| Summary of significant accounting policies | Note 2 — Summary of significant accounting policies Mortgage loans Purchased mortgage loans are initially recorded at the purchase price, net of any acquisition fees or costs at the time of acquisition and are considered asset acquisitions. As part of the determination of the bid price for mortgage loans, the Company uses a proprietary discounted cash flow valuation model to project expected cash flows, and consider alternate loan resolution probabilities, including liquidation or conversion to real estate owned. Observable inputs to the model include interest rates, loan amounts, status of payments and property types. Unobservable inputs to the model include discount rates, forecast of future home prices, alternate loan resolution probabilities, resolution timelines, the value of underlying properties and other economic and demographic data. Loans acquired with deterioration in credit quality The loans acquired by the Company have generally suffered some credit deterioration subsequent to origination. As a result, the Company is required to account for the mortgage loans pursuant to ASC 310-30, (Accounting for Loans with Deterioration in Credit Quality ). Under ASC 310-30, acquired loans may be aggregated and accounted for as a pool of loans if the loans have common risk characteristics. A pool is accounted for as a single asset with a single composite interest rate and an aggregate expectation of cash flows. Re-performing mortgage loans have been determined to have common risk characteristics and are accounted for as a single loan pool for loans acquired within each three-month calendar quarter. Similarly, non-performing mortgage loans have been determined to have common risk characteristics and are accounted for as a single non-performing pool for loans acquired within each three-month calendar quarter. Excluded from the aggregate pools are loans that pay in full subsequent to the closing date but prior to pooling. Any gain or loss incurred on these loans is recognized in other income in the period the loan pays in full. The Company’s accounting for loans under ASC 310-30 gives rise to an accretable yield and a non-accretable amount. The excess of all undiscounted cash flows expected to be collected at acquisition over the initial investment in the loans is the accretable yield. Cash flows expected at acquisition include all cash flows directly related to the acquired loan, including those expected from the underlying collateral. The Company recognizes the accretable yield as interest income on a prospective level yield basis over the life of the pool. The excess of a loan’s contractually required payments receivable over the amount of cash flows expected at the acquisition is the non-accretable amount. The Company’s expectation of the amount of cash flows expected to be collected is evaluated at the end of each calendar quarter. If the Company expects to collect greater cash flows over the life of the pool, the accretable yield amount increases and the expected yield to maturity is adjusted on a prospective basis. If the Company expects to collect lower cash flows over the life of the pool, the Company records an impairment through the allowance for loan losses. Loans acquired that have not experienced a deterioration in credit quality While the Company generally acquires loans that have experienced deterioration in credit quality, it may, from time to time, acquire loans that have not missed a scheduled payment and have not experienced a deterioration in credit quality. Accrual of interest on individual loans is discontinued when management believes that, after considering economic and business conditions and collection efforts, the borrower’s financial condition is such that collection of interest is doubtful. The Company’s policy is to stop accruing interest when a loan’s delinquency exceeds 90 days. All interest accrued but not collected for loans that are placed on non-accrual status or subsequently charged-off are reversed against interest income. Income is subsequently recognized on the cash basis until, in management’s judgment, the borrower’s ability to make periodic principal and interest payments returns and future payments are reasonably assured, in which case the loan is returned to accrual status. An individual loan is considered to be impaired when, based on current events and conditions, it is probable the Company will be unable to collect all amounts due (both principal and interest) according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. Impaired loans are carried at the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate, the loan’s market price, or the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral dependent. For individual loans, a troubled debt restructuring is a formal restructuring of a loan where, for economic or legal reasons related to the borrower’s financial difficulties, a concession that would not otherwise be considered is granted to the borrower. The concession may be granted in various forms, including providing a below-market interest rate, a reduction in the loan balance or accrued interest, an extension of the maturity date, or a combination of these. An individual loan that has had a troubled debt restructuring is considered to be impaired and is subject to the relevant accounting for impaired loans. Loans are tested quarterly for impairment and impairment reserves are recorded to the extent the net realizable value of the underlying collateral falls below net book value. If necessary, an allowance for loan losses is established through a provision for loan losses charged to expenses. The allowance is an amount that management believes will be adequate to absorb probable losses on existing loans that may become uncollectible, based on evaluations of the collectability of loans. Real estate The Company acquires real estate properties when it forecloses on the borrower and takes title to the underlying property (real estate owned or REO). Property is recorded at cost if purchased, or at the present value of future cash flows if obtained through foreclosure by the Company. Property that is currently unoccupied and actively marketed for sale is classified as held-for-sale. Property held-for-sale is carried at the lower of its acquisition basis, net realizable value (fair market value less expected selling costs), appraisals or independent broker price opinion (BPOs). Net unrealized losses due to changes in market value are recognized through a valuation allowance by charges to income. No depreciation or amortization expense is recognized on properties held-for-sale, while holding costs are expensed as incurred. Rental property is property not held-for-sale. Rental properties are intended to be held as long-term investments but may eventually be held-for-sale. Property is held for investment as rental property if the modeled present value of the future expected cash flows from use as a rental exceed the present value of expected cash flows from a sale. Depreciation is provided for using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets of three to 27.5 years. The Company performs an impairment analysis for all rental property not held-for-sale using estimated cash flows if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may be impaired, such as prolonged vacancy, identification of materially adverse legal or environmental factors, changes in expected ownership period or a decline in market value to an amount less than cost. This analysis is performed at the property level. The cash flows are estimated based on a number of assumptions that are subject to economic and market uncertainties including, among others, demand for rental properties, competition for customers, changes in market rental rates, costs to operate each property and expected ownership periods. If the carrying amount of a held-for-investment asset exceeds the sum of its undiscounted future operating and residual cash flows, an impairment loss is recorded for the difference between estimated fair value of the asset and the carrying amount. The Company generally estimates the fair value of assets held for use by using BPOs. In some instances, appraisal information may be available and is used in addition to BPOs. The Company performs property renovations to maximize the value of the property for its rental strategy. Such expenditures are part of its initial investment in a property and, therefore, are capitalized as part of the basis of the property. Subsequently, the residential property, including any renovations that improve or extend the life of the asset, are accounted for at cost. The cost basis is depreciated using the straight-line method over an estimated useful life of three to 27.5 years. Interest and other carrying costs incurred during the renovation period are capitalized until the property is ready for its intended use. Expenditures for ordinary maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. Secured borrowings The Company, through securitization trusts, issues callable debt secured by its mortgage loans in the ordinary course of business. The secured borrowings are structured as debt financings, and the loans remain on the Company’s balance sheet as the Company is the primary beneficiary of the securitization trusts, which are variable interest entities (VIEs). These secured borrowing VIEs are structured as pass through entities that receive principal and interest on the underlying mortgages and distribute those payments to the holders of the notes. The Company’s exposure to the obligations of the VIEs is generally limited to its investments in the entities; the creditors do not have recourse to the primary beneficiary. Coupon interest on the debt is recognized using the accrual method of accounting. Deferred issuance costs, including original issue discount and debt issuance costs, are amortized on an effective yield basis based on the underlying cash flow of the mortgage loans. The Company assumes the debt will be called at the specified call date for purposes of amortizing discount and issuance costs because the Company believes it will have the intent and ability to call the debt on the call date. Changes in the actual or projected underlying cash flows are reflected in the timing and amount of deferred issuance cost amortization. Repurchase facilities The Company enters into repurchase financing facilities under which it nominally sells assets to a counterparty and simultaneously enters into an agreement to repurchase the sold assets at a price equal to the sold amount plus an interest factor. Despite being legally structured as sales and subsequent repurchases, repurchase transactions are generally accounted for as debt secured by the underlying assets. At the maturity of a repurchase financing, unless the repurchase financing is renewed, the Company is required to repay the borrowing including any accrued interest and concurrently receives back its pledged collateral from the lender. Management fee and expense reimbursement Under the management agreement with the Manager (the “Management Agreement”), the Company pays a quarterly base management fee based on its stockholders’ equity and a quarterly incentive management fee based on its cash distributions to its stockholders. Manager fees are expensed in the quarter incurred and the portion payable in common stock is included in stockholders’ equity at quarter end. See Note 9 — Related party transactions. Servicing fees Under the Company’s Servicing Agreement, Gregory receives servicing fees of 0.65% annually of the Unpaid Principal Balance (UPB) for loans that are re-performing at acquisition and 1.25% annually of UPB for loans that are non-performing at acquisition. Servicing fees are paid monthly. The total fees incurred by the Company for these services depend upon the UPB and type of mortgage loans that Gregory services pursuant to the terms of the servicing agreement. The fees do not change if a re-performing loan becomes non-performing or vice versa. Servicing fees for the Company’s real property assets are the greater of (i) the servicing fee applicable to the underlying mortgage loan prior to foreclosure, or (ii) 1.00% annually of the fair market value of the REO as reasonably determined by the Manager or 1.00% annually of the purchase price of any REO otherwise purchased by the Company. Gregory is reimbursed for all customary, reasonable and necessary out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred in the performance of its obligations, including the actual cost of any repairs and renovations undertaken on the Company’s behalf. The total fees incurred by the Company for these services will be dependent upon the UPB and type of mortgage loans that Gregory services, property values, previous UPB of the relevant loan, and the number of REO properties. The agreement will automatically renew for successive one-year terms, subject to prior written notice of non-renewal. In certain cases, the Company may be obligated to pay a termination fee. The Management Agreement will automatically terminate at the same time as the servicing agreement if the servicing agreement is terminated for any reason. See Note 9 — Related party transactions. Stock-based payments The Management Agreement provides for the payment to the Manager of a management fee. The Company pays a portion of the management fee in cash, and a portion of the management fee in shares of the Company’s common stock, which are issued to the Manager in a private placement and are restricted securities under the Securities Act. On October 27, 2015, the Company entered into an amended and restated management agreement with the Manager (the “Amended and Restated Agreement”), which amended the portion of the base management fee and manager’s incentive fee to be payable in cash and shares of the Company’s common stock retroactive to July 1, 2015. Shares issued to the Manager are determined based on the higher of the most recently reported book value or the average of the closing prices of our common stock on the NYSE on the five business days after the date on which the most recent regular quarterly dividend to holders of our common stock is paid. Management fees paid in common stock are expensed in the quarter incurred and recorded in equity at quarter end. Pursuant to the Company’s 2014 Director Equity Plan (the “Director Plan”), the Company may make stock-based awards. The Company has issued to each of the independent directors restricted stock awards of 2,000 shares of its common stock, which are subject to a one-year vesting period. In addition, each of the Company’s independent directors receives an annual retainer of $50,000, payable quarterly, half of which is paid in shares of the Company’s common stock on the same basis as the stock portion of the management fee payable to the Manager, and half in cash. Stock-based expense for the directors’ annual retainer is expensed as earned, in equal quarterly amounts during the year, and recorded in equity at quarter end. On June 7, 2016, the Company’s stockholders approved the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2016 Plan”), to attract and retain non-employee directors, executive officers, key employees and service providers, including officers and employees of the Company’s affiliates. The 2016 Plan authorized the adoption of up to 5% of outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis (assuming, if applicable, the exercise of all outstanding options and the conversion of all warrants and convertible securities, including OP Units and LTIP units, into shares of common stock). At the time of the adoption of the 2016 Plan, there were 793,905 shares available under for distribution. Directors’ fees The expense related to directors’ fees is accrued and, the portion payable in common stock is reflected in stockholders’ equity in the period in which it is incurred. Variable interest entities In the normal course of business, the Company enters into various types transactions with special purpose entities (SPEs), which have primarily consisted of trusts established for the Company’s secured borrowings (See “Secured Borrowings” above and Note 8 to the financial statements). Additionally, from time to time, the Company may enter into joint ventures with unrelated entities. The Company evaluates each transaction and its resulting beneficial interest to determine if the entity formed pursuant to the transaction should be classified as a Variable Interest Entity (VIE). If an entity created in a transaction meets the definition of a VIE and the Company determines that Great Ajax is the primary beneficiary, the Company will include the entity in its consolidated financial statements. Cash and cash equivalents Highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased are considered cash equivalents. The Company maintains cash and cash equivalents at insured banking institutions. Certain account balances exceed Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance coverage and, as a result, there is a concentration of credit risk related to amounts on deposit in excess of FDIC insurance coverage. Cash held in trust Cash held in trust consists of cash balances legally due to lenders, and is segregated from the Company’s other cash deposits. Cash held in trust is not available to the Company for any purposes other than the settlement of existing obligations to the lender. Earnings per share Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing consolidated net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average common stock outstanding during the period. The Company treats unvested restricted stock issued under its stock-based compensation plan, which are entitled to non-forfeitable dividends, as participating securities and applies the two-class method in calculating basic earnings per share. Diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing consolidated net income attributable to common stockholders and dilutive securities by the weighted average common stock outstanding for the period plus other potentially dilutive securities, such as stock grants, shares that would be issued in the event that OP Units are redeemed for shares of common stock of the Company and shares issued in respect of the stock-based portion of the base fee payable to the Manager and directors’ fees. Fair value of financial instruments Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. A fair value hierarchy has been established that requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The standard describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:
· Level 1
· Level 2
· Level 3 The degree of judgment utilized in measuring fair value generally correlates to the level of pricing observability. Assets and liabilities with readily available actively quoted prices or for which fair value can be measured from actively quoted prices generally will have a higher degree of pricing observability and a lesser degree of judgment utilized in measuring fair value. Conversely, assets and liabilities rarely traded or not quoted will generally have little or no pricing observability and a higher degree of judgment utilized in measuring fair value. Pricing observability is impacted by a number of factors, including the type of asset or liability, whether it is new to the market and not yet established, and the characteristics specific to the transaction. The fair value of mortgage loans is estimated using the Manager’s proprietary pricing model which estimates expected cash flows with the discount rate used in the present value calculation representing the estimated effective yield of the loan. The Company calculates the fair value for the senior debt consolidated on its balance sheet from securitization trusts by using the Company’s proprietary pricing model to estimate the cash flows expected to be generated from the underlying collateral with the discount rate used in the present value calculation representing an estimate of the average rate for debt instruments with similar durations and risk factors. Income taxes The Company elected REIT status upon the filing of its 2014 income tax return, and has conducted its operations in order to satisfy and maintain eligibility for REIT status. Accordingly, the Company does not believe it will be subject to U.S. federal income tax from the year ended December 31, 2014 forward on the portion of the Company’s REIT taxable income that is distributed to the Company’s stockholders as long as certain asset, income and stock ownership tests are met. If the Company fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, it generally will not be permitted to qualify for treatment as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification is lost. The Company may also be subject to state or local income or franchise taxes. Thetis TRS, GAJX Real Estate LLC, and any other TRS that the Company forms will be subject to U.S. federal and state income taxes. On February 22, 2016, the Company received a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service regarding the consequences of owning the interest in our Manager through its operating partnership. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which management expects those temporary differences to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period in which the change occurs. Subject to the Company’s judgment, it reduces a deferred tax asset by a valuation allowance if it is “more–likely-than-not” that some or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. Tax laws are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer and respective governmental taxing authorities. Significant judgment is required in evaluating tax positions, and the Company recognizes tax benefits only if it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination by the appropriate taxing authority. The Company evaluates tax positions taken in its consolidated financial statements under the interpretation for accounting for uncertainty in income taxes. As a result of this evaluation, the Company may recognize a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is “more-likely-than-not” that the tax position will be sustained on examination by taxing authorities. The Company’s tax returns remain subject to examination and consequently, the taxability of the distributions and other tax positions taken by the Company may be subject to change. Distributions to stockholders generally will be taxable as ordinary income, although a portion of such distributions may be designated as long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income, or may constitute a return of capital. The Company furnishes annually to each stockholder a statement setting forth distributions paid during the preceding year and their U.S. federal income tax treatment. Offering costs Costs associated with the Company’s completed offerings of shares of common stock have been netted against, and are reflected as a reduction in, additional paid-in capital. Segment information The Company’s primary business is acquiring, investing in and managing a portfolio of mortgage loans. The Company operates in a single segment focused on non-performing mortgages and re-performing mortgages. Emerging growth company Section 107 of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”) provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. The Company has elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. Its consolidated financial statements may, therefore, not be comparable to those of companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards. Reclassifications Certain amounts in the Company’s 2015 Consolidated Financial Statements have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on previously reported net income or equity. Recently adopted accounting standards In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02 Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis. These amendments: (1) modify the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities (“VIEs”) or voting interest entities; (2) eliminate the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership; (3) affect the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with VIEs, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships; and (4) provide a scope exception from consolidation guidance for reporting entities with interests in legal entities that are required to comply with or operate in accordance with requirements that are similar to those in Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 for registered money market funds. ASU 2015-02 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015. The Company implemented this amendment for the six months ended June 30, 2016. As a result of this implementation, there was no effect on the application of the Company’s consolidation policy. In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03 Interest – Imputation of Interest. The amendments in this update require that debt issuance costs be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of a debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. This guidance may be adopted retrospectively or under a modified retrospective method where the cumulative effect is recognized at the date of initial application. In June 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-15, which acknowledges that the scope of ASU 2015-03 does not include line-of-credit arrangements but indicates that the SEC staff would not object to an entity deferring and presenting debt issuance costs for a line-of-credit borrowing arrangement as an asset and subsequently amortizing the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement. The Company implemented this amendment during the three months ended March 31, 2016. The result of this implementation was a reduction of approximately $4.9 million on the balance sheet in Prepaid expenses and other assets, and an offsetting reduction of approximately $4.9 million in Secured borrowings, based on the Company’s balance sheet at March 31, 2016. There was no effect on the presentation of the Company’s Borrowings under repurchase agreement in its consolidated balance sheets as these borrowings are short-term in nature and as such are unaffected by the ASU. Additionally, there was no effect on consolidated net income, or equity. Recently issued accounting standards In May 2014, Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued ASU 2014-09 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2014-09 is a comprehensive new revenue recognition model requiring a company to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer at an amount reflecting the consideration it expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services . While ASU 2014-09 specifically references contracts with customers, it may apply to certain other transactions such as the sale of real estate or equipment. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01Financial Instruments – Overall. ASU 2016-01 addresses certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments. Specifically the guidance (1) requires equity investments to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in earnings, (2) simplifies the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable fair values by requiring a qualitative assessment to identify impairment, (3) eliminates the requirement to disclose the methods and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value that is required to be disclosed for financial instruments measured at amortized cost, (4) requires the use of the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes, (5) requires an entity to present separately in other comprehensive income the portion of the total change in fair value of a liability resulting from a change in the instrument-specific credit risk when the entity has elected to measure the liability at fair value in accordance with the fair value option, (6) requires separate presentation of financial assets and liabilities by measurement category and form on the balance sheet or the notes to the financial statements, and (7) clarifies that the need for a valuation allowance on a deferred tax asset related to an available-for-sale security should be evaluated with other deferred tax assets. This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on its consolidated financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-07 Investments – Equity Method and Joint Ventures which is intended to simplify the transition to the equity method of accounting. The guidance eliminates the retrospective application of the equity method of accounting when obtaining significant influence over a previously held investment. The guidance requires that an entity that has an available-for-sale equity security that becomes qualified for the equity method of accounting recognize through earnings the unrealized holding gain or loss in accumulated other comprehensive income at the date the investment becomes qualified for use of the equity method. This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on its consolidated financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09 Compensation – Stock Compensation. The guidance primarily simplifies the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including a new requirement to record all of the income tax effects at settlement or expiration through the income statement, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on its consolidated financial statements. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 Financial Instruments – Credit Losses. The main objective of this guidance is to provide financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments and other commitments to extend credit held by a reporting entity. To achieve this, the amendments in this guidance replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in current U.S. GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. Specifically, the amendments in this guidance requires a financial asset (or a group of financial assets) measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. The measurement of expected credit losses is based on relevant information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. An entity must use judgment in determining the relevant information and estimation meth |
