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ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS  
ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS

1.                            ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS

 

Ladder Capital Corp was formed as a Delaware corporation on May 21, 2013. The Company conducted an initial public offering of common stock (the “IPO”) which closed on February 11, 2014. The Company used the net proceeds from the IPO to purchase newly issued LP Units from LCFH and pursuant to a reorganization into a holding corporation structure, Ladder Capital Corp became a holding corporation.  Ladder Capital Corp also became the general partner of, and has a controlling interest in, the Predecessor. Ladder Capital Corp’s only business is to act as the general partner of LCFH, and, as such, Ladder Capital Corp indirectly operates and controls all of the business and affairs of LCFH and its subsidiaries through its ability to appoint the LCFH board.  The proceeds received by LCFH in connection with the sale of newly issued LP Units has and will be used for loan origination, real estate businesses and for general corporate purposes.

 

Ladder Capital Corp consolidates the financial results of LCFH and its subsidiaries. The ownership interest of certain existing owners of LCFH, who own LP Units and an equivalent number of shares of Ladder Capital Corp Class B common stock as of the completion of the offering (the “Continuing LCFH Limited Partners”) are reflected as a noncontrolling interest in Ladder Capital Corp’s combined consolidated financial statements.

 

Immediately prior to the closing of the IPO on February 11, 2014, LCFH effectuated certain transactions intended to simplify the capital structure of LCFH (the “Reorganization Transactions”). Prior to the Reorganization Transactions, LCFH’s capital structure consisted of three different classes of membership interests (Series A and Series B Participating Preferred Units and Class A Common Units), each of which had different capital accounts. The net effect of the Reorganization Transactions was to convert the multiple-class structure into a single new class of units in LCFH (“LP Units”) and an equal number of shares of Class B common stock of Ladder Capital Corp. The conversion of all of the different classes of LCFH occurred in accordance with conversion ratios for each class of outstanding units based upon the liquidation value of LCFH, as if it had been liquidated upon the IPO, with such value determined by the $17.00 price per share of Class A common stock sold in the IPO. The distribution of LP Units per class of outstanding units was determined pursuant to the distribution provisions set forth in LCFH’s amended and restated Limited Liability Limited Partnership Agreement (the “Amended and Restated LLLP Agreement”). In addition, in connection with the IPO, certain of LCFH’s existing investors (the “Exchanging Existing Owners”) received 33,672,192 shares of Ladder Capital Corp Class A common stock in lieu of any or all LP Units and shares of Ladder Capital Corp Class B common stock that would otherwise have been issued to such existing investors in the Reorganization Transactions, which resulted in Ladder Capital Corp, or a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ladder Capital Corp, owning one LP Unit for each share of Class A Common Stock so issued to the Exchanging Existing Owners.

 

The IPO resulted in the issuance by Ladder Capital Corp of 15,237,500 shares of Class A common stock to the public, including 1,987,500 shares of Class A common stock offered as a result of the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, and net proceeds to Ladder Capital Corp of approximately $238.8 million (after deducting fees and expenses associated with the IPO). In addition, in connection with the IPO, the Company granted 1,687,513 shares of restricted Class A common stock to members of management, certain directors and certain employees.

 

Pursuant to the Amended and Restated LLLP Agreement, and subject to the applicable minimum retained ownership requirements and certain other restrictions, including notice requirements, from time to time, Continuing LCFH Limited Partners (or certain transferees thereof) will have the right to exchange with Ladder Capital Corp their LP Units for shares of Ladder Capital Corp’s Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis.

 

As a result of the transactions described above, at the close of business on February 11, 2014:

 

·                  Ladder Capital Corp became the general partner of LCFH and, through LCFH and its subsidiaries, operates the Ladder Capital business. Accordingly, Ladder Capital Corp has a 51.3% economic interest in LCFH, and Ladder Capital Corp has a majority voting interest and controls the management of LCFH. As a result, Ladder Capital Corp consolidates the financial results of LCFH and records noncontrolling interest for the economic interest in LCFH held by the Continuing LCFH Limited Partners to the extent the book value of their interest in LCFH is greater than zero;

 

·                  50,597,205 shares of Ladder Capital Corp’s Class A common stock were outstanding (comprised of 15,237,500 shares issued to the investors in the IPO, 33,672,192 shares issued to the Exchanging Existing Owners and 1,687,513 shares issued to certain directors, officers, and employees in connection with the IPO), and 48,537,414 shares of Ladder Capital Corp’s Class B common stock were outstanding.  Class B common stock has no economic interest but rather voting interest in the Company. With respect to LCFH, 99,139,017 LP Units of LCFH were outstanding, of which 50,597,205 LP Units were held by Ladder Capital Corp and its subsidiaries and 48,537,414 units were held by the Continuing LCFH Limited Partners; and

 

·                  LP Units are exchangeable on a one-for-one basis for shares of Ladder Capital Corp Class A common stock. In connection with an exchange, a corresponding number of shares of Ladder Capital Corp Class B common stock will be required to be cancelled. LCFH LP units and Ladder Capital Corp Class B common stock cannot be legally separated.  However, the exchange of LP Units for shares of Ladder Capital Corp Class A common stock will not affect the exchanging owners’ voting power since the votes represented by the cancelled shares of Ladder Capital Corp Class B common stock will be replaced with the votes represented by the shares of Class A common stock for which such LP Units are exchanged.

 

The Reorganization Transactions and the IPO are collectively referred to as the “IPO Transactions.”