally reversed against interest income in the period the debt security is placed on non-accrual status. Interest payments received on non-accrual securities may be recognized as income or applied to reduce amortized cost basis depending upon management’s judgment regarding collectability of the debt security. Non-accrual debt securities are restored to accrual status when past due principal and interest are paid and, in management’s judgment, are likely to remain current.
Debt Issuance Costs
Debt Issuance Costs

Debt issuance costs under the Company’s indebtedness are capitalized and amortized over the term of the respective debt instrument. Unamortized debt issuance costs are expensed when the associated debt is repaid prior to maturity. Debt issuance costs related to debt securitizations are capitalized and amortized over the term of the underlying loans using the effective interest method. When an underlying loan is prepaid in a debt securitization and the outstanding principal balance of the securitization debt is reduced, the related unamortized debt issuance costs are charged to expense based on a pro‑rata share of the debt issuance costs being allocated to the specific loans that were prepaid. Amortization of debt issuance costs is included within interest expense, except as noted below, in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations while the unamortized balance on the (i) Secured Funding Agreements (each individually defined in Note 6 included in these consolidated financial statements) is included within other assets and (ii) Notes Payable, the Secured Term Loan (each defined in Note 6 included in these consolidated financial statements) and secured borrowings (described in Note 7 included in these consolidated financial statements) and debt securitizations are each included as a reduction to the carrying amount of the liability in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. Amortization of debt issuance costs for the note payable on the hotel property that was recognized as real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets (see Note 6 included in these consolidated financial
statements for additional information on the note payable) is included within expenses from real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
Derivative Financial Instruments
Derivative Financial Instruments

Derivative financial instruments are classified as either other assets (gain positions) or other liabilities (loss positions) in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets at fair value. These amounts may be offset to the extent that there is a legal right to offset and if elected by management.

On the date the Company enters into a derivative contract, the Company designates each contract as a hedge of a forecasted transaction or of the variability of cash flows to be received or paid related to a recognized asset or liability, or cash flow hedge, or as a derivative instrument not to be designated as a hedging derivative, or non-designated hedge. For all derivatives other than those designated as non-designated hedges, the Company formally documents the hedge relationships and designation at the contract’s inception. This documentation includes the identification of the hedging instruments and the hedged items, its risk management objectives, strategy for undertaking the hedge transaction and an evaluation of the effectiveness of its hedged transaction.

The Company performs a formal assessment on a quarterly basis on whether the derivative designated in each hedging relationship is expected to be, and has been, highly effective in offsetting changes in the value or cash flows of the hedged items. Changes in the fair value of derivative contracts are recorded each period in either current earnings or OCI, depending on whether the derivative is designated as part of a hedge transaction and, if so, the type of hedge transaction. For derivatives that are designated as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of the unrealized gains or losses on these contracts is recorded in OCI. If it is determined that a derivative is not highly effective at hedging the designated exposure, hedge accounting is discontinued and the changes in fair value of the instrument are included in current earnings prospectively. The Company does not enter into derivatives for trading or speculative purposes.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue Recognition

    Interest income is accrued based on the outstanding principal amount and the contractual terms of each loan or debt security. For loans held for investment, the origination fees, contractual exit fees and direct origination costs are also recognized in interest income over the initial loan term as a yield adjustment using the effective interest method. For available-for-sale debt securities, premiums or discounts are amortized or accreted into interest income as a yield adjustment using the effective interest method.

    Revenue from real estate owned represents revenue associated with the operations of a mixed-use property classified as real estate owned that was acquired in September 2023 and a hotel property classified as real estate owned that was sold in March 2022.

Revenue from the operation of the mixed-use property consists primarily of rental revenue from operating leases. For each operating lease with scheduled rent increases over the term of the lease, the Company recognizes rental revenue on a straight-line basis over the lease term when collectability of the lease payment is probable. Variable lease payments are recognized as rental revenue in the period when the changes in facts and circumstances on which the variable lease payments are based occur. Certain of the Company’s mixed-use property leases also contain provisions for tenants to reimburse the Company for property operating expenses. Such reimbursements are included in rental revenue on a gross basis. Rental revenue also includes amortization of intangible assets and liabilities related to above and below-market leases.

Revenue from the operation of the hotel property was recognized when guestrooms were occupied, services had been rendered or fees had been earned. Revenues were recorded net of any discounts and sales and other taxes collected from customers. Revenues consisted of room sales, food and beverage sales and other hotel revenues.
Net Interest Margin and Interest Expense
Net Interest Margin and Interest Expense
    Net interest margin in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations serves to measure the performance of the Company’s loans and debt securities as compared to its use of debt leverage. The Company includes interest income from its loans and debt securities and interest expense related to its Secured Funding Agreements, Notes Payable, securitization debt, the Secured Term Loan (each individually defined in Note 6 included in these consolidated financial statements) and secured borrowings (described in Note 7 included in these consolidated financial statements) in net interest margin.
Income Taxes
Income Taxes

The Company has elected and qualified for taxation as a REIT commencing with its taxable year ended December 31, 2012. As a result of the Company’s REIT qualification and its distribution policy, the Company does not generally pay United States federal corporate level income taxes. Many of the REIT requirements, however, are highly technical and complex. To continue to qualify as a REIT, the Company must meet a number of organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that the Company distributes annually to its stockholders at least 90% of the Company’s REIT taxable income prior to the deduction for dividends paid. To the extent that the Company distributes less than 100% of its REIT taxable income in any tax year (taking into account any distributions made in a subsequent tax year under Sections 857(b)(9) or 858 of the Code), the Company will pay tax at regular corporate rates on that undistributed portion. Furthermore, if the Company distributes less than the sum of (i) 85% of its ordinary income for the calendar year, (ii) 95% of its capital gain net income for the calendar year, and (iii) any undistributed shortfall from its prior calendar year (the “Required Distribution”) to its stockholders during any calendar year (including any distributions declared by the last day of the calendar year but paid in the subsequent year), then it is required to pay a non-deductible excise tax equal to 4% of any shortfall between the Required Distribution and the amount that was actually distributed. The 90% distribution requirement does not require the distribution of net capital gains. However, if the Company elects to retain any of its net capital gain for any tax year, it must notify its stockholders and pay tax at regular corporate rates on the retained net capital gain. The stockholders must include their proportionate share of the retained net capital gain in their taxable income for the tax year, receive a credit for their share of the tax paid by such REIT, and are deemed to have paid the REIT’s tax on their proportionate share of the retained capital gain. Furthermore, such retained capital gain may be subject to the nondeductible 4% excise tax. If it is determined that the Company’s estimated current year taxable income will be in excess of estimated dividend distributions (including capital gain dividend) for the current year from such income, the Company accrues excise tax on estimated excess taxable income as such taxable income is earned. The annual expense is calculated in accordance with applicable tax regulations. Excise tax expense is included in the line item income tax expense (benefit), including excise tax in the consolidated statements of operations included in this annual report on Form 10-K.

The Company formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, ACRC Lender W TRS LLC (“ACRC W TRS”), in December 2013 in order to issue and hold certain loans intended for sale. The Company also formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, ACRC 2017-
FL3 TRS LLC (“FL3 TRS”), in March 2017 in order to hold a portion of the CLO Securitizations (as defined below), including the portion that generates excess inclusion income. Additionally, the Company also formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, ACRC WM Tenant LLC (“ACRC WM”), in March 2019 in order to lease the hotel property classified as real estate owned, which was acquired on March 8, 2019. Entity classification elections to be taxed as a corporation and taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) elections were made with respect to ACRC W TRS, FL3 TRS and ACRC WM. A TRS is an entity taxed as a corporation that has not elected to be taxed as a REIT, in which a REIT directly or indirectly holds equity, and that has made a joint election with such REIT to be treated as a TRS. A TRS generally may engage in any business, including investing in assets and engaging in activities that could not be held or conducted directly by the Company without jeopardizing its qualification as a REIT. A TRS is subject to applicable United States federal, state and local income tax on its taxable income. In addition, as a REIT, the Company also may be subject to a 100% excise tax on certain transactions between it and its TRS that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis. For financial reporting purposes, a provision for current and deferred taxes has been established for the portion of the Company’s GAAP consolidated earnings recognized by ACRC W TRS, FL3 TRS and ACRC WM. The income tax provision is included in the line item income tax expense, including excise tax in the consolidated statements of operations included in this annual report on Form 10-K.

FASB ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”), prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. The Company has analyzed its various federal and state filing positions and believes that its income tax filing positions and deductions are well documented and supported. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, based on the Company’s evaluation, there is no reserve for any uncertain income tax positions. ACRC W TRS, FL3 TRS and ACRC WM recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits within income tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations. Accrued interest and penalties, if any, are included within other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets.
Comprehensive Income
Comprehensive Income
Comprehensive income consists of net income (loss) and OCI that are excluded from net income (loss).
Stock-based Compensation
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company recognizes the cost of stock‑based compensation, which is included within general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. The fair value of the time vested restricted stock or restricted stock units (“RSUs”) granted is recorded to expense on a straight‑line basis over the vesting period for the award, with an offsetting increase in stockholders’ equity. For grants to directors and officers and employees of the Manager, the fair value is determined based upon the market price of the stock on the grant date.
Earnings per Share
Earnings per Share

The Company calculates basic earnings (loss) per share by dividing net income (loss) allocable to common stockholders for the period by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding for that period after consideration of the earnings (loss) allocated to the Company’s restricted stock, which are participating securities as defined in GAAP. Diluted earnings (loss) per share takes into effect any dilutive instruments, such as restricted stock, RSUs and convertible debt, except when doing so would be anti‑dilutive. See Note 11 included in these consolidated financial statements for the earnings per share calculations.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2023-07 Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which enhances disclosure requirements to segment reporting. ASU No. 2023-07 will improve financial reporting by requiring disclosure of incremental segment information on an annual and interim basis to develop more useful financial analysis and includes the following changes: (i) single segment entities must follow segment guidance, (ii) must name the title and position of the chief operating decision maker and (iii) the ability to elect more than one performance measure. ASU No. 2023-07 does not change how a public entity identifies its operating segments, aggregates those operating segments, or applies quantitative thresholds to determine its reportable segments. ASU No. 2023-07 is effective beginning in annual periods after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted and retrospective adoption is required for all prior periods presented. The Company is currently assessing this guidance and determining the impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09 Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which intends to improve the transparency of income tax disclosures. ASU No. 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024 and is to be adopted on a prospective basis with the option to apply retrospectively. The Company is currently assessing the impact of this guidance, however, the Company does not expect a material impact to its consolidated financial statements.
v3.24.0.1
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Schedule of Interest Expense For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, interest expense is comprised of the following ($ in thousands):
For the Years Ended December 31,
202320222021
Secured funding agreements $51,670 $33,602 $16,403 
Notes payable (1)7,678 3,410 2,275 
Securitization debt50,814 29,341 20,104 
Secured term loan7,037 7,028 4,353 
Secured borrowings— 845 6,145 
Other (2)(7,547)(8,232)800 
Interest expense$109,652 $65,994 $50,080 
____________________________
(1)    Excludes interest expense on the $28.3 million note payable, which was secured by a hotel property that was recognized as real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet until its sale in March 2022 (see Note 6 included in these consolidated financial statements for additional information on the note payable). Interest expense on the $28.3 million note payable is included within expenses from real estate owned in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
(2)    Represents the net interest expense recognized from the Company’s derivative financial instruments upon periodic settlement.
v3.24.0.1
LOANS HELD FOR INVESTMENT (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Receivables [Abstract]  
Schedule of Loans Held for Investments
The Company’s investments in loans held for investment are accounted for at amortized cost. The following tables summarize the Company’s loans held for investment as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 ($ in thousands):

 As of December 31, 2023
Carrying Amount (1)Outstanding Principal (1)Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective YieldWeighted Average Remaining Life (Years)
Senior mortgage loans $2,090,146 $2,118,947 7.5 %(2)9.3 %(3)1.1
Subordinated debt and preferred equity investments36,378 39,098 8.1 %(2)15.3 %(3)1.8
Total loans held for investment portfolio $2,126,524 $2,158,045 7.5 %(2)9.4 %(3)1.1

 As of December 31, 2022
Carrying Amount (1)
Outstanding Principal (1)
Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective YieldWeighted Average Remaining Life (Years)
Senior mortgage loans $2,225,725 $2,243,818 8.4 %(2)8.8 %(3)1.3
Subordinated debt and preferred equity investments38,283 39,003 14.0 %(2)14.0 %(3)2.8
Total loans held for investment portfolio$2,264,008 $2,282,821 8.5 %(2)8.9 %(3)1.4
______________________________

(1)The difference between the Carrying Amount and the Outstanding Principal amount of the loans held for investment consists of unamortized purchase discounts, deferred loan fees and origination costs and cost-recovery proceeds.
(2)Unleveraged Effective Yield is the compounded effective rate of return that would be earned over the life of the investment based on the contractual interest rate (adjusted for any deferred loan fees, costs, premiums or discounts) and assumes no dispositions, early prepayments or defaults. The total Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective Yield is calculated based on the average of Unleveraged Effective Yield of all loans held by the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 as weighted by the total outstanding principal balance of each loan.
(3)Unleveraged Effective Yield is the compounded effective rate of return that would be earned over the life of the investment based on the contractual interest rate (adjusted for any deferred loan fees, costs, premiums or discounts) and assumes no dispositions, early prepayments or defaults. The total Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective Yield is calculated based on the average of Unleveraged Effective Yield of all interest accruing loans held by the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 as weighted by the total outstanding principal balance of each interest accruing loan (excludes loans on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and 2022).
Schedule of Current Investment Portfolio
A more detailed listing of the Company’s loans held for investment portfolio based on information available as of December 31, 2023 is as follows ($ in millions):

Loan Type
LocationOutstanding Principal (1)Carrying Amount (1)Interest RateUnleveraged Effective Yield (2)Maturity Date (3)Payment Terms (4)
Senior Mortgage Loans:
OfficeIL$159.0$154.0(5)7.6%(5)Mar 2025(5)I/O
MultifamilyNY132.2131.4S+3.90%9.7%Jun 2025I/O
OfficeDiversified121.9121.9S+3.75%9.4%Jan 2025(6)P/I(7)
IndustrialIL100.7100.6S+4.65%10.4%May 2024I/O
MultifamilyTX100.099.5S+3.50%9.7%Jul 2025I/O
Residential/CondoNY91.086.4S+8.95%—%(8)Apr 2024(8)I/O
Mixed-useNY76.776.6S+3.75%9.5%Jul 2024I/O
Residential/CondoFL75.075.0S+5.35%10.7%Jul 2024(9)I/O
OfficeNY73.171.3S+3.95%—%(10)Aug 2025I/O
OfficeAZ69.269.0S+3.61%9.4%Oct 2024I/O
OfficeNC68.968.8S+3.65%9.5%Aug 2024I/O
OfficeNC68.767.2S+4.35%—%(11)Mar 2024(11)P/I(7)
MultifamilyTX68.468.2S+2.95%8.7%Dec 2024I/O
Multifamily/OfficeSC67.066.9S+3.00%8.6%Nov 2024I/O
MultifamilyOH57.056.5S+3.05%8.8%Oct 2026I/O
OfficeIL56.949.8S+3.95%—%(12)Feb 2024(12)I/O
OfficeIL56.055.7S+4.25%10.1%Jan 2025I/O
HotelNY50.750.4S+4.40%10.1%Mar 2026I/O
OfficeMA48.748.2S+3.75%9.8%Apr 2025I/O
OfficeGA48.548.4S+3.15%8.8%Dec 2024(13)P/I(7)
IndustrialMA47.547.2S+2.90%8.4%Jun 2028I/O
HotelCA46.946.5S+4.20%10.0%Mar 2025I/O
Mixed-useTX35.335.3S+3.85%9.5%Sep 2024I/O
Student HousingCA34.034.0S+3.95%9.3%Jan 2024(14)I/O
OfficeCA33.230.6S+3.45%—%(15)Dec 2023(15)I/O
MultifamilyCA31.731.6S+3.00%8.6%Dec 2025I/O
MultifamilyPA28.228.2S+2.50%7.9%Dec 2025(16)I/O
IndustrialNJ27.827.7S+3.85%9.8%May 2024I/O
IndustrialFL25.525.4S+3.00%8.6%Dec 2025I/O
MultifamilyWA23.123.0S+3.00%8.5%Nov 2025I/O
MultifamilyTX22.822.8S+2.60%8.3%Oct 2024I/O
OfficeCA20.520.4S+3.50%9.1%Nov 2025(17)P/I(7)
IndustrialCA19.619.1S+3.85%—%(18)Sep 2024(18)I/O
Student HousingAL19.519.5S+3.95%9.7%May 2024I/O
MultifamilyWA18.818.8S+3.10%—%(19)Sep 2023(19)I/O
Self StoragePA18.218.1S+3.00%8.7%Dec 2025I/O
Self StorageNJ17.617.4S+2.90%9.0%Apr 2025I/O
Self StorageWA11.511.4S+2.90%9.0%Mar 2025I/O
Self StorageIN10.810.6S+3.60%9.7%Jun 2026I/O
IndustrialTX10.010.0S+5.35%11.1%Dec 2024I/O
Self StorageMA7.77.7S+3.00%8.6%Nov 2024I/O
Self StorageMA6.86.7S+3.00%8.6%Oct 2024I/O
IndustrialTN6.46.4S+5.60%11.3%Nov 2024I/O
Self StorageNJ5.95.9S+3.00%8.8%Jul 2024I/O
Subordinated Debt and Preferred
Equity Investments:
MultifamilySC20.620.5S+9.53%15.3%Sep 2025I/O
OfficeNJ18.515.912.00%—%(20)Jan 2026I/O
Total/Weighted Average $2,158.0$2,126.57.5%
_________________________

(1)The difference between the Carrying Amount and the Outstanding Principal amount of the loans held for investment consists of unamortized purchase discounts, deferred loan fees and origination costs and cost-recovery proceeds. For the loans held for investment that represent co-investments with other investment vehicles managed by Ares Management (see Note 14 included in these consolidated financial statements for additional information on co-investments), only the portion of Carrying Amount and Outstanding Principal held by the Company is reflected.
(2)Unleveraged Effective Yield is the compounded effective rate of return that would be earned over the life of the investment based on the contractual interest rate (adjusted for any deferred loan fees, costs, premiums or discounts) and assumes no dispositions, early prepayments or defaults. Unleveraged Effective Yield for each loan is calculated based on SOFR as of December 31, 2023 or the SOFR floor, as applicable. The total Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective Yield is calculated based on the average of Unleveraged Effective Yield of all loans held by the Company as of December 31, 2023 as weighted by the outstanding principal balance of each loan.
(3)Reflects the initial loan maturity date excluding any contractual extension options. Certain loans are subject to contractual extension options that generally vary between one and two 12-month extensions and may be subject to performance based or other conditions as stipulated in the loan agreement. Actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities stated herein as certain borrowers may have the right to prepay with or without paying a prepayment penalty. The Company may also extend contractual maturities and amend other terms of the loans in connection with loan modifications.
(4)I/O = interest only, P/I = principal and interest.
(5)The Illinois loan is structured as both a senior and mezzanine loan with the Company holding both positions. The senior position has a per annum interest rate of S + 2.25% and the mezzanine position has a fixed per annum interest rate of 10.00%. The mezzanine position of this loan, which had an outstanding principal balance of $45.1 million as of December 31, 2023, was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and therefore, the Unleveraged Effective Yield presented is for the senior position only as the mezzanine position is non-interest accruing. In March 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the Illinois loan from March 2023 to March 2025. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $1.7 million of interest payments and other fees in cash on the mezzanine position of the Illinois loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan and the borrower is current on all contractual interest payments.
(6)In December 2023, the borrower exercised a 12-month extension option in accordance with the loan agreement, which
extended the maturity date on the senior diversified loan to January 2025.
(7)In April 2022, amortization began on the senior North Carolina loan, which had an outstanding principal balance of $68.7 million as of December 31, 2023. In January 2023, amortization began on the senior Georgia loan, which had an outstanding principal balance of $48.5 million as of December 31, 2023. In February 2023, amortization began on the senior diversified loan, which had an outstanding principal balance of $121.9 million as of December 31, 2023. In December 2023, amortization began on the senior California loan, which had an outstanding principal balance of $20.5 million as of December 31, 2023. The remainder of the loans in the Company’s portfolio are non-amortizing through their primary terms.
(8)The New York loan is structured as both a senior and mezzanine loan with the Company holding both positions. The senior and mezzanine positions each have a per annum interest rate of S + 8.95%. The senior and mezzanine loans were both on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. In June 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification agreement to, among other things, modify certain construction milestones. Upon the closing of the modification agreement, the New York loan was no longer in default. In September 2023, the borrower exercised a six-month extension option in accordance with the loan agreement, which extended the maturity date on the New York loan to April 2024.
(9)In June 2023, the borrower exercised a 12-month extension option in accordance with the loan agreement, which extended the maturity date on the senior Florida loan to July 2024.
(10)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $1.4 million of interest payments in cash on the senior New York loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan and the borrower is current on all contractual interest payments.
(11)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. In March 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the senior North Carolina loan from March 2023 to March 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $1.4 million of interest payments in cash on the senior North Carolina loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan and the borrower is current on all contractual interest payments.
(12)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. In June 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the senior Illinois loan from June 2023 to December 2023, and in December 2023, the maturity date was further extended to February 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $5.2 million of interest payments in cash on the senior Illinois loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan and the borrower is current on all contractual interest payments. See Note 17 included in these consolidated financial statements for a subsequent event related to the senior Illinois loan.
(13)In December 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the senior Georgia loan from December 2023 to December 2024.
(14)In June 2023, the borrower exercised a six-month extension option in accordance with the loan agreement, which extended the maturity date on the senior California loan to January 2024.
(15)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. In March 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the senior California loan from March 2023 to November 2023, and in November 2023, the maturity date was further extended to December 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the senior California loan, which is collateralized by an office property, is in maturity default due to the failure of the borrower to repay the outstanding principal balance of the loan by the December 2023 maturity date. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $2.5 million of interest payments in cash on the senior California loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan. The Company is in the process of a foreclosure of the property with legal title of the property expected to be acquired in the second quarter of 2024. Once legal title of the property is acquired, the Company will derecognize the senior California loan and recognize the office property as real estate owned.
(16)In December 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, reduce the interest rate on the senior Pennsylvania loan from S+4.00% to S+2.50% and extend the maturity date from December 2023 to December 2025.
(17)In November 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the senior California loan from November 2023 to November 2025.
(18)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. In February 2023, the Company and the borrower entered into a modification and extension agreement to, among other things, extend the maturity date on the senior California loan from March 2023 to September 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $374 thousand of interest payments in cash on the senior California loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan and the borrower is current on all contractual interest payments.
(19)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. As of December 31, 2023, the senior Washington loan, which is collateralized by a multifamily property, is in maturity default due to the failure of the borrower to repay the outstanding principal balance of the loan by the September 2023 maturity date.
(20)Loan was on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2023 and the Unleveraged Effective Yield is not applicable. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company received $2.1 million of interest payments in cash on the mezzanine New Jersey loan that was recognized as a reduction to the carrying value of the loan and the borrower is current on all contractual interest payments. See Note 17 included in these consolidated financial statements for a subsequent event related to the mezzanine New Jersey loan.
Schedule of Activity in Loan Portfolio
For the year ended December 31, 2023, the activity in the Company’s loan portfolio was as follows ($ in thousands):
Balance at December 31, 2021$2,414,383 
Initial funding578,652 
Origination fees and discounts, net of costs(9,577)
Additional funding96,057 
Amortizing payments(4,333)
Loan payoffs(821,513)
Origination fee and discount accretion10,339 
Balance at December 31, 2022$2,264,008 
Initial funding114,542 
Origination fees and discounts, net of costs(1,646)
Additional funding 101,592 
Amortizing payments(16,169)
Loan payoffs (1)(179,808)
Loans sold to third parties (2)(41,489)
Loans transferred to held for sale (3)(37,939)
Loan converted to real estate owned (see Note 5)(82,676)
Origination fee and discount accretion 6,109 
Balance at December 31, 2023$2,126,524 
_________________________

(1)    In September 2023, the Company received a discounted payoff on a senior mortgage loan with outstanding principal of $35.0 million, which was collateralized by a hotel property located in Illinois, in conjunction with a short sale of the hotel property by the borrower to a third party. At the time of the discounted payoff, the senior mortgage loan was in default due to the failure of the borrower to make certain contractual reserve deposits by the May 2022 due date and due to the borrower not making its contractual interest payments due subsequent to the January 2023 interest payment date. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recognized a realized loss of $4.9 million in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations as the carrying value of the senior mortgage loan exceeded the net proceeds from the payoff of the loan.
(2)    In January 2023, the Company closed the sale of a senior mortgage loan with outstanding principal of $14.3 million, which was collateralized by a residential property located in California, to a third party. At the time of the sale, the senior mortgage loan was in maturity default due to the failure of the borrower to repay the outstanding principal balance of the loan by the May 2021 maturity date. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recognized a realized loss of $5.6 million in the Company's consolidated statements of operations upon the sale of the senior mortgage loan as the carrying value exceeded the sale price of the loan. In addition, in April 2023, the Company closed the sale of a senior mortgage loan with outstanding principal of $27.2 million, which was collateralized by an office property located in Illinois, to a third party. At the time of the sale, the senior mortgage loan was in maturity default due to the failure of the borrower to repay the outstanding principal balance of the loan by the January 2023 maturity date. The Company did not recognize any realized gain or loss in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations upon the sale of the senior mortgage loan as the carrying value was equal to the sale price of the loan.
(3)     In December 2023, the Company entered into a sale agreement with a third party to sell a senior mortgage loan with outstanding principal of $37.9 million, which is collateralized by a mixed-use property located in California. In March 2023, the senior mortgage loan was not repaid upon its contractual maturity, which triggered an event of default under the loan agreement and as of December 31, 2023, the loan remains in default. As of December 31, 2023, the sale had not yet closed and the loan was reclassified from held for investment to held for sale and is carried at fair value in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. The Company recognized an unrealized loss of $995 thousand in the Company's consolidated statements of operations upon reclassifying the loan to held for sale as the carrying value of the senior mortgage loan exceeded the fair value as determined by the estimated net proceeds available from the agreed upon sale price of the loan and loan reserves. See Note 17 included in these consolidated financial statements for a subsequent event related to the sale of the senior mortgage loan.
v3.24.0.1
CURRENT EXPECTED CREDIT LOSSES (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Credit Loss [Abstract]  
Schedule of Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss Activity related to the CECL Reserve for outstanding balances on the Company’s loans held for investment as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was as follows ($ in thousands):
Balance at December 31, 2021 (1)
$23,939 
Provision for current expected credit losses42,030
Write-offs
Recoveries
Balance at December 31, 2022 (1)
$65,969 
Provision for current expected credit losses93,916 
Write-offs— 
Recoveries— 
Balance at December 31, 2023 (1)
$159,885 
__________________________

(1)     The CECL Reserve related to outstanding balances on loans held for investment is recorded within current expected credit loss reserve in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

Current Expected Credit Loss Reserve for Unfunded Loan Commitments    

    Activity related to the CECL Reserve for unfunded commitments on the Company’s loans held for investment as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was as follows ($ in thousands):

Balance at December 31, 2021 (1)
$1,308 
Provision for current expected credit losses4,031 
Write-offs— 
Recoveries— 
Balance at December 31, 2022 (1)
$5,339 
Provision for current expected credit losses(2,091)
Write-offs— 
Recoveries — 
Balance at December 31, 2023 (1)
$3,248 
__________________________

(1)     The CECL Reserve related to unfunded commitments on loans held for investment is recorded within other liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
Schedule of Company Loan Risk Definitions Based on a 5-point scale, the Company’s loans are rated “1” through “5,” from less risk to greater risk, which ratings are defined as follows:
Ratings    Definition
1Very Low Risk
2Low Risk
3Medium Risk
4High Risk/Potential for Loss: Asset performance is trailing underwritten expectations. Loan at risk of impairment without material improvement to performance
5Impaired/Loss Likely: A loan that has a significantly increased probability of default and principal loss
Schedule of Financing Receivable Credit Quality Indicators As of December 31, 2023, the carrying value, excluding the CECL Reserve, of the Company’s loans held for investment within each risk rating by year of origination is as follows ($ in thousands):
20232022202120202019PriorTotal
Risk rating:
1$$37,756$$$$$37,756
2103,69911,427264,24954,340433,715
310,616470,254427,214121,90783,64928,1911,141,831
486,44471,298153,96886,39215,878413,980
518,75230,64749,84399,242
Total$114,315$605,881$762,761$294,627$200,688$148,252$2,126,524
v3.24.0.1
REAL ESTATE OWNED (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Real Estate Owned [Abstract]  
Schedule of Real Estate Properties
The following table summarizes the Company’s real estate owned as of December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):

Land$21,337 
Buildings and improvements52,224 
In-place lease intangibles21,276 
Above-market lease intangibles547 
Below-market lease intangibles(11,084)
Total real estate owned84,300 
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization (1,016)
Real estate owned, net$83,284 
Schedule of Intangible Lease Assets and Liabilities
The following table summarizes the Company’s intangible lease assets and liabilities that are included within real estate owned as of December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):
GrossAccumulated AmortizationNet
Assets:
In-place lease intangibles$21,276 $(767)$20,509 
Above-market lease intangibles547 (35)512 
Liabilities:
Below-market lease intangibles(11,084)322 (10,762)
Schedule of Amortization of Intangible Lease Assets and Liabilities
The following table summarizes the amortization of intangible lease assets and liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):

Consolidated Statement
of Operations Location
Amount
Assets:
In-place lease intangiblesExpenses from real estate owned$767 
Above-market lease intangiblesRevenue from real estate owned(35)
Liabilities:
Below-market lease intangiblesRevenue from real estate owned322 
Schedule of Estimated Net Amortization Intangible Lease Assets and Liabilities
The following table summarizes the estimated net amortization schedule for the Company’s intangible lease assets and liabilities that are included within real estate owned as of December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):
In-PlaceAbove-Market Below-Market
Lease IntangiblesLease IntangiblesLease Intangibles
2024$2,304 $111 $1,027 
20252,232911,027
20261,82176618
20271,70151571
20281,60341542
Thereafter10,8481426,977
Total$20,509 $512 $10,762 
Schedule of the Future Minimum Contractual Lease to be Received, Maturity
The following table summarizes the future minimum contractual lease payments to be collected by the Company under non-cancelable operating leases, excluding tenant reimbursements of expenses and variable lease payments, as of December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):

2024$9,771 
20259,885
202610,002
20279,903
20289,895
Thereafter34,015
Total$83,471 
v3.24.0.1
DEBT (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]  
Schedule of Outstanding Balances and Total Commitments Under Financing Agreements As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the outstanding balances and total commitments under the Financing Agreements consisted of the following ($ in thousands):
December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Outstanding BalanceTotal
Commitment
Outstanding BalanceTotal
Commitment
Secured Funding Agreements:
Wells Fargo Facility$208,540 $450,000 (1)$270,798 $450,000 (1)
Citibank Facility221,604 325,000 236,240 325,000 
CNB Facility— 75,000 — 75,000 
MetLife Facility— 180,000 — 180,000 
Morgan Stanley Facility209,673 250,000 198,193 250,000 
Subtotal$639,817 $1,280,000 $705,231 $1,280,000 
Notes Payable $105,000 $105,000 $105,000 $105,000 
Secured Term Loan$150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 
   Total$894,817 $1,535,000 $960,231 $1,535,000 
______________________________

(1)The maximum commitment for the Wells Fargo Facility (as defined below) may be increased to up to $500.0 million at the Company’s option, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including payment of an upsize fee.
v3.24.0.1
DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]  
Schedule of Interest Rate Derivatives
The following tables detail our outstanding interest rate derivatives that were designated as cash flow hedges of interest rate risk as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 ($ in thousands):

As of
December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Interest Rate DerivativesNumber of InstrumentsNotional Amount
Rate (1)
IndexWeighted Average Maturity (Years)Number of InstrumentsNotional Amount
Rate (1)
IndexWeighted Average Maturity (Years)
Interest rate swaps
0 (2)
1$410,0000.2075%
LIBOR (3)
0.4
Interest rate caps
0 (4)
0 (4)
_______________________________

(1)    Represents fixed rate for interest rate swaps and strike rate for interest rate caps.
(2)    In December 2023, the Company's interest rate swap derivative expired and its term was not extended. At the expiration date, the interest rate swap derivative had a notional amount of $30.0 million.
(3)    Subject to a 0.00% floor.
(4)    In March 2022, the Company re-calibrated its net exposure to interest rate changes by terminating its interest rate cap derivative, which had a notional amount of $170.0 million on the termination date and a strike rate of 0.50%. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recognized a $2.0 million realized gain within OCI in conjunction with the termination of the interest rate cap. In accordance with ASC 815, the realized gain was recognized within current earnings over the remaining original term of the interest rate cap derivative as it was designated as an effective hedge. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized a realized gain of $921 thousand and $1.0 million, respectively, through a reduction in interest expense on the termination of the interest rate cap within current earnings.
Schedule of Derivative Assets at Fair Value
The following table summarizes the fair value of our derivative financial instruments ($ in thousands):

 
Fair Value of Derivatives in an Asset Position (1) as of
Fair Value of Derivatives in a Liability Position (2) as of
December 31, 2023December 31, 2022December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
Interest rate derivatives$— $6,565 $— $— 
____________________________

(1)    Included in other assets in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
(2)    Included in other liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
v3.24.0.1
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Schedule of Loan Commitments As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had the following commitments to fund various senior mortgage loans, subordinated debt investments, as well as preferred equity investments accounted for as loans held for investment ($ in thousands):
As of
December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
Total commitments $2,274,584 $2,510,308 
Less: funded commitments (2,158,045)(2,282,821)
Total unfunded commitments $116,539 $227,487 
v3.24.0.1
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]  
Schedule of Restricted Stock Award Activity
The following tables summarize the (i) non-vested shares of restricted stock and RSUs and (ii) vesting schedule of shares of restricted stock and RSUs for the Company’s directors and officers and employees of the Manager as of December 31, 2023:

Schedule of Non-Vested Share and Share Equivalents
 Restricted Stock Grants—DirectorsRSUs—Officers and Employees of the ManagerTotal
Balance at December 31, 202216,137 832,472 848,609 
Granted 64,266 426,750 491,016 
Vested (46,188)(176,941)(223,129)
Forfeited — (20,165)(20,165)
Balance at December 31, 202334,215 1,062,116 1,096,331 
Schedule of Future Anticipated Vesting Schedule of Restricted Stock Awards
Future Anticipated Vesting Schedule
Restricted Stock Grants—DirectorsRSUs—Officers and Employees of the ManagerTotal
202433,798 272,404 306,202 
2025417 365,881 366,298 
2026— 281,613 281,613 
2027— 142,218 142,218 
2028— — — 
Total 34,215 1,062,116 1,096,331 
Schedule of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Unit, Activity
The following table summarizes the restricted stock and RSU compensation expense included within general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations, the total fair value of shares vested and the weighted average grant date fair value of the restricted stock and RSUs granted to the Company’s directors and officers and employees of the Manager for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 ($ in thousands):
 For the Years Ended December 31,
 202320222021
Restricted Stock and RSU GrantsRestricted Stock and RSU GrantsRestricted Stock and RSU Grants
DirectorsOfficers and Employees of the ManagerTotalDirectorsOfficers and Employees of the ManagerTotalDirectorsOfficers and Employees of the ManagerTotal
Compensation expense $552 $3,439 $3,991 $399 $2,477 $2,876 $329 $1,611 $1,940 
Total fair value of shares vested (1)450 1,882 2,332 338 1,623 1,961 460 1,009 1,469 
Weighted average grant date fair value575 4,609 5,184 390 4,654 5,044 403 4,255 4,658 
___________________________

(1)    Based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NYSE on each vesting date.
v3.24.0.1
EARNINGS PER SHARE (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]  
Schedule of Computations of Basic and Diluted Earnings (loss) Per Share
The following information sets forth the computations of basic and diluted earnings per common share for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 ($ in thousands, except share and per share data):

For the Years Ended December 31,
202320222021
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders$(38,867)$29,785 $60,460 
Divided by:
Basic weighted average shares of common stock outstanding:54,281,998 51,679,744 42,399,613 
Weighted average non-vested restricted stock and RSUs (1)— 446,512 281,892 
Diluted weighted average shares of common stock outstanding:54,281,998 52,126,256 42,681,505 
Basic earnings (loss) per common share$(0.72)$0.58 $1.43 
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share$(0.72)$0.57 $1.42 
_______________________________
(1)    For the year ended December 31, 2023, the weighted average non-vested restricted stock and RSUs of 709,731 shares were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings (loss) per common share as the impact of including those shares would be anti-dilutive.
v3.24.0.1
INCOME TAX (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Schedule of Components of the TRS's Income Tax Provision
The income tax provision for the Company and the TRSs consisted of the following for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 ($ in thousands):
For the Years Ended December 31,
202320222021
Current $34 $42 $450 
Deferred — — — 
Excise tax (73)430 272 
   Total income tax expense (benefit), including excise tax$(39)$472 $722 
v3.24.0.1
FAIR VALUE (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]  
Schedule of Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale The following tables summarize the Company’s investments in available-for-sale debt securities as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 ($ in thousands):
As of December 31, 2023
Face AmountAmortized CostUnamortized DiscountUnrealized Gain (Loss), Net
Available-for-sale debt securities$28,000 $27,906 $94 $154 


As of December 31, 2022
Face AmountAmortized CostUnamortized DiscountUnrealized Gain (Loss), Net
Available-for-sale debt securities$28,000 $27,881 $119 $55 
Schedule of Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis
The following tables summarize the financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 ($ in thousands):
As of December 31, 2023
Level 1Level 2Level 3Total
Financial assets:
Interest rate derivatives$— $— $— $— 
Loans held for sale— — 38,981 38,981 
Available-for-sale debt securities— 28,060 — 28,060 
Financial liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives$— $— $— $— 

As of December 31, 2022
Level 1Level 2Level 3Total
Financial assets:
Interest rate derivatives$— $6,565 $— $6,565 
Available-for-sale debt securities— 27,936 — 27,936 
Financial liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives$— $— $— $— 
Schedule of Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
The following tables summarize the financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 ($ in thousands):
As of December 31, 2023
Level 1Level 2Level 3Total
Financial assets:
Interest rate derivatives$— $— $— $— 
Loans held for sale— — 38,981 38,981 
Available-for-sale debt securities— 28,060 — 28,060 
Financial liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives$— $— $— $— 

As of December 31, 2022
Level 1Level 2Level 3Total
Financial assets:
Interest rate derivatives$— $6,565 $— $6,565 
Available-for-sale debt securities— 27,936 — 27,936 
Financial liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives$— $— $— $— 
Schedule of Carrying Value and Estimated Fair Value of the Company's Financial Instruments Not Carried at Fair Value on the Consolidated Balance Sheet
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the carrying values and fair values of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities recorded at cost are as follows ($ in thousands):
As of December 31,
20232022
Level in Fair Value HierarchyCarrying ValueFair
Value
Carrying ValueFair
Value
Financial assets:
   Loans held for investment3$2,126,524 $1,944,718 $2,264,008 $2,233,319 
Financial liabilities:
   Secured funding agreements2$639,817 $639,817 $705,231 $705,231 
   Notes payable 2104,662 105,000 104,460 103,635 
   Secured term loan3149,393 134,024 149,200 137,571 
Collateralized loan obligation securitization debt (consolidated VIEs)2723,117 705,033 777,675 749,242 
v3.24.0.1
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Schedule of Related-Party Costs Incurred by the Company and Amounts Payable to the Manager
The following table summarizes the related party costs incurred by the Company for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, and amounts payable to the Company’s Manager as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 ($ in thousands):
IncurredPayable
For the Years Ended December 31,As of December 31,
20232022202120232022
Affiliate Payments
Management fees $11,929 $11,456 $9,384 $2,946 $3,026 
Incentive fees334 3,442 2,752 — 1,264 
General and administrative expenses 3,434 3,777 3,016 1,154 1,232 
Direct costs (1)124 165 35 58 
   Total$15,821 $18,840 $15,161 $4,135 $5,580 
_______________________________
(1)    For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, direct costs incurred are included within general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
v3.24.0.1
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS (Tables)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS  
Schedule of the Company's Dividends Declared
The following table summarizes the Company’s dividends declared during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 ($ in thousands, except per share data):

Date DeclaredRecord DatePayment DatePer Share AmountTotal Amount
November 3, 2023December 29, 2023January 17, 2024$0.33 $18,220 
August 2, 2023September 29, 2023October 17, 20230.33 18,082 
May 2, 2023June 30, 2023July 18, 20230.35 (1)19,180 
February 15, 2023March 31, 2023April 18, 20230.35 (1)19,345 
Total cash dividends declared for the year ended December 31, 2023$1.36 $74,827 
November 2, 2022December 30, 2022January 18, 2023$0.35 (1)$19,347 
July 29, 2022September 30, 2022October 17, 20220.35 (1)19,196 
May 3, 2022June 30, 2022July 15, 20220.35 (1)19,198 
February 15, 2022March 31, 2022April 14, 20220.35 (1)16,740 
Total cash dividends declared for the year ended December 31, 2022$1.40 $74,481 
November 3, 2021December 31, 2021January 19, 2022$0.35 (1)$16,674 
July 30, 2021September 30, 2021October 15, 20210.35 (1)16,524 
May 4, 2021June 30, 2021July 15, 20210.35 (1)16,528 
February 17, 2021March 31, 2021April 15, 20210.35 (1)14,248 
Total cash dividends declared for the year ended December 31, 2021$1.40 $63,974 
_______________________________
(1)     Consists of a regular cash dividend of $0.33 and a supplemental cash dividend of $0.02.
v3.24.0.1
ORGANIZATION (Details)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
segment
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Number of reportable segments 1
v3.24.0.1
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Narrative (Details)
Dec. 31, 2023
Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment  
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]  
Useful life (in years) 15 years
Maximum | Buildings and improvements  
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]  
Useful life (in years) 40 years
v3.24.0.1
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Schedule of Interest Expense (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
1 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2019
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Interest expense   $ 109,652 $ 65,994 $ 50,080
Secured funding agreements        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Interest expense   51,670 33,602 16,403
Notes Payable        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Interest expense   7,678 3,410 2,275
Securitization debt        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Interest expense   50,814 29,341 20,104
Secured term loan        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Interest expense   7,037 7,028 4,353
Secured borrowings        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Interest expense   0 845 6,145
Other        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Other   $ (7,547) $ (8,232) $ 800
Notes Payable, Due June 10, 2024 | Notes Payable | New York        
Debt Instrument [Line Items]        
Interest expense from real estate owned $ 28,300      
v3.24.0.1
LOANS HELD FOR INVESTMENT - Narrative (Details)
$ in Millions
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
loan
Dec. 31, 2022
USD ($)
loan
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]    
Number of loans originated or co-originated | loan 46  
Number of loans repaid or sold, since inception | loan 167  
Total commitment $ 2,400.0  
Loans held for investment 2,200.0  
Amount funded 215.9  
Amount of repayments $ 181.1  
Number of loans sold | loan 2  
Principal amount outstanding $ 41.5  
Number of loans converted | loan 1  
Loan, securitized or asset-backed financing arrangement, principal outstanding $ 82.9  
Number Of loans transferred | loan 1  
Principal amount of loan held for sale $ 37.9  
Percentage of loans held for investment having LIBOR floors 69.00%  
Weighted average floor (as a percent) 1.13%  
Impact of COVID-19    
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]    
Number of loans in non-accrual status | loan 9 3
Financing receivable, non-accrual $ 399.3 $ 99.1
v3.24.0.1
LOANS HELD FOR INVESTMENT - Loans held for Investments (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]    
Loans held for investment $ 2,126,524 $ 2,264,008
Outstanding Principal $ 2,158,045 $ 2,282,821
Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective Yield, Including Non-accrual Loans 7.50% 8.50%
Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective Yield, Excluding Non-accrual Loans 9.40% 8.90%
Weighted Average Remaining Life (Years) 1 year 1 month 6 days 1 year 4 months 24 days
Senior mortgage loans    
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]    
Loans held for investment $ 2,090,146 $ 2,225,725
Outstanding Principal $ 2,118,947 $ 2,243,818
Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective Yield, Including Non-accrual Loans 7.50% 8.40%
Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective Yield, Excluding Non-accrual Loans 9.30% 8.80%
Weighted Average Remaining Life (Years) 1 year 1 month 6 days 1 year 3 months 18 days
Subordinated debt and preferred equity investments    
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]    
Loans held for investment $ 36,378 $ 38,283
Outstanding Principal $ 39,098 $ 39,003
Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective Yield, Including Non-accrual Loans 8.10% 14.00%
Weighted Average Unleveraged Effective Yield, Excluding Non-accrual Loans 15.30% 14.00%
Weighted Average Remaining Life (Years) 1 year 9 months 18 days 2 years 9 months 18 days
v3.24.0.1
LOANS HELD FOR INVESTMENT - Investment Portfolio (Details)
$ in Thousands
6 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2023
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
option
Dec. 31, 2022
USD ($)
Jul. 31, 2022
Mar. 08, 2019
USD ($)
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 2,158,045 $ 2,282,821    
Loans held for investment   $ 2,126,524 $ 2,264,008    
Unleveraged Effective Yield   7.50%      
Minimum          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Number of extension options | option   1      
Maximum          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Number of extension options | option   2      
Extension period of maturity date   12 months      
SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Interest Rate       2.00%  
FL          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Extension period of maturity date 12 months        
CA          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Extension period of maturity date 6 months        
Office | IL          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 45,100      
Weighted average unleveraged effective yield   10.00%      
Office | NY          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Interest income   $ 1,400      
Office | NC          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Interest income   1,400      
Office | CA          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Interest income   2,500      
Office | NJ          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Interest income   2,100      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | IL | SOFR Plus 2.25%, Due Mar 2025          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   159,000      
Loans held for investment   $ 154,000      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   7.60%      
Interest income   $ 1,700      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | IL | SOFR Plus 2.25%, Due Mar 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Interest Rate   2.25%      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | IL | SOFR Plus 3.95%, Due Feb 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 56,900      
Loans held for investment   $ 49,800      
Interest Rate   3.95%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   0.00%      
Interest income   $ 5,200      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | IL | SOFR Plus 4.25% Due Jan 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   56,000      
Loans held for investment   $ 55,700      
Interest Rate   4.25%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   10.10%      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | NY | SOFR Plus 3.95%, Due Aug 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 73,100      
Loans held for investment   $ 71,300      
Interest Rate   3.95%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   0.00%      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | NY | SOFR Plus 3.61%, Due Oct 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 69,200      
Loans held for investment   $ 69,000      
Interest Rate   3.61%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.40%      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | Diversified | SOFR Plus 3.75% Due Jan 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 121,900      
Loans held for investment   $ 121,900      
Interest Rate   3.75%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.40%      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | NC | SOFR Plus 3.65% Due Aug 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 68,900      
Loans held for investment   $ 68,800      
Interest Rate   3.65%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.50%      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | NC | SOFR Plus 4.35% Due Mar 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 68,700      
Loans held for investment   $ 67,200      
Interest Rate   4.35%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   0.00%      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | GA | SOFR Plus 3.15%, Due Dec 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 48,500      
Loans held for investment   $ 48,400      
Interest Rate   3.15%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.80%      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | MA | SOFR Plus 3.75% Due Apr 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 48,700      
Loans held for investment   $ 48,200      
Interest Rate   3.75%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.80%      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | CA | SOFR Plus 3.75% Due Jan 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 20,500      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | CA | SOFR Plus 3.45%, Due Dec 2023 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   33,200      
Loans held for investment   $ 30,600      
Interest Rate   3.45%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   0.00%      
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | CA | SOFR Plus 3.50%, Due Nov 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 20,500      
Loans held for investment   $ 20,400      
Interest Rate   3.50%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.10%      
Office | Subordinated debt and preferred equity investments | NJ          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 18,500      
Loans held for investment   $ 15,900      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   0.00%      
Weighted average unleveraged effective yield   12.00%      
Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loans | NY | SOFR Plus 3.90% Due Jun 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 132,200      
Loans held for investment   $ 131,400      
Interest Rate   3.90%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.70%      
Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loans | TX | SOFR Plus 3.50% Due Jul 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 100,000      
Loans held for investment   $ 99,500      
Interest Rate   3.50%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.70%      
Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loans | TX | SOFR Plus 2.95% Due Dec 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 68,400      
Loans held for investment   $ 68,200      
Interest Rate   2.95%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.70%      
Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loans | TX | SOFR Plus 2.60% Due Oct 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 22,800      
Loans held for investment   $ 22,800      
Interest Rate   2.60%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.30%      
Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loans | OH | SOFR Plus 3.05% Due Oct 2026 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 57,000      
Loans held for investment   $ 56,500      
Interest Rate   3.05%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.80%      
Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loans | CA | SOFR Plus 3.00% Due Dec 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 31,700      
Loans held for investment   $ 31,600      
Interest Rate   3.00%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.60%      
Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loans | PA | SOFR Plus 2.50% Due Dec 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 28,200      
Loans held for investment   $ 28,200      
Interest Rate   2.50%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   7.90%      
Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loans | PA | SOFR Plus 2.50% Due Dec 2025 | SOFR | Minimum          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Interest Rate   2.50%      
Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loans | PA | SOFR Plus 4.00% Due Dec 2025 | SOFR | Maximum          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Interest Rate   4.00%      
Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loans | WA | SOFR Plus 3.00% Due Nov 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 23,100      
Loans held for investment   $ 23,000      
Interest Rate   3.00%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.50%      
Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loans | WA | SOFR Plus 3.10% Due Sep 2023 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 18,800      
Loans held for investment   $ 18,800      
Interest Rate   3.10%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   0.00%      
Multifamily | Subordinated debt and preferred equity investments | SC | SOFR Plus 9.53% Due Sep 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 20,600      
Loans held for investment   $ 20,500      
Interest Rate   9.53%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   15.30%      
Industrial | CA          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Interest income   $ 374      
Industrial | Senior Mortgage Loans | IL | SOFR Plus 4.65%, Due May 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   100,700      
Loans held for investment   $ 100,600      
Interest Rate   4.65%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   10.40%      
Industrial | Senior Mortgage Loans | TX | SOFR Plus 5.35% Due Dec 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 10,000      
Loans held for investment   $ 10,000      
Interest Rate   5.35%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   11.10%      
Industrial | Senior Mortgage Loans | FL | SOFR Plus 3.00% Due Dec 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 25,500      
Loans held for investment   $ 25,400      
Interest Rate   3.00%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.60%      
Industrial | Senior Mortgage Loans | MA | SOFR Plus 2.90% Due Jun 2028 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 47,500      
Loans held for investment   $ 47,200      
Interest Rate   2.90%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.40%      
Industrial | Senior Mortgage Loans | CA | SOFR Plus 3.85% Due Sep 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 19,600      
Loans held for investment   $ 19,100      
Interest Rate   3.85%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   0.00%      
Industrial | Senior Mortgage Loans | NJ | SOFR Plus 3.85%, Due May 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 27,800      
Loans held for investment   $ 27,700      
Interest Rate   3.85%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.80%      
Industrial | Senior Mortgage Loans | TN | SOFR Plus 5.60% Due Nov 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 6,400      
Loans held for investment   $ 6,400      
Interest Rate   5.60%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   11.30%      
Residential/Condo | Senior Mortgage Loans | NY | SOFR Plus 8.95%, Due April 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 91,000      
Loans held for investment   $ 86,400      
Interest Rate   8.95%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   0.00%      
Residential/Condo | Senior Mortgage Loans | FL | SOFR Plus 5.35%, Due Jul 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 75,000      
Loans held for investment   $ 75,000      
Interest Rate   5.35%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   10.70%      
Mixed-use | Senior Mortgage Loans | NY | SOFR Plus 3.75% Due Jul 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 76,700      
Loans held for investment   $ 76,600      
Interest Rate   3.75%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.50%      
Mixed-use | Senior Mortgage Loans | TX | SOFR Plus 3.85% Due Sep 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 35,300      
Loans held for investment   $ 35,300      
Interest Rate   3.85%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.50%      
Multifamily/Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | SC | SOFR Plus 3.00%, Due Nov 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 67,000      
Loans held for investment   $ 66,900      
Interest Rate   3.00%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.60%      
Hotel | Senior Mortgage Loans | NY          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal         $ 38,600
Hotel | Senior Mortgage Loans | NY | LIBOR Plus 4 .40% Due Mar 2026 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 50,700      
Loans held for investment   $ 50,400      
Interest Rate   4.40%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   10.10%      
Hotel | Senior Mortgage Loans | CA | SOFR Plus 4.20% Due Mar 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 46,900      
Loans held for investment   $ 46,500      
Interest Rate   4.20%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   10.00%      
Student Housing | Senior Mortgage Loans | CA | SOFR Plus 3.95%, Due Jan 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 34,000      
Loans held for investment   $ 34,000      
Interest Rate   3.95%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.30%      
Student Housing | Senior Mortgage Loans | AL | SOFR Plus 3.95% Due May 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 19,500      
Loans held for investment   $ 19,500      
Interest Rate   3.95%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.70%      
Self Storage | Senior Mortgage Loans | MA | SOFR Plus 3.00%, Due Nov 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 7,700      
Loans held for investment   $ 7,700      
Interest Rate   3.00%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.60%      
Self Storage | Senior Mortgage Loans | MA | SOFR Plus 3.00%, Due Oct 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 6,800      
Loans held for investment   $ 6,700      
Interest Rate   3.00%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.60%      
Self Storage | Senior Mortgage Loans | PA | SOFR Plus 3.00% Due Dec 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 18,200      
Loans held for investment   $ 18,100      
Interest Rate   3.00%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.70%      
Self Storage | Senior Mortgage Loans | NJ | SOFR Plus 2.90% Due April 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 17,600      
Loans held for investment   $ 17,400      
Interest Rate   2.90%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.00%      
Self Storage | Senior Mortgage Loans | NJ | SOFR Plus 3.00% Due Jul 2024 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 5,900      
Loans held for investment   $ 5,900      
Interest Rate   3.00%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   8.80%      
Self Storage | Senior Mortgage Loans | WA | SOFR Plus 2.90% Due Mar 2025 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 11,500      
Loans held for investment   $ 11,400      
Interest Rate   2.90%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.00%      
Self Storage | Senior Mortgage Loans | IN | SOFR Plus 3.60%, Due Jun 2026 | SOFR          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal   $ 10,800      
Loans held for investment   $ 10,600      
Interest Rate   3.60%      
Unleveraged Effective Yield   9.70%      
v3.24.0.1
LOANS HELD FOR INVESTMENT - Portfolio Activity (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
1 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Apr. 30, 2023
Jan. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Balance at the beginning of the period     $ 2,264,008 $ 2,264,008 $ 2,414,383
Initial funding       114,542 578,652
Origination fees and discounts, net of costs       (1,646) (9,577)
Additional funding       101,592 96,057
Amortizing payments       (16,169) (4,333)
Loan payoffs       (179,808) (821,513)
Loans sold to third parties       (41,489)  
Loans transferred to held for sale       (37,939)  
Loan converted to real estate owned (see Note 5)       (82,676)  
Origination fee and discount accretion       6,109 10,339
Balance at the end of the period       2,126,524 $ 2,264,008
Hotel | IL          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Loan payoffs $ 35,000        
Hotel | IL | Senior Mortgage Loans          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Mortgage loans on real estate loan, realized gain (loss)       (4,900)  
Residential | CA          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Loans sold to third parties     $ 14,300    
Residential | CA | Senior Mortgage Loans          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Mortgage loans on real estate loan, realized gain (loss)       5,600  
Office | IL | Senior Mortgage Loans          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Loans sold to third parties   $ 27,200      
Mixed-Use Property | CA | Senior Mortgage Loans          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Loans sold to third parties       37,900  
Mixed-use | CA | Senior Mortgage Loans          
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]          
Mortgage loans on real estate loan, realized gain (loss)       $ 995  
v3.24.0.1
CURRENT EXPECTED CREDIT LOSSES - Narrative (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]      
Financing receivable, allowance for credit loss, excluding accrued interest $ 163,100    
Allowance for credit loss, basis points 7.17%    
Commitments $ 2,274,584 $ 2,510,308  
Outstanding Principal 2,158,045 2,282,821  
Office | IL      
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]      
Outstanding Principal 45,100    
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | IL | SOFR Plus 3.95%, Due Feb 2024 | SOFR      
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]      
Outstanding Principal 56,900    
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | CA | SOFR Plus 3.45%, Due Dec 2023 | SOFR      
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]      
Outstanding Principal 33,200    
5 - Impaired/Loss Likely: A loan that has significantly increased probability of default or principal loss | Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | IL      
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]      
Financing receivable, allowance for credit loss, excluding accrued interest 39,700    
5 - Impaired/Loss Likely: A loan that has significantly increased probability of default or principal loss | Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | CA      
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]      
Financing receivable, allowance for credit loss, excluding accrued interest 14,700    
5 - Impaired/Loss Likely: A loan that has significantly increased probability of default or principal loss | Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | WA      
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]      
Financing receivable, allowance for credit loss, excluding accrued interest 2,100    
Other Assets      
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]      
Interest receivable 13,000 14,000  
Loans Held for Investment      
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]      
Financing receivable, allowance for credit loss, excluding accrued interest 159,885 65,969 $ 23,939
Unfunded Loan Commitment      
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]      
Financing receivable, allowance for credit loss, excluding accrued interest $ 3,248 $ 5,339 $ 1,308
v3.24.0.1
CURRENT EXPECTED CREDIT LOSSES - Allowance for Credit Loss (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Roll Forward]      
Provision for current expected credit losses $ 91,825 $ 46,061 $ 10
Balance at the end of the period 163,100    
Loans Held for Investment      
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Roll Forward]      
Balance at the beginning of the period 65,969 23,939  
Provision for current expected credit losses 93,916 42,030  
Write-offs 0 0  
Recoveries 0 0  
Balance at the end of the period 159,885 65,969 23,939
Unfunded Loan Commitment      
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss [Roll Forward]      
Balance at the beginning of the period 5,339 1,308  
Provision for current expected credit losses (2,091) 4,031  
Write-offs 0 0  
Recoveries 0 0  
Balance at the end of the period $ 3,248 $ 5,339 $ 1,308
v3.24.0.1
CURRENT EXPECTED CREDIT LOSSES - Internal Credit Risk Rating (Details) - Loans Held for Investment
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
Financing Receivable, Credit Quality Indicator [Line Items]  
2023 $ 114,315
2022 605,881
2021 762,761
2020 294,627
2019 200,688
Prior 148,252
Total 2,126,524
1 - Very Low Risk  
Financing Receivable, Credit Quality Indicator [Line Items]  
2023 0
2022 37,756
2021 0
2020 0
2019 0
Prior 0
Total 37,756
2 - Low Risk  
Financing Receivable, Credit Quality Indicator [Line Items]  
2023 103,699
2022 11,427
2021 264,249
2020 0
2019 0
Prior 54,340
Total 433,715
3 - Medium Risk  
Financing Receivable, Credit Quality Indicator [Line Items]  
2023 10,616
2022 470,254
2021 427,214
2020 121,907
2019 83,649
Prior 28,191
Total 1,141,831
4 - High Risk/Potential for Loss: Asset performance is trailing underwritten expectations. Loan at risk of impairment without material improvement to performance  
Financing Receivable, Credit Quality Indicator [Line Items]  
2023 0
2022 86,444
2021 71,298
2020 153,968
2019 86,392
Prior 15,878
Total 413,980
5 - Impaired/Loss Likely: A loan that has significantly increased probability of default or principal loss  
Financing Receivable, Credit Quality Indicator [Line Items]  
2023 0
2022 0
2021 0
2020 18,752
2019 30,647
Prior 49,843
Total $ 99,242
v3.24.0.1
REAL ESTATE OWNED - Narrative (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
3 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Mar. 01, 2022
Nov. 08, 2021
Mar. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Sep. 08, 2023
Mar. 08, 2019
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]                
Outstanding Principal       $ 2,158,045 $ 2,282,821      
Real estate owned, net       83,284 0      
Gain on sale of real estate owned       0 2,197 $ 0    
Mixed-Use Property | FL                
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]                
Real estate owned, net       83,284        
Total real estate owned       84,300        
Impairment charges       $ 0        
Weighted-average amortization periods       9 years 3 months 18 days        
Mixed-Use Property | Senior Mortgage Loans | FL                
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]                
Outstanding Principal             $ 82,900  
Debt derecognized             82,900  
Real estate owned, net             84,300  
Other repossessed hotel assets             1,400  
Total real estate owned             $ 82,900  
Hotel                
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]                
Depreciation of real estate owned         $ 0 $ 825    
Hotel | Senior Mortgage Loans | NY                
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]                
Outstanding Principal               $ 38,600
Debt derecognized               38,600
Real estate owned, net               36,900
Other repossessed hotel assets               1,700
Total real estate owned               $ 38,600
Proceeds from sale of hotel property   $ 40,000            
Gain on sale of real estate owned     $ 2,200          
Hotel | Senior Mortgage Loans | NY | Third Party Buyer of the Hotel Property                
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]                
Initial funding of loan receivable       $ 30,700        
Hotel | Senior Mortgage Loans | NY | Third Party Buyer of the Hotel Property | Unfunded Loan Commitment                
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]                
Additional loan proceeds to be available to fund future advances       $ 25,000        
Contributed equity into purchase $ 12,900              
Additional equity associated with planned renovation costs $ 8,700              
v3.24.0.1
REAL ESTATE OWNED - Schedule of Real Estate Owned, Net (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]    
Real estate owned, net $ 83,284 $ 0
Mixed-Use Property | FL    
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]    
Total real estate owned (84,300)  
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization (1,016)  
Real estate owned, net 83,284  
Mixed-Use Property | FL | Land    
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]    
Total real estate owned (21,337)  
Mixed-Use Property | FL | Buildings and improvements    
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]    
Total real estate owned (52,224)  
Mixed-Use Property | FL | Lease intangibles | In-place lease intangibles    
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]    
Total real estate owned (21,276)  
Mixed-Use Property | FL | Lease intangibles | Above-market lease intangibles    
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]    
Total real estate owned (547)  
Mixed-Use Property | FL | Lease intangibles | Below-market lease intangibles    
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]    
Total real estate owned $ (11,084)  
v3.24.0.1
REAL ESTATE OWNED - Schedule of Intangible Lease Assets and Liabilities (Details)
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]  
Below-market lease intangibles, gross $ (11,084)
Below-market lease intangibles, accumulated amortization 322
Total (10,762)
In-place lease intangibles  
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]  
Gross 21,276
Accumulated amortization (767)
Net 20,509
Above-market lease intangibles  
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]  
Gross 547
Accumulated amortization (35)
Net $ 512
v3.24.0.1
REAL ESTATE OWNED - Schedule of Amortization of Intangible Lease Assets and Liabilities (Details)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
In-place lease intangibles | Operating Expenses From Real Estate Owned  
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]  
Expenses from real estate owned $ 767
Above-market lease intangibles | Operating Revenue from Real Estate Owned  
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]  
Amortization of above- and below- market lease intangibles (35)
Below-market lease intangibles | Operating Revenue from Real Estate Owned  
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]  
Amortization of Below Market Lease $ 322
v3.24.0.1
REAL ESTATE OWNED - Schedule of Estimated Net Amortization Intangible Lease Assets and Liabilities (Details)
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
Below Market Lease, Net, Amortization Income, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]  
2024 $ 1,027
2025 1,027
2026 618
2027 571
2028 542
Thereafter 6,977
Total 10,762
In-place lease intangibles  
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net, Amortization Expense, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]  
2024 2,304
2025 2,232
2026 1,821
2027 1,701
2028 1,603
Thereafter 10,848
Net 20,509
Above-market lease intangibles  
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net, Amortization Expense, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]  
2024 111
2025 91
2026 76
2027 51
2028 41
Thereafter 142
Net $ 512
v3.24.0.1
REAL ESTATE OWNED - Schedule of the Future Minimum Contractual Lease to be Received, Maturity (Details)
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
SEC Schedule, 12-29, Real Estate Companies, Investment in Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Abstract]  
2024 $ 9,771
2025 9,885
2026 10,002
2027 9,903
2028 9,895
Thereafter 34,015
Total $ 83,471
v3.24.0.1
DEBT - Schedule of Outstanding Balances and Total Commitments Under Financing Agreements (Details) - USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Debt Instrument [Line Items]    
Outstanding Balance $ 894,817,000 $ 960,231,000
Total Commitment 1,535,000,000 1,535,000,000
Secured term loan    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]    
Outstanding Balance 150,000,000 150,000,000
Total Commitment 150,000,000 150,000,000
Wells Fargo Facility | Revolving Credit Facility, Optional Commitment Amount    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]    
Total Commitment 500,000,000  
Secured Funding Facility    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]    
Outstanding Balance 639,817,000 705,231,000
Total Commitment 1,280,000,000 1,280,000,000
Secured Funding Facility | Wells Fargo Facility    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]    
Outstanding Balance 208,540,000 270,798,000
Total Commitment 450,000,000 450,000,000
Secured Funding Facility | Citibank Facility    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]    
Outstanding Balance 221,604,000 236,240,000
Total Commitment 325,000,000 325,000,000
Secured Funding Facility | CNB Facility    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]    
Outstanding Balance 0 0
Total Commitment 75,000,000 75,000,000
Secured Funding Facility | MetLife Facility    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]    
Outstanding Balance 0 0
Total Commitment 180,000,000 180,000,000
Secured Funding Facility | Morgan Stanley Facility    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]    
Outstanding Balance 209,673,000 198,193,000
Total Commitment 250,000,000 250,000,000
Notes Payable    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]    
Outstanding Balance 105,000,000 105,000,000
Total Commitment $ 105,000,000 $ 105,000,000
v3.24.0.1
DEBT - Disclosures (Details)
1 Months Ended 3 Months Ended 6 Months Ended 12 Months Ended 18 Months Ended
Nov. 30, 2019
USD ($)
loan
Jun. 30, 2023
Feb. 28, 2023
Jul. 31, 2022
USD ($)
loan
Jun. 30, 2019
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
extension
Nov. 12, 2025
Nov. 12, 2026
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
option
extension
Dec. 31, 2022
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2021
USD ($)
Nov. 12, 2026
Funding agreements                        
Total Commitment           $ 1,535,000,000     $ 1,535,000,000 $ 1,535,000,000    
Covenant ratio of debt to tangible net worth                 4.50      
Number of non-recourse notes | loan 2                      
Outstanding Balance           894,817,000     $ 894,817,000 960,231,000    
Outstanding Principal           2,158,045,000     $ 2,158,045,000 2,282,821,000    
SOFR                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest Rate       2.00%                
Minimum                        
Funding agreements                        
Number of extension options | option                 1      
Maximum                        
Funding agreements                        
Extension period of maturity date                 12 months      
Number of extension options | option                 2      
ACRC Lender CO LLC                        
Funding agreements                        
Number of non-recourse notes | loan       2                
Outstanding Balance       $ 105,000,000   105,000,000     $ 105,000,000      
ACRC Lender CO LLC | NY | Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loans                        
Funding agreements                        
Outstanding Balance       105,000,000                
Outstanding Principal       $ 133,000,000                
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Wells Fargo Facility                        
Funding agreements                        
Total Commitment           $ 450,000,000     $ 450,000,000      
Number of extension periods available for maturity date | extension           2     2      
Extension period of maturity date                 12 months      
Covenant liquidity to be maintained as percentage of recourse indebtedness                 5.00%      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Wells Fargo Facility | Minimum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant amount of liquidity to be maintained                 $ 5,000,000      
Covenant percentage of net proceeds raised in future equity issuances, used for computing tangible net worth to be maintained                 80.00%      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Wells Fargo Facility | Minimum | One-month SOFR                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 1.50%      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Wells Fargo Facility | Maximum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant ratio of debt to tangible net worth                 4.50      
Covenant ratio of recourse debt to tangible net worth                 3,000.00      
Covenant amount of liquidity to be maintained                 $ 10,000,000      
Covenant ratio of EBITDA to fixed charges                 1.25      
Covenant specified amount for computing tangible net worth to be maintained                 $ 135,500,000      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Wells Fargo Facility | Maximum | One-month SOFR                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 3.75%      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Citibank Facility                        
Funding agreements                        
Total Commitment           $ 325,000,000     $ 325,000,000      
Number of extension periods available for maturity date | extension           2     2      
Extension period of maturity date                 12 months      
Covenant liquidity to be maintained as percentage of recourse indebtedness                 5.00%      
Non-utilization fee on average available balance (basis points)                 0.25%      
Facility used on average (at least) (as a percent)                 75.00%      
Non-utilization fee                 $ 0 11,000 $ 598,000  
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Citibank Facility | Minimum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant amount of liquidity to be maintained                 $ 5,000,000      
Covenant percentage of net proceeds raised in future equity issuances, used for computing tangible net worth to be maintained                 80.00%      
Covenant percentage of tangible net worth at specified date used for computing tangible net worth to be maintained                 80.00%      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Citibank Facility | Minimum | 30 day SOFR                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 1.50%      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Citibank Facility | Maximum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant ratio of debt to tangible net worth                 4.50      
Covenant ratio of recourse debt to tangible net worth                 3.00      
Covenant amount of liquidity to be maintained                 $ 10,000,000      
Covenant ratio of EBITDA to fixed charges                 1.25      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Citibank Facility | Maximum | 30 day SOFR                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 2.10%      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Morgan Stanley Facility                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant liquidity to be maintained as percentage of recourse indebtedness                 5.00%      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Morgan Stanley Facility | Minimum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant amount of liquidity to be maintained                 $ 5,000,000      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Morgan Stanley Facility | Maximum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant amount of liquidity to be maintained                 $ 10,000,000      
Covenant ratio of EBITDA to fixed charges                 1.25      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Notes Payable                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant liquidity to be maintained as percentage of recourse indebtedness                 5.00%      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Notes Payable | Minimum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant amount of liquidity to be maintained                 $ 5,000,000      
Covenant percentage of net proceeds raised in future equity issuances, used for computing tangible net worth to be maintained                 80.00%      
Covenant percentage of tangible net worth at specified date used for computing tangible net worth to be maintained                 80.00%      
Secured Revolving Funding Facility | Notes Payable | Maximum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant amount of liquidity to be maintained                   10,000,000    
Revolving Credit Facility, Optional Commitment Amount | Wells Fargo Facility                        
Funding agreements                        
Total Commitment           $ 500,000,000     $ 500,000,000      
Revolving Credit Facility, Optional Commitment Amount | MetLife Facility | Minimum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant percentage of tangible net worth at specified date used for computing tangible net worth to be maintained                 80.00%      
CNB Facility | CNB Facility                        
Funding agreements                        
Total Commitment           75,000,000     $ 75,000,000      
Non-utilization fee                 $ 285,000 284,000 146,000  
CNB Facility | CNB Facility | SOFR                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 1.00%      
CNB Facility | CNB Facility | Federal Funds Rate                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 0.50%      
Non-utilization fee on average available balance (basis points)                 0.375%      
Facility used on average (at least) (as a percent)                 75.00%      
CNB Facility | CNB Facility | LIBOR                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 2.65%      
CNB Facility | CNB Facility | Minimum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant percentage of net proceeds raised in future equity issuances, used for computing tangible net worth to be maintained                 80.00%      
Covenant percentage of tangible net worth at specified date used for computing tangible net worth to be maintained                 80.00%      
CNB Facility | CNB Facility | Minimum | SOFR                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 0.35%      
CNB Facility | CNB Facility | Maximum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant ratio of debt to tangible net worth                 4.50      
Covenant ratio of EBITDA to fixed charges                 1.25      
CNB Facility | CNB Facility | Maximum | SOFR                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 2.65%      
Revolving Credit Facility - Optional Funding Period | CNB Facility                        
Funding agreements                        
Extension period of maturity date     12 months                  
Revolving Master Repurchase Facility | MetLife Facility                        
Funding agreements                        
Total Commitment           180,000,000     $ 180,000,000      
Extension period of maturity date   12 months                    
Non-utilization fee on average available balance (basis points)                 0.25%      
Non-utilization fee           $ 297,000       247,000 $ 162,000  
Non-utilization threshold percentage (less than) (as a percent)           65.00%     65.00%      
Revolving Master Repurchase Facility | MetLife Facility | 30 day SOFR                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 2.50%      
Revolving Master Repurchase Facility | MetLife Facility | Maximum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant ratio of debt to tangible net worth                 4.50      
Covenant ratio of recourse debt to tangible net worth                 3.00      
Covenant ratio of EBITDA to fixed charges                 1.25      
Revolving Master Repurchase Facility | Morgan Stanley Facility                        
Funding agreements                        
Total Commitment           $ 250,000,000     $ 250,000,000      
Number of extension periods available for maturity date | extension           1     1      
Extension period of maturity date                 12 months      
Revolving Master Repurchase Facility | Morgan Stanley Facility | 30 day SOFR                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 2.25%      
Revolving Master Repurchase Facility | Morgan Stanley Facility | Minimum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant percentage of tangible net worth at specified date used for computing tangible net worth to be maintained                 80.00%      
Revolving Master Repurchase Facility | Morgan Stanley Facility | Minimum | 30 day SOFR                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 1.75%      
Notes Payable, Due June 10, 2024 | NY                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 3.00%      
Notes Payable, Due June 10, 2024 | Notes Payable | NY                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest expense from real estate owned         $ 28,300,000              
Notes Payable                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 3.75%      
Outstanding Balance $ 23,500,000                      
Notes Payable | SC                        
Funding agreements                        
Outstanding Balance $ 34,600,000                      
Notes Payable | ACRC Lender CO LLC                        
Funding agreements                        
Extension period of maturity date       12 months                
Number of extension options | loan       2                
Secured term loan                        
Funding agreements                        
Total Commitment           $ 150,000,000     $ 150,000,000 150,000,000    
Interest rate margin (as a percent)                 0.50%      
Outstanding Balance           150,000,000     $ 150,000,000 $ 150,000,000    
Aggregate principal amount           $ 150,000,000     $ 150,000,000      
Debt discount on initial draw down (as a percent)                 4.60% 4.60%    
Secured term loan | Forecast                        
Funding agreements                        
Interest rate during period             4.50%          
Interest rate, increase (decrease)               0.125%        
Interest rate, quarterly increase                       0.25%
Secured term loan | Minimum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant ratio of EBITDA to fixed charges                 1.10      
Covenant percentage of net proceeds raised in future equity issuances, used for computing tangible net worth to be maintained                 80.00%      
Covenant percentage of tangible net worth at specified date used for computing tangible net worth to be maintained                 80.00%      
Asset coverage ratio                 115.00%      
Unencumbered asset ratio                 125.00%      
Covenant percentage of tangible net worth required to be maintained                 65.00%      
Secured term loan | Maximum                        
Funding agreements                        
Covenant ratio of debt to tangible net worth                 4.50      
v3.24.0.1
DEBT - Schedule of Maturity (Details)
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]  
2024 $ 0
2025 744,817
2026 150,000
2027 0
2028 0
Thereafter 0
Long-term debt 894,817
Wells Fargo Facility  
Debt Instrument [Line Items]  
2024 0
2025 208,540
2026 0
2027 0
2028 0
Thereafter 0
Long-term debt 208,540
Citibank Facility  
Debt Instrument [Line Items]  
2024 0
2025 221,604
2026 0
2027 0
2028 0
Thereafter 0
Long-term debt 221,604
CNB Facility  
Debt Instrument [Line Items]  
2024 0
2025 0
2026 0
2027 0
2028 0
Thereafter 0
Long-term debt 0
MetLife Facility  
Debt Instrument [Line Items]  
2024 0
2025 0
2026 0
2027 0
2028 0
Thereafter 0
Long-term debt 0
Morgan Stanley Facility  
Debt Instrument [Line Items]  
2024 0
2025 209,673
2026 0
2027 0
2028 0
Thereafter 0
Long-term debt 209,673
Notes Payable  
Debt Instrument [Line Items]  
2024 0
2025 105,000
2026 0
2027 0
2028 0
Thereafter 0
Long-term debt 105,000
Secured term loan  
Debt Instrument [Line Items]  
2024 0
2025 0
2026 150,000
2027 0
2028 0
Thereafter 0
Long-term debt $ 150,000
v3.24.0.1
SECURED BORROWINGS (Details)
1 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Jul. 31, 2022
USD ($)
Apr. 30, 2019
USD ($)
extension
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
option
Dec. 31, 2022
USD ($)
Nov. 30, 2019
USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Outstanding Balance     $ 894,817,000 $ 960,231,000  
Minimum          
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Number of extension options | option     1    
Maximum          
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Extension period of maturity date     12 months    
Number of extension options | option     2    
Notes Payable          
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Outstanding Balance         $ 23,500,000
Interest rate margin (as a percent)     3.75%    
North Carolina | Multifamily          
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Repayments of debt $ 30,500,000        
North Carolina | Notes Payable          
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Aggregate principal amount   $ 30,500,000      
Outstanding Balance   24,400,000      
North Carolina | Notes Payable | Multifamily          
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Outstanding Balance   $ 6,100,000      
North Carolina | Notes Payable | Multifamily | Senior Mortgage Loan Purchased          
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Outstanding Balance $ 24,400,000        
North Carolina | Senior Mortgage Loans | Minimum          
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Number of extension options | extension   1      
North Carolina | Senior Mortgage Loans | Maximum          
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Extension period of maturity date   12 months      
North Carolina | Senior Mortgage Loan, Due May 5, 2023 | Office          
Debt Instrument [Line Items]          
Interest rate margin (as a percent)   2.50%      
v3.24.0.1
DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - Schedule of Interest Rate Derivatives (Details)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
derivative
Dec. 31, 2022
USD ($)
derivative
Mar. 31, 2022
USD ($)
Derivative [Line Items]      
Floor rate (percent) 0.0000    
Interest rate swaps | LIBOR      
Derivative [Line Items]      
Notional Amount     $ 30,000
Interest rate caps | LIBOR      
Derivative [Line Items]      
Notional Amount     $ 170,000
Other comprehensive income   $ 2,000  
Gain on derivative $ 921 $ 1,000  
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Interest rate swaps | LIBOR      
Derivative [Line Items]      
Number of Instruments | derivative 0 1  
Notional Amount $ 0 $ 410,000  
Interest rate swaps, fixed rate (percent) 0.00% 0.2075%  
Weighted Average Maturity (Years)   4 months 24 days  
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Interest rate caps | LIBOR      
Derivative [Line Items]      
Number of Instruments | derivative 0 0  
Notional Amount $ 0 $ 0  
Interest rate caps, fixed rate (percent)     0.50%
v3.24.0.1
DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - Schedule of Fair Value of Derivative Instruments (Details) - Designated as Hedging Instrument - Interest rate derivatives - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Other Assets    
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]    
Fair Value of Derivatives in an Asset Position $ 0 $ 6,565
Other Liabilities    
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]    
Fair Value of Derivatives in an Liability Position $ 0 $ 0
v3.24.0.1
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES - Commitments to Fund (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]    
Total commitments $ 2,274,584 $ 2,510,308
Less: funded commitments (2,158,045) (2,282,821)
Total unfunded commitments $ 116,539 $ 227,487
v3.24.0.1
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY - Narrative (Details) - USD ($)
$ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
May 20, 2022
Nov. 22, 2019
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Jul. 25, 2023
Jul. 26, 2022
Jun. 30, 2018
Class of Stock [Line Items]                
Share repurchase program, authorized amount           $ 50,000 $ 50,000  
Stock repurchased     $ 4,600          
Cost not yet recognized, amount     $ 9,000 $ 8,000 $ 6,000      
Period for recognition     2 years 1 month 6 days 2 years 3 months 18 days 2 years 3 months 18 days      
At the Market Stock Offering Program | Common Stock                
Class of Stock [Line Items]                
Sale of stock, consideration received on transaction       $ 2,900 $ 2,100      
Sale of stock, shares issued in transaction (in shares)       190,369 137,237      
Sale of stock, share price (in dollars per share)       $ 15.33 $ 15.68      
At the Market Stock Offering Program | Maximum | Common Stock                
Class of Stock [Line Items]                
Sale of stock, consideration received on transaction   $ 100,000            
Repurchase Program                
Class of Stock [Line Items]                
Stock repurchase (in shares)     535,965,000,000          
Stock repurchased     $ 4,600          
Stock repurchase average price (in dollars per share)     $ 8.58          
Equity Offerings | Common Stock                
Class of Stock [Line Items]                
Sale of stock, consideration received on transaction $ 103,200              
Sale of stock, shares issued in transaction (in shares) 7,000,000              
Restricted Stock | Amended and Restated 2012 Equity Incentive Plan                
Class of Stock [Line Items]                
Shares available for grant (in shares)               2,490,000
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units | Amended and Restated 2012 Equity Incentive Plan | Minimum                
Class of Stock [Line Items]                
Award vesting period (in years)     1 year          
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units | Amended and Restated 2012 Equity Incentive Plan | Maximum                
Class of Stock [Line Items]                
Award vesting period (in years)     3 years          
v3.24.0.1
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY - Disclosures (Details)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
shares
Restricted stock activity  
Balance at the beginning of the period (in shares) 848,609,000
Granted (in shares) 491,016,000
Vested (in shares) (223,129,000)
Forfeited (in shares) (20,165,000)
Balance at the end of the period (in shares) 1,096,331,000
Future Anticipated Vesting Schedule  
2024 (in shares) 306,202
2025 (in shares) 366,298
2026 (in shares) 281,613
2027 (in shares) 142,218
2028 (in shares) 0
Total (in shares) 1,096,331
Restricted Stock | Restricted Stock Grants—Directors  
Restricted stock activity  
Balance at the beginning of the period (in shares) 16,137,000
Granted (in shares) 64,266,000
Vested (in shares) (46,188,000)
Forfeited (in shares) 0
Balance at the end of the period (in shares) 34,215,000
Future Anticipated Vesting Schedule  
2024 (in shares) 33,798
2025 (in shares) 417
2026 (in shares) 0
2027 (in shares) 0
2028 (in shares) 0
Total (in shares) 34,215
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | RSUs—Officers and Employees of the Manager  
Restricted stock activity  
Balance at the beginning of the period (in shares) 832,472,000
Granted (in shares) 426,750,000
Vested (in shares) (176,941,000)
Forfeited (in shares) (20,165,000)
Balance at the end of the period (in shares) 1,062,116,000
Future Anticipated Vesting Schedule  
2024 (in shares) 272,404
2025 (in shares) 365,881
2026 (in shares) 281,613
2027 (in shares) 142,218
2028 (in shares) 0
Total (in shares) 1,062,116
v3.24.0.1
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY - Schedule of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Unit, Activity (Details) - Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Equity Incentive Plan      
Compensation expense $ 3,991 $ 2,876 $ 1,940
Total fair value of shares vested 2,332 1,961 1,469
Weighted average grant date fair value 5,184 5,044 4,658
Restricted Stock Grants—Directors      
Equity Incentive Plan      
Compensation expense 552 399 329
Total fair value of shares vested 450 338 460
Weighted average grant date fair value 575 390 403
RSUs—Officers and Employees of the Manager      
Equity Incentive Plan      
Compensation expense 3,439 2,477 1,611
Total fair value of shares vested 1,882 1,623 1,009
Weighted average grant date fair value $ 4,609 $ 4,654 $ 4,255
v3.24.0.1
EARNINGS PER SHARE (Details) - USD ($)
$ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]      
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders, basic $ (38,867) $ 29,785 $ 60,460
Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders, diluted $ (38,867) $ 29,785 $ 60,460
Divided by:      
Basic weighted average shares of common stock outstanding (in shares) 54,281,998 51,679,744 42,399,613
Weighted average non-vested restricted stock and RSUs (in shares) 0 446,512 281,892
Diluted weighted average shares of common stock outstanding (in shares) 54,281,998 52,126,256 42,681,505
Basic earnings (loss) per common share (in dollars per share) $ (0.72) $ 0.58 $ 1.43
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share (in dollars per share) $ (0.72) $ 0.57 $ 1.42
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share, amount (in shares) 709,731    
v3.24.0.1
INCOME TAX - Schedule of Components of Income Tax (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Components of the company's income tax provision      
Income tax expense (benefit), including excise tax $ (39) $ 472 $ 722
ACRE Capital Sale      
Components of the company's income tax provision      
Current 34 42 450
Deferred 0 0 0
Excise tax (73) 430 272
Income tax expense (benefit), including excise tax $ (39) $ 472 $ 722
v3.24.0.1
FAIR VALUE - Narrative (Details)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
investment
Dec. 31, 2022
USD ($)
loan
investment
Fair Value Disclosure, Asset and Liability, Not Measured at Fair Value [Line Items]    
Unrealized losses on loans held for sale $ (154) $ (55)
Number of debt securities for an aggregate purchase price | loan   3
Debt securities for an aggregate purchase price   $ 27,900
Debt securities, available-for-sale, term   10 years
Number of debt security investments | investment 3 3
Level 3    
Fair Value Disclosure, Asset and Liability, Not Measured at Fair Value [Line Items]    
Loans transferred to held for sale $ 39,000  
Unrealized losses on loans held for sale $ 995  
Measurement Input, Cap Rate | Minimum    
Fair Value Disclosure, Asset and Liability, Not Measured at Fair Value [Line Items]    
Real estate owned, measurement input 0.064  
Measurement Input, Cap Rate | Maximum    
Fair Value Disclosure, Asset and Liability, Not Measured at Fair Value [Line Items]    
Real estate owned, measurement input 0.083  
Measurement Input, Discount Rate | Minimum    
Fair Value Disclosure, Asset and Liability, Not Measured at Fair Value [Line Items]    
Real estate owned, measurement input 0.080  
Measurement Input, Discount Rate | Maximum    
Fair Value Disclosure, Asset and Liability, Not Measured at Fair Value [Line Items]    
Real estate owned, measurement input 0.095  
SOFR    
Fair Value Disclosure, Asset and Liability, Not Measured at Fair Value [Line Items]    
Debt securities floating rate, investment grade rated   2.47%
v3.24.0.1
FAIR VALUE - Available-For-Sale Debt Securities (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]    
Face Amount $ 28,000 $ 28,000
Amortized Cost 27,906 27,881
Unamortized Discount 94 119
Unrealized Gain (Loss), Net $ 154 $ 55
v3.24.0.1
FAIR VALUE - Derivative Assets and Liabilities, Recurring (Details) - Fair Value, Recurring - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Interest rate derivatives    
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]    
Financial assets $ 0 $ 6,565
Financial liabilities 0 0
Interest rate derivatives | Level 1    
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]    
Financial assets 0 0
Financial liabilities 0 0
Interest rate derivatives | Level 2    
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]    
Financial assets 0 6,565
Financial liabilities 0 0
Interest rate derivatives | Level 3    
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]    
Financial assets 0 0
Financial liabilities 0 0
Loans held for sale    
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]    
Financial assets 38,981  
Loans held for sale | Level 1    
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]    
Financial assets 0  
Loans held for sale | Level 2    
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]    
Financial assets 0  
Loans held for sale | Level 3    
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]    
Financial assets 38,981  
Available-for-sale debt securities    
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]    
Financial assets 28,060 27,936
Available-for-sale debt securities | Level 1    
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]    
Financial assets 0 0
Available-for-sale debt securities | Level 2    
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]    
Financial assets 28,060 27,936
Available-for-sale debt securities | Level 3    
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]    
Financial assets $ 0 $ 0
v3.24.0.1
FAIR VALUE - Carrying Value and Fair Value (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Financial assets:    
Loans held for investment $ 2,126,524 $ 2,264,008
Financial liabilities:    
Collateralized loan obligation securitization debt (consolidated VIEs) 723,117 777,675
Carrying Value    
Financial assets:    
Loans held for investment 2,126,524 2,264,008
Financial liabilities:    
Secured funding agreements 639,817 705,231
Notes payable 104,662 104,460
Secured term loan 149,393 149,200
Collateralized loan obligation securitization debt (consolidated VIEs) 723,117 777,675
Fair Value | Level 3    
Financial assets:    
Loans held for investment 1,944,718 2,233,319
Financial liabilities:    
Secured term loan 134,024 137,571
Collateralized loan obligation securitization debt (consolidated VIEs) 705,033 749,242
Fair Value | Level 2    
Financial liabilities:    
Secured funding agreements 639,817 705,231
Notes payable $ 105,000 $ 103,635
v3.24.0.1
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS - Narrative (Details)
12 Months Ended
Apr. 25, 2022
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
quarter
loan
Dec. 31, 2022
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2021
USD ($)
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]        
Management fee renewal term (in years)   1 year    
Management agreement termination, termination fee times average annual base management free and incentive fees received   300.00%    
Management fee look back period   24 months    
Loans held for investment   $ 2,126,524,000 $ 2,264,008,000  
Outstanding principal   $ 2,158,045,000 2,282,821,000  
Number of affiliates of company's manager that may originate commercial real estate loans (or more) | loan   1    
Residential        
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]        
Loans held for investment   $ 236,700,000 213,700,000  
ACREM        
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]        
Base management fees as a percentage of stockholders' equity per annum   1.50%    
Incentive fee payable (not less than)   $ 0    
Percentage multiplied to arrive at first value affecting calculation of incentive fees   20.00%    
Previous period for which core earnings are considered to arrive at first value affecting calculation of incentive fees   12 months    
Previous period for product of weighted average price per share and weighted average number of shares of common stock and other shares   12 months    
Percentage multiplied to arrive at difference of first value affecting calculation of incentive fees   8.00%    
Related party transaction, number of fiscal quarter | loan   3    
Period whose fiscal quarters are considered to arrive at first value affecting calculation of incentive fees   12 months    
Minimum cumulative core earnings, number of quarters | quarter   12    
Minimum cumulative core earnings for calculation of incentive fee   $ 0    
Related Party        
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]        
Amended agreement to exclude real estate revenues from net income $ 2,400,000      
Amended agreement to include gain on termination of interest rate cap derivative $ 2,000,000      
Incentive fees   $ 334,000 $ 3,400,000 $ 2,800,000
v3.24.0.1
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS - Related Party Costs Incurred (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]      
Payable $ 4,135 $ 5,580  
ACREM | Continuing Operations      
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]      
Incurred 15,821 18,840 $ 15,161
ACREM | Continuing Operations | Management fees      
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]      
Incurred 11,929 11,456 9,384
ACREM | Continuing Operations | Incentive fees      
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]      
Incurred 334 3,442 2,752
ACREM | Continuing Operations | General and administrative expenses      
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]      
Incurred 3,434 3,777 3,016
ACREM | Continuing Operations | Direct costs      
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]      
Incurred 124 165 $ 9
Related Party | Continuing Operations      
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]      
Payable 4,135 5,580  
Related Party | Continuing Operations | Management fees      
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]      
Payable 2,946 3,026  
Related Party | Continuing Operations | Incentive fees      
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]      
Payable 0 1,264  
Related Party | Continuing Operations | General and administrative expenses      
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]      
Payable 1,154 1,232  
Related Party | Continuing Operations | Direct costs      
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]      
Payable $ 35 $ 58  
v3.24.0.1
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS (Details) - USD ($)
$ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Nov. 03, 2023
Aug. 02, 2023
May 02, 2023
Feb. 15, 2023
Nov. 02, 2022
Jul. 29, 2022
May 03, 2022
Feb. 15, 2022
Nov. 03, 2021
Jul. 30, 2021
May 04, 2021
Feb. 17, 2021
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Dec. 31, 2021
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS                              
Dividends per share amount declared (in dollars per share) $ 0.33 $ 0.33 $ 0.35 $ 0.35 $ 0.35 $ 0.35 $ 0.35 $ 0.35 $ 0.35 $ 0.35 $ 0.35 $ 0.35 $ 1.36 $ 1.40 $ 1.40
Total cash dividends $ 18,220 $ 18,082 $ 19,180 $ 19,345 $ 19,347 $ 19,196 $ 19,198 $ 16,740 $ 16,674 $ 16,524 $ 16,528 $ 14,248 $ 74,827 $ 74,481 $ 63,974
Cash dividends payable (in dollars per share)                         $ 0.33    
Supplemental cash dividend payable (in dollars per share)                         $ 0.02    
v3.24.0.1
VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES - Narrative (Details)
$ in Thousands
12 Months Ended
Jan. 28, 2021
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2023
USD ($)
loan
Dec. 31, 2022
USD ($)
loan
Dec. 31, 2021
USD ($)
Jan. 11, 2019
USD ($)
Mar. 30, 2017
USD ($)
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Debt commitment   $ 894,817        
Receivables related to repayments of outstanding principal on previous mortgage assets   31,000 $ 127,600      
Loans held for investment   2,126,524 2,264,008      
Sale of common stock     $ 106,267 $ 204,779    
Credit risk, financial instrument, maximum exposure   238,200        
ACRE Commercial Mortgage 2021-FL4 Ltd. and ACRE Commercial Mortgage 2021-FL4 LLC | Preferred Stock            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Sale of common stock $ 64,300          
ACRE Commercial Mortgage 2021-FL4 Ltd. and ACRE Commercial Mortgage 2021-FL4 LLC | Preferred Stock | Wholly Owned Subsidiary To Parent Company            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Sale of common stock   64,300        
Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary | NY | Residential Condominium            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Credit risk, financial instrument, maximum exposure   $ 86,400        
Floating Rate Notes, Weighted Average Coupon Rate, LIBOR Plus 1.85%            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Number of properties collateralized for mortgage loan | loan   16 16      
Receivables related to repayments of outstanding principal   $ 526,000 $ 429,400      
Mortgaged Assets | Holdco            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Principal amount of certificates retained by wholly owned subsidiary of the entity   58,500        
Offered Certificates | Parent Company            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Preferred equity fully funded amount   52,900        
Secured funding agreements | Parent Company            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Loans held for investment   111,400        
Secured, Floating Rate Notes | ACRE Commercial Mortgage 2021-FL4 Ltd. and ACRE Commercial Mortgage 2021-FL4 LLC            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Aggregate principal amount $ 603,000          
Secured, Floating Rate Notes | ACRE Commercial Mortgage 2021-FL4 Ltd. and ACRE Commercial Mortgage 2021-FL4 LLC | Wholly Owned Subsidiary To Parent Company            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Aggregate principal amount   62,500        
Collateral amount   126,800        
Repayments of debt   $ 55,100 $ 85,900      
FL4 Mortgage Assets            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Number of properties collateralized for mortgage loan | loan   9 12      
Receivables related to repayments of outstanding principal   $ 404,100 $ 458,300      
Receivables related to repayments of outstanding principal on mortgage assets   $ 1,000 $ 1,900      
Wells Fargo Facility | Notes Payable            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Debt commitment           $ 308,800
Wells Fargo Facility | Notes Payable | 2019 FL3 CLO Securitization            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Debt commitment         $ 504,100  
Wells Fargo Facility | Collateralized Loan Obligations            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Debt commitment           $ 32,400
Wells Fargo Facility | Collateralized Loan Obligations | 2019 FL3 CLO Securitization            
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]            
Debt commitment         $ 52,900  
v3.24.0.1
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS (Details) - USD ($)
1 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2024
Mar. 31, 2024
Feb. 20, 2024
Dec. 31, 2023
Dec. 31, 2022
Subsequent Event [Line Items]          
Cash dividends payable (in dollars per share)       $ 0.33  
Outstanding Principal       $ 2,158,045,000 $ 2,282,821,000
Subsequent Event | Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) | Line of Credit | CNB Facility          
Subsequent Event [Line Items]          
Interest rate margin (as a percent) 3.25%        
Subsequent Event | Base rate | Line of Credit | CNB Facility          
Subsequent Event [Line Items]          
Interest rate margin (as a percent) 2.25%        
Mixed-use | Senior Mortgage Loans | CA | Subsequent Event          
Subsequent Event [Line Items]          
Proceeds from the sale of mortgage loan held for sale $ 39,000,000        
Office | IL          
Subsequent Event [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal       $ 45,100,000  
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | NJ | Subsequent Event          
Subsequent Event [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal $ 18,500,000        
Office | Senior Mortgage Loans | IL | Subsequent Event          
Subsequent Event [Line Items]          
Outstanding Principal     $ 56,900,000    
Forecast          
Subsequent Event [Line Items]          
Cash dividends payable (in dollars per share)   $ 0.25