REAL ESTATE

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020


9. REAL ESTATE

Real estate investments are carried at historical cost less accumulated depreciation. Historical cost includes all costs necessary to bring the asset to the condition and location necessary for its intended use, including financing during the construction period. Costs directly related to acquisitions deemed to be business combinations are expensed. Ordinary repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Major replacements and improvements that extend the useful life of the asset are capitalized and depreciated over their useful life.

Real estate investments are depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, summarized as follows:


Category			Term
Building and building improvements			1 - 44 years
Furniture and fixtures			1 - 4 years

There was no real estate acquired in settlement of residential mortgage loans at December 31, 2020 or December 31, 2019 other than real estate held by securitization trusts that the Company was required to consolidate. The Company would be considered to have received physical possession of residential real estate property collateralizing a residential mortgage loan, so that the loan is derecognized and the real estate property would be recognized, if either (i) the Company obtains legal title to the residential real estate property upon completion of a foreclosure or (ii) the borrower conveys all interest in the residential real estate property to the Company to satisfy the loan through completion of a deed in lieu of foreclosure or through a similar legal agreement.

Real estate investments, including REO, that do not meet the criteria to be classified as held for sale are classified in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition as held for investment. Real estate held for sale is reported at the lower of its carrying value or its estimated fair value less estimated costs to sell. Once a property is determined to be held for sale, depreciation is no longer recorded.

The Company’s real estate portfolio (REO and real estate held for investment) is reviewed on a quarterly basis, or more frequently as necessary, to assess whether there are any indicators that the value of its operating real estate may be impaired or that its carrying value may not be recoverable. A property’s value is considered impaired if the Company’s estimate of the aggregate future undiscounted cash flows to be generated by the property is less than the carrying value of the property. In conducting this review, the Company considers U.S. macroeconomic factors, including real estate sector conditions, together with asset specific and other factors. To the extent impairment has occurred and is considered to be other than temporary, the loss will be measured as the excess of the carrying amount of the property over the calculated fair value of the property.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company took title of two commercial real estate properties for $79.8 million through foreclosure or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. There were no new acquisitions of real estate holdings during the year ended December 31, 2019. A portfolio of health care properties with a carrying value of $124.5 million, including intangible assets, was sold during the year ended December 31, 2020 and a gain on sale of $19.7 million was recognized. The Company sold two of its wholly owned triple net leased properties during the year ended December 31, 2019 for $25.2 million and recognized a gain on sale of $7.5 million.

The weighted average amortization period for intangible assets and liabilities at December 31, 2020 is 5.5 years. Above market leases and leasehold intangible assets are included in Intangible assets, net and below market leases are included in Other liabilities in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition.


	December 31, 2020		December 31, 2019
Real estate, net	(dollars in thousands)
Land	$	164,240	$	121,720
Buildings and improvements	493,432		571,396
Furniture, fixtures and equipment	6,240		11,238
Subtotal	663,912		704,354
Less: accumulated depreciation	(100,147)		(87,532)
Total real estate held for investment, at amortized cost, net	563,765		616,822
Equity in unconsolidated joint ventures	92,549		108,816
Total real estate, net	$	656,314	$	725,638

Depreciation expense was $22.7 million and $23.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively and is included in Other income (loss) in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

Rental Income

The minimum rental amounts due under leases are generally either subject to scheduled fixed increases or adjustments. The leases generally also require that the tenants reimburse the Company for certain operating costs. Rental income is included in Other income (loss) in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

Approximate future minimum rents to be received over the next five years and thereafter for non-cancelable operating leases in effect at December 31, 2020 for consolidated investments in real estate are as follows:


December 31, 2020
(dollars in thousands)
2021	$	44,267
2022	39,981
2023	36,161
2024	30,645
2025	24,362
Later years	60,971
Total	$	236,387