Ladder Capital Corp (LADR)

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the related notes of Ladder Capital Corp included within this Annual Report. This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” within this Annual Report and “Risk Factors” within this Annual Report for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to, those in “Risk Factors” set forth within this Annual Report.

References to “Ladder,” the “Company,” and “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Ladder Capital Corp, a Delaware corporation incorporated in 2013, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Ladder Capital Corp is the sole general partner of Ladder Capital Finance Holdings LLLP (“LCFH”) and, as a result of the

serialization of LCFH on December 31, 2014, became the sole general partner of Series REIT of LCFH. LC TRS I LLC, a

wholly-owned subsidiary of Series REIT of LCFH, is the general partner of Series TRS of LCFH. Ladder Capital Corp has a

controlling interest in Series REIT of LCFH, and through such controlling interest, also has a controlling interest in Series TRS

of LCFH. Ladder Capital Corp’s only business is to act as the sole general partner of LCFH and Series REIT of LCFH, and, as

a result of the foregoing, Ladder Capital Corp directly and indirectly operates and controls all of the business and affairs of

LCFH, and each Series thereof, and consolidates the financial results of LCFH, and each Series thereof, into Ladder Capital

Corp’s consolidated financial statements.

Overview

Ladder Capital is an internally-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that is a leader in commercial real estate finance. We originate and invest in a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate and real estate-related assets, focusing on senior secured assets. Our investment activities include: (i) our primary business of originating senior first mortgage fixed and floating rate loans collateralized by commercial real estate with flexible loan structures; (ii) owning and operating commercial real estate, including net leased commercial properties; and (iii) investing in investment grade securities secured by first mortgage loans on commercial real estate. We believe that our in-house origination platform, ability to flexibly allocate capital among complementary product lines, credit-centric underwriting approach, access to diversified financing sources, and experienced management team position us well to deliver attractive returns on equity to our shareholders through economic and credit cycles.

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Results of Operations

A discussion regarding our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 is presented below. A discussion regarding our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 can be found in Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023

The following table sets forth information regarding our consolidated results of operations ($ in thousands):

Investment Overview

Activity for the year ended December 31, 2024 included fundings of $195.2 million and paydowns of $1.7 billion, which contributed to a $1.6 billion decrease in commercial mortgage loans. Activity for the year ended December 31, 2024 included securities purchases of $898.0 million, sales of $32.2 million and $276.8 million of amortization and paydowns, which contributed to a net increase in our securities portfolio of $595.3 million. Activity for the year ended December 31, 2024 included real estate investment sales of $102.3 million and acquisitions in real estate via foreclosure of $48.8 million. In addition, we purchased $10.0 billion of short-term U.S. Treasury securities during the year ended December 31, 2024, of which $10.0 billion matured during the year ended December 31, 2024.

Activity for the year ended December 31, 2023 included fundings of $68.4 million and paydowns of $726.7 million, which contributed to a $0.8 billion decrease in commercial mortgage loans. Activity for the year ended December 31, 2023 included securities purchases of $144.0 million, sales of $17.8 million and $232.1 million of amortization and paydowns, which

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contributed to a net decrease in our securities portfolio of $102.0 million. We acquired $87.6 million in real estate via foreclosure and received proceeds from the sale of real estate of $43.3 million as a result of the sale of one investment. In addition, we purchased $5.2 billion of short-term U.S. Treasury securities during the year ended December 31, 2023, of which $4.3 billion matured during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Net Interest Income

The $48.7 million decrease in interest income was primarily attributable net payoffs within our loan portfolio, partially offset by an increase in income from collection of deferred interest from the resolution of a previously modified loan, and an increase in interest earned on real estate securities and short-term U.S. Treasury securities due to purchases. There was a $1.1 billion decrease in average loan investments from $3.6 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023 to $2.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024. There was a $151.9 million increase in average securities investments from $495.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 to $647.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.

The $23.6 million decrease in interest expense is primarily related to lower outstanding balances on our securities and loan repurchase facilities and the payoff of our FHLB borrowings as well as a reduction in expense as a result of redemptions of our Notes, partially offset by the issuance of our 2031 Notes.

As of December 31, 2024, the weighted average yield on our mortgage loan receivables was 9.3%, compared to 9.6% as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2024, the weighted average interest rate on borrowings against our mortgage loan receivables was 6.4%, compared to 7.5% as of December 31, 2023. The decrease in the rate on borrowings against our mortgage loan receivables from December 31, 2023 to December 31, 2024 was primarily due to decreases in prevailing interest rates. As of December 31, 2024, we had outstanding borrowings secured by our mortgage loan receivables equal to 42.4% of the carrying value of our mortgage loan receivables, compared to 53.1% as of December 31, 2023.

As of December 31, 2024 the weighted average yield on our securities was 6.0%, compared to 6.1% as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2024, we did not have any borrowings against our securities. As of December 31, 2023, the weighted average interest rate on borrowings against our securities was 5.8%. As of December 31, 2023, we had outstanding borrowings secured by our securities equal to 24.0% of the carrying value of our real estate securities.

Our real estate is comprised of non-interest bearing assets; however, interest incurred on mortgage financing collateralized by such real estate is included in interest expense. As of December 31, 2024, the weighted average interest rate on mortgage borrowings against our real estate assets was 6.0%, compared to 5.9% as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2024, we had outstanding borrowings secured by our real estate equal to 66.6% of the carrying value of our real estate, compared to 60.3% as of December 31, 2023.

Provision for (release of) Loan Loss Reserves

The provision for the year ended December 31, 2024 of $13.9 million was primarily due to continued uncertainty in macroeconomic market conditions affecting commercial real estate, partially offset by a decrease in the size of our balance sheet first mortgage loans as a result of repayments. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we charged-off $5.0 million of an existing allowance related to an office property in Oakland, California. For additional information, refer to Note 3, Mortgage Loan Receivables, in the consolidated financial statements.

The provision for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $25.1 million. The increase in provision associated with the general reserve during the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily due to adverse changes in macroeconomic market conditions affecting commercial real estate partially offset by a decrease in the size of our balance sheet first mortgage loan portfolio as a result of repayments.

For additional information, refer to “Allowance for Credit Losses and Non-Accrual Status” in Note 3, Mortgage Loan Receivables, to the consolidated financial statements.

Real Estate Operating Income

The increase of $1.7 million in real estate operating income was primarily attributable to operating income earned on properties acquired via foreclosure during the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2024, partially offset by sales during the same periods. Refer to Note 5, Real Estate and Related Lease Intangibles, Net, for further details.

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Net Result from Mortgage Loan Receivables Held for Sale

Net result from mortgage loan receivables held for sale includes unrealized losses on loans held for sale related to lower of cost or market adjustments and realized gains and losses from the sale of loans. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded $29.8 thousand of unrealized gains on loans related to lower of cost or market adjustments on our conduit loans. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded $0.5 million of unrealized losses on loans related to lower of cost or market adjustments on our conduit loans. Income from sales of loans, net is subject to market conditions impacting timing, size and pricing and as such may vary significantly quarter to quarter.

Gain (Loss) on Real Estate, net

The increase of $16.5 million of gain on real estate, net during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 was the result of property sales during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to property sales during the year ended December 31, 2023. Refer to Note 5, Real Estate and Related Lease Intangibles, Net, for further detail.

Fee and Other Income

We generate fee income on the loans we originate and in which we invest. The $9.8 million increase in fee and other income was primarily due to more payoffs of loans for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023.

Net Result from Derivative Transactions

Net result from derivative transactions of $5.4 million was comprised of a realized gain of $7.3 million and an unrealized loss of $1.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Net result from derivative transactions of $1.5 million was comprised of a realized gain of $1.9 million and an unrealized loss of $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The hedge positions primarily relate to fixed rate conduit loans and securities investments. The derivative positions that generated these results were a combination of five and ten year U.S. treasury rate futures that we employed in an effort to hedge the interest rate risk primarily on the financing of our fixed rate assets and the net interest income we earn against the impact of changes in interest rates. The net gain in 2024 was primarily related to changes in interest rates during the year ended December 31, 2024.

Gain on Extinguishment of Debt

Gain on extinguishment of debt totaled $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company retired: (1) $32.1 million of principal of the 2025 Notes for a repurchase price of $32.0 million, recognizing an $11 thousand net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $51 thousand of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt; and (2) $2.0 million of principal of the 2029 Notes for a repurchase price of $1.8 million, recognizing a $0.2 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $21 thousand of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt.

Gain on extinguishment of debt totaled $10.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company retired: (1) $16.2 million of principal of the 2025 Notes for a repurchase price of $14.8 million, recognizing a $1.3 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(72) thousand of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt; (2) $38.9 million of principal of the 2027 Notes for a repurchase price of $31.8 million, recognizing a $6.8 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $0.3 million of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt; and (3) $13.1 million of principal of the 2029 Notes for a repurchase price of $10.3 million, recognizing a $2.6 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $0.2 million of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt.

Compensation and Employee Benefits

Compensation and employee benefits are comprised primarily of salaries, bonuses, stock-based compensation and other employee benefits. The decrease of $2.9 million in compensation expense is primarily due to a decrease in bonus compensation expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared year ended December 31, 2023.

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Operating Expenses

Operating expenses are primarily comprised of professional fees, lease expense and technology expenses. The decrease during the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to December 31, 2023 of $0.3 million was primarily related to a decrease in professional fees.

Real Estate Operating Expenses

The increase of $3.0 million from the year ended December 31, 2023 to December 31, 2024 was primarily due to operating expenses from properties that were acquired via foreclosure during the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2024, partially offset by the sales during the same periods. Refer to Note 5, Real Estate and Related Lease Intangibles, Net, for further detail.

Investment Related Expenses

Investment related expenses are comprised primarily of custodian fees, financing costs, servicing fees related to loans and other loan related expenses. The decrease during the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to December 31, 2023 of $1.1 million was primarily attributable to a decrease in loan related expenses as a result of a smaller loan portfolio.

Depreciation and Amortization

The $2.4 million increase in depreciation and amortization during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to the timing of acquisitions of property via foreclosure that occurred after December 31, 2023, partially offset by the sale of one hotel property during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Income Tax (Benefit) Expense

Most of our consolidated income tax provision related to the business units held in our TRSs. The decrease in expense of $0.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to December 31, 2023 is primarily a result of changes in income generated by our TRSs.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The management of our liquidity and capital diversity and allocation strategies is critical to the success and growth of our business. We manage our sources of liquidity to complement our asset composition and to diversify our exposure across multiple capital markets and counterparties.

We require substantial amounts of capital to support our business. The management team, in consultation with our board of directors, establishes our overall liquidity and capital allocation strategies. A key objective of those strategies is to support the execution of our business strategy while maintaining sufficient ongoing liquidity throughout the business cycle to service our financial obligations as they become due. When making funding and capital allocation decisions, members of our senior management consider: business performance; the availability of, and costs and benefits associated with, different funding sources; current and expected capital markets and general economic conditions; our asset composition and capital structure; and our targeted liquidity profile and risks relating to our funding needs.

To ensure that Ladder can effectively address the funding needs of the Company on a timely basis, we maintain a diverse array of liquidity sources including: (1) cash and cash equivalents; (2) cash generated from operations; (3) proceeds from debt financing; (4) principal repayments on investments including mortgage loans and securities; (5) proceeds from securitizations and sales of loans; (6) proceeds from the sale of securities; (7) proceeds from the sale of real estate; and (8) proceeds from the issuance of equity capital. We use these funding sources to meet our obligations on a timely basis and have the ability to use our significant unencumbered asset base to further finance our business.

Our primary uses of liquidity are for: (1) the funding of loan, real estate-related and securities investments; (2) the repayment of short-term and long-term borrowings and related interest; (3) the funding of our operating expenses; and (4) distributions to our equity investors to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. We require short-term liquidity to fund loans that we originate and hold on our consolidated balance sheet pending sale, including through whole loan sale, participation, or securitization. We generally require longer-term funding to finance the loans and real estate-related investments that we hold for investment. We have historically used the aforementioned funding sources to meet the operating and investment needs as they have arisen and have been able to do so by applying a rigorous approach to long and short-term cash and debt forecasting.

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In addition, as a REIT, we are also required to make sufficient dividend payments to our shareholders in amounts at least sufficient to maintain our REIT status. Under IRS guidance, we may elect to pay a portion of our dividends in stock, subject to a cash/stock election by our shareholders, to optimize our level of capital retention. Accordingly, our cash requirement to pay dividends to maintain REIT status could be substantially reduced at the discretion of the board of directors.

Our principal debt financing sources include: (1) long-term senior unsecured notes in the form of corporate bonds; (2) an unsecured Revolving Credit Facility; (3) CLO issuances; (4) committed and uncommitted secured funding provided by banks and other lenders; and (5) long term non-recourse mortgage financing.

In the future, we may also use other sources of financing to fund the acquisition of our assets, including credit facilities, warehouse facilities, repurchase facilities and other secured and unsecured forms of borrowing. These financings may be collateralized or non-collateralized, may involve one or more lenders and may accrue interest at either fixed or floating rates. We may also seek to raise further equity capital or issue debt securities in order to fund our future investments.

Refer to “Financial Covenants” and “Our Financing Strategies” for further disclosure of our diverse financing sources and, for a summary of our financial obligations, refer to the Contractual Obligations table below. All of our existing financial obligations due within the following year can be extended for one or more additional years at our discretion, refinanced or repaid at maturity or are incurred in the normal course of business (i.e., interest payments/loan funding obligations).

Cash Flows

We held cash and cash equivalents of $1.3 billion and restricted cash of $12.6 million as of December 31, 2024. We held cash and cash equivalents of $1.0 billion and restricted cash of $15.4 million as of December 31, 2023.

The following table provides a breakdown of the net change in our cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash ($ in thousands):

Year ended December 31, 2024

We experienced a net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $270.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, reflecting cash provided by operating activities of $133.9 million, cash provided by investing activities of $932.8 million and cash used in financing activities of $(796.6) million.

Net cash provided by operating activities of $133.9 million was primarily driven by net interest income and net increases in operating income on our real estate portfolio.

Net cash provided by investing activities of $932.8 million was driven by $1.6 billion of repayment from mortgage loan receivables, $276.6 million in repayments on securities, $102.3 million in proceeds from sale of real estate and $32.2 million of proceeds from sale of securities, partially offset by $(898.0) million in purchases of securities and $(195.2) million of origination of mortgage loans held for investment.

Net cash used in financing activities of $(796.6) million was primarily as a result of net repayments of borrowings of $(644.8) million, $(117.7) million of dividend payments, $(8.9) million payment to satisfy minimum federal and state tax withholdings on restricted stock, $(6.5) million purchase of treasury stock, and $(18.3) million in deferred financing cost.

Year ended December 31, 2023

We experienced a net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $416.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, reflecting cash provided by operating activities of $180.6 million, cash provided by investing activities of $793.5 million and cash used in financing activities of $(557.8) million.

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Net cash provided by operating activities of $180.6 million was primarily driven by net interest income and net increases in operating income on our real estate portfolio.

Net cash provided by investing activities of $793.5 million was driven by $738.5 million of repayment from mortgage loan receivables, $232.1 million in repayments on securities, and $17.8 million of proceeds from sale of securities, partially offset by $(144.0) million in purchases of securities and $(68.4) million of origination of mortgage loans held for investment.

Net cash used in financing activities of $(557.8) million was primarily as a result of net repayments of borrowings of $(427.1) million, $(116.4) million of dividend payments, $(7.9) million of shares acquired to satisfy minimum federal and state tax withholdings on restricted stock, $(2.5) million purchase of treasury stock, and $(3.4) million in deferred financing cost.

Unencumbered Assets

As of December 31, 2024, we held unencumbered cash of $1.3 billion, unencumbered loans of $689.7 million, unencumbered securities of $1.1 billion, unencumbered real estate of $213.4 million and $409.1 million of other assets not encumbered by any portion of secured indebtedness. As of December 31, 2023, we held unencumbered cash and cash equivalents of $1.0 billion, unencumbered loans of $1.1 billion, unencumbered securities of $342.8 million, unencumbered real estate of $160.8 million and $394.2 million of other assets not encumbered by any portion of secured indebtedness.

Borrowings under various financing arrangements

Our financing strategies are critical to the success and growth of our business. We manage our leverage policies to complement our asset composition and to diversify our exposure across multiple counterparties. Our borrowings under various financing arrangements as of December 31, 2024 are set forth in the table below ($ in thousands):

(1)Presented net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $1.1 million and net of premiums of $3.7 million as of December 31, 2024.

(2)Presented net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $0.1 million as of December 31, 2024.

(3)Presented net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $16.5 million as of December 31, 2024.

The Company’s repurchase facilities include covenants covering minimum net worth requirements (ranging from $400.0 million to $871.4 million), maximum reductions in net worth over stated time periods, minimum liquidity levels (typically $30.0 million of cash or a higher standard that often allows for the inclusion of different percentages of liquid securities in the determination of compliance with the requirement), maximum leverage ratios (calculated in various ways based on specified definitions of indebtedness and net worth) and a fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.25x, and, in the instance of one lender, an interest coverage ratio of 1.50x, in each case, if certain liquidity thresholds are not satisfied. We were in compliance with all covenants as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023. Further, certain of our financing arrangements and loans on our real property are secured by the assets of the Company, including pledges of the equity of certain subsidiaries or the assets of certain subsidiaries. From time to time, certain of these financing arrangements and loans may prohibit certain of our subsidiaries from paying dividends to the Company, from making distributions on such subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s property or other assets to the Company or other subsidiaries of the Company.

Committed Loan Facilities

We are a party to multiple committed loan repurchase agreement facilities, totaling $1.2 billion of credit capacity as of December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had $62.7 million of borrowings outstanding, with an additional $1.1 billion of committed financing available. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $605.0 million of borrowings

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outstanding, with an additional $637.0 million of committed financing available. Assets pledged as collateral under these facilities are generally limited to whole mortgage loans collateralized by first liens on commercial real estate, mezzanine loans collateralized by equity interests in entities that own commercial real estate, and certain interests in such first mortgage and mezzanine loans. Our repurchase facilities include covenants covering net worth requirements, minimum liquidity levels, and maximum debt/equity ratios. We believe we were in compliance with all covenants as of December 31, 2024.

We have the option to extend some of our existing facilities subject to a number of customary conditions. The lenders have sole discretion with respect to the inclusion of collateral in these facilities, to determine the market value of the collateral on a daily basis, and, if the estimated market value of the included collateral declines, the lenders have the right to require additional collateral or a full and/or partial repayment of the facilities (margin call), sufficient to rebalance the facilities. Typically, the facilities are established with stated guidelines regarding the maximum percentage of the collateral asset’s market value that can be borrowed. We often borrow at a lower percentage of the collateral asset’s value than the maximum leaving us with excess borrowing capacity that can be drawn upon at a later date and/or applied against future margin calls so that they can be satisfied on a cashless basis.

Uncommitted Securities Facilities

We are a party to multiple master repurchase agreements with several counterparties to finance our investments in securities. The securities that served as collateral for these borrowings are highly liquid and marketable assets that are typically of relatively short duration.

Revolving Credit Facility

The Company’s Revolving Credit Facility is available on a revolving basis to finance the Company’s working capital needs and for general corporate purposes. On January 2, 2025, the Company increased the aggregate maximum borrowing amount of the Revolving Credit Facility to $850.0 million, following the upsize to $725 million on December 20, 2024. The Revolving Credit Facility also allows the Company to enter into additional incremental revolving commitments up to an aggregate facility size of $1.25 billion subject to certain customary conditions. Borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at a rate equal to adjusted term SOFR plus a margin. The margin for borrowings is adjustable based on the Company’s credit rating and is between 77.5 basis points and 170 basis points. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had no outstanding borrowings on the Revolving Credit Facility.

The obligations under the Revolving Credit Facility are guaranteed by the Company and certain of its subsidiaries. The Revolving Credit Facility is secured by a pledge of the shares of (or other ownership or equity interests in) certain subsidiaries to the extent the pledge is not restricted under existing regulations, law or contractual obligations.

Following the date on which the Company has received an investment grade rating from at least two rating agencies, the Revolving Credit Facility will be automatically amended, the pledge of the shares of (or other ownership or equity interest in) certain subsidiaries will be terminated, and each guarantor (other than Ladder Capital Corp and any subsidiary that is a trigger guarantor) will be released and discharged from all obligations as a guarantor and/or pledgor. There is no guarantee that the Company will achieve or maintain an investment grade rating.

Mortgage Loan Financing

The Company typically finances its real estate investments with long-term, non-recourse mortgage financing. These mortgage loans have carrying amounts of $446.4 million and $437.8 million, net of unamortized premiums of $3.7 million and $1.8 million as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, representing proceeds received upon financing greater than the contractual amounts due under these agreements. The premiums are being amortized over the remaining life of the respective debt instruments using the effective interest method. The Company recorded $0.8 million and $0.6 million of premium amortization, which decreased interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. These non-recourse debt agreements provide for secured financing at rates ranging from 4.39% to 8.09%, and, as of December 31, 2024, have anticipated maturity dates between 2025 and 2034, with an average term of 3.8 years. The mortgage loans are collateralized by real estate and related lease intangibles, net, of $451.9 million and $474.7 million as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company executed 16 new term debt agreements to finance properties in its real estate portfolio with a carrying amount of $81.9 million. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company did not execute any term debt agreements.

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Collateralized Loan Obligations (“CLO”) Debt

On July 13, 2021, a consolidated subsidiary of the Company completed a privately-marketed CLO transaction, which generated $498.2 million of gross proceeds to Ladder, financing $607.5 million of loans at an 82% advance rate on a matched term, non-mark-to-market and non-recourse basis. A consolidated subsidiary of the Company retained an 18% subordinate and controlling interest in the CLO. The Company retained consent rights over major decisions with respect to the servicing of the loans in the CLO, including the right to appoint and replace the special servicer under the CLO. The CLO is a VIE and the Company was the primary beneficiary and, therefore, consolidated the VIE. Refer to Note 9, Consolidated Variable Interest Entities for additional information.

On December 2, 2021, a consolidated subsidiary of the Company completed a privately-marketed CLO transaction, which generated $566.2 million of gross proceeds to Ladder, financing $729.4 million of loans at a maximum 77.6% advance rate on a matched term, non-mark-to-market and non-recourse basis. A consolidated subsidiary of the Company retained an 15.6% subordinate and controlling interest in the CLO. The Company also held two additional tranches as investments totaling 6.8% interest in the CLO. The Company retained consent rights over major decisions with respect to the servicing of the loans in the CLO, including the right to appoint and replace the special servicer under the CLO. The CLO is a VIE and the Company was the primary beneficiary and, therefore, consolidated the VIE. Refer to Note 9, Consolidated Variable Interest Entities for additional information.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company had $601.4 million of matched term, non-mark-to-market and non-recourse CLO debt included in debt obligations on its consolidated balance sheets. Unamortized debt issuance costs of $0.1 million were included in CLO debt as of December 31, 2024.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $1.1 billion of matched term, non-mark-to-market and non-recourse CLO debt included in debt obligations on its consolidated balance sheets. Unamortized debt issuance costs of $2.1 million were included in CLO debt as of December 31, 2023.

Borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”)

As of December 31, 2024, the Company had no debt outstanding with the FHLB.

As of December 31, 2023, Tuebor had $115.0 million of borrowings outstanding, with terms of 0.3 years to 0.75 years (with a weighted average of 0.57 years), interest rates of 5.76% to 5.88% (with a weighted average of 5.82%), and advance rates of 71.7% to 95.7% on eligible collateral. As of December 31, 2023, collateral for the borrowings was comprised primarily of $140.3 million of CMBS.

Tuebor is subject to state regulations which require that dividends (including dividends to the Company as its parent) may only be made with regulatory approval. However, there can be no assurance that we would obtain such approval if sought. Largely as a result of this restriction, approximately $931.5 million of Tuebor’s member’s capital was restricted from transfer via dividend to Tuebor’s parent without prior approval of state insurance regulators at December 31, 2024. To facilitate intercompany cash funding of operations and investments, Tuebor and its parent maintain regulator-approved intercompany borrowing/lending agreements.

Senior Unsecured Notes

As of December 31, 2024, the Company had $2.0 billion of unsecured corporate bonds outstanding. These unsecured financings were comprised of $295.7 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.25% senior notes due 2025 (the “2025 Notes”), $611.9 million in aggregate principal amount of 4.25% senior notes due 2027 (the “2027 Notes”) and $633.9 million in aggregate principal amount of 4.75% senior notes due 2029 and $500.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 7.00% senior notes due 2031 (the “2031 Notes”, collectively with the 2025 Notes, the 2027 Notes and the 2029 Notes, the “Notes”). The 2031 Notes were issued during the year ended December 31, 2024 with an aggregate principal balance of $500.0 million.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $1.6 billion of unsecured corporate bonds outstanding. These unsecured financings were comprised of $327.8 million of the 2025 Notes, $611.9 million of the 2027 Notes and $635.9 million of the 2029 Notes.

LCFH issued the Notes with Ladder Capital Finance Corporation (“LCFC”), as co-issuers on a joint and several basis. LCFC is a 100% owned finance subsidiary of LCFH with no assets, operations, revenues or cash flows other than those related to the issuance, administration and repayment of the Notes. The Company and certain subsidiaries of LCFH currently guarantee the obligations under the Notes and the indenture. The Company believes it was in compliance with all covenants of the Notes as of

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December 31, 2024 and 2023. The Notes are presented net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $16.5 million and $11.8 million as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.

The Notes require interest payments semi-annually in cash in arrears, are unsecured, and are subject to an unencumbered assets to unsecured debt covenant. The Company may redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, at any time, or from time to time, prior to their stated maturity upon not less than 10 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at a redemption price as specified in each respective indenture governing the Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. The board of directors has authorized the Company to repurchase any or all of the Notes from time to time without further approval.

During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company repurchased $32.1 million of the 2025 Notes and $2.0 million of the 2029 Notes, recognizing a net gain on extinguishment of debt of $11 thousand and $0.2 million, respectively.

Stock Repurchases

On April 24, 2024, the board of directors authorized the repurchase of $75.0 million of the Company’s Class A common stock from time to time without further approval. This authorization increased the remaining outstanding authorization per the July 27, 2022 authorization from $43.6 million to $75.0 million. Stock repurchases by the Company are generally made for cash in open market transactions at prevailing market prices but may also be made in privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. The timing and amount of purchases are determined based upon prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors. As of December 31, 2024, the Company has a remaining amount available for repurchase of $67.6 million, which represents 4.8% in the aggregate of its outstanding Class A common stock, based on the closing price of $11.19 per share on such date. Refer to Note 10, Equity, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, for disclosure of the Company’s repurchase activity.

The following table is a summary of the Company’s repurchase activity of its Class A common stock during the year ended December 31, 2024 ($ in thousands):

(1)Amount excludes commissions paid associated with share repurchases.

(2)On April 24, 2024, the Board authorized repurchases up to $75.0 million in aggregate.

Dividends

In order for the Company to maintain its qualification as a REIT under under Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), it must annually distribute at least 90% of its taxable income. The Company has paid and in the future intends to declare regular quarterly distributions to its shareholders in aggregating to an amount approximating at least 90% of the REIT’s annual net taxable income.

All distributions are made at the discretion of our board of directors and depend on our earnings, our financial condition, any debt covenants, maintenance of our REIT qualification, restrictions on making distributions under Delaware law and other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time.

Refer to Note 10, Equity, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, for disclosure of dividends declared.

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Principal Repayments on Investments

We receive principal amortization on our loans and securities as part of the normal course of our business. Repayment of mortgage loan receivables provided net cash of $1.6 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024 and $738.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Repayment of real estate securities provided net cash of $276.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, and $232.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Proceeds from Securitizations and Sales of Loans

We sell our conduit mortgage loans to securitization trusts and to other third parties as part of our normal course of business and from time to time will sell balance sheet mortgage loans. There were $82.5 million of conduit mortgage loans collateralized by net leased properties in the Company’s real estate segment, which were sold into securitizations that are treated as financings under GAAP, for the year ended December 31, 2024. There were no proceeds from sales of mortgage loans for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Proceeds from the Sale of Securities

We sell our investments in CMBS, including CRE CLOs, U.S. Agency securities, corporate bonds, U.S. Treasury securities, and equity securities as a part of our normal course of business. Proceeds from sales of securities provided net cash of $32.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, and $17.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Proceeds from the Sale of Real Estate

There were $102.3 million of proceeds from sales of real estate, net of closing costs for the year ended December 31, 2024. There were $13.4 million of proceeds from sales of real estate, net for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Other Potential Sources of Financing

In the future, we may also use other sources of financing to fund the acquisition of our assets, including credit facilities, warehouse facilities, repurchase facilities and other secured and unsecured forms of borrowing. These financings may be collateralized or non-collateralized, may involve one or more lenders and may accrue interest at either fixed or floating rates. We may also seek to raise further equity capital or issue debt securities in order to fund our future investments.

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Contractual Obligations

Contractual obligations as of December 31, 2024 were as follows ($ in thousands):

(1)As more fully disclosed in Note 6, Debt Obligations, Net, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, the allocation of repayments under our committed loan repurchase facilities is based on the earlier of: (i) the maturity date of each agreement; or (ii) the maximum maturity date of the collateral loans, assuming all extension options are exercised by the borrower.

(2)Total does not include $601.5 million of consolidated CLO debt obligations and the related debt issuance costs of $0.1 million, as the satisfaction of these liabilities will not require cash outlays from us.

(3)Comprised of interest on secured financings and on senior unsecured notes. For borrowings with variable interest rates, we used the rates in effect as of December 31, 2024 to determine the future interest payment obligations.

(4)Comprised primarily of our off-balance sheet unfunded commitment to provide additional first mortgage loan financing as of December 31, 2024. The allocation of our unfunded loan commitments is based on the earlier of the commitment expiration date or the final maturity date, however, we may be obligated to fund these commitments earlier than such date. This amount excludes $30.9 million of future funding commitments that require the occurrence of certain “good news” events, such as the owner concluding a lease agreement with a major tenant in the building or reaching a pre-determined net operating income which may or may not be achieved.

The table above does not include amounts due under our derivative agreements as those contracts do not have fixed and determinable payments. Our contractual obligations will be refinanced and/or repaid from earnings as well as amortization and sales of our liquid collateral. We have made investments in various unconsolidated ventures of which our maximum exposure to loss from these investments is limited to the carrying value of our investments.

Future Liquidity Needs

In addition to the future contractual obligations above, the Company, in the coming year and beyond, as a part of its normal course of business will require cash to fund unfunded loan commitments and new investments in a combination of balance sheet mortgage loans, conduit loans, real estate investments and securities as it deems appropriate as well as necessary expenses as a part of general corporate purposes. These new investments and general corporate expenses may be funded with existing cash, proceeds from loan and securities payoffs, through financing using our Revolving Credit Facility or loan and security financing facilities, or through additional debt or equity raises. The Company has no known material cash requirements other than its contractual obligations in the above table, unfunded commitments and future general corporate expenses.

Unfunded Loan Commitments

We may be a party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financial needs of our borrowers. These commitments are not reflected on the consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2024, our off-balance sheet arrangements consisted of $34.6 million of unfunded commitments of mortgage loan receivables held for investment. 89% of these unfunded commitments require the occurrence of certain “good news” events, such as the owner concluding a lease agreement with a major tenant in the building or reaching some pre-determined net operating income. As of December 31, 2023, our off-balance sheet arrangements consisted of $204.0 million of unfunded commitments of mortgage loan receivables held for investment to provide additional first mortgage loan financing. Such commitments are subject to our borrowers’ satisfaction of certain financial and nonfinancial covenants and involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk in excess of the amount recognized in the consolidated balance sheets. Commitments are subject to our loan borrowers’ satisfaction of certain financial and nonfinancial covenants and may or may not be funded depending on a variety of circumstances including timing, credit metric hurdles, and other nonfinancial events occurring.

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Interest Rate Environment

The nature of the Company’s business exposes it to market risk arising from changes in interest rates. Changes, both increases and decreases, in the rates the Company is able to charge its borrowers, the yields the Company is able to achieve in its securities investments, and the Company’s cost of borrowing directly impacts its net income. The Company’s net interest income includes interest from both fixed and floating rate debt. The percentage of the Company’s assets and liabilities bearing interest at fixed and floating rates may change over time, and asset composition may differ materially from debt composition. Refer to Item 7A “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” for further disclosures surrounding the impact of rising or falling interest rate on our earnings.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and judgments in certain circumstances that affect amounts reported as assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We have established detailed policies and control procedures intended to ensure that valuation methods, including any judgments made as part of such methods, are well controlled, reviewed and applied consistently from period to period. We base our estimates on historical corporate and industry experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be appropriate under the circumstances. The Company’s critical accounting estimates are those which require assumptions to be made about matters that are highly uncertain. Different estimates could have a material effect on the Company’s financial results. For all of these estimates, we caution that future events rarely develop exactly as forecasted and, therefore, routinely require adjustment.

During 2024, management reviewed and evaluated these critical accounting estimates and policies and believes they are appropriate. The following discussion describes critical accounting estimates that require more significant judgment by management. This summary should be read in conjunction with a more complete discussion of our significant accounting policies which are described in Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Allowance for Loan Losses

The Company uses a current expected credit loss model (“CECL”) for estimating the provision for loan losses on its loan portfolio. The CECL model requires the consideration of possible credit losses over the life of an instrument and includes a portfolio-based component and an asset-specific component. The Company engages a third-party service provider to provide market data and a credit loss model. The credit loss model is a forward-looking, econometric, commercial real estate (“CRE”) loss forecasting tool. It is comprised of a probability of default (“PD”) model and a loss given default (“LGD”) model that, layered together with the Company’s loan-level data, fair value of collateral, net operating income of collateral, selected forward-looking macroeconomic variables, and pool-level mean loss rates, produces life of loan expected losses (“EL”) at the loan and portfolio level. Where management has determined that the credit loss model does not fully capture certain external factors, including portfolio trends or loan-specific factors, a qualitative adjustment to the reserve is recorded. In addition, interest receivable on loans is not included in the Company’s CECL calculations as the Company performs timely write offs of aged interest receivable. The Company has made a policy election to write off aged receivables through interest income as opposed to through the CECL provision on its statements of income.

Loans for which the borrower or sponsor is experiencing financial difficulty, and where repayment of the loan is expected substantially through the operation or sale of the underlying collateral, are considered collateral dependent loans. For collateral dependent loans, the Company may elect a practical expedient that allows the Company to measure expected losses based on the difference between the collateral’s fair value and the amortized cost basis of the loan. When the repayment or satisfaction of the loan is dependent on a sale, rather than operations of the collateral, the fair value is adjusted for the estimated costs to sell the collateral. If foreclosure is probable, the Company is required to measure for expected losses using this methodology.

The Company generally will use the direct capitalization rate valuation methodology or the sales comparison approach to estimate the fair value of the collateral for loans and in certain cases will obtain external appraisals. Determining fair value of the collateral may take into account a number of assumptions including, but not limited to, cash flow projections, market capitalization rates, discount rates and data regarding recent comparable sales of similar properties. Such assumptions are generally based on current market conditions and are subject to economic and market uncertainties.

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The Company’s loans are typically collateralized by real estate directly or indirectly. As a result, the Company regularly evaluates the extent and impact of any credit deterioration associated with the performance and/or value of the underlying collateral property as well as the financial and operating capability of the borrower/sponsor on a loan-by-loan basis. Specifically, a property’s operating results and any cash reserves are analyzed and used to assess: (i) whether cash flow from operations is sufficient to cover the debt service requirements currently and into the future; (ii) the ability of the borrower to refinance the loan at maturity; and/or (iii) the property’s liquidation value. The Company also evaluates the financial wherewithal of any loan guarantors as well as the borrower’s competency in managing and operating the properties. In addition, the Company considers the overall economic environment, real estate sector, and geographic submarket in which the collateral property is located. Such impairment analyses are completed and reviewed by asset management and underwriting personnel, who utilize various data sources, including: (i) periodic financial data such as property occupancy, tenant profile, rental rates, operating expenses, the borrowers’ business plan, and capitalization and discount rates; (ii) site inspections; and (iii) current credit spreads and other market data and ultimately presented to management for approval.

When a debtor is experiencing financial difficulties and a loan is modified, the effect of the modification will be included in the Company’s assessment of the CECL allowance for loan losses. If the Company provides principal forgiveness, the amortized cost basis of the loan is written off against the allowance for loan losses. Generally, when modifying loans, the Company will seek to protect its position by requiring incremental pay downs, additional collateral or guarantees and, in some cases, lookback features or equity interests to offset concessions granted should conditions impacting the loan improve.

The Company designates a loan as a non-accrual loan generally when: (i) the principal or coupon interest components of loan payments become 90-days past due; or (ii) in the opinion of the Company, recovery of principal and coupon interest is doubtful. Interest income on non-accrual loans in which the Company reasonably expects a recovery of the loan’s outstanding principal balance is recognized when received in cash. Otherwise, income recognition will be suspended and any cash received will be applied as a reduction to the amortized cost basis. A non-accrual loan is returned to accrual status at such time as the loan becomes contractually current and future principal and coupon interest are reasonably assured to be received. A loan will be charged-off when management has determined principal and coupon interest is no longer realizable and deemed non-recoverable.

The CECL accounting estimate is subject to uncertainty as a result of changing macro-economic market conditions, as well as the vintage and location of the underlying assets as disclosed in Note 3, Mortgage Loan Receivables, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The provision for loan losses for the year ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 was $13.9 million and $25.1 million, respectively.

The allowance for loan losses at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 was $52.8 million and $43.9 million, respectively. The allowance includes $0.5 million and $0.7 million of reserves for unfunded commitments at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. The estimate is sensitive to the assumptions used to represent future expected economic conditions.

Acquisition of Real Estate

We generally acquire real estate assets or land and development assets through purchases and may also acquire such assets through foreclosure or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure (collectively, “foreclosure”) in full or partial satisfaction of defaulted loans. Purchased properties are classified as real estate, net or land and development, net on our consolidated balance sheets. When we intend to hold, operate or develop the property for a period of at least 12 months, the asset is classified as real estate, net, and if the asset meets the held-for-sale criteria, the asset is classified as real estate held for sale. Upon purchase, the properties are recorded at cost. Foreclosed assets classified as real estate and land and development are initially recorded at their estimated fair value and assets classified as held for sale are recorded at their estimated fair value less costs to sell. The excess of the carrying value of the loan over these amounts is charged-off against the reserve for loan losses. In both cases, upon acquisition, tangible and intangible assets and liabilities acquired are recorded at their relative fair values.

Identified Intangible Assets and Liabilities

We record intangible assets and liabilities acquired at their relative fair values, and determine whether such intangible assets and liabilities have finite or indefinite lives. As of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, all such acquired intangible assets and liabilities have finite lives. We review finite lived intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. If we determine the carrying value of an intangible asset is not recoverable, we will record an impairment charge to the extent its carrying value exceeds its estimated fair value. Impairments of intangibles are recorded in impairment of assets in our consolidated statements of income.

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Impairment or Disposal of Long-lived Assets

Real estate assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of their carrying amount or estimated fair value less costs to sell and are included in real estate held for sale on our consolidated balance sheets. The difference between the estimated fair value less costs to sell and the carrying value will be recorded as an impairment charge. Impairment for real estate assets are included in impairment of assets in our consolidated statements of operations. Once the asset is classified as held for sale, depreciation expense is no longer recorded.

We periodically review real estate to be held and used, and land and development assets for impairment in value, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. The asset’s value is impaired only if management’s estimate of the aggregate future cash flows (undiscounted and without interest charges) to be generated by the asset (taking into account the anticipated holding period of the asset) is less than the carrying value. Such estimate of cash flows considers factors such as expected future operating income, trends and prospects, as well as the effects of demand, competition and other economic factors. To the extent impairment has occurred, the loss will be measured as the excess of the carrying amount of the property over the fair value of the asset and reflected as an adjustment to the basis of the asset. Impairments of real estate and land and development assets are recorded in impairment of assets in our consolidated statements of operations.

There were no properties classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2024 or December 31, 2023. We did not record any impairments of real estate for the years ended December 31, 2024 or December 31, 2023.

Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities

The degree of management judgment involved in determining the fair value of assets and liabilities is dependent upon the availability of quoted market prices or observable market parameters. For financial and nonfinancial assets and liabilities that trade actively and have quoted market prices or observable market parameters, there is minimal subjectivity involved in measuring fair value. When observable market prices and parameters are not fully available, management judgment is necessary to estimate fair value. In addition, changes in market conditions may reduce the availability of quoted prices or observable data. For example, reduced liquidity in the capital markets or changes in secondary market activities could result in observable market inputs becoming unavailable. Therefore, when market data is not available, we would use valuation techniques requiring more management judgment to estimate the appropriate fair value measurement.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements and Recent Accounting Pronouncements Pending Adoption

Our recently adopted accounting pronouncements and recent accounting pronouncements pending adoption are described in Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Distributable Earnings

During the first quarter of 2024, the Company refined its definition of distributable earnings and its descriptions of the adjustments to GAAP income. The refined definition and descriptions do not change how distributable earnings or adjustments to GAAP income are calculated for prior, current or future periods. The Company utilizes distributable earnings, a non-GAAP financial measure, as a supplemental measure of our operating performance. We believe distributable earnings assists investors in comparing our operating performance and our ability to pay dividends across reporting periods on a more relevant and consistent basis by excluding from GAAP measures certain non-cash expenses and unrealized results as well as eliminating timing differences related to conduit securitization gains and changes in the values of assets and derivatives. In addition, we use distributable earnings: (i) to evaluate our earnings from operations because management believes that it may be a useful performance measure; and (ii) because our board of directors considers distributable earnings in determining the amount of quarterly dividends. In addition, we believe it is useful to present distributable earnings prior to charge-offs of allowance for credit losses to reflect our direct operating results and help existing and potential future holders of our Class A common stock assess the performance of our business excluding such charge-offs. Distributable earnings prior to charge-offs of allowance for credit losses is used as an additional performance metric to consider when declaring our dividends.

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We define distributable earnings as income before taxes adjusted for: (i) net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interests in consolidated ventures; (ii) our share of real estate depreciation, amortization and gain adjustments and (earnings) loss from investments in unconsolidated ventures in excess of distributions received; (iii) the impact of derivative gains and losses related to hedging fair value variability of fixed rate assets caused by interest rate fluctuations and overall portfolio market risk as of the end of the specified accounting period; (iv) economic gains or losses on loan sales, certain of which may not be recognized under GAAP accounting in consolidation for which risk has substantially transferred during the period, as well as the exclusion of the related GAAP economics in subsequent periods; (v) unrealized gains or losses related to our investments in securities recorded at fair value in current period earnings; (vi) unrealized and realized provision for loan losses and real estate impairment; (vii) non-cash stock-based compensation; and (viii) certain non-recurring transactional items.

We exclude the effects of our share of real estate depreciation and amortization. Given GAAP gains and losses on sales of real estate include the effects of previously-recognized real estate depreciation and amortization, our adjustment eliminates the portion of the GAAP gain or loss that is derived from depreciation and amortization.

As discussed in Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, our derivative instruments do not qualify for hedge accounting under GAAP and, therefore, any net payments under, or fluctuations in the fair value of derivatives are recognized currently in our income statement. The Company utilizes derivative instruments to hedge exposure to interest rate risk associated with fixed rate mortgage loans, fixed rate securities, and/or overall portfolio market risks. Distributable earnings excludes the GAAP results from derivative activity until the associated mortgage loan or security for which the derivative position is hedging is sold or paid off, or the hedge position for overall portfolio market risk is closed, at which point any gain or loss is recognized in distributable earnings in that period. For derivative activity associated with securities or mortgage loans held for investment, any hedging gain or loss is amortized over the expected life of the underlying asset for distributable earnings. We believe that adjusting for these specifically identified gains and losses associated with hedging positions adjusts for timing differences between when we recognize the gains or losses associated with our assets and the gains and losses associated with derivatives used to hedge such assets.

We originate conduit loans, which are first mortgage loans on stabilized, income producing commercial real estate properties that we intend to sell into third-party CMBS securitizations. Mortgage loans receivable held for sale are recorded at the lower of cost or market under GAAP. For purposes of distributable earnings, we exclude the impact of unrealized lower of cost or market adjustments on conduit loans held for sale and include the realized gains or losses in distributable earnings in the period when the loan is sold. Our conduit business includes mortgage loans made to third parties and may also include mortgage loans secured by real estate owned in our real estate segment. Such mortgage loans receivable secured by real estate owned in our real estate segment are eliminated in consolidation within our GAAP financial statements until the loans are sold in a third-party securitization. Upon the sale of a loan to a third-party securitization trust (for cash), the related mortgage note payable is recognized on our GAAP financial statements. For purposes of distributable earnings, we include adjustments for economic gains and losses related to the sale of these inter-segment loans for which risk has substantially transferred during the period and exclude the resultant GAAP recognition of amortization of any related premium/discount on such mortgage loans payable recognized in interest expense during the subsequent periods. This adjustment is reflected in distributable earnings when there is a true risk transfer on the mortgage loan sale and settlement. Conversely, if the economic risk was not substantially transferred, no adjustments to net income would be made relating to those transactions for distributable earnings purposes. Management believes recognizing these amounts for distributable earnings purposes in the period of transfer of economic risk is a useful supplemental measure of our performance.

As more fully discussed in Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, we invest in certain securities that are recorded at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in current period earnings. For purposes of distributable earnings, we exclude the impact of unrealized gains and losses associated with these securities and include realized gains or losses in connection with any disposition of securities. Distributable earnings includes declines in fair value deemed to be an impairment for GAAP purposes if the decline is determined to be non-recoverable and the loss to be nearly certain to be eventually realized. In those cases, an impairment is included in distributable earnings for the period in which such determination was made.

We include adjustments for unrealized and realized provision for loan losses and real estate impairment. For purposes of distributable earnings, management recognizes loan and real estate losses as being realized generally in the period in which the asset is sold or the Company determines a decline in value to be non-recoverable and the loss to be nearly certain.

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Set forth below is an unaudited reconciliation of income (loss) before taxes to distributable earnings (in thousands):

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Distributable earnings has limitations as an analytical tool. Some of these limitations are:

•Distributable earnings does not reflect the impact of certain cash charges resulting from matters we consider not to be indicative of our ongoing operations and is not necessarily indicative of cash necessary to fund cash needs; and

•Other companies in our industry may calculate distributable earnings differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.

Because of these limitations, distributable earnings should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income (loss) attributable to shareholders or any other performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Our non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered an alternative to cash flows from operations as a measure of our liquidity.

In addition, distributable earnings should not be considered to be the equivalent to REIT taxable income calculated to determine the minimum amount of dividends the Company is required to distribute to shareholders to maintain REIT status. In order for the Company to maintain its qualification as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, we must annually distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income. The Company has declared, and intends to continue declaring, regular quarterly distributions to its shareholders in an amount approximating the REIT’s net taxable income.

In the future, we may incur gains and losses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in this presentation. Our presentation of distributable earnings should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the related notes of Ladder Capital Corp included within this Annual Report. This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” within this Annual Report and “Risk Factors” within this Annual Report for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to, those in “Risk Factors” set forth within this Annual Report.

References to “Ladder,” the “Company,” and “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Ladder Capital Corp, a Delaware corporation incorporated in 2013, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

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Ladder Capital Corp is the sole general partner of Ladder Capital Finance Holdings LLLP (“LCFH”) and, as a result of the

serialization of LCFH on December 31, 2014, became the sole general partner of Series REIT of LCFH. LC TRS I LLC, a

wholly-owned subsidiary of Series REIT of LCFH, is the general partner of Series TRS of LCFH. Ladder Capital Corp has a

controlling interest in Series REIT of LCFH, and through such controlling interest, also has a controlling interest in Series TRS

of LCFH. Ladder Capital Corp’s only business is to act as the sole general partner of LCFH and Series REIT of LCFH, and, as

a result of the foregoing, Ladder Capital Corp directly and indirectly operates and controls all of the business and affairs of

LCFH, and each Series thereof, and consolidates the financial results of LCFH, and each Series thereof, into Ladder Capital

Corp’s consolidated financial statements.

Overview

Ladder Capital is an internally-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that is a leader in commercial real estate finance. We originate and invest in a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate and real estate-related assets, focusing on senior secured assets. Our investment activities include: (i) our primary business of originating senior first mortgage fixed and floating rate loans collateralized by commercial real estate with flexible loan structures; (ii) owning and operating commercial real estate, including net leased commercial properties; and (iii) investing in investment grade securities secured by first mortgage loans on commercial real estate. We believe that our in-house origination platform, ability to flexibly allocate capital among complementary product lines, credit-centric underwriting approach, access to diversified financing sources, and experienced management team position us well to deliver attractive returns on equity to our shareholders through economic and credit cycles.

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Results of Operations

A discussion regarding our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 is presented below. A discussion regarding our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 can be found in Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022

The following table sets forth information regarding our consolidated results of operations ($ in thousands):

Investment Overview

Activity for the year ended December 31, 2023 included originating and funding $68.4 million in principal value of commercial mortgage loans and $726.7 million of principal repayments, which contributed to a net decrease in our loan portfolio of $0.8 billion. Activity for the year ended December 31, 2023 included securities purchases of $144.0 million, sales of $17.8 million and $232.1 million of amortization and paydowns, which contributed to a net decrease in our securities portfolio of $102.0 million. We acquired $87.6 million in real estate via foreclosure and received proceeds from the sale of real estate of $43.3 million as a result of the sale of one investment. In addition, we purchased $5.2 billion of short-term U.S. Treasury securities during the year ended December 31, 2023, of which $4.3 billion matured during the year ended December 31, 2023.

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Activity for the year ended December 31, 2022 included originating and funding $1.3 billion in principal value of commercial mortgage loans, which was offset by $0.9 billion of principal repayments and $29.2 million of proceeds of sales of loans. We acquired $96.2 million of new securities, which was offset by $5.8 million of sales and $184.8 million of amortization in the portfolio, which partially contributed to a net decrease in our securities portfolio of $115.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. We acquired $24.8 million in real estate and received proceeds from the sale of real estate of $310.5 million as a result of the sale of eight investments.

Net Interest Income

The $113.8 million increase in interest income was primarily attributable to increases in prevailing interest rate benchmarks on our floating rate balance sheet loan and securities portfolios partially offset by net payoffs. There was a $(0.3) billion decrease in average loan investments from $3.9 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022 to $3.6 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023. There was a $(152.6) million decrease in average securities investments from $648.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 to $495.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.

The $49.5 million increase in interest expense is primarily related to higher prevailing rates on our floating rate debt and higher outstanding balances on our loan repurchase facilities. The increase in interest expense was partially offset by lower interest expense as a result of lower average spreads on secured debt and reductions in the outstanding balances of our long-term mortgage loan debt, securities repurchase financing, and FHLB borrowings as well as a reduction in expense as a result of redemptions of our Notes.

As of December 31, 2023, the weighted average yield on our mortgage loan receivables was 9.6%, compared to 8.8% as of December 31, 2022. The weighted average yield increased as a result of increases in the prevailing interest rates. As of December 31, 2023, the weighted average interest rate on borrowings against our mortgage loan receivables was 7.5%, compared to 4.8% as of December 31, 2022. The increase in the rate on borrowings against our mortgage loan receivables from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2023 was primarily due to the increase in prevailing interest rates. As of December 31, 2023, we had outstanding borrowings secured by our mortgage loan receivables equal to 53.1% of the carrying value of our mortgage loan receivables, compared to 43.0% as of December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2023, the weighted average yield on our securities was 6.1%, compared to 5.2% as of December 31, 2022. The weighted average yield increased as a result of increases in the prevailing interest rates. As of December 31, 2023, the weighted average interest rate on borrowings against our securities was 5.8%, compared to 4.8% as of December 31, 2022. The increase in the rate on borrowings against our securities from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2023 was primarily due to higher prevailing market borrowing rates as of December 31, 2023 compared to December 31, 2022. As of December 31, 2023, we had outstanding borrowings secured by our securities equal to 24.0% of the carrying value of our real estate securities, compared to 75.6% as of December 31, 2022.

Our real estate is comprised of non-interest bearing assets; however, interest incurred on mortgage financing collateralized by such real estate is included in interest expense. As of December 31, 2023, the weighted average interest rate on mortgage borrowings against our real estate assets was 5.9%, compared to 5.5% as of December 31, 2022. As of December 31, 2023, we had outstanding borrowings secured by our real estate equal to 60.3% of the carrying value of our real estate, compared to 71.1% as of December 31, 2022.

Provision for (release of) Loan Loss Reserves

The provision for the year ended December 31, 2023 of $25.1 million represents an increase in the general reserve of loans held for investment. The increase in the provision associated with the general reserve during the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily due to adverse changes in macroeconomic conditions affecting commercial real estate, partially offset by a decrease in the size of our balance sheet first mortgage loans as a result of repayments.

The provision for the year ended December 31, 2022 of $3.7 million represents an increase in the general reserve of loans held for investment of $6.5 million and an increase related to unfunded loan commitments of $0.3 million partially offset by a $3.1 million recovery of provision. The increase in provision associated with the general reserve during the year ended December 31, 2022 is primarily due to adverse changes in macroeconomic scenarios and an overall increase in the size of our balance sheet first mortgage portfolio as a result of net originations during that time.

For additional information, refer to “Allowance for Credit Losses and Non-Accrual Status” in Note 3, Mortgage Loan Receivables, to the consolidated financial statements.

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Real Estate Operating Income

The decrease of $11.3 million in real estate operating income primarily relates to operating income earned on properties sold during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023 for which there was an immaterial amount or no operating income during the current period.

Net Result from Mortgage Loan Receivables Held for Sale

Net result from mortgage loan receivables held for sale includes unrealized losses on loans held for sale related to lower of cost or market adjustments and realized gains and losses from the sale of loans. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we did not sell any conduit loans and recorded $0.5 million of unrealized losses on loans related to lower of cost or market adjustments on our conduit loans. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we sold two conduit loans for a net gain of $0.2 million and recorded $2.6 million of unrealized losses on loans related to lower of cost or market adjustments on our conduit loans. Income from sales of loans, net is subject to market conditions impacting timing, size and pricing and as such may vary significantly quarter to quarter.

Realized Gain (Loss) on Securities

The realized loss on securities for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $(0.3) million compared to a realized loss of $(0.1) million for December 31, 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we sold $14.9 million of CMBS securities. For the year ended December 31, 2022, we sold $4.3 million of CMBS securities and $1.5 million of equity securities.

Realized Gain (Loss) on Sale of Real Estate, Net

There was a decrease of $107.2 million in realized gain (loss) on the sale of real estate for the year ended December 31, 2023, which was a result of one sale during the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to eight sales during the year ended December 31, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023, there was a sale of one hotel property for a realized gain of $8.8 million. During the year ended December 31, 2022, there were sales of: (i) two office properties for a realized gain of $61.5 million; (ii) one warehouse property for a realized gain of $14.6 million; (iii) three apartment buildings for a combined realized gain of $29.1 million; and (iv) two retail properties for a realized gain of $10.8 million.

Fee and Other Income

We generate fee income on the loans we originate and in which we invest, and dividend income on our FHLB stock. The $5.8 million decrease in fee and other income was primarily due to the timing of loan payoffs for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, partially offset by an increase in dividends from FHLB stock.

Net Result from Derivative Transactions

Net result from derivative transactions of $1.5 million is composed of a realized gain of $1.9 million and an unrealized loss of $(0.4) million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to a net gain of $12.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, which was comprised of a realized gain of $11.8 million and a $0.6 million unrealized gain resulting in a decrease of $10.9 million. The hedge positions primarily relate to fixed rate conduit loans, and securities investments. The derivative positions that generated these results were a combination of five and ten year U.S. treasury rate futures that we employed in an effort to hedge the interest rate risk primarily on the financing of our fixed rate assets and the net interest income we earn against the impact of changes in interest rates. The net gain in 2023 was primarily related to increases in interest rates during the year ended December 31, 2023. The total net result from derivative transactions is comprised of hedging interest expense, realized gains/losses related to hedge terminations and unrealized gains/losses related to changes in the fair value of asset hedges.

Earnings from Investment in Unconsolidated Ventures

Earnings from our investment in unconsolidated ventures totaled $0.8 million and $1.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The $0.6 million decrease in earnings from investments in unconsolidated ventures is attributable to higher interest expense due to a higher debt balance at the property as a result of a refinancing in 2023. Our maximum exposure to loss from these investments is limited to the carrying value of our investment.

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Gain on Extinguishment of Debt

Gain on extinguishment of debt totaled $10.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company retired: (1) $16.2 million of principal of the 2025 Notes for a repurchase price of $14.8 million, recognizing a $1.3 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(72) thousand of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt; (2) $38.9 million of principal of the 2027 Notes for a repurchase price of $31.8 million, recognizing a $6.8 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(0.3) million of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt; and (3) $13.1 million of principal of the 2029 Notes for a repurchase price of $10.3 million, recognizing a $2.6 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(0.2) million of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt.

Gain on extinguishment of debt totaled $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company retired: (1) $4.0 million of principal of the 2025 Notes for a repurchase price of $3.7 million, recognizing a $0.3 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(23) thousand of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt; (2) $1.0 million of principal of the 2027 Notes for a repurchase price of $0.8 million, recognizing a $0.2 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(9) thousand of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt; and (3) $1.0 million of principal of the 2029 Notes for a repurchase price of $0.8 million, recognizing a $0.2 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(14) thousand of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt.

Compensation and Employee Benefits

Compensation and employee benefits are comprised primarily of salaries, bonuses, equity-based compensation and other employee benefits. The decrease of $12.2 million in compensation expense is primarily due to to the timing of employee stock and bonus compensation in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses are primarily comprised of professional fees, lease expense and technology expenses. The decrease during the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to December 31, 2022 of $1.2 million was primarily related to a decrease in professional and technology expenses.

Real Estate Operating Expenses

The decrease of $1.0 million from year ended December 31, 2023 to December 31, 2022 was primarily due to the absence of operating expenses for properties that were sold during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 for which there was no operating expense during the current period.

Investment Related Expenses

Investment related expenses are comprised primarily of custodian fees, financing costs, servicing fees related to loans and other loan related expenses. The increase during the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to December 31, 2022 of $1.6 million was primarily attributable to an increase in loan related expenses.

Depreciation and Amortization

The $2.8 million decrease during the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to December 31, 2022 in depreciation and amortization is primarily attributable to the timing of one real estate sale and three acquisitions that occurred after December 31, 2022, and the timing of eight sales and two acquisitions during the year ended December 31, 2022.

Income Tax (Benefit) Expense

Most of our consolidated income tax provision related to the business units held in our TRSs. The decrease in expense of $0.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to December 31, 2022 is primarily a result of a tax reserve recognized in 2022 offset by changes in income generated by our TRSs.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

The management of our liquidity and capital diversity and allocation strategies is critical to the success and growth of our business. We manage our sources of liquidity to complement our asset composition and to diversify our exposure across multiple capital markets and counterparties.

We require substantial amounts of capital to support our business. The management team, in consultation with our board of directors, establishes our overall liquidity and capital allocation strategies. A key objective of those strategies is to support the execution of our business strategy while maintaining sufficient ongoing liquidity throughout the business cycle to service our financial obligations as they become due. When making funding and capital allocation decisions, members of our senior management consider: business performance; the availability of, and costs and benefits associated with, different funding sources; current and expected capital markets and general economic conditions; our asset composition and capital structure; and our targeted liquidity profile and risks relating to our funding needs.

To ensure that Ladder can effectively address the funding needs of the Company on a timely basis, we maintain a diverse array of liquidity sources including: (1) cash and cash equivalents; (2) cash generated from operations; (3) proceeds from the issuance of the unsecured bonds; (4) borrowings under repurchase agreements; (5) principal repayments on investments including mortgage loans and securities; (6) borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility; (7) proceeds from securitizations and sales of loans; (8) proceeds from the sale of securities; (9) proceeds from the sale of real estate; (10) proceeds from the issuance of CLO debt and other non-mark-to-market loan financing; and (11) proceeds from the issuance of equity capital. We use these funding sources to meet our obligations on a timely basis and have the ability to use our significant unencumbered asset base to further finance our business.

Our primary uses of liquidity are for: (1) the funding of loan, real estate-related and securities investments; (2) the repayment of short-term and long-term borrowings and related interest; (3) the funding of our operating expenses; and (4) distributions to our equity investors to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. We require short-term liquidity to fund loans that we originate and hold on our consolidated balance sheet pending sale, including through whole loan sale, participation, or securitization. We generally require longer-term funding to finance the loans and real estate-related investments that we hold for investment. We have historically used the aforementioned funding sources to meet the operating and investment needs as they have arisen and have been able to do so by applying a rigorous approach to long and short-term cash and debt forecasting.

In addition, as a REIT, we are also required to make sufficient dividend payments to our shareholders in amounts at least sufficient to maintain our REIT status. Under IRS guidance, we may elect to pay a portion of our dividends in stock, subject to a cash/stock election by our shareholders, to optimize our level of capital retention. Accordingly, our cash requirement to pay dividends to maintain REIT status could be substantially reduced at the discretion of the board of directors.

Our principal debt financing sources include: (1) long-term senior unsecured notes in the form of corporate bonds; (2) CLO issuances; (3) committed secured funding provided by banks and other lenders; (4) long term non-recourse mortgage financing; (5) uncommitted secured funding sources, including asset repurchase agreements with a number of banks; (6) unsecured Revolving Credit Facility and (7) secured advances from the FHLB through our captive insurance company.

In the future, we may also use other sources of financing to fund the acquisition of our assets, including credit facilities, warehouse facilities, repurchase facilities and other secured and unsecured forms of borrowing. These financings may be collateralized or non-collateralized, may involve one or more lenders and may accrue interest at either fixed or floating rates. We may also seek to raise further equity capital or issue debt securities in order to fund our future investments.

Refer to “Financial Covenants” and “Our Financing Strategies” for further disclosure of our diverse financing sources and, for a summary of our financial obligations, refer to the Contractual Obligations table below. All of our existing financial obligations due within the following year can be extended for one or more additional years at our discretion, refinanced or repaid at maturity or are incurred in the normal course of business (i.e., interest payments/loan funding obligations).

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

We held cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $1.0 billion at December 31, 2023, of which $1.0 billion was unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and $15.4 million was restricted cash. We held cash and cash equivalents of $609.1 million and restricted cash of $50.5 million as of December 31, 2022.

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Cash Flows

The following table provides a breakdown of the net change in our cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash ($ in thousands):

Year ended December 31, 2023

We experienced a net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $416.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, reflecting cash provided by operating activities of $180.6 million, cash provided by investing activities of $793.5 million and cash used in financing activities of $(557.8) million.

Net cash provided by operating activities of $180.6 million was primarily driven by net interest income and increases in net operating income on our real estate portfolio.

Net cash provided by investing activities of $793.5 million was driven by $738.5 million of repayment from mortgage loan receivables, $232.1 million in repayments on securities, and $17.8 million of proceeds from sale of securities, partially offset by $(144.0) million in purchases of securities and $(68.4) million of origination of mortgage loans held for investment.

Net cash used in financing activities of $(557.8) million was primarily as a result of net repayments of borrowings of $(427.1) million, $(116.4) million of dividend payments, $(7.9) million of shares acquired to satisfy minimum federal and state tax withholdings on restricted stock, $(2.5) million purchase of treasury stock, and $(3.4) million in deferred financing cost.

Year ended December 31, 2022

We experienced a net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $38.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 reflecting cash provided by operating activities of $106.7 million, cash provided by investing activities of $81.6 million and cash used in financing activities of $(150.2) million.

Net cash provided by operating activities of $106.7 million was primarily driven by $29.2 million in proceeds from sale of loans and increases in net interest income and increases in net operating income on our real estate portfolio partially offset by $(61.3) million of originations of mortgage loans held for sale.

Net cash provided by investing activities of $81.6 million was driven by $909.8 million of repayment from mortgage loan receivables, $310.5 million proceeds from the sale of real estate, $184.8 million in repayments on securities, and $5.8 million of proceeds from sale of securities, partially offset by $(1.2) billion of origination of mortgage loans held for investment and $(96.2) million in purchases of securities.

Net cash used in financing activities of $(150.2) million was primarily as a result of $(107.0) million of dividend payments, $(29.5) million of capital distributed to noncontrolling interests in consolidated ventures, $(11.4) million of shares acquired to satisfy minimum federal and state tax withholdings on restricted stock, $(7.9) million purchase of treasury stock, and $(8.3) million in deferred financing cost, partially offset by net repayments of borrowings of $13.7 million.

Unencumbered Assets

As of December 31, 2023, we held unencumbered cash of $1.0 billion, unencumbered loans of $1.1 billion, unencumbered securities of $342.8 million, unencumbered real estate of $160.8 million and $394.2 million of other assets not encumbered by any portion of secured indebtedness. As of December 31, 2022, we held unencumbered cash and cash equivalents of $609.1 million, unencumbered loans of $1.7 billion, unencumbered securities of $97.5 million, unencumbered real estate of $140.3 million and $351.6 million of other assets not encumbered by any portion of secured indebtedness.

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Borrowings under various financing arrangements

Our financing strategies are critical to the success and growth of our business. We manage our leverage policies to complement our asset composition and to diversify our exposure across multiple counterparties. Our borrowings under various financing arrangements as of December 31, 2023 are set forth in the table below ($ in thousands):

(1)Presented net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $1.4 million and net of premiums of $1.8 million as of December 31, 2023.

(2)Presented net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $2.1 million as of December 31, 2023.

(3)Presented net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $11.8 million as of December 31, 2023.

The Company’s repurchase facilities include covenants covering minimum net worth requirements (ranging from $400.0 million to $871.4 million), maximum reductions in net worth over stated time periods, minimum liquidity levels (typically $30.0 million of cash or a higher standard that often allows for the inclusion of different percentages of liquid securities in the determination of compliance with the requirement), maximum leverage ratios (calculated in various ways based on specified definitions of indebtedness and net worth) and a fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.25x, and, in the instance of one lender, an interest coverage ratio of 1.50x, in each case, if certain liquidity thresholds are not satisfied. We were in compliance with all covenants as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. Further, certain of our financing arrangements and loans on our real property are secured by the assets of the Company, including pledges of the equity of certain subsidiaries or the assets of certain subsidiaries. From time to time, certain of these financing arrangements and loans may prohibit certain of our subsidiaries from paying dividends to the Company, from making distributions on such subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s property or other assets to the Company or other subsidiaries of the Company.

Committed Loan Facilities

We are a party to multiple committed loan repurchase agreement facilities, totaling $1.2 billion of credit capacity as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $605.0 million of borrowings outstanding, with an additional $637.0 million of committed financing available. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $616.9 million of borrowings outstanding, with an additional $683.1 million of committed financing available. Assets pledged as collateral under these facilities are generally limited to whole mortgage loans collateralized by first liens on commercial real estate, mezzanine loans collateralized by equity interests in entities that own commercial real estate, and certain interests in such first mortgage and mezzanine loans. Our repurchase facilities include covenants covering net worth requirements, minimum liquidity levels, and maximum debt/equity ratios. We believe we were in compliance with all covenants as of December 31, 2023.

We have the option to extend some of our existing facilities subject to a number of customary conditions. The lenders have sole discretion with respect to the inclusion of collateral in these facilities, to determine the market value of the collateral on a daily basis, and, if the estimated market value of the included collateral declines, the lenders have the right to require additional collateral or a full and/or partial repayment of the facilities (margin call), sufficient to rebalance the facilities. Typically, the facilities are established with stated guidelines regarding the maximum percentage of the collateral asset’s market value that can be borrowed. We often borrow at a lower percentage of the collateral asset’s value than the maximum leaving us with excess

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borrowing capacity that can be drawn upon at a later date and/or applied against future margin calls so that they can be satisfied on a cashless basis.

Committed Securities Facility

We are a party to a term master repurchase agreement with a major U.S. banking institution for CMBS, totaling $100.0 million of credit capacity. As we do in the case of borrowings under committed loan facilities, we often borrow at a lower percentage of the collateral asset’s value than the maximum, leaving us with excess borrowing capacity that can be drawn upon a later date and/or applied against future margin calls so that they can be satisfied on a cashless basis. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had no borrowings outstanding, with an additional $100.0 million of committed financing available. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $8.6 million of borrowings outstanding, and an additional $91.4 million of committed financing available.

Uncommitted Securities Facilities

We are a party to multiple master repurchase agreements with several counterparties to finance our investments in CMBS and U.S. Agency securities. The securities that served as collateral for these borrowings are highly liquid and marketable assets that are typically of relatively short duration.

Revolving Credit Facility

The Company’s revolving credit facility (“Revolving Credit Facility”) provides for an aggregate maximum borrowing amount of $323.9 million, including a $25.0 million sublimit for the issuance of letters of credit. The Revolving Credit Facility is available on a revolving basis to finance the Company’s working capital needs and for general corporate purposes. Borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility incur interest at a fixed margin of 2.50% over the index rate, with reductions in the fixed margin upon the achievement of investment grade credit ratings. On January 25, 2024, the Company amended its Revolving Credit Facility to extend the final maturity date to January 25, 2029. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had no outstanding borrowings on the Revolving Credit Facility, but still maintains the ability to draw $323.9 million.

The obligations under the Revolving Credit Facility are guaranteed by the Company and certain of its subsidiaries. The Revolving Credit Facility is secured by a pledge of the shares of (or other ownership or equity interests in) certain subsidiaries to the extent the pledge is not restricted under existing regulations, law or contractual obligations.

The Company is subject to customary affirmative covenants and negative covenants, including limitations on the incurrence of additional debt, liens, restricted payments, sales of assets and affiliate transactions. In addition, the Company is required to comply with financial covenants relating to minimum net worth, maximum leverage, minimum liquidity, and minimum fixed charge coverage, consistent with our other credit facilities. The Company’s ability to borrow is dependent on, among other things, compliance with the financial covenants. The Revolving Credit Facility contains customary events of default, including non-payment of principal or interest, fees or other amounts, failure to perform or observe covenants, cross-default to other indebtedness, the rendering of judgments against the Company or certain of our subsidiaries to pay certain amounts of money and certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency.

Mortgage Loan Financing

The Company typically finances its real estate investments with long-term, non-recourse mortgage financing. These mortgage loans have carrying amounts of $437.8 million and $498.0 million, net of unamortized premiums of $1.8 million and $2.4 million as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, representing proceeds received upon financing greater than the contractual amounts due under these agreements. The premiums are being amortized over the remaining life of the respective debt instruments using the effective interest method. The Company recorded $0.6 million and $0.7 million and $1.4 million of premium amortization, which decreased interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021 respectively. These non-recourse debt agreements provide for secured financing at rates ranging from 4.39% to 9.03%, and, as of December 31, 2023, have anticipated maturity dates between 2024 - 2031, with an average term of 3.1 years. The mortgage loans are collateralized by real estate and related lease intangibles, net, of $474.7 million and $559.9 million as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2023 the Company did not execute any new term debt agreements to finance properties in its real estate portfolio. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company executed one new term debt agreement to finance properties in its real estate portfolio.

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Collateralized Loan Obligations (“CLO”) Debt

On July 13, 2021, a consolidated subsidiary of the Company completed a privately-marketed CLO transaction, which generated $498.2 million of gross proceeds to Ladder, financing $607.5 million of loans (“Contributed July 2021 Loans”) at an 82% advance rate on a matched term, non-mark-to-market and non-recourse basis. A consolidated subsidiary of the Company retained an 18% subordinate and controlling interest in the CLO. The Company retained consent rights over major decisions with respect to the servicing of the Contributed July 2021 Loans, including the right to appoint and replace the special servicer under the CLO. The CLO is a VIE and the Company was the primary beneficiary and, therefore, consolidated the VIE. Refer to Note 9, Consolidated Variable Interest Entities, for additional information.

On December 2, 2021, a consolidated subsidiary of the Company completed a privately-marketed CLO transaction, which generated $566.2 million of gross proceeds to Ladder, financing $729.4 million of loans (“Contributed December 2021 Loans”) at a maximum 77.6% advance rate on a matched term, non-mark-to-market and non-recourse basis. A consolidated subsidiary of the Company retained an 15.6% subordinate and controlling interest in the CLO. The Company also held two additional tranches as investments totaling 6.8% interest in the CLO. The Company retained consent rights over major decisions with respect to the servicing of the Contributed December 2021 Loans, including the right to appoint and replace the special servicer under the CLO. The CLO is a VIE and the Company was the primary beneficiary and, therefore, consolidated the VIE. Refer to Note 9, Consolidated Variable Interest Entities, for additional information.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $1.1 billion of matched term, non-mark-to-market and non-recourse CLO debt included in debt obligations on its consolidated balance sheets. Unamortized debt issuance costs of $2.1 million were included in CLO debt as of December 31, 2023.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $1.1 billion of matched term, non-mark-to-market and non-recourse CLO debt included in debt obligations on its consolidated balance sheets. Unamortized debt issuance costs of $5.9 million were included in CLO debt as of December 31, 2022.

Borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”)

On July 11, 2012, Tuebor, a consolidated subsidiary of the Company, became a member of the FHLB and subsequently drew its first secured funding advances from the FHLB. As of February 19, 2021, pursuant to a final rule adopted by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (the “FHFA”) regarding the eligibility of captive insurance companies, Tuebor’s membership in the FHLB has been terminated, although outstanding advances may remain outstanding until their scheduled maturity dates. Funding for future advance paydowns is expected to be obtained from the natural amortization and/or sales of securities collateral, or from other financing sources. There is no assurance that the FHFA or the FHLB will not take actions that could adversely impact Tuebor’s existing advances.

As of December 31, 2023, Tuebor had $115.0 million of borrowings outstanding, with terms of 0.3 years to 0.75 years (with a weighted average of 0.57 years), interest rates of 5.76% to 5.88% (with a weighted average of 5.82%), and advance rates of 71.7% to 95.7% on eligible collateral. As of December 31, 2023, collateral for the borrowings was comprised primarily of $140.3 million of CMBS.

As of December 31, 2022, Tuebor had $213.0 million of borrowings outstanding, with terms of 0.6 years to 1.75 years (with a weighted average of 1.25 years), interest rates of 2.74% to 4.70% (with a weighted average of 4.52%), and advance rates of 71.7% to 95.7% on eligible collateral. As of December 31, 2022, collateral for the borrowings was comprised primarily of $248.8 million of CMBS.

Tuebor is subject to state regulations which require that dividends (including dividends to the Company as its parent) may only be made with regulatory approval. However, there can be no assurance that we would obtain such approval if sought. Largely as a result of this restriction, approximately $0.8 billion of Tuebor’s member’s capital was restricted from transfer via dividend to Tuebor’s parent without prior approval of state insurance regulators at December 31, 2023. To facilitate intercompany cash funding of operations and investments, Tuebor and its parent maintain regulator-approved intercompany borrowing/lending agreements.

Senior Unsecured Notes

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $1.6 billion of unsecured corporate bonds outstanding. These unsecured financings were comprised of $327.8 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.25% senior notes due 2025 (the “2025 Notes”), $611.9 million in aggregate principal amount of 4.25% senior notes due 2027 (the “2027 Notes”) and $635.9 million in aggregate

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principal of 4.75% senior notes due 2029 (the “2029 Notes,” and collectively with the 2025 Notes and the 2027 Notes, the “Notes”).

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $1.6 billion of unsecured corporate bonds outstanding. These unsecured financings were comprised of $344.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.25% senior notes due 2025 (the “2025 Notes”), $650.8 million in aggregate principal amount of 4.25% senior notes due 2027 (the “2027 Notes”) and $649.0 million in aggregate principal of 4.75% senior notes due 2029 (the “2029 Notes,” and collectively with the 2025 Notes and the 2027 Notes, the “Notes”).

LCFH issued the Notes with Ladder Capital Finance Corporation (“LCFC”), as co-issuers on a joint and several basis. LCFC is a 100% owned finance subsidiary of LCFH with no assets, operations, revenues or cash flows other than those related to the issuance, administration and repayment of the Notes. The Company and certain subsidiaries of LCFH currently guarantee the obligations under the Notes and the indenture. The Company believes it was in compliance with all covenants of the Notes as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. The Notes are presented net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $11.8 million and $15.4 million as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

The Notes require interest payments semi-annually in cash in arrears, are unsecured, and are subject to an unencumbered assets to unsecured debt covenant. The Company may redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, at any time, or from time to time, prior to their stated maturity upon not less than 10 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at a redemption price as specified in each respective indenture governing the Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. The board of directors has authorized the Company to repurchase any or all of the Notes from time to time without further approval.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company repurchased $16.2 million of the 2025 Notes and recognized a net gain of $1.3 million on extinguishment of debt, $38.9 million of the 2027 Notes and recognized a net gain of $6.8 million on extinguishment of debt, and $13.1 million of the 2029 Notes and recognized a net gain of $2.6 million on extinguishment of debt.

Stock Repurchases

On July 27, 2022, the board of directors authorized the repurchase of $50.0 million of the Company’s Class A common stock from time to time without further approval. This authorization increased the remaining outstanding authorization per the August 4, 2021 authorization from $39.5 million to $50.0 million. Stock repurchases by the Company are generally made for cash in open market transactions at prevailing market prices but may also be made in privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. The timing and amount of purchases are determined based upon prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors. As of December 31, 2023, the Company has a remaining amount available for repurchase of $44.3 million, which represents 3.0% in the aggregate of its outstanding Class A common stock, based on the closing price of $11.51 per share on such date. Refer to Note 10, Equity Structure and Accounts, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, for disclosure of the Company’s repurchase activity.

The following table is a summary of the Company’s repurchase activity of its Class A common stock during the year ended December 31, 2023 ($ in thousands):

(1)Amount excludes commissions paid associated with share repurchases.

Dividends

In order for the Company to maintain its qualification as a REIT under the Code, it must annually distribute at least 90% of its taxable income. The Company has paid and in the future intends to declare regular quarterly distributions to its shareholders in aggregating to an amount approximating at least 90% of the REIT’s annual net taxable income.

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All distributions are made at the discretion of our board of directors and depend on our earnings, our financial condition, any debt covenants, maintenance of our REIT qualification, restrictions on making distributions under Delaware law and other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time.

Refer to Note 10, Equity Structure and Accounts, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, for disclosure of dividends declared.

Principal Repayments on Investments

We receive principal amortization on our loans and securities as part of the normal course of our business. Repayment of mortgage loan receivables provided net cash of $738.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 and $909.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Repayment of real estate securities provided net cash of $232.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, and $184.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Proceeds from Securitizations and Sales of Loans

We sell our conduit mortgage loans to securitization trusts and to other third parties as part of our normal course of business and from time to time will sell balance sheet mortgage loans. There were no proceeds from sales of mortgage loans for the year ended December 31, 2023, and there were $29.2 million of proceeds from sales of mortgage loans for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Proceeds from the Sale of Securities

We sell our investments in CMBS, U.S. Agency securities, corporate bonds, U.S. Treasury securities, and equity securities as a part of our normal course of business. Proceeds from sales of securities provided net cash of $17.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, and $5.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Proceeds from the Sale of Real Estate

There were $13.4 million, net proceeds from sales of real estate for the year ended December 31, 2023, and $310.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Other Potential Sources of Financing

In the future, we may also use other sources of financing to fund the acquisition of our assets, including credit facilities, warehouse facilities, repurchase facilities and other secured and unsecured forms of borrowing. These financings may be collateralized or non-collateralized, may involve one or more lenders and may accrue interest at either fixed or floating rates. We may also seek to raise further equity capital or issue debt securities in order to fund our future investments.

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Contractual Obligations

Contractual obligations as of December 31, 2023 were as follows ($ in thousands):

(1)As more fully disclosed in Note 6, Debt Obligations, Net, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, the allocation of repayments under our committed loan repurchase facilities is based on the earlier of: (i) the maturity date of each agreement; or (ii) the maximum maturity date of the collateral loans, assuming all extension options are exercised by the borrower.

(2)Total does not include $1.1 billion of consolidated CLO debt obligations and the related debt issuance costs of $2.1 million, as the satisfaction of these liabilities will not require cash outlays from us.

(3)Comprised of interest on secured financings and on senior unsecured notes. For borrowings with variable interest rates, we used the rates in effect as of December 31, 2023 to determine the future interest payment obligations.

(4)Comprised primarily of our off-balance sheet unfunded commitment to provide additional first mortgage loan financing as of December 31, 2023. The allocation of our unfunded loan commitments is based on the earlier of the commitment expiration date or the final maturity date, however, we may be obligated to fund these commitments earlier than such date. This amount excludes $128.6 million of future funding commitments that require the occurrence of certain “good news” events, such as the owner concluding a lease agreement with a major tenant in the building or reaching a pre-determined net operating income which may or may not be achieved.

The table above does not include amounts due under our derivative agreements as those contracts do not have fixed and determinable payments. Our contractual obligations will be refinanced and/or repaid from earnings as well as amortization and sales of our liquid collateral. We have made investments in various unconsolidated ventures of which our maximum exposure to loss from these investments is limited to the carrying value of our investments.

Future Liquidity Needs

In addition to the future contractual obligations above, the Company, in the coming year and beyond, as a part of its normal course of business will require cash to fund unfunded loan commitments and new investments in a combination of balance sheet mortgage loans, conduit loans, real estate investments and securities as it deems appropriate as well as necessary expenses as a part of general corporate purposes. These new investments and general corporate expenses may be funded with existing cash, proceeds from loan and securities payoffs, through financing using our Revolving Credit Facility or loan and security financing facilities, or through additional debt or equity raises. The Company has no known material cash requirements other than its contractual obligations in the above table, unfunded commitments and future general corporate expenses.

Unfunded Loan Commitments

We may be a party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financial needs of our borrowers. These commitments are not reflected on the consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2023, our off-balance sheet arrangements consisted of $204.0 million of unfunded commitments of mortgage loan receivables held for investment, 63% of which additional funds relate to the occurrence of certain “good news” events, such as the owner concluding a lease agreement with a major tenant in the building or reaching some pre-determined net operating income. As of December 31, 2022, our off-balance sheet arrangements consisted of $321.8 million of unfunded commitments of mortgage loan receivables held for investment to provide additional first mortgage loan financing. Such commitments are subject to our borrowers’ satisfaction of certain financial and nonfinancial covenants and involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk in excess of the amount recognized in the consolidated balance sheets. Commitments are subject to our loan borrowers’ satisfaction of certain financial and nonfinancial covenants and may or may not be funded depending on a variety of circumstances including timing, credit metric hurdles, and other nonfinancial events occurring.

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LIBOR Transition to SOFR

As of December 31, 2023, all of our floating rate loans earn interest at a rate indexed to Term SOFR; and all of our floating rate debt obligations bear interest indexed to Term SOFR.

Interest Rate Environment

The nature of the Company’s business exposes it to market risk arising from changes in interest rates. Changes, both increases and decreases, in the rates the Company is able to charge its borrowers, the yields the Company is able to achieve in its securities investments, and the Company’s cost of borrowing directly impacts its net income. The Company’s net interest income includes interest from both fixed and floating rate debt. The percentage of the Company’s assets and liabilities bearing interest at fixed and floating rates may change over time, and asset composition may differ materially from debt composition. Refer to Item 7A “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” for further disclosures surrounding the impact of rising or falling interest rate on our earnings.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and judgments in certain circumstances that affect amounts reported as assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We have established detailed policies and control procedures intended to ensure that valuation methods, including any judgments made as part of such methods, are well controlled, reviewed and applied consistently from period to period. We base our estimates on historical corporate and industry experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be appropriate under the circumstances. The Company’s critical accounting policies are those which require assumptions to be made about matters that are highly uncertain. Different estimates could have a material effect on the Company’s financial results. For all of these estimates, we caution that future events rarely develop exactly as forecasted and, therefore, routinely require adjustment.

During 2023, management reviewed and evaluated these critical accounting policies and estimates and believes they are appropriate. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The following is a list of accounting policies that require more significant estimates and judgments:

•Allowance for loan losses

•Acquisition of real estate

•Impairment or disposal of long lived assets

•Identified intangible assets and liabilities

•Variable interest entities

•Valuation of financial instruments

The following is a summary of accounting policies that require more significant management estimates and judgments:

Allowance for Loan Losses

The Company uses a current expected credit loss model (“CECL”) for estimating the provision for loan losses on its loan portfolio. The CECL model requires the consideration of possible credit losses over the life of an instrument and includes a portfolio-based component and an asset-specific component. In compliance with the CECL reporting requirements, the Company supplements its existing credit monitoring and management processes with additional processes to support the calculation of the CECL reserves. The Company engages a third-party service provider to provide market data and a credit loss model. The credit loss model is a forward-looking, econometric, commercial real estate (“CRE”) loss forecasting tool. It is comprised of a probability of default (“PD”) model and a loss given default (“LGD”) model that, layered together with the Company’s loan-level data, fair value of collateral, net operating income of collateral, selected forward-looking macroeconomic variables, and pool-level mean loss rates, produces life of loan expected losses (“EL”) at the loan and portfolio level. Where management has determined that the credit loss model does not fully capture certain external factors, including portfolio trends or loan-specific factors, a qualitative adjustment to the reserve is recorded. In addition, interest receivable on loans is not included in the Company’s CECL calculations as the Company performs timely write offs of aged interest receivable. The Company has made a policy election to write off aged receivables through interest income as opposed to through the CECL provision on its statements of income.

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Loans for which the borrower or sponsor is experiencing financial difficulty, and where repayment of the loan is expected substantially through the operation or sale of the underlying collateral, are considered collateral dependent loans. For collateral dependent loans, the Company may elect a practical expedient which allows the Company to measure expected losses based on the difference between the collateral’s fair value and the amortized cost basis of the loan. When the repayment or satisfaction of the loan is dependent on a sale, rather than operations of the collateral, the fair value is adjusted for the estimated costs to sell the collateral. If foreclosure is probable, the Company is required to measure for expected losses using this methodology.

The Company generally will use the direct capitalization rate valuation methodology or the sales comparison approach to estimate the fair value of the collateral for loans and in certain cases will obtain external appraisals. Determining fair value of the collateral may take into account a number of assumptions including, but not limited to, cash flow projections, market capitalization rates, discount rates and data regarding recent comparable sales of similar properties. Such assumptions are generally based on current market conditions and are subject to economic and market uncertainties.

The Company’s loans are typically collateralized by real estate directly or indirectly. As a result, the Company regularly evaluates the extent and impact of any credit deterioration associated with the performance and/or value of the underlying collateral property as well as the financial and operating capability of the borrower/sponsor on a loan-by-loan basis. Specifically, a property’s operating results and any cash reserves are analyzed and used to assess: (i) whether cash flow from operations is sufficient to cover the debt service requirements currently and into the future; (ii) the ability of the borrower to refinance the loan at maturity; and/or (iii) the property’s liquidation value. The Company also evaluates the financial wherewithal of any loan guarantors as well as the borrower’s competency in managing and operating the properties. In addition, the Company considers the overall economic environment, real estate sector, and geographic submarket in which the collateral property is located. Such impairment analyses are completed and reviewed by asset management and underwriting personnel, who utilize various data sources, including: (i) periodic financial data such as property occupancy, tenant profile, rental rates, operating expenses, the borrowers’ business plan, and capitalization and discount rates; (ii) site inspections; and (iii) current credit spreads and other market data and ultimately presented to management for approval.

When a debtor is experiencing financial difficulties and a loan is modified, the effect of the modification will be included in the Company’s assessment of the CECL allowance for loan losses. If the Company provides principal forgiveness, the amortized cost basis of the loan is written off against the allowance for loan losses. Generally, when granting concessions, the Company will seek to protect its position by requiring incremental pay downs, additional collateral or guarantees and, in some cases, lookback features or equity interests to offset concessions granted should conditions impacting the loan improve.

The Company designates a loan as a non-accrual loan generally when: (i) the principal or coupon interest components of loan payments become 90-days past due; or (ii) in the opinion of the Company, it is doubtful the Company will be able to collect all principal and coupon interest due according to the contractual terms of the loan. Interest income on non-accrual loans in which the Company reasonably expects a full recovery of the loan’s outstanding principal balance is recognized when received in cash. Otherwise, income recognition will be suspended and any cash received will be applied as a reduction to the amortized cost basis. A non-accrual loan is returned to accrual status at such time as the loan becomes contractually current and future principal and coupon interest are reasonably assured to be received in accordance with the contractual loan terms. A loan will be written off when management has determined principal and coupon interest is no longer realizable and deemed non-recoverable.

The CECL accounting estimate is subject to uncertainty as a result of changing macroeconomic market conditions, as well as the vintage and location of the underlying assets as disclosed in Note 3, Mortgage Loan Receivables, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The provision for (release of) loan losses for the year ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was $25.1 million and $3.7 million, respectively.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, there was a charge off of reserve of $2.7 million. The allowance for loan losses at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was $43.9 million and $21.5 million, respectively. The allowance includes $0.7 million of reserves for unfunded commitments at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. The estimate is sensitive to the assumptions used to represent future expected economic conditions.

Acquisition of Real Estate

We generally acquire real estate assets or land and development assets through purchases and may also acquire such assets through foreclosure or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure in full or partial satisfaction of defaulted loans. Purchased properties are classified as real estate, net or land and development, net on our consolidated balance sheets. When we intend to hold, operate or develop the property for a period of at least 12 months, the asset is classified as real estate, net, and if the asset meets the held-for-sale criteria, the asset is classified as real estate held for sale. Upon purchase, the properties are recorded at cost.

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Foreclosed assets classified as real estate and land and development are initially recorded at their estimated fair value and assets classified as held for sale are recorded at their estimated fair value less costs to sell. The excess of the carrying value of the loan over these amounts is charged-off against the reserve for loan losses. In both cases, upon acquisition, tangible and intangible assets and liabilities acquired are recorded at their relative fair values.

Identified Intangible Assets and Liabilities

We record intangible assets and liabilities acquired at their relative fair values, and determine whether such intangible assets and liabilities have finite or indefinite lives. As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, all such acquired intangible assets and liabilities have finite lives. We review finite lived intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. If we determine the carrying value of an intangible asset is not recoverable, we will record an impairment charge to the extent its carrying value exceeds its estimated fair value. Impairments of intangibles are recorded in impairment of assets in our consolidated statements of income.

Impairment or Disposal of Long-lived Assets

Real estate assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of their carrying amount or estimated fair value less costs to sell and are included in real estate held for sale on our consolidated balance sheets. The difference between the estimated fair value less costs to sell and the carrying value will be recorded as an impairment charge. Impairment for real estate assets are included in impairment of assets in our consolidated statements of operations. Once the asset is classified as held for sale, depreciation expense is no longer recorded.

We periodically review real estate to be held and used, and land and development assets for impairment in value, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. The asset’s value is impaired only if management’s estimate of the aggregate future cash flows (undiscounted and without interest charges) to be generated by the asset (taking into account the anticipated holding period of the asset) is less than the carrying value. Such estimate of cash flows considers factors such as expected future operating income, trends and prospects, as well as the effects of demand, competition and other economic factors. To the extent impairment has occurred, the loss will be measured as the excess of the carrying amount of the property over the fair value of the asset and reflected as an adjustment to the basis of the asset. Impairments of real estate and land and development assets are recorded in impairment of assets in our consolidated statements of operations.

There were no properties classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. We did not record any impairments of real estate for the years ended December 31, 2023 or December 31, 2022.

Variable Interest Entities

We evaluate our investments and other contractual arrangements to determine if our interests constitute variable interests in a variable interest entity (“VIE”) and if we are the primary beneficiary. There is a significant amount of judgment required to determine if an entity is considered a VIE and if we are the primary beneficiary. We first perform a qualitative analysis, which requires certain subjective decisions regarding our assessment, including, but not limited to, which interests create or absorb variability, the contractual terms, the key decision-making powers, impact on the VIE’s economic performance and related party relationships. An iterative quantitative analysis is required if our qualitative analysis proves inconclusive as to whether the entity is a VIE or we are the primary beneficiary and consolidation is required.

Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities

The degree of management judgment involved in determining the fair value of assets and liabilities is dependent upon the availability of quoted market prices or observable market parameters. For financial and nonfinancial assets and liabilities that trade actively and have quoted market prices or observable market parameters, there is minimal subjectivity involved in measuring fair value. When observable market prices and parameters are not fully available, management judgment is necessary to estimate fair value. In addition, changes in market conditions may reduce the availability of quoted prices or observable data. For example, reduced liquidity in the capital markets or changes in secondary market activities could result in observable market inputs becoming unavailable. Therefore, when market data is not available, we would use valuation techniques requiring more management judgment to estimate the appropriate fair value measurement.

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Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements and Recent Accounting Pronouncements Pending Adoption

Our recently adopted accounting pronouncements and recent accounting pronouncements pending adoption are described in Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Distributable Earnings

The Company utilizes distributable earnings, a non-GAAP financial measure, as a supplemental measure of our operating performance. We believe distributable earnings assists investors in comparing our operating performance and our ability to pay dividends across reporting periods on a more relevant and consistent basis by excluding from GAAP measures certain non-cash expenses and unrealized results as well as eliminating timing differences related to securitization gains and changes in the values of assets and derivatives. In addition, we use distributable earnings: (i) to evaluate our earnings from operations because management believes that it may be a useful performance measure; and (ii) because our board of directors considers distributable earnings in determining the amount of quarterly dividends.

We define distributable earnings as income before taxes adjusted for: (i) real estate depreciation and amortization; (ii) the impact of derivative gains and losses related to the hedging of assets on our balance sheet as of the end of the specified accounting period; (iii) unrealized gains/(losses) related to our investments in fair value securities and passive interest in unconsolidated ventures; (iv) economic gains on loan sales not recognized under GAAP accounting for which risk has substantially transferred during the period and the exclusion of resultant GAAP recognition of the related economics during the subsequent periods; (v) unrealized provision for loan losses and unrealized real estate impairment; (vi) realized provisions for loan losses and realized real estate impairment; (vii) non-cash stock-based compensation; and (viii) certain transactional items. For the purpose of computing distributable earnings, management recognizes loan and real estate losses as being realized generally in the period in which the asset is sold or the Company determines a decline in value to be non-recoverable and the loss to be nearly certain.

For distributable earnings, we include adjustments for economic gains on loan sales not recognized under GAAP accounting for which risk has substantially transferred during the period and exclude the resultant GAAP recognition of the related economics during the subsequent periods. This adjustment is reflected in distributable earnings when there is a true risk transfer on the mortgage loan transfer and settlement. Historically, this adjustment has represented the impact of economic gains/(discounts) on intercompany loans secured by our own real estate which we had not previously recognized because such gains were eliminated in consolidation. Conversely, if the economic risk was not substantially transferred, no adjustments to net income would be made relating to those transactions for distributable earnings purposes. Management believes recognizing these amounts for distributable earnings purposes in the period of transfer of economic risk is a reasonable supplemental measure of our performance.

As discussed in Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, we do not designate derivatives as hedges to qualify for hedge accounting and, therefore, any net payments under, or fluctuations in the fair value of, our derivatives are recognized currently in our GAAP income statement. However, fluctuations in the fair value of the related assets are not included in our income statement. We consider the gain or loss on our hedging positions related to assets that we still own as of the reporting date to be “open hedging positions.” While recognized for GAAP purposes, we exclude the results on the hedges from distributable earnings until the related asset is sold and/or the hedge position is considered “closed,” whereupon they would then be included in distributable earnings in that period. These are reflected as “Adjustments for derivative results” for purposes of computing distributable earnings for the period. We believe that excluding these specifically identified gains and losses associated with the open hedging positions adjusts for timing differences between when we recognize changes in the fair values of our assets and changes in the fair value of the derivatives used to hedge such assets.

As more fully discussed in Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, our investments in Agency interest-only securities and equity securities are recorded at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in current period earnings. We believe that excluding these specifically identified gains and losses associated with the fair value securities adjusts for timing differences between when we recognize changes in the fair values of our assets. With regard to securities valuation, distributable earnings includes a decline in fair value deemed to be an impairment for GAAP purposes only if the decline is determined to be nearly certain to be eventually realized. In those cases, an impairment is included in distributable earnings for the period in which such determination was made. Set forth below is an unaudited reconciliation of income (loss) before taxes to distributable earnings (in thousands):

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Distributable earnings has limitations as an analytical tool. Some of these limitations are:

•Distributable earnings does not reflect the impact of certain cash charges resulting from matters we consider not to be indicative of our ongoing operations and is not necessarily indicative of cash necessary to fund cash needs; and

•Other companies in our industry may calculate distributable earnings differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.

Because of these limitations, distributable earnings should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income (loss) attributable to shareholders or any other performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, or as an alternative to cash flows from operations as a measure of our liquidity.

In addition, distributable earnings should not be considered to be the equivalent to REIT taxable income calculated to determine the minimum amount of dividends the Company is required to distribute to shareholders to maintain REIT status. In order for the Company to maintain its qualification as a REIT under the Code, we must annually distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income. The Company has declared, and intends to continue declaring, regular quarterly distributions to its shareholders in an amount approximating the REIT’s net taxable income.

In the future we may incur gains and losses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in this presentation. Our presentation of distributable earnings should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the related notes of Ladder Capital Corp included within this Annual Report. This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” within this Annual Report and “Risk Factors” within this Annual Report for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to, those in “Risk Factors” set forth within this Annual Report.

References to “Ladder,” the “Company,” and “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Ladder Capital Corp, a Delaware corporation incorporated in 2013, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

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Ladder Capital Corp is the sole general partner of Ladder Capital Finance Holdings LLLP (“LCFH”) and, as a result of the serialization of LCFH on December 31, 2014, became the sole general partner of Series REIT of LCFH. LC TRS I LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Series REIT of LCFH, is the general partner of Series TRS of LCFH. Ladder Capital Corp has a controlling interest in Series REIT of LCFH, and through such controlling interest, also has a controlling interest in Series TRS of LCFH. Ladder Capital Corp’s only business is to act as the sole general partner of LCFH and Series REIT of LCFH, and, as a result of the foregoing, Ladder Capital Corp directly and indirectly operates and controls all of the business and affairs of LCFH, and each Series thereof, and consolidates the financial results of LCFH, and each Series thereof, into Ladder Capital Corp’s consolidated financial statements.

Overview

Ladder Capital is an internally-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that is a leader in commercial real estate finance. We originate and invest in a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate and real estate-related assets, focusing on senior secured assets. Our investment activities include: (i) our primary business of originating senior first mortgage fixed and floating rate loans collateralized by commercial real estate with flexible loan structures; (ii) owning and operating commercial real estate, including net leased commercial properties; and (iii) investing in investment grade securities secured by first mortgage loans on commercial real estate. We believe that our in-house origination platform, ability to flexibly allocate capital among complementary product lines, credit-centric underwriting approach, access to diversified financing sources, and experienced management team position us well to deliver attractive returns on equity to our shareholders through economic and credit cycles.

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Results of Operations

A discussion regarding our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 is presented below. A discussion regarding our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 can be found in Item 7 of Part II, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021

The following table sets forth information regarding our consolidated results of operations ($ in thousands):

Investment Overview

Activity for the year ended December 31, 2022 included originating and funding $1.3 billion in principal value of commercial mortgage loans, which was offset by $0.9 billion of principal repayments and $29.2 million of proceeds of sales of loans. We acquired $96.2 million of new securities, which was offset by $184.8 million of amortization in the portfolio and $5.8 million of sales, which partially contributed to a net decrease in our securities portfolio of $115.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. We acquired $24.8 million in real estate and received proceeds from the sale of real estate of $310.5 million as a result of the sale of eight investments.

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Activity for the year ended December 31, 2021 included originating and funding $2.5 billion in principal value of commercial mortgage loans and $63.6 million of purchases of mortgage loans, which was offset by $305.6 million of sales and $1.1 billion of principal repayments. We acquired $247.0 million of new securities, which was offset by $438.6 million of sales and $164.5 million of amortization in the portfolio, which partially contributed to a net decrease in our securities portfolio of $355.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2021. We also invested $102.2 million in real estate, which included $81.8 million of real estate acquired via foreclosure, and received proceeds from the sale of real estate of $219.2 million.

Net Interest Income

The $117.4 million increase in interest income was primarily attributable to increases in prevailing interest rate benchmarks on our floating rate balance sheet loan and securities portfolios and an increase in net originations from our balance sheet first mortgage loans. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the amortized cost of loan investments averaged $3.9 billion and the amortized cost of securities investments averaged $0.6 billion. For the year ended December 31, 2021, loan investments averaged $2.5 billion and securities investments averaged $0.8 billion. There was a $1.4 billion increase in average loan investments and a $(0.2) billion decrease in average securities investments.

The $12.7 million increase in interest expense is primarily related to higher outstanding balances on our loan and security repurchase facilities at higher prevailing rates, and higher interest expense on our Contributed July 2021 CLO Loans and Contributed December 2021 CLO Loans debt issuances at higher prevailing rates. These increases were partially offset by a reduction in interest expense as a result of paydowns of our Secured Financing Facility and corporate revolver as well as a reduction in expense as a result of redemptions to our Notes.

The increase in net interest income before provision for loan losses of $104.8 million as explained in the paragraphs above is also attributable to a higher percentage of our owned assets being variable rate as compared to certain financing sources such as our unsecured bonds and our mortgage loan financing being fixed rate.

As of December 31, 2022, the weighted average yield on our mortgage loan receivables was 8.8%, compared to 5.7% as of December 31, 2021 as the weighted average yield on new loans originated was higher than the weighted average yield on loans that were securitized or paid off. As of December 31, 2022, the weighted average interest rate on borrowings against our mortgage loan receivables was 4.8%, compared to 2.6% as of December 31, 2021. The increase in the rate on borrowings against our mortgage loan receivables from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022 was primarily due to the increase in prevailing interest rates. As of December 31, 2022, we had outstanding borrowings secured by our mortgage loan receivables equal to 43.0% of the carrying value of our mortgage loan receivables, compared to 39.0% as of December 31, 2021.

As of December 31, 2022, the weighted average yield on our securities was 5.2%, compared to 1.7% as of December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2022, the weighted average interest rate on borrowings against our securities was 4.8%, compared to 0.9% as of December 31, 2021. The increase in the rate on borrowings against our securities from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022 was primarily due to higher prevailing market borrowing rates as of December 31, 2022 compared to December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2022, we had outstanding borrowings secured by our securities equal to 75.6% of the carrying value of our real estate securities, compared to 74.4% as of December 31, 2021.

Our real estate is comprised of non-interest bearing assets; however, interest incurred on mortgage financing collateralized by such real estate is included in interest expense. As of December 31, 2022, the weighted average interest rate on mortgage borrowings against our real estate was 5.5%, compared to 4.9% as of December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2022, we had outstanding borrowings secured by our real estate equal to 71.1% of the carrying value of our real estate, compared to 77.9% as of December 31, 2021.

Provision for (release of) Loan Loss Reserves

The provision for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $3.7 million. The net increase represents an increase in the general reserve of loans held for investment of $6.5 million and an increase related to unfunded loan commitments of $0.3 million partially offset by a $3.1 million recovery of provision. The increase in provision associated with the general reserve during the year ended December 31, 2022 is primarily due to adverse changes in macroeconomic scenarios and an overall increase in the size of our balance sheet first mortgage portfolio as a result of net originations during that time.

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The total provision for the year ended December 31, 2021 was a release of $8.7 million. The release represents a decline in the general reserve of loans held for investment of $8.6 million and the release on unfunded loan commitments of $0.1 million. The release during the year is primarily due to an improvement in macroeconomic assumptions along with newly issued loans with lower expected loss. For additional information, refer to “Allowance for Credit Losses and Non-Accrual Status” in Note 3, Mortgage Loan Receivables, to the consolidated financial statements.

Real Estate Operating Income

The increase of $6.7 million in real estate operating income was primarily attributable to an increase in operations as a result of the easing of restrictions in place due to COVID-19 and additions to our real estate portfolio, partially offset by real estate sales.

Sale of Loans, Net

Income (loss) from sale of loans, net, includes all loan sales, whether by securitization, whole loan sales or other means. Income (loss) from sale of loans, net also includes unrealized losses on loans related to lower of cost or market adjustments. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we sold two conduit loans for a net gain of $0.2 million and recorded $2.6 million of unrealized losses on loans related to lower of cost or market adjustments on our conduit loans. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we sold/transferred 16 conduit loans with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $251.6 million and one balance sheet loan with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $46.6 million resulting in a net gain of $8.4 million. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we recorded no realized losses on loans related to lower of cost or market adjustments. Income from sales of loans, net is subject to market conditions impacting timing, size and pricing and as such may vary significantly quarter to quarter.

Realized Gain (Loss) on Securities

The realized loss on securities for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $0.1 million compared to a realized gain of $1.6 million for December 31, 2021, which resulted in a net negative change of $1.7 million. For the year ended December 31, 2022, we sold $4.3 million of CMBS securities and $1.5 million of equity securities. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we sold $438.6 million of securities, comprised of $408.2.0 million of CMBS and $30.4 million of Agency securities.

Realized Gain (Loss) on Sale of Real Estate, Net

There was an increase of $60.2 million in realized gain (loss) on the sale of real estate. The increase was a result of aggregate gains of $116.0 million derived from the sale of two office properties for realized gain of $61.5 million, one warehouse property for a realized gain of $14.6 million, three apartment properties for a realized gain of $29.1 million and two retail properties for realized gain of $10.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2021, there were sales of six retail properties for a realized gain of $53.8 million, one apartment property for a realized gain of $4.0 million and a realized loss on a land parcel of $2.0 million which resulted in an aggregate $55.8 million realized gain.

Fee and Other Income

We generate fee income on the loans we originate and in which we invest, and dividend income on our FHLB stock. The $3.8 million increase in fee and other income was primarily driven by an increase in borrower fees due to a larger loan portfolio offset by a decrease in placement fees and dividends from FHLB stock.

Net Result from Derivative Transactions

Net result from derivative transactions of $12.4 million is composed of realized gains of $11.8 million and an unrealized gain of $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to a net gain of $1.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, which was comprised of a realized gain of $1.7 million and a $34 thousand unrealized loss resulting in a positive change of $10.6 million. The hedge positions primarily relate to fixed rate conduit loans, and securities investments. The derivative positions that generated these results were a combination of five and ten year U.S. treasury rate futures and interest rate swap futures that we employed in an effort to hedge the interest rate risk primarily on the financing of our fixed rate assets and the net interest income we earn against the impact of changes in interest rates. The gain in 2022 was primarily related to movement in interest rates during the year ended December 31, 2022. The total net result from derivative transactions is comprised of hedging interest expense, realized gains/losses related to hedge terminations and unrealized gains/losses related to changes in the fair value of asset hedges.

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Earnings (Loss) from Investment in Unconsolidated Ventures

Earnings from our investment in Grace Lake LLC totaled $1.4 million, and $1.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. There were no earnings (loss) from our investment in 24 Second Avenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 and $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Refer to Note 6, Investment in and Advances to Unconsolidated Ventures, for further detail.

Gain (Loss) on Extinguishment of Debt

Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt totaled $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company retired: (1) $4.0 million of principal of the 2025 Notes for a repurchase price of $3.7 million, recognizing a $0.3 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(23) thousand of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt, (2) $1.0 million of principal of the 2027 Notes for a repurchase price of $0.8 million, recognizing a $0.2 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(9) thousand of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt and (3) $1.0 million of principal of the 2029 Notes for a repurchase price of $0.8 million, recognizing a $0.2 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(14) thousand of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt. There was no gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt for the year ended December 31, 2021. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company redeemed $146.7 million of principal of the 2021 Notes at par and $465.9 million of principal of the 2022 Notes at par.

Compensation and Employee Benefits

Compensation and employee benefits are comprised primarily of salaries, bonuses, equity-based compensation and other employee benefits. The increase of $37.5 million in compensation expense is primarily due to the timing of employee stock and bonus compensation in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses are primarily comprised of professional fees, lease expense and technology expenses. The increase during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to December 31, 2021 of $3.0 million was primarily related to an increase in professional fees.

Real Estate Operating Expenses

The increase during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to December 31, 2021 of $12.4 million in real estate operating expense is primarily the result of increases in expenses related to the acquisition of assets and an increase in hotel operations partially offset by real estate sales.

Fee Expense

Fee expense is comprised primarily of custodian fees, financing costs and servicing fees related to loans. The increase during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to December 31, 2021 of $1.4 million was primarily attributable to an increase in servicer fees as a result of increased average loan portfolio and an increase in professional fees, offset by a decrease in financing costs.

Depreciation and Amortization

The $5.1 million decrease during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to December 31, 2021 in depreciation and amortization is primarily attributable to the timing of the real estate sales and acquisitions during each period.

Income Tax (Benefit) Expense

Most of our consolidated income tax provision related to the business units held in our TRSs. The increase in expense of $4.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to December 31, 2021 is primarily a result of increases to GAAP income in our TRSs and an uncertain tax position.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

The management of our liquidity and capital diversity and allocation strategies is critical to the success and growth of our business. We manage our sources of liquidity to complement our asset composition and to diversify our exposure across multiple capital markets and counterparties.

We require substantial amounts of capital to support our business. The management team, in consultation with our board of directors, establishes our overall liquidity and capital allocation strategies. A key objective of those strategies is to support the execution of our business strategy while maintaining sufficient ongoing liquidity throughout the business cycle to service our financial obligations as they become due. When making funding and capital allocation decisions, members of our senior management consider: business performance; the availability of, and costs and benefits associated with, different funding sources; current and expected capital markets and general economic conditions; our asset composition and capital structure; and our targeted liquidity profile and risks relating to our funding needs.

To ensure that Ladder Capital can effectively address the funding needs of the Company on a timely basis, we maintain a diverse array of liquidity sources including: (1) cash and cash equivalents; (2) cash generated from operations; (3) proceeds from the issuance of the unsecured bonds; (4) borrowings under repurchase agreements; (5) principal repayments on investments including mortgage loans and securities; (6) borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility; (7) proceeds from securitizations and sales of loans; (8) proceeds from the sale of securities; (9) proceeds from the sale of real estate; (10) proceeds from the issuance of CLO debt and other non-mark-to-market loan financing; and (11) proceeds from the issuance of equity capital. We use these funding sources to meet our obligations on a timely basis and have the ability to use our significant unencumbered asset base to further finance our business.

Our primary uses of liquidity are for: (1) the funding of loan, real estate-related and securities investments; (2) the repayment of short-term and long-term borrowings and related interest; (3) the funding of our operating expenses; and (4) distributions to our equity investors to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. We require short-term liquidity to fund loans that we originate and hold on our consolidated balance sheet pending sale, including through whole loan sale, participation, or securitization. We generally require longer-term funding to finance the loans and real estate-related investments that we hold for investment. We have historically used the aforementioned funding sources to meet the operating and investment needs as they have arisen and have been able to do so by applying a rigorous approach to long and short-term cash and debt forecasting.

In addition, as a REIT, we are also required to make sufficient dividend payments to our shareholders in amounts at least sufficient to maintain our REIT status. Under IRS guidance, we may elect to pay a portion of our dividends in stock, subject to a cash/stock election by our shareholders, to optimize our level of capital retention. Accordingly, our cash requirement to pay dividends to maintain REIT status could be substantially reduced at the discretion of the board.

Our principal debt financing sources include: (1) long-term senior unsecured notes in the form of corporate bonds; (2) CLO issuances; (3) committed secured funding provided by banks and other lenders; (4) long term non-recourse mortgage financing; (5) uncommitted secured funding sources, including asset repurchase agreements with a number of banks; and (6) secured advances from the FHLB through our captive insurance company.

In the future, we may also use other sources of financing to fund the acquisition of our assets, including credit facilities, warehouse facilities, repurchase facilities and other secured and unsecured forms of borrowing. These financings may be collateralized or non-collateralized, may involve one or more lenders and may accrue interest at either fixed or floating rates. We may also seek to raise further equity capital or issue debt securities in order to fund our future investments.

Refer to “Financial Covenants” and “Our Financing Strategies” for further disclosure of our diverse financing sources and, for a summary of our financial obligations, refer to the Contractual Obligations table below. All of our existing financial obligations due within the following year can be extended for one or more additional years at our discretion, refinanced or repaid at maturity or are incurred in the normal course of business (i.e., interest payments/loan funding obligations).

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Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

We held cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $659.6 million at December 31, 2022, of which $609.1 million was unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and $50.5 million was restricted cash. We held cash and cash equivalents of $548.7 million and restricted cash of $72.8 million as of December 31, 2021. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved in 2020, management implemented a plan to mitigate the uncertainty in financial markets by increasing liquidity and obtaining additional non-recourse and non-mark-to-market financing. The additional liquidity was redeployed into new investments during 2021 and 2022.

Cash Flows

The following table provides a breakdown of the net change in our cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash ($ in thousands):

Year ended December 31, 2022

We experienced a net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $38.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 reflecting cash provided by operating activities of $106.7 million, cash provided by investing activities of $81.6 million and cash used in financing activities of $(150.2) million.

Net cash provided by operating activities of $106.7 million was primarily driven by $29.2 million in proceeds from sale of loans and increases in net interest income and increases in net operating income on our real estate portfolio partially offset by $(61.3) million of originations of mortgage loans held for sale.

Net cash provided by investing activities of $81.6 million was driven by $909.8 million of repayment from mortgage loan receivables, $310.5 million proceeds from the sale of real estate, $184.8 million in repayments on securities, and $5.8 million of proceeds from sale of securities, partially offset by $(1.2) billion of origination of mortgage loans held for investment and $(96.2) million in purchases of securities.

Net cash used in financing activities of $(150.2) million was primarily as a result of $(107.0) million of dividend payments, $(29.5) million of capital distributed to noncontrolling interests in consolidated ventures, $(11.4) million of shares acquired to satisfy minimum federal and state tax withholdings on restricted stock, $(7.9) million purchase of treasury stock, and $(8.3) million in deferred financing cost, partially offset by net repayments of borrowings of $13.7 million.

Year ended December 31, 2021

We experienced a net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $(662.7) million for the year ended December 31, 2021 reflecting cash provided by operating activities of $79.7 million, cash used in investing activities of $(651.5) million and cash used in finance activities of $(91.0) million.

Net cash provided by operating activities of $79.7 million was primarily driven by $259.1 million of proceeds from sales of mortgage loans held for sale and positive net operating income on our real estate portfolio, partially offset by $(220.4) million of originations of mortgage loans held for sale and net interest expense.

Net cash used in investing activities of $(651.5) million was driven by usage of $(2.3) billion of origination of mortgage loans held for investment, $(247.0) million in purchases of real estate securities, $(63.6) million of purchases of mortgage loans held for investment, and $(20.5) million in purchases of real estate. These uses were partially offset by $1.1 billion of repayment from mortgage loan receivables, $438.6 million of proceeds from sale of real estate securities, $190.9 million proceeds from the sale of real estate, $164.5 million in repayments on securities, and $46.6 million of proceeds from the sale of mortgage loan receivables held for investment.

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Net cash used in financing activities of $(91.0) million was primarily as a result of $(100.6) million of dividends payments, $(9.0) million in purchase of treasury shares, $(4.5) million of shares acquired to satisfy minimum federal and state tax withholdings on restricted stock, and $(3.2) million in deferred financing costs partially offset by net borrowings of $25.5 million.

Unencumbered Assets

As of December 31, 2022, we held unencumbered cash of $609.1 million, unencumbered loans of $1.7 billion, unencumbered securities of $97.5 million, unencumbered real estate of $140.3 million and $351.6 million of other assets not secured by any portion of secured indebtedness. As of December 31, 2021, we held unencumbered cash of $0.5 billion, unencumbered loans of $1.7 billion, unencumbered securities of $150.9 million, unencumbered real estate of $85.9 million and $358.5 million of other assets not secured by any portion of secured indebtedness.

Borrowings under various financing arrangements

Our financing strategies are critical to the success and growth of our business. We manage our leverage policies to complement our asset composition and to diversify our exposure across multiple counterparties. Our borrowings under various financing arrangements as of December 31, 2022 are set forth in the table below ($ in thousands):

(1)Presented net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $1.9 million as of December 31, 2022.

(2)Presented net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $5.9 million as of December 31, 2022.

(3)Presented net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $15.4 million as of December 31, 2022.

The Company’s repurchase facilities include covenants covering minimum net worth requirements (ranging from $400.0 million to $871.4 million), maximum reductions in net worth over stated time periods, minimum liquidity levels (typically $30.0 million of cash or a higher standard that often allows for the inclusion of different percentages of liquid securities in the determination of compliance with the requirement), maximum leverage ratios (calculated in various ways based on specified definitions of indebtedness and net worth) and a fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.25x, and, in the instance of one lender, an interest coverage ratio of 1.50x, in each case, if certain liquidity thresholds are not satisfied. We were in compliance with all covenants as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021. Further, certain of our financing arrangements and loans on our real property are secured by the assets of the Company, including pledges of the equity of certain subsidiaries or the assets of certain subsidiaries. From time to time, certain of these financing arrangements and loans may prohibit certain of our subsidiaries from paying dividends to the Company, from making distributions on such subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s property or other assets to the Company or other subsidiaries of the Company.

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Committed loan facilities

We are a party to multiple committed loan repurchase agreement facilities, totaling $1.3 billion of credit capacity. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $616.9 million of borrowings outstanding, with an additional $683.1 million of committed financing available. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $184.5 million of borrowings outstanding, with an additional $1.0 billion of committed financing available. Assets pledged as collateral under these facilities are generally limited to whole mortgage loans collateralized by first liens on commercial real estate, mezzanine loans collateralized by equity interests in entities that own commercial real estate, and certain interests in such first mortgage and mezzanine loans. Our repurchase facilities include covenants covering net worth requirements, minimum liquidity levels, and maximum debt/equity ratios. We believe we were in compliance with all covenants as of December 31, 2022.

We have the option to extend some of our existing facilities subject to a number of customary conditions. The lenders have sole discretion with respect to the inclusion of collateral in these facilities, to determine the market value of the collateral on a daily basis, and, if the estimated market value of the included collateral declines, the lenders have the right to require additional collateral or a full and/or partial repayment of the facilities (margin call), sufficient to rebalance the facilities. Typically, the facilities are established with stated guidelines regarding the maximum percentage of the collateral asset’s market value that can be borrowed. We often borrow at a lower percentage of the collateral asset’s value than the maximum leaving us with excess borrowing capacity that can be drawn upon at a later date and/or applied against future margin calls so that they can be satisfied on a cashless basis.

Committed securities facility

We are a party to a term master repurchase agreement with a major U.S. banking institution for CMBS, totaling $100.0 million of credit capacity. As we do in the case of borrowings under committed loan facilities, we often borrow at a lower percentage of the collateral asset’s value than the maximum, leaving us with excess borrowing capacity that can be drawn upon a later date and/or applied against future margin calls so that they can be satisfied on a cashless basis. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $8.6 million borrowings outstanding, with an additional $91.4 million of committed financing available. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had a previous agreement which allotted a higher borrowing capacity with $44.1 million of borrowings outstanding, and an additional $818.7 million of committed financing available.

Uncommitted securities facilities

We are a party to multiple master repurchase agreements with several counterparties to finance our investments in CMBS and U.S. Agency securities. The securities that served as collateral for these borrowings are highly liquid and marketable assets that are typically of relatively short duration.

Revolving credit facility

The Company’s revolving credit facility (“Revolving Credit Facility”) provides for an aggregate maximum borrowing amount of $323.9 million, including a $25.0 million sublimit for the issuance of letters of credit. The Revolving Credit Facility is available on a revolving basis to finance the Company’s working capital needs and for general corporate purposes. On July 27, 2022, the Company amended its Revolving Credit Facility to increase the maximum borrowing amount to $323.9 million, extend the maturity date to July 27, 2023 with four additional one-year extension options, and reduce the interest rate to the sum of one-month Term SOFR plus a fixed margin of 2.50%. The amendment also provides for reductions in the fixed margin upon the achievement of investment grade credit ratings. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had no outstanding borrowings on the Revolving Credit Facility, but still maintains the ability to draw $323.9 million. There were no outstanding draws on the facility at December 31, 2021.

The obligations under the Revolving Credit Facility are guaranteed by the Company and certain of its subsidiaries. The Revolving Credit Facility is secured by a pledge of the shares of (or other ownership or equity interests in) certain subsidiaries to the extent the pledge is not restricted under existing regulations, law or contractual obligations.

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The Company is subject to customary affirmative covenants and negative covenants, including limitations on the incurrence of additional debt, liens, restricted payments, sales of assets and affiliate transactions. In addition, the Company is required to comply with financial covenants relating to minimum net worth, maximum leverage, minimum liquidity, and minimum fixed charge coverage, consistent with our other credit facilities. The Company’s ability to borrow is dependent on, among other things, compliance with the financial covenants. The Revolving Credit Facility contains customary events of default, including non-payment of principal or interest, fees or other amounts, failure to perform or observe covenants, cross-default to other indebtedness, the rendering of judgments against the Company or certain of our subsidiaries to pay certain amounts of money and certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency.

Mortgage Loan Financing

We generally finance our real estate using long-term non-recourse mortgage financing. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we executed one term debt agreement to finance real estate. These non-recourse debt agreements provide for primarily fixed rate financing at rates ranging from 4.25% to 8.03%, with anticipated maturity dates between 2023-2031 and an average term of 3.8 years as of December 31, 2022. These loans have carrying amounts of $498.0 million and $693.8 million, net of unamortized premiums of $2.4 million and $3.2 million as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, representing proceeds received upon financing greater than the contractual amounts due under these agreements. The premiums are being amortized over the remaining life of the respective debt instruments using the effective interest method. The Company recorded $0.7 million and $1.4 million of premium amortization, which decreased interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. The mortgage loans are collateralized by real estate and related lease intangibles, net, of $559.9 million and $805.0 million as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

Secured Financing Facility

The Secured Financing Facility’s minimum interest premium and remaining borrowings outstanding were fully paid as of June 30, 2022. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $132.4 million of borrowings outstanding under the Secured Financing Facility included in debt obligations on its consolidated balance sheets, net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $1.9 million and a $2.1 million unamortized discount related to the a purchase right.

Collateralized Loan Obligations (“CLO”) Debt

On July 13, 2021, a consolidated subsidiary of the Company completed a privately-marketed CLO transaction, which generated $498.2 million of gross proceeds to Ladder, financing $607.5 million of loans (“Contributed July 2021 Loans”) at an 82% advance rate on a matched term, non-mark-to-market and non-recourse basis. A consolidated subsidiary of the Company retained an 18% subordinate and controlling interest in the CLO. The Company retained consent rights over major decisions with respect to the servicing of the Contributed July 2021 Loans, including the right to appoint and replace the special servicer under the CLO. The CLO is a VIE and the Company was the primary beneficiary and, therefore, consolidated the VIE - See Note 10, Consolidated Variable Interest Entities.

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On December 2, 2021, a consolidated subsidiary of the Company completed a privately marketed CLO transaction, which generated $566.2 million of gross proceeds to Ladder, financing $729.4 million of loans (“Contributed December 2021 Loans”) at a maximum 77.6% advance rate on a matched term, non-mark-to-market and non-recourse basis. A consolidated subsidiary of the Company retained an 15.6% subordinate and controlling interest in the CLO. The Company also held two additional tranches as investments totaling 6.8% interest in the CLO. The Company retained consent rights over major decisions with respect to the servicing of the Contributed December 2021 Loans, including the right to appoint and replace the special servicer under the CLO. The CLO is a VIE and the Company was the primary beneficiary and, therefore, consolidated the VIE - See Note 10, Consolidated Variable Interest Entities.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $1.1 billion of matched term, non-mark-to-market and non-recourse CLO debt included in debt obligations on its consolidated balance sheets. Unamortized debt issuance costs of $5.9 million were included in CLO debt as of December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $1.1 billion of matched term, non-mark-to-market and non-recourse CLO debt included in debt obligations on its consolidated balance sheets. Unamortized debt issuance costs of $9.6 million were included in CLO debt as of December 31, 2021.

Borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”)

On July 11, 2012, Tuebor, a consolidated subsidiary of the Company, became a member of the FHLB and subsequently drew its first secured funding advances from the FHLB. As of February 19, 2021, pursuant to a final rule adopted by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (the “FHFA”) regarding the eligibility of captive insurance companies, Tuebor’s membership in the FHLB has been terminated, although outstanding advances may remain outstanding until their scheduled maturity dates. Funding for future advance paydowns is expected to be obtained from the natural amortization and/or sales of securities collateral, or from other financing sources. There is no assurance that the FHFA or the FHLB will not take actions that could adversely impact Tuebor’s existing advances.

As of December 31, 2022, Tuebor had $213.0 million of borrowings outstanding, with terms of 0.6 years to 1.75 years (with a weighted average of 1.25 years), interest rates of 2.74% to 4.70% (with a weighted average of 4.52%), and advance rates of 71.7% to 95.7% on eligible collateral. As of December 31, 2022, collateral for the borrowings was comprised primarily of $248.8 million of CMBS.

As of December 31, 2021, Tuebor had $263.0 million of borrowings outstanding from the FHLB, with terms of 0.7 years to 2.75 years (weighted average of 1.95 years), interest rates of 0.36% to 2.74% (with a weighted average of 0.96%), and advance rates of 71.7% to 95.7% on eligible collateral. As of December 31, 2021, collateral for the borrowings was comprised of $259.3 million of CMBS and U.S. Agency securities, and $42.5 million of cash collateral.

Tuebor is subject to state regulations which require that dividends (including dividends to the Company as its parent) may only be made with regulatory approval. However, there can be no assurance that we would obtain such approval if sought. Largely as a result of this restriction, approximately $0.8 billion of Tuebor’s member’s capital was restricted from transfer via dividend to Tuebor’s parent without prior approval of state insurance regulators at December 31, 2022. To facilitate intercompany cash funding of operations and investments, Tuebor and its parent maintain regulator-approved intercompany borrowing/lending agreements.

Senior unsecured notes

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $1.6 billion of unsecured corporate bonds outstanding. These unsecured financings were comprised of $344.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.25% senior notes due 2025 (the “2025 Notes”), $650.8 million in aggregate principal amount of 4.25% senior notes due 2027 (the “2027 Notes”) and $649.0 million in aggregate principal of 4.75% senior notes due 2029 (the “2029 Notes,” and collectively with the 2025 Notes and the 2027 Notes, the “Notes”).

As of December 31, 2021, we had $1.6 billion of unsecured corporate bonds outstanding. These unsecured financings were

comprised of $348.0 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes, $651.8 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2027 Notes and $650.0 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2029 Notes.

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LCFH issued the Notes with Ladder Capital Finance Corporation (“LCFC”), as co-issuers on a joint and several basis. LCFC is a 100% owned finance subsidiary of LCFH with no assets, operations, revenues or cash flows other than those related to the issuance, administration and repayment of the Notes. The Company and certain subsidiaries of LCFH currently guarantee the obligations under the Notes and the indenture. The Company believes it was in compliance with all covenants of the Notes as of December 31, 2022 and 2021. The Notes are presented net of unamortized debt issuance costs of $15.4 million and $18.7 million as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

The Notes require interest payments semi-annually in cash in arrears, are unsecured, and are subject to an unencumbered assets to unsecured debt covenant. The Company may redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, at any time, or from time to time, prior to their stated maturity upon not less than 10 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at a redemption price as specified in each respective indenture governing the Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. The board of the directors has authorized the Company to repurchase any or all of the Notes from time to time without further approval.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company repurchased $4.0 million of the 2025 Notes and recognized a gain of $0.3 million on extinguishment of debt, $1.0 million of the 2027 Notes and recognized a gain of $0.2 million on extinguishment of debt, and $1.0 million of the 2029 Notes and recognized a gain of $0.2 million on extinguishment of debt.

On January 27, 2021, the Company redeemed in full its 5.875% Senior Notes due 2021 (the “2021 Notes”) for $150.9 million. The 2021 Notes were redeemed at par, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date, pursuant to the optional redemption provisions of the indenture governing the 2021 Notes. The redemption of a portion of the 2021 Notes was subject to the condition that the Company’s subsidiary issuers of the 2021 Notes complete a notes offering of not less than $400 million. The issuers waived the condition prior to redeeming the 2021 Notes in full.

On September 15, 2021, the Company redeemed in full its 5.25% Senior Notes due 2022 (the “2022 Notes”) for $478.1 million. The 2021 Notes were redeemed at par, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date, pursuant to the optional redemption provisions of the indenture governing the 2022 Notes.

Stock Repurchases

On July 27, 2022, the board of directors authorized the repurchase of $50.0 million of the Company’s Class A common stock from time to time without further approval. This authorization increased the remaining outstanding authorization per the August 4, 2021 authorization from $39.5 million to $50.0 million. Stock repurchases by the Company are generally made for cash in open market transactions at prevailing market prices but may also be made in privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. The timing and amount of purchases are determined based upon prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has a remaining amount available for repurchase of $46.7 million, which represents 3.7% in the aggregate of its outstanding Class A common stock, based on the closing price of $10.04 per share on such date. Refer to Item 1—“Financial Statements—Note 11, Equity Structure and Accounts” for disclosure of the Company’s repurchase activity.

The following table is a summary of the Company’s repurchase activity of its Class A common stock during the year ended December 31, 2022 ($ in thousands):

(1)Amount excludes commissions paid associated with share repurchases.

Dividends

In order for the Company to maintain its qualification as a REIT under the Code, it must annually distribute at least 90% of its taxable income. The Company has paid and in the future intends to declare regular quarterly distributions to its shareholders in aggregating to an amount approximating at least 90% of the REIT’s annual net taxable income. Refer to Item 1 —“Financial Statements and Supplemental Data—Note 11, Equity Structure and Accounts” for disclosure of dividends declared.

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Principal repayments on investments

We receive principal amortization on our loans and securities as part of the normal course of our business. Repayment of mortgage loan receivables provided net cash of $909.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 and $1.1 billion for the year ended December 31, 2021. Repayment of real estate securities provided net cash of $184.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, and $164.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Proceeds from securitizations and sales of loans

We sell our conduit mortgage loans to securitization trusts and to other third parties as part of our normal course of business and from time to time will sell balance sheet mortgage loans. There were $29.2 million of proceeds from sales of mortgage loans for the year ended December 31, 2022, and $305.6 million of proceeds from sales of mortgage loans for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Proceeds from the sale of securities

We sell our investments in CMBS, U.S. Agency securities, corporate bonds, U.S. Treasury securities, and equity securities as a part of our normal course of business. Proceeds from sales of securities provided net cash of $5.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, and $438.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Proceeds from the sale of real estate

Proceeds from sales of real estate provided net cash of $310.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, and $190.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Other potential sources of financing

In the future, we may also use other sources of financing to fund the acquisition of our assets, including credit facilities, warehouse facilities, repurchase facilities and other secured and unsecured forms of borrowing. These financings may be collateralized or non-collateralized, may involve one or more lenders and may accrue interest at either fixed or floating rates. We may also seek to raise further equity capital or issue debt securities in order to fund our future investments.

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Contractual obligations

Contractual obligations as of December 31, 2022 were as follows ($ in thousands):

(1)          As more fully disclosed in Note 7, Debt Obligations, Net, the allocation of repayments under our committed loan repurchase facilities and Secured Financing Facility is based on the earlier of (i) the maturity date of each agreement, or (ii) the maximum maturity date of the collateral loans, assuming all extension options are exercised by the borrower.

(2)    Total does not include $1.1 billion of consolidated CLO debt obligations and the related debt issuance costs of $5.9 million, as the satisfaction of these liabilities will not require cash outlays from us.

(3)          Comprised of interest on secured financings and on senior unsecured notes. For borrowings with variable interest rates, we used the rates in effect as of December 31, 2022 to determine the future interest payment obligations.

(4)          Comprised primarily of our off-balance sheet unfunded commitment to provide additional first mortgage loan financing as of December 31, 2022. The allocation of our unfunded loan commitments is based on the earlier of the commitment expiration date or the final maturity date, however, we may be obligated to fund these commitments earlier than such date.

The table above does not include amounts due under our derivative agreements as those contracts do not have fixed and determinable payments. Our contractual obligations will be refinanced and/or repaid from earnings as well as amortization and sales of our liquid collateral. We have made investments in various unconsolidated ventures of which our maximum exposure to loss from these investments is limited to the carrying value of our investments. Refer to Note 6 - Investments in and advances made on unconsolidated ventures for further detail.

Future Liquidity Needs

In addition to the future contractual obligations above, the Company, in the coming year and beyond, as a part of its normal course of business will require cash to fund unfunded loan commitments and new investments in a combination of balance sheet mortgage loans, conduit loans, real estate investments and securities as it deems appropriate as well as necessary expenses as a part of general corporate purposes. These new investments and general corporate expenses may be funded with existing cash, proceeds from loan and securities payoffs, through financing using our Revolving Credit Facility or loan and security financing facilities, or these could be funded through additional debt or equity facility raises. The Company has no known material cash requirements other than its contractual obligations in the above table, unfunded commitments and future general corporate expenses.

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Unfunded Loan Commitments

We may be a party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financial needs of our borrowers. These commitments are not reflected on the consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2022, our off-balance sheet arrangements consisted of $321.8 million of unfunded commitments of mortgage loan receivables held for investment, 52% of which additional funds relate to the occurrence of certain “good news” events, such as the owner concluding a lease agreement with a major tenant in the building or reaching some pre-determined net operating income. As of December 31, 2021, our off-balance sheet arrangements consisted of $390.1 million of unfunded commitments of mortgage loan receivables held for investment to provide additional first mortgage loan financing. Such commitments are subject to our borrowers’ satisfaction of certain financial and nonfinancial covenants and involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk in excess of the amount recognized in the consolidated balance sheets. Commitments are subject to our loan borrowers’ satisfaction of certain financial and nonfinancial covenants and may or may not be funded depending on a variety of circumstances including timing, credit metric hurdles, and other nonfinancial events occurring. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the progress of work generally and, depending on specific property locations, the progress of capital expenditures, construction, and leasing.

LIBOR Transition

We have implemented fallback language for our LIBOR-based mortgage loans, bi-lateral committed repurchase facilities and revolving credit facility, including adjustments as applicable to maintain the anticipated economic terms of the existing contracts. As of December 31, 2022, 67.8% and 32.2% of our floating rate loans earn interest at a rate indexed to LIBOR and Term SOFR, respectively; and 59.3% and 40.7% of our floating rate debt obligations bear interest indexed to LIBOR and Term SOFR, respectively. We continue to monitor the transition guidance provided by the ARRC, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., the Financial Accounting Standards Board and other relevant regulators, agencies and industry working groups, and we continue to engage with clients, lenders, market participants and other industry leaders as the transition from LIBOR progresses.

Interest Rate Environment

The nature of the Company’s business exposes it to market risk arising from changes in interest rates. Changes, both increases and decreases, in the rates the Company is able to charge its borrowers, the yields the Company is able to achieve in its securities investments, and the Company’s cost of borrowing directly impacts its net income. The Company’s net interest income includes interest from both fixed and floating-rate debt. The percentage of the Company’s assets and liabilities bearing interest at fixed and floating rates may change over time, and asset composition may differ materially from debt composition. Refer to Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk for further disclosures surrounding the impact of rising or falling interest rate on our earnings.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and judgments in certain circumstances that affect amounts reported as assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We have established detailed policies and control procedures intended to ensure that valuation methods, including any judgments made as part of such methods, are well controlled, reviewed and applied consistently from period to period. We base our estimates on historical corporate and industry experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be appropriate under the circumstances. The Company’s critical accounting policies are those which require assumptions to be made about matters that are highly uncertain. Different estimates could have a material effect on the Company’s financial results. For all of these estimates, we caution that future events rarely develop exactly as forecasted, and therefore, routinely require adjustment.

During 2022, management reviewed and evaluated these critical accounting estimates and believes they are appropriate. Our significant accounting policies are described in Item 8—“Financial Statements and Supplemental Data—Note 2.” The following is a list of accounting policies that require more significant estimates and judgments:

•Current expected credit losses

•Acquisition of real estate

•Impairment or disposal of long lived assets

•Identified intangible assets and liabilities

•Variable interest entities

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•Valuation of financial instruments

The following is a summary of accounting policies that require more significant management estimates and judgments:

Current expected credit losses

The Company uses a current expected credit loss model (“CECL”) for estimating the provision for loan losses on its loan portfolio. The CECL model requires the consideration of possible credit losses over the life of an instrument and includes a portfolio-based component and an asset-specific component. In compliance with the CECL reporting requirements, the Company supplemented its existing credit monitoring and management processes with additional processes to support the calculation of the CECL reserves. As part of that effort, the Company engages a third-party service provider to provide market data and a credit loss model. The credit loss model is a forward-looking, econometric, commercial real estate (“CRE”) loss forecasting tool. It is comprised of a probability of default (“PD”) model and a loss given default (“LGD”) model that, layered together with the Company’s loan-level data, fair value of collateral, net operating income of collateral, selected forward-looking macroeconomic variables, and pool-level mean loss rates, produces life of loan expected losses (“EL”) at the loan and portfolio level. Where management has determined that the credit loss model does not fully capture certain external factors, including portfolio trends or loan-specific factors, a qualitative adjustment to the reserve is recorded. In addition, interest receivable on loans is not included in the Company’s CECL calculations as the Company performs timely write offs of aged accounts receivable. The Company has made a policy election to to write off aged receivables through interest income as opposed to through the CECL provision on its statements of income.

The asset-specific reserve component relates to reserves for losses on individually impaired loans. The Company evaluates each loan for impairment at least quarterly. Impairment occurs when it is deemed probable that the Company will not be able to collect all principal and coupon interest due according to the contractual terms of the loan. If the loan is considered to be impaired, an allowance is recorded to reduce the carrying value of the loan to the present value of the expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective rate or the fair value of the collateral, less the estimated costs to sell, if recovery of the Company’s investment is expected solely from the collateral. The Company generally will use the direct capitalization rate valuation methodology or the sales comparison approach to estimate the fair value of the collateral for such loans and in certain cases will obtain external appraisals. Determining fair value of the collateral may take into account a number of assumptions including, but not limited to, cash flow projections, market capitalization rates, discount rates and data regarding recent comparable sales of similar properties. Such assumptions are generally based on current market conditions and are subject to economic and market uncertainties.

The Company’s loans are typically collateralized by real estate directly or indirectly. As a result, the Company regularly evaluates the extent and impact of any credit deterioration associated with the performance and/or value of the underlying collateral property as well as the financial and operating capability of the borrower/sponsor on a loan-by-loan basis. Specifically, a property’s operating results and any cash reserves are analyzed and used to assess: (i) whether cash flow from operations is sufficient to cover the debt service requirements currently and into the future; (ii) the ability of the borrower to refinance the loan at maturity; and/or (iii) the property’s liquidation value. The Company also evaluates the financial wherewithal of any loan guarantors as well as the borrower’s competency in managing and operating the properties. In addition, the Company considers the overall economic environment, real estate sector, and geographic submarket in which the collateral property is located. Such impairment analyses are completed and reviewed by asset management and underwriting personnel, who utilize various data sources, including: (i) periodic financial data such as property occupancy, tenant profile, rental rates, operating expenses, the borrowers’ business plan, and capitalization and discount rates; (ii) site inspections; and (iii) current credit spreads and other market data and ultimately presented to management for approval.

A loan is also considered impaired if its terms are modified in a troubled debt restructuring (“TDR”). A TDR occurs when a concession is granted and the debtor is experiencing financial difficulties. Impairments on TDR loans are generally measured based on the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the effective interest rate of the original loans. Generally, when granting concessions, the Company will seek to protect its position by requiring incremental pay downs, additional collateral or guarantees and, in some cases, lookback features or equity interests to offset concessions granted should conditions impacting the loan improve. The Company’s determination of credit losses is impacted by TDRs whereby loans that have gone through TDRs are considered impaired, assessed for specific reserves, and are not included in the Company’s assessment of the CECL reserve. Loans previously restructured under TDRs that subsequently default are reassessed to incorporate the Company’s current assumptions on expected cash flows and additional provision expense is recorded to the extent necessary.

The Company designates a loan as a non-accrual loan generally when: (i) the principal or coupon interest components of loan payments become 90-days past due or (ii) in the opinion of the Company, it is doubtful the Company will be able to collect all principal and coupon interest due according to the contractual terms of the loan. Interest income on non-accrual loans in which

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the Company reasonably expects a full recovery of the loan’s outstanding principal balance is recognized when received in cash. Otherwise, income recognition will be suspended and any cash received will be applied as a reduction to the amortized cost basis. A non-accrual loan is returned to accrual status at such time as the loan becomes contractually current and future principal and coupon interest are reasonably assured to be received in accordance with the contractual loan terms. A loan will be written off when management has determined principal and coupon interest is no longer realizable and deemed non-recoverable.

The CECL accounting estimate is subject to uncertainty as a result of changing macro-economic market conditions, as well as the vintage and location of the underlying assets as disclosed in Note 3. Mortgage Loans Receivable. The provision for (release of) loan losses for the year ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 was $3.7 million and $(8.7) million, respectively.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, there was a charge off of reserve of $14.4 million and a recovery of $3.1 million after the repayment of a loan that was on non-accrual status. The allowance for loan losses at December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 was $21.5 million and $32.2 million, respectively. The allowance includes $0.7 million and $0.4 million of reserves for unfunded commitments at December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. The estimate is sensitive to the assumptions used to represent future expected economic conditions.

Acquisition of real estate

We generally acquire real estate assets or land and development assets through purchases and may also acquire such assets through foreclosure or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure in full or partial satisfaction of defaulted loans. Purchased properties are classified as real estate, net or land and development, net on our consolidated balance sheets. When we intend to hold, operate or develop the property for a period of at least 12 months, the asset is classified as real estate, net, and if the asset meets the held-for-sale criteria, the asset is classified as real estate held for sale. Upon purchase, the properties are recorded at cost. Foreclosed assets classified as real estate and land and development are initially recorded at their estimated fair value and assets classified as held for sale are recorded at their estimated fair value less costs to sell. The excess of the carrying value of the loan over these amounts is charged-off against the reserve for loan losses. In both cases, upon acquisition, tangible and intangible assets and liabilities acquired are recorded at their relative fair values.

Impairment or disposal of long-lived assets

Real estate assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of their carrying amount or estimated fair value less costs to sell and are included in real estate held for sale on our consolidated balance sheets. The difference between the estimated fair value less costs to sell and the carrying value will be recorded as an impairment charge. Impairment for real estate assets are included in impairment of assets in our consolidated statements of operations. Once the asset is classified as held for sale, depreciation expense is no longer recorded.

We periodically review real estate to be held and used and land and development assets for impairment in value whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. The asset’s value is impaired only if management’s estimate of the aggregate future cash flows (undiscounted and without interest charges) to be generated by the asset (taking into account the anticipated holding period of the asset) is less than the carrying value. Such estimate of cash flows considers factors such as expected future operating income, trends and prospects, as well as the effects of demand, competition and other economic factors. To the extent impairment has occurred, the loss will be measured as the excess of the carrying amount of the property over the fair value of the asset and reflected as an adjustment to the basis of the asset. Impairments of real estate and land and development assets are recorded in impairment of assets in our consolidated statements of operations.

There were no properties classified as held for sale at December 31, 2022, and we had one property classified as held for sale at December 31, 2021. We did not record any impairments of real estate for the years ended December 31, 2022 or December 31, 2021.

Identified intangible assets and liabilities

We record intangible assets and liabilities acquired at their relative fair values, and determine whether such intangible assets and liabilities have finite or indefinite lives. As of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, all such acquired intangible assets and liabilities have finite lives. We amortize finite lived intangible assets and liabilities over the period which the assets and liabilities are expected to contribute directly or indirectly to the future cash flows of the asset acquired. We review finite lived intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. If we determine the carrying value of an intangible asset is not recoverable we will record an impairment charge

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to the extent its carrying value exceeds its estimated fair value. Impairments of intangibles are recorded in impairment of assets in our consolidated statements of income.

Variable interest entities

We evaluate our investments and other contractual arrangements to determine if our interests constitute variable interests in a variable interest entity (“VIE”) and if we are the primary beneficiary. There is a significant amount of judgment required to determine if an entity is considered a VIE and if we are the primary beneficiary. We first perform a qualitative analysis, which requires certain subjective decisions regarding our assessment, including, but not limited to, which interests create or absorb variability, the contractual terms, the key decision-making powers, impact on the VIE’s economic performance and related party relationships. An iterative quantitative analysis is required if our qualitative analysis proves inconclusive as to whether the entity is a VIE or we are the primary beneficiary and consolidation is required.

Fair value of assets and liabilities

The degree of management judgment involved in determining the fair value of assets and liabilities is dependent upon the availability of quoted market prices or observable market parameters. For financial and nonfinancial assets and liabilities that trade actively and have quoted market prices or observable market parameters, there is minimal subjectivity involved in measuring fair value. When observable market prices and parameters are not fully available, management judgment is necessary to estimate fair value. In addition, changes in market conditions may reduce the availability of quoted prices or observable data. For example, reduced liquidity in the capital markets or changes in secondary market activities could result in observable market inputs becoming unavailable. Therefore, when market data is not available, we would use valuation techniques requiring more management judgment to estimate the appropriate fair value measurement.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements and Recent Accounting Pronouncements Pending Adoption

Our recently adopted accounting pronouncements and recent accounting pronouncements pending adoption are described in Item 8—“Financial Statements and Supplemental Data—Note 2. Significant Accounting Policies.”

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Distributable earnings

The Company utilizes distributable earnings, a non-GAAP financial measure, as a supplemental measure of our operating performance. We believe distributable earnings assists investors in comparing our operating performance and our ability to pay dividends across reporting periods on a more relevant and consistent basis by excluding from GAAP measures certain non-cash expenses and unrealized results as well as eliminating timing differences related to securitization gains and changes in the values of assets and derivatives. In addition, we use distributable earnings: (i) to evaluate our earnings from operations because management believes that it may be a useful performance measure for us; and (ii) because our board of directors considers distributable earnings in determining the amount of quarterly dividends.

We define distributable earnings as income before taxes adjusted for: (i) real estate depreciation and amortization; (ii) the impact of derivative gains and losses related to the hedging of assets on our balance sheet as of the end of the specified accounting period; (iii) unrealized gains/(losses) related to our investments in fair value securities and passive interest in unconsolidated ventures; (iv) economic gains on loan sales not recognized under GAAP accounting for which risk has substantially transferred during the period and the exclusion of resultant GAAP recognition of the related economics during the subsequent periods; (v) unrealized provision for loan losses and unrealized real estate impairment; (vi) realized provisions for loan losses and realized real estate impairment; (vii) non-cash stock-based compensation; and (viii) certain transactional items. For the purpose of computing distributable earnings, management recognizes loan and real estate losses as being realized generally in the period in which the asset is sold or the Company determines a decline in value to be non-recoverable and the loss to be nearly certain.

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For distributable earnings, we include adjustments for economic gains on loan sales not recognized under GAAP accounting for which risk has substantially transferred during the period and exclude the resultant GAAP recognition of the related economics during the subsequent periods. This adjustment is reflected in distributable earnings when there is a true risk transfer on the mortgage loan transfer and settlement. Historically, this adjustment has represented the impact of economic gains/(discounts) on intercompany loans secured by our own real estate which we had not previously recognized because such gains were eliminated in consolidation. Conversely, if the economic risk was not substantially transferred, no adjustments to net income would be made relating to those transactions for distributable earnings purposes. Management believes recognizing these amounts for distributable earnings purposes in the period of transfer of economic risk is a reasonable supplemental measure of our performance.

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, we do not designate derivatives as hedges to qualify for hedge accounting and therefore any net payments under, or fluctuations in the fair value of, our derivatives are recognized currently in our GAAP income statement. However, fluctuations in the fair value of the related assets are not included in our income statement. We consider the gain or loss on our hedging positions related to assets that we still own as of the reporting date to be “open hedging positions.” While recognized for GAAP purposes, we exclude the results on the hedges from distributable earnings until the related asset is sold and/or the hedge position is considered “closed,” whereupon they would then be included in distributable earnings in that period. These are reflected as “Adjustments for unrecognized derivative results” for purposes of computing distributable earnings for the period. We believe that excluding these specifically identified gains and losses associated with the open hedging positions adjusts for timing differences between when we recognize changes in the fair values of our assets and changes in the fair value of the derivatives used to hedge such assets.

As more fully discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, our investments in Agency interest-only securities and equity securities are recorded at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in current period earnings. We believe that excluding these specifically identified gains and losses associated with the fair value securities adjusts for timing differences between when we recognize changes in the fair values of our assets. With regard to securities valuation, distributable earnings includes a decline in fair value deemed to be an impairment for GAAP purposes only if the decline is determined to be nearly certain to be eventually realized. In those cases, an impairment is included in distributable earnings for the period in which such determination was made. Set forth below is an unaudited reconciliation of income (loss) before taxes to distributable earnings ($ in thousands):

(1) The following is a reconciliation of GAAP depreciation and amortization to our share of real estate depreciation, amortization and gain adjustments presented in the computation of distributable earnings in the preceding table ($ in thousands):

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Distributable earnings has limitations as an analytical tool. Some of these limitations are:

•Distributable earnings does not reflect the impact of certain cash charges resulting from matters we consider not to be indicative of our ongoing operations and is not necessarily indicative of cash necessary to fund cash needs; and

•Other companies in our industry may calculate distributable earnings differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.

Because of these limitations, distributable earnings should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income (loss) attributable to shareholders or any other performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, or as an alternative to cash flows from operations as a measure of our liquidity.

In addition, distributable earnings should not be considered to be the equivalent to REIT taxable income calculated to determine the minimum amount of dividends the Company is required to distribute to shareholders to maintain REIT status. In order for the Company to maintain its qualification as a REIT under the Code, we must annually distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income. The Company has declared, and intends to continue declaring, regular quarterly distributions to its shareholders in an amount approximating the REIT’s net taxable income.

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In the future we may incur gains and losses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in this presentation. Our presentation of distributable earnings should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the related notes of Ladder Capital Corp included within the Annual Report. This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” within this Annual Report and “Risk Factors” within this Annual Report for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to, those in “Risk Factors” set forth within this Annual Report.

References to “Ladder,” the “Company,” and “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Ladder Capital Corp, a Delaware corporation incorporated in 2013, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Ladder Capital Corp is the sole general partner of Ladder Capital Finance Holdings LLLP (“LCFH”) and, as a result of the serialization of LCFH on December 31, 2014, became the sole general partner of Series REIT of LCFH. LC TRS I LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Series REIT of LCFH, is the general partner of Series TRS of LCFH. Ladder Capital Corp has a controlling interest in Series REIT of LCFH, and through such controlling interest, also has a controlling interest in Series TRS of LCFH. Ladder Capital Corp’s only business is to act as the sole general partner of LCFH and Series REIT of LCFH, and, as a result of the foregoing, Ladder Capital Corp directly and indirectly operates and controls all of the business and affairs of LCFH, and each Series thereof, and consolidates the financial results of LCFH, and each Series thereof, into Ladder Capital Corp’s consolidated financial statements.

Overview

Ladder Capital is an internally-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that is a leader in commercial real estate finance. We originate and invest in a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate and real estate-related assets, focusing on senior secured assets. Our investment activities include: (i) our primary business of originating senior first mortgage fixed and floating rate loans collateralized by commercial real estate with flexible loan structures; (ii) owning and operating commercial real estate, including net leased commercial properties; and (iii) investing in investment grade securities secured by first mortgage loans on commercial real estate. We believe that our in-house origination platform, ability to flexibly allocate capital among complementary product lines, credit-centric underwriting approach, access to diversified financing sources, and experienced management team position us well to deliver attractive returns on equity to our shareholders through economic and credit cycles.

COVID-19 Impact on the Organization

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel strain of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) a global pandemic and recommended containment and mitigation measures worldwide. We continue to actively manage the liquidity and operations of the Company in light of the market disruption and overall financial impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic across most industries in the United States. In view of the ongoing uncertainty related to the duration of the pandemic, its ultimate impact on our revenues, profitability and financial position is difficult to assess at this time. The Company has disclosed the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on our business throughout this Annual Report.

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Results of Operations

A discussion regarding our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 is presented below. A discussion regarding our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019 can be found in Item 7 of Part II, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020

The following table sets forth information regarding our consolidated results of operations ($ in thousands):

Investment Overview

Activity for the year ended December 31, 2021 included originating and funding $2.5 billion in principal value of commercial mortgage loans and $63.6 million of purchases of mortgage loans, which was offset by $305.6 million of sales and $1.1 billion of principal repayments. We acquired $247.0 million of new securities, which was offset by $438.6 million of sales and $164.5 million of amortization in the portfolio, which partially contributed to a net decrease in our securities portfolio of $355.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2021. We also invested $102.2 million in real estate, which included $81.8 million of real estate acquired via foreclosure, and received proceeds from the sale of real estate of $219.2 million.

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Activity for the year ended December 31, 2020 included originating and funding $566.5 million in principal value of commercial mortgage loans, which was offset by $582.8 million of sales and $961.2 million of principal repayments. We acquired $440.4 million of new securities, which was partially offset by $931.9 million of sales and $135.9 million of amortization in the portfolio, which partially contributed to a net decrease in our securities portfolio of $663.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. We also invested $36.7 million in real estate, which included $29.3 million of real estate acquired via foreclosure, and received proceeds from the sale of real estate of $98.7 million.

Operating Overview

Net income (loss) totaled $56.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $(9.5) million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The most significant drivers of the $66.4 million increase are as follows:

•an increase in total other income (loss) of $41.8 million, primarily as a result of a $23.7 million increase in realized gain on sale of real estate, net, a $17.0 million increase in net results from derivative transactions, a $14.0 million increase as a result of realized gain on securities, and an increase of $10.0 million in sales of loans, partially offset by a decrease of $22.3 million of gain on extinguishment of debt;

•an increase in net interest income after provision for loan losses of $7.8 million, as a result of a $27.0 million release of provision partially offset by a $19.2 million net decline of net interest income comprised of a $63.8 million decrease in interest income and a $44.5 million decrease in interest expense;

•a decrease in total costs and expenses of $27.5 million compared to the prior year, primarily attributable to a $19.8 million decrease in compensation and employee benefits, a $2.6 million decrease in operating expenses and a $2.4 million decrease in real estate operating expenses; and

•a decrease of $10.7 million in income tax expense (benefit) compared to the prior year is primarily as a result of taxable gain primarily as a result of loan sales in 2021 and net operating losses generating tax benefits in 2020.

Income (Loss) Before Taxes

Income (loss) before taxes totaled $57.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $(19.2) million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The significant components of the $77.1 million increase in income before taxes are described in the first four bullet points under operating overview above.

Distributable Earnings

Distributable earnings, a non-GAAP financial measure, totaled $61.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $51.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The significant components of the $10.0 million increase in distributable earnings are primarily as a result of an increase of $14.0 million of realized gain (loss) on securities, an increase of $12.1 million in sale of loans, net, an increase of $6.7 million in net results from derivative transactions, an increase of $6.7 million in compensation and employee benefits and an increase in realized gain on sale of $2.8 million real estate, net. These increases were partially offset by a decrease of $22.3 million in gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt and a decrease of $10.1 million in net interest income after provision for loan losses comprised of a $63.8 million decrease in interest income, a $44.5 million decrease in interest expense, a decrease of $9.2 million in specific provision for loan losses and a decrease of $3.3 million in operating expenses.

Our results of operations in the second quarter of 2020 were significantly impacted by the actions we took to generate liquidity and pay down mark-to-market debt in direct response to the highly volatile market conditions that occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The actions taken by management had multiple impacts on distributable earnings for the three months ended June 30, 2020. In late March of 2020, as the COVID-19 crisis continued to unfold, the ability of repurchase financing counterparties to determine the value of collateral in the form of CMBS was impaired as trading volumes in the commercial real estate securities market were at depressed levels characterized by very few buyers and very few, typically distressed, sellers. As a result, the Company received margin calls on its securities repurchase financing, all of which were successfully satisfied by the Company in cash in a timely manner. Management and the board of directors, as stockholders owning over 10% of the Company and as accountable stewards of all stockholders’ capital, elected to strategically position the Company for potential long-term volatility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company therefore took decisive defensive actions, including halting new investment activity, selling performing loans and highly rated securities, paying down debt, including mark-to-market debt that was otherwise not due, as well as hiring professional service firms. These actions were significant strategic shifts to position the Company defensively against highly volatile market conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The financial impact of such actions aggregated to a $16.9 million net reduction to distributable earnings for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The reduction included $34.5 million of losses comprised of (i) $6.7 million of losses from sales of performing first mortgage loans included in sale of loans, net; (ii) $15.4 million of losses from sales of CMBS; (iii) $3.7 million of losses from conduit loan sales; (iv) $6.5 million of prepayment penalties related to pay downs of mark-to-market debt included in interest expense; (v) $2.1 million of professional fee expenses included in operating expenses primarily for advisory fees related to increasing liquidity and paying down debt with $20 thousand in fees related to employee health and safety, compliance with local, state and national guidelines, and head count reduction; and (vi) $0.2 million of severance costs included in compensation and employee benefits. The losses were partially offset by (vii) $19.0 million of gains from the repurchase of, and extinguishment of, unsecured corporate bond debt at a discount from par, net of (viii) $1.5 million of accelerated premium amortization included in interest expense.

Refer to “—Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for our definition of distributable earnings and a reconciliation to income (loss) before taxes.

Net Interest Income

The $63.8 million decrease in interest income was primarily attributable to a decrease in our loan and securities portfolios due to paydowns and sales and timing of loan originations. The decline was also a result of the timing of our capital deployment primarily in the last nine months of 2021 which was at lower prevailing LIBOR rates. For the year ended December 31, 2021, securities investments averaged $0.8 billion and loan investments averaged $2.5 billion. For the year ended December 31, 2020, securities investments averaged $1.6 billion and loan investments averaged $3.0 billion. There was a $0.8 billion decrease in average securities, and a $0.5 billion decrease in average loan investments.

The $44.5 million decrease in interest expense is primarily due to repayments made on our facilities including our secured financing facility, loan repurchase facilities, the FHLB, and our revolving credit facility and amortization of a CLO which reduced interest expense. There was also a net decline in our interest expense related to our Notes as we redeemed the 2021 and 2022 Notes during the year, replacing them with newly issued, lower cost, 2029 Notes in June 2021.

The increase in net interest income before provision for loan losses of $19.2 million is explained in the paragraphs above.

As of December 31, 2021, the weighted average yield on our mortgage loan receivables was 5.7%, compared to 6.6% as of December 31, 2020 as the weighted average yield on new loans originated was lower than the weighted average yield on loans that were securitized or paid off. As of December 31, 2021, the weighted average interest rate on borrowings against our mortgage loan receivables was 2.6%, compared to 5.4% as of December 31, 2020. The decrease in the rate on borrowings against our mortgage loan receivables from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2021 was primarily due to the utilization of new sources of financing at lower borrowing rates obtained and held during the twelve months ended December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, we had outstanding borrowings secured by our mortgage loan receivables equal to 39.0% of the carrying value of our mortgage loan receivables, compared to 33.4% as of December 31, 2020.

As of December 31, 2021, the weighted average yield on our real estate securities was 1.7%, compared to 1.7% as of December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2021, the weighted average interest rate on borrowings against our real estate securities was 0.9%, compared to 1.1% as of December 31, 2020. The decrease in the rate on borrowings against our real estate securities from December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2021 was primarily due to lower prevailing market borrowing rates as of December 31, 2021 compared to December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2021, we had outstanding borrowings secured by our real estate securities equal to 74.4% of the carrying value of our real estate securities, compared to 75.1% as of December 31, 2020.

Our real estate is comprised of non-interest bearing assets; however, interest incurred on mortgage financing collateralized by such real estate is included in interest expense. As of December 31, 2021, the weighted average interest rate on mortgage borrowings against our real estate was 4.9%, compared to 5.0% as of December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2021, we had outstanding borrowings secured by our real estate equal to 77.9% of the carrying value of our real estate, compared to 77.8% as of December 31, 2020.

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Provision for (release of) Loan Loss Reserves

On January 1, 2020, the Company recorded a CECL reserve of $11.6 million, which equated to 0.36% of $3.2 billion carrying value of its held for investment loan portfolio. This reserve excluded three loans that previously had an aggregate of $14.7 million of asset-specific reserves and a carrying value of $39.8 million as of January 1, 2020. Upon adoption, the aggregated CECL reserve reduced total shareholder’s equity by $5.8 million.

The total change in reserve for provision for the year ended December 31, 2021 was a release of $8.7 million. The release represents a decline in the general reserve of loans held for investment of $8.6 million and the release on unfunded loan commitments of $0.1 million. The release during the year is primarily due to an improvement in macroeconomic assumptions along with newly issued loans with lower expected loss. For additional information, refer to “Allowance for Credit Losses and Non-Accrual Status” in Note 3, Mortgage Loan Receivables, to the consolidated financial statements. The total change in reserve for provision for the year ended December 31, 2020 was an addition of $18.3 million which included $9.1 million in the general reserve on both loans held for investment and the related unfunded commitments and $9.2 million in asset-specific provisions related to three loans. The increases during the year are primarily due the specific loss provisions on certain investments and macro economic assumptions that factored in the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. For additional information, refer to “Allowance for Credit Losses and Non-Accrual Status” in Note 3, Mortgage Loan Receivables to the consolidated financial statements.

Real Estate Operating Income

The increase of $1.3 million in real estate operating income was primarily attributable to an increase in operations as a result of the easing of restrictions in place due to COVID-19 partially offset by real estate sales.

Sale of Loans, Net

Income (loss) from sale of loans, net, includes all loan sales, whether by securitization, whole loan sales or other means. Income (loss) from sale of loans, net also includes realized losses on loans related to lower of cost or market adjustments. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we sold/transferred 16 conduit loans with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $251.6 million and one balance sheet loan with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $46.6 million resulting in a net gain of $8.4 million. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we recorded no realized losses on loans related to lower of cost or market adjustments. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we sold/transferred 31 conduit loans with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $313.7 million and eight balance sheet mortgage loan receivables held for investment, net, at amortized cost, with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $280.1 million resulting in a net loss of $1.6 million. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded no realized losses on loans related to lower of cost or market adjustments. Income from sales of loans, net is subject to market conditions impacting timing, size and pricing and as such may vary significantly quarter to quarter.

Realized Gain (Loss) on Securities

The realized gain (loss) on securities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $1.6 million compared to a realized loss of $(12.4) million for December 31, 2020, which resulted in a net positive change of $14.0 million. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we sold $438.6 million of securities, comprised of $408.2 million of CMBS and $30.4 million of Agency securities. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we sold $931.9 million of securities, comprised of $913.3 million of CMBS, $4.0 million of corporate bonds and $14.6 million of equity securities. Other than temporary impairments on securities of $(0.1) million are included in realized gain (loss) on securities for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $(0.5) million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Equity Securities

The Company had no equity security activity during the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to unrealized gain (loss) of $(0.1) million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The Company has elected the fair market value option for accounting for these equity securities and changes in fair value are recorded in current period earnings.

Realized Gain (Loss) on Sale of Real Estate, Net

There was an increase of $23.7 million in realized gain (loss) on the sale of real estate. The increase was primarily as a result of the sale of six retail properties for a realized gain of $53.8 million, one apartment property for a realized gain of $4.0 million and a realized loss on a land parcel of $2.0 million which resulted in an aggregate $55.8 million realized gain (loss) for the year

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ended December 31, 2021. The realized gain (loss) of $32.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 consisted primarily of gains on the sale of 11 diversified commercial real estate properties and one single-tenant net lease property of $27.7 million and $4.4 million, respectively.

Fee and Other Income

We generated fee income from origination fees, exit fees and other fees on the loans we originate and in which we invest, and dividend income on our FHLB stock. The $1.5 million decrease in fee and other income year-over-year was primarily due to a increase in exit fees, offset by a decrease in origination fees and dividend income. Also contributing was a realized loss on our investment in the Ladder Select Bond Fund, which was liquidated on June 22, 2020.

Net Result from Derivative Transactions

Net result from derivative transactions of $1.7 million is composed of a realized gain of $1.7 million and an unrealized gain of $33.8 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to a loss of $15.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was comprised of an unrealized loss of $0.3 million and a realized loss of $15.0 million resulting in a positive change of $17.0 million. The hedge positions were related to fixed rate conduit loans and securities investments. The derivative positions that generated these results were a combination of interest rate futures that we employed in an effort to hedge the interest rate risk on the financing of our fixed rate assets and the net interest income we earn against the impact of changes in interest rates. The gain in 2021 was primarily related to movement in interest rates during the year ended December 31, 2021. The total net result from derivative transactions is comprised of hedging interest expense, realized gains/losses related to hedge terminations and unrealized gains/losses related to changes in the fair value of asset hedges.

Earnings (Loss) from Investment in Unconsolidated Joint Ventures

Earnings from our investment in Grace Lake LLC totaled $1.4 million, and $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Earnings (loss) from our investment in 24 Second Avenue totaled $0.2 million and $0.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. See Note 6, Investment in and Advances to Unconsolidated Joint Ventures, for further detail. Our maximum exposure to loss from these investments is limited to the carrying value of our investments. The gain in the year ended December 31, 2020 is attributable to equity and earnings on our investments.

Gain (Loss) on Extinguishment

We had no gain (loss) on extinguishment/defeasance of debt for the year ended December 31, 2021. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company redeemed $146.7 million of principal of the 2021 Notes at par and $465.9 million of principal of the 2022 Notes at par. Gain (loss) on extinguishment/defeasance of debt totaled $22.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company retired $98.2 million of principal of the 2027 Notes for a repurchase price of $83.9 million, recognizing a $12.9 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(1.3) million of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt, the Company retired $52.0 million of principal of the 2025 Notes for a repurchase price of $45.1 million, recognizing a $6.4 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(0.5) million of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt, the Company retired $34.2 million of principal of the 2022 Notes for a repurchase price of $33.2 million, recognizing a $0.7 million net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(0.2) million of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt and, the Company retired $119.5 million of principal of the 2021 Notes for a repurchase price of $119.3 million, recognizing a $52.4 thousand net gain on extinguishment of debt after recognizing $(0.2) million of unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the retired debt.

Compensation and Employee Benefits