Earnings Call Transcript - LFT Q4 2025

Operator, Operator

Good morning, and thank you for joining the Lument Finance Trust Fourth Quarter 2025 Earnings Call. Today's call is being recorded and will be made available via webcast on the company's website. I would now like to turn the call over to Andrew Tsang, with Investor Relations at Lument Investment Management. Please go ahead.

Andrew Tsang, Investor Relations

Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining our call to discuss Lument Finance Trust's Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results. With me are Jim Flynn, our CEO; Jim Briggs, our CFO; Greg Calvert, our President; and Zach Halpern, our Portfolio Manager. Last evening, we filed our 10-K with the SEC and issued a press release detailing our recent financial results. We also provided a supplemental earnings presentation on our website. Before handing the call to Jim Flynn, I want to remind everyone that certain statements made during this call are not based on historical information and may be forward-looking statements as defined under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements carry various risks and uncertainties that could lead to actual results differing materially from those expressed. These risks and uncertainties are outlined in the company's SEC filings, particularly in the Risk Factors section of our Form 10-K and Form 10-Qs. It is impossible to predict or identify all such risks, and we advise listeners not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. The company is not obligated to update any of these statements. Additionally, certain non-GAAP financial measures will be discussed during this call. The presentation of this information is not intended to be viewed in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP financial information. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP measures can be accessed through our SEC filings. For the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2025, we reported a GAAP net loss of $0.17 and $0.14 per share of common stock, respectively. For the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, we reported distributable earnings of approximately $0 and $0.14 per share of common stock, respectively. In December, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.04 per common share for the fourth quarter, bringing our total declared dividends for 2025 to $0.22 per common share. Then last Thursday, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.04 per common share for the first quarter of 2026, which is consistent with Q4's quarterly dividend. I will now turn the call over to Jim Flynn. Please go ahead.

James Flynn, CEO

Thank you, Andrew. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the Lument Finance Trust earnings call for the fourth quarter of 2025. We appreciate everyone joining us today. Taking a quick look at the market, the U.S. economy continues to remain resilient, although growth is moderating and uncertainty has increased modestly due to evolving monetary policy, fiscal dynamics, and geopolitical risks and considerations. While the Federal Reserve began easing in 2025, the forward path of rates is expected to remain gradual and data dependent with inflation and labor market trends continuing to influence policy. Within commercial real estate, capital market conditions have improved with increased liquidity across both securitized and warehouse financing channels. However, transaction activity remains below historical averages as buyers and sellers continue to navigate pricing discovery and an elevated cost of capital environment. In multifamily, fundamentals are stabilizing following the peak of the recent supply cycle. New deliveries remain elevated in certain Sunbelt markets but are now expected to decline meaningfully into late '26 and '27, due to the sharply reduced starts over the past 18 months. As a result, rent growth remains modest but is showing early signs of reacceleration in supply-constrained markets, while occupancy has remained relatively stable overall, albeit with some continued pressure in a few high delivery regions. Importantly, structural demand drivers for rental housing remain intact. Affordability constraints in the single-family housing market, coupled with the limited for-sale inventory and still elevated mortgage rates continue to support rental demand and long-term multifamily fundamentals. From a financing perspective, lower short-term interest rates relative to peak levels, combined with the still positive forward curve are constructive development for our borrowers. While debt service coverage remains under pressure for certain transitional assets, the modest easing in index rates and improved operating trends are helping to stabilize credit performance across the sector. The CRE CLO market remains an important source of liquidity with issuance volumes in 2025 exceeding $30 billion and a solid pace of activity continuing into 2026. Investor demand for floating rate exposure remains healthy, particularly for well-structured transactions backed by institutional quality collateral. Spreads have tightened modestly, reflecting improved sentiment, though they remain wide relative to long-term averages. Active asset management remains our top priority. We continue to work closely with borrowers to drive outcomes that preserve capital and enhance long-term value, including modifications, extensions, and asset-level strategies where appropriate. Given the still uneven operating and financing environment, particularly for assets impacted by recent supply chain challenges, we remain proactive and disciplined in managing each position. During the quarter, portfolio credit metrics improved sequentially, primarily driven by the acquisition of additional performing assets associated with our recent CLO execution. At the same time, we increased reserves on select challenged legacy positions to reflect updated expectations and current market conditions. We have remained active in executing our financing strategy, taking advantage of improved but still selective capital market conditions while maintaining a disciplined approach to leverage and cost of capital. As referenced on last quarter's earnings call, in November of 2025, we entered into an uncommitted master repurchase agreement with JPMorgan Chase, which provides the company with up to $450 million borrowing capacity to finance first mortgage loans, controlling loan participations, and other commercial mortgage loan debt instruments secured by commercial real estate. Further, in early December, we entered into a new loan agreement with Northeast Bank that provides the company with up to $50 million in advances to finance portions of our investment portfolio. This match term financing facility provides us with additional flexibility to resolve our REO holdings and achieve positive asset management outcomes. On the same day, the Northeast Bank facility closed, we executed the LMNT 2025-FL3 CLO transaction, a $664 million transaction with an effective advance rate of 88% and a weighted average cost of funds of approximately 191 basis points over SOFR, excluding fees and transaction costs. The initial collateral pool consisted of 32 first lien floating-rate mortgage loans with participation secured by 49 multifamily and commercial real estate properties located across the United States. A portion of the collateral was owned by LFT prior to the closing and the remaining collateral was acquired by the company at fair market value plus accrued interest from an affiliate of Lument Investment Management LLC, the company's external manager. The weighted average collateral spread of the entire pool was approximately 321 basis points over 1-month SOFR. The FL3 CLO includes a 30-month reinvestment period, which allows us to redeploy loan principal repayments into new loan investments until June of 2028. In February, we redeemed the remaining outstanding loans and notes of LMF 2023-1 financing transaction and refinanced the underlying pool with our existing warehouse facilities. Given the relatively high weighted average cost of capital and the low current leverage of LMF, the redemption provided the company the ability to redeploy a portion of its investable capital into levered loan assets at more attractive financing terms over time. Finally, subsequent to quarter end, we also amended the terms of our existing secured corporate term loan, extending the maturity date to 2030 and providing us with an incremental $2.3 million of liquidity before fees and deal expenses. The term loan going forward bears an interest rate of 9.75%. During Q4, we generated approximately $104 million of payoffs, with proceeds primarily used to reduce securitization liabilities. We also deployed approximately $400 million into loan assets, largely in connection with the FL3 transaction. We ended the year with approximately $23 million of unrestricted cash; combined with our available warehouse capacity, we believe our liquidity position remains appropriate to support portfolio management, asset resolution, and selective capital deployment. Our near-term focus remains on active asset management, efficient resolution of legacy positions, and disciplined balance sheet management. While we are encouraged by improving conditions across commercial real estate credit markets, the recovery remains uneven and will likely take time to fully normalize. We continue to expect a market characterized by selectivity with outcomes increasingly differentiated by asset quality, sponsorship, and capital structure. Against this backdrop, we remain cautious and highly selective in deploying capital, with a focus on strong credit fundamentals, structural protections, and risk-adjusted returns. We believe this approach positions us well to navigate the current environment while preserving flexibility to capitalize on opportunities as market conditions continue to evolve. With that, I'd like to turn the call over to Jim Briggs, who will provide us details on our financial results.

James Briggs, CFO

Thanks, Jim. Good morning. Last night, we filed our annual report on Form 10-K and provided a supplemental investor presentation on our website, which we'll be referring to during our remarks. The supplemental investor presentation has been uploaded to the webcast as well for your reference. On Pages 4 through 7 of the presentation, you'll find key updates and an earnings summary for the quarter. For the fourth quarter of '25, we reported a net loss to common stockholders of $8.9 million or $0.17 per share. We also reported distributable earnings of approximately $0. There are a few items I'd like to highlight with regards to the Q4 P&L. Our Q4 net interest income was $5.3 million, a slight improvement from $5.1 million recorded in Q3. The weighted average coupon of our loan portfolio declined sequentially to 717 basis points compared to 777 basis points in the prior quarter due to lower spreads on newly acquired loans and a decline in the SOFR benchmark rate. The ending outstanding UPB of the portfolio increased due to the execution of the previously discussed FL3 CLO transaction in December, in which we acquired approximately $383 million in assets from an affiliate of our manager. Total operating expenses, including fees to our manager, were elevated quarter-on-quarter at $3.8 million versus $3.1 million in the prior quarter, primarily attributable to one-time legal expenses related to REO assets and the previously mentioned FL1 redemption in November, as well as the financing initiative we elected not to proceed with after securing more attractive terms with the previously mentioned facilities. The primary difference between reported net income and distributable earnings for the fourth quarter was primarily attributable to $8.6 million of unrealized provision for credit losses, a $200,000 realized loss on the sale of REO, and approximately $296,000 of depreciation on REO. As of December 31, we had 8 loans risk-rated 5. All of these are collateralized by multifamily assets. Greg will provide a bit more detail in his remarks. With respect to the allowance for credit losses, we evaluated these 8 risk-rated 5 loans individually to determine whether asset-specific reserves were necessary. After an analysis of the underlying collateral, we recorded a provision for credit losses in the quarter of approximately $8.6 million. Our specific allowance for credit losses has increased as a result to $17.6 million compared to $8.3 million as of September 30. Our general allowance for credit losses decreased to $5 million from $5.7 million in the prior quarter, primarily driven by certain transfers to specific evaluation, payoffs during the quarter, and changes to the macroeconomic forecast. We ended 2025 with an unrestricted cash balance of $23 million, and the FL3 CLO we closed in December was fully deployed. As Jim referenced earlier, FL3 provided effective leverage of 88% at a weighted average cost of funds of SOFR plus 191 basis points. The company's total book equity at the end of the quarter was approximately $219 million. Total book value of common stock was approximately $159 million or $3.03 per share, decreasing sequentially from $3.25 per share as of September 30. I'll now turn the call over to Greg Calvert to provide details on the company's investment activity and portfolio performance during the quarter. Greg?

Greg Calvert, President

Thank you, Jim. During the fourth quarter, LFT acquired or funded $400 million of loan assets, the majority of which were obtained as initial collateral for the FL3 transaction. During the period, the company experienced $104 million of loan payoffs. As of December 31, our total loan portfolio consisted of 61 floating-rate loans with an aggregate unpaid principal balance of approximately $1.1 billion, a weighted average floating rate of 333 basis points over SOFR, and an unamortized aggregate purchase discount of $1.7 million. The weighted average remaining term of our book as of quarter end was approximately 21 months, assuming all available extensions are exercised by our borrowers. 100% of the portfolio was indexed to 1-month SOFR, and 93% of the portfolio was collateralized by multifamily properties. As of December 31, approximately 83% of the loans in our portfolio were risk-rated at 3 or better compared to 46% as of September 30. Our weighted average risk rating quarter-over-quarter improved to 3.2 from 3.6. This is primarily driven by the acquisition of additional loans for the period from an affiliate of the manager in connection with the FL3 transaction. During the period, we transitioned 1 loan with a UPB of $9.8 million from a 5 risk rating as of September 30 to a 4 or better rating as of December 30 due to an execution of a loan modification, which included a partial paydown of the loan by the borrower in exchange for an extension until Q4 2026. As of December 31, 2025, we had 8 risk-rated 5 loans with an aggregate principal amount of approximately $117 million or approximately 10% of the unpaid principal balance of the quarter-end investment portfolio. These included one loan in maturity default that was downgraded to a risk rating of 5 during the quarter with a balance of $22 million collateralized by a multifamily property in Arlington, Texas; 1 loan in monetary default that was downgraded to a risk rating of 5 during the quarter with a balance of $18 million collateralized by a multifamily property in Tampa, Florida; 3 loans in maturity default that continue to be risk rated 5 with an aggregate principal balance of $40 million collateralized by multifamily properties in Philadelphia, Colorado Springs, and Cedar Park, Texas; and 3 loans in monetary default that continue to be risk rated 5 with an aggregate principal balance of $38 million collateralized by multifamily properties in Des Moines, Iowa, Tallahassee, Florida, and Ypsilanti, Michigan. During 2025, the company foreclosed on 4 REO assets. In late December, we sold one of the properties located in San Antonio, Texas to a third party for $8.2 million and recognized a $500,000 loss in the fourth quarter on the sale. As of December 31, our REO was comprised of 3 multifamily properties. Two of these remaining properties are located in San Antonio and the other is in Houston, Texas. As of quarter end, the properties had a weighted average occupancy rate of 69%. Achieving positive asset management resolutions and maximizing recovery values remains our priority. With that, I will pass it back to Jim Flynn for closing remarks and any questions.

James Flynn, CEO

Thank you, Greg. Thank you all for joining, and we appreciate your continued partnership and support. And with that, I'd like to ask the operator to turn the call over to questions.

Operator, Operator

Your first question comes from Jason Weaver with JonesTrading.

Jason Weaver, Analyst

I was wondering, can you give some context on how you view the risk reward and opportunity today for new capital deployment against the last few weeks' backdrop of elevated rate volatility?

James Flynn, CEO

Sure. I mean, obviously, the very current market environment has created some incremental challenges when reviewing the assets. But the starting point is still what is focused on the sponsor in the market, what the expectations are for growth in that market and what the supply dynamics are along with the demand. So that is certainly an evaluation or part of the evaluation kind of the geopolitical volatility here. But we do still firmly feel resolved in the strength of the multifamily market and have to take a bit of a longer view. Our deals are typically structured with interest rate caps. So on the short-term basis, we're protecting ourselves during the initial term of the loan. But we do stress those scenarios, but I think the most important aspects of evaluating the risk around sponsor and market still carry the day even in the most volatile of times. And then structurally, you do your best to protect yourselves both from a leverage standpoint and an interest rate volatility standpoint with structure and caps. But again, sponsor market are going to be critical to that. Certainly, the hope is that over the 2- to 3-year period of a bridge loan that you have some stability return to the market, hopefully sooner than later, but it's obviously a consideration as we deploy capital. And again, I think it makes those first components even more important.

Jason Weaver, Analyst

Got it. And to that point, with the new CLO closed, is there an updated comfort zone for leverage over the near term?

James Flynn, CEO

On a loan-level basis? Is that what you mean or...

Jason Weaver, Analyst

Yes. Well, just overall, really.

James Flynn, CEO

On a loan-level basis, I would say that on average, over the past couple of years since around 2023 or really in 2024, average leverage at the asset level has decreased compared to historical bridge lending activity. You are particularly seeing assets in the 60s and low 70s, especially on the lease-up side and construction deals, while there are very few assets exceeding 80% leverage. This marks a significant decline from the higher levels we observed in the late teens and early 2020s. Overall, our corporate leverage has remained relatively stable. The leverage available in CLOs is slightly above historical averages, which we intend to utilize. However, we do not expect any significant changes to the fully deployed leverage of the LC vehicle.

Operator, Operator

The next question comes from Chris Muller with Citizens Capital Markets.

Christopher Muller, Analyst

So it looks like nonaccruals as a percent of the portfolio improved in the quarter, which I assume is mostly due to the $400 million of new loans. What was the balance of nonaccruals at year-end? And do you guys have how much of a drag on earnings those assets are?

James Briggs, CFO

The drag from nonaccruals is about $0.02, and the outstanding principal balance is $102 million.

Christopher Muller, Analyst

Got it. And then I guess on a similar note, how are you guys thinking about the path to dividend coverage this year? And I guess how it's related is, can you guys get there by cleaning up the existing portfolio in REO? Or do we need to see some portfolio growth to get back to that $0.04 level?

James Flynn, CEO

We have been concentrating on this with our Board. The short answer is that it's likely a combination of factors. We believe that, once fully deployed, the dividend will be well supported. We are considering the timing of upcoming asset resolutions, including others that are expected, as well as reinvesting that capital into new, performing assets. We are also looking at the possibility of future financing at the portfolio level, whether through a new CLO or other loan portfolio financing, aiming to have two significant vehicles similar to our existing CLO. By analyzing the schedule for resolution and payoffs in the portfolio, along with the reinvestment into performing loans and the potential for favorable financing in the future, we believe it is appropriate to maintain the dividend as it is for now, while working toward full coverage by the end of the year.

Operator, Operator

The next question comes from Lee Zulch with Overcap.

Lee Zulch, Analyst

Could you give some color on Q1 2026?

James Flynn, CEO

I can't provide too much detail since that's forward-looking. However, most critically, I would emphasize our asset management and the resolutions and asset performance we anticipate, which align with our timing expectations as we assess the plan for the dividend and earnings release. We've successfully redeployed capital into new performing loans, and the recent activity in financing, including the CLO, the two warehouses, and the refinancing of the term loan, has stabilized the credit side of our balance sheet. We are now focused on resolving some legacy assets that have been on our books for some time, and while we would prefer a quicker pace, they are progressing according to plan and generally on schedule. Additionally, as Jim Briggs noted during the earnings call, we did note that the 2023 financing transaction came with higher costs of funds.

Operator, Operator

Thank you. As there are no more questions, I will pass back to James Flynn for any closing remarks. Please go ahead.

James Flynn, CEO

Thank you. Again, thank you for your participation and continued interest in the platform, and we look forward to speaking to you again next quarter.

Operator, Operator

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect.