AFC Gamma Inc

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes and other information included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (the “Form 10-Q”). This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties discussed under the heading “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” in this Form 10-Q.

Overview

AFC Gamma, Inc. is an institutional lender to the commercial real estate sector that was founded in July 2020 by a veteran team of investment professionals. We primarily originate, structure, underwrite, invest in and manage senior secured loans and other types of commercial real estate loans and debt securities, with a specialization in loans to cannabis industry operators in states that have legalized medical and/or adult-use cannabis. We have recently expanded our investment guidelines to deploy capital in attractive lending opportunities secured by commercial real estate. Our expanded investment guidelines now include (i) first and second lien loans secured by mortgages to commercial real estate owners, operators and related businesses that are not related to the cannabis industry, (ii) the ownership of non-cannabis related real property assets, and (iii) mortgage-backed securities, in addition to our prior sole focus on first lien loans secured by mortgages to cannabis operators in states that have legalized medical and/or adult use cannabis. We expect the underwriting and investment process for these investments under our expanded guidelines to be substantially similar to the process we deploy for our loans to cannabis operators.

Our objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns over time through cash distributions and capital appreciation primarily by providing loans to real estate developers and state law compliant cannabis companies. The loans we originate are primarily structured as senior loans secured by real estate, equipment, value associated with licenses (where applicable) and/or other assets of the loan parties to the extent permitted by applicable laws and the regulations governing such loan parties. Some of our cannabis-related borrowers have their equity securities listed for public trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange (“CSE”) in Canada and/or over-the-counter (“OTC”) in the United States.

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We have expanded our investment guidelines to invest in attractive commercial real estate financing opportunities emerging from the current interest rate environment. As the U.S. Federal Reserve Board (the “Federal Reserve”) began to increase interest rates in the first quarter of 2022 and continued to do so through the third quarter of 2023 in an effort to curb rising inflation, we believe the higher interest rates and associated pressures have created an opportunity in real estate lending, where there is currently less capital available in the marketplace to finance real estate projects. As a result of these market dynamics, we have identified a number of opportunities to provide acquisition and construction financing for real estate owners, operators and related businesses at attractive rates and secured by valuable real estate collateral.

Separately, as states continue to legalize cannabis for medical and adult-use, an increasing number of companies operating in the cannabis industry need financing. Due to the current capital constrained cannabis market, which does not typically have access to traditional bank financing, we believe we continue to be well positioned to act as a prudent financing source to cannabis industry operators given our stringent underwriting criteria, size and scale of operations and institutional infrastructure.

We are a Maryland corporation and externally managed by AFC Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (our “Manager”), pursuant to the terms of the Amended and Restated Management Agreement, dated January 14, 2021, by and between AFC Gamma, Inc. and AFC Management, LLC (as amended from time to time, the “Management Agreement”). We commenced operations on July 31, 2020 and completed our initial public offering (“IPO”) in March 2021.

We have elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) under Section 856 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2020. We believe that we have qualified as a REIT and that our current and proposed method of operation will enable us to continue to qualify as a REIT. However, no assurances can be given that our beliefs or expectations will be fulfilled, since qualification as a REIT depends on us continuing to satisfy numerous asset, income and distribution tests, which in turn depends, in part, on our operating results and ability to obtain financing. We also intend to operate our business in a manner that will permit us to maintain our exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).

Our wholly-owned subsidiary, AFCG TRS1, LLC (“TRS1”), operates as a taxable REIT subsidiary (a “TRS”). TRS1 began operating in July 2021. Our wholly-owned subsidiary, Sunrise Realty Trust, Inc. (“SUNS”) (f/k/a CRE South LLC), was formed on August 28, 2023 and converted from a Delaware limited liability company to a Maryland corporation in February 2024. The financial statements of TRS1 and SUNS are consolidated within our consolidated financial statements.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (“JOBS Act”), and we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of the extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards and to adopt certain of the reduced disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies. As a result of the accounting standards election, we will not be subject to the same implementation timing for new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies which may make comparison of our financials to those of other public companies more difficult.

We could remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years from our initial public offering, or until the earliest of (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.235 billion, (ii) the date that we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which would occur if the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, or (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period.

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Spin-Off

On February 22, 2024, we announced that our Board unanimously approved a plan to spin-off (the “Spin-Off”) our wholly-owned subsidiary, SUNS, which holds our commercial real estate (“CRE”) portfolio into an independent, publicly traded REIT.

The separation and the resulting Spin-Off is expected to be implemented in two steps. First, we expect to contribute, and SUNS expects to accept and assume, all of the assets, liabilities and business related to our CRE lending business not related to our business of structuring, underwriting, origination and investing in loans to and debt securities of cannabis industry operators, as currently conducted by SUNS, including the operations, properties, services and activities of such business (the “Contribution”), to the extent such assets, liabilities and business are not already held at SUNS. Then, we plan to distribute all of the outstanding shares of SUNS common stock (“SUNS Common Stock”) on the distribution date to our stockholders as of the record date on a pro rata basis. We and SUNS expect that $115 million of assets in the aggregate, in a combination of loans and cash, will either be contributed to SUNS in the Contribution or be held by SUNS immediately following the Contribution. Following the distribution, we and SUNS expect the SUNS Common Stock to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. SUNS has filed a registration statement on Form 10, which is not effective, with the Securities and Exchange Commission which provides additional details about the Spin-Off. This quarterly report shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

During the three months ended March 31, 2024, we incurred approximately $0.5 million related to spin-off costs recorded within professional fees in the unaudited interim consolidated statements of operations.

Pursuant to the amendment to our Management Agreement entered into in February 2024, upon the completion of the Spin-Off, we plan to focus on our investments in first and second lien loans, typically secured by mortgages and other security interests, to cannabis operators in states that have legalized medical and/or adult use cannabis. Pursuant to such amendment, upon the completion of the Spin-Off, the investment guidelines will be amended such that loans and investments made in respect of (x) first lien or second lien loans secured by mortgages or mezzanine loans to commercial real estate owners, operators and related businesses and (y) the ownership of non-cannabis related commercial real estate assets, were removed and are no longer permitted by the investment guidelines.

While SUNS will be an independent publicly-traded company, operating the Spin-Off Business separately from AFC Gamma, various individuals will serve as executive officers and directors of both companies. For example, Leonard Tannenbaum, our Chief Investment Officer and Executive Chairman of the Board, is expected to be the Executive Chairman, Brandon Hetzel, our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, is expected to be the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and Robyn Tannenbaum, our President, is expected to be the President of both entities immediately following the completion of the Spin-Off. Additionally, Alexander Frank, one of our directors, is expected to serve on the board of directors of both companies immediately following the completion of the Spin-Off.

Developments During the First Quarter March 31, 2024:

Updates to Our Loan Portfolio During the First Quarter March 31, 2024

In January 2024, the Company and an affiliate purchased an aggregate of approximately $56.4 million in loan commitments in a secured mezzanine loan facility, CRE Private Company A, of which approximately $28.2 million has been funded by us and another approximately $28.2 million has been funded by an affiliate. The Company and the affiliate are each 50.0% syndicate lenders in the secured mezzanine loan facility. Approximately $16.9 million was established as reserves, for the payment of interest and other costs and expenses, which is fully funded and held by the Agent on the loan. The lenders have a right to convert the mezzanine loan to a first priority mortgage loan after the repayment of the existing senior loan and subject to certain other terms and conditions. The secured mezzanine loan bears interest at an annual rate of Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) plus a 15.31% spread, subject to a SOFR floor of 2.42%. At the end of February 2024, the Company and the affiliate entered into an amendment to the secured mezzanine loan, which among other things, (1) extended the maturity date to May 31, 2024 and (2) amended the SOFR floor from 2.42% to 4.00%. Pursuant to the amendment, the Company and the affiliate received an extension fee of approximately $0.1 million each, respectively.

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In January 2024, the Company and an affiliate entered into a secured mezzanine loan facility with CRE Private Company B consisting of an aggregate of approximately $56.4 million in loan commitments, of which approximately $20.7 million of principal was funded by us as a result of our participation interest in the loan and another approximately $20.7 million of principal was funded by the affiliate. The secured mezzanine loan commitments were issued by us and the affiliate at a discount of 1.0% for a net funding amount of approximately $20.4 million each. The $56.4 million of total commitments includes $15.0 million of unfunded commitments which was established to be drawn to pay interest on the secured mezzanine loan, of which we are responsible for $7.5 million. The $15.0 million of unfunded commitments are anticipated to be drawn over the life of the loan. The Company and the affiliate are each 50.0% syndicate lenders in the secured mezzanine loan facility. The secured mezzanine loan bears interest at an annual fixed rate of 13.00% and matures in May 2027, which the borrower may extend, at its option and subject to meeting certain terms and conditions, to May 2028. The mezzanine loan facility is secured by a security interest in all of the equity interests held by the borrower in its wholly-owned subsidiary.

In January 2024, we entered into a partial release and amendment with Private Company L to, among other things, (i) permit the sale and release of certain collateral located in Missouri, subject to the terms and conditions contained therein and (ii) amend certain of the draw and prepayment requirements. In January 2024, we received approximately$11.4 million prepayment from Private Company L’s sale of certain collateral assets and$0.3 million prepayment premium.

In January 2024, we delivered a reservation of rights letter to Private Company K with respect to the occurrence of certain events of default, including the failure to make principal and interest payments when due and deliver monthly statements as required under the credit agreement with Private Company K. In March 2024, we entered into a forbearance agreement with Private Company K, pursuant to which we agreed to forbear from exercising certain remedies as a result of the certain defaults under the credit agreement. In exchange for such forbearance, Private Company K agreed to, among others, (i) additional reporting requirements and (ii) contribute additional cash equity in an aggregate amount of up to $5.5 million in increments on or before August 31, 2024 or obtain a combination of additional equity and debt financing in an aggregate amount of up to $8.5 million in increments on or before August 31, 2024, certain of the proceeds of which shall be applied to the outstanding obligations under the credit agreement. The existing credit agreement was amended by the forbearance agreement entered into with Private Company K to require (a) 20% of the interest payable for December 2023 and January 2024 to be payable in cash in arrears and 80% paid in kind, (b) 35% of the interest payable for February 2024 to be payable in cash in arrears and 65% to be paid in kind, (c) 50% of the interest payable for March 2024, April 2024 and May 2024 to be payable in cash in arrears and 50% to be paid in kind, (d) interest for the remainder of the months during the term of the forbearance agreement to be payable in cash in arrears and (e) payments of principal during the term of the forbearance to be deferred during the term of the forbearance agreement. We placed Private Company K on nonaccrual status effective December 1, 2023 and will recognize income related to loan activity only upon receipt of cash. During thethree months ended March 31, 2024, we recognized approximately$0.1 million of interest income related to this loan. As of March 31, 2024, our outstanding principal balance was approximately$13.4 million, which is fully funded.

On February 22, 2024, we announced that our Board unanimously approved a plan to spin-off our commercial real estate portfolio into an independent, publicly traded REIT, named Sunrise Realty Trust, Inc. See “—Spin-off” above.

During thethree months ended March 31, 2024, AFC Agent received approximately$4.7 million in total loan principal prepayments and$0.1 million in related exit fees from Private Company A’s sale of its collateral assets, of which approximately$4.0 million in principal prepayments and$0.1 million in related exit fees were allocated to us relating to our pro rata portion of the Private Company A Credit Facility and was applied to the outstanding principal balance. Effective March 1, 2024, we placed Private Company A on nonaccrual status. As of March 31, 2024, our outstanding principal balance under the Private Company A Credit Facility was approximately$49.7 million, which is fully funded. AFC Agent continues to monitor the court-appointed receivership installed to maintain the borrower’s operations and maximize value for the benefit of its creditors.

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In March 2024, we entered into a forbearance agreement with Subsidiary of Private Company G, pursuant to which we agreed to forbear from exercising certain remedies as a result of certain events of default under the credit agreement and under the forbearance agreement entered into with Subsidiary of Private Company G in September 2023. In exchange for such forbearance, Subsidiary of Private Company G agreed to, among other things, (i) contribute additional cash equity in an aggregate amount of not less than $3.0 million before April 30, 2024, (ii) sell certain assets, the proceeds of which will be applied to pay down outstanding obligations under the credit agreement, (iii) enter into a management services agreement with a third party with respect to Subsidiary of Private Company G’s operations in Pennsylvania, (iv) enter into a consulting or similar agreement with a third party with respect to Subsidiary of Private Company G’s operations in New Jersey, and (v) deliver additional reporting requirements. In addition, the existing credit agreement was amended by the forbearance agreement entered into with Subsidiary of Private Company G to, for the remaining life of the loan (so long as Subsidiary of Private Company G complies with its obligations under the forbearance agreement), (a) remove the financial covenants, (b) revise the existing cash flow sweep such that 75% of excess cash flow is paid toward current interest, accrued interest, lender expenses and principal, (c) change the interest rate on the loans to 12.5% per annum, a minimum portion of which is payable in cash pursuant to the excess cash flow sweep, and the remainder of which, if any, is paid in kind, and (d) remove required amortization payments. We placed Subsidiary of Private Company G on nonaccrual effective December 1, 2023 and will recognize income related to loan activity only upon receipt of cash. During thethree months ended March 31, 2024, we recognized approximately$0.7 million of interest income related to this loan. As of March 31, 2024, our outstanding principal balance was approximately$79.2 million, which is fully funded.

In March 2024, TRS1 sold $6.0 million of our investment in Subsidiary of Public Company M, which was purchased at a blended weighted-average discount of 91.3% and sold for 94.3% of face value, resulting in a realized loss of approximately $(0.1) million.

In March 2024, we were repaid on all outstanding principal under the loan to Private Company I, which was previously placed on nonaccrual status, effective May 1, 2023. In addition to the repayment of the outstanding principal amount of approximately $3.8 million, we also received and recognized past due cash interest of approximately $0.7 million during thethree months ended March 31, 2024.

In March 2024, we entered into two senior secured credit facilities with Private Company N totaling $34.0 million, which were fully funded at closing. The loans are bifurcated between Private Company N Real Estate and Private Company N Non-Real Estate with commitments of $16.8 million and $17.2 million, respectively, and were originated at a discount of 4.0%, for a net funded amount of approximately $16.1 million and $16.5 million, respectively. The loans each bear interest at an annual rate of SOFR plus 8.0%, subject to a SOFR floor of 4.5%, and mature on April 1, 2028.

At-the-Market Offering Program

In April 2022, we filed our shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC, registering the offer and sale of up to $1.0 billion of securities (the “Shelf Registration Statement”). The Shelf Registration Statement enables us to issue shares of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, rights, as well as units that include one or more of such securities. The Shelf Registration Statement also included a prospectus for the ATM Program to sell up to an aggregate of $75.0 million of shares of our common stock that may be issued and sold from time to time under the Sales Agreement, dated April 5, 2022 (the “Sales Agreement”), with Jefferies LLC and JMP Securities LLC, as Sales Agents. Under the terms of the Sales Agreement, we have agreed to pay the Sales Agents a commission of up to 3.0% of the gross proceeds from each sale of common stock under the Sales Agreement.

During the three months ended March 31, 2024, we did not sell any shares of our common stock under the Sales Agreement.

Share Repurchase Program

On June 13, 2023, our Board authorized the Repurchase Program. The timing, price, and volume of repurchases will be based on our stock price, general market conditions, applicable legal requirements and other factors. The repurchase of our common stock may be made from time to time in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions or otherwise in compliance with Rule 10b-18 and Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act. We expect to finance any share repurchases under the Repurchase Program using cash on hand, capacity available under our line of credit and cash flows from operations. The Repurchase Program is authorized until December 31, 2025 and may be discontinued, modified or suspended at any time. During the three months ended March 31, 2024, we did not repurchase any shares of our common stock pursuant to the Repurchase Program.

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Dividends Declared Per Share

For the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, we paid the following cash dividends:

Recent Developments

In April 2024, we received approximately$8.1 million prepayment from Private Company L’s sale of certain collateral assets and$0.2 million prepayment premium.

In April 2024, the co-agents under the credit facility with Subsidiary of Public Company H delivered a reservation of rights letter to the borrower citing certain defaults, including a breach of the minimum cash covenants as of March 31, 2024. The borrower has since failed to make the interest payment for the month ending April 30, 2024 that was due May 1, 2024, and which was subject to a five business day grace period. The lenders are evaluating the best course of action to protect their interests and pursue their rights and remedies under the credit facility.

Key Financial Measures and Indicators

As a commercial real estate finance company, we believe the key financial measures and indicators for our business are Distributable Earnings, book value per share and dividends declared per share.

Non-GAAP Metrics

Distributable Earnings

In addition to using certain financial metrics prepared in accordance with GAAP to evaluate our performance, we also use Distributable Earnings to evaluate our performance excluding the effects of certain transactions and GAAP adjustments we believe are not necessarily indicative of our current loan activity and operations. Distributable Earnings is a measure that is not prepared in accordance with GAAP. We use these non-GAAP financial measures both to explain our results to shareholders and the investment community and in the internal evaluation and management of our businesses. Our management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures and the information they provide are useful to investors since these measures permit investors and shareholders to assess the overall performance of our business using the same tools that our management uses to evaluate our past performance and prospects for future performance. The determination of Distributable Earnings is substantially similar to the determination of Core Earnings under our Management Agreement, provided that Core Earnings is a component of the calculation of any Incentive Compensation earned under the Management Agreement for the applicable time period, and thus Core Earnings is calculated without giving effect to Incentive Compensation expense, while the calculation of Distributable Earnings accounts for any Incentive Compensation earned for such time period.

We define Distributable Earnings as, for a specified period, the net income (loss) computed in accordance with GAAP, excluding (i) stock-based compensation expense, (ii) depreciation and amortization, (iii) any unrealized gains, losses or other non-cash items recorded in net income (loss) for the period, regardless of whether such items are included in other comprehensive income or loss, or in net income (loss); provided that Distributable Earnings does not exclude, in the case of investments with a deferred interest feature (such as OID, debt instruments with PIK interest and zero coupon securities), accrued income that we have not yet received in cash, (iv) increase (decrease) in provision for current expected credit losses, (v) TRS (income) loss, net of any dividends received from TRS and (vi) one-time events pursuant to changes in GAAP and certain non-cash charges, in each case after discussions between our Manager and our independent directors and after approval by a majority of such independent directors.

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We believe providing Distributable Earnings on a supplemental basis to our net income as determined in accordance with GAAP is helpful to shareholders in assessing the overall performance of our business. As a REIT, we are required to distribute at least 90% of our annual REIT taxable income, subject to certain adjustments, and to pay tax at regular corporate rates to the extent that we annually distribute less than 100% of such taxable income. Given these requirements and our belief that dividends are generally one of the principal reasons that shareholders invest in our common stock, we generally intend to attempt to pay dividends to our shareholders in an amount at least equal to such REIT taxable income, if and to the extent authorized by our Board. Distributable Earnings is one of many factors considered by our Board in authorizing dividends and, while not a direct measure of net taxable income, over time, the measure can be considered a useful indicator of our dividends.

Distributable Earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered as a substitute for GAAP net income. We caution readers that our methodology for calculating Distributable Earnings may differ from the methodologies employed by other REITs to calculate the same or similar supplemental performance measures, and as a result, our reported Distributable Earnings may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other REITs.

The following table provides a reconciliation of GAAP net (loss) income to Distributable Earnings:

Book Value Per Share

We believe that book value per share is helpful to shareholders in evaluating our growth as we scale our equity capital base and continue to invest in our target investments. The book value per share of our common stock as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 was approximately $15.03 and $15.64, respectively.

Factors Impacting our Operating Results

The results of our operations are affected by a number of factors and primarily depend on, among other things, the level of our net interest margin, the market value of our assets and the supply of, and demand for, commercial real estate debt and other financial assets in the marketplace. Our net interest margin, which includes the accretion and amortization of OID, is recognized based on the contractual rate and the outstanding principal balance of the loans we originate. Interest rates will vary according to the type of loan, conditions in the financial markets, creditworthiness of our borrowers, competition and other factors, some of which cannot be predicted with any certainty. Our operating results may also be impacted by credit losses in excess of initial anticipations or unanticipated credit events experienced by our borrowers.