UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K

x
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
 
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended          December 31, 2016                                     
or
o
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
 
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from ________________________________ to ________________________________
Commission File Number: 001-31458                                                                                                                         
Drive Shack Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Maryland
 
81-0559116
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation
 
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
or organization)
 
 
1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY
 
10105
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
(Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (212) 798-6100
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (b) of the Act:
Title of each class:
 
Name of exchange on which registered:
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share
 
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
9.75% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Preferred
 
 
Stock, $0.01 par value per share
 
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
8.05% Series C Cumulative Redeemable Preferred
 
 
Stock, $0.01 par value per share
 
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
8.375% Series D Cumulative Redeemable Preferred
 
 
Stock, $0.01 par value per share
 
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
o Yes x No
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.
o Yes x No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
x Yes o No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

x Yes o No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this form 10-K o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or smaller reporting company. See definition of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check One):

Large Accelerated Filer o
Accelerated Filer x
Non-accelerated Filer o
Smaller Reporting Company o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). (Check One):

o Yes x No

The aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates as of June 30, 2016 (computed based on the closing price on such date as reported on the NYSE) was: $299.2 million.

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s common stock was 66,842,378 as of February 22, 2017.




CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the operating performance of our investments, the stability of our earnings, and our financing needs. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “potential,” “intend,” “expect,” “endeavor,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “overestimate,” “underestimate,” “believe,” “could,” “project,” “predict,” “continue” or other similar words or expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions, discuss future expectations, describe future plans and strategies, contain projections of results of operations or of financial condition or state other forward-looking information. Our ability to predict results or the actual outcome of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, our actual results and performance could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. Factors which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and future prospects include, but are not limited to:
 
•
the ability to retain and attract members to our golf properties;
 
•
changes in global, national and local economic conditions, including, but not limited to, changes in consumer spending patterns, a prolonged economic slowdown and a downturn in the real estate market;
 
•
effects of unusual weather patterns and extreme weather events, geographical concentrations with respect to our operations and seasonality of our business;
 
•
competition within the industries in which we operate or may pursue additional investments;
 
•
material increases in our expenses, including but not limited to unanticipated labor issues or costs with respect to our workforce, and costs of goods, utilities and supplies;
 
•
our inability to sell or exit certain properties, and unforeseen changes to our ability to develop, redevelop or renovate certain properties;
 
•
difficulty monetizing our real estate debt investments;
 
•
liabilities with respect to inadequate insurance coverage, accidents or injuries on our properties, adverse litigation judgments or settlements, or membership deposits;
 
•
changes to and failure to comply with relevant regulations and legislation, including in order to maintain certain licenses and permits, and environmental regulations in connection with our operations;
 
•
inability to execute on our growth and development strategy by successfully developing, opening and operating new sites;
 
•
impacts of failures of our information technology and cybersecurity systems;
 
•
the impact of any current or further legal proceedings and regulatory investigations and inquiries;
 
•
the impact of any material transactions with FIG LLC (the "Manager") or one of its affiliates, including the impact of any actual, potential or predicted conflicts of interest;
 
•
effects of the pending merger of Fortress Investment Group LLC with affiliates of SoftBank Group Corp.; and
 
•
other risks detailed from time to time below, particularly under the heading “Risk Factors,” and in our other reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
 
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The factors noted above could cause our actual results to differ significantly from those contained in any forward-looking statement.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements, which reflect our management’s views only as of the date of this report. We are under no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this report to conform these statements to actual results.


DRIVE SHACK INC.
FORM 10-K
 
INDEX
 
 
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PART I
Item 1. Business.
Overview
Drive Shack Inc. (and with its subsidiaries, “Drive Shack Inc.” or the “Company”) is a leading owner and operator of golf-related leisure and entertainment businesses. Drive Shack Inc. conducts its business through three primary segments: (1) Traditional Golf properties, (2) Entertainment Golf venues and (3) Debt Investments.

On December 28, 2016, the Company changed its name from Newcastle Investment Corp. to Drive Shack Inc. in connection with its transformation to a leisure and entertainment company. The Company was formed in 2002 and its common stock is traded on the NYSE under the symbol “DS.”

•
Traditional Golf | American Golf
American Golf is one of the largest owners and operators of golf properties in the United States. As of December 31, 2016, we owned, leased or managed 78 properties across 13 states. American Golf and its dedicated employees are focused on delivering lasting experiences for our customers, including our more than 50,000 members, who played over 4 million rounds at our courses in 2016.
American Golf was acquired by Drive Shack Inc. in December 2013, when the Company restructured an existing mezzanine debt investment related to NGP Realty Sub, L.P. and American Golf Corporation (together, “American Golf”). As part of the restructuring, Drive Shack Inc. acquired the equity of American Golf’s indirect parent, AGC Mezzanine Pledge LLC.
Our operations are organized into three principal categories: (1) Public Properties, (2) Private Properties and (3) Managed Properties.
Public Properties.   Our 49 public properties generate revenues principally through daily green fees, golf cart rentals and food, beverage and merchandise sales.  Amenities at these properties generally include practice facilities and pro shops with food and beverage facilities.  In some cases, our public properties have small clubhouses with banquet facilities. In addition, The Players Club is a monthly membership program offered at most of our public properties, with membership benefits ranging from daily range access to ability to participate in golf clinics, in return for a monthly membership fee.
Private Properties.   Our 19 private properties are open to members only and generate revenues principally through initiation fees, membership dues, guest fees, and food, beverage and merchandise sales. Amenities at these courses typically include practice facilities, full service clubhouses with a pro shop, locker room facilities and multiple food and beverage outlets, including grills, restaurants and banquet facilities.
Managed Properties. Our 10 managed properties are properties that American Golf manages pursuant to a management agreement with the owner of each property.  We recognize revenue from these properties in an amount equal to the respective management fee.

1

agccoursesa02.jpgagcholesa05.jpg

•
Entertainment Golf | Drive Shack
Drive Shack is an entertainment company that combines golf, competition, dining and fun. Drive Shack plans to open a chain of next-generation entertainment golf venues across the United States and internationally, with each venue featuring multiple stories of hitting suites where friends, family, co-workers or complete strangers may compete in a technologically-enhanced golf games. Consumers who are seeking a good time, but not looking to participate in the game, would be able to spectate from one of Drive Shack’s restaurant or lounge areas. Drive Shack is developing its inaugural site in Orlando, Florida.

•
Debt Investments | Loans & Securities
The Company historically invested in loans and securities. As the Company continues to transform to a leisure and entertainment company, under the name Drive Shack, management is working to optimize and monetize the loans and securities owned through pay downs and sales.
As of December 31, 2016, our debt investment portfolio consists primarily of agency Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac (“FNMA/FHLMC”) securities and our investment in a resorts-related loan as described below.
As of December 31, 2016, we hold 15 Agency FNMA/FHLMC fixed rate securities with a carrying value of $627.3 million. See Note 5 to Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information about our agency FNMA/FHLMC securities.
In April 2010, we made a cash investment of $75.0 million through two of our CDOs in a new loan to Intrawest Cayman L.P. and its subsidiaries (“Intrawest”), which is a portfolio company of private equity funds managed by an affiliate of our Manager. In addition, Mr. Wesley R. Edens is Chairman of our board of directors and a director of Intrawest, and has an indirect ownership interest in Intrawest. Interest on the loan is accrued and deferred until maturity in 2019. In accordance with the loan agreement, as of April 24, 2015, the accrued and deferred interest rate stepped-up from 15.55% to 22.50%.  On September 23, 2016, Drive Shack Inc. received a $109.9 million pay down on this loan. The face amount of the loan was $61.0 million as of December 31, 2016. Interest accrued on the loan accounts for a significant portion of our interest income and Core Earnings (as defined in Part II, Item 6. “Selected Financial Data” under “Core Earnings”). We could be adversely affected if we are unable to recover our investment in the loan.

For a further discussion of the change in our reportable segments in addition to financial results, see Note 4 to Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” See Note 13 to Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information about transactions with affiliates and affiliated entities.


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Developments in 2016
Traditional Golf - Long-Term Financing
In June 2016, the Company obtained third-party financing on 22 traditional golf properties for a total of $102.0 million and used $64.9 million of the proceeds to repay its golf loans repurchase agreement. See Note 11 to Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information.

Traditional Golf - Property Updates
In January 2016, the lease on a golf property in Oregon expired and we did not renew the lease for such property. In July 2016, the lease on a golf property in California was terminated and we exited the property. In October 2016, the leases of certain golf properties in Georgia and California expired and we exited the properties.  In October 2016, we also entered into a management agreement for an 18-hole golf property in Tustin, California, for a term of 4.5 years.  In December 2016, the lease on a golf property in Oklahoma expired and we exited the property.

Entertainment Golf - Announced Inaugural Site
During November, the Company announced plans to develop its first entertainment golf venue, a three-story, innovative driving range and restaurant venue in Orlando, Florida.

Debt Investments - Continued Monetization
On September 23, 2016, we received a $109.9 million pay down on a corporate loan in the resorts industry (“the resort-related loan”) as further detailed in the “Debt Investments” section below. These proceeds will be used to reinvest in the development of Entertainment Golf. See Note 13 to Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information.

Corporate Shift - New Management & Structure
In September 2016, a new management team was put in place to drive the strategic priorities of the Company in its continued transformation to a leisure and entertainment company from a financial services company. In connection with this transformation, on February 23, 2017, the Company revoked its election to be treated as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) effective January 1, 2017. The Company operated in a manner intended to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes through December 31, 2016. See Note 15 to Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information.

Debt Obligations

Details regarding our debt obligations are presented in Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources,” as well as Note 11 to Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Our Investment Guidelines

In connection with our decision to terminate our election to be treated as a REIT (as discussed above), our board of directors approved updates to our investment guidelines to remove any REIT-related compliance requirements.

Our investment guidelines are purposefully broad to enable us to make investments in a wide array of assets. Our investment guidelines state:

•
no investment is to be made which would cause us to be regulated as an investment company;
•
no more than 20% of our total equity, determined as of the date of such investment, is to be invested in any single asset;
•
our leverage (as defined in our governing documents) is not to exceed 90% of the sum of our total debt and total equity; and
•
we are not to co-invest with the Manager or any of its affiliates unless (i) our co-investment is otherwise in accordance with these guidelines and (ii) the terms of such co-investment are at least as favorable to us as to the Manager or such affiliate (as applicable) making such co-investment.

These investment guidelines may be changed by our board of directors without the approval of our stockholders. We do not have specific policies as to the allocation among type of investment categories.


3

The Management Agreement

We are party to an amended and restated management agreement with FIG LLC, our Manager and an affiliate of Fortress (the “Management Agreement”), pursuant to which our Manager provides for a management team and other professionals who are responsible for implementing our business strategy, subject to the supervision of our board of directors.  Our Manager is responsible for, among other things, (i) setting investment criteria in accordance with broad investment guidelines adopted by our board of directors, (ii) sourcing, analyzing and executing acquisitions, (iii) providing financial and accounting management services and (iv) performing other duties as specified in the Management Agreement.

The Management Agreement provides for automatic one year extensions. Our independent directors review our Manager’s performance annually and the Management Agreement may be terminated annually upon the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our independent directors, or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock, based upon unsatisfactory performance that is materially detrimental to us or a determination by our independent directors that the management fee earned by our Manager is not fair, subject to our Manager’s right to prevent such a management fee compensation termination by accepting a mutually acceptable reduction of fees. Our Manager must be provided with 60 days’ prior notice of any such termination and would be paid a termination fee equal to the amount of the management fee earned by our Manager during the twelve month period preceding such termination, which may make it difficult and costly for us to terminate the management agreement. Following any termination of the Management Agreement, we shall be entitled to purchase our Manager’s right to receive the Incentive Compensation at a price determined as if our assets were sold for cash at their then current fair market value (as determined by an appraisal, taking into account, among other things, the expected future value of the underlying investments) or otherwise we may continue to pay the Incentive Compensation to our Manager. In addition, if we do not purchase our Manager’s Incentive Compensation, our Manager may require us to purchase the same at the price discussed above. In addition, the Management Agreement may be terminated by us at any time for cause.

In connection with our decision to terminate our election to be treated as a REIT (as discussed above), our board of directors approved the entry into an amended and restated Management Agreement with FIG LLC, our Manager and an affiliate of Fortress, effective January 1, 2017, to remove any REIT-related compliance requirements and to reflect our decision to change our name to Drive Shack Inc.

On February 14, 2017, Fortress announced that it had entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with an affiliate of SoftBank Group Corp. (“SoftBank”), pursuant to which Fortress will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the SoftBank affiliate (the “Merger”). In connection with the Merger, Fortress will operate within SoftBank as an independent business headquartered in New York. Fortress’s senior investment professionals are expected to remain in place, including those individuals who perform services for us.

See Note 13 to Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for further information related to the terms of the management agreement.

Policies with Respect to Certain Other Activities

Subject to the approval of our board of directors, we have the authority to offer our common stock or other equity or debt securities in exchange for property and to repurchase or otherwise reacquire our shares or any other securities and may engage in such activities in the future. We also may make loans to, or provide guarantees of certain obligations of, our subsidiaries. We may engage in the purchase and sale of investments. Our officers and directors may change any of these policies and our investment guidelines without a vote of our stockholders. In the event that we determine to raise additional equity capital, our board of directors has the authority, without stockholder approval (subject to certain NYSE requirements), to issue additional common stock or preferred stock in any manner and on such terms and for such consideration it deems appropriate, including in exchange for property. Decisions regarding the form and other characteristics of the financing for our investments are made by our Manager subject to the general investment guidelines adopted by our board of directors.

Competition

We operate in a highly competitive industry, and compete primarily on the basis of reputation, location and the perceived value of our properties and facilities. Our ability to compete with other golf and entertainment facilities directly affects our ability to succeed.

In addition, we are subject to significant competition in seeking investments. We compete with other companies, including publicly traded golf, leisure and/or entertainment companies, private equity firms and other investors including funds and companies

4

affiliated with our Manager. Some of our competitors have greater resources than we possess, or have greater access to capital or various types of financing than are available to us, and we may not be able to compete successfully for investments or provide attractive investments returns relative to our competitors. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will be able to identify opportunities or complete transactions on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that we will actually realize any targeted benefits from such acquisitions, investments or alliances.

We also compete for discretionary leisure and entertainment spending with other types of recreational and entertainment facilities, including entertainment retail and restaurants. Some of these establishments may exist in multiple locations, and we may also face competition in the future from other entertainment retail concepts that are similar to ours.

For more information about the competition we face generally and in our Traditional and Entertainment Golf businesses specifically, see Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Competition in the industry in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.”
Seasonality

Traditional Golf is subject to seasonal fluctuations caused by significant reductions in golf activities as well as revenue in the first and fourth quarters of each year, due to shorter days and colder temperatures.  Consequently, a significantly larger portion of our revenue from our Traditional Golf operations is earned in the second and third quarters of our fiscal year. In addition, severe weather patterns can also negatively impact our results of operations.

Government Regulation of Our Traditional Golf Business

Our Traditional Golf properties and operations are subject to a number of environmental laws. As a result, we may be required to incur costs to comply with the requirements of these laws, such as those relating to water resources, discharges to air, water and land, the handling and disposal of solid and hazardous waste, and the cleanup of properties affected by regulated materials. Under these and other environmental requirements, we may be required to investigate and clean up hazardous or toxic substances or chemical releases from currently owned, formerly owned or operated facilities.

Environmental laws typically impose cleanup responsibility and liability without regard to whether the relevant entity knew of or caused the presence of the contaminants. We may use certain substances and generate certain wastes that may be deemed hazardous or toxic under such laws, and from time to time have incurred, and in the future may incur, costs related to cleaning up contamination resulting from historic uses of certain of our current or former properties or our treatment, storage or disposal of wastes at facilities owned by others. Our facilities are also subject to risks associated with mold, asbestos and other indoor building contaminants. The costs of investigation, remediation or removal of regulated materials may be substantial, and the presence of those substances, or the failure to remediate a property properly, may impair our ability to use, transfer or obtain financing for our property. We may be required to incur costs to remediate potential environmental hazards, mitigate environmental risks in the future, or comply with other environmental requirements.

In addition, in order to improve, upgrade or expand some of our facilities, we may be subject to environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act and, for projects in California, the California Environmental Quality Act. Both acts require that a specified government agency study any proposal for potential environmental impacts and include in its analysis various alternatives. Any improvement proposal may not be approved or may be approved with modifications that substantially increase the cost or decrease the desirability of implementing the project.

We are also subject to regulation by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration and similar health and safety laws in other jurisdictions. These regulations impact a number of aspects of operations, including golf course maintenance and food handling and preparation.

The ownership and operation of our facilities subjects us to federal, state and local laws regulating zoning, land development, land use, building design and construction, and other real estate-related laws and regulations.

Our facilities and operations are subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (the “ADA”). The rules implementing the ADA have been further revised by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, which included additional compliance requirements for golf facilities and recreational areas. The ADA generally requires that we remove architectural barriers when readily achievable so that our facilities are made accessible to people with disabilities. Noncompliance could result in imposition of fines or an award of damages to private litigants. Federal legislation or regulations may further amend the ADA to impose more stringent requirements with which we would have to comply.


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We are also subject to various local, state and federal laws, regulations and administrative practices affecting our business. For instance, we must comply with provisions regulating equal employment, minimum wages, and licensing requirements and regulations for the sale of food and alcoholic beverages.

Taxation

On February 23, 2017, the Company revoked its election to be treated as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”), effective January 1, 2017. The Company operated in a manner intended to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes through December 31, 2016. Beginning January 1, 2017, we are generally subject to federal income tax, including any applicable alternative minimum tax, on our taxable income at regular corporate rates, and distributions to stockholders declared on or after January 1, 2017 are not deductible by us in computing our taxable income. Any such corporate tax liability could be substantial, including due to certain deferred cancellation of indebtedness income. Although we have net operating losses that may be available to reduce our taxable income for U.S. federal income tax purposes and thereby reduce this tax liability, no assurances can be given that those losses will remain usable or will not become subject to limitations (including under Section 382 of the Code), and those losses may in any event not be usable in reducing our income for alternative minimum tax, state, local or other tax purposes. In particular, as discussed in more detail below, if the Company has undergone or were to undergo an “ownership change” for purposes of Section 382 of the Code, the Company could incur materially greater tax liability than if the Company had not undergone such an ownership change. For additional information, see Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors.”
 
Employees

As described above under “– The Management Agreement,” we are managed by FIG LLC, an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC. As a result, except in our golf operations which are discussed below, we have no employees. The employees of FIG LLC are not a party to any collective bargaining agreements.

Traditional Golf and Entertainment Golf

As of December 31, 2016, there were approximately 4,700 employees at our golf facilities, consisting primarily of hourly employees. Other than a small group of golf course maintenance staff at one of our clubs, our employees are not unionized. We believe we have a good working relationship with our employees, and our business has not experienced interruptions as a result of labor disputes.

Corporate Governance and Internet Address; Where Readers Can Find Additional Information

We emphasize the importance of professional business conduct and ethics through our corporate governance initiatives. Our board of directors consists of a majority of independent directors; the Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance committees of our board of directors are composed exclusively of independent directors. We have adopted corporate governance guidelines, and a code of business conduct and ethics, which delineate our standards for our officers and directors, and employees of our Manager.

Drive Shack Inc. files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the ‘‘Exchange Act’’), with the SEC. Readers may read and copy any document that Drive Shack Inc. files at the SEC’s Public Reference Room located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, U.S.A. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the Public Reference Room. Our SEC filings are also available to the public from the SEC’s internet site at http://www.sec.gov.

Our internet site is http://www.driveshack.com. We make available free of charge through our internet site our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and Forms 3, 4 and 5 filed on behalf of directors and executive officers and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Also posted on our website in the ‘‘Investor Relations—Corporate Governance” section are charters for the Company’s Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee as well as our Corporate Governance Guidelines and our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics governing our directors, officers and employees. Information on, or accessible through, our website is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this report.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

Before you invest in our common stock, you should carefully consider the risks involved, including the risks set forth below.

Risks Related to Our Business
We may not be able to retain members at our public and private properties, and attract golf rounds played, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends on our ability to retain members at our public and private properties, attract golf rounds played and maintain or increase revenues generated from our properties. Changes in consumer financial condition, leisure tastes and preferences, particularly those affecting the popularity of golf, and other social and demographic trends could adversely affect our business. Significant periods where attrition rates exceed enrollment rates or where facilities usage is below historical levels would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. If we cannot attract new members, retain our existing members, or maintain golf rounds played, our financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.

Changes in consumer financial condition, leisure tastes and preferences, spending patterns, particularly discretionary expenditures for leisure and recreation, are subject to factors beyond our control that may impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Consumer spending patterns, particularly discretionary expenditures for leisure and recreation, are subject to factors beyond our control that may impact our business, including demand for memberships, golf rounds played, and food and beverage sales. These factors include:

•
economic recessions or downturns;

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increased unemployment

•
low consumer confidence and outlook;

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depressed housing markets;

•
decreased corporate spending, including on events or tournaments;

•
natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards, droughts and floods;

•
outbreaks of epidemic, pandemic or contagious diseases;

•
war, terrorist activities or threats and heightened travel security measures instituted in response to these events; and

•
the financial condition of the airline, automotive and other transportation-related industries and its impact on travel.

These factors and other global, national and regional conditions can adversely affect, and from time to time have adversely affected, individual properties, particular regions or our business as a whole. Any one or more of these factors could limit or reduce demand or the rates are able to charge for our memberships, services, or rounds, which could harm our business and results of operations.

Our businesses will remain subject to future economic recessions or downturns, and any significant adverse shift in increased unemployment and general economic conditions, whether local, regional, national or global, or in geographic areas in which we have concentrations of golf properties, such as California, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. During such periods of adverse economic conditions, we may be unable to increase membership dues or the price of our rounds, products and services and may experience increased rates of resignations of existing members, a decrease in the rate of new member enrollment, a decrease in golf rounds played or reduced spending on our properties, any of which may result in, among other things, financial losses and decreased revenues.

Unusual weather patterns and extreme weather events, as well as periodic and quasi-periodic weather patterns, could adversely affect the value of our golf courses or negatively impact our business and results of operations.

Our golf business is subject to various risks that may not apply to our other investments. For example, unusual weather patterns

7

and extreme weather events, such as heavy rains, prolonged snow accumulations, high winds, extended heat waves and drought, could negatively affect the income generated by our facilities. The maintenance of satisfactory turf grass conditions on our golf properties requires significant amounts of water. Our ability to irrigate a golf course could be adversely affected by a drought or other cause of water shortage, such as government imposed restrictions on water usage. Additionally, we may be subject to significant increases in the cost of water. We have a concentration of golf facilities in states (such as California, Georgia, New York and Texas) that experience periods of unusually hot, cold, dry or rainy weather. Unfavorable weather patterns in such states, or any other circumstance or event that causes a prolonged disruption in the operations of our facilities in such states (including, without limitation, economic and demographic changes in these areas), could have a particularly adverse impact on our Traditional Golf business. See “–We may not be able to retain members and attract golf rounds played, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations” and “–Economic recessions or downturns could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

We have significant operations concentrated in certain geographic areas, and any disruption in the operations of our properties in any of these areas could harm our results of operations.

As of December 31, 2016, we operated multiple golf properties in several metropolitan areas, including 31 in the greater Los Angeles, California region. As a result, any prolonged disruption in the operations of our properties in any of these markets, whether due to technical difficulties, power failures or destruction or damage to the properties as a result of a natural disaster, fire or any other reason, could harm our results of operations or may result in property closures. In addition, some of the metropolitan areas where we operate properties could be disproportionately affected by regional economic conditions, such as declining home prices and rising unemployment. Concentration in these markets increases our exposure to adverse developments related to competition, as well as economic and demographic changes in these areas.

Seasonality may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Seasonality will affect our golf business’s results of operations. Usage of golf facilities tends to decline significantly during the first and fourth quarters, when colder temperatures and shorter days reduce the demand for outdoor activities. As a result, we expect the golf business to generate a disproportionate share of its annual revenue in the second and third quarters of each year. Accordingly, our golf business is especially vulnerable to events that may negatively impact its operations during the second and third quarters, when guest and member usage is highest.

Competition in the industry in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We operate in a highly competitive industry, and compete primarily on the basis of reputation, featured facilities, location, quality and breadth of member product offerings and price. As a result, competition for market share in the industry in which we compete is significant. In order to succeed, we must take market share from local and regional competitors and sustain our membership base in the face of increasing recreational alternatives available to our existing and prospective members. Our business properties compete on a local and regional level with restaurants and other business and social clubs. The number and variety of competitors in this business varies based on the location and setting of each facility, with some situated in intensely competitive upscale urban areas characterized by frequent innovations in the products and services offered by competing restaurants and other business, dining and social clubs. In addition, in most regions, these businesses are in constant flux as new restaurants and other social and meeting venues open or expand their amenities. As a result of these characteristics, the supply in a given region often exceeds the demand for such facilities, and any increase in the number or quality of restaurants and other social and meeting venues, or the products and services they provide, in a given region could significantly impact the ability of our properties to attract and retain members, which could harm our business and results of operations.

Our golf properties compete on a local and regional level with other country clubs and golf properties. The level of competition in the golf business varies from region to region and is subject to change as existing facilities are renovated or new facilities are developed. An increase in the number or quality of similar clubs and other facilities in a particular region could significantly increase competition, which could have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.

Our results of operations also could be affected by a number of additional competitive factors, including the availability of, and demand for, alternative venues for recreational pursuits, such as multi-use sports and athletic centers. In addition, member-owned and individual privately-owned clubs may be able to create a perception of exclusivity that we have difficulty replicating given the diversity of our portfolio and the scope of our holdings. To the extent these alternatives succeed in diverting actual or prospective members away from our facilities or affect our membership rates, our business and results of operations could be harmed.


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Our large workforce subjects us to risks associated with increases in the cost of labor as a result of increased competition for employees, higher employee turnover rates and required wage increases and health benefit coverage, lawsuits or labor union activity.

Labor is one of our primary property-level operating expenses. We may face labor shortages or increased labor costs because of increased competition for employees, higher employee turnover rates, or increases in the federal or state minimum wage or other employee benefit costs. For example, if the federal minimum wage were increased significantly, we would have to assess the financial impact on our operations as we have a large population of hourly employees. If labor-related expenses increase, our operating expense could increase and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.

We are subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act and various federal and state laws governing such matters as minimum wage requirements, overtime compensation and other working conditions, citizenship requirements, discrimination and family and medical leave. In recent years, a number of companies have been subject to lawsuits, including class action lawsuits, alleging violations of federal and state law regarding workplace and employment matters, overtime wage policies, discrimination and similar matters. A number of these lawsuits have resulted in the payment of substantial damages by the defendants. Similar lawsuits may be threatened or instituted against us from time to time, and we may incur substantial damages and expenses resulting from lawsuits of this type, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Increases in our cost of goods, rent, water, utilities and taxes could reduce our operating margins and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Increases in operating costs due to inflation and other factors may not be directly offset by increased revenue. Our most significant operating costs, other than labor, are our cost of goods, water, utilities, rent and property taxes. Many, and in some cases all, of the factors affecting these costs are beyond our control. Our cost of goods such as food and beverage costs account for a significant portion of our total property-level operating expense. While we have not experienced material increases in the cost of goods, if our cost of goods increased significantly and we are not able to pass along those increased costs to our members in the form of higher prices or otherwise, our operating margins would suffer, which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
    
In addition, rent accounts for a significant portion of our property-level operating expense. Significant increases in our rent costs would increase our operating expense and our business, financial condition and results of operations may suffer. The prices of utilities are volatile, and shortages sometimes occur. In particular, municipalities are increasingly placing restrictions on the use of water for golf course irrigation and increasing the cost of water. Significant increases in the cost of our utilities, or any shortages, could interrupt or curtail our operations and lower our operating margins, which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Each of our properties is subject to real and personal property taxes. The real and personal property taxes on our properties may increase or decrease as tax rates change and as our properties are assessed or reassessed by taxing authorities. If real and personal property taxes increase, our financial condition and results of operations may suffer.

We could be required to make material cash outlays in future periods if the number of initiation deposit refund requests we receive materially increases or if we are required to surrender unclaimed initiation deposits to state authorities under applicable escheatment laws.

We may be required to make significant cash outlays in connection with initiation fee deposits. Members of our private properties are generally required to pay an initiation fee deposit upon their acceptance as a member and, in most cases, such deposits are fully refundable after a fixed number of years (typically 30 years) and upon the occurrence of other contract-specific conditions. While we will make a refund to any member whose initiation fee deposit is eligible to be refunded, we may be subject to various states’ escheatment laws with respect to initiation fee deposits that have not been refunded to members. All states have escheatment laws and generally require companies to remit to the state cash in an amount equal to unclaimed and abandoned property after a specified period of dormancy, which is typically 3 to 5 years. Moreover, most of the states in which we conduct business hire independent agents to conduct unclaimed and abandoned property audits. We currently do not remit to states any amounts relating to initiation fee deposits that are eligible to be refunded to members based upon our interpretation of the applicability of such laws to initiation fee deposits. The analysis of the potential application of escheatment laws to our initiation fee deposits is complex, involving an analysis of constitutional and statutory provisions and contractual and factual issues. While we do not believe that initiation fee deposits must be escheated, we may be forced to remit such amounts if we are challenged and fail to prevail in our position.

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We have concentrated our investments in golf-related and business real estate and facilities, which are subject to numerous risks, including the risk that the values of our investments may decline if there is a prolonged downturn in real estate values.

Our operations consist almost entirely of golf properties that encompass a large amount of real estate holdings. Accordingly, we are subject to the risks associated with holding real estate investments. A prolonged decline in the popularity of traditional golf could adversely affect the value of our real estate holdings and could make it difficult to sell facilities or businesses.

Our real estate holdings (including our long-term leaseholds) are subject to risks typically associated with investments in real estate. The investment returns available from equity investments in real estate depend in large part on the amount of income earned, expenses incurred and capital appreciation generated by the related properties. In addition, a variety of other factors affect income from properties and real estate values, including governmental regulations, real estate, insurance, zoning, tax and eminent domain laws, interest rate levels and the availability of financing. For example, new or existing real estate zoning or tax laws can make it more expensive and time-consuming to expand, modify or renovate older properties. Under eminent domain laws, governments can take real property. Sometimes this taking is for less compensation than the owner believes the property is worth. Any of these factors could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The illiquidity of real estate may make it difficult for us to dispose of one or more of our properties or negatively affect our ability to profitably sell such properties.

We may from time to time decide to dispose of one or more of our real estate assets. Because real estate holdings generally, and properties like ours in particular, are relatively illiquid, we may not be able to dispose of one or more real estate assets on a timely basis. In some circumstances, sales may result in investment losses which could adversely affect our financial condition. The illiquidity of our real estate assets could mean that we continue to operate a facility that management has identified for disposition. Failure to dispose of a real estate asset in a timely fashion, or at all, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Timing, budgeting and other risks could delay our efforts to develop, redevelop or renovate the properties that we own, or make these activities more expensive, which could reduce our profits or impair our ability to compete effectively.

We must regularly expend capital to construct, maintain and renovate the properties that we own in order to remain competitive, pursue our business strategies, maintain and build the value and brand standards of our properties and comply with applicable laws and regulations. We must also periodically upgrade or replace the furniture, fixtures and equipment necessary to operate our business. These efforts are subject to a number of risks, including:

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construction delays or cost overruns (including labor and materials) that may increase project costs;

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obtaining zoning, occupancy and other required permits or authorizations;

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governmental restrictions on the size or kind of development;

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force majeure events, including earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes or floods;

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design defects that could increase costs; and

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environmental concerns which may create delays or increase costs.

Our insurance policies may not provide adequate levels of coverage against all claims and we may incur losses that are not covered by our insurance.

There are certain types of losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, terrorism or acts of war, that may be uninsurable or not economically insurable. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations, and other factors, including terrorism or acts of war, also might make the insurance proceeds insufficient to repair or replace a property, including a golf property, if it is damaged or destroyed. Under such circumstances, the insurance proceeds received might not be adequate to restore our economic position with respect to the affected real property. As a result of the events of September 11, 2001, insurance companies have limited or excluded coverage for acts of terrorism in insurance policies. As a result, we may suffer losses from acts of terrorism that are not covered by insurance.


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In addition, the mortgage loans that are secured by certain of the properties in which we have interests contain customary covenants, including covenants that require property insurance to be maintained in an amount equal to the replacement cost of the properties. There can be no assurance that the lenders under these mortgage loans will not take the position that exclusions from coverage for losses due to terrorist acts is a breach of a covenant which, if uncured, could allow the lenders to declare an event of default and accelerate repayment of the mortgage loans.

Accidents or injuries in our properties or in connection with our operations may subject us to liability, and accidents or injuries could negatively impact our reputation and attendance, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

There are inherent risks of accidents or injuries at our properties or in connection with our operations, including injuries from premises liabilities such as slips, trips and falls. If accidents or injuries occur at any of our properties, we may be held liable for costs related to the injuries. We maintain insurance of the type and in the amounts that we believe are commercially reasonable and that are available to businesses in our industry, but there can be no assurance that our liability insurance will be adequate or available at all times and in all circumstances. There can also be no assurance that the liability insurance we have carried in the past was adequate or available to cover any liability related to previous incidents. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed to the extent claims and associated expenses resulting from accidents or injuries exceed our insurance recoveries.

The failure to comply with regulations relating to public facilities or the failure to retain licenses or permits relating to our properties may harm our business and results of operations.

Our business is subject to extensive federal, state and local government regulation in the various jurisdictions in which our properties are located, including regulations relating to alcoholic beverage control, public health and safety, environmental hazards and food safety. Alcoholic beverage control regulations require each of our properties to obtain licenses and permits to sell alcoholic beverages on the premises. Typically, licenses must be renewed annually and may be revoked or suspended for cause at any time. In some states, the loss of a license for cause with respect to one location may lead to the loss of licenses at all locations in that state and could make it more difficult to obtain additional licenses in that state. Alcoholic beverage control regulations relate to numerous aspects of the daily operations of each venue, including minimum age of patrons and employees, hours of operation, advertising, wholesale purchasing, inventory control and handling and storage and dispensing of alcoholic beverages.

The failure of a property to obtain or retain its licenses and permits would adversely affect that property’s operations and profitability, as well as our ability to obtain such a license or permit in other locations. We may also be subject to dram shop statutes in certain states, which generally provide a person injured by an intoxicated person the right to recover damages from an establishment that wrongfully served alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated person. Even though we are covered by general liability insurance, a settlement or judgment against us under a dram shop lawsuit in excess of liability coverage could have a material adverse effect on our operations.

We are also subject to the ADA which, among other things, may require certain renovations to our facilities to comply with access and use requirements. A determination that we are not in compliance with the ADA or any other similar law or regulation could result in the imposition of fines or an award of damages to private litigants. While we believe we are operating in substantial compliance, and will continue to remove architectural barriers in our facilities when readily achievable, in accordance with current applicable laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that our expenses for compliance with these laws and regulations will not increase significantly and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Businesses operating in the private country club industry are also subject to numerous other federal, state and local governmental regulations related to building and zoning requirements and the use and operation of clubs, including changes to building codes and fire and life safety codes, which can affect our ability to obtain and maintain licenses relating to our business and properties. If we were required to make substantial modifications at our properties to comply with these regulations, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted.

Environmental compliance costs and liabilities related to real estate that we own, or in which we have interests, may adversely affect our results of operations.

Our operating costs may be affected by the cost of complying with existing or future environmental laws, ordinances and regulations with respect to the properties, or loans secured by such properties, or by environmental problems that materially impair the value of such properties. Under various federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations, a current or previous owner or operator of real property may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of hazardous or toxic substances on,

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under, or in such property. Such laws often impose liability whether or not the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of such hazardous or toxic substances. In addition, the presence of hazardous or toxic substances, or the failure to remediate properly, may adversely affect the owner’s ability to borrow using such real property as collateral. Certain environmental laws and common law principles could be used to impose liability for releases of hazardous materials, including asbestos-containing materials, into the environment, and third parties may seek recovery from owners or operators of real properties for personal injury associated with exposure to released asbestos-containing materials or other hazardous materials. Environmental laws may also impose restrictions on the manner in which a property may be used or transferred or in which businesses it may be operated, and these restrictions may require expenditures. In connection with the direct or indirect ownership and operation of properties, we may be potentially liable for any such costs. The cost of defending against claims of liability or remediating contaminated property and the cost of complying with environmental laws could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Our growth strategy depends on our ability to develop and open new entertainment venues and operate them profitably.
A key element of our growth strategy is to develop and open entertainment golf venues. We have identified a number of sites for potential future entertainment golf venues. Our ability to develop and open these venues on a timely and cost-effective basis, or at all, is dependent on a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including but not limited to our ability to:
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find quality locations;
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reach acceptable agreements regarding the lease or purchase of locations;
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comply with applicable zoning, licensing, land use and environmental regulations;
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raise or have available an adequate amount of cash or currently available financing for construction and opening costs;
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adequately complete construction for operations;
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timely hire, train and retain the skilled management and other employees necessary to meet staffing needs;
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obtain, for acceptable cost, required permits and approvals, including liquor licenses; and
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efficiently manage the amount of time and money used to build and open each new venue.
If we succeed in opening entertainment golf venues on a timely and cost-effective basis, we may nonetheless be unable to attract enough customers to these new venues because potential customers may be unfamiliar with our venue or concept, or our entertainment and menu options might not appeal to them. New venues may operate at a loss, which could have a significant adverse effect on our overall operating results. Opening new entertainment golf venues in an existing market of our competitors could reduce the revenue at our existing venues in that market.
Our procurement of certain materials for developing, redeveloping or renovating our venues is dependent upon a few suppliers.
Our ability to continue to procure certain materials is important to our business strategy for developing, redeveloping or renovating our venues. The number of suppliers from which we can purchase our materials is limited. To the extent that the number of suppliers declines, we could be subject to the risk of distribution delays, pricing pressure, lack of innovation and other associated risks which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Changes in laws, regulations and other requirements could adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
We are also subject to federal, state and local environmental laws, regulations and other requirements. More stringent and varied requirements of local and state governmental bodies with respect to zoning, land use and environmental factors could delay or prevent development of new stores in particular locations. Environmental laws and regulations also govern, among other things, discharges of pollutants into the air and water as well as the presence, handling, release and disposal of and exposure to hazardous substances. These laws provide for significant fines and penalties for noncompliance. Third parties may also make personal injury, property damage or other claims against us associated with actual or alleged release of, or exposure to, hazardous substances at our properties. We could also be strictly liable, without regard to fault, for certain environmental conditions at properties we formerly owned or operated as well as our current properties.

Our investments in loans, and the loans underlying our investments in securities, are subject to delinquency, foreclosure and loss which could result in losses to us and expose us to additional risks.

Mortgage and asset-backed securities are bonds or notes backed by loans and/or other financial assets and include commercial mortgage-backed securities, FNMA/FHLMC securities, and real estate related asset-backed securities. The ability of a borrower

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to repay these loans or other financial assets is dependent upon the income or assets of these borrowers. If a borrower has insufficient income or assets to repay these loans, it will default on its loan. While we intend to focus on real estate related asset-backed securities, there can be no assurance that we will not invest in other types of asset-backed securities.

Our investments in mortgage and asset-backed securities will be adversely affected by defaults under the loans underlying such securities. To the extent losses are realized on the loans underlying the securities in which we invest, we may not recover the amount invested in, or, in extreme cases, any of our investment in such securities.

Declines in real estate values could harm our results of operations.

We believe the risks associated with our business are more severe during periods in which an economic slowdown or recession is accompanied by declining real estate values. Borrowers may be less able to pay principal and interest on our loans, and the loans underlying our securities, if the economy weakens. Further, declining real estate values significantly increase the likelihood that we will incur losses on our loans and securities in the event of default because the value of our collateral may be insufficient to cover our basis. Any sustained period of increased payment delinquencies, foreclosures or losses could adversely affect our net interest income from loans and securities in our portfolio, as well as our ability to sell and securitize loans, which would significantly harm our revenues, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, business prospects and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. For more information on the impact of market conditions on our business and results of operations generally, see Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations–Market Considerations.”

Lawsuits, investigations and indemnification claims could result in significant liabilities and reputational harm, which could materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

From time to time, we are and may become involved in lawsuits, inquiries or investigations or receive claims for indemnification. Our efforts to resolve any such lawsuits, inquiries, investigations or claims could be very expensive and highly damaging to our reputation, even if the underlying claims are without merit. We could potentially be found liable for significant damages or indemnification obligations. Such developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our risk of litigation includes, but is not limited to, lawsuits that could be brought by users of our traditional golf properties and property-level employees in our Traditional Golf business. For instance, we are subject to federal and state laws governing minimum wage requirements, overtime compensation, discrimination and family and medical leave. Any lawsuit alleging a violation of any such laws could result in a settlement or other resolution that requires us to make a substantial payment, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, accidents or injuries in connection with our traditional golf properties could subject us to liability and reputational harm.

A failure in our systems or infrastructure which maintain our internal and customer data, or those of our third-party service providers, including as a result of cyber-attacks, could result in faulty business decisions or harm to our reputation or subject us to costs, fines or lawsuits.

Certain information relating to our members and guests, including personally identifiable information and credit card numbers, is collected and maintained by us, or by third-parties with which we do business or which facilitate our business activities. This information is maintained for a period of time for various business purposes, including maintaining records of member preferences to enhance our customer service and for billing, marketing and promotional purposes. We also maintain personally identifiable information about our employees. The integrity and protection of our customer, employee and company data is critical to our business. Our members and our employees expect that we will adequately protect their personal information, and the regulations applicable to security and privacy are increasingly demanding. Privacy regulation is an evolving area and compliance with applicable privacy regulations may increase our operating costs or adversely impact our ability to service our members and guests and market our properties and services to our members and guests.

To date we have not experienced any material losses relating to cyber-attacks, computer viruses or other systems or infrastructure failures. While we have cyber security procedures in place, given the evolving nature of these threats, there can be no assurance that we will not suffer material losses in the future due to cyber-attacks or other systems or infrastructure failures. A theft, loss, misappropriation, fraudulent or unlawful use of customer, employee or company data, including in connection with one or more cyber-attacks on us or one of our third-party providers, could harm our reputation, result in loss of members or business disruption or result in remedial and other costs, fines or lawsuits. In addition, non-compliance with applicable privacy regulations by us (or

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in some circumstances non-compliance by third-parties engaged by us) could result in fines or restrictions on our use or transfer of data. Any of these matters could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We rely on information technology in our operations, and any material failure, inadequacy, interruption or security failure of that technology could harm our business.

We rely on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit and store electronic information and to manage or support a variety of our business processes, including financial transactions and maintenance of records, which in the case of our Traditional Golf business, may include personal identifying information. We rely on commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide security for processing, transmitting and storing this confidential information, such as individually identifiable information relating to financial accounts. Although we have taken steps to protect the security of the data maintained in our information systems, it is possible that our security measures will not be able to prevent the systems’ improper functioning, or the improper disclosure of personally identifiable information such as in the event of cyber attacks. Security breaches, including physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses, attacks by hackers and similar breaches, can create system disruptions, shutdowns or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. Any failure to maintain proper function, security and availability of our information systems could interrupt our operations, damage our reputation, subject us to liability claims or regulatory penalties and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our investments may be subject to significant impairment charges, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

We are required to periodically evaluate our investments for impairment indicators. The value of an investment is impaired when our analysis indicates that, with respect to a loan, it is probable that we will not be able to collect the full amount we intended to collect from the loan or, with respect to a security or golf property, it is probable that the value of the security or golf property is other than temporarily impaired. The judgment regarding the existence of impairment indicators is based on a variety of factors depending upon the nature of the investment and the manner in which the income related to such investment was calculated for purposes of our financial statements. If we determine that an impairment has occurred, we are required to make an adjustment to the net carrying value of the investment and the amount of accrued interest recognized as income from such investment, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Market conditions could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The markets in which we operate are affected by a number of factors that are largely beyond our control but can nonetheless have a potentially significant, negative impact on us. These factors include, among other things:

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Interest rates and credit spreads;

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The availability of credit, including the price, terms and conditions under which it can be obtained;

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The quality, pricing and availability of suitable investments and credit losses with respect to our investments;

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The ability to obtain accurate market-based valuations;

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Loan values relative to the value of the underlying real estate assets;

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Default rates on both residential and commercial mortgages and the amount of the related losses;

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Prepayment speeds;

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The actual and perceived state of the real estate markets, the U.S. economy and public capital markets generally;

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Unemployment rates; and

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The attractiveness of other types of investments relative to investments in real estate or generally.

Changes in these factors are difficult to predict, and a change in one factor can affect other factors. For example, during 2007, increased default rates in the subprime mortgage market played a role in causing credit spreads to widen, reducing availability of

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credit on favorable terms, reducing liquidity and price transparency of real estate related assets, resulting in difficulty in obtaining accurate mark-to-market valuations, and causing a negative perception of the state of the real estate. These conditions worsened during 2008, and intensified meaningfully during the fourth quarter of 2008 as a result of the global credit and liquidity crisis, resulting in extraordinarily challenging market conditions. Since then, despite recent market volatility, market conditions have generally improved, but they could deteriorate in the future for a variety of reasons.

We have assumed the role of manager of numerous CDOs previously managed by a third party. Each such engagement exposes us to a number of potential risks.

Changes within our industry may result in CDO collateral managers being replaced. In such instances, we have sought to be engaged as the collateral manager of CDOs currently managed by third parties. For example, in February 2011, one of our subsidiaries became the collateral manager of certain CDOs previously managed by C-BASS Investment Management LLC (“C-BASS”).

While being engaged as the collateral manager of such CDOs potentially enables us to grow our business, it also entails a number of risks that could harm our reputation, results of operations and financial condition. For example, we purchased the management rights with respect to the C-BASS CDOs pursuant to a bankruptcy proceeding. As a result, we were not able to conduct extensive due diligence on the CDO assets even though many classes of securities issued by the CDOs were rated as “distressed” by the rating agencies as of the most recent rating date prior to our becoming the collateral manager of the CDOs. We may willingly or unknowingly assume actual or contingent liabilities for significant expenses, we may become subject to new laws and regulations with which we are not familiar, and we may become subject to increased risk of litigation, regulatory investigation or negative publicity. For example, we determined that it would be prudent to register the subsidiary that became the collateral manager of the C-BASS CDOs as a registered investment adviser, which has increased our regulatory compliance costs. In addition to defending against litigation and complying with regulatory requirements, being engaged as collateral manager may require us to invest other resources for various other reasons, which could detract from our ability to capitalize on future opportunities. Moreover, being engaged as collateral manager may require us to integrate complex technological, accounting and management systems, which may be difficult, expensive and time-consuming and which we may not be successful in integrating into our current systems. In addition to the risk that we face if we are successful in becoming the manager of additional CDOs, we may attempt but fail to become the collateral manager of CDOs in the future, which could harm our reputation and subject us to costly litigation. Finally, if we include the financial performance of the C-BASS CDOs or other CDOs for which we become the collateral manager in our public filings, we are subject to the risk that, particularly during the period immediately after we become the collateral manager, this information may prove to be inaccurate or incomplete. The occurrence of any of these negative integration events could negatively impact our reputation with both regulators and investors, which could, in turn, subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny and impair our relationships with the investment community. The occurrence of any of these problems could negatively affect our reputation, financial condition and results of operations.

The lenders under our repurchase agreements may elect not to extend financing to us, which could quickly and seriously impair our liquidity.

We have historically financed a meaningful portion of our investments in securities and loans with repurchase agreements, which are short-term financing arrangements, and we may enter into additional repurchase agreements in the future. Under the terms of these agreements, we sell a security or loan to a counterparty for a specified price and concurrently agree to repurchase the same security or loan from our counterparty at a later date for a higher specified price. During the term of the repurchase agreement-generally 30 days-the counterparty makes funds available to us and holds the security or loan as collateral. Our counterparties can also require us to post additional margin as collateral at any time during the term of the agreement. When the term of a repurchase agreement ends, we are required to repurchase the security or loan for the specified repurchase price, with the difference between the sale and repurchase prices serving as the equivalent of paying interest to the counterparty in return for extending financing to us. If we want to continue to finance the security or loan with a repurchase agreement, we ask the counterparty to extend-or “roll”-the repurchase agreement for another term.

Our counterparties are not required to roll our repurchase agreements upon the expiration of their stated terms, which subjects us to a number of risks. As we have experienced in the past and may experience in the future, counterparties electing to roll our repurchase agreements may charge higher spreads and impose more onerous terms upon us, including the requirement that we post additional margin as collateral. More significantly, if a repurchase agreement counterparty elects not to extend our financing, we would be required to pay the counterparty the full repurchase price on the maturity date and find an alternate source of financing. Alternate sources of financing may be more expensive, contain more onerous terms or may not be available in a timely manner or at all. If we were unable to pay the repurchase price for any security or loan financed with a repurchase agreement, the counterparty has the right to sell the underlying security or loan being held as collateral and require us to compensate for any

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shortfall between the value of our obligation to the counterparty and the amount for which the collateral was sold (which may be a significantly discounted price). As of December 31, 2016, we had $601.0 million outstanding face amount under repurchase agreement financings. These repurchase agreement obligations are with two counterparties.

Our determination of how much leverage to apply to our investments may adversely affect our return on our investments and may reduce cash available for distribution.

We leverage a meaningful portion of our portfolio through borrowings, generally through the use of credit facilities, warehouse facilities, repurchase agreements, mortgage loans on real estate, private or public offerings of debt by subsidiaries, loans to entities in which we hold, directly or indirectly, interests in pools of properties or loans, and other borrowings. Our investment policies do not limit the amount of leverage we may incur with respect to any specific asset or pool of assets, subject to an overall limit on our use of leverage to 90% (as defined in our governing documents) of the value of our assets on an aggregate basis. We cannot assure you that we will be able to sustain our liquidity position.

We are party to agreements that require cash payments upon the occurrence of certain events, and the failure to make such payments may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are currently party to repurchase agreements that may require us to post additional margin as collateral at any time during the term of the agreement, based on the value of the collateral. We are currently and may become party to other types of financing agreements that require us to make cash payments at periodic intervals or upon the occurrence of certain events, including upon the conveyance of substantially all of our assets. Events could occur or circumstances could arise, which we may not be able to foresee, that may cause us to be unable to make any such cash payments when they become due. While we try to comply with all of our financing agreements, failure to make the payments required under our financing documents would give the lenders the right to require us to repay all amounts owed to them under the applicable financing immediately. In addition, differing interpretations of the terms of our financing agreements could give rise to disputes over compliance and would result in unanticipated prepayments of such debt or otherwise negatively affect our liquidity, financial position or results of operations.

We are subject to counterparty default and concentration risks.

In the ordinary course of our business, we enter into various types of financing arrangements with counterparties. Currently, the majority of our financing arrangements take the form of repurchase agreements, securitization vehicles, loans, hedge contracts and other derivative and non-derivative contracts. The terms of these contracts are often customized and complex, and many of these arrangements occur in markets or relate to products that are not subject to regulatory oversight.

We are subject to the risk that the counterparty to one or more of these contracts defaults, either voluntarily or involuntarily, on its performance under the contract. Any such counterparty default may occur rapidly and without notice to us. Moreover, if a counterparty defaults, we may be unable to take action to cover our exposure, either because we lack the contractual ability or because market conditions make it difficult to take effective action. This inability could occur in times of market stress, which are precisely the times when defaults may be most likely to occur.

In addition, our risk-management processes may not accurately anticipate the impact of market stress or counterparty financial condition, and as a result, we may not take sufficient action to reduce our risks effectively. Although we monitor our credit exposures, default risk may arise from events or circumstances that are difficult to detect, foresee or evaluate. In addition, concerns about, or a default by, one large participant could lead to significant liquidity problems for other participants, which may in turn expose us to significant losses.

In the event of a counterparty default, particularly a default by a major investment bank, we could incur material losses rapidly, and the resulting market impact of a major counterparty default could seriously harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. In the event that one of our counterparties becomes insolvent or files for bankruptcy, our ability to eventually recover any losses suffered as a result of that counterparty’s default may be limited by the liquidity of the counterparty or the applicable legal regime governing the bankruptcy proceeding.

The consolidation and elimination of counterparties has increased our counterparty concentration risk. We are not restricted from dealing with any particular counterparty or from concentrating any or all of our transactions with a few counterparties. If any of our counterparties elected not to roll these repurchase agreements, we may not be able to find a replacement counterparty. In addition, counterparties have generally tightened their underwriting standards and increased their margin requirements for financing, which has negatively impacted us in several ways, including, decreasing the number of counterparties willing to provide financing to us, decreasing the overall amount of leverage available to us, and increasing the costs of borrowing.

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Any loss suffered by us as a result of a counterparty defaulting, refusing to conduct business with us or imposing more onerous terms on us would also negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our investments in debt securities are subject to specific risks relating to the particular issuer of the securities and to the general risks of investing in subordinated real estate securities.

Our investments in debt securities involve special risks. Our investments in debt are subject to the risks described above with respect to mortgage loans and mortgage- backed securities and similar risks, including:

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risks of delinquency and foreclosure, and risks of loss in the event thereof;

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the dependence upon the successful operation of and net income from real property;

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risks generally incident to interests in real property; and

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risks that may be presented by the type and use of a particular property.

Debt securities may be unsecured and may also be subordinated to other obligations of the issuer. We may also invest in debt securities that are rated below investment grade. As a result, investments in debt securities are also subject to risks of:

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limited liquidity in the secondary trading market;

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substantial market price volatility resulting from changes in prevailing interest rates or credit spreads;

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subordination to the prior claims of senior lenders to the issuer;

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the possibility that earnings of the debt security issuer may be insufficient to meet its debt service; and

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the declining creditworthiness and potential for insolvency of the issuer of such debt securities.

These risks may adversely affect the value of outstanding debt securities and the ability of the issuers thereof to repay principal and interest.

Our investments in real estate related and other loans and other direct and indirect interests in pools of real estate properties or other loans may be subject to additional risks relating to the structure and terms of these transactions, which may result in losses to us.

We have investments in real estate related and other loans and other direct and indirect interests in pools of real estate properties or loans, such as mezzanine loans. We have invested in mezzanine loans that take the form of subordinated loans secured by second mortgages on the underlying real property or other business assets or revenue streams or loans secured by a pledge of the ownership interests of the entity owning real property or other business assets or revenue streams (or the ownership interest of the parent of such entity). These types of investments involve a higher degree of risk than long-term senior lending secured by business assets or income producing real property because the investment may become unsecured as a result of foreclosure by a senior lender. In the event of a bankruptcy of the entity providing the pledge of its ownership interests as security, we may not have full recourse to the assets of such entity, or the assets of the entity may not be sufficient to repay our mezzanine loan. If a borrower defaults on our mezzanine loan or debt senior to our loan, or in the event of a borrower bankruptcy, our mezzanine loan will be satisfied only after the senior debt is repaid in full. As a result, we may not recover some or all of our investment. In addition, mezzanine loans may have higher loan to value ratios than conventional mortgage loans, resulting in less equity in the property and increasing the risk of loss of principal.


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Investment in non-investment grade loans may involve increased risk of loss.

We have acquired certain loans that do not conform to conventional loan criteria applied by traditional lenders and are not rated or are rated as non-investment grade (for example, for investments rated by Moody’s Investors Service, ratings lower than Baa3, and for Standard & Poor’s, BBB- or below). The non-investment grade ratings for these loans typically result from the overall leverage of the loans, the lack of a strong operating history for the properties or businesses underlying the loans, the borrowers’ credit history, the properties’ underlying cash flows or other factors. As a result, these loans have a higher risk of default and loss than conventional loans. Any loss we incur may reduce distributions to our stockholders. There are no limits on the percentage of unrated or non-investment grade assets we may hold in our portfolio.

Many of our investments are illiquid, and this lack of liquidity could significantly impede our ability to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic and other conditions or to realize the value at which such investments are carried if we are required to dispose of them.

The real estate properties that we own and operate and our other direct and indirect investments in real estate, loans and securities are generally illiquid. In addition, the real estate securities that we purchase in connection with privately negotiated transactions are not registered under the relevant securities laws, resulting in a prohibition against their transfer, sale, pledge or other disposition except in a transaction that is exempt from the registration requirements of, or is otherwise in accordance with, those laws. In addition, there are no established trading markets for a majority of our investments. As a result, our ability to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic and other conditions may be limited.

Our securities have historically been valued based primarily on third party quotations, which are subject to significant variability based on the liquidity and price transparency created by market trading activity. In the past, dislocation in the trading markets has reduced the trading for many real estate securities, resulting in less transparent prices for those securities. During such times, it is more difficult for us to sell many of our assets because, if we were to sell such assets, we would likely not have access to readily ascertainable market prices when establishing valuations of them. If we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our illiquid investments quickly, we may realize significantly less than the amount at which we have previously valued these investments.

Interest rate fluctuations and shifts in the yield curve may cause losses.

Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political considerations and other factors beyond our control. Our primary interest rate exposures relate to our real estate securities, loans, floating rate debt obligations and interest rate swaps. Changes in interest rates, including changes in expected interest rates or “yield curves,” affect our business in a number of ways. Changes in the general level of interest rates can affect our net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income earned on our interest-earning assets and the interest expense incurred in connection with our interest-bearing liabilities and hedges. Changes in the level of interest rates also can affect, among other things, our ability to acquire real estate securities and loans at attractive prices, the value of our real estate securities, loans and derivatives and our ability to realize gains from the sale of such assets. In the past, we have utilized hedging transactions to protect our positions from interest rate fluctuations, but as a result of market conditions we face significant obstacles to entering into new hedging transactions. As a result, we may not be able to protect new investments from interest rate fluctuations to the same degree as in the past, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In the event of a significant rising interest rate environment and/or economic downturn, loan and collateral defaults may increase and result in credit losses that would adversely affect our liquidity and operating results.

Our ability to execute our business strategy, particularly the growth of our investment portfolio, depends to a significant degree on our ability to obtain additional capital. Our financing strategy for certain of our investments is dependent on our ability to place the match funded debt we use to finance our investments at rates that provide a positive net spread. If spreads for such liabilities widen or if demand for such liabilities ceases to exist, then our ability to execute future financings will be severely restricted.

Interest rate changes may also impact our net book value as our real estate securities, real estate related and other loans and hedge derivatives are marked to market each quarter. Debt obligations are not marked to market. Generally, as interest rates increase, the value of our fixed rate securities decreases, which will decrease the book value of our equity.

Furthermore, shifts in the U.S. Treasury yield curve reflecting an increase in interest rates would also affect the yield required on our real estate securities and therefore their value. For example, increasing interest rates would reduce the value of the fixed rate assets we hold at the time because the higher yields required by increased interest rates result in lower market prices on existing fixed rate assets in order to adjust the yield upward to meet the market, and vice versa. This would have similar effects on our real estate securities portfolio and our financial position and operations to a change in interest rates generally. In December 2016,

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the U.S. Federal Reserve announced that it would raise short-term interest rates by a quarter percentage point to between 50 basis points and 75 basis points in the next year.

Our investments in debt securities and loans are subject to changes in credit spreads, which could adversely affect our ability to realize gains on the sale of such investments.

Debt securities and loans are subject to changes in credit spreads. Credit spreads measure the yield demanded on securities and loans by the market based on their credit relative to a specific benchmark.

Fixed rate securities and loans are valued based on a market credit spread over the rate payable on fixed rate U.S. Treasuries of like maturity. Floating rate securities and loans are valued based on a market credit spread over LIBOR and are affected similarly by changes in LIBOR spreads. Excessive supply of these securities combined with reduced demand will generally cause the market to require a higher yield on these securities and loans, resulting in the use of a higher, or “wider,” spread over the benchmark rate to value such securities. Under such conditions, the value of our debt securities and loan portfolios would tend to decline. Conversely, if the spread used to value such securities were to decrease, or “tighten,” the value of our debt securities portfolio would tend to increase. Such changes in the market value of our debt securities and loan portfolios may affect our net equity, net income or cash flows directly through their impact on unrealized gains or losses on available-for-sale securities, and therefore our ability to realize gains on such securities, or indirectly through their impact on our ability to borrow and access capital. During 2008 through the first quarter of 2009, credit spreads widened substantially. This widening of credit spreads caused the net unrealized gains on our securities, loans and derivatives, recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income or retained earnings, and therefore our book value per share, to decrease and resulted in net losses.

In addition, if the value of our loans subject to financing agreements were to decline, it could affect our ability to refinance such loans upon the maturity of the related repurchase agreements. Any credit or spread related losses incurred with respect to our loans would affect us in the same way as similar losses on our real estate securities portfolio as described above.

Under certain conditions, increases in prepayment rates can adversely affect yields on many of our investments.

The value of many of the assets in which we invest may be affected by prepayment rates on these assets. Prepayment rates are influenced by changes in current interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic and other factors beyond our control, and consequently, prepayment rates cannot be predicted with certainty. In periods of declining mortgage interest rates, prepayments on loans generally increase. If general interest rates decline as well, the proceeds of such prepayments received during such periods are likely to be reinvested by us in assets yielding less than the yields on the assets that were prepaid. In addition, the market value of floating rate assets may, because of the risk of prepayment, benefit less than fixed rate assets from declining interest rates. Conversely, in periods of rising interest rates, prepayments on loans generally decrease, in which case we would not have the prepayment proceeds available to invest in assets with higher yields. Under certain interest rate and prepayment scenarios we may fail to recoup fully our cost of acquisition of certain investments.

We are actively exploring new business opportunities and asset categories, which could entail a meaningful change in our investment focus and operations and pose significant risks to our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

Consistent with our broad investment guidelines and our investment objectives, we have acquired and/or are pursuing a variety of assets that differ from the assets in our legacy portfolio, such as a Traditional Golf business (which we acquired in December 2013), excess mortgage servicing rights (“Excess MSRs”) (which we spun-off in May 2013), media assets (which we spun-off in February 2014) and senior housing properties (which we spun-off in November 2014). Although we currently believe that we will have significant investment opportunities in the future, these opportunities may not materialize. In addition, our ability to act on new investment opportunities may be constrained by the requirements of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or federal tax law. See “–Risks Related to Our Tax Status and the 1940 Act.”

New investments may not be profitable (or as profitable as we expect), may increase our exposure to certain industries (such as the lodging, gaming and leisure industry), may increase our exposure to interest rate, foreign currency, real estate market or credit market fluctuations, may divert managerial attention from more profitable opportunities, and may require significant financial and other resources. A change in our investment strategy may also increase our use of non-match-funded financing, increase the guarantee obligations we agree to incur or increase the number of transactions we enter into with affiliates. Moreover, new investments may present risks that are difficult for us to adequately assess, given our lack of familiarity with a particular industry, asset class or other reasons. The risks related to new asset categories or the financing risks associated with such assets could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and could impair our ability to pay dividends on both our common stock and preferred stock. In addition, our ability to invest in or finance new investments, including our Traditional

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Golf business, may be dependent upon our ability to monetize our real estate debt portfolio. See “-Risks Related to Our Manager-Our directors have approved very broad investment guidelines for our Manager, and we are not required to obtain stockholder consent to change our investment strategy or asset portfolio.”

Changes in accounting rules could occur at any time and could impact us in significantly negative ways that we are unable to predict or protect against.

As has been widely publicized, the SEC, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and other regulatory bodies that establish the accounting rules applicable to us have recently proposed or enacted a wide array of changes to accounting rules. Moreover, in the future these regulators may propose additional changes that we do not currently anticipate. Changes to accounting rules that apply to us could significantly impact our business or our reported financial performance in negative ways that we cannot predict or protect against. We cannot predict whether any changes to current accounting rules will occur or what impact any codified changes will have on our business, results of operations, liquidity or financial condition.

Failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could have a material adverse effect on our business and stock price.

As a public company, we are required to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Internal control over financial reporting is complex and may be revised over time to adapt to changes in our business, or changes in applicable accounting rules. In connection with new investments, we may be required to consolidate additional entities, and, therefore, to document and test effective internal controls over the financial reporting of these entities in accordance with Section 404, which we may not be able to do. Even if we are able to do so, there could be significant costs and delays, particularly if these entities were not subject to Section 404 prior to being acquired by us. Under certain circumstances, the SEC permits newly acquired businesses to be excluded for a limited period of time from management’s annual assessment of the effectiveness of internal control. Our management identified a material weakness in our internal controls with respect to our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011. Although this was remediated, we cannot assure you that our internal control over financial reporting will be effective in the future or that a material weakness will not be discovered with respect to a prior period for which we believe that internal controls were effective. If we are not able to maintain or document effective internal control over financial reporting, our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to certify as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the required dates. Matters impacting our internal controls may cause us to be unable to report our financial information on a timely basis, or may cause us to restate previously issued financial information, and thereby subject us to adverse regulatory consequences, including sanctions or investigations by the SEC, or violations of applicable stock exchange listing rules. There could also be a negative reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of investor confidence in us and the reliability of our financial statements. Confidence in the reliability of our financial statements is also likely to suffer if we or our independent registered public accounting firm reports a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. This could materially adversely affect us by, for example, leading to a decline in our share price and impairing our ability to raise capital.

Our agreements with New Residential and New Senior may not reflect terms that would have resulted from negotiations among unaffiliated third parties, and we have agreed to indemnify New Residential and New Senior for certain liabilities in connection with their respective spin-offs.

We completed the spin-off of New Residential in May 2013. The terms of the agreements related to the spin-off of New Residential, including a separation and distribution agreement dated April 26, 2013 (the “NRZ Separation and Distribution Agreement”) between us and New Residential and a management agreement between our Manager and New Residential, were not negotiated among unaffiliated third parties. Such terms were proposed by our officers and other employees of our Manager and approved by our board of directors. As a result, these terms may be less favorable to us than the terms that would have resulted from negotiations among unaffiliated third parties.

In the NRZ Separation and Distribution Agreement, we have agreed to indemnify New Residential and its affiliates and representatives against losses arising from: (a) any liability related to our junior subordinated notes due 2035; (b) any other liability that has not been defined as a liability of New Residential; (c) any failure by us and our subsidiaries (other than New Residential and its subsidiaries) (collectively, the “Newcastle Group”) to pay, perform or otherwise promptly discharge any liability listed under (a) and (b) above in accordance with their respective terms, whether prior to, at or after the time of effectiveness of the NRZ Separation and Distribution Agreement; (d) any breach by any member of the Newcastle Group of any provision of the NRZ Separation and Distribution Agreement and any agreements ancillary thereto (if any), subject to any limitations of liability provisions and other provisions applicable to any such breach set forth therein; and (e) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to

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make the statements therein not misleading, with respect to all information contained in the information statement or the registration statement of which the information statement is a part that relates solely to any assets owned, directly or indirectly by us, other than New Residential’s initial portfolio of assets. Any indemnification payments that we may be required to make could have a significantly negative effect on our liquidity and results of operations.

We completed the spin-off of New Senior in November 2014. The terms of the separation and distribution agreement dated October 16, 2014 between us and New Senior are substantially similar to the terms of the NRZ Separation and Distribution Agreement, and therefore subjects us to similar risks.

Risks Related to Our Manager

We are dependent on our Manager and may not find a suitable replacement if our Manager terminates the management agreement.

None of our officers or other senior employees who perform services for us is an employee of the Company. Instead, these individuals are employees of our Manager. Accordingly, we are completely reliant on our Manager, which has significant discretion as to the implementation of our operating policies and strategies, to conduct our business. Furthermore, we are dependent on the services of certain key employees of our Manager whose compensation is partially dependent upon the amount of incentive or management compensation earned by our Manager and whose continued service is not guaranteed, and the loss of such services could adversely affect our operations. We are subject to the risk that our Manager will terminate the management agreement and that we will not be able to find a suitable replacement for our Manager in a timely manner, at a reasonable cost or at all. We may also be adversely affected by operational risks, including cyber security attacks, that could disrupt our Manager’s financial, accounting and other data processing systems.

On February 14, 2017, Fortress announced that it had entered into the Merger Agreement with SB Foundation Holdings LP, a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership (“Parent”) and an affiliate of SoftBank, and Foundation Acquisition LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into Fortress, with Fortress surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. While Fortress’s senior investment professionals are expected to remain in place, including those individuals who perform services for us, there can be no assurance that the Merger will not have an impact on us or our relationship with the Manager.

There are conflicts of interest in our relationship with our Manager.

There are conflicts of interest inherent in our relationship with our Manager. Actual, potential or perceived conflicts have given, and may in the future give, rise to investor dissatisfaction, litigation or regulatory inquiries or enforcement actions. Appropriately dealing with conflicts of interest is complex and difficult, and our reputation could be damaged if we fail, or appear to fail, to deal appropriately with one or more potential, actual or perceived conflicts of interest. Regulatory scrutiny of, or litigation in connection with, conflicts of interest could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, which could materially adversely affect our business in a number of ways, including causing an inability to raise additional funds, a reluctance of counterparties to do business with us, a decrease in the prices of our common and preferred securities and a resulting increased risk of litigation and regulatory enforcement actions.

Our management agreement with our Manager was not negotiated between unaffiliated parties, and its terms, including fees payable, although approved by our independent directors as fair, may not be as favorable to us as if they had been negotiated with an unaffiliated third party. Our management agreement, as amended, does not limit or restrict our Manager or its affiliates from engaging in any business or managing other pooled investment vehicles that make investments that meet our investment objectives. Entities managed by our Manager or its affiliates–including investment funds, private investment funds, or businesses managed by our Manager–have investment objectives that overlap with our investment objectives. Certain investments appropriate for us may also be appropriate for one or more of these other investment vehicles. These entities may invest in assets that meet our investment objectives, including real estate securities, real estate related and other loans, and other operating real estate, and other assets. Our Manager or its affiliates may have investments in and/or earn fees from such other investment vehicles that are higher than their economic interests in us and which may therefore create an incentive to allocate investments to such other investment vehicles. Our Manager or its affiliates may determine, in their discretion, to make a particular investment through an investment vehicle other than us and have no obligation to offer to us the opportunity to participate in any particular investment opportunity.

Our chairman is an officer of our Manager. Certain employees of our Manager who perform services for us also perform services for companies and funds that compete with us. These employees may serve as officers and/or directors of these other entities. The ability of our Manager and its officers and employees to engage in other business activities may reduce the

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amount of time our Manager, its officers or other employees spend managing us.

In addition, we have engaged or may engage (subject to our investment guidelines) in material transactions with our Manager or an entity managed by our Manager or one of its affiliates, including, but not limited to, certain financing arrangements, purchases of debt and co-investments, that present an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest. We may invest in portfolio companies of private equity funds managed by our Manager (or an affiliate thereof). We currently have debt investments in a portfolio company of private equity funds managed by our Manager (or an affiliate thereof). All investments, including investments in or involving affiliates or portfolio companies of affiliates are subject to an array of risks, including the risk that the investment is ultimately less profitable than the prior estimates or not profitable at all.

Our management agreement, as amended, does not limit or restrict our Manager or its affiliates from engaging in any business or managing other pooled investment vehicles that make investments that meet our investment objectives. Our Manager or its affiliates have and may in the future raise, acquire or manage investment vehicles that are entitled to a priority or exclusive right to invest in certain types of assets. If such an investment vehicle exists, that vehicle’s exclusivity would prevent us from investing in the assets over which the investment vehicle has exclusivity because we do not have the exclusive right to invest in any particular type of asset. This dynamic may reduce the type of assets in which we are able to invest.

The management compensation structure that we have agreed to with our Manager, as well as compensation arrangements that we may enter into with our Manager in the future (in connection with new lines of business or other activities), may incentivize our Manager to invest in high risk investments or to pursue separation transactions, such as the spin-offs of New Residential Investment Corp. (“New Residential”), New Media Investment Group Inc. (“New Media”) and New Senior Investment Group Inc. (“New Senior”). See “–Risks Related to Our Business–Our agreements with New Residential and New Senior may not reflect terms that would have resulted from arm’s-length negotiations among unaffiliated third parties, and we have agreed to indemnify New Residential and New Senior for certain liabilities.” In addition to its management fee, our Manager is entitled to receive incentive compensation based in part upon our achievement of targeted levels of funds from operations (as defined in the management agreement). In evaluating investments and other management strategies, the opportunity to earn incentive compensation based on funds from operations or, in the case of any future incentive compensation arrangement, other financial measures on which incentive compensation may be based, may lead our Manager to place undue emphasis on the maximization of such measures at the expense of other criteria, such as preservation of capital, in order to achieve higher incentive compensation, particularly in light of the fact that our Manager has not received any incentive compensation from us since 2008. Investments with higher yield potential are generally riskier or more speculative than lower-yielding investments.

Our Manager is eligible to receive compensation in the form of options in connection with the completion of our common equity offerings. Therefore, our Manager may be incentivized to cause us to issue additional common stock, which could be dilutive to existing stockholders. On April 7, 2016, our board of directors adopted the 2016 Newcastle Investment Corp. Nonqualified Option and Incentive Award Plan (the “2016 Plan”), which our stockholders approved at our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and provides for 300,000 shares of our common stock to be available for grants of equity awards thereunder, as increased on the date of any equity issuance by us during the one-year term of the 2016 Plan by ten percent of the equity securities issued by us in such equity issuance. In addition to the shares available for issuance under the 2012 Newcastle Nonqualified Stock Option and Incentive Plan, the 2014 Newcastle Nonqualified Stock Option and Incentive Plan, the 2015 Newcastle Nonqualified Option and Incentive Award Plan, and the 2016 Plan or any successor plan thereto (collectively, the “Option Plans”), our board of directors may also determine to grant options to our Manager that are not issued pursuant to the Option Plans, provided that the number of shares underlying any options granted to our Manager in connection with any capital raising efforts will not exceed 10% of the shares sold in such offering and would be subject to NYSE rules.

It would be difficult and costly to terminate our management agreement with our Manager.

It would be difficult and costly for us to terminate our management agreement with our Manager. The management agreement may only be terminated annually upon (i) the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our independent directors, or by a vote of the holders of a simple majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock, that there has been unsatisfactory performance by our Manager that is materially detrimental to us or (ii) a determination by a simple majority of our independent directors that the management fee payable to our Manager is not fair, subject to our Manager’s right to prevent such a termination by accepting a mutually acceptable reduction of fees. Our Manager will be provided 60 days’ prior notice of any such termination and will be paid a termination fee equal to the amount of the management fee earned by the Manager during the 12-month period preceding such termination. In addition, following any termination of the management agreement, the Manager may require us to purchase its right to receive incentive compensation at a price determined as if our assets were sold for their fair market value (as determined by an appraisal, taking into account, among other things, the expected future value of the underlying investments) or otherwise we may continue to pay the incentive compensation to our Manager. These provisions may increase the effective cost to us of

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terminating the management agreement, thereby adversely affecting our ability to terminate our Manager without cause.

Our directors have approved very broad investment guidelines for our Manager, and we are not required to obtain stockholder consent to change our investment strategy or asset portfolio.

Our Manager is authorized to follow very broad investment guidelines, and our directors do not approve each investment decision made by our Manager. Our investment guidelines are purposefully broad to enable our Manager to make investments in a wide array of assets. Our Manager’s investment decisions are based on a variety of factors, such as changing market conditions, perceived investment opportunities and available capital. Investment opportunities that present unattractive risk-return profiles relative to other available investment opportunities under particular market conditions may become relatively attractive under changed market conditions, and changes in market conditions may therefore result in changes in the investments we target. We do not have policies requiring the allocation of equity to different investment categories, although our investment guidelines do restrict investments of more than 20% of our total equity (as determined on the date of such investment) in any single asset. Consequently, our Manager has great latitude in determining which investments are appropriate for us, including the latitude to build concentrations in certain positions and to invest in asset classes that may differ significantly from those in our existing portfolio. Our directors periodically review our investment guidelines and our investment portfolio. However, our directors rely primarily on information provided to them by our Manager, and they do not review or pre-approve each proposed investment or the related financing arrangements. A transaction entered into by our Manager that contravenes the terms of our management agreement may be difficult or impossible to unwind by the time it is reviewed by our directors. In addition, we are not required to obtain stockholder consent in order to change our investment strategy and asset portfolio, which may result in making investments that are different, riskier or less profitable than our current investments.

Our investment strategy and asset portfolio have undergone meaningful changes in recent years through spin-offs and other strategic transactions and will continue to evolve in light of existing market conditions and investment opportunities. See “-Risks Related to Our Business-We are actively exploring new business opportunities and asset categories, which could entail a meaningful change in our investment focus and operations and pose significant risks to our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.”

Our Manager will not be liable to us for any acts or omissions performed in accordance with the management agreement, including with respect to the performance of our investments.

Pursuant to our management agreement, our Manager will not assume any responsibility other than to render the services called for thereunder and will not be responsible for any action of our board of directors in following or declining to follow its advice or recommendations. Under the terms of our management agreement, our Manager, its officers, partners, members, managers, directors, personnel, other agents, any person controlling or controlled by our Manager and any person providing sub-advisory services to our Manager will not be liable to us, any subsidiary of ours, our directors, our stockholders or any subsidiary’s stockholders or partners for acts or omissions performed in accordance with and pursuant to our management agreement, except because of acts constituting bad faith, willful misconduct or gross negligence, as determined by a final non-appealable order of a court of competent jurisdiction. In addition, we have agreed to indemnify our Manager, its officers, partners, members, managers, directors, personnel, other agents, any person controlling or controlled by our Manager and any person providing sub-advisory services to our Manager with respect to all expenses, losses, damages, liabilities, demands, charges and claims arising from acts of our Manager not constituting bad faith, willful misconduct or gross negligence, pursuant to our management agreement.

Our Manager’s due diligence of investment opportunities or other transactions may not identify all pertinent risks, which could materially affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

Our Manager intends to conduct due diligence with respect to each investment opportunity or other transaction it pursues. It is possible, however, that our Manager’s due diligence processes will not uncover all relevant facts, particularly with respect to any assets we acquire from third parties. In these cases, our Manager may be given limited access to information about the investment and will rely on information provided by the target of the investment. In addition, if investment opportunities are scarce, the process for selecting bidders is competitive, or the time-frame in which we are required to complete diligence is short, our ability to conduct a due diligence investigation may be limited, and we would be required to make investment decisions based upon a less thorough diligence process than would otherwise be the case. Accordingly, investments and other transactions that initially appear to be viable may prove not to be over time due to the limitations of the due diligence process or other factors.


23

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Our stock price has fluctuated meaningfully, particularly on a percentage basis, and may fluctuate meaningfully in the future. Accordingly, you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price at which you purchased them.

The trading price of our common stock has fluctuated significantly in the past. The trading price of our common stock could fluctuate significantly in the future and could be negatively affected in response to various factors, including:

•
market conditions in the broader stock market in general, or in the real estate or golf industries in particular;

•
our ability to make investments with attractive risk-adjusted returns;

•
market perception of our current and projected financial condition, potential growth, future earnings and future cash dividends;

•
announcements we make regarding dividends;

•
actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly financial and operating results;

•
market perception or media coverage of our Manager or its affiliates;

•
additional offerings of our common stock;

•
actions by rating agencies;

•
short sales of our common stock;

•
any decision to pursue a distribution or disposition of a meaningful portion of our assets;

•
issuance of new or changed securities analysts’ reports or recommendations;

•
media coverage of us, or the outlook of the real estate and golf industries;

•
major reductions in trading volumes on the exchanges on which we operate;

•
credit deterioration within our portfolio;

•
legislative or regulatory developments, including changes in the status of our regulatory approvals or licenses;

•
litigation and governmental investigations; and

•
any decision to pursue a spin-off of a portion of our assets.

These and other factors may cause the market price and demand for our common stock to fluctuate substantially, which may negatively affect the price or liquidity of our common stock. When the market price of a stock has been volatile or has decreased significantly in the past, holders of that stock have, at times, instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders brought a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending, settling or paying any resulting judgments related to the lawsuit. Such a lawsuit could also divert the time and attention of our management from our business and hurt our share price.

We may be unable-or elect not-to pay dividends on our common or preferred stock in the future, which would negatively impact our business in a number of ways and decrease the price of our common and preferred stock.

Prior to termination of our REIT election, we made distributions of a minimum of 90% of our taxable income each year in order to maintain our REIT status. As a result of the revocation of our REIT election, effective January 1, 2017, we are no longer required by the REIT rules to make distributions of substantially all of our net taxable income. Our board of directors elected not to pay a common stock dividend in the first quarter of 2017 to retain capital for growth. All future dividend distributions will be made at

24

the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon, among other things, our earnings, investment strategy, financial condition and liquidity, and such other factors as the board of directors deems relevant. No assurance can be given that we will pay any dividends on our common stock in the future.

We do not currently have unpaid accrued dividends on our preferred stock. However, to the extent we do, we cannot pay any dividends on our common stock, pay any consideration to repurchase or otherwise acquire shares of our common stock or redeem any shares of any series of our preferred stock without redeeming all of our outstanding preferred shares in accordance with the governing documentation. Consequently, the failure to pay dividends on our preferred stock restricts the actions that we may take with respect to our common stock and preferred stock. Moreover, if we do not pay dividends on any series of preferred stock for six or more periods, then holders of each affected series obtain the right to call a special meeting and elect two members to our board of directors. We cannot predict whether the holders of our preferred stock would take such action or, if taken, how long the process would take or what impact the two new directors on our board of directors would have on our company (other than increasing our director compensation costs). However, the election of additional directors would affect the composition of our board of directors and, thus, could affect the management of our business.

Shares eligible for future sale may adversely affect our common stock price.

Sales of our common stock or other securities in the public or private market, or the perception that these sales may occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. This could also impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of our equity securities. Under our certificate of incorporation, we are authorized to issue up to 1,000,000,000 shares of common stock and we are authorized to reclassify a portion of our authorized preferred stock into common stock, and there were 66,842,378 shares or our common stock outstanding as of February 22, 2017. We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our common stock or other securities or the effect, if any, that future sales and issuances would have on the market price of our common stock.

An increase in market interest rates may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

One of the factors that investors may consider in deciding whether to buy or sell shares of our common stock is our distribution rate as a percentage of our share price relative to market interest rates. If the market price of our common stock is based primarily on the earnings and return that we derive from our investments and income with respect to our investments and our related distributions to stockholders, and not from the market value of the investments themselves, then interest rate fluctuations and capital market conditions will likely affect the market price of our common stock. For instance, if market interest rates rise without an increase in our distribution rate, the market price of our common stock could decrease as potential investors may require a higher distribution yield on our common stock or seek other securities paying higher distributions or interest. In addition, rising interest rates would result in increased interest expense on our variable rate debt, thereby adversely affecting cash flows and our ability to service our indebtedness and pay distributions.

ERISA may restrict investments by plans in our common stock.

A plan fiduciary considering an investment in our common stock should consider, among other things, whether such an investment is consistent with the fiduciary obligations under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), including whether such investment might constitute or give rise to a prohibited transaction under ERISA, the Code or any substantially similar federal, state or local law and, if so, whether an exemption from such prohibited transaction rules is available.

Maryland takeover statutes may prevent a change of our control, which could depress our stock price.

Under Maryland law, “business combinations” between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder or an affiliate of an interested stockholder are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. These business combinations include certain mergers, consolidations, share exchanges, or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities or a liquidation or dissolution. An interested stockholder is defined as:

•
any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s outstanding shares; or

•
an affiliate or associate of a corporation who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding stock of the corporation.

•
A person is not an interested stockholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction

25

by which he or she otherwise would have become an interested stockholder.

•
After the five-year prohibition, any business combination between the Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder generally must be recommended by the board of directors of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:

•
80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation voting together as a single group; and

•
two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of the corporation other than shares held by the interested stockholder with whom or with whose affiliate the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder voting together as a single voting group.

The business combination statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer, including potential acquisitions that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders.

Our staggered board and other provisions of our charter and bylaws may prevent a change in our control.

Our board of directors is divided into three classes of directors. Directors of each class are chosen for three-year terms upon the expiration of their current terms, and each year one class of directors is elected by the stockholders. The staggered terms of our directors may reduce the possibility of a tender offer or an attempt at a change in control, even though a tender offer or change in control might be in the best interest of our stockholders. In addition, our charter and bylaws also contain other provisions that may delay or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders.

Our charter authorizes us to issue additional authorized but unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock. In addition, our board of directors may classify or reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock and may set the preferences, rights and other terms of the classified or reclassified shares. As a result, our board of directors may establish a series of preferred stock that could delay or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders.

Risks Related to Our Tax Status and the 1940 Act

We no longer qualify for taxation as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes effective as of January 1, 2017, and there can be no assurance that the IRS will not challenge our previous REIT status.
 
Although we elected for U.S. federal income tax purposes to be treated as a REIT for the 2016 taxable year and in prior taxable years, we revoked our REIT election for the tax year beginning January 1, 2017 and intend to be treated as a regular “C corporation” for that year and any year in the foreseeable future, and, as a result, we will be unable to claim the United States federal income tax benefits associated with REIT status. Moreover, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not challenge our qualification as a REIT for years in which we intended to qualify as a REIT. Although we believe we did qualify as a REIT in each such year, if the IRS were to successfully challenge our previous REIT status, we would suffer adverse tax consequences, such as those described below.

For the 2017 taxable year and future years (and for any prior year if we were to fail to qualify as a REIT in such year), we will generally be subject to federal income tax, including any applicable alternative minimum tax, on our taxable income at regular corporate rates, and distributions to stockholders would not be deductible by us in computing our taxable income. Any such corporate tax liability could be substantial and would reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders, which in turn could have an adverse impact on the value of, and trading prices for, our stock. Our decision to revoke our REIT election could also have other effects on any given stockholder, depending on its particular circumstances. For example, certain foreign investors that own large positions in our stock may be subject to less favorable rules under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 following the revocation of our REIT election. Stockholders are urged consult their tax advisors regarding the effects to them of the revocation of our REIT elections in light of their particular circumstances.


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Our board of directors’ decision to revoke our REIT election means we will no longer be required to distribute substantially all of our net taxable income to our stockholders.
 
Prior to termination of our REIT election, we made distributions of a minimum of 90% of our taxable income each year in order to maintain our REIT status. On February 23, 2017, we revoked our election to be treated as a REIT, effective January 1, 2017.  Consequently, we are no longer subject to the distribution requirements applicable to REITs. Our board of directors elected not to pay a common stock dividend in the first quarter of 2017 to retain capital for growth. All future dividend distributions will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon, among other things, our earnings, investment strategy, financial condition and liquidity, and such other factors as the board of directors deems relevant, as well as any contractual restrictions.  

In January 2013, we experienced an “ownership change” for purposes of Section 382 of the Code, which limits our ability to utilize our net operating loss and net capital loss carryforwards and certain built-in losses to reduce our future taxable income, potentially increases the net taxable income on which we must pay corporate-level taxes, and potentially adversely affects our liquidity, and we could experience another ownership change in the future or forgo otherwise attractive opportunities in order to avoid experiencing another ownership change.

As a result of our January 2013 “ownership change,” our future ability to utilize our net operating loss and net capital loss carryforwards to reduce our taxable income may be limited by certain provisions of the Code.

Specifically, the Code limits the ability of a company that undergoes an “ownership change” to utilize its net operating loss and net capital loss carryforwards and certain built-in losses to offset taxable income earned in years after the ownership change. An ownership change occurs if, during a three-year testing period, more than 50% of the stock of a company is acquired by one or more persons (or certain groups of persons) who own, directly or constructively, 5% or more of the stock of such company. An ownership change can occur as a result of a public offering of stock, as well as through secondary market purchases of our stock and certain types of reorganization transactions. Generally, when an ownership change occurs, the annual limitation on the use of net operating loss and net capital loss carryforwards and certain built-in losses is equal to the product of the applicable long-term tax exempt rate and the value of the company’s stock immediately before the ownership change. We have substantial net operating and net capital loss carry forwards which we have used, and will continue to use, to offset our taxable income. In January 2013, an “ownership change” for purposes of Section 382 of the Code occurred. Therefore, the provisions of Section 382 of the Code impose an annual limit on the amount of net operating loss and net capital loss carryforwards and built in losses that we can use to offset future taxable income.

The ownership change we experienced in January 2013 (and any subsequent ownership changes) could materially increase our income tax liability. As described above, the ownership change we experienced in January resulted in a limitation on our use of net operating losses and net capital loss carryforwards. These limitations could result in us incurring materially greater tax liability than if we had not undergone such an ownership change.

In addition, if we were to undergo an ownership change again in the future, our net operating losses and net capital loss carryforwards could become subject to additional limitations, which could result in us incurring materially greater tax liability than if we had not undergone such an ownership change. The determination of whether an ownership change has occurred or will occur is complicated and depends on changes in percentage stock ownership among stockholders. We adopted the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan described below in order to discourage an ownership change. However, there can be no assurance that the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan will prevent an ownership change. In addition, to the extent not prohibited by our charter, we may decide in the future that it is necessary or in our interest to take certain actions that could result in an ownership change. Therefore, no assurance can be provided as to whether an ownership change has occurred or will occur in the future.

Moreover, the potential negative consequences of the limitations that would result from an ownership change may discourage us from, among other things, redeeming our stock or issuing additional common stock to raise capital or to acquire businesses or assets. Accordingly, our desire to preserve our net operating losses and net capital loss carryforwards may cause us to forgo otherwise attractive opportunities.

Our Tax Benefits Preservation Plan could inhibit a change in our control that may otherwise be favorable to our stockholders.

In December 2016, our board of directors adopted a Tax Benefits Preservation Plan in an effort to protect against a possible limitation on our ability to use our net operating losses and net capital loss carryforwards by discouraging investors from acquiring ownership of our common stock in a manner that could trigger an “ownership change” for purposes of Sections 382 and 383 of the Code. Under the terms of the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan, in general, if a person or group acquires beneficial ownership

27

of 4.9% or more of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock without prior approval of our board of directors or without meeting certain exceptions (an “Acquiring Person”), the rights would become exercisable and our stockholders (other than the Acquiring Person) will have the right to purchase securities from us at a discount to such securities’ fair market value, thus causing substantial dilution to the Acquiring Person. As a result, the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan may have the effect of inhibiting or impeding a change in control not approved by our board of directors and, notwithstanding its purpose, could adversely affect our shareholders’ ability to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price for our common stock in connection with such a transaction. In addition, because our board of directors may consent to certain transactions, the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan gives our board of directors significant discretion over whether a potential acquirer’s efforts to acquire a large interest in us will be successful. There can be no assurance that the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan will prevent an “ownership change” within the meaning of Sections 382 and 383 of the Code, in which case we may lose all or most of the anticipated tax benefits associated with our prior losses.

Qualifying as a REIT involves highly technical and complex provisions of the Code, and our failure to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year through 2016 would result in higher taxes and reduced cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

As described above, we operated through December 31, 2016 in a manner intended to qualify us as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. Qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex Code provisions for which only limited judicial and administrative authorities exist. Even a technical or inadvertent violation could jeopardize our REIT qualification for such taxable years. Our qualification as a REIT depended on our satisfaction of certain asset, income, organizational, distribution, stockholder ownership and other requirements. Although we believe we satisfied those requirements, no assurance can be given in that regard.

Our failure to qualify as a REIT for a taxable year ending on or before December 31, 2015, would potentially give rise to a claim for damages from New Residential or New Senior.

In connection with the spin-off of New Residential, which was completed in May 2013, and the spin-off of New Senior, which was completed in November 2014, we represented in the Separation Agreements that we had no knowledge of any fact or circumstance that would cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT. We also covenanted in the Separation Agreements to generally use our reasonable best efforts to maintain our REIT status for each of our taxable years ending on or before December 31, 2014 (in the case of New Residential) and December 31, 2015 (in the case of New Senior). If, notwithstanding our belief that we qualified as a REIT for such taxable years, we breached this representation or covenant, New Residential or New Senior, or both, could be able to seek damages from us, which could have a significantly negative effect on our liquidity and results of operations.

If New Residential failed to qualify as a REIT for 2013, or if New Senior failed to qualify as a REIT for 2014, it would significantly affect our ability to maintain our REIT status through December 31, 2016.

For federal income tax purposes we recorded approximately $600 million of gain as a result of the spin-off of New Residential in May 2013 and $450 million of gain as a result of the spin-off of New Senior in November 2014. If New Residential qualified for taxation as a REIT for 2013, and if New Senior so qualified for 2014, that gain is qualifying income for purposes of our REIT income tests in such years. If, however, New Residential failed to qualify as a REIT for 2013, or if New Senior failed to so qualify in 2014, that gain would be non-qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Although New Residential and New Senior covenanted in their respective separation and distribution agreements to use reasonable best efforts to qualify as a REIT in 2013 and 2014, respectively, no assurance can be given that they so qualified. If New Residential or New Senior failed to qualify in such years, it could cause us to fail our REIT income tests for such years, which could cause us to lose our REIT status prior to the revocation of our REIT election for 2017, and thereby materially negatively impact our business, financial condition and potentially impair our ability to continue operating in the future.

Uncertainty exists with respect to the treatment of TBAs for purposes of the REIT asset and income tests.
We have invested in and may continue to invest in TBAs and recognize income or gains from the disposition of those TBAs, through dollar roll transactions or otherwise. In a dollar roll transaction, we exchange an existing TBA for another TBA with a different settlement date. There is no direct authority with respect to the qualification of TBAs as real estate assets or U.S. Government securities for purposes of the 75% asset test or the qualification of income or gains from dispositions of TBAs as gains from the sale of real property (including interests in real property and interests in mortgages on real property) or other qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test.
 

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For a particular taxable year, we treated such TBAs as qualifying assets for purposes of the REIT asset tests, and income and gains from such TBAs as qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, to the extent set forth in an opinion from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP substantially to the effect that (i) for purposes of the REIT asset tests, our ownership of a TBA should be treated as ownership of the underlying mortgage-backed securities, and (ii) for purposes of the 75% REIT gross income test, any gain recognized by us in connection with the settlement of such TBAs should be treated as gain from the sale or disposition of the underlying mortgage-backed securities. Opinions of counsel are not binding on the IRS, and no assurance can be given that the IRS would not successfully challenge the conclusions set forth in such opinions. In addition, it must be emphasized that any opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is based on various assumptions relating to any TBAs that we enter into and would be conditioned upon fact-based representations and covenants made by our management regarding such TBAs. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert that such assets or income were not qualifying assets or income. If the IRS were to successfully challenge any conclusions of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, we could be subject to a penalty tax or we could fail to qualify as a REIT prior to the revocation of our REIT election for 2017 if a sufficient portion of our assets consisted of TBAs or a sufficient portion of our income consisted of income or gains from the disposition of TBAs.

The failure of assets subject to repurchase agreements to qualify as real estate assets could adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT.

We have historically financed a meaningful portion of our investments in securities and loans with repurchase agreements, which are short-term financing arrangements and we may enter into additional repurchase agreements in the future. Under these agreements, we nominally sell certain of our assets to a counterparty and simultaneously enter into an agreement to repurchase these assets at a later date in exchange for a purchase price. Economically, these agreements are financings that are secured by the assets sold pursuant thereto. We believe that, for purposes of the REIT asset and income tests, we should have been treated as the owner of the assets that are the subject of any such sale and repurchase agreement, notwithstanding that those agreements may transfer record ownership of the assets to the counterparty during the term of the agreement. It is possible, however, that the IRS could assert that we did not own the assets during the term of the sale and repurchase agreement, in which case we might fail to qualify as a REIT prior to the revocation of our REIT election in 2017.

We may be subject to adverse legislative or regulatory tax changes that could increase our tax liability, reduce our operating flexibility and reduce the price of our common stock.
The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are continually under review Congress, the IRS, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.  According to publicly released statements, a top legislative priority of the new Congress and administration may be to enact significant reform of the Internal Revenue Code, including significant changes to taxation of business entities and the deductibility of interest expense and capital investment.  There is a substantial lack of clarity around the likelihood, timing and details of any such tax reform and the impact of any potential tax reform on us or an investment in our securities, and we cannot, at this time, determine whether any such changes will adversely affect our taxation or the taxation of our stockholders.  Any such changes could have an adverse effect on an investment in our shares or on the market value or the resale potential of our assets.  You are urged to consult with your tax advisor with respect to the status of legislative, regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our shares. 

Maintenance of our 1940 Act exclusion imposes limits on our operations.

We conduct our operations in reliance on an exclusion from the 1940 Act, which we refer to as the Section 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion, which is available for entities “primarily engaged in the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate.”

Reliance on this exclusion limits our ability to make certain investments. The Section 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion generally requires that at least 55% of our assets be comprised of qualifying real estate assets and at least 80% of our assets be comprised of a combination of qualifying real estate assets and real estate related assets. In satisfying the 55% requirement under the Section 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion, based on guidance from the SEC and its staff, we treat whole pool Agency ARM RMBS issued with respect to an underlying pool of mortgage loans in which we hold all of the certificates issued by the pool as qualifying real estate assets. The SEC and its staff have not issued guidance with respect to whole pool non-Agency RMBS for purposes of the Section 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion. Accordingly, based on our own judgment and analysis of the guidance from the SEC and its staff identifying Agency whole pool certificates as qualifying real estate assets under the Section 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion, we treat whole pool non-Agency ARM RMBS issued with respect to an underlying pool of mortgage loans in which we hold all of the certificates issued by the pool as qualifying real estate assets. We also treat whole mortgage loans that we acquire directly as qualifying real estate assets provided that 100% of the loan is secured by real estate when we acquire the loan and we have the unilateral right to foreclose on the mortgage. In addition, we treat investments in Agency partial pool RMBS and non-Agency partial pool RMBS as real estate related assets for purposes of satisfying the 80% test under the Section 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion. The Section 3(c)(5)(C)

29

exclusion generally limits the amount of our investments in non-real estate assets to no more than 20% of our total assets. To the extent that we acquire significant non-real estate assets in the future, in order to maintain our exclusion under the 1940 Act, we may need to offset those acquisitions with additional qualifying real estate and real estate related assets, which may not generate risk-adjusted returns as attractive as those generated by non-real estate related assets.

In August 2011, the SEC issued a concept release soliciting public comments on a wide range of issues relating to companies, which are typically REITs, engaged in the business of acquiring mortgages and mortgage-related instruments and that rely on Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the 1940 Act, including the nature of the assets that qualify for purposes of the Section 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion and whether mortgage REITs like us should be regulated in a manner similar to investment companies. Therefore, there can be no assurance that the laws and regulations governing the 1940 Act status of REITs, or guidance from the SEC or its staff regarding the Section 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion, will not change in a manner that adversely affects our operations. If we fail to maintain an exclusion or exception from the 1940 Act, we could, among other things, be required either to (a) change the manner in which we conduct our operations to avoid being required to register as an investment company, (b) effect sales of our assets in a manner that, or at a time when, we would not otherwise choose to do so, or (c) register as an investment company (which, among other things, would require us to comply with the leverage constraints applicable to investment companies), any of which could negatively affect the value of our common stock, the sustainability of our business model, and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders, which could, in turn, materially adversely affect us and the market price of our stock.

Rapid changes in the values of assets that we hold may make it more difficult for us to maintain our exclusion from the 1940 Act.

If the market value or income potential of qualifying assets for purposes of our exclusion from registration as an investment company under the 1940 Act declines as a result of increased interest rates, changes in prepayment rates or other factors, or the market value or income potential from non-qualifying assets increases, we may need to increase our investments in qualifying assets and/or liquidate our non-qualifying assets to maintain our exclusion from registration under the 1940 Act. If the change in market values or income occurs quickly, this may be especially difficult to accomplish. This difficulty may be exacerbated by the illiquid nature of any non-qualifying assets we may own. We may have to make investment decisions that we otherwise would not make absent the intent to maintain our exclusion from registration under the 1940 Act.



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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
We have no unresolved staff comments received more than 180 days prior to December 31, 2016.

Item 2. Properties.

Our direct investments in Traditional Golf properties are described under “Business – Overview.”

Our Manager leases principal executive and administrative offices located at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105. Its telephone number is (212) 798-6100.

Our Traditional Golf executive office is located at 909 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 650, El Segundo, CA 90245. Its telephone number is (310) 664-4000.

We maintain our properties in good condition and believe that our current facilities are adequate to meet the present needs of our business. We do not believe any individual property is material to our financial condition or results of operations.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

We are and may become involved in legal proceedings, including but not limited to regulatory investigations and inquiries, in the ordinary course of our business. Although we are unable to predict with certainty the eventual outcome of any litigation, regulatory investigation or inquiry, in the opinion of management, we do not expect our current and any threatened legal proceedings, to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position or results of operations. Given the inherent unpredictability of these types of proceedings, however, it is possible that future adverse outcomes could have a material effect on our financial results.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

None.


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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
The following graph compares the cumulative total return for the Company’s common stock (stock price change plus reinvested dividends) with the comparable return of four indices: NAREIT All REIT, Russell 2000, NAREIT Mortgage REIT and S&P 500. The graph assumes an investment of $100 in the Company’s common stock and in each of the indices on December 31, 2011, and that all dividends were reinvested. The past performance of the Company’s common stock is not an indication of future performance. The Company’s historical stock price has been adjusted to take into consideration the impact of the spin-off of New Residential in May 2013, New Media in February 2014 and New Senior in November 2014.  The Company’s share price has also been adjusted to take into consideration the impact of the 1-for-3 reverse stock split in August 2014 and the 1-for-2 reverse stock split in October 2014.
performancegraphds2016a01.jpg
We have one class of common stock, which has been listed and is traded on the NYSE under the symbol “DS” since our initial public offering in October 2002. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high, low and last sale prices in dollars on the NYSE for our common stock and the distributions we declared with respect to the periods indicated.

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2016
 
High
 
Low
 
Last Sale
 
Distributions
Declared
First Quarter
 
$
4.38

 
$
2.55

 
$
4.33

 
$
0.12

Second Quarter
 
$
4.80

 
$
4.09

 
$
4.59

 
$
0.12

Third Quarter
 
$
4.88

 
$
4.44

 
$
4.53

 
$
0.12

Fourth Quarter
 
$
4.69

 
$
3.69

 
$
3.76

 
$
0.12

2015
 
High
 
Low
 
Last Sale
 
Distributions
Declared
First Quarter
 
$
4.95

 
$
4.04

 
$
4.85

 
$
0.12

Second Quarter
 
$
5.49

 
$
4.39

 
$
4.42

 
$
0.12

Third Quarter
 
$
5.23

 
$
4.11

 
$
4.39

 
$
0.12

Fourth Quarter
 
$
5.04

 
$
3.76

 
$
4.08

 
$
0.12



Prior to termination of our REIT election, we made distributions of a minimum of 90% of our taxable income each year in order to maintain our REIT status. On February 23, 2017, we revoked our election to be treated as a REIT, effective January 1, 2017.  Consequently, we are no longer subject to the distribution requirements applicable to REITs. Our board of directors elected not to pay a common stock dividend in the first quarter of 2017 to retain capital for growth. All future dividend distributions will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon, among other things, our earnings, investment strategy, financial condition and liquidity, and such other factors as the board of directors deems relevant. 

On February 22, 2017, the closing sale price for our common stock, as reported on the NYSE, was $4.26. As of February 22, 2017, there were approximately 32 record holders of our common stock. This figure does not reflect the beneficial ownership of shares held in nominee name.

Option Exercises

On November 22, 2016, five employees of the Manager exercised options in respect of 90,168 shares of the Company’s common stock. The exercise of options by employees of the Manager was accomplished pursuant to a cashless exercise, whereby the employees of the Manager surrendered 176,489 shares of common stock based on the closing market price on November 21, 2016, which was $4.55 per share, to cover the per share exercise price of the options. The options had a weighted average exercise price of $3.01 per share.

The Company offered and sold all the shares of common stock described above in reliance upon Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 for offerings not involving a public offering. At the time of their investment decisions, each employee of the Manager who received shares was knowledgeable about the Company and its prospects, was a highly sophisticated professional who was able to understand the merits and risks of the investment decision, was an accredited investor, and the transaction involved did not involve any public offering.

Set forth below is information regarding the Company's stock repurchases during the three months ended December 31, 2016:

Period
 
Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased (#)
 
Average Price Paid per Share (or Unit) ($)
 
Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs (1)(#)
 
Approximate Dollar Value of Shares (or Units) that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs ($)
October 1 - October 31, 2016
 
—

 
$
—

 
—

 
$
—

November 1 - November 30, 2016 (A)
 
176,489

 
$
4.55

 
—

 
$
—

December 1 - December 31, 2016
 
—

 
$
—

 
—

 
$
—

Total
 
176,489

 
$
4.55

 
—

 
$
—

A.
See “Option Exercises” above for additional information regarding these transactions.


33

Nonqualified Option and Incentive Award Plans

See Note 13 to Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for further information related to the terms of the option plans and the Tax Benefit Preservation Plan.

The following table summarizes certain information about securities authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2016.
Plan Category
 
Number of Securities to be
Issued Upon Exercise of
Outstanding Options
 
Weighted Average Strike Price of Outstanding Options
 
Number of Securities Remaining
Available for Future Issuance
Under Equity
Compensation Plans
 
Equity Compensation Plans Approved by Security Holders:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Newcastle Investment Corp. Nonqualified Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan
 
978,931

 
$
2.44

 
—

 
2012 Newcastle Investment Corp. Nonqualified Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan
 
2,893,078

 
2.45

 
25,820

(B)
2014 Newcastle Investment Corp. Nonqualified Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan
 
765,416

 
4.01

 
—

(C)
2015 Newcastle Investment Corp. Nonqualified Option and Incentive Award Plan
 
333

 
3.78

 
—

(D)
2016 Newcastle Investment Corp. Nonqualified Option and Incentive Award Plan
 
—

 
—

 
220,462

(E)
Total Approved
 
4,637,758

(A)
$
2.71

 
246,282

 
Equity Compensation Plans Not approved by Security Holders:
None

(A)
Includes options relating to (i) 4,631,124 shares held by an affiliate of our Manager; and (ii) 6,301 shares granted to our Manager and assigned to certain of Fortress’s employees, but does not include options relating to 489,148 shares granted to an affiliate of our Manager with a strike price of $3.57 per share that were not issued pursuant to an equity compensation plan.

(B)
The maximum available for issuance is 3,333,333 shares in the aggregate over the term of the 2012 Plan and no award shall be granted on or after May 7, 2022 (but awards granted may extend beyond this date).  The number of securities remaining available for future issuance is net of (i) an aggregate of 13,312 shares of our common stock awards to our directors, other than Mr. Edens and Mr. Riis, representing the aggregate annual automatic stock awards to each such director for the periods subsequent to the adoption of the 2012 Plan and prior to the adoption of the 2014 Plan and (ii) an aggregate of 3,294,201 options which have been previously granted under the plan.

(C)
The maximum available for issuance was 166,666 shares in the aggregate over the term of the 2014 Plan and no award (other than a tandem award) may be granted after April 8, 2015 (but awards granted may extend beyond that date).

(D)
The maximum available for issuance is 300,000 shares in the aggregate over the term of the 2015 Plan and no award (other than a tandem award) may be granted after April 16, 2016 (but awards granted may extend beyond that date).

(E)
The maximum available for issuance is 300,000 shares in the aggregate over the term of the 2016 Plan and no award (other than a tandem award) may be granted after April 7, 2017 (but awards granted may extend beyond that date). The number of securities remaining available for future issuance is net of (i) an aggregate of 79,538 shares of our common stock awards to our directors, other than Mr. Edens, representing the aggregate annual automatic stock awards to each such director for the periods subsequent to the adoption of the 2016 Plan. There were no options previously granted under the plan.

34

Item 6. Selected Financial Data.

The following table presents our selected consolidated financial information as of and for the years ended 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012 and other data. The consolidated statements of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 and the consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 have been derived from our audited historical Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere herein. The consolidated statements of operations data for the year ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 and the consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 have been derived from our consolidated financial statements not included elsewhere herein.

The information below should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

35

Selected Consolidated Financial Information
(in thousands, except per share data) (A)

 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2016
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
Operating Data
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total revenues
$
298,880

 
$
295,856

 
$
291,537

 
$
—

 
$
—

Total operating costs
338,054

 
318,097

 
276,220

 
1,756

 
(202,080
)
Operating income (loss)
(39,174
)
 
(22,241
)
 
15,317

 
(1,756
)
 
202,080

Other income (expenses)
116,699

 
43,494

 
52,474

 
142,550

 
201,565

Income from continuing operations before income tax
77,525

 
21,253

 
67,791

 
140,794

 
403,645

Income tax expense
189

 
345

 
208

 
—

 
—

Income from continuing operations
77,336

 
20,908

 
67,583

 
140,794

 
403,645

Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax
—

 
646

 
(35,189
)
 
11,547

 
30,465

Net income
77,336

 
21,554

 
32,394

 
152,341

 
434,110

Preferred dividends
(5,580
)
 
(5,580
)
 
(5,580
)
 
(5,580
)
 
(5,580
)
Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interest
(257
)
 
293

 
852

 
(928
)
 
—

Income applicable to common stockholders
$
71,499

 
$
16,267

 
$
27,666

 
$
145,833

 
$
428,530

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income Applicable to Common Stock, per share
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
$
1.07

 
$
0.24

 
$
0.45

 
$
3.16

 
$
17.84

Diluted
$
1.04

 
$
0.24

 
$
0.44

 
$
3.09

 
$
17.64

Income from Continuing Operations per share of Common Stock, after preferred dividends and noncontrolling interest
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
$
1.07

 
$
0.23

 
$
1.02

 
$
2.91

 
$
16.57

Diluted
$
1.04

 
$
0.23

 
$
1.00

 
$
2.84

 
$
16.39

Income (loss) from Discontinued Operations per share of Common Stock
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
$
—

 
$
0.01

 
$
(0.57
)
 
$
0.25

 
$
1.27

Diluted
$
—

 
$
0.01

 
$
(0.57
)
 
$
0.24

 
$
1.25

Weighted Average Number of Shares of Common Stock Outstanding
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
66,709,925

 
66,479,321

 
61,500,913

 
46,146,882

 
24,024,395

Diluted
68,788,440

 
68,647,915

 
63,131,227

 
47,218,274

 
24,294,402

Dividends declared per share of common stock
$
0.48

 
$
0.48

 
$
1.92

 
$
3.54

 
$
5.04

 



36

 
As of December 31,
 
2016
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
Balance Sheet Data
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Real estate securities, available-for-sale
$
1,950

 
$
59,034

 
$
231,754

 
$
432,993

 
$
871,040

Real estate securities, pledged as collateral
627,304

 
105,963

 
407,689

 
551,270

 
820,535

Real estate related loans, held-for-sale, net
55,612

 
149,198

 
230,200

 
437,530

 
843,132

Residential mortgage loans, held-for-investment, net
—

 
—

 
—

 
255,450

 
292,461

Investments in real estate, net
217,611

 
227,907

 
239,283

 
250,208

 
—

Intangibles, net
65,112

 
74,472

 
84,686

 
95,548

 
—

Other investments
19,256

 
20,595

 
26,788

 
25,468

 
24,907

Cash and cash equivalents
140,140

 
45,651

 
73,727

 
42,421

 
221,798

Restricted cash
6,404

 
4,469

 
15,714

 
5,856

 
2,031

Assets of discontinued operations
—

 
—

 
6,803

 
2,248,023

 
448,920

Total assets
1,171,958

 
1,467,982

 
1,761,906

 
4,837,124

 
3,945,312

Total debt
767,465

 
970,842

 
1,314,840

 
1,940,592

 
2,661,236

Liabilities of discontinued operations
—

 
—

 
447

 
1,434,394

 
126,895

Total liabilities
953,891

 
1,257,860

 
1,503,578

 
3,611,511

 
2,872,252

Common stockholders’ equity (deficit)
156,484

 
148,796

 
196,709

 
1,103,262

 
1,011,477

Preferred stock
61,583

 
61,583

 
61,583

 
61,583

 
61,583

Noncontrolling interest
—

 
(257
)
 
36

 
61,279

 
—

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Supplemental Balance Sheet Data
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Common shares outstanding
66,824,304

 
66,654,598

 
66,424,508

 
58,575,582

 
28,754,274

Book value per share of common stock
$
2.34

 
$
2.23

 
$
2.96

 
$
18.83

 
$
35.18

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other Data
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Core Earnings (B)
$
47,316

 
$
38,125

 
$
99,993

 
$
140,903

 
$
163,217



(A)
Selected consolidated financial information includes the impact of the spin-offs of New Residential, New Media and New Senior and the sale of the commercial real estate properties in Beavercreek, OH. For all periods presented, the assets, liabilities and results of operations are presented separately in discontinued operations.

(B)
The following primary variables impact our operating performance: (i) the current yield earned on our investments that are not included in non-recourse financing structures (i.e., unlevered investments, including investments in equity method investees and investments subject to recourse debt), (ii) the net yield we earn from our non-recourse financing structures, (iii) the interest expense and dividends incurred under our recourse debt and preferred stock, (iv) the net operating income on our real estate and golf investments, (v) our operating expenses and (vi) our realized and unrealized gains or losses, net of related provision for income taxes, including any impairment, on our investments, derivatives and debt obligations. Core earnings is a non-GAAP measure of our operating performance excluding the sixth variable listed above. Core earnings also excludes depreciation and amortization charges, including the accretion of membership deposit liabilities and the impact of the application of acquisition accounting, acquisition and spin-off related expenses and restructuring expenses. Core earnings is used by management to evaluate our performance without taking into account gains and losses, net of related provision for income taxes, which, although they represent a part of our recurring operations, are subject to significant variability and are only a potential indicator of future performance. These adjustments to our income applicable to common stockholders are not indicative of the performance of the assets that form the core of our activity.

Management utilizes core earnings as a measure in its decision-making process relating to the underlying fundamental operations of our investments, as well as the allocation of resources between those investments, and management also relies on core earnings as an indicator of the results of such decisions. As such, core earnings is not intended to reflect all of our activity and should be considered as only one of the factors in assessing our performance, along with GAAP net income, which is inclusive of all of our activities. Management also believes that the exclusion from core earnings of the items specified above allows investors and analysts to readily identify and track the operating performance of the assets that form the core of our activity, assists in comparing the core operating results between periods, and enables investors to evaluate our current core performance using the same measure that management uses to operate the business.

Core earnings does not represent an alternative to net income as an indicator of our operating performance or as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities as a measure of our liquidity, and is not indicative of cash available to fund cash needs. For a further description of the differences between cash flows provided by operations and net income, see “– Liquidity and Capital Resources” below. Our calculation of core earnings may be different from the calculation used by other companies and, therefore, comparability may be limited.


37

Calculation of Core Earnings:

 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2016
 
2015
 
2014
Income applicable to common stockholders
$
71,499

 
$
16,267

 
$
27,666

Add (deduct):
 
 
 
 
 
Impairment (reversal)
10,381

 
11,896

 
(2,419
)
Realized/unrealized (gain) loss on investments
685

 
(22,264
)
 
(69,593
)
Other (income) (A)
(76,760
)
 
(8,274
)
 
(995
)
Impairment (reversal), other (income) loss and other adjustments from discontinued operations (B)
—

 
(307
)
 
104,226

Depreciation and amortization (C)
36,749

 
39,416

 
37,629

Acquisition, transaction, restructuring and spin-off related expenses (D)
4,762

 
1,391

 
3,479

Core earnings
$
47,316

 
$
38,125

 
$
99,993


(A)
Other income reconciliation:
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2016
 
2015
 
2014
Total other income
$
116,699

 
$
43,494

 
$
52,474

Add (deduct):
 
 
 
 
 
Equity in earnings from equity method investees (E)
(1,516
)
 
(1,311
)
 
(954
)
Interest and investment income
(91,291
)
 
(95,891
)
 
(127,627
)
Interest expense
52,868

 
62,129

 
80,022

Provision for income tax relating to gain on extinguishment of debt
—

 
(147
)
 
—

Deal expenses related to the sale of the residential loan and manufactured housing portfolios
—

 
—

 
(2,920
)
Other income
$
76,760

 
$
8,274

 
$
995

The deal expenses were recorded to general and administrative expense under GAAP during 2014.

(B)
Includes gain on settlement of investments of $0.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2015. Includes depreciation and amortization of less than $0.1 million and $90.6 million (gross of $0 and $0.7 million) during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Includes acquisition and spin-off related expenses of $15.8 million and other (income) of ($1.4) million during the year ended December 31, 2014.
(C)
Including accretion of membership deposit liabilities of $5.8 million, $5.8 million and $5.7 million, and amortization of favorable and unfavorable leasehold intangibles of $4.5 million, $4.9 million and $5.0 million during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The accretion of membership deposit liabilities was recorded to interest expense and the amortization of favorable and unfavorable leasehold intangibles was recorded to operating expenses.
(D)
Including acquisition and transaction expenses of $4.4 million, $1.1 million and $2.6 million and restructuring expenses of $0.4 million, $0.3 million and $0.9 million during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The acquisition and transaction expenses were recorded to general and administrative expense and restructuring expenses were recorded to operating expenses.
(E)
Equity in earnings from equity method investees excludes impairment of $2.9 million and $7.5 million during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. There was no impairment reported during the year ended December 31, 2014.


Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” and Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors.”

General
Drive Shack Inc. is a leading owner and operator of golf-related leisure and entertainment businesses. Drive Shack Inc.'s common stock is traded on the NYSE under the symbol “DS.” Drive Shack Inc. is externally managed and advised by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC, or Fortress (the “Manager”).

38

For further information relating to Drive Shack Inc.’s business, see “Item 1. Business.”
We report our business through the following segments: (i) Traditional Golf, (ii) Entertainment Golf, (iii) Debt Investments, and (iv) corporate.
Revenues attributable to each segment, as restated for previously reported periods, are disclosed below (in thousands).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Inter-segment
Elimination
 
 
 
  For the Year Ended
 
TraditionalGolf
 
Entertainment Golf
 
Debt Investments
 
Corporate
 
 
Total
 
December 31, 2016
 
$
299,014

 
N/A
 
$
91,107

 
$
50

 
$
—

 
$
390,171

 
December 31, 2015
 
$
296,008

 
N/A
 
$
98,721

 
$
23

 
$
(3,005
)
 
$
391,747

(A)
December 31, 2014
 
$
291,684

 
N/A
 
$
135,031

 
$
44

 
$
(7,595
)
 
$
419,164

(B)

(A)
Excludes $0.6 million of revenue included in discontinued operations related to the sale of commercial real estate.
(B)
Excludes $283.4 million of revenues included in discontinued operations related to senior housing, media and the sale of commercial real estate.

Market Considerations
Our ability to execute our business strategy, particularly the development of our Entertainment Golf business, depends to a degree on our ability to monetize our Debt Investments and obtain additional capital. We have not accessed the capital markets since 2014, and rising interest rates or stock market volatility could impair our ability to raise equity capital on attractive terms.
Our ability to generate income is dependent on, among other factors, our ability to raise capital and finance investments on favorable terms, deploy capital on a timely basis at attractive returns, and exit investments at favorable yields.  Market conditions outside of our control, such as interest rates, credit spreads and stock market volatility affect these objectives in a variety of ways.
Traditional Golf
With respect to our Traditional Golf business, trends in consumer discretionary spending as well as climate and weather patterns have a significant impact on the markets in which we operate. Traditional Golf is subject to seasonal fluctuations caused by significant reductions in golf activities as well as revenue in the first and fourth quarters of each year, due to shorter days and colder temperatures.  Consequently, a significantly larger portion of our revenue from our Traditional Golf operations is earned in the second and third quarters of our fiscal year. In addition, severe weather patterns can also negatively impact our results of operations.
While consumer spending in the Traditional Golf industry has generally been declining in recent years, we believe improving economic conditions and improvements in local housing markets has helped and will continue to help drive membership growth and increase the number of golf rounds played. In addition, we believe growth in related industries, including leisure entertainment, can positively impact our traditional golf business.
Debt Investments

During the year, both short-term and long-term interest rates remained at or near historical lows. We project short– and long–term rates to increase in the future, although the timing of any further increases is uncertain. We have investments in both floating and fixed rate securities and loans, which are affected by interest rates in different ways. We expect that the value of our floating rate assets would not be significantly affected by a change in interest rates (whether an increase or decrease), since the coupon tracks the movement in rates, while the value of fixed rate assets can be negatively affected by rising interest rates. However, in general, rising interest rates are usually indicative of a strengthening economic environment, which could reduce the credit risk of some of our investments. With respect to our fixed rate assets, we believe that the negative impact of rising interest rates could potentially be offset by the positive impact of reduced credit risk.

Credit spreads also affect the value of our investments in debt securities and loans. Credit spreads decreased or "tightened," marginally during 2015 and 2016, which had a minimal impact on the value of our portfolio. Credit spreads measure the yield relative to a specified benchmark that the market demands on securities and loans based on the credit risk of such assets. The value of our portfolio tends to increase when spreads tighten and to decrease when spreads widen.  Credit spreads also affect the cost of financing, with widening spreads tending to increase the cost, and tightening spreads tending to reduce it.

The net interest spread of our portfolio of Debt Investments can be impacted by (i) the timing and extent of changes in the composition of our portfolio as a result of purchases and sales of assets or the repayment of debt, repurchase agreements and other

39

bonds, the incurrence of new debt, (ii) the yields on new investments, which varies depending on the credit quality of the issuer, and (iii) changes in our estimates of the yields on securities acquired at a discount for credit quality. For instance, the net interest spread of our Debt Investments increases if we sell assets with lower yields relative to other assets in our portfolio or repay debt (such as in connection with an asset sale or refinancing) that has a higher interest rate relative to other financing on our portfolio (assuming no other changes to the composition of our portfolio). Conversely, the net interest spread of our portfolio decreases if we sell assets with higher yields relative to other assets in our portfolio or repay debt (such as in connection with an asset sale) that has a lower interest rate relative to other financing on our portfolio (again, assuming no other changes to the composition of our portfolio). Management continually monitors market conditions to opportunistically effect purchases and sales of debt investments.

Application of Critical Accounting Policies
Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based upon our Consolidated Financial Statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the use of estimates and assumptions that could affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses. Our estimates are based on information available to management at the time of preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements, including the result of historical analysis, our understanding and experience of the Company’s operations, our knowledge of the industry and market-participant data available to us.
Actual results have historically been in line with management’s estimates and judgments used in applying each of the accounting policies described below and management periodically re-evaluates accounting estimates and assumptions. Actual results could differ from these estimates and materially impact our Consolidated Financial Statements. However, the Company does not expect our assessments and assumptions below to materially change in the future.
A summary of our significant accounting policies is presented in Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements, which appear in Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.” The following is a summary of our accounting policies that are most affected by judgments, estimates and assumptions.
Variable Interest Entities

Variable interest entities (“VIEs”) are defined as entities in which equity investors do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest or do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties. A VIE is required to be consolidated by its primary beneficiary, and only by its primary beneficiary, which is defined as the party who has the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact its economic performance and who has the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE.

The VIEs in which we have a significant interest include our CDOs. We do not have the power to direct the relevant activities of CDO V, as a result of an event of default which allows for us to be removed as collateral manager of this CDO and prevents us from purchasing or selling certain collateral within this CDO, and therefore this CDO is not consolidated as of December 31, 2016. In August 2016, the Company settled on a trade to sell $14.8 million face amount of two CDO V securities for total proceeds of $9.9 million (See Note 5 to Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information). As a result of this trade, the Company no longer has an economic interest in CDO V.

On March 31, 2016, Drive Shack Inc. sold $11.0 million face amount of NCT 2013-VI Class I-MM-2. As a result of this sale, the Company was no longer deemed to be the primary beneficiary and deconsolidated CDO VI.
Our subprime securitizations are also considered VIEs, but we do not control the decisions that most significantly impact their economic performance and no longer receive a significant portion of their returns, and therefore do not consolidate them.

In addition, our investments in RMBS and real estate related and other loans may be deemed to be variable interests in VIEs, depending on their structure. We monitor these investments and analyze the potential need to consolidate the related securitization entities pursuant to the VIE consolidation requirements. These analyses require considerable judgment in determining whether an entity is a VIE and determining the primary beneficiary of a VIE since they involve subjective determinations of significance, with respect to both power and economics. The result could be the consolidation of an entity that otherwise would not have been consolidated or the deconsolidation of an entity that otherwise would have been consolidated.

40

Valuation of Securities

We have classified all of our real estate securities as available-for-sale. As such, they are carried at fair value with net unrealized gains or losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income, to the extent impairment losses are considered temporary as described below. Fair value may be based upon broker quotations, counterparty quotations or pricing services quotations, which provide valuation estimates based upon reasonable market order indications or a good faith estimate thereof and are subject to significant variability based on market conditions, such as interest rates, credit spreads and market liquidity. A significant portion of our securities are currently not traded in active markets and therefore have little or no price transparency. As a result, we have estimated the fair value of these illiquid securities based on internal pricing models rather than the sources described above. The determination of estimated cash flows used in pricing models is inherently subjective and imprecise. Changes in market conditions, as well as changes in the assumptions or methodology used to determine fair value, could result in a significant and immediate increase or decrease in our book equity. For securities valued with pricing models, these inputs include the discount rate, assumptions relating to prepayments, default rates and loss severities, as well as other variables.
See Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for information regarding the fair value of our investments, and respective estimation methodologies, as of December 31, 2016.

Our securities must be categorized by the “level” of inputs used in estimating their fair values. Level 1 would be assets or liabilities valued based on quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets. We have no Level 1 assets or liabilities. Level 2 would be assets or liabilities valued based on quoted prices in active markets for similar instruments, on quoted prices in less active or inactive markets, or on other “observable” market inputs. Level 3 would be assets or liabilities valued based significantly on “unobservable” market inputs. Fair value under GAAP represents an exit price in the normal course of business, not a forced liquidation price. If we were forced to sell assets in a short period to meet liquidity needs, the prices we receive could be substantially less than the recorded fair values.

We generally classify non-binding broker and pricing service quotations we receive as Level 3 inputs. Such quotations are quoted prices in generally inactive and illiquid markets for identical or similar securities. These quotations are generally received via email and contain disclaimers which state that they are “indicative” and “not actionable” - meaning that the party giving the quotation is not bound to actually purchase the security at the quoted price. These quotations are generally based on models prepared by the brokers, and we have little visibility into the inputs they use. Based on quarterly procedures we have performed with respect to quotations received from these brokers, including comparison to the outputs generated from our internal pricing models and transactions we have completed with respect to these securities, as well as on our knowledge and experience of these markets, we have generally determined that these quotes represent a reasonable estimate of fair value.

As of December 31, 2016, we had $627.3 million carrying value of Level 2 assets.

Our estimation of the fair value of Level 3 assets valued using internal models involves significant judgment. The inputs to our models include discount rates, prepayment speeds, default rates and severity assumptions. We validate the inputs and outputs of our models by comparing them to available independent third-party market parameters and models for reasonableness, as well as historical performance. We believe the assumptions we use are within the range that a market participant would use and factor in the liquidity conditions currently in the markets. In 2016, the inputs to our models, including discount rates, prepayment speeds, default rates and severity assumptions, have generally remained consistent with the assumptions used at December 31, 2015.
For securities valued with internal models, which have an aggregate fair value of $2.0 million as of December 31, 2016, a 10% unfavorable change in our assumptions would result in the following decreases in such aggregate fair value (in thousands):
 
ABS - Non-Agency RMBS
Outstanding face amount
$
4,000

Fair value
$
1,950

Effect on fair value with 10% unfavorable change in:
 
Discount rate
$
(161
)

A 10% unfavorable change in prepayment rate, default rate and loss severity have no impact on the ABS - Non-Agency RMBS fair value.

41

Impairment of Securities and Other Investments

We must also assess whether unrealized losses on securities, if any, reflect a decline in value which is other-than-temporary and, if so, write the impaired security down to its fair value through earnings. A decline in value is deemed to be other-than-temporary if (i) it is probable that we will be unable to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of a security which was not impaired at acquisition (there is an expected credit loss), or (ii) if we have the intent to sell a security in an unrealized loss position or it is more likely than not we will be required to sell a security in an unrealized loss position prior to its anticipated recovery (if any). For the purposes of performing this analysis, we assume the anticipated recovery period is until the respective security’s expected maturity. For certain securities which represent beneficial interests in securitized financial assets and non-Agency RMBS acquired with evidence of deteriorated credit quality for which it was deemed probable, at acquisition, that we would be unable to collect all contractually required payments as they come due, an other-than-temporary impairment also will be deemed to have occurred whenever there is a probable adverse change in the timing or amounts of previously projected estimated cash flows.

Temporary declines in value generally result from changes in market factors, such as market interest rates and credit spreads, or from certain macroeconomic events, including market disruptions and supply changes, which do not directly impact our ability to collect amounts contractually due. We continually evaluate the credit status of each of our securities and the collateral supporting our securities. This evaluation includes a review of the credit of the issuer of the security (if applicable), the credit rating of the security, the key terms of the security (including credit support), debt service coverage and loan to value ratios, the performance of the pool of underlying loans and the estimated value of the collateral supporting such loans, including the effect of local, industry and broader economic trends and factors. These factors include loan default expectations and loss severities, which are analyzed in connection with a particular security’s credit support, as well as prepayment rates. These factors are also analyzed in relation to the amount of the unrealized loss and the period elapsed since it was incurred. The result of this evaluation is considered when determining management’s estimate of cash flows, particularly with respect to developing the necessary inputs and assumptions. Each security is impacted by different factors and in different ways; generally the more negative factors which are identified with respect to a given security, the more likely we are to determine that we do not expect to receive all contractual payments when due with respect to that security. Significant judgment is required in this analysis.
We generally do not depend on credit ratings in underwriting our securities, either at acquisition or on an ongoing basis. As of December 31, 2016, we had no securities that had been downgraded during 2016. As mentioned above, a credit rating downgrade is one factor that we monitor and consider in our analysis regarding other-than-temporary impairment, but it is not determinative. Our securities generally benefit from the support of one or more subordinate classes of securities or equity or other forms of credit support. Therefore, credit rating downgrades, even to the extent they relate to an expectation that a securitization we have invested in, on an overall basis, has credit issues, may not ultimately impact cash flow estimates for the class of securities in which we are invested.
Furthermore, the analysis of whether it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell securities in an unrealized loss position prior to an expected recovery in value (if any), the amount of such expected required sales, and the projected identification of which securities would be sold is also subject to significant judgment.

We evaluate our other investments for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount might not be recoverable. The evaluation of recoverability is based on management’s assessment of the financial condition and near term prospects of the commercial real estate project, the length of time and the extent to which the market value of the investment has been less than cost, availability and cost of financing, demand for space, competition for tenants, changes in market rental rates, and operating costs.  As these factors are difficult to predict and are subject to future events that may alter management’s assumptions, the values estimated by management in its recoverability analyses may not be realized, and actual losses or impairment may be realized in the future.  
Revenue Recognition on Securities

Income on these securities is recognized using a level yield methodology based upon a number of cash flow assumptions that are subject to uncertainties and contingencies. For securities that are not acquired at a discount for credit quality, these assumptions include the rate and timing of principal and interest receipts (which may be subject to prepayments and defaults). For securities acquired at a discount for credit quality and with respect to which management has determined at acquisition that it is probable that we will not collect all contractually required principal and interest payments, these assumptions also include expected losses. For these securities, we recognize the excess of all expected cash flows over our investment in the securities, referred to as accretable yield, as Interest Income on a loss-adjusted yield basis. The loss adjusted yield is determined based on an evaluation of the credit status of securities, as described in connection with the analysis of impairment above. The excess of total contractual cash flows over the cash flows expected to be collected is referred to as the nonaccretable difference and is not recognized as income. The assumptions that impact income recognition are updated on at least a quarterly basis to reflect changes related to a particular

42

security, actual historical data, and market changes. These uncertainties and contingencies are difficult to predict and are subject to future events, and economic and market conditions, which may alter the assumptions.
Valuation of Derivatives

Our derivative instruments are carried at fair value which is based on counterparty quotations and pricing services. The Company reports the fair value of derivative instruments gross of cash paid or received pursuant to credit support agreements. To the extent they qualify as cash flow hedges, net unrealized gains or losses are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income; otherwise, the net unrealized gains and losses are reported currently in other income. To the extent they qualify as fair value hedges, net unrealized gains or losses on both the derivative and the related portion of the hedged item are reported currently in income. Fair values of such derivatives are subject to significant variability based on many of the same factors as the securities discussed above, including counterparty credit risk. The results of such variability, the effectiveness of our hedging strategies and the extent to which a forecasted hedged transaction remains probable of occurring, could result in a significant increase or decrease in our GAAP equity and/or earnings.

Loans

We invest in loans, including, but not limited to, real estate related and other loans, residential mortgage loans and subprime mortgage loans. Loans for which we have the intent and ability to hold for the foreseeable future, or until maturity or payoff, are classified as held-for-investment. Loans for which we do not have the intent or the ability to hold for the foreseeable future, or until maturity or payoff, are classified as held-for-sale. Loans are presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet net of any unamortized discount (or gross of any unamortized premium) and an allowance for loan losses. We determine at acquisition whether loans will be aggregated into pools based on common risk characteristics (credit quality, loan type, and date of origination or acquisition); loans aggregated into pools are accounted for as if each pool were a single loan. We also evaluate our loans at acquisition for evidence of credit quality deterioration. Loans for which we determine that it is probable that we will not collect all contractually required principal and interest payments at acquisition are categorized as loans acquired at a discount for credit quality.

Revenue Recognition on Loans Held for Sale

Real estate related, commercial mortgage and residential mortgage loans that are considered held for sale are carried at the lower of amortized cost or market value determined on either an individual method basis, or in the aggregate for pools of similar loans. Interest income is recognized based on the loan’s coupon rate to the extent management believes it is collectible. Purchase discounts are not amortized as interest income during the period the loan is held for sale, except when a pay down or sale has happened in the period. Similarly, for loans acquired at a discount for credit quality, accretable yield is not recorded as interest income during the period the loan is held for sale. A change in the market value of the loan, to the extent that the value is not above the average cost basis, is recorded in Valuation Allowance. A rollforward of the allowance is included in Note 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Acquisition Accounting

In connection with an acquisition of a business, assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recorded at fair value as of the acquisition date. The accounting for acquisitions requires the identification and measurement of all acquired tangible and intangible assets and assumed liabilities at their respective fair values as of the acquisition date. In measuring the fair value of net tangible and identified intangible assets acquired, management uses information obtained as a result of pre-acquisition due diligence, marketing, leasing activities and independent appraisals. The determination of fair value involves the use of significant judgment and estimation.

Impairment of Investments in Real Estate

Real estate and long-lived assets are tested for potential impairment when changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. Indicators of impairment include material adverse changes in the projected revenues and expenses, significant underperformance relative to historical or projected future operating results, and significant negative industry or economic trends. An impairment is determined to have occurred if the future net undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated is less than the carrying value of an asset. The impairment is measured as the difference between the carrying value and the fair value. Significant judgment is required both in determining impairment and in estimating the fair value. We may use assumptions and estimates derived from a review of our operating results, business projections, expected growth rates, discount rates, and tax rates. We also make certain assumptions about future economic conditions, interest rates, and other market data. Many of the factors used in these assumptions and estimates are outside the control of management, and can change in future periods.


43

Intangible Assets

We assess the potential impairment of intangible assets with indefinite lives on an annual basis or if an event occurs or circumstances change between annual tests that indicate that it is more likely than not that the asset is impaired.  We perform our impairment test by comparing the fair value of the intangible asset with its carrying amount.  If the carrying amount exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss will be recognized in an amount equal to that excess. 

We assess the recoverability of our definite lived intangible assets, whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate the carrying amount of the assets, or other appropriate grouping of assets, may not be fully recoverable. The assessment of recoverability is based on comparing management’s estimates of the sum of the estimated undiscounted cash flows generated by the underlying asset, or other appropriate grouping of assets, to its carrying value to determine whether an impairment existed at its lowest level of identifiable cash flows. Factors leading to impairment include significant under-performance relative to historical or projected results, significant changes in the manner of use of the acquired assets or the strategy for our overall business and significant negative industry or economic trends.

Membership Deposit Liabilities

In our Traditional Golf business, private country club members generally pay an advance initiation fee deposit upon their acceptance as a member to the respective country club. Initiation fee deposits are refundable 30 years after the date of acceptance as a member. The difference between the initiation fee deposit paid by the member and the present value of the refund obligation is deferred and recognized into revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations on a straight-line basis over the expected life of an active membership, which is estimated to be seven years. The present value of the refund obligation is recorded as a membership deposit liability in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and accretes over a 30-year nonrefundable term using the effective interest method. This accretion is recorded as interest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The determination of the estimated average expected life of an active membership is based on company-specific historical data and involves significant judgment and estimation.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 to Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for information about recent accounting pronouncements.

44

Results of Operations
Consolidated Results
The following tables summarize the changes in our consolidated results of operations from year-to-year (dollars in thousands):
Comparison of Results of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
Increase (Decrease)
 
2016
 
2015
 
Amount
 
%
Revenues
 
 
 
 
 
 


Golf course operations
$
226,255

 
$
224,419

 
$
1,836

 
0.8
 %
Sales of food and beverages
72,625

 
71,437

 
1,188

 
1.7
 %
Total revenues
298,880

 
295,856

 
3,024

 
1.0
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Operating costs
 
 
 
 


 


Operating expenses
254,353

 
254,553

 
(200
)
 
(0.1
)%
Cost of sales - food and beverages
21,593

 
22,549

 
(956
)
 
(4.2
)%
General and administrative expense
13,842

 
12,037

 
1,805

 
15.0
 %
Management fee to affiliate
10,704

 
10,692

 
12

 
0.1
 %
Depreciation and amortization
26,496

 
28,634

 
(2,138
)
 
(7.5
)%
Impairment (reversal)
10,381

 
11,896

 
(1,515
)
 
(12.7
)%
Realized/unrealized (gain) loss on investments
685

 
(22,264
)
 
22,949

 
103.1
 %
Total operating costs
338,054

 
318,097

 
19,957

 
6.3
 %
Operating loss
(39,174
)
 
(22,241
)
 
(16,933
)
 
(76.1
)%
 
 
 
 
 


 


Other income (expenses)
 
 
 
 
 
 


Interest and investment income
91,291

 
95,891

 
(4,600
)
 
(4.8
)%
Interest expense
(52,868
)
 
(62,129
)
 
(9,261
)
 
(14.9
)%
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt
(780
)
 
15,306

 
(16,086
)
 
(105.1
)%
Gain on deconsolidation
82,130

 
—

 
82,130

 
N.M.

Other income (loss), net
(3,074
)
 
(5,574
)
 
2,500

 
44.9
 %
Total other income
116,699

 
43,494

 
73,205

 
168.3
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income from continuing operations before income tax
$
77,525

 
$
21,253

 
$
56,272

 
264.8
 %
N.M. – Not meaningful
Golf Course Operations
Golf course operations increased by $1.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2016 compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 primarily due to: (i) a $5.5 million increase in net driving range revenues at public golf properties as a result of the continued growth of The Players Club program, (ii) a $2.0 million increase due to additional initiation fees from new member sales and higher membership dues rates, partially offset by (iii) a $3.4 million decrease in green fee and cart rental revenue as a result of unfavorable conditions, especially in California, (iv) a $1.9 million decrease in greens and cart fees and merchandise sales from lease terminations in 2016 and (v) a $0.4 million decrease in sales of merchandise due to unfavorable conditions, especially in California.

Sales of Food and Beverages

Sales of food and beverages increased by $1.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2016 compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 primarily due to a $2.2 million increase in private event revenues and packaged round and beverage offers to The Players Club members, partially offset by a $1.0 million decrease from lease terminations in 2016.
Operating Expenses

There was no significant change in operating expenses during the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2015.


45

Cost of Sales - Food and Beverages

Cost of sales decreased by $1.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 primarily due to (i) a $0.8 million decrease as a result of increased vendor rebates in 2016, (ii) a $0.4 million decrease from lease terminations in 2016, partially offset by (iii) a $0.2 million increase due to additional food and beverage sales.
General and Administrative Expense (including Acquisition and Transaction Expense)

General and administrative expense increased by $1.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 primarily due to: (i) $1.6 million in costs related to the development of Entertainment Golf and in the year ended December 31, 2016 compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 and (ii) a $0.2 million increase in professional fees incurred related to the golf financing obtained in June 2016 as compared to the financing obtained in August 2015.
Management Fee to Affiliate

There was no significant change in management fee to affiliate during the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2015.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization decreased by $2.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 primarily due to certain assets being fully depreciated in 2015 and 2016 from scheduled lease expirations partially offset by an increase in depreciation from additional capital leases.
Impairment (Reversal)
Impairment decreased by $1.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2016 compared to the year ended December 31, 2015. During the year ended December 31, 2016 we recorded: (i) a $3.9 million valuation allowance on a corporate loan, (ii) a $0.2 million valuation allowance on two residential mortgage loans, (iii) a $0.1 million other-than-temporary impairment charge on a CMBS security, (iv) a $3.6 million impairment on one golf property when we reclassified the property to held-for-sale and (v) a $2.6 million impairment charge related to two golf properties. During the year ended December 31, 2015, we recorded: (i) a $5.2 million valuation allowance on a corporate loan, (ii) a $4.3 million valuation allowance on a mezzanine loan, (iii) a $2.0 million other-than-temporary impairment charge on two CMBS securities and (iv) a $0.4 million other-than-temporary impairment charge on one equity security.
Realized/Unrealized (Gain) Loss on Investments

The realized/unrealized (gain) loss on investments increased by $22.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2015. During the year ended December 31, 2016, we recorded: (i) an $8.3 million loss on the sale of Agency RMBS, (ii) a $10.7 million gain on the sale of CDO bonds, (iii) a $0.5 million gain on non-Agency RMBS and (iv) an $18.3 million gain associated with the settlement of derivatives. We also recorded a $1.2 million unrealized gain associated with derivatives and a $23.1 million unrealized loss on Agency RMBS due to a change to an intent to sell. During the year ended December 31, 2015, we recorded: (i) a $28.8 million gain on the sale of CMBS and non-Agency RMBS, (ii) a $3.7 million gain on the sale of Agency RMBS, (iii) a $1.5 million gain on the sale of real estate related loans and (iv) a $13.5 million loss associated with the settlement of derivatives. We also recorded a $1.8 million unrealized gain associated with derivatives.
Interest and Investment Income

Interest and investment income decreased by $4.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 primarily due to: (i) a $5.7 million net decrease as a result of the sales and pay downs of real estate related loans in CDOs VI, VIII and IX, (ii) an $11.5 million decrease as a result of the sales and pay downs of real estate securities in CDOs VI, VIII and IX and (iii) a decrease of $3.2 million as a result of lower notional on our subprime mortgage loan call option. These were offset by: (i) a $1.4 million increase related to additional paid in kind (“PIK”) interest earned on corporate loans, (ii) a $10.5 million increase primarily related to accretion income recognized from a pay down of the resorts-related loan and (iii) a $3.9 million increase due to additional purchases of Agency RMBS.

46

Interest Expense

Interest expense decreased by $9.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 primarily due to: (i) a $1.6 million decrease in swap interest expense as there were no interest rate swaps in 2016, (ii) a $5.6 million decrease as a result of the golf debt that was repurchased in August 2015, (iii) a $4.4 million decrease due to lower balances of CDO bonds payable, (iv) a $3.2 million decrease as a result of lower notional on the financing of our subprime mortgage loan call option and (v) a $1.6 million decrease as a result of a lower weighted average coupon on the junior subordinated notes payable. These were offset by: (i) a $0.3 million increase due to the financing of the golf debt that was repurchased in August 2015, (ii) a $2.5 million increase due to higher financing costs and borrowing amounts incurred on repurchase agreements on the Agency RMBS, (iii) a $4.0 increase due to the refinancing of the golf debt in June 2016 and (iv) a $0.3 million increase due to interest expense on new capital leases.

Gain (Loss) on Extinguishment of Debt

The gain on extinguishment of debt decreased by $16.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2016 compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 due to: $0.8 million recorded during the year ended December 31, 2016 related to the write-off of traditional golf liabilities. The gain on extinguishment of debt of $15.3 million recorded during the year ended December 31, 2015 is due to: (i) $15.4 million gain related to the repurchase of the first and second lien golf debt from a third party in August 2015, (ii) $0.5 million gain related to the repurchase of CDO bonds payable in June 2015, offset by $0.6 million of losses associated with the write-off of traditional golf liabilities.
Gain on Deconsolidation

The gain on deconsolidation of $82.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2016 is related to the deconsolidation of CDO VI. There were no deconsolidations during the year ended December 31, 2015.
Other Income (Loss), Net

Other loss, net decreased by $2.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 primarily due to a $1.7 million decrease on our real estate related loans in 2015 and a decrease of $0.8 million related to the Traditional Golf business.


47

Comparison of Results of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
Increase (Decrease)
 
2015
 
2014
 
Amount
 
%
Revenues
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Golf course operations
$
224,419

 
$
222,983

 
$
1,436

 
0.6
 %
Sales of food and beverages
71,437

 
68,554

 
2,883

 
4.2
 %
Total revenues
295,856

 
291,537

 
4,319

 
1.5
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating costs
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating expenses
254,553

 
263,338

 
(8,785
)
 
(3.3
)%
Cost of sales - food and beverages
22,549

 
21,037

 
1,512

 
7.2
 %
General and administrative expense
12,037

 
15,851

 
(3,814
)
 
(24.1
)%
Management fee to affiliate
10,692

 
21,039

 
(10,347
)
 
(49.2
)%
Depreciation and amortization
28,634

 
26,967

 
1,667

 
6.2
 %
Impairment (reversal)
11,896

 
(2,419
)
 
14,315

 
N.M

Realized/unrealized (gain) loss on investments
(22,264
)
 
(69,593
)
 
(47,329
)
 
(68.0
)%
Total operating costs
318,097

 
276,220

 
41,877

 
15.2
 %
Operating income (loss)
(22,241
)
 
15,317

 
(37,558
)
 
(245.2
)%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other income (expenses)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest and investment income
95,891

 
127,627

 
(31,736
)
 
(24.9
)%
Interest expense
(62,129
)
 
(80,022
)
 
(17,893
)
 
(22.4
)%
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt
15,306

 
(3,410
)
 
18,716

 
N.M

Other income (loss), net
(5,574
)
 
8,279

 
(13,853
)
 
(167.3
)%
Total other income
43,494

 
52,474

 
(8,980
)
 
(17.1
)%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income from continuing operations before income tax
$
21,253

 
$
67,791

 
$
(46,538
)
 
(68.6
)%
N.M. – Not meaningful

Golf Course Operations
Golf course operations increased by $1.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily due to: (i) a $3.9 million increase from the introduction of The Players Club program which increased driving range revenues at public golf properties, (ii) a $1.6 million increase in annual member fees partially offset by (iii) a $3.8 million decrease in greens and cart fees resulting from lease terminations in 2014 and (iv) a $0.3 million decrease due to reductions in merchandise sales and other club revenues resulting from lease terminations in 2014 and 2015.

Sales of Food and Beverages

Sales of food and beverages increased by $2.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily due to increases in private event revenues and new marketing programs offering various all-inclusive packages at certain traditional golf properties, partially offset by reductions from lease terminations in 2014 and 2015.
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses decreased by $8.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014 due to: (i) a $2.0 million decrease of payroll expense as a result of lease terminations in 2014 and 2015, (ii) a $2.7 million decrease of utilities expense primarily as a result of water restrictions across courses in California, (iii) a $3.3 million decrease in rent expense primarily due to lease terminations in 2014 and 2015, (iv) a $0.5 million decrease in operating lease expenses as a result of fewer operating leases and more capital leases, and (v) a $0.3 million decrease of property insurance expenses as a result of lease terminations in 2014 and 2015.


48

Cost of Sales - Food and Beverages

Cost of sales increased by $1.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily due to increased purchasing associated with new marketing programs offering various all-inclusive packages at certain traditional golf properties.
General and Administrative Expense (including Acquisition and Transaction Expense)
General and administrative expense decreased by $3.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily due to a decrease of $2.9 million in transaction related expenses and a decrease of $0.9 million in loan and security servicing expense due to the pay down and sale of securities and loans in our CDOs and the sale of the manufactured housing and residential whole loan portfolios in 2014.
Management Fee to Affiliate
Management fees decreased by $10.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily due to decreases in gross equity as a result of the New Media spin-off in February 2014 and the New Senior spin-off in November 2014. This was partially offset by an increase in gross equity as a result of our public offerings of common stock in August 2014.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $1.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily due to the write-off of intangible liabilities resulting from traditional golf property lease terminations and lease modifications in 2014.
Impairment (Reversal)
Impairment increased by $14.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily due to: (i) a $12.8 million increase in valuation allowances related to our real estate related loans offset by a $0.9 million decrease in allowances related to our manufactured housing and residential mortgage loan portfolios. We also recorded other-than-temporary impairments of $2.0 million on two debt securities and $0.4 million on one equity security during the year ended December 31, 2015. We did not record other-than-temporary impairment during the year ended December 31, 2014.
Realized/Unrealized (Gain) Loss on Investments
The realized/unrealized gain on investments decreased by $47.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014. During the year ended December 31, 2015, we recorded a gain of $28.8 million on the sale of CMBS and non-Agency RMBS, a gain of $3.7 million on the sale of Agency RMBS, and a gain of $1.5 million on the sale of real estate related loans. This was offset by $13.5 million of losses associated with the settlement of derivatives in the year ended December 31, 2015. During the year ended December 31, 2015, we also recognized an unrealized gain of $1.8 million associated with the mark-to-market on derivatives. During the year ended December 31, 2014, we recorded a gain of $32.5 million related to the sale of our manufactured housing loan portfolio and residential whole loans portfolio, and a gain of $23.7 million on the sale of debt securities, offset by $4.2 million of losses associated with the settlement of derivatives. During the year ended December 31, 2014, we also recorded an unrealized gain of $12.5 million associated with income recognized on linked transactions and an unrealized gain of $5.1 million on derivatives.
Interest and Investment Income
Interest and investment income decreased by $31.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily due to: (i) a $16.0 million net decrease as a result of the sales and pay downs of real estate related loans in CDOs VIII and IX, (ii) an $8.9 million decrease as a result of the sale of the manufactured housing and residential mortgage loan portfolios during 2014, (iii) a decrease of $19.2 million due to the sale and pay downs of securities in our CDOs during 2014 and 2015, and (iv) a decrease of $0.5 million related to income recognized on the subprime mortgage loans subject to call option. These were offset by an increase of $8.7 million related to the addition of Agency RMBS and an increase of $4.2 million related to additional PIK interest earned on two real estate related loans.
Interest Expense
Interest expense decreased by $17.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily due to: (i) a $10.0 million decrease in swap interest expense due to a lower notional balance in 2015 compared to 2014, (ii) a $2.4 million decrease in the other debt segment primarily due to the payoff of the debt following the sale of the manufactured housing and residential mortgage loan portfolio in May 2014, (iii) a $5.6 million decrease in the CDO segment due

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to pay downs of debt as a result of pay downs and sales of assets, (iv) a decrease of $1.1 million primarily due to repurchase of the golf debts in August 2015, and (v) a decrease of $0.5 million related to expenses recognized on the subprime mortgage loans subject to call option. This was offset by (i) an increase of $1.1 million due to higher balances of repurchase agreements financing the Agency RMBS portfolio, (ii) an increase of $0.4 million related to higher capital lease financing costs associated with the Traditional Golf business, and (iii) a $0.2 million increase related to higher interest accretion expense related to the traditional golf membership deposit liabilities.
Gain (Loss) on Extinguishment of Debt

The gain on extinguishment of debt of $15.3 million recorded during the year ended December 31, 2015 is due to (i) $15.4 million gain related to the repurchase of the first and second lien golf debt from a third party in August 2015, (ii) $0.5 million gain related to the repurchase of CDO bonds payable in June 2015, offset by $0.6 million of losses associated with the write-off of traditional golf liabilities. The loss on extinguishment of debt of $3.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2014 relates to the write-off of the unamortized discount on the manufactured housing debt upon the sale of the portfolio and the payoff of the debt in May 2014.
Other Income (Loss), Net
Other income decreased by $13.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily due to: (i) a $6.8 million decrease primarily related to gains recognized in 2014 on a lease modification related to a traditional golf property, (ii) a $7.1 million decrease in equity in earnings in equity method investees, (iii) a $0.5 million decrease related to deferred fee income recognized on the payoff of a real estate related loan in January 2014, (iv) a $0.3 million decrease related to fees from servicing third party CDOs and (v) a $0.7 million decrease related to various other traditional golf income items in 2015. This was partially offset by (i) a $0.5 million increase related to receipt of funds in 2015 related to the sale of the manufactured housing loan portfolio in May 2014 and (ii) a $1.0 million increase related to receipts on real estate related loans.


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Traditional Golf Segment Results

Comparison of Traditional Golf Results of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
Increase (Decrease)
 
2016
 
2015
 
Amount
 
%
Revenues
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Golf course operations
$
226,255

 
$
224,419

 
$
1,836

 
0.8
 %
Sales of food and beverages
72,625

 
71,437

 
1,188

 
1.7
 %
Total revenues
298,880

 
295,856

 
3,024

 
1.0
 %



 


 

 

Operating costs
 
 
 
 

 

Operating expenses
254,353

 
254,553

 
(200
)
 
(0.1
)%
Cost of sales - food and beverages
21,593

 
22,549

 
(956
)
 
(4.2
)%
General and administrative expense
4,302

 
4,347

 
(45
)
 
(1.0
)%
Depreciation and amortization
26,496

 
28,682

 
(2,186
)
 
(7.6
)%
Impairment (reversal)
6,232

 
—

 
6,232

 
N.M.

Realized/unrealized (gain) loss on investments
(294
)
 
9

 
(303
)
 
N.M.

Total operating costs
312,682

 
310,140

 
2,542

 
0.8
 %
Operating income (loss)
(13,802
)