As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 14, 2021
Registration No. 333-251075
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
AMENDMENT NO. 2
TO
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
BROADMARK REALTY CAPITAL INC.
and
BRMK LENDING, LLC
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Maryland | 84-2620891 |
Delaware | 84-3547573 |
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2000
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 971-0800
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
(See Table of Additional Registrants for information regarding an additional guarantor registrant)
Nevin Boparai
Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer
1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2000
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 971-0800
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Eliot Robinson
Andrew Rodman
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
1201 W. Peachtree St., NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 572-6600
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this Registration Statement becomes effective.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ¨
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. x
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Broadmark Realty Capital Inc.
Large accelerated filer x | Accelerated filer ¨ | |
Non-accelerated filer ¨ | Smaller reporting company ¨ | |
Emerging growth company ¨ |
BRMK Lending, LLC
Large accelerated filer ¨ | Accelerated filer ¨ | |
Non-accelerated filer x | Smaller reporting company ¨ | |
Emerging growth company ¨ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.
Broadmark Realty Capital Inc. | ¨ |
BRMK Lending, LLC | ¨ |
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered | Amount to be Registered(1)(2) | Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Unit(1)(2) | Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1)(3) | Amount of Registration Fee(1)(3) | |||||||||||||
Broadmark Realty Capital Inc.: | |||||||||||||||||
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share | |||||||||||||||||
Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share | |||||||||||||||||
Depositary Shares, representing Preferred Stock | |||||||||||||||||
Debt Securities | |||||||||||||||||
Guarantees(4) | |||||||||||||||||
Warrants | |||||||||||||||||
BRMK Lending, LLC: | |||||||||||||||||
Debt Securities | |||||||||||||||||
Guarantees(4) | |||||||||||||||||
BRMK Management, Corp. | |||||||||||||||||
Guarantees(4) | |||||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 700,000,000 | – | $ | 700,000,000 | $ | 76,370 | (5) |
(1) | Information with respect to each class is omitted pursuant to General Instruction II.D of Form S-3. An indeterminate amount of common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, debt securities and warrants of Broadmark Realty Capital Inc., and debt securities of BRMK Lending, LLC are being registered as may from time to time be issued at indeterminate prices with an aggregate initial offering price not to exceed $700,000,000 or the equivalent thereof in one or more other currencies. The securities covered by this registration statement may be sold or otherwise distributed separately, together or as units with other securities covered by this registration statement. |
(2) | This registration statement also covers an indeterminate amount of common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, debt securities and warrants of Broadmark Realty Capital Inc., and debt securities of BRMK Lending, LLC, as may be issued upon conversion of, or in exchange for, or upon exercise of, or pursuant to, convertible or exchangeable securities that provide for exercise or conversion into or purchase of such securities. Separate consideration may or may not be received for securities that are issuable on exercise, conversion or exchange of other securities or that are represented by depositary shares of Broadmark Realty Capital Inc. |
(3) | The proposed maximum aggregate offering price for the securities has been estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and reflects the maximum aggregate offering price of securities that may be issued. |
(4) | BRMK Lending, LLC and BRMK Management, Corp. may fully and unconditionally guarantee the payment of principal of, and premium (if any), and interest on, the debt securities of Broadmark Realty Capital Inc. Broadmark Realty Capital Inc. will, and BRMK Management, Corp. may, fully and unconditionally guarantee the payment of principal of, and premium (if any), and interest on, the debt securities of BRMK Lending, LLC. Pursuant to Rule 457(n) under the Securities Act, no separate fee is payable with respect to the guarantees being registered hereby. |
(5) | Previously paid. |
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
Table of Additional Registrants(1)
(As Guarantors of the Debt Securities)
Exact Name of Registrants as specified in its Charter or Organizational Document | State of Incorporation or Organization | I.R.S. Employer Identification Number |
BRMK Management, Corp. | Delaware | 82-4173386 |
(1) | The address and telephone number for the additional registrant is c/o Broadmark Realty Capital Inc., 1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2000, Seattle, Washington 98101, and the telephone number, including area code, is (206) 971-0800. The name, address and telephone number for the agent for service is Nevin Boparai, c/o Broadmark Realty Capital Inc., 1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2000, Seattle, Washington 98101, and the telephone number, including area code, is (206) 971-0800. |
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities or accept an offer to buy these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and it is not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state where such offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION. DATED JANUARY 14, 2021
PROSPECTUS
$700,000,000
Broadmark Realty Capital Inc.
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Depositary Shares
Debt Securities
Guarantees
Warrants
BRMK Lending, LLC
Debt Securities
Guarantees
Broadmark Realty Capital Inc., a Maryland corporation, or Broadmark Realty, may offer, from time to time, in one or more offerings, together or separately, shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, shares of our preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, depositary shares representing shares of our preferred stock, debt securities and warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, shares of our preferred stock, depositary shares or debt securities, and BRMK Lending, LLC and BRMK Management, Corp., each a wholly-owned subsidiary of Broadmark Realty, may fully and unconditionally guarantee the principal of, and premium (if any) and interest on, any such debt securities. BRMK Lending, LLC may offer, from time to time, in one or more offerings, debt securities, and Broadmark Realty will, and Broadmark Management, Corp. may, fully and unconditionally guarantee the principal of, and premium (if any) and interest on, any such debt securities.
We will provide specific terms of each issuance of these securities in supplements to this prospectus. We may offer and sell these securities to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, on a continuous or delayed basis. You should read this prospectus and any supplement carefully before you decide to invest. This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of these securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “BRMK.” On January 13, 2021, the closing sale price of our common stock was $10.44. Our principal executive offices are located at 1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2000, Seattle, WA 98101, and our telephone number is (206) 971-0800.
We have elected to be treated as a real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2019. To assist us in complying with the limitations on ownership of a REIT imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, our Charter, among other restrictions, prohibits the beneficial or constructive ownership by any person of more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock, excluding any shares that are not treated as outstanding for federal income tax purposes. Our Board of Directors, in its sole and absolute discretion, may exempt a person, prospectively or retroactively, from this ownership limit if certain conditions are satisfied. You should read the information under the section entitled “Description of Capital Stock— Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer” in this prospectus for a description of these restrictions.
Investing in our securities involves significant risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 2 of this prospectus to read about factors you should consider before investing in our securities.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is , 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may, from time to time, offer and/or sell any of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings or resales. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the shares of common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, debt securities, guarantees of debt securities and warrants that we may offer. Each time we sell these securities using this prospectus, we may provide a prospectus supplement and attach it to this prospectus and may also provide you with a free writing prospectus, each of which containing more specific information about the offering and the securities being offered, including the names of any underwriters, the prices and our net proceeds from the sales of those securities. The prospectus supplement may also add, update, change or clarify information contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the information in the prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.
The rules of the SEC allow us to incorporate by reference information into this prospectus. This means that important information is contained in other documents that are considered to be a part of this prospectus. Additionally, information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. You should carefully read both this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement together with the additional information that is incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference in this prospectus. See “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” before making an investment in our securities described in this prospectus. This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of the documents referred to herein have been filed or will be filed or incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The registration statement, including the exhibits and documents incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference in this prospectus, can be read on the SEC website.
Neither the delivery of this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement nor any sale made using this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement implies that there has been no change in our affairs or that the information in this prospectus or in any applicable prospectus supplement is correct as of any date after their respective dates. You should not assume that the information included in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus prepared by us, is accurate as of any date other than the date(s) on the front covers of those documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
We are responsible for the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or a prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to give you different information, and if you are given any information that is not contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or a prospectus supplement, you must not rely on that information. We are not making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale of such securities is not permitted.
Except where the context requires otherwise, the terms “Broadmark Realty,” “company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Broadmark Realty Capital Inc., a Maryland corporation, and its subsidiaries.
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MARKET AND OTHER INDUSTRY DATA
This prospectus includes and incorporates by reference market data and industry forecasts and projections as well as our own estimates. We obtain certain market and industry data from publicly available industry publications. While this information is obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, we do not independently verify this information and the accuracy and completeness of the information is not guaranteed. Our estimates of potential market opportunities include several key assumptions based on our industry knowledge, industry publications, third-party research and other surveys, which may be based on a small sample size and may fail to accurately reflect market opportunities. While we believe that our internal assumptions are reasonable, no independent source has verified such assumptions.
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Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, or the context otherwise requires, certain capitalized terms used herein are defined as follows:
· | “BRELF II” refers to BRELF II, LLC, a Washington limited liability company. |
· | “BRELF III” refers to BRELF III, LLC, a Washington limited liability company. |
· | “BRELF IV” refers to BRELF IV, LLC, a Washington limited liability company. |
· | “Broadmark Realty,” “company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Broadmark Realty Capital Inc., a Maryland corporation, together with its consolidated subsidiaries following the Business Combination and refer to the Predecessor Company Group for periods prior to the Business Combination. |
· | “BRMK Lending” refers to BRMK Lending, LLC, a wholly owned direct subsidiary of ours and a limited liability company organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. |
· | “Business Combination” refers to that certain business combination contemplated by the Merger Agreement. |
· | “Company Private Placement Warrants” refers to warrants to purchase one share of our common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. |
· | “Exchange Act” refers to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. |
· | “Merger Agreement” refers to the certain Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of August 9, 2019, by and among Trinity, certain wholly owned subsidiaries thereof and the Predecessor Company Group. |
· | “MgCo I” refers to Pyatt Broadmark Management, LLC, a Washington limited liability company. |
· | “MgCo II” refers to Broadmark Real Estate Management II, LLC, a Washington limited liability company. |
· | “MgCo III” refers to Broadmark Real Estate Management III, LLC, a Washington limited liability company. |
· | “MgCo IV” refers to Broadmark Real Estate Management IV, LLC, a Washington limited liability company. |
· | “PBRELF I” refers to PBRELF I, LLC, a Washington limited liability company. |
· | “Predecessor Companies” refers to PBRELF I, BRELF II, BRELF III and BRELF IV. |
· | “Predecessor Company Group” refers to the Predecessor Management Companies and the Predecessor Companies. |
· | “Predecessor Management Companies” refers to MgCo I, MgCo II, MgCo III and MgCo IV. |
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· | “Private REIT” refers to Broadmark Private REIT, LLC, a newly organized real estate finance company sponsored by us and organized as a limited liability company under the laws of Delaware. |
· | “REIT” refers to a real estate investment trust as such term is defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. |
· | “Securities Act” refers to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
· | “Trinity” refers to Trinity Merger Corp., a Delaware corporation. |
v
Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “Broadmark Realty,” “company,” “we,” “us” and “our,” refer to Broadmark Realty Capital Inc., a Maryland corporation, together with its consolidated subsidiaries following the Business Combination and refer to the Predecessor Company Group for periods prior to the Business Combination.
This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making your investment decision. Before investing in our securities, you should carefully read this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus or other offering material that we authorize together with the documents incorporated by reference as described under “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” and the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”
Company Overview
We are an internally managed commercial real estate finance company that provides secured financing to real estate investors and developers. We have elected to be treated as a real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2019. Based in Seattle, Washington, we specialize in underwriting, funding, servicing and managing a portfolio of short-term, first deed of trust loans to fund the construction and development of, or investment in, residential or commercial properties. Historically, our portfolio of loans has primarily consisted of loans to fund the construction and development of residential properties, but we also make loans on commercial real estate projects. Our objective is to preserve and protect stockholder capital while producing attractive risk-adjusted returns primarily through dividends generated from current income from our loan portfolio. We believe our ability to quickly offer and finalize loan terms and expeditiously manage and fund ongoing construction draws provides us a competitive advantage over traditional funding sources as well as alternative lenders that may involve higher execution risk. We apply a disciplined underwriting approach to our loans, rooted in management’s deep understanding of real estate markets, property construction budgets and timelines and assessing borrower financial strength. We operate in select states that we believe have favorable demographic trends and provide us the ability to efficiently access the underlying collateral in the event of borrower default. As of September 30, 2020, our portfolio of active loans had approximately $1.2 billion of total commitments outstanding across borrowers in 13 states and the District of Columbia, of which our portion and the Private REIT’s portion of the total principal balance funded and outstanding was $874.4 million and $15.6 million, respectively. We refer to loans that have outstanding commitments or principal balances that have not been repaid or retired, including by foreclosure, as “active loans.” Total commitments refers to the aggregate sum of outstanding principal balances, construction holdbacks and committed amounts for future draws and interest reserves on our loans.
Business Combination
On November 14, 2019, we consummated the Business Combination combining the Predecessor Company Group and Trinity. Prior to the Business Combination, Trinity was a special purpose acquisition company listed on the Nasdaq Global Market that was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. As a result of the Business Combination, our shares of common stock were listed on the New York Stock Exchange on November 15, 2019.
On November 14, 2019, in connection with the Business Combination, we became a successor issuer to Trinity by operation of Rule 12g-3(a) promulgated under the Exchange Act.
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Investing in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement hereto before making a decision to invest in our securities. See “Where You Can Find More Information” below. The following summary of the principal risk factors should be read in conjunction with the more detailed information set forth under the “Risk Factors” section of the documents incorporated by reference herein or any prospectus supplement hereto.
· | The impact of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic and the measures implemented to contain the spread of the virus have had, and are expected to continue to have, a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
· | If we do not increase our working capital, we will not be able to grow our business. |
· | A prolonged economic slowdown, or lengthy or severe recession or declining real estate values, particularly in a market where our loans are concentrated, could increase loans in contractual default and impairments on the carrying value of our loans. |
· | Our inability to mitigate increases in loan default rates and our inability to manage loans in default could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation. |
· | Our inability to compete with other lenders, who may, among other things, be better capitalized than us, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation. |
· | Our inability to manage future growth effectively could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
· | Loss of one or more members of our senior management team or our inability to hire and retain qualified loan originators or grow and maintain our relationships with key loan brokers, may limit our ability to implement our business and growth strategies. |
· | We may be adversely affected by the economies and other conditions of the markets in which we operate, and in particular, that of certain states in which we have a high concentration of loans. |
· | We make short-term construction loans, which are subject to additional risks as compared to loans secured by existing structures or land. |
· | Our failure to qualify or maintain our status as a REIT, subjecting us to taxation as a regular “C” corporation, would reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders. |
· | Our inability to remediate certain material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting or the development or identification of a new material weakness could result in material misstatements of our financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. |
· | Certain provisions of Maryland law and our Charter could inhibit changes of control, which may discourage third parties from conducting a tender offer or seeking other change of control transactions that could involve a premium price for our common stock or that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interests. |
2
· | We could increase or decrease the number of authorized shares of stock, classify and reclassify unissued stock and issue stock without stockholder approval. |
The occurrence of any of these risks, or others disclosed in our periodic filings with the SEC, might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.
SUPPLEMENTAL GUARANTOR INFORMATION
If the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities provides that those debt securities will have the benefit of a guarantee by Broadmark Realty, BRMK Lending, or BRMK Management, Corp., then the debt securities will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the guarantor so indicated. The debt securities offered hereby to be issued by BRMK Lending will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Broadmark Realty. In the event of a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization of any of the non-guarantor subsidiaries of the issuer, the non-guarantor subsidiaries will pay the holders of their debt and their trade creditors before they will be able to distribute any of their assets to the issuer. The guarantees will be general obligations of each guarantor. The obligations of each guarantor under its guarantee will be limited as necessary to prevent that guarantee from constituting a fraudulent conveyance under applicable law. Guarantees guaranteeing subordinated debt would be subordinated to certain other debts as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
We have omitted summarized financial information for the issuers and guarantors of the securities offered hereby because the combined assets, liabilities and results of operations of the issuers and the guarantors are not materially different than the corresponding amounts presented in the consolidated financial statements of Broadmark Realty.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and the documents we incorporate by reference contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this prospectus, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, strategy and plans, and our expectations of future operations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the company’s current views with respect to, among other things, capital resources, portfolio performance and projected results of operations. Likewise, the company’s statements regarding anticipated growth in its operations, anticipated market conditions, demographics and results of operations are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of terminology such as “outlook,” “believes,” “expects,” “projects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates” or the negative version of these words or other comparable words or phrases.
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus and the documents we incorporate by reference are based on the company’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the company. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the company will be those that it has anticipated. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ include, but are not limited to:
· | the magnitude, duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; |
· | disruptions in our business operations, including construction lending activity, relating to COVID-19; |
· | adverse impact of COVID-19 on the value of our goodwill established in the Business Combination; |
· | the impact of actions taken by governments, businesses, and individuals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; |
· | the current and future health and stability of the economy and residential housing market, including any extended slowdown in the real estate markets as a result of COVID-19; |
· | changes in laws or regulations applicable to our business, employees, lending activities, including current and future laws, regulations and orders that limit our ability to operate in light of COVID-19; |
· | defaults by borrowers in paying debt service on outstanding indebtedness; |
· | the adequacy of collateral securing our loans and declines in the value of real estate property securing our loans; |
· | availability of origination and acquisition opportunities acceptable to us; |
· | potential mismatches in the timing of asset repayments and the maturity of the associated financing agreements; |
· | increased competition from entities engaged in construction lending activities; |
· | general economic uncertainty and the effect of general economic conditions on the real estate and real estate capital markets in particular; |
· | general and local commercial and residential real estate property conditions; |
· | changes in federal government policies; |
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· | changes in federal, state and local governmental laws and regulations that impact our business, assets or classification as a real estate investment trust; |
· | our ability to pay, maintain or grow the dividend in the future; |
· | changes in interest rates; |
· | the availability of, and costs associated with, sources of liquidity; |
· | the adequacy of our policies, procedures and systems for managing risks effectively; |
· | the ability to manage future growth; |
· | changes in personnel and availability of qualified personnel; and |
· | other risks and uncertainties set forth in this prospectus. |
Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
4
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds we receive from the sale of the securities offered by us under this prospectus for general corporate purposes, including to fund our lending activities. Further details relating to the use of net proceeds we receive from the offering of securities under this prospectus will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
5
In this section, references to “we,” “our,” and “us” refer only to Broadmark Realty Capital Inc., a Maryland corporation, and not our consolidated subsidiaries.
The following is a summary of the terms of our common stock and preferred stock, certain provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”) and provisions of our Charter and our Bylaws containing the material terms of our common stock and preferred stock, which are qualified in their entirety by reference to the MGCL, our Charter and Bylaws. We have filed copies of our Charter and Bylaws as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
When we offer to sell a particular class or series of stock, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a prospectus supplement. Accordingly, for a description of the terms of any class or series of stock, you must refer to both the prospectus supplement relating to that class or series and the description of stock in this prospectus. To the extent the information contained in the prospectus supplement differs from this summary description, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.
General
We have authorized for issuance a total of 600,000,000 shares of stock, consisting of 500,000,000 shares of common stock, and 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our Charter authorizes our Board, with the approval of a majority of the entire Board and without any action by our stockholders, to amend our Charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of stock or the number of authorized shares of stock of any class or series. Under Maryland law, stockholders generally are not liable for a corporation’s debts or obligations.
Common Stock
Subject to the preferential rights, if any, of holders of any other class or series of stock (including preferred stock) and to the provisions of our Charter regarding restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, holders of our common stock have the right to receive ratably any distributions from funds legally available therefor, when, as and if authorized by our Board and declared by us, and are entitled to share ratably in our assets legally available for distribution to the holders of common stock in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of affairs.
There generally are no redemption, sinking fund, conversion, preemptive or appraisal rights with respect to the common stock.
Subject to the provisions of our Charter regarding restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock and except as may otherwise be specified in the terms of any class or series of stock, each outstanding share of common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including the election of directors and, except as may be provided with respect to any other class or series of stock, the holders of such shares will possess the exclusive voting power.
Preferred Stock
We are authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock. As of the date of this prospectus, no shares of preferred stock are outstanding. Our Board has the authority, without further action by stockholders, to authorize us to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more class or series and to fix the number of shares, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers (including voting rights exclusive to such class or series), restrictions (including, without limitation, restrictions on transferability), limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption applicable to each such class or series of preferred stock. The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of making an attempt to gain control of us more difficult by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. The preferred stock, if issued, could have a preference on dividend payments that could affect our ability to make dividend distributions to common stockholders.
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A prospectus supplement relating to any class or series of preferred stock being offered will include specific terms relating to the offering. They will include, where applicable:
· | the title and par value of the preferred stock; |
· | the number of shares of the preferred stock offered, the liquidation preference per share and the offering price of the preferred stock; |
· | the dividend rate(s), period(s) and/or payment date(s) or method(s) of calculation thereof applicable to the preferred stock; |
· | whether dividends will be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends on the preferred stock shall accumulate; |
· | the procedures for an auction and remarketing, if any, of the preferred stock; |
· | the provisions for a sinking fund, if any, for the preferred stock; |
· | any voting rights of the preferred stock; |
· | the provisions for redemption, if applicable, of the preferred stock; |
· | any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange; |
· | information with respect to book-entry registration procedures, if any; |
· | the terms and conditions, if applicable, upon which the preferred stock will be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock, preferred stock or other securities including the conversion price or the manner of calculating the conversion price and conversion period; |
· | if appropriate, a discussion of federal income tax consequences applicable to the preferred stock; |
· | any limitations on direct or beneficial ownership and restrictions on transfer, in each case as may be appropriate to assist us in qualifying as a REIT or otherwise; |
· | the priority of the preferred stock with all class or series of preferred stock ranking on a parity with each other unless otherwise specified in our Charter and that the preferred stock will rank senior to common stock with respect to payment of dividends and distribution of assets upon liquidation; and |
· | any other specific terms, preferences, rights, limitations or restrictions on the preferred stock. |
Conversion or Exchange
The terms, if any, on which shares of our preferred stock may be convertible into or exchangeable for shares of our common stock, preferred stock or other securities will be stated in the prospectus supplement relating to the preferred stock. The terms will include provisions as to whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option, and may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of our common stock or other securities to be received by the holders of preferred stock would be subject to adjustment.
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Power to Reclassify and Issue Stock
Our Board may classify any unissued shares of preferred stock, and reclassify any unissued shares of common stock or any previously classified but unissued shares of any preferred stock into other classes or series of stock, including one or more classes or series of stock that have priority over common stock with respect to voting rights or distributions or upon liquidation, and authorize us to issue the newly classified shares. Prior to the issuance of shares of each class or series, our Board is required by the MGCL and our Charter to set, subject to the provisions of our Charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption for each such class or series. These actions can be taken without stockholder approval, unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law, the terms of any other class or series of our stock, or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our stock may be then listed or quoted.
Power to Increase or Decrease Authorized Stock and Issue Additional Shares of Common Stock and Preferred Stock
The power of our Board, without stockholder action, to increase or decrease the number of authorized shares of stock and to classify or reclassify unissued shares of common stock or our preferred stock and thereafter to cause us to issue such shares of stock will provide us with increased flexibility in structuring possible future financings and acquisitions and in meeting other needs which might arise. The additional classes or series, as well as the additional shares of stock, will be available for future issuance without further action by our stockholders, unless such action is required by applicable law, the terms of any other class or series of stock, or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our securities may be listed or traded. Our Board could authorize us to issue a class or series of stock that could, depending upon the terms of the particular class or series, delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control of us that might involve a premium price for shares of common stock owned by our stockholders or otherwise be in their best interests.
Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer
In order to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), our shares of common stock must be beneficially owned by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made) or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Also, not more than 50% of the value of the outstanding shares of our capital stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain entities) during the last half of a taxable year (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made). Our Charter contains restrictions on the ownership and transfer of our stock that are intended to assist us in complying with these requirements and qualifying as a REIT, among other reasons. The relevant sections of our Charter provide that, subject to the exceptions described below, no person or entity may actually or beneficially own, or be deemed to own by virtue of the applicable constructive ownership provisions of the Code, more than 9.8% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock, excluding any shares of capital stock that are not treated as outstanding for federal income tax purposes. This restriction is referred to herein as the “ownership limit.” A person or entity that would have acquired actual, beneficial or constructive ownership of our stock but for the application of the ownership limit or any of the other restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock discussed below is referred to as a “prohibited owner.”
The constructive ownership rules under the Code are complex and may cause stock owned actually or constructively by a group of related individuals and/or entities to be owned constructively by one individual or entity. As a result, the acquisition of less than 9.8% of any class or series of our capital stock (or the acquisition of an interest in an entity that owns, actually or constructively, any class or series of our capital stock) by an individual or entity could, nevertheless, cause that individual or entity, or another individual or entity, to own constructively in excess of 9.8% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding shares of such class or series of our capital stock and thereby violate the ownership limit.
Our Charter provides that our Board, subject to certain limits, upon receipt of a request that complies with the requirements of our Charter and any policy adopted by our Board, may retroactively or prospectively exempt a person from the ownership limit and establish a different limit on ownership for such person.
As a condition of the exception, our Board may require (i) such representations and/or undertakings as it may deem necessary or prudent; and (ii) an opinion of counsel or Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) ruling, in either case in form and substance satisfactory to it, in order to protect, determine or ensure our status as a REIT. Notwithstanding the receipt of any ruling or opinion, our Board may impose such conditions or restrictions as it deems appropriate in connection with such an exception.
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Our Board may increase or decrease the ownership limit of any class or series of our capital stock for one or more persons, except that a decreased ownership limit will not be effective for any person whose actual, beneficial or constructive ownership of our stock exceeds the decreased ownership limit at the time of the decrease until the person’s actual, beneficial or constructive ownership of the applicable class or series of our capital stock equals or falls below the decreased ownership limit, although any further acquisition of such class or series of our capital stock (other than by a previously exempted person) will violate the decreased ownership limit. Our Board may not increase or decrease the ownership limit if the new ownership limit would allow five or fewer persons to actually or beneficially own in the aggregate more than 49.9% in value of our outstanding stock or would cause us to be “closely held” under Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a taxable year) or otherwise cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT.
Our Charter further prohibits any person from:
· | beneficially or constructively owning shares of our capital stock to the extent that such beneficial or constructive ownership would result in us being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of the taxable year); |
· | transferring shares of our capital stock to the extent that such transfer would result in shares of our capital stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons (determined under the principles of Section 856(a)(5) of the Code); or |
· | beneficially or constructively owning or transferring shares of our capital stock if such beneficial or constructive ownership or transfer would otherwise cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT under the Code. |
Any attempted transfer of shares of our capital stock or other event which, if effective, would violate any of the restrictions described above will result in the number of shares of our capital stock causing the violation (rounded up to the nearest whole share) to be automatically transferred to a trust for the exclusive benefit of one or more charitable beneficiaries, except that any transfer that results in the violation of the restriction relating to shares of our capital stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons will be void ab initio. In either case, the prohibited owner will not acquire any rights in those shares. The automatic transfer will be deemed to be effective as of the close of business on the business day prior to the date of the purported transfer or other event that results in the transfer to the trust. Shares held in the trust will be issued and outstanding shares. The prohibited owner will not benefit economically from ownership of any shares held in the trust, will have no rights to dividends or other distributions and will have no rights to vote or other rights attributable to the shares held in the trust. The trustee of the trust will have all voting rights and rights to dividends or other distributions with respect to shares held in the trust. These rights will be exercised for the exclusive benefit of the charitable beneficiary. Any dividend or other distribution paid prior to our discovery that shares have been transferred to the trust will be paid by the recipient to the trustee upon demand. Any dividend or other distribution authorized but unpaid will be paid when due to the trustee. Any dividend or other distribution paid to the trustee will be held in trust for the charitable beneficiary. Subject to Maryland law, effective as of the date the shares are transferred to the trust, the trustee will have the authority (at the trustee’s sole and absolute discretion) (i) to rescind as void any vote cast by the prohibited owner prior to our discovery that the shares have been transferred to the trust and (ii) to recast the vote in accordance with the desires of the trustee acting for the benefit of the charitable beneficiary. However, if we have already taken irreversible corporate action, then the trustee will not have the authority to rescind and recast the vote.
Within 20 days of receiving notice from us that shares of our stock have been transferred to the trust, the trustee will sell the shares to a person, designated by the trustee, whose ownership of the shares will not violate the above ownership limitations. Upon the sale, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the prohibited owner and to the charitable beneficiary as follows. The prohibited owner will receive the lesser of (i) the price paid by the prohibited owner for the shares or, if the prohibited owner did not give value for the shares in connection with the event causing the shares to be held in the trust (e.g., a gift, devise or other similar transaction), the market price (as defined in our Charter) of the shares on the day of the event causing the shares to be held in the trust and (ii) the price per share received by the trustee (net of any commission and other expenses of sale) from the sale or other disposition of the shares. The trustee may reduce the amount payable to the prohibited owner by the amount of dividends or other distributions paid to the prohibited owner and owed by the prohibited owner to the trustee. Any net sale proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the prohibited owner will be paid immediately to the charitable beneficiary. If, prior to our discovery that shares of our stock have been transferred to the trustee, the shares are sold by the prohibited owner, then (i) the shares shall be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the trust and (ii) to the extent that the prohibited owner received an amount for the shares that exceeds the amount he, she or it was entitled to receive, the excess shall be paid to the trustee upon demand.
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In addition, shares of our stock held in the trust will be deemed to have been offered for sale to us, or our designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (i) the price per share in the transaction that resulted in the transfer to the trust (or, in the case of a devise or gift, the market price at the time of the devise or gift) and (ii) the market price on the date we, or our designee, accepts the offer, which we may reduce by the amount of dividends and distributions paid to the prohibited owner and owed by the prohibited owner to the trustee. We may pay the amount of such reduction to the trustee for the benefit of the charitable beneficiary. We will have the right to accept the offer until the trustee has sold the shares. Upon a sale to us or our designee, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the prohibited owner.
If a transfer to a charitable trust, as described above, would be ineffective for any reason to prevent a violation of the ownership and transfer restrictions, the transfer that would have resulted in a violation will be void ab initio, and the prohibited owner shall acquire no rights in those shares.
Any certificate representing shares of our capital stock, and any notices delivered in lieu of certificates with respect to the issuance or transfer of uncertificated shares, will (i) bear a legend referring to the restrictions described above or (ii) state that we will furnish a full statement about the above restrictions on ownership and transfer to a stockholder on request and without charge.
Any person who acquires or attempts or intends to acquire beneficial or constructive ownership of shares of our capital stock that will or may violate any of the foregoing restrictions on transferability and ownership, or any person who would have owned shares of our capital stock that resulted in a transfer of shares to a charitable trust, is required to give written notice immediately to us or, in the case of a proposed or attempted transaction, to give at least 15 days’ prior written notice, and provide us with such other information as we may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of the transfer on our status as a REIT. The foregoing restrictions on transferability and ownership will not apply if our Board determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT.
Every beneficial owner of 5% or more (or any lower percentage as required by the Code or the regulations promulgated thereunder) of the outstanding shares of our capital stock, within 30 days after the end of each taxable year, is required to give us written notice stating his, her or its name and address, the number of shares of each class and series of shares of our capital stock that he, she or it beneficially owns and a description of the manner in which the shares are held. Each of these owners must provide us with additional information that we may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of his, her or its beneficial ownership on our status as a REIT and to ensure compliance with the ownership limit. In addition, each stockholder (including the stockholder of record) will, upon demand, be required to provide us with information we may request in order to determine our status as a REIT and to comply with the requirements of any taxing authority or governmental authority or to determine our compliance.
These ownership limitations could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control of us that might involve a premium price for shares of common stock owned by our stockholders or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.
Transfer Agent
The transfer agent for the common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.
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Certain Provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law and our Charter and Bylaws
Although the following summary describes certain provisions of Maryland law and the material provisions of our Charter and our Bylaws, it is not a complete description of our Charter and Bylaws. You should review copies of these documents, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement to which this prospectus is a part.
Our Board of Directors
Our Charter and Bylaws provide that our number of directors may be established, increased or decreased only by our Board, but may not be less than the minimum number required under the MGCL, which is one, or, unless the Bylaws are amended, more than fifteen. We have elected by a provision in our Charter to be subject to a provision of Maryland law requiring that, subject to the rights of holders of one or more classes or series of preferred stock, any vacancy on our Board may be filled only by a majority of the remaining directors, even if the remaining directors do not constitute a quorum, and any director elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the full term of the directorship in which such vacancy occurred and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies.
Each member of our Board is elected by our stockholders to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies. Holders of shares of common stock will have no right to cumulative voting in the election of directors, and directors will be elected by a majority of the votes cast for each nominee for director (except in contested elections, in which case a plurality of the votes cast will be required for election). Consequently, at each annual meeting of stockholders, the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock will be able to elect all of the directors.
Removal of Directors
Our Charter provides that, subject to the rights of holders of one or more classes or series of preferred stock to elect or remove one or more directors, a director may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause (as defined in our Charter), and then only by the affirmative vote of holders of shares entitled to cast at least two-thirds of all of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors. This provision, when coupled with the exclusive power of our Board to fill vacant directorships, may preclude stockholders from removing incumbent directors except for cause and by a substantial affirmative vote and from filling the vacancies created by such removal with their own nominees.
Resignation Policy for Directors
Each nominee for director shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast. A majority of the votes cast means the affirmative vote of a majority of the total votes cast “for” and “against” such nominee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a nominee for director shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast if the number of nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected. Our Board has adopted a policy regarding the election of directors in uncontested elections. Pursuant to such policy, if an incumbent director fails to receive a majority of the votes cast in an uncontested election, he or she must offer to resign from our Board. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider such offer to resign, will determine whether to accept such director’s resignation and will submit such recommendation for consideration by our Board. Our Board will take formal action to determine whether to accept the resignation and we will publicly disclose, in a press release, filing with the SEC or by other public announcement (including through a posting on our website), the decision of our Board no later than 90 days following our certification of the stockholder vote.
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Business Combinations
Under the MGCL, certain “business combinations” (including a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities) between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder (i.e., any person (other than the corporation or any subsidiary) who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock after the date on which the corporation had 100 or more beneficial owners of its stock, or an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period immediately prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding stock of the corporation after the date on which the corporation had 100 or more beneficial owners of its stock) or an affiliate of an interested stockholder, are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Thereafter, any such business combination between the Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder generally must be recommended by the board of directors of such corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least (1) 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation and (2) two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of the corporation other than shares held by the interested stockholder with whom (or with whose affiliate) the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder, unless, among other conditions, the corporation’s common stockholders receive a minimum price (as defined in the MGCL) for their shares and the consideration is received in cash or in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares. A person is not an interested stockholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which the person otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. The board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions it determines.
The statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by the board of directors prior to the time that the interested stockholder became an interested stockholder. As permitted by the MGCL, our Board has adopted a resolution exempting any business combination between us and any other person from the provisions of this statute, provided that the business combination is first approved by a majority of our directors (including a majority of directors who are not affiliates or associates of such persons). However, our Board may repeal or modify this resolution at any time in the future, in which case the applicable provisions of this statute will become applicable to business combinations between us and interested stockholders.
Control Share Acquisitions
The MGCL provides that holders of “control shares” of a Maryland corporation acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights with respect to those shares except to the extent approved by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by stockholders entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, excluding votes cast by (1) the person who makes or proposes to make a control share acquisition, (2) an officer of the corporation or (3) an employee of the corporation who is also a director of the corporation. “Control shares” are voting shares of stock which, if aggregated with all other such shares of stock previously acquired by the acquirer or in respect of which the acquirer is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting power: (1) one-tenth or more but less than one-third, (2) one-third or more but less than a majority or (3) a majority or more of all voting power. Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval. A “control share acquisition” means the acquisition of issued and outstanding control shares, subject to certain exceptions.
A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition, upon satisfaction of certain conditions (including an undertaking to pay expenses), may compel the board of directors to call a special meeting of stockholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights of the shares. If no request for a meeting is made, the corporation may itself present the question at any stockholders meeting.
If voting rights of control shares are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the statute, then, subject to certain conditions and limitations, the corporation may redeem any or all of the control shares (except those for which voting rights have previously been approved) for fair value determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquirer or, if a meeting of stockholders is held at which the voting rights of such shares is considered and not approved, as of the date of such meeting. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a stockholders meeting and the acquirer becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other stockholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of such appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquirer in the control share acquisition.
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The control share acquisition statute does not apply to, among other things, (1) shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or (2) acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or the bylaws of the corporation.
Our Bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute any acquisition by any person of shares of our capital stock. There can be no assurance that such provision will not be amended or eliminated at any time in the future by our Board.
Subtitle 8
Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL (“Subtitle 8”) permits a Maryland corporation with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent directors to elect to be subject, by provision in such corporation’s charter or bylaws or a resolution of its board of directors, without stockholder approval, and notwithstanding any contrary provision in such corporation’s charter or bylaws, to any or all of five provisions of the MGCL which provide, respectively, that:
· | the corporation’s board of directors will be divided into three classes; |
· | the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast in the election of directors generally is required to remove a director; |
· | the number of directors may be fixed only by vote of the directors; |
· | a vacancy on the board of directors may be filled only by the remaining directors and that directors elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred; and |
· | the request of stockholders entitled to cast at least a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting is required for the calling of a special meeting of stockholders. |
We have elected in our Charter to be subject to the provision of Subtitle 8 providing that vacancies on our board may be filled only by the remaining directors, even if such remaining directors do not constitute a quorum. We have not elected to be subject to any of the other provisions of Subtitle 8, including the provisions that would permit us to classify our Board without stockholder approval. Moreover, our Charter provides that we may not elect to classify our Board through the provisions of Subtitle 8 without the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the matter by our stockholders entitled to vote generally in the election of directors. In addition, without having elected to be subject to Subtitle 8, our Charter and Bylaws already (1) require the affirmative vote of holders of shares entitled to cast at least two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors to remove a director from our Board, (2) vest in our Board the exclusive power to fix the number of directors and (3) require, unless called by the Chairman of our Board, the President, the Chief Executive Officer or our Board, the request of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting to call a special meeting of stockholders. Our Board is not currently classified.
Meetings of Stockholders
Pursuant to our Bylaws, an annual meeting of our stockholders for the purpose of the election of directors and the transaction of any business as may properly be brought before the meeting will be held on a date and at the time and place set by our Board. Each of our directors is elected by our stockholders to serve until the next annual meeting following his or her election and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies under Maryland law. In addition, the Chairman of our Board, the President, the Chief Executive Officer or our Board may call a special meeting of our stockholders. Subject to the provisions of the Bylaws, a special meeting of our stockholders to act on any matter that may properly be considered by them will also be called by our Secretary upon the written request of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting on such matter, accompanied by the information required by our Bylaws. Our Secretary will inform the requesting stockholders of the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and mailing the notice of meeting (including any proxy materials), and the requesting stockholder(s) must pay such estimated cost before our Secretary may prepare and mail the notice of the special meeting.
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Amendments to the Charter and the Bylaws
Under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation generally cannot amend its charter unless approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter unless a lesser percentage (but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) is set forth in the corporation’s charter. Except for certain provisions related to the removal of directors and the vote required to amend those provisions (which must be declared advisable by our Board and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast not less than two-thirds of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter), our Charter generally may be amended only if the amendment is declared advisable by our Board and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Our Board, with the approval of a majority of our entire Board, and without any action by the stockholders, may also amend our Charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series we are authorized to issue. Our Board may also amend our Charter to change our name or make certain other ministerial changes without stockholder approval.
Our Board has the exclusive power to adopt, amend or repeal any provision of our Bylaws and to make new bylaws.
Extraordinary Transactions
Under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation generally cannot dissolve, merge, convert, transfer all or substantially all of its assets, engage in a statutory share exchange or engage in similar transactions outside the ordinary course of business unless declared advisable by the board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter unless a lesser percentage (but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) is set forth in the corporation’s charter. As permitted by the MGCL, our Charter provides that any of these actions may be approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.
No Appraisal Rights
Our Charter provides that our stockholders generally will not be entitled to exercise statutory appraisal rights.
Advance Notice of Director Nominations and New Business
Our Bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders, nominations of individuals for election to our Board and the proposal of other business to be considered by the stockholders at an annual meeting of stockholders may be made only (1) pursuant to a notice of the meeting, (2) by or at the direction of our Board or (3) by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record at the record date for the meeting, at the time of giving of notice and at the time of the meeting (and any postponement or adjournment thereof), who is entitled to vote at the meeting on the election of each individual so nominated or such other business and who has complied with the advance notice procedures set forth in our Bylaws, including a requirement to provide certain information about the stockholder and its affiliates and the nominee or business proposal, as applicable. To be timely, such notice shall be delivered to our Secretary at our principal executive office not earlier than the 150th day nor later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the 120th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of the proxy statement for the preceding year’s annual meeting.
With respect to special meetings of stockholders, only the business specified in the notice of the meeting may be brought before the meeting. Nominations of individuals for election to our Board may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected only (1) by or at the direction of our Board or (2) provided that the special meeting has been properly called by our Board or a duly authorized officer in accordance with the Bylaws for the purpose of electing directors, by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record at the record date for the meeting, at the time of giving of notice and at the time of the meeting (or any postponement or adjournment thereof), who is entitled to vote at the meeting on the election of each individual so nominated and who has complied with the advance notice provisions set forth in the Bylaws, including a requirement to provide certain information about the stockholder and its affiliates and the nominee.
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Anti-Takeover Effect of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and Our Charter and Bylaws
Our Charter and Bylaws and Maryland law contain provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a change in control of us or other transaction that might involve a premium price for holders of shares of common stock owned by our stockholders or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders, including:
· | supermajority vote and cause requirements for removal of directors; |
· | the requirement that stockholders holding at least a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock must act together to make a written request before our stockholders can require us to call a special meeting of stockholders; |
· | provisions requiring that vacancies on our Board may be filled only by the remaining directors for the full term of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred; |
· | the power of our Board, without stockholder approval, to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of stock or the number of shares of any class or series of stock; |
· | the exclusive power of our Board to amend our Bylaws; |
· | the power of our Board to cause us to issue additional shares of stock of any class or series and to fix the terms of one or more classes or series of stock without stockholder approval; |
· | the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our capital stock; and |
· | advance notice requirements for director nominations and stockholder proposals. |
Likewise, if the resolution opting out of the business combination provisions of the MGCL is repealed, or the business combination is not approved by our Board, or the provision in our Bylaws opting out of the control share acquisition provisions of the MGCL was rescinded, these provisions of the MGCL could have similar anti-takeover effects.
Exclusive Forum
Our Bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, or, if that court does not have jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Northern Division, will be the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any Internal Corporate Claim, as such term is defined in the MGCL, (b) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf (other than actions arising under federal securities laws), (c) any action asserting a claim of breach of any duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or to our stockholders, (d) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or other employees arising pursuant to any provision of the MGCL or our Charter or our Bylaws or (e) any other action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or other employees that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This provision does not cover claims made by stockholders pursuant to the securities laws of the United States, or any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder.
Limitation of Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision eliminating the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages, except for liability resulting from (1) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (2) active and deliberate dishonesty that is established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action. Our Charter contains a provision that eliminates such liability to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
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The MGCL requires a corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which our Charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made, or threatened to be made, a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity. The MGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to or in which they may be made, or threatened to be made, a party or witness by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:
· | the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (1) was committed in bad faith or (2) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty; |
· | the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or |
· | in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. |
However, under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received. Nevertheless, a court may order indemnification in either case if it determines that the director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, but only for expenses. In addition, the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon its receipt of:
· | a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation; and |
· | a written undertaking by the director or officer or on the director’s or officer’s behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the director or officer did not meet the standard of conduct. |
Our Charter obligates us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, to indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of such a proceeding to:
· | any of our present or former director or officer who is made, or threatened to be made, a party to, or witness in, the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity; or |
· | any individual who, while our director or officer and at our request, serves or has served as a director, officer, trustee, member, manager or partner of another corporation, real estate investment trust, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made, or threatened to be made, a party to, or witness in, the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity. |
Our Charter also permits us, with the approval of our Board, to indemnify and advance expenses to any individual who served as our predecessor in any of the capacities described above and to any employee or agent of ours or any of our predecessors.
We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers that provide for indemnification to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
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REIT Qualification
Our Charter provides that our Board may revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without approval of our stockholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT.
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DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES
We may elect to offer depositary shares rather than full shares of preferred stock. Each depositary share will represent ownership of and entitlement to all rights and preferences of a fraction of a share of preferred stock of a specified class or series (including dividend, voting, redemption and liquidation rights). The applicable fraction will be specified in a prospectus supplement. The shares of preferred stock represented by the depositary shares will be deposited with a depositary named in the applicable prospectus supplement, under a deposit agreement, among us, the depositary and the holders of the certificates evidencing depositary shares, or depositary receipts. Depositary receipts will be delivered to those persons purchasing depositary shares in the offering. The depositary will be the transfer agent, registrar and dividend disbursing agent for the depositary shares. Holders of depositary receipts agree to be bound by the deposit agreement, which requires holders to take certain actions such as filing proof of residence and paying certain charges.
The summary of the terms of the depositary shares contained in this prospectus does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the provisions of the deposit agreement, our Charter and the form of articles supplementary that are, or will be, filed with the SEC for the applicable class or series of preferred stock.
Dividends
The depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash distributions received in respect of the class or series of preferred stock represented by the depositary shares to the record holders of depositary receipts in proportion to the number of depositary shares owned by such holders on the relevant record date, which will be the same date as the record date fixed by us for the applicable class or series of preferred stock. The depositary, however, will distribute only such amount as can be distributed without attributing to any depositary share a fraction of one cent, and any balance not so distributed will be added to and treated as part of the next sum received by the depositary for distribution to record holders of depositary receipts then outstanding.
In the event of a distribution other than in cash, the depositary will distribute property received by it to the record holders of depositary receipts entitled thereto, in proportion, as nearly as may be practicable, to the number of depositary shares owned by such holders on the relevant record date, unless the depositary determines (after consultation with us) that it is not feasible to make such distribution, in which case the depositary may (with our approval) adopt any other method for such distribution as it deems equitable and appropriate, including the sale of such property (at such place or places and upon such terms as it may deem equitable and appropriate) and distribution of the net proceeds from such sale to such holders.
No distribution will be made in respect of any depositary share to the extent that it represents any preferred stock transferred to a trust for the benefit of one or more charitable beneficiaries. See “Description of Capital Stock--Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer”.
Liquidation Preference
In the event of the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of our company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of each depositary share will be entitled to the fraction of the liquidation preference accorded each share of the applicable class or series of preferred stock as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Redemption
If the class or series of preferred stock represented by the applicable series of depositary shares is redeemable, such depositary shares will be redeemed from the proceeds received by the depositary resulting from the redemption, in whole or in part, of the preferred stock held by the depositary. Whenever we redeem any preferred stock held by the depositary, the depositary will redeem as of the same redemption date the number of depositary shares representing the shares of preferred stock so redeemed. The depositary will mail the notice of redemption promptly upon receipt of such notice from us and not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for redemption of the preferred stock and the depositary shares to the record holders of the depositary receipts.
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Voting
Promptly upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of the class or series of preferred stock represented by the applicable series of depositary shares are entitled to vote, the depositary will mail the information contained in such notice of meeting to the record holders of the depositary receipts as of the record date for such meeting. Each such record holder of depositary receipts will be entitled to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the number of shares of preferred stock represented by such record holder’s depositary shares. The depositary will endeavor, insofar as practicable, to vote such preferred stock represented by such depositary shares in accordance with such instructions, and we will agree to take all action which may be deemed necessary by the depositary in order to enable the depositary to do so. The depositary will abstain from voting any of the preferred stock to the extent that it does not receive specific instructions from the holders of depositary receipts.
Withdrawal of Preferred Stock
Upon surrender of depositary receipts at the principal office of the depositary and payment of any unpaid amount due the depositary, and subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, the owner of the depositary shares evidenced thereby is entitled to delivery of the number of whole shares of preferred stock and all money and other property, if any, represented by such depositary shares. Partial shares of preferred stock will not be issued. If the depositary receipts delivered by the holder evidence a number of depositary shares in excess of the number of depositary shares representing the number of whole shares of preferred stock to be withdrawn, the depositary will deliver to such holder at the same time a new depositary receipt evidencing such excess number of depositary shares. Holders of preferred stock thus withdrawn will not thereafter be entitled to deposit such shares under the deposit agreement or to receive depositary receipts evidencing depositary shares therefor.
Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement
The form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the deposit agreement may at any time and from time to time be amended by agreement between us and the depositary. However, any amendment which materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders (other than any change in fees) of depositary shares will not be effective unless such amendment has been approved by at least a majority of the depositary shares then outstanding. No such amendment may impair the right, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, of any owner of any depositary shares to surrender the depositary receipt evidencing such depositary shares with instructions to the depositary to deliver to the holder of the preferred stock and all money and other property, if any, represented thereby, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law.
The deposit agreement will be permitted to be terminated by us upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice to the applicable depositary if (1) such termination is necessary to preserve our status as a REIT or (2) a majority of each class or series of preferred stock affected by such termination consents to such termination, whereupon such depositary will be required to deliver or make available to each holder of depositary receipts, upon surrender of the depositary receipts held by such holder, such number of whole or fractional shares of preferred stock as are represented by the depositary shares evidenced by such depositary receipts together with any other property held by such depositary with respect to such depositary receipts. We will agree that if the deposit agreement is terminated to preserve our status as a REIT, then we will use our best efforts to list the preferred stock issued upon surrender of the related depositary shares on a national securities exchange. In addition, the deposit agreement will automatically terminate if (a) all outstanding depositary shares thereunder shall have been redeemed, (b) there shall have been a final distribution in respect of the related preferred stock in connection with any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our company and such distribution shall have been distributed to the holders of depositary receipts evidencing the depositary shares representing such preferred stock or (c) each share of the related preferred stock shall have been converted into stock of our company not so represented by depositary shares.
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Charges of the Depositary
We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of the depositary arrangements. We will pay charges of the depositary in connection with the initial deposit of the preferred stock and initial issuance of the depositary shares, and redemption of the preferred stock and all withdrawals of preferred stock by owners of depositary shares. Holders of depositary receipts will pay transfer, income and other taxes and governmental charges and certain other charges as are provided in the deposit agreement to be for their accounts. In certain circumstances, the depositary may refuse to transfer depositary shares, may withhold dividends and distributions and sell the depositary shares evidenced by such depositary receipt if such charges are not paid. The applicable prospectus supplement will include information with respect to fees and charges, if any, in connection with the deposit or substitution of the underlying securities, the receipt and distribution of dividends, the sale or exercise of rights, the withdrawal of the underlying security, and the transferring, splitting or grouping of receipts. The applicable prospectus supplement will also include information with respect to the right to collect the fees and charges, if any, against dividends received and deposited securities.
Miscellaneous
The depositary will forward to the holders of depositary receipts all notices, reports and proxy soliciting material from us which are delivered to the depositary and which we are required to furnish to the holders of the preferred stock. In addition, the depositary will make available for inspection by holders of depositary receipts at the principal office of the depositary, and at such other places as it may from time to time deem advisable, any notices, reports and proxy soliciting material received from us which are received by the depositary as the holder of preferred stock. The applicable prospectus supplement will include information about the rights, if any, of holders of receipts to inspect the transfer books of the depositary and the list of holders of receipts.
Neither the depositary nor the company assumes any obligation, or will be subject to any liability under the deposit agreement, to holders of depositary receipts other than for its negligence or willful misconduct. Neither the depositary nor our company will be liable if it is prevented or delayed by law or any circumstance beyond its control in performing its obligations under the deposit agreement. The obligations of our company and the depositary under the deposit agreement will be limited to performance in good faith of their duties thereunder, and they will not be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in respect of any depositary shares or preferred stock unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. The company and the depositary may rely on written advice of counsel or accountants, on information provided by holders of the depositary receipts or other persons believed in good faith to be competent to give such information and on documents believed to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.
In the event the depositary shall receive conflicting claims, requests or instructions from any holders of depositary receipts, on the one hand, and us, on the other hand, the depositary shall be entitled to act on such claims, requests or instructions received from us.
Resignation and Removal of Depositary
The depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its election to do so, and we may at any time remove the depositary, any such resignation or removal to take effect upon the appointment of a successor depositary. A successor depositary must be appointed within 60 days after delivery of the notice of resignation or removal and must be a bank or trust company having its principal office in the United States and that meets certain combined capital and surplus requirements.
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
We may issue debt securities of Broadmark Realty or BRMK Lending. This section describes the general terms and provisions of such debt securities. For purposes hereof, references to the issuer means either Broadmark Realty or BRMK Lending, as applicable. The prospectus supplement relating to any offering of debt securities will describe more specific terms of the debt securities being offered, including the designation of the series, the aggregate principal amount being offered, the initial offering price, the interest rate and any redemption, purchase or conversion rights and any general terms described in this section that will not apply to those debt securities.
The summary set forth below does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable base indenture referred to below and the supplemental indenture (including the form of debt security) relating to the applicable series of debt securities, the form of each of which is or will be filed or incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and incorporated by reference herein. You should read the applicable base indenture and supplemental indenture (including the applicable form of debt security) for additional information before you buy any debt securities of the issuer.
The debt securities will be direct unsecured general obligations of the issuer and may include debentures, notes, bonds or other evidences of indebtedness. The debt securities may be senior or subordinated and will be issued under one or more indentures among the issuer and the guarantors, if any, named therein, and a trustee, which we refer to herein as base indentures. The base indentures do not limit the aggregate principal amount of debt securities that may be issued thereunder.
Senior debt securities will be issued under a senior indenture, in one or more series established pursuant to a supplemental indenture or a resolution duly adopted by the board of directors of the issuer or a duly authorized committee thereof. Subordinated debt securities will be issued under a subordinated indenture, in one or more series established pursuant to a supplemental indenture or a resolution duly adopted by the board of directors of the issuer or a duly authorized committee thereof. In this prospectus, we refer to the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture (together with each applicable supplemental indenture or resolution establishing the applicable series of debt securities), collectively, as the indentures. The indentures will be subject to and governed by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”).
General
Each indenture provides that there may be more than one trustee with respect to one or more series of debt securities under that indenture. Any trustee under an indenture may resign or be removed with respect to one or more series of debt securities issued under that indenture, and a successor trustee may be appointed to act with respect to such series.
If two or more persons are acting as trustee with respect to different series of debt securities issued under the same indenture, each of the trustees will be a trustee of a trust under that indenture separate and apart from the trust administered by any other trustee. In that case, except as otherwise indicated in this prospectus, any action described in this prospectus to be taken by the trustee may be taken by a trustee only with respect to the one or more series of debt securities for which it is trustee.
The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of each series of debt securities being offered, including some or all of the following:
· | the title of the debt securities; |
· | the issuer of the debt securities; |
· | any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities; |
· | the purchase price of the debt securities, expressed as a percentage of the principal amount; |
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· | the date or dates on which the principal of and any premium on the debt securities will be payable or the method for determining the date or dates; |
· | if the debt securities will bear interest, the interest rate or rates or the method by which the rate or rates will be determined; |
· | if the debt securities will bear interest, the date or dates from which any interest will accrue, the interest payment dates on which any interest will be payable, the record dates for those interest payment dates and the basis upon which interest will be calculated if other than that of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months; |
· | the place or places where payments on the debt securities will be made and the debt securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange; |
· | if the issuer will have the option to redeem all or any portion of the debt securities, the terms and conditions upon which the debt securities may be redeemed; |
· | the terms and conditions of any sinking fund or any similar provisions obligating the issuer or permitting a holder to require the issuer to redeem or purchase all or any portion of the debt securities prior to final maturity; |
· | the currency or currencies in which the debt securities are denominated and payable if other than U.S. dollars and the manner of determining the equivalent of those amounts in U.S. dollars; |
· | whether the amount of any payments on the debt securities may be determined with reference to an index, formula or other method and the manner in which such amounts are to be determined; |
· | any additions or changes to the events of default in the applicable base indenture; |
· | the portion of the principal of the debt securities payable upon acceleration of maturity, if other than the entire principal amount; |
· | any additions or changes with respect to the other covenants in the applicable base indenture; |
· | the terms and conditions, if any, upon which the debt securities may be convertible into common stock; |
· | whether the debt securities will be issued in certificated or book-entry form and, if the latter, the securities depositary; |
· | whether the debt securities will be issued in denominations other than $1,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000; |
· | the applicability of the defeasance and covenant defeasance provisions of the applicable base indenture; |
· | the guarantor, if any, who will guarantee the debt securities and the methods for determining, and releasing, such guarantor, if any; |
· | the trustee for that series of debt securities; |
· | the U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning the debt securities; and |
· | any other terms of the debt securities consistent with the provisions of the applicable base indenture. |
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Debt securities may be issued as original issue discount securities to be offered and sold at a substantial discount from their stated principal amount. Special U.S. federal income tax, accounting and other considerations applicable to original issue discount securities may be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Unless otherwise provided with respect to a series of debt securities, the debt securities will be issued only in registered form, without coupons, in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000.
Certificated Debt Securities
Except as otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, debt securities will not be issued in certificated form. If, however, debt securities are to be issued in certificated form, no service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of any of those debt securities, but the issuer may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental charge payable in connection therewith.
Book-Entry Debt Securities
The debt securities of a series may be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more fully registered global securities that will be deposited with the depositary identified in the applicable prospectus supplement, which will keep a computerized record of its participants (for example, brokers) whose clients have purchased the debt securities. Each participant will then keep a record of its clients who purchased the debt securities. Unless a global security is exchanged in whole or in part for debt securities in certificated form, it may not be transferred. However, transfers of the whole security between the depositary for that global security and its nominees or their respective successors are permitted.
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York (“DTC”) will act as depositary for each series of global securities, and DTC will register the global securities in the name of its nominee, Cede & Co. Beneficial interests in global securities will be shown on, and transfers of global securities will be effected only through, records maintained by DTC and its participants.
DTC has provided the following information to us. DTC, the world’s largest securities depository, is a:
· | limited purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law; |
· | “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law; |
· | member of the Federal Reserve System; |
· | “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code; and |
· | “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. |
DTC holds securities that its direct participants deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the post-trade settlement among direct participants of sales and other securities transactions in deposited securities, through electronic computerized book-entry transfers and pledges between direct participants’ accounts. This eliminates the need for physical movement of securities certificates. Direct participants include both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations. DTC is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (“DTCC”). DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies and clearing corporations that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and its direct and indirect participants are on file with the SEC.
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Principal and interest payments on global securities registered in the name of DTC’s nominee will be made in immediately available funds to DTC’s nominee as the registered owner of the global securities. The issuer and the trustee will treat DTC’s nominee as the owner of the global securities for all other purposes as well. Accordingly, the issuer, the trustee and any paying agent will have no direct responsibility or liability to pay amounts due on the global securities to owners of beneficial interests in the global securities. DTC’s practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts upon receipt of any payment of principal or interest on the payment date in accordance with their respective holdings of beneficial interests in the global securities as shown on DTC’s records. Payments by direct and indirect participants to owners of beneficial interests in the global securities will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices. These payments will be the responsibility of the direct and indirect participants and not of DTC, the trustee or the issuer, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements as may be in effect from time to time.
Debt securities represented by a global security will be exchangeable for debt securities in definitive form of like amount and terms in authorized denominations only if:
· | DTC notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary; |
· | DTC ceases to be a registered clearing agency and a successor depositary is not appointed by us within 120 days; or |
· | we determine not to require all of the debt securities of a series to be represented by a global security and notify the applicable trustee of our decision. |
The information in this section concerning DTC and DTC’s book-entry system has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy thereof.
Merger Covenant
Pursuant to the terms of each indenture, Broadmark Realty may not, directly or indirectly: (1) consolidate or merge with or into another person or entity, or (2) sell, assign, transfer, convey, lease (other than to an unaffiliated operator in the ordinary course of business) or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of Broadmark Realty and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, in one or more related transactions, to another person or entity, unless:
· | either (a) Broadmark Realty is the surviving corporation or (b) the person or entity formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than Broadmark Realty) or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition has been made is a corporation organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state of the United States or the District of Columbia; |
· | the person or entity formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than Broadmark Realty) or the person or entity to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition has been made assumes all of Broadmark Realty’s obligations under the applicable debt securities and the applicable indenture pursuant to agreements reasonably satisfactory to the trustee; and |
· | immediately after such transaction, on a pro forma basis giving effect to such transaction or series of transactions (and treating any obligation of Broadmark Realty or any subsidiary incurred in connection with or as a result of such transaction or series of transactions as having been incurred at the time of such transaction), no default or event of default exists under the applicable indenture. |
Upon any consolidation or merger, or any sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of Broadmark Realty in accordance with the foregoing provisions, the successor person or entity formed by such consolidation or into which Broadmark Realty is merged or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition is made, will succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, Broadmark Realty under the applicable indenture with the same effect as if such successor initially had been named as Broadmark Realty therein. When a successor assumes all the obligations of its predecessor under the applicable indenture and the applicable debt securities following a consolidation or merger, or any sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the predecessor in accordance with the foregoing provisions, the predecessor will be released from those obligations.
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The foregoing restrictions will not apply to: (1) a sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of assets between or among Broadmark Realty and its subsidiaries, (2) a sale or transfer of assets from a guarantor to the issuer, or (3) the consolidation or merger of a guarantor with or into the issuer.
Events of Default, Notice and Waiver
Each indenture provides that the following are events of default with respect to any series of debt securities issued thereunder, unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise:
· | default by Broadmark Realty or its subsidiaries for 30 days in the payment of any interest on any debt security of that series; |
· | default by Broadmark Realty or its subsidiaries in the payment of the principal or premium, if any, on any debt security of that series when due and payable; |
· | default by Broadmark Realty or its subsidiaries in the making of any sinking fund payment required for any debt security of that series when due; |
· | breach by Broadmark Realty or its subsidiaries of any other term of that indenture for 90 days after receipt of notice of default stating they are in breach (either the applicable trustee or the holders of more than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the applicable debt securities of that series then outstanding may send the notice); |
· | certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of Broadmark Realty or its significant subsidiaries; and |
· | any other event of default provided with respect to the debt securities of that series and described in the applicable prospectus supplement. |
The applicable trustee will be required to give notice to the holders of the applicable debt securities within 90 days after a default under the applicable indenture unless the default has been cured or waived. The applicable trustee may withhold notice to the holders of the applicable debt securities of any default, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or additional amounts, if any, or interest on the applicable debt securities, if specified responsible officers of the applicable trustee in good faith determine that withholding the notice is in the interest of the holders.
If an event of default with respect to the applicable debt securities has occurred and has not been cured, either the applicable trustee or the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the applicable debt securities then outstanding may declare the entire principal amount of the applicable debt securities to be due and immediately payable by written notice to Broadmark Realty, the issuer and the applicable trustee. If an event of default occurs because of certain events in bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal amount of all outstanding debt securities will be automatically accelerated, without any action by the applicable trustee or any holder. At any time after the applicable trustee or the holders have accelerated the applicable debt securities, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the applicable debt securities then outstanding may, under certain circumstances, rescind and annul such acceleration.
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Holders of a majority in principal amount of outstanding debt securities of any series may, subject to some limitations, waive any past default with respect to that series and the consequences of the default (including without limitation waivers obtained in connection with the purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, such debt securities). The prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are original issue discount securities will describe the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of those original issue discount securities upon the occurrence and continuation of an event of default.
Except in cases of default, where a trustee has some special duties, the applicable trustee is not required to take any action under the applicable indenture at the request of any holders of applicable debt securities unless such holders offer the applicable trustee satisfactory protection from expenses and liability. We refer to this as an “indemnity.” If reasonable indemnity is provided, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the applicable debt securities then outstanding may direct the time, method and place of conducting any lawsuit or other formal legal action seeking any remedy available to the applicable trustee. These majority holders may also direct the applicable trustee in performing any other action under the applicable indenture, subject to certain limitations.
Before a holder bypasses the applicable trustee and brings its own lawsuit or other formal legal action or takes other steps to enforce its rights or protect its interests relating to the applicable debt securities, the following must occur:
· | the holder must give the applicable trustee written notice that an event of default with respect to the applicable debt securities has occurred and remains uncured; |
· | the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of all applicable debt securities outstanding must make a written request that the applicable trustee take action because of the default, and must offer reasonable indemnity to the applicable trustee against the cost and other liabilities of taking that action; the applicable trustee must have not taken action for 60 days after receipt of the notice and offer of indemnity; and |
· | the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of all applicable debt securities outstanding must not have given the applicable trustee a direction inconsistent with such request within such 60-day period. |
However, a holder is entitled at any time to bring a lawsuit for the payment of money due on any debt security after its due date.
Modification of the Indentures
Except as provided in the next two succeeding paragraphs, each indenture and/or the applicable debt securities may be amended or supplemented with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the debt securities then outstanding issued under the applicable indenture affected by such amendment or supplement, voting as a single class (including, without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, such debt securities), and any existing default, event of default (other than a default or event of default with respect to the payment of the principal of, or premium or additional amounts, if any, or interest on, the applicable debt securities, except a payment default resulting from an acceleration that has been rescinded) or compliance with any provision of the applicable indenture or the applicable debt securities may be waived with the consent of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the debt securities then outstanding issued under the applicable indenture affected thereby, voting as a single class (including, without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, the applicable debt securities).
Without the consent of each holder affected, an amendment or waiver may not (with respect to any debt securities held by a non-consenting holder):
· | reduce the principal amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver; |
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· | reduce the principal amount, or change the fixed maturity, of any debt security, reduce the rate of, or change the time for payment of, interest or any premium on any debt security or alter the provisions with respect to the redemption thereof (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, the number of days before a redemption date that a notice of redemption must be mailed to holders of such debt securities, which may be amended with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities then outstanding); |
· | reduce the rate of or change the time for payment of interest on any debt security, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation, or impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after the stated maturity of such security; |
· | reduce the amount of principal of an original issue discount security that would be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of its maturity; |
· | waive a default or event of default in the payment of principal of, or interest or premium, or additional amounts, if any, on the debt securities (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities then outstanding and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration); |
· | make a debt security payable in a currency, currencies or currency unit(s) other than the currency stated in such debt security; |
· | make any change in the provisions of the applicable indenture relating to waivers of past defaults or the rights of holders of debt securities to receive payments of principal of, or interest or premium, or additional amounts, if any, on such debt securities; |
· | release any guarantor from any of its obligations under its guarantee of the debt securities or the applicable indenture except in accordance with the terms of such indenture; |
· | impair the rights of holders of the debt securities to convert their securities, if convertible, upon the terms established pursuant to or in accordance with the provisions of the applicable indenture; |
· | waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security; or |
· | make any change in the amendment and waiver provisions set forth above. |
Any such consent need only approve the substance, rather than the particular form, of the proposed amendment.
Notwithstanding the preceding, without the consent of any holder of debt securities, the indentures and the applicable debt securities issued thereunder may be amended or supplemented to:
· | cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency; |
· | provide for uncertificated debt securities in addition to or in place of certificated debt securities; |
· | provide for the assumption of the obligations of the issuer to holders of debt securities in the case of a merger or consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the issuer; |
· | add to the covenants of the issuer for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities (and if such covenants are to be for the benefit of less than all series of debt securities, stating that such covenants are expressly being included solely for the benefit of the debt securities of that series); |
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· | add any additional events of default for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities (and if such events of default are to be for the benefit of less than all series of debt securities, stating that such events of default are expressly being included solely for the benefit of the debt securities of that series); provided, however, that in respect of any such additional events of default, such supplemental indenture may provide for a particular period of grace after default (which may be shorter or longer than that allowed in the case of other defaults), may provide for an immediate enforcement upon such default, may limit the remedies available to the trustee upon such default or may limit the right of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of that or those series of debt securities to which such additional events of default apply to waive such default; |
· | add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions of an indenture, so long as any such addition not otherwise permitted under the applicable indenture shall (i) neither apply to any securities of any series created prior to the execution of such amendment or supplement and entitled to the benefit of such provision nor modify the rights of the holders of any such security with respect to the benefit of such provision or (ii) become effective only when there is no such security outstanding; |
· | establish the form or terms of debt securities of any series as permitted by the applicable indenture, including the provisions and procedures relating to debt securities convertible into Broadmark Realty common stock; |
· | evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment under the applicable indenture by a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of one or more series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the applicable indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts thereunder by more than one trustee; |
· | evidence the succession of another entity to Broadmark Realty and the assumption by the successor of the covenants of Broadmark Realty contained in the applicable indenture; |
· | supplement any of the provisions of the applicable indenture to such extent as shall be necessary to permit or facilitate the defeasance and discharge of any series of debt securities pursuant thereto, provided that any such action will not adversely affect the interests of the holders of debt securities of that series or any other series of debt securities in any material respect; |
· | add additional guarantees with respect to the applicable debt securities; |
· | secure the applicable debt securities; |
· | make any other change that would provide any additional rights or benefits to the holders of debt securities or that does not adversely affect the legal rights under the applicable indenture of any such holder; |
· | comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the applicable indenture under the Trust Indenture Act; |
· | with respect to any series of debt securities, to conform the text of such series of debt securities or the indenture applicable thereto to any provision of the “Description of the Notes,” “Description of Notes” or “Description of Debt Securities” sections of the offering memorandum, prospectus supplement or other like offering document relating to the initial offering of such series of debt securities, to the extent that such provision was intended to be a verbatim recitation of a provision of such series of debt securities or the indenture applicable thereto; or |
· | to provide for the issuance of additional debt securities as permitted by the applicable indenture. |
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Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
When the issuer establishes a series of debt securities, it may provide that the debt securities of that series are subject to the defeasance and discharge provisions of the applicable indenture. If those provisions are made applicable, the issuer may elect either:
· | to defease and, together with the guarantor (if any), be legally released from, subject to some limitations, all of their respective obligations with respect to the debt securities of that series; or |
· | to be released from the obligations to comply with specified covenants and eliminate certain events of default relating to the debt securities of that series as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. |
To effect defeasance or covenant defeasance, the issuer must irrevocably deposit in trust with the applicable trustee an amount in any combination of funds or government obligations, which, through the payment of principal and interest in accordance with their terms, will provide money sufficient to make payments on the debt securities of that series and any mandatory sinking fund or analogous payments on the debt securities of that series.
Upon such defeasance, the issuer will not be released from obligations:
· | to pay additional amounts, if any, on the debt securities of that series upon the occurrence of some events; |
· | to register the transfer or exchange of the debt securities of that series; |
· | to replace some of the debt securities of that series; |
· | to maintain an office relating to the debt securities of that series; or |
· | to hold moneys for payment in trust. |
To establish such a trust, the issuer must, among other things, deliver to the applicable trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the debt securities of that series:
· | will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of the defeasance or covenant defeasance; and |
· | will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the defeasance or covenant defeasance had not occurred. In the case of defeasance, the opinion of counsel must be based upon a ruling of the IRS or a change in applicable U.S. federal income tax law occurring after the date of the applicable indenture. |
Government obligations generally mean securities which are:
· | direct obligations of the U.S. or of the government that issued the foreign currency in which the applicable debt securities are payable, in each case, where the issuer has pledged its full faith and credit to pay the obligations; or |
· | obligations of an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. or of the government that issued the foreign currency in which the applicable debt securities are payable, the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the U.S. or that other government. |
In any case, the issuer of government obligations cannot have the option to call or redeem the obligations. In addition, government obligations include, subject to certain qualifications, a depository receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any government obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of any such government obligation held by the custodian for the account of a depository receipt holder.
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If the issuer effects covenant defeasance with respect to the debt securities of any series, the amount on deposit with the applicable trustee will be sufficient to pay amounts due on the debt securities of that series at the time of their stated maturity. However, the debt securities of that series may become due and payable prior to their stated maturity if there is an event of default with respect to a covenant from which the issuer has not been released. In that event, the amount on deposit may not be sufficient to pay all amounts due on the debt securities of that series at the time of the acceleration and the holders of those debt securities will be required to look to the issuer and the guarantor, if any, for repayment of any shortfall.
The applicable prospectus supplement may further describe the provisions, if any, permitting defeasance or covenant defeasance, including any modifications to the provisions described above.
Ranking
Each series of senior debt securities will constitute senior indebtedness and will rank equally with each other series of senior debt securities and other senior indebtedness and senior to all subordinated indebtedness, including, but not limited to, all subordinated debt securities. Each series of subordinated debt securities will constitute subordinated indebtedness and will rank equally with each other series of subordinated debt securities but subordinate to all senior indebtedness.
Payments on the subordinated debt securities will be subordinated to the senior indebtedness of the issuer and the guarantor, if any, described under “Guarantees” below, whether outstanding on the date of the subordinated indenture or incurred after that date. As of September 30, 2020, we had no outstanding indebtedness. The prospectus supplement relating to each issuance of subordinated debt securities will specify the aggregate amount of any outstanding indebtedness as of the most recent practicable date that would rank senior to the subordinated debt securities.
If any of the following events occur, the holders of senior indebtedness must receive payment of the full amount due on the senior indebtedness, or that payment must be duly provided for, before the issuer may make payments on the subordinated debt securities:
· | any distribution of our assets upon our liquidation, reorganization or other similar transaction except for a distribution in connection with a merger or other transaction complying with the covenant described above under “—Merger Covenant”; |
· | the occurrence and continuation of a payment default on any senior indebtedness; or |
· | a declaration of the principal of any series of subordinated debt securities, or, in the case of original issue discount securities, the portion of the principal amount specified under their terms, as due and payable, that has not been rescinded and annulled. |
However, if the event is the acceleration of any series of subordinated debt securities, only the holders of senior indebtedness outstanding at the time of the acceleration of those subordinated debt securities, or, in the case of original issue discount securities, that portion of the principal amount specified under their terms, must receive payment of the full amount due on that senior indebtedness, or such payment must be duly provided for, before the issuer makes payments on the subordinated debt securities.
As a result of the subordination provisions, some of our general creditors, including holders of senior indebtedness, may recover more, ratably, than the holders of the subordinated debt securities in the event of insolvency.
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For purposes of the subordinated indenture, “senior indebtedness” of the issuer and any guarantor means the following indebtedness and obligations:
· | the principal of and premium, if any, and unpaid interest on indebtedness for money borrowed; |
· | purchase money and similar obligations; |
· | obligations under capital leases; |
· | guarantees, assumptions or purchase commitments relating to, or other transactions as a result of which the issuer or the guarantor, if any, are responsible for the payment of, the indebtedness of others; |
· | renewals, extensions and refundings of the foregoing indebtedness; |
· | interest or obligations in respect of the foregoing indebtedness accruing after the commencement of any insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings; and |
· | obligations associated with derivative products. |
However, indebtedness and obligations do not constitute senior indebtedness if the instrument by which the issuer or the guarantor becomes obligated for that indebtedness or those obligations expressly provides that indebtedness or those obligations are junior in right of payment to any other indebtedness or obligations of the issuer or the guarantor, as applicable.
Convertible Debt Securities
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to debt securities of Broadmark Realty that will be convertible into shares of Broadmark Realty common stock.
Each holder of unredeemed convertible debt securities may, at any time during the period specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, convert those convertible debt securities into shares of Broadmark Realty common stock. The conversion price or rate for each $1,000 principal amount of convertible debt securities will be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. The holder of a convertible debt security may convert only a portion of the convertible debt security that is $1,000 principal amount or any integral multiple of $1,000. In the case of convertible debt securities called for redemption, conversion rights will expire at the close of business on the date fixed for the redemption. However, in the case of repayment at the option of the applicable holder, conversion rights will terminate upon receipt of written notice of the holder’s exercise of that option.
The conversion price or rate may be subject to adjustment in certain events, as specified in the applicable indenture, including:
· | the issuance of shares of Broadmark Realty common stock as a dividend on the common stock; |
· | subdivisions and combinations of Broadmark Realty common stock; |
· | the issuance to all holders of Broadmark Realty common stock of rights or warrants entitling such holders for a period not exceeding 45 days to subscribe for or purchase shares of common stock at a price per share less than its then current per share market price; and |
· | the distribution to all holders of Broadmark Realty common stock of (i) shares of Broadmark Realty capital stock, other than common stock, (ii) evidence of Broadmark Realty indebtedness or assets excluding cash dividends or distributions paid from its retained earnings or (iii) subscription rights or warrants other than those referred to above. |
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However, Broadmark Realty will not be required to make any adjustment of the conversion price or rate of less than 1%. Fractional shares of common stock will not be issued upon conversion. In lieu of fractional shares, Broadmark Realty will pay a cash adjustment. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, debt securities surrendered for conversion between any record date for an interest payment and the related interest payment date must be accompanied by payment of an amount in cash equal to the interest payment on the surrendered debt security. However, that payment does not have to accompany debt securities surrendered for conversion if those debt securities have been called for redemption during that period. Furthermore, upon conversion of any original issue discount security, the fixed number of shares of common stock into which such original issue discount security is convertible will first be applied to the portion attributable to the accrued original issue discount relating to the period from the date of issuance to the date of conversion of the original issue discount security, and, second, to the portion attributable to the balance of the principal amount of such debt securities.
Guarantees
If the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities provides that those debt securities will have the benefit of a guarantee by Broadmark Realty, BRMK Lending, or BRMK Management, Corp., then the debt securities will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the guarantor so indicated. The debt securities offered hereby to be issued by BRMK Lending will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Broadmark Realty. In the event of a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization of any of the non-guarantor subsidiaries of the issuer, the non-guarantor subsidiaries will pay the holders of their debt and their trade creditors before they will be able to distribute any of their assets to the issuer. The guarantees will be general obligations of each guarantor. If a series of debt securities is so guaranteed, a supplemental indenture to the applicable base indenture will be executed by each guarantor.
The obligations of each guarantor under its guarantee will be limited as necessary to prevent that guarantee from constituting a fraudulent conveyance under applicable law. A guarantor may not sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets to, or consolidate with or merge into another company, other than an issuer or another guarantor, unless the person acquiring the property in any such sale or disposition or the person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger assumes all of the obligations of that guarantor pursuant to a supplemental indenture satisfactory to the applicable trustee, and only if immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no default or event of default would exist. The terms of any guarantee and the conditions upon which a guarantor may be released from its obligations under that guarantee will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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We may issue warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, shares of preferred stock, depositary shares or debt securities. Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase for cash the amount of such securities at the exercise price stated or determinable in a prospectus supplement for the warrants. We may issue warrants independently or together with any offered securities. The warrants may be attached to or separate from those offered securities. We will issue the warrants under warrant agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as warrant agent, all as described in a related prospectus supplement. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants.
The prospectus supplement relating to any warrants that we may offer will contain the specific terms of the warrants. These terms will include some or all of the following:
· | the title of the warrants; |
· | the price or prices at which the warrants will be issued; |
· | the designation, amount and terms of the securities for which the warrants are exercisable; |
· | the designation and terms of the other securities, if any, with which the warrants are to be issued and the number of warrants issued with each other security; |
· | the aggregate number of warrants; |
· | any provisions for adjustment of the number or amount of securities receivable upon exercise of the warrants or the exercise price of the warrants; |
· | the price or prices at which the securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants may be purchased; |
· | the date on and after which the warrants and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants will be separately transferable, if applicable; |
· | if applicable, a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax considerations; |
· | the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence, and the date on which the right will expire; |
· | the maximum or minimum number of warrants that may be exercised at any time; |
· | information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any; and |
· | any other terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the warrants. |
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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, holding, and disposition of common stock and our qualification and taxation as a REIT. This summary does not discuss the tax consequences of an investment in shares of our preferred stock, depositary shares, debt securities (including guarantees of debt securities), warrants or other securities. Supplemental U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to holders of the securities offered by this prospectus may be provided in the prospectus supplement that relates to those securities. This discussion assumes that holders will hold our common stock as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).
This discussion does not describe all of the U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including the alternative minimum tax, the Medicare tax on certain investment income and except as otherwise discussed below, the special tax rules that may apply to certain types of investors, such as:
· | banks or financial institutions; |
· | insurance companies; |
· | brokers, dealers or traders in securities, commodities or currencies; |
· | traders that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting; |
· | persons holding securities as part of a “straddle,” hedge, integrated transaction or similar transaction; |
· | U.S. Holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; |
· | U.S. expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States; |
· | partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes and any beneficial owners of such entities; |
· | “S” corporations; |
· | regulated investment companies; |
· | real estate investment trusts; |
· | grantor trusts; |
· | persons holding Company Private Placement Warrants; |
· | holders who receive common stock through the exercise of employee stock options or otherwise as compensation; |
· | persons holding a 10% or more (by vote or value) beneficial interest in us; |
· | except as expressly set forth below, Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below); and |
· | tax-exempt entities. |
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If you are an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of your partners generally will depend on the status of your partners and your activities. If you are a partnership or a partner in a partnership, you should consult your tax advisor as to the U.S. federal tax consequences of acquiring, owning and disposing of common stock.
This discussion is based on the Code, and administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions and final, temporary and proposed U.S. Treasury regulations as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to differing interpretations or change, possibly on a retroactive basis. This discussion does not address any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S. federal taxes other than income tax (such as gift and estate taxes).
THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION DOES NOT PURPORT TO BE A COMPLETE ANALYSIS OR DISCUSSION OF ALL OF THE POTENTIAL TAX CONSEQUENCES TO HOLDERS OF COMMON STOCK. THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX TREATMENT TO THE HOLDERS DESCRIBED HEREIN WILL DEPEND ON THE HOLDER’S PARTICULAR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES. YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-U.S. INCOME AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU, IN LIGHT OF YOUR PARTICULAR INVESTMENT OR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES, OF ACQUIRING, HOLDING, AND DISPOSING OF COMMON STOCK.
U.S. Holders
For purposes of this discussion, a U.S. Holder is a beneficial owner of common stock who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
· | an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
· | a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; |
· | an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or |
· | a trust (i) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a court in the United States and for which one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions or (ii) that has an election in effect under applicable income tax regulations to be treated as a U.S. person for U.S. federal income tax purposes. |
A Non-U.S. Holder is a beneficial owner of common stock that is not a U.S. Holder and is not an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Taxation of Us-General
We elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Code, commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2019. We believe that we have been organized and have been operated, and we intend to continue to operate, in a manner that will allow us to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the Code.
Since the Business Combination, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP (“BCLP”) has acted as our special counsel for tax matters. We will receive an opinion of BCLP to the effect that, commencing with the beginning of our taxable year ended December 31, 2019 and through the date hereof, we have been organized and have operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and our current and proposed method of operation will enable us to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code for our taxable year ending December 31, 2019 and each taxable year thereafter. It must be emphasized that the opinion of BCLP is based on various assumptions relating to our organization and operation, including that all factual representations and statements set forth in all relevant documents, records and instruments are true and correct and that we will at all times operate in accordance with the method of operation described in our organizational documents, this prospectus, and other relevant documents. Additionally, the opinion of BCLP is conditioned upon factual representations and covenants made by our management, regarding our organization, assets, present and future conduct of our business operations and our ability to meet the various requirements for qualification as a REIT, and assumes that such representations and covenants are accurate and complete and that we will take no action that could adversely affect our qualification as a REIT. While we believe we are organized and operate and intend to continue to operate so that we will qualify as a REIT, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances or applicable law, no assurance can be given by BCLP or us that we will be able to qualify as a REIT or, if we so qualify, that we will be able to maintain our status as a REIT. BCLP will have no obligation to advise us or the holders of common stock of any subsequent change in the matters stated, represented or assumed in rendering its opinion or of any subsequent change in the applicable law. You should be aware that opinions of counsel are not binding on the IRS ), or any court, and no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge the conclusions set forth in BCLP’s opinion.
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Qualification and taxation as a REIT depends on our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, through actual results of operations, distribution levels, diversity of share ownership and various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Code, the compliance with which will not be reviewed by BCLP. In addition, our ability to qualify as a REIT may depend in part upon the operating results, organizational structure and entity classification for U.S. federal income tax purposes of certain entities in which we invest. Our ability to qualify as a REIT also requires that we satisfy certain asset and income tests, some of which depend upon the fair market values of assets directly or indirectly owned by us or which serve as security for loans made by us. Such values may not be susceptible to a precise determination. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of our operations for any taxable year will satisfy the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.
Taxation of REITs in General
As indicated above, qualification and taxation as a REIT depends on our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, through actual results of operations, distribution levels, diversity of share ownership and various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Code. The material qualification requirements are summarized below, under “— Requirements for Qualification as a REIT.” While we believe that we have operated and will continue to operate so that we qualify as a REIT, no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge our qualification as a REIT or that we will be able to operate in accordance with the REIT requirements in the future. See “— Failure to Qualify.”
Provided that we qualify as a REIT, we generally will be entitled to a deduction for dividends that we pay and, therefore, will not be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our net taxable income that is currently distributed to our stockholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the “double taxation” with respect to distributed income at the corporate and stockholder levels that results generally from investment in a “C” corporation. Rather, income generated by a REIT and distributed to its stockholders generally is taxed only at the stockholder level, upon a distribution of dividends by the REIT. See “— Taxation of Taxable U.S. Holders of Common Stock.”
Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, however, we will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation as follows:
· | We will be taxed at regular U.S. federal corporate income tax rates on any undistributed income, including undistributed net capital gains. |
· | If we have net income from prohibited transactions, which are, in general, sales or other dispositions of property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, other than foreclosure property, such income will be subject to a 100% tax. See “— Prohibited Transactions” and “— Foreclosure Property” below. |
· | If we elect to treat property that we acquire in connection with a foreclosure of a mortgage loan or from certain leasehold terminations as “foreclosure property,” we may thereby avoid (a) the 100% tax on gain from a resale of that property (if the sale would otherwise constitute a prohibited transaction) and (b) the inclusion of any income from such property not qualifying for purposes of the gross income tests discussed below, but the income from the sale or operation of the property will generally be subject to income tax at the corporate tax rate. |
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· | If we fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as discussed below, but nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because other requirements are met, we will be subject to a 100% tax on an amount equal to (a) the greater of (1) the amount by which we fail the 75% gross income test or (2) the amount by which we fail the 95% gross income test, as the case may be, multiplied by (b) a fraction intended to reflect our profitability. |
· | If we fail to satisfy any of the REIT asset tests, as described below, other than a failure of the 5% or 10% asset tests (discussed below) that does not exceed a statutory de minimis amount as described more fully below, but our failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and we nonetheless maintain our REIT qualification because of specified cure provisions, we will be required to pay a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the product of the highest corporate tax rate and the net income generated by the non-qualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy the asset tests. |
· | If we fail to satisfy any provision of the Code that would result in our failure to qualify as a REIT (other than a gross income or asset test requirement) and the violation is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, we may be able to retain our REIT qualification in certain circumstances but we will be required to pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure. |
· | If we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (a) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (b) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year and (c) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods (the foregoing sum is referred to as the required distribution), we will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the sum of (1) the amounts actually distributed (taking into account excess distributions from prior years), plus (2) retained amounts on which income tax is paid at the corporate level. |
· | We may be required to pay monetary penalties to the IRS in certain circumstances, including if we fail to meet record-keeping requirements intended to monitor our compliance with rules relating to the composition of our stockholders, as described below in “— Requirements for Qualification as a REIT.” |
· | A 100% excise tax may be imposed on some items of income and expense that are directly or constructively paid between Broadmark Realty and any taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) Broadmark Realty may own if, and to the extent, that the IRS successfully adjusts the reported amounts of these items. |
· | If we acquire appreciated assets from a corporation that is not a REIT (or from another REIT that acquired appreciated assets from a corporation that is not a REIT) in a transaction in which the adjusted tax basis of the assets in our hands is determined by reference to the adjusted tax basis of the assets in the hands of the non-REIT corporation, we will be subject to tax on such appreciation at the corporate income tax rate then applicable if we subsequently recognize gain on a disposition of any such assets during the 5-year period following their acquisition by us (or such other REIT) from the non-REIT corporation. Certain assets acquired by Broadmark Realty from the Predecessor Companies in connection with the Business Combination will be subject to this rule. |
· | We generally will be subject to tax on the portion of any excess inclusion income derived from an investment in residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits, or “REMICs,” to the extent our stock is held by specified tax-exempt organizations not subject to tax on unrelated business taxable income. Similar rules will apply if we own an equity interest in a taxable mortgage pool. To the extent that Broadmark Realty owns a REMIC residual interest or a taxable mortgage pool through a TRS, Broadmark Realty will not be subject to this tax. |
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· | We may elect to retain and pay income tax on our net long-term capital gain. In that case, a stockholder would include its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain (to the extent we make a timely designation of such gain to the stockholder) in its income, would be deemed to have paid its proportionate share of the tax that we paid on such gain, and would be allowed a credit for its proportionate share of the tax deemed to have been paid, and an adjustment would be made to increase the stockholder’s basis in such holder’s Broadmark Realty stock. Stockholders that are U.S. corporations will also be required to appropriately adjust their earnings and profits for the retained capital gains in accordance with U.S. Treasury regulations to be promulgated. |
· | Broadmark Realty will have subsidiaries or own interests in other lower-tier entities that are “C” corporations, including TRSs, the earnings of which would be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax. |
In addition, we may be subject to a variety of taxes other than U.S. federal income tax, including payroll taxes and state and local income, franchise, property and other taxes. We could also be subject to tax in situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.
Requirements for Qualification as a REIT
The Code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust or association:
· | that is managed by one or more trustees or directors; |
· | the beneficial ownership of which is evidenced by transferable stock or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest; |
· | that would be taxable as a domestic corporation but for the special Code provisions applicable to REITs; |
· | that is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company subject to specific provisions of the Code; |
· | the beneficial ownership of which is held by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months; |
· | in which, during the last half of each taxable year, not more than 50% in value of the outstanding stock is owned, directly or indirectly, taking into account certain constructive ownership rules described in the Code, by five or fewer “individuals” (as defined in the Code to include specified entities); |
· | which meets other tests described below, including with respect to the nature of its income and assets and the amount of its distributions; and |
· | that makes an election to be a REIT for the current taxable year or has made such an election for a previous taxable year that has not been terminated or revoked. |
The Code provides that the first through fourth conditions must be met during the entire taxable year. The fifth and sixth conditions do not need to be satisfied for the first taxable year for which an election to become a REIT has been made, which was our taxable year ending December 31, 2019. Our Charter will provide restrictions regarding the ownership and transfer of our stock, which are intended, among other purposes, to assist in satisfying the share ownership requirements described in the fifth and sixth conditions. For purposes of the sixth condition, an “individual” generally includes a supplemental unemployment compensation benefit plan, a private foundation or a portion of a trust permanently set aside or used exclusively for charitable purposes, but generally does not include a qualified pension plan or profit sharing trust.
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To monitor compliance with the share ownership requirements, we generally are required to maintain records regarding the actual ownership of our stock. To do so, we must demand written statements each year from certain stockholders that such stockholders disclose the actual owners of their stock (i.e., the persons required to include in gross income the dividends paid by us). A list of those persons failing or refusing to comply with this demand must be maintained as part of our records. Failure by us to comply with these record-keeping requirements could subject us to monetary penalties. If we satisfy these requirements and after exercising reasonable diligence would not have known that the sixth condition is not satisfied, we will be deemed to have satisfied such condition. A stockholder that fails or refuses to comply with the demand for a written statement from a REIT is required by U.S. Treasury regulations to submit a statement with its tax return disclosing the actual ownership of the stock and other information.
In addition, a corporation generally may not elect to become a REIT unless its taxable year is the calendar year. We satisfy this requirement.
Effect of Subsidiary Entities
Ownership of Partnership Interests
In the case of a REIT that is a partner in a partnership, U.S. Treasury regulations provide that the REIT is deemed to own its proportionate share of the partnership’s assets and to earn its proportionate share of the partnership’s gross income based on its pro rata share of capital interests in the partnership for purposes of the asset and gross income tests applicable to REITs, as described below. In addition, the assets and gross income of the partnership generally are deemed to retain the same character in the hands of the REIT. Consequently, to the extent that Broadmark Realty directly or indirectly holds a preferred or other equity interest in a partnership, the partnership’s assets and operations may affect our ability to qualify as a REIT, even though Broadmark Realty may have no control or only limited influence over the partnership.
Disregarded Subsidiaries
If a REIT owns a corporate subsidiary that is a “qualified REIT subsidiary,” that subsidiary is disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the subsidiary are treated as assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the REIT itself, including for purposes of the gross income and asset tests applicable to REITs, as summarized below. A qualified REIT subsidiary is any corporation, other than a TRS, that is wholly owned by a REIT, by other disregarded subsidiaries of the REIT or by a combination of the two. Single member limited liability companies that are wholly owned by a REIT and that do not affirmatively elect to be treated as corporations generally are also disregarded as separate entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes, including for purposes of the gross income and asset tests. Disregarded subsidiaries, along with partnerships in which Broadmark Realty holds an equity interest, are sometimes referred to herein as “pass-through subsidiaries.”
In the event that a disregarded subsidiary ceases to be wholly owned by Broadmark Realty (for example, if any equity interest in the subsidiary is acquired by a person other than Broadmark Realty or another disregarded subsidiary of Broadmark Realty), the subsidiary’s separate existence would no longer be disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Instead, it would have multiple owners and would be treated as either a partnership or a taxable corporation. Such an event could, depending on the circumstances, adversely affect our ability to satisfy the various asset and gross income tests applicable to REITs, including the requirement that REITs generally may not own, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the value or voting power of the outstanding securities of another corporation. See “— Asset Tests” and “— Gross Income Tests.”
Taxable REIT Subsidiaries
A REIT, in general, may jointly elect with a subsidiary corporation, whether or not wholly owned, to treat the subsidiary corporation as a TRS. The separate existence of a TRS or other taxable corporation, unlike a disregarded subsidiary as discussed above, is not ignored for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, such an entity generally would be subject to corporate income tax on its earnings, which may reduce the cash flow generated by Broadmark Realty and its subsidiaries in the aggregate and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
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A REIT is not treated as holding the assets of a TRS or other taxable subsidiary corporation or as receiving any income that the subsidiary earns. Rather, the stock issued by the subsidiary is an asset in the hands of the REIT, and the REIT generally recognizes as income the dividends, if any, that it receives from the subsidiary or the gain that it recognizes from the sale or other disposition of the subsidiary’s stock. This treatment can affect the gross income and asset test calculations that apply to the REIT, as described below. Because a parent REIT does not include the assets and income of a TRS in determining the parent REIT’s compliance with the REIT requirements, such entities may be used by the parent REIT to undertake indirectly activities that the REIT rules might otherwise preclude it from doing directly or through pass-through subsidiaries or render commercially unfeasible (for example, activities that give rise to certain categories of income such as non-qualifying hedging income or inventory sales). If dividends are paid to Broadmark Realty by one or more of its TRSs, then a portion of the dividends that we distribute to stockholders who are taxed at individual rates generally will be eligible for taxation at preferential qualified dividend income tax rates rather than at ordinary income rates (but will not be eligible for the 20% deduction described below). See “— Taxation of Taxable U.S. Holders of Common Stock” and “— Annual Distribution Requirements.”
Certain restrictions imposed on TRSs are intended to ensure that such entities will be subject to appropriate levels of U.S. federal income taxation. For example, if amounts are paid to a REIT or deducted by a TRS due to transactions between a REIT, its tenants and/or the TRS, that exceed the amount that would be paid to or deducted by a party in an arm’s-length transaction, the REIT generally will be subject to an excise tax equal to 100% of such excess. In addition, a TRS is not permitted to manage a lodging facility or a health care facility.
Broadmark Realty and BRMK Management, Corp. (formerly known as Trinity) have elected for BRMK Management, Corp. to be treated as a TRS as BRMK Management, Corp. will provide certain investment management services with respect to the assets of Broadmark Realty, as well as third parties, and income from investment management services provided to third parties is not qualifying income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests. Broadmark Realty may form or acquire equity interests in additional TRSs in the future.
Gross Income Tests
In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we must annually satisfy two gross income tests. First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year, excluding gross income from sales of inventory or dealer property in “prohibited transactions” and certain hedging and non-U.S. currency transactions, must consist of defined types of income that we derive, directly or indirectly, from investments relating to real property or mortgage loans on real property or qualified temporary investment income. Qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test generally includes:
· | rents from real property; |
· | interest on debt secured by a mortgage on real property or on an interest in real property; |
· | dividends or other distributions on, and gain (not derived from a “prohibited transaction”) from the sale of, stock in other REITs; |
· | gain from the sale of real estate assets (other than a nonqualified publicly offered REIT debt instrument); |
· | income and gain derived from foreclosure property; |
· | amounts, such as commitment fees, received in consideration for entering into an agreement to make a loan secured by real property, unless such amounts are determined by income or profits; |
· | income derived from a REMIC in proportion to the real estate assets held by the REMIC, unless at least 95% of the REMIC’s assets are real estate assets, in which case all of the income derived from the REMIC; and |
· | income derived from certain kinds of temporary investments. |
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Second, at least 95% of our gross income in each taxable year, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain hedging and non-U.S. currency transactions, must be derived from some combination of income that qualifies under the 75% gross income test described above, as well as other dividends, interest, and gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities, which need not have any relation to real property.
Interest Income
Interest income constitutes qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross income test to the extent that the obligation is secured by a mortgage on real property or on an interest in real property. If a mortgage is secured by both real property and personal property and the value of the personal property does not exceed 15% of the aggregate value of the property securing the mortgage, the mortgage is treated as secured solely by real property for this purpose. If we receive interest income with respect to a mortgage loan that is secured by both real property and personal property and the value of the personal property securing the mortgage exceeds 15% of the value of all property securing the mortgage and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property on the date that we originated or acquired the mortgage loan, the interest income will be apportioned between the real property and the personal property, and our income from the arrangement will qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test only to the extent that the interest is allocable to the real property.
To the extent that a REIT is required to apportion its interest income between real property and personal property, the apportionment is based on a fraction, the numerator of which is the value of the real property securing the loan, determined when the REIT commits to originate or acquire the loan, and the denominator of which is the highest “principal amount” of the loan during the year. Even if a loan is not secured by real property or is under secured, the income that it generates may nonetheless qualify for purposes of the 95% gross income test.
Although we will endeavor to accurately determine the values of the real property securing our loans at the time we acquire or commit to acquire such loans, such values may not be susceptible to a precise determination and will be determined based on the information available to us at such time. If the IRS were to successfully challenge our valuations of such assets and such revaluations resulted in a higher portion of our interest income being apportioned to property other than real property, depending on our other sources of gross income, we could fail to meet the 75% gross income test. If we do not meet this test, we could potentially cease to qualify as a REIT or may be required to pay a penalty tax to the IRS as described above under “— Taxation of REITs in General.”
In addition, if we modify any of our distressed debt investments by agreement with the borrower, and if the modification is treated as a “significant modification” under the applicable U.S. Treasury regulations, the modified debt will be considered to have been reissued to us in a debt-for-debt exchange with the borrower. In that event, we generally may be required to reapportion the interest income to the real property security based on the value of the real property at the time of the modification, which value may have decreased materially. In Revenue Procedure 2014-51, the IRS provided a safe harbor under which a REIT is not required to reapportion the interest income on a mortgage loan upon a modification of the loan if the modification was occasioned by a default or would present a substantially reduced risk of default, and certain other requirements are met. Revenue Procedure 2014-51 may therefore allow us to modify certain of our distressed debt investments without adversely affecting the qualification of interest income from such debt investments for purposes of the 75% gross income test. However, we may enter into modifications of distressed debt investments that do not qualify for the safe harbor provided in Revenue Procedure 2014-51, which could adversely affect our ability to continue to satisfy the 75% gross income test.
We may, on a select basis, purchase mezzanine loans, which are loans secured by equity interests in a pass-through entity that directly or indirectly owns real property, rather than by a direct mortgage of the real property. In Revenue Procedure 2003-65, the IRS provided a safe harbor pursuant to which a mezzanine loan, if it meets each of the requirements contained in the Revenue Procedure, will be treated by the IRS as a real estate asset for purposes of the REIT asset tests described below, and interest derived from it will be treated as qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Although the Revenue Procedure provides a safe harbor on which taxpayers may rely, it does not prescribe rules of substantive tax law. We intend to structure any investments in mezzanine loans in a manner that generally complies with the various requirements applicable to our qualification as a REIT. However, to the extent that any of our mezzanine loans do not meet all of the requirements for reliance on the safe harbor set forth in the Revenue Procedure, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not challenge the tax treatment of those loans.
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We may also, on a select basis, enter into sale-leaseback transactions. It is possible that the IRS could take the position that specific sale-leaseback transactions that we treat as true leases are financing arrangements or loans rather than true leases for federal income tax purposes. Recharacterization of a sale-leaseback transaction as a financing arrangement or loan could cause us to fail the gross income tests or asset tests and, consequently, jeopardize our REIT status.
Dividend Income
Broadmark Realty may receive distributions from TRSs or other corporations that are not REITs or qualified REIT subsidiaries. These distributions generally are classified as dividend income to the extent of the earnings and profits of the distributing corporation. Such distributions generally constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, but not the 75% gross income test. For our taxable year ending December 31, 2020, we may need to limit distributions from Broadmark Realty’s management company subsidiary (formerly known as Trinity) in order for us to satisfy the 75% gross income test for that year. Any dividends received by us from a REIT will be qualifying income in our hands for purposes of both the 95% and 75% gross income tests.
Hedging Transactions
In the future, we may enter into hedging transactions with respect to one or more of our assets or liabilities. Hedging transactions could take a variety of forms, including interest rate swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements, options, futures contracts, forward rate agreements or similar financial instruments. Except to the extent provided by U.S. Treasury regulations, any income from a hedging transaction will not constitute gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests if we properly identify the transaction as specified in applicable U.S. Treasury regulations and we enter into such transaction (i) in the normal course of our business primarily to manage risk of interest rate or price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets, or (ii) primarily to manage risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% income tests. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT.
Failure to Satisfy the Gross Income Tests
We intend to monitor our sources of income, including any non-qualifying income received by us, so as to ensure our compliance with the gross income tests. If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we may still qualify as a REIT for the year if we are entitled to relief under applicable provisions of the Code. These relief provisions generally will be available if our failure to meet these tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and, following the identification of such failure, we set forth a description of each item of our gross income that satisfies the gross income tests in a schedule for the taxable year filed in accordance with the U.S. Treasury regulations. It is not possible to state whether we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions in all circumstances. If these relief provisions are inapplicable to a particular set of circumstances involving us, we will not qualify as a REIT. As discussed above under “— Taxation of REITs in General,” even where these relief provisions apply, a tax would be imposed upon the profit attributable to the amount by which we fail to satisfy the particular gross income test.
Phantom Income
Due to the nature of the assets in which we will invest, we may be required to recognize taxable income from certain of our assets in advance of our receipt of cash flow from or proceeds from disposition of such assets, and we may be required to report taxable income in early periods that exceeds the economic income ultimately realized with respect to such assets.
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We may acquire assets in the secondary market for less than their face amount and recognize market discount income. It is also likely that we will invest in debt instruments requiring us to accrue the difference between the instrument’s stated redemption price at maturity and its issue price as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes (such excess, “original issue discount,” or “OID”). These assets may generate taxable income in excess of economic income or in advance of the corresponding cash flow from the assets referred to as “phantom income.” We may also be required under the terms of any indebtedness that we incur to use cash received from interest payments to make principal payments on that indebtedness, with the effect that we will recognize income but will not have a corresponding amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
Due to each of these potential differences between income recognition or expense deduction and related cash receipts or disbursements, there is a risk that we may have substantial taxable income in excess of cash available for distribution. In that event, we may need to borrow funds or take other actions to satisfy the REIT distribution requirements for the taxable year in which this “phantom income” is recognized.
See “— Annual Distribution Requirements.”
Asset Tests
At the close of each calendar quarter, we must also satisfy five tests relating to the nature of our assets.
· | First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must be represented by some combination of: |
· | cash and cash items; |
· | U.S. government securities; |
· | interests in real property; |
· | interests in mortgage loans secured by real property or interests in real property; |
· | stock (or transferable certificates of beneficial interest) in other REITs; |
· | debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs; |
· | temporary investments in stock and debt instruments attributable to the investment of new capital; and |
· | regular or residual interests in a REMIC. However, if less than 95% of the assets of a REMIC consist of assets that are qualifying real estate-related assets under the U.S. federal income tax laws, determined as if we held such assets, we will be treated as holding directly our proportionate share of the assets of such REMIC. |
· | Second, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, the value of any one issuer’s securities owned by us may not exceed 5% of the value of our assets (referred to herein as the “5% asset test”). |
· | Third, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, we may not own more than 10% of any one issuer’s outstanding securities, as measured by either voting power or value (referred to herein as the “10% vote test,” the “10% value test” or together, the “10% asset test”). |
· | Fourth, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, the aggregate value of all securities of TRSs held by Broadmark Realty may not exceed 20% of the value of Broadmark Realty’s gross assets. |
· | Fifth, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs, if they would not otherwise qualify as “real estate assets,” cannot exceed 25% of the value of our total assets. |
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The 5% and 10% asset tests do not apply to securities of TRSs and qualified REIT subsidiaries. The 10% value test does not apply to certain “straight debt” and other excluded securities, as described in the Code, including but not limited to any loan to an individual or an estate, any obligation to pay rents from real property and any security issued by a REIT. In addition, (i) a REIT’s interest as a partner in a partnership is not considered a security for purposes of applying the 10% value test; (ii) any debt instrument issued by a partnership (other than straight debt or another excluded security) will not be considered a security issued by the partnership for purposes of the 10% value test if at least 75% of the partnership’s gross income is derived from sources that would qualify for the 75% gross income test; and (iii) any debt instrument issued by a partnership (other than straight debt or another excluded security) will not be considered a security issued by the partnership for purposes of the 10% value test to the extent of the REIT’s interest as a partner in the partnership.
After initially meeting the asset tests at the close of any quarter, we will not lose our qualification as a REIT for failure to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a later quarter solely by reason of changes in asset values. If we fail to satisfy the asset tests because we acquire or increase our ownership interest in securities during a quarter, we can cure this failure by disposing of sufficient non-qualifying assets within 30 days after the close of that quarter. We will monitor the value of Broadmark Realty’s investments in its TRSs to ensure compliance with the rule that no more than 20% of the value of its assets may consist of TRS stock and securities. If we fail the 5% asset test or the 10% vote or value asset tests at the end of any quarter and such failure is not cured within 30 days thereafter, we may dispose of sufficient assets (generally within six months after the last day of the quarter in which our identification of the failure to satisfy these asset tests occurred) to cure such a violation that does not exceed the lesser of 1% of our assets at the end of the relevant quarter or $10,000,000. If we fail any of the other asset tests or our failure of the 5% and 10% asset tests is in excess of the lesser of 1% of our assets at the end of the relevant quarter or $10,000,000, as long as such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, we may be permitted to avoid disqualification as a REIT, after the 30 day cure period, by taking steps including the disposition of sufficient assets to meet the asset test (generally within six months after the last day of the quarter in which our identification of the failure to satisfy the REIT asset test occurred) and paying a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the product of the highest corporate income tax rate and the net income generated by the non-qualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy the asset test.
Annual Distribution Requirements
In order to qualify as a REIT, we are required to distribute dividends, other than capital gain dividends, to our stockholders in an amount at least equal to:
· | the sum of: |
· | 90% of our “REIT taxable income” (computed without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and our net capital gains); and |
· | 90% of the net income (after tax), if any, from foreclosure property (as described below); minus |
· | the sum of specified items of non-cash income that exceeds a percentage of our income. |
These distributions must be paid in the taxable year to which they relate or in the following taxable year if such distributions are declared in October, November or December of the taxable year, are payable to stockholders of record on a specified date in any such month and are actually paid before the end of January of the following year. Such distributions are treated as both paid by us and received by each stockholder on December 31 of the year in which they are declared. In addition, at our election, a distribution for a taxable year may be declared before we timely file our tax return for the year and be paid with or before the first regular dividend payment after such declaration, provided that such payment is made during the 12-month period following the close of such taxable year. These distributions are taxable to our stockholders in the year in which paid, even though the distributions relate to our prior taxable year for purposes of the 90% distribution requirement. To the extent that we have available net operating losses and capital losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may, subject to limitations, reduce the amount of distributions that must be made in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements.
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Except for distributions by “publicly offered REITs,” distributions must not be “preferential dividends” in order for such distributions to be counted towards the distribution requirement. A dividend is not a preferential dividend if it is pro rata among all outstanding stock within a particular class and is in accordance with the preferences among different classes of stock as set forth in the REIT’s organizational documents. We believe that we are and will continue to be a publicly offered REIT and, therefore, will not be subject to this limitation.
To the extent that we distribute at least 90%, but less than 100%, of our “REIT taxable income,” as adjusted, we will be subject to tax at ordinary corporate tax rates on the retained portion. In addition, we may elect to retain, rather than distribute, our net long-term capital gains and pay tax on such gains. In this case, our stockholders would include their proportionate share of such undistributed long-term capital gains in income and receive a corresponding credit for their proportionate share of the tax paid by us. Our stockholders would then increase the adjusted basis of their stock in Broadmark Realty by the difference between the designated amounts included in their long-term capital gains and the tax deemed paid with respect to their proportionate shares.
If we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of:
· | 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, |
· | 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year, and |
· | any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the sum of (i) the amounts actually distributed (taking into account excess distributions from prior periods) and (ii) the amounts of income retained on which we have paid corporate income tax. We intend to make timely distributions so that we are not subject to the 4% excise tax. |
It is possible that we, from time to time, may not have sufficient cash to meet the distribution requirements due to timing differences between (i) the actual receipt of cash, including receipt of distributions from Broadmark Realty’s subsidiaries and (ii) the inclusion of items in income by Broadmark Realty for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For example, we may acquire debt instruments or notes with OID, such that we will be required to include in our income a portion of the OID each year that the instrument is held before we receive any corresponding cash. In the event that such timing differences occur, in order to meet the distribution requirements, it might be necessary to arrange for short-term, or possibly long-term, borrowings or to pay dividends in the form of taxable in-kind distributions of property, including taxable stock dividends. In the case of a taxable stock dividend, stockholders would be required to include the dividend as income and would be required to satisfy the tax liability associated with the distribution with cash from other sources including sales of common stock. Both a taxable stock distribution and sale of common stock resulting from such distribution could adversely affect the price of common stock.
If we fail to meet the distribution requirement in any taxable year, including if we do not have sufficient funds to make the required distribution, we generally would cease to qualify as a REIT. We may be able to rectify a failure to meet the distribution requirements for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to stockholders in a later year, which may be included in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. In this case, we may be able to avoid losing our qualification as a REIT or being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends. However, we will be required to pay interest and a penalty based on the amount of any deduction taken for deficiency dividends.
Recordkeeping Requirements
We are required to maintain records and request on an annual basis information from certain stockholders. These requirements are designed to assist us in determining the actual ownership of our outstanding stock and maintaining our qualification as a REIT.
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Prohibited Transactions
Net income we derive from a prohibited transaction is subject to a 100% tax. The term “prohibited transaction” generally includes a sale or other disposition of property (other than foreclosure property) that is held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business (i.e., “dealer property”) by a REIT, by a pass-through subsidiary in which the REIT holds an equity interest or by a borrower that has issued a shared appreciation mortgage or similar debt instrument to the REIT. We intend to conduct our operations so that no asset owned directly by Broadmark Realty or indirectly through its pass-through subsidiaries will be held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. However, whether property is held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business depends on the particular facts and circumstances. No assurance can be given that any particular asset in which Broadmark Realty holds a direct or indirect interest will not be treated as property held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers or that certain safe harbor provisions of the Code that prevent such treatment will apply. The 100% tax will not apply to gains from the sale of property that is held through a TRS or other taxable corporation, although such income will be subject to tax in the hands of the corporation at regular corporate income tax rates.
Foreclosure Property
Foreclosure property is real property and any personal property incident to such real property:
· | that is acquired by a REIT as a result of the REIT having bid on the property at foreclosure or having otherwise reduced the property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law after there was a default (or default was imminent) on a lease of the property or a mortgage loan held by the REIT and secured by the property; |
· | for which the related loan or lease was acquired by the REIT at a time when default was not imminent or anticipated; and |
· | for which such REIT makes a proper election to treat the property as foreclosure property. |
REITs generally are subject to tax at the corporate rate on any net income from foreclosure property, including any gain from the disposition of the foreclosure property, other than income that would otherwise be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any gain from the sale of property for which a foreclosure property election has been made will not be subject to the 100% tax on gains from prohibited transactions described above, even if the property would otherwise constitute inventory or dealer property in the hands of the selling REIT. If we anticipate receiving any income that is not qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test as a result of a foreclosure, we intend to elect, if eligible, to treat the related property as foreclosure property.
Failure to Qualify
In the event that we violate a provision of the Code that would result in our failure to continue to qualify as a REIT, we may nevertheless continue to qualify as a REIT. Specified relief provisions may be available to us to avoid such disqualification if:
· | the violation is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect; \ |
· | we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each failure to satisfy a requirement for qualification as a REIT; and |
· | the violation does not include a violation under the gross income or asset tests described above (for which other specified relief provisions are available). |
This cure provision reduces the instances that could lead to our disqualification as a REIT for violations due to reasonable cause. If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year and none of the relief provisions of the Code apply, we will be subject to tax on our taxable income at the regular corporate rate.
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Distributions to our stockholders in any year in which we are not a REIT will not be deductible by us, nor will they be required to be made. In this situation, to the extent of current and accumulated earnings and profits, and, subject to limitations of the Code, distributions to our stockholders generally will be taxable, in the case of our stockholders who are individual U.S. Holders, as “qualified dividend income” at the maximum tax rate applicable to long-term capital gains, and dividends in the hands of our corporate U.S. Holders may be eligible for the dividends received deduction. However, distributions to individual U.S. Holders during any year in which we are not a REIT will not be eligible for the deduction equal to 20% of the amount of such dividends described below. Unless we are entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, we will also be disqualified from re-electing to be taxed as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost. It is not possible to state whether, in all circumstances, we will be entitled to statutory relief. We would also fail to qualify as a REIT in the event we were treated under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations as a successor to another REIT whose qualification as a REIT was previously terminated or revoked. If a Predecessor Company failed to qualify as a REIT prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, it is possible that we would be treated as a successor REIT under the foregoing rules and thus unable to qualify as a REIT.
Taxation of Taxable U.S. Holders of Common Stock
This section summarizes the taxation of U.S. Holders who hold common stock that are not tax-exempt organizations.
Distributions
Provided that we qualify as a REIT, distributions made to our taxable U.S. Holders out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, and not designated as capital gain dividends, generally will be taken into account by them as ordinary dividend income and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporations. Dividends received from REITs generally are not eligible to be taxed at the preferential qualified dividend income rates applicable to non-corporate U.S. Holders who receive dividends from taxable subchapter “C” corporations.
In addition, distributions from us that are designated as capital gain dividends will be taxed to U.S. Holders as long-term capital gains, to the extent that they do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year, without regard to the period for which the U.S. Holder has held common stock. To the extent that we elect under the applicable provisions of the Code to retain our net capital gains, U.S. Holders will be treated as having received, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, their proportionate share of our undistributed capital gains as well as a corresponding credit for their proportionate share of the taxes paid by us on such retained capital gains. U.S. Holders will increase their adjusted tax basis in common stock by the difference between their proportionate share of such retained capital gain and their proportionate share of the tax paid by us. Long-term capital gains generally are taxable at reduced maximum federal rates in the case of U.S. Holders taxed at the rates applicable to individuals, and ordinary income rates for U.S. Holders taxed at the rates applicable to corporations.
Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will not be taxable to a U.S. Holder to the extent that they do not exceed the adjusted tax basis of our shares in respect of which the distributions were made, but rather will reduce the adjusted tax basis of those shares. To the extent that such distributions exceed the adjusted tax basis of an individual U.S. Holder’s shares, they will be included in income as long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the shares have been held for one year or less. In addition, any dividend declared by us in October, November or December of any year and payable to a U.S. Holder of record on a specified date in any such month will be treated as both paid by us and received by the U.S. Holder on December 31 of such year, provided that the dividend is actually paid by us before the end of January of the following calendar year.
With respect to U.S. Holders who are taxed at the rates applicable to individuals, we may elect to designate a portion of our distributions paid to such U.S. Holders as “qualified dividend income.” A portion of a distribution that is properly designated as qualified dividend income is taxable to such U.S. Holders at the same rates as capital gain, provided that the U.S. Holder has held the common stock with respect to which the distribution is made for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which such common stock became ex-dividend with respect to the relevant distribution. The maximum amount of our distributions eligible to be designated as qualified dividend income for a taxable year is equal to the sum of:
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· | the qualified dividend income received by us during such taxable year from certain non-REIT “C” corporations (including any TRS in which we may own an interest); |
· | the excess of any “undistributed” REIT taxable income recognized during the immediately preceding year over the U.S. federal income tax paid by us with respect to such undistributed REIT taxable income; and |
· | the excess of any income recognized during the immediately preceding year attributable to the sale of a built-in-gain asset that was acquired in a carry-over basis transaction or conversion transaction from a non-REIT “C” corporation over the U.S. federal income tax paid by us with respect to such built-in gain. |
In addition, the total amount of dividends that we may designate as “qualified dividend income” or “capital gain dividends” may not exceed our dividends paid for the taxable year. Generally, dividends that we receive will be treated as qualified dividend income for purposes of the first bullet above if the dividends are received from a domestic “C” corporation (other than a REIT or an entity taxed as a regulated investment company, or “RIC,” for U.S. federal income tax purposes), any TRS that Broadmark Realty may form, or a “qualified foreign corporation” and specified holding period and other requirements are met.
Dividends received by non-corporate U.S. Holders from us that are neither attributable to “qualified dividend income” nor designated as “capital gain dividends” will be eligible for a deduction equal to 20% of the amount of such dividends in taxable years beginning before January 1, 2026.
To the extent that we have available net operating losses and capital losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may, subject to limitations, reduce the amount of distributions that must be made in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. See “— Annual Distribution Requirements.” Such losses, however, are not passed through to U.S. Holders and do not offset income of U.S. Holders from other sources, nor do they affect the character of any distributions that are actually made by us, which generally are subject to tax in the hands of U.S. Holders to the extent that we have current or accumulated earnings and profits.
Dispositions of Common Stock
In general, a U.S. Holder will realize gain or loss upon the sale or other taxable disposition of common stock in an amount equal to the difference between the sum of the fair market value of any property and the amount of cash received in such disposition and the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common stock at the time of the disposition. In general, a U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis will equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost, and in the case of common stock, increased by the excess of net capital gains deemed distributed to the U.S. Holder (discussed above) less tax deemed paid on such gain, and reduced by distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits as described above under “— Distributions.” In general, capital gains and losses recognized by a U.S. Holder upon the disposition of common stock will be treated as long-term capital gains and losses if the common stock has been held for more than one year at the time of disposition and will be treated as short-term capital gains and losses if the common stock has been held for one year or less at the time of disposition.
In general, long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. Holders upon the sale or disposition of common stock will be subject to a reduced maximum U.S. federal income tax rate, and short-term capital gains will be taxed at ordinary income rates. Gains recognized by U.S. Holders that are corporations are subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate rate, whether or not classified as long-term capital gains.
Capital losses generally are available only to offset capital gain income of the U.S. Holder but not ordinary income (except in the case of non-corporate taxpayers, who may offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income each year). In addition, any loss upon a sale or exchange of shares of common stock by a U.S. Holder who has held the stock for six months or less, after applying holding period rules, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of distributions received from us that were required to be treated by the U.S. Holder as long-term capital gain. U.S. Holders are advised to consult with their tax advisors with respect to their capital gain tax liability with respect to a sale of common stock.
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If an investor recognizes a loss upon a subsequent disposition of our common stock in an amount that exceeds a prescribed threshold, it is possible that the provisions of U.S. Treasury regulations involving “reportable transactions” could apply, with a resulting requirement to separately disclose the loss-generating transaction to the IRS. These regulations, though directed towards “tax shelters,” are broadly written and apply to transactions that would not typically be considered tax shelters. The Code imposes significant penalties for failure to comply with these requirements. You should consult your tax advisor concerning any possible disclosure obligation with respect to the receipt or disposition of our common stock or transactions that we might undertake directly or indirectly. Moreover, you should be aware that we and other participants in the transactions in which we are involved (including their advisors) might be subject to disclosure or other requirements pursuant to these regulations.
Passive Activity Losses and Investment Interest Limitations
Distributions made by us and gain arising from the sale or exchange by a U.S. Holder of our common stock will not be treated as passive activity income. As a result, U.S. Holders will not be able to apply any “passive losses” against income or gain relating to common stock. Distributions made by us, to the extent they do not constitute a return of capital or capital gains, generally will be treated as investment income for purposes of computing the investment interest limitation. A U.S. Holder that elects to treat capital gain dividends, capital gains from the disposition of stock or qualified dividend income as investment income for purposes of the investment interest limitation will be taxed at ordinary income rates on such amounts.
Medicare Tax
Certain U.S. Holders who are individuals, estates or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay a 3.8% Medicare tax on dividends and other income, including capital gain from the sale or disposition of our common stock.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
We or our paying agent must report annually to U.S. Holders and the IRS amounts paid to such holders on or with respect to our common stock during each calendar year, the amount of proceeds from the sale of our common stock, and the amount of tax, if any, withheld from such payments. A U.S. Holder will be subject to backup withholding on dividends paid on our common stock and proceeds from the sale of common stock at the applicable rate if the U.S. Holder is not otherwise exempt and (i) the holder fails to provide us or our paying agent with a correct taxpayer identification number, (ii) we or our paying agent is notified by the IRS that the holder provided an incorrect taxpayer identification number, (iii) we or our paying agent is notified by the IRS that the holder failed to properly report payments of interest or dividends or (iv) the holder fails to certify under penalty of perjury that it has provided a correct taxpayer identification number and has not been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding. A U.S. Holder generally may establish that it is exempt from or otherwise not subject to backup withholding by providing a properly completed IRS Form W-9 to us or our paying agent.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against your U.S. federal income tax liability, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Taxation of Tax-Exempt U.S. Holders
U.S. tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit sharing trusts and individual retirement accounts, generally are exempt from U.S. federal income taxation. However, they are subject to taxation on their unrelated business taxable income, which is referred to in this discussion as unrelated business taxable income, or “UBTI.” Distributions by us and income from the sale of our common stock generally should not give rise to UBTI to a tax-exempt U.S. Holder provided that:
· | a tax-exempt U.S. Holder has not held common stock as “debt financed property” within the meaning of the Code (i.e., where the acquisition or holding of the property is financed through a borrowing by the tax-exempt stockholder); |
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· | common stock is not otherwise used in an unrelated trade or business; and |
· | we do not hold an asset that gives rise to excess inclusion income. |
In certain circumstances, a pension trust that (i) is described in Section 401(a) of the Code, (ii) is tax exempt under Section 501(a) of the Code, and (iii) owns more than 10% of our stock could be required to treat a percentage of the dividends from us as UBTI if we are a “pension-held REIT.” We will not be a pension-held REIT unless (i) either (a) one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our stock, or (b) a group of pension trusts, each individually holding more than 10% of the value of our stock, collectively owns more than 50% of such stock; and (ii) we would not have qualified as a REIT but for the fact that Section 856(h)(3) of the Code provides that stock owned by such trusts shall be treated, for purposes of the requirement that not more than 50% of the value of the outstanding stock of a REIT is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer “individuals” (as defined in the Code to include certain entities), as owned by the beneficiaries of such trusts. Certain restrictions in our Charter limiting ownership and transfer of our stock generally should prevent a tax-exempt entity from owning more than 10% of the value of our stock, or us from becoming a pension-held REIT, however, no assurances can be provided.
Tax-exempt U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal, state and local tax consequences of owning common stock.
Taxation of Non-U.S. Holders
The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of common stock applicable to Non-U.S. Holders of common stock. The discussion is based on current law and is for general information only. It addresses only selective and not all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation of Non-U.S. Holders. In addition, this discussion assumes that:
· | a Non-U.S. Holder will not have held more than 10% of our stock (taking into account applicable constructive ownership rules) at any time during the five-year period ending on the date on which such Non-U.S. Holder disposes of common stock or receives distributions from us; and |
· | the common stock is and will continue to be “regularly traded” on an established securities market located in the United States within the meaning of the applicable Code provision and U.S. Treasury regulations (although there can be no assurance that this will continue to be the case). |
Ordinary Dividends
Any distributions we make to Non-U.S. Holders with respect to shares of our common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the United States of the Non-U.S. Holder, we generally will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless the Non-U.S. Holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of such Non-U.S. Holder’s eligibility for such reduced rate (on an applicable IRS Form W-8). Under some treaties, however, lower rates generally applicable to dividends do not apply to dividends from REITs. In addition, any portion of the dividends paid to Non-U.S. Holders that are treated as excess inclusion income will not be eligible for exemption from the 30% withholding tax or a reduced treaty rate. In the case of a taxable stock dividend with respect to which any withholding tax is imposed, we may have to withhold or dispose of part of the stock otherwise distributable in such dividend and use such stock or the proceeds of such disposition to satisfy the withholding tax imposed.
The withholding tax does not apply to dividends paid to Non-U.S. Holders that provide a Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with their conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to U.S. federal income tax as if the Non-U.S. Holder were a U.S. resident. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation that receives effectively connected dividends may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” imposed at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate).
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Non-Dividend Distributions
Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) a Non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in such holder’s shares of common stock and, to the extent such distribution exceeds such holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the common stock that would be subject to the rules discussed below under “— Dispositions of Common Stock.” Unless either (i) any gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by such Non-U.S. Holder within the United States (or, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by such holder) or (ii) such Non-U.S. Holder is an individual present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and certain other conditions are met, distributions by us which are not dividends will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax. If we cannot determine at the time at which a distribution is made whether or not the distribution will exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, the distribution will be subject to withholding at the rate applicable to dividends. However, a Non-U.S. Holder may seek a refund from the IRS of any amounts withheld if it is subsequently determined that the distribution was, in fact, in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits.
Capital Gain Dividends
Capital gain dividends received by Non-U.S. Holders from us generally are not subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax, unless either (i) the receipt of such dividends are effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by such Non-U.S. Holder within the United States (and, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by such holder) or (ii) such Non-U.S. Holder is an individual present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and certain other conditions are met.
However, under Section 897 of the Code, a distribution made by us to a Non-U.S. Holder, to the extent attributable to gain from the disposition of a “U.S. real property interest” held by us directly or through pass-through or certain other subsidiaries, will be treated as an ordinary dividend subject to the rules discussed above under “— Ordinary Dividends.”
Dispositions of Common Stock
Gain recognized by a Non-U.S. Holder from the sale of our common stock generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax, except in two cases: (i) if any gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by such Non-U.S. Holder within the United States (or, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by such holder) or (ii) if such Non-U.S. Holder is an individual present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and certain other conditions are met.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”)
FATCA imposes a 30% U.S. federal withholding tax on payments of dividends on our common stock made to (i) a “foreign financial institution,” as defined under such rules, unless such institution enters into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury Department to, among other things, collect and provide to it substantial information regarding such institution’s United States financial account holders, including certain account holders that are non-U.S. entities with United States owners or, in the case of a foreign financial institution in a jurisdiction that has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the United States, such institution complies with the requirements of such agreement and (ii) a “non-financial foreign entity,” as defined under such rules, unless such entity provides the paying agent with a certification that it does not have any substantial United States owners or a certification identifying the direct and indirect substantial United States owners of the entity, unless in each case, an exemption applies.
While withholding under FATCA may also apply to payments of gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our common stock, under proposed U.S. Treasury regulations, withholding on payments of gross proceeds is not required. Although such regulations are not final, applicable withholding agents may rely on the proposed regulations until final regulations are issued.
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Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Information returns may be filed with the IRS in connection with payments of dividends and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our common stock. Non-U.S. Holders may have to comply with certification procedures to establish that such Non-U.S. Holders are not United States persons in order to avoid backup withholding requirements. The certification procedures required to claim a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty will satisfy the certification requirements necessary to avoid the backup withholding as well. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a Non-U.S. Holder will be allowed as a credit against such Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such Non-U.S. Holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (“FIRPTA”)
Non-U.S. Holders (other than certain non-U.S. pension funds) disposing of a U.S. real property interest, including shares of a U.S. corporation whose assets consist principally of U.S. real property interests (referred to as “U.S. real property holding corporation”), are generally subject to taxation under FIRPTA on the gain recognized on the disposition. Because U.S. real property interests do not generally include mortgage loans, we do not expect to be a U.S. real property holding corporation, although we cannot assure you that we will not become one in the future.
Even if we were to become a U.S. real property holding corporation, the FIRPTA tax does not apply to the disposition of stock in a REIT if the REIT is “domestically controlled.” A REIT is “domestically controlled” if less than 50% of the REIT’s stock, by value, has been owned directly or indirectly by persons who are not qualifying U.S. persons during a continuous five-year period ending on the date of disposition or, if shorter, during the entire period of the REIT’s existence. We cannot assure you that we will qualify as a “domestically controlled” REIT. If we were to fail to so qualify, gain realized by Non-U.S. Holders on a sale of our common stock would be subject to FIRPTA tax, unless our common stock was regularly traded on an established securities market and the Non-U.S. Holder did not at any time during a specified testing period directly or indirectly own more than 10% of the value of our outstanding common stock. Prospective Non-U.S. Holders of our common stock should consult their tax advisors regarding the application and effect of FIRPTA on an investment in us.
Legislative or Other Actions Affecting REITs
The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. Changes to the tax laws, with or without retroactive application, could materially and adversely affect us and our stockholders. We cannot predict how changes in the tax laws might affect us or our stockholders. New legislation, U.S. Treasury regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify as a REIT or the U.S. federal income tax consequences of such qualification.
State, Local and Non-U.S. Taxes
We, and the holders of our common stock, may be subject to state, local or non-U.S. taxation in various jurisdictions, including those in which it or they transact business, own property or reside. The state, local or non-U.S. tax treatment of us and holders of our common stock may not conform to the U.S. federal income tax treatment discussed above. Any non-U.S. taxes incurred by us would not pass through to stockholders as a credit against their U.S. federal income tax liability. Prospective holders of our common stock should consult their tax advisors regarding the application and effect of state, local and non-U.S. income and other tax laws on an investment in us.
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General
We may sell the securities being offered by this prospectus in one or more of the following ways from time to time:
· | to or through underwriters or dealers; |
· | through agents; |
· | in “at the market offerings” to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, or a securities exchange or otherwise; |
· | on the NYSE; |
· | in the over-the-counter market; |
· | directly to purchasers; or |
· | through a combination of any of these methods of sale or by any other legally available means. |
A distribution of the securities offered by this prospectus may also be effected through the issuance of derivative securities, including without limitation, warrants, exchangeable securities, forward delivery contracts and the writing of options. In addition, the manner in which we may sell some or all of the securities covered by this prospectus includes, without limitation, through:
· | a block trade in which a broker-dealer will attempt to sell as agent, but may position or resell a portion of the block, as principal, in order to facilitate the transaction; |
· | purchases by a broker-dealer, as principal, and resale by the broker-dealer for its account; |
· | ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which a broker solicits purchasers; or |
· | privately negotiated transactions. |
We may also enter into derivative, hedging, forward sale, option or other types of transactions. For example, we may:
· | enter into transactions with a broker-dealer or affiliate thereof in connection with which such broker-dealer or affiliate will engage in short sales of, or maintain short positions in, the capital stock pursuant to this prospectus, in which case such broker-dealer or affiliate may use shares of capital stock received from us to close out or hedge its short positions; |
· | sell securities short and redeliver such shares to close out or hedge our short positions; |
· | enter into option or other types of transactions that require us to deliver capital stock to a broker-dealer or an affiliate thereof, who will then resell or transfer the capital stock under this prospectus; or |
· | loan or pledge the capital stock to a broker-dealer or an affiliate thereof, who may sell the loaned shares or, in an event of default in the case of a pledge, sell the pledged shares pursuant to this prospectus. |
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In addition, we may enter into derivative, hedging, forward sale, option or other types of transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties, through a stock exchange, including block trades or ordinary broker’s transactions, or through broker-dealers acting either as principal or agent, or through an underwritten public offering, through privately negotiated transactions or through a combination of any such methods of sale. In connection with such a transaction, the third parties may sell securities covered by and pursuant to this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement or pricing supplement, as the case may be. If so, the third party may use securities borrowed from us or others to settle such sales and may use securities received from us to close out or hedge any related short positions. We may also loan or pledge securities covered by this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement to third parties, who may sell the loaned securities or, in an event of default in the case of a pledge, sell the pledged securities pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement or pricing supplement, as the case may be.
If indicated in an applicable prospectus supplement, we may sell shares of our capital stock under a direct stock purchase and dividend reinvestment plan. The terms of any such plan will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
A prospectus supplement with respect to each series of securities will state the terms of the offering of the securities, including:
· | the terms of the offering; |
· | the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents and the amounts of securities underwritten or purchased by each of them, if any; |
· | the public offering price or purchase price of the securities and the net proceeds to be received by us from the sale; |
· | any delayed delivery arrangements; |
· | the terms of any subscription rights; |
· | any initial public offering price; |
· | any underwriting discounts and commissions or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation; |
· | any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and |
· | any securities exchange on which the securities may be listed. |
The offer and sale of the securities described in this prospectus by us or the underwriters or the third parties described above may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions, including privately negotiated transactions, either:
· | at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed; |
· | at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, including in “at the market offerings”; |
· | at prices related to the prevailing market prices; or |
· | at negotiated prices. |
Underwriting Compensation
Any public offering price and any fees, discounts, commissions, concessions or other items constituting compensation allowed or reallowed or paid to underwriters, dealers, agents or remarketing firms may be changed from time to time. Underwriters, dealers, agents and remarketing firms that participate in the distribution of the offered securities may be “underwriters” as defined in the Securities Act. Any discounts or commissions they receive from us and any profits they receive on the resale of the offered securities may be treated as underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. We will identify any underwriters, agents or dealers and describe their fees, commissions or discounts in the applicable prospectus supplement or pricing supplement, as the case may be.
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Underwriters and Agents
If underwriters are used in a sale, they will acquire the offered securities for their own account. The underwriters may resell the offered securities in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions. We may offer the securities to the public either through an underwriting syndicate represented by one or more managing underwriters or through one or more underwriter(s). The underwriters in any particular offering will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement or pricing supplement, as the case may be.
Unless otherwise specified in connection with any particular offering of securities, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the offered securities will be subject to certain conditions contained in an underwriting agreement that we will enter into with the underwriters at the time of the sale to them. The underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities of the series offered if any of the securities are purchased, unless otherwise specified in connection with any particular offering of securities. Any initial offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed, reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.
We may designate agents to sell the offered securities. Unless otherwise specified in connection with any particular offering of securities, the agents will agree to use their best efforts to solicit purchases for the period of their appointment. We may also sell the offered securities to one or more remarketing firms, acting as principals for their own accounts or as agents for us. These firms will remarket the offered securities upon purchasing them in accordance with a redemption or repayment pursuant to the terms of the offered securities. A prospectus supplement or pricing supplement, as the case may be will identify any remarketing firm and will describe the terms of its agreement, if any, with us and its compensation.
In connection with offerings made through underwriters or agents, we may enter into agreements with such underwriters or agents pursuant to which we receive our outstanding securities in consideration for the securities being offered to the public for cash. In connection with these arrangements, the underwriters or agents may also sell securities covered by this prospectus to hedge their positions in these outstanding securities, including in short sale transactions. If so, the underwriters or agents may use the securities received from us under these arrangements to close out any related open borrowings of securities.
Dealers
We may sell the offered securities to dealers as principals. We may negotiate and pay dealers’ commissions, discounts or concessions for their services. The dealer may then resell such securities to the public either at varying prices to be determined by the dealer or at a fixed offering price agreed to with us at the time of resale. Dealers engaged by us may allow other dealers to participate in resales.
Direct Sales
We may choose to sell the offered securities directly to multiple purchasers or a single purchaser. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved.
Institutional Purchasers
We may authorize agents, dealers or underwriters to solicit certain institutional investors to purchase offered securities on a delayed delivery basis pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified future date. The applicable prospectus supplement or pricing supplement, as the case may be will provide the details of any such arrangement, including the offering price and commissions payable on the solicitations.
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We will enter into such delayed contracts only with institutional purchasers that we approve. These institutions may include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies and educational and charitable institutions. The obligations of any purchaser under any such delayed delivery contract will be subject to the condition that the purchase of the securities shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which the purchaser is subject.
Indemnification; Other Relationships
We may agree to indemnify underwriters, dealers, agents and remarketing firms against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act and to make contribution to them in connection with those liabilities. Underwriters, dealers, agents and remarketing firms, and their affiliates, may engage in transactions with, or perform services for us, and our affiliates, in the ordinary course of business, including commercial banking transactions and services.
Market Making, Stabilization and Other Transactions
Each series of securities will be a new issue of securities and will have no established trading market, other than our common stock, which is listed on the NYSE. Any shares of our common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be listed on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance. Any underwriters to whom we sell securities for public offering and sale may make a market in the securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. The securities, other than the common stock, may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange, and any such listing if pursued will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
To facilitate the offering of the securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involves the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than we sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover the over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their over-allotment option. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the debt securities by bidding for or purchasing debt securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time.
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Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, certain legal matters, including certain federal income tax matters, will be passed upon for us by Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, Atlanta, Georgia. Venable LLP, Baltimore, Maryland, has issued an opinion to us regarding certain legal matters of Maryland law.
The consolidated financial statements of the company as of December 31, 2019 and for the period from November 15, 2019 to December 31, 2019 and the financial statements of the Predecessor Company Group as of December 31, 2018 and for the period from January 1, 2019 to November 14, 2019, and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2018 incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-3 by reference from the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 have been audited by Moss Adams LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports which are incorporated by reference herein. Such financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the reports of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
The financial statements of Trinity Merger Corp. at December 31, 2018, and for the period from January 24, 2018 (inception) through December 31, 2018, incorporated by reference in this prospectus and registration statement have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon incorporated by reference herein, and are included in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and file proxy statements, Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K with the SEC. Our filings with the SEC, including the filings that are incorporated by reference to this prospectus, are available to the public on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. We also make available through our website at www.broadmark.com, our annual reports, quarterly reports, current reports and other materials we file or furnish to the SEC as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such materials with the SEC. The information contained on or accessible through our corporate website or any other website that we may maintain is not incorporated by reference herein and is not part of this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Written requests for copies of the documents we file with the SEC should be directed to: Broadmark Realty Capital Inc., 1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2000, Seattle, Washington 98101, Attn: Corporate Secretary.
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities offered by this prospectus. This prospectus, filed as part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and its exhibits. For further information about us and our securities, we refer you to the registration statement and to its exhibits. The full registration statement can be obtained from the SEC as indicated above.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of filing those documents. Any reports filed by us with the SEC on or after the date of this prospectus will automatically update and, where applicable, supersede any information contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have filed the documents listed below with the SEC under the Exchange Act, and these documents are incorporated herein by reference (other than information in such documents that is furnished and not deemed to be filed):
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· | Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2020; |
· | Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020, June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2020, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2020, August 10, 2020 and November 9, 2020, respectively; |
· | Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 10, 2020, January 31, 2020, February 7, 2020, March 17, 2020, April 13, 2020 and June 17, 2020; |
· | The following information in the prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) on September 11, 2020: The interim financial statements of Trinity Merger Corp. (pages F-59 to F-75), the audited financial statements of Trinity Merger Corp. (pages F-76 to F-91) and the unaudited pro forma condensed consolidated financial information (appearing on pages F-92 to F-97); and |
All documents we file pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act on or after the date on which the registration statement that includes this prospectus was initially filed with the SEC (including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement) and until all offerings under this registration statement are completed or terminated (other than information in such documents that is furnished and not deemed to be filed) shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and to be part hereof from the date of filing of those documents.
We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus (other than the exhibits to such documents which are not specifically incorporated by reference therein); we will provide this information at no cost to the requester upon written or oral request to: Broadmark Realty Capital Inc., 1420 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2000, Seattle, Washington 98101, Attn: Corporate Secretary.
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following table sets forth the expenses payable by the Registrant expected to be incurred in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered hereby (other than underwriting discounts and commissions). All of such expenses are estimates, other than the filing fees payable to the SEC.
Securities and Exchange Commission Registration Fee | $ | 57,119 | ||
FINRA Filing Fee | $ | 105,500 | ||
Accounting Fees and Expenses | * | |||
Legal Fees and Expenses | * | |||
EDGAR Filing and Miscellaneous Expenses | * | |||
Total | $ | * |
* | Estimated expenses are not presently known. The applicable prospectus supplement or one or more Current Reports on Form 8-K, which will be incorporated by reference, will set forth the estimated amount of such expenses payable in respect of any offering of the securities. |
Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Set forth below is a description of certain provisions of the organizational documents for each registrant, as applicable, and a description of the applicable state law for each registrant, respectively.
Insofar as the following provisions permit indemnification of directors, officers or persons controlling us for liability arising under the Securities Act, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, this indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Maryland Registrant
Maryland Law
The following applies to Broadmark Realty.
Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision eliminating the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages, except for liability resulting from (1) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (2) active and deliberate dishonesty that is established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action. Our Charter contains a provision that eliminates such liability to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
The Maryland General Corporation Law (“MGCL”) requires a corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which Broadmark Realty’s Charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made, or threatened to be made, a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity. The MGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to or in which they may be made, or threatened to be made, a party or witness by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:
· | the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (1) was committed in bad faith or (2) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty; |
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· | the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or |
· | in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. |
However, under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received. Nevertheless, a court may order indemnification in either case if it determines that the director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, but only for expenses. In addition, the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon its receipt of:
· | a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation; and |
· | a written undertaking by the director or officer or on the director’s or officer’s behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the director or officer did not meet the standard of conduct. |
Our Charter obligates us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, to indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of such a proceeding to:
· | any present or former director or officer of Broadmark Realty who is made, or threatened to be made, a party to, or witness in, the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity; or |
· | any individual who, while a director or officer of Broadmark Realty and at Broadmark Realty’s request, serves or has served as a director, officer, trustee, member, manager or partner of another corporation, real estate investment trust, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made, or threatened to be made, a party to, or witness in, the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity. |
Our Charter permits us, with the approval of our Board, to indemnify and advance expenses to any individual who served as any of Broadmark Realty’s predecessors in any of the capacities described above and to any employees or agents of Broadmark Realty or any of its predecessors.
Broadmark Realty has entered into indemnification agreements with each of Broadmark Realty’s directors and executive officers that provide for indemnification to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, except as may be limited in the agreement.
Delaware Registrants
Delaware Limited Liability Company Registrant
The following applies to BRMK Lending, LLC, which is a limited liability company organized under the laws of the state of Delaware and subject to the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (the “DLLCA”).
Section 18-108 of the DLLCA, provides that, subject to such standards and restrictions, if any, as are set forth in its limited liability company agreement, a limited liability company may indemnify and hold harmless any member or manager or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever. However, to the extent that the limited liability company agreement seeks to restrict or limit the liabilities of such person, Section 18-1101 of the DLLCA prohibits such agreement from eliminating liability for any act or omission that constitutes a bad faith violation of the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
The Limited Liability Company Agreement of BRMK Lending, LLC (the “BRMK Lending LLC Agreement”) provides that, except as otherwise provided by the DLLCA, the sole member shall not be obligated personally for any debt, obligation or liability of BRMK Lending, LLC, whether arising in contract, tort or otherwise, solely by reason of being the sole member of BRMK Lending, LLC.
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In addition, the BRMK Lending LLC Agreement provides that no sole member, officer, or any affiliate, officer, director, employee or agent of the sole member, (each a “Responsible Party”) shall be liable for any loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Responsible Party unless there has been a final and non-appealable judgment determining that the Responsible Party engaged in fraud or intentional malfeasance.
Further, the BRMK Lending LLC Agreement provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, a Responsible Party shall be entitled to indemnification from BRMK Lending, LLC for any loss, damage or claim incurred by such Responsible Party by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Responsible Party in good faith and on behalf of BRMK Lending, LLC and within the scope of their authority, except in the case of such Responsible Party’s gross negligence or willful misconduct and provided that any indemnification shall be limited to the assets of BRMK Lending, LLC.
The BRMK Lending LLC Agreement entitles, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any Responsible Party to regular reimbursement of expenses incurred (including reasonable legal fees), provided that such person shall undertake to repay all amounts advanced if it should be ultimately determined that the Responsible Party is not entitled to be indemnified.
Delaware Corporation Registrant
The following applies to BRMK Management, Corp., which is a corporation organized under the laws of the state of Delaware and subject to the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”).
Section 145 of the DGCL (“Section 145”) authorizes a corporation to indemnify any person who was, is or is threatened to be made, party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of such corporation), by reason of the fact that such person is or was an officer, director, employee or agent of such corporation or is or was serving at the request of such corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. In the case of proceedings brought by or on behalf of the corporation, such indemnification is limited to expenses and no indemnification is permitted without judicial approval if such individual is adjudged to be liable to the corporation.
The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of BRMK Management, Corp. provide that a director of BRMK Management, Corp. shall not be personally liable to BRMK Management, Corp. or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation is not permitted under the DGCL.
The Bylaws of BRMK Management, Corp. provide that officers and directors shall be indemnified and held harmless by BRMK Management, Corp. to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, against all expenses, liability and loss (including attorney’s fees, judgement, fines and certain other expenses) and contains provisions substantially similar to Section 145 of the DGCL. The right to such payment or indemnification is not exclusive of other rights to which such person would be entitled as a matter of law or otherwise.
Section 145 further authorizes a corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise, against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the corporation would otherwise have the power to indemnify such person under Section 145.
The Bylaws of BRMK Management, Corp. permit BRMK Management, Corp. to secure insurance on behalf of its officers, directors, employees or agents for any expenses, liability or loss, whether or not it would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.
Additionally, Section 145 provides that expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director of the corporation in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized by Section 145.
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The Bylaws of BRMK Management, Corp. provide for the advancement of expenses to an indemnified party upon receipt of an undertaking by the party to repay those amounts if it is ultimately determined that he or she is not entitled to be indemnified by BRMK Management, Corp.
Finally, Section 145 also provides that a right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred.
The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of BRMK Management, Corp. provides that any repeal or modification of the foregoing provisions will be prospective only and will not in any way adversely affect any right of a director or officer in effect at the time with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or modification.
The general effect of the foregoing is to provide indemnification to officers and directors for liabilities that may arise by reason of their status as officers or directors, other than liabilities arising from willful or intentional misconduct, acts or omissions not in good faith, unlawful distributions of corporate assets or transactions from which the officer or director derived an improper personal benefit.
Item 16. Exhibits
A list of exhibits included as part of this registration statement is set forth in the Exhibit Index and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 17. Undertakings
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) | To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
(i) | To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; |
(ii) | To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and |
(iii) | To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i), (1)(ii) and (1)(iii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement. |
(2) | That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
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(3) | To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. |
(4) | That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser: |
(i) | Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and |
(ii) | Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date. |
(5) | That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: (i) any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; (ii) any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; (iii) the portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and (iv) any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
(6) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act, if necessary (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
(7) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act, and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
(8) | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1), or (4), or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
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(9) | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
(10) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the SEC under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act. |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
† | The annexes, schedules, and certain exhibits to the Agreement and Plan of Merger have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. The registrant hereby agrees to furnish supplementally a copy of any omitted annex, schedule or exhibit to the SEC upon request. |
* | To be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated by reference here. |
** | Previously filed. |
*** | To be filed in accordance with the requirements of Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. |
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Amendment No. 2 to the registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Seattle, State of Washington, on January 14, 2021.
BROADMARK REALTY CAPITAL INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey B. Pyatt | |
Name: Jeffrey B. Pyatt Title: President and Chief Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name | Position | Date | ||
* | Chairman of the Board and Director | January 14, 2021 | ||
Joseph L. Schocken | ||||
/s/ Jeffrey B. Pyatt | President and Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer) | January 14, 2021 | ||
Jeffrey B. Pyatt | ||||
/s/ David Schneider | Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | January 14, 2021 | ||
David Schneider | ||||
* | Director | January 14, 2021 | ||
Stephen G. Haggerty | ||||
* | Director | January 14, 2021 | ||
Daniel J. Hirsch | ||||
* | Director | January 14, 2021 | ||
David A. Karp | ||||
* | Director | January 14, 2021 | ||
Norma J. Lawrence | ||||
* | Director | January 14, 2021 | ||
Kevin M. Luebbers |
By: | /s/ Nevin Boparai | |
Name: Nevin Boparai | ||
Title: Attorney-in-Fact |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Amendment No. 2 to the registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Seattle, State of Washington, on January 14, 2021.
BRMK LENDING, LLC | |||
By: | BROADMARK REALTY CAPITAL INC. | ||
Sole Member | |||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey B. Pyatt | ||
Name: Jeffrey B. Pyatt Title: President and Chief Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name | Position | Date | ||
/s/ Jeffrey B. Pyatt | President and Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer) | January 14, 2021 | ||
Jeffrey B. Pyatt | ||||
/s/ David Schneider | Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | January 14, 2021 | ||
David Schneider | ||||
BROADMARK REALTY CAPITAL INC. | Sole Member | January 14, 2021 | ||
/s/ Jeffrey B. Pyatt | ||||
Name: Jeffrey B. Pyatt Title: President and Chief Executive Officer |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Amendment No. 2 to the registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Seattle, State of Washington, on January 14, 2021.
BRMK MANAGEMENT, CORP. | ||
By: | /s/ Jeffrey B. Pyatt | |
Name: Jeffrey B. Pyatt Title: President and Chief Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name | Position | Date | ||
/s/ Jeffrey B. Pyatt | President and Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer) | January 14, 2021 | ||
Jeffrey B. Pyatt | ||||
/s/ David Schneider | Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | January 14, 2021 | ||
David Schneider | ||||
/s/ Nevin Boparai | Director | January 14, 2021 | ||
Nevin Boparai |