Get Started for Free Contexxia identifies hard-to-find pieces of information in SEC filings. No more highlighters, no more redlining, no more poring over huge documents. CBL & ASSOCIATES PROPERTIES INC (910612) 10-Q published on May 10, 2019 at 4:30 pm
Reporting Period: Mar 30, 2019
In January 2019, the Operating Partnership entered into a new $1,185,000 senior secured credit facility which replaced all of the Operating Partnership’s prior unsecured bank facilities. The secured credit facility is secured by 17 malls and 3 associated centers that are directly or indirectly owned by 36 wholly owned subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership (collectively the “Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries”). The Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries own an additional five malls, one associated center and four mortgage notes receivable that are not collateral for the secured credit facility. The properties that are collateral for the secured credit facility and the properties and mortgage notes receivable that are not collateral are collectively referred to as the “Guarantor Properties.” In addition to the secured credit facility, the Operating Partnership’s debt includes three separate series of senior unsecured notes (the “Notes”). Based on the terms of the Notes, to the extent that any subsidiary of the Operating Partnership executes and delivers a guarantee to another debt facility, the Operating Partnership shall also cause the subsidiary to guarantee the Operating Partnership’s obligations under the Notes on a senior basis. In January 2019, the Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries entered a guarantee agreement with the issuer of the Notes to satisfy the guaranty requirement.
The Company has eight ground leases and one office lease in which it is a lessee. The maturities of these leases range from 2021 to 2089 and generally provide for renewal options ranging from five to ten years. We included the renewal options in our lease terms for purposes of calculating our lease liability and ROU asset because we have no plans to cease operating our assets associated with each ground lease. The ground leases relate to properties where the Company owns the buildings and improvements, but leases the underlying land. The lease payments on the majority of the ground leases are fixed, but in the instances where they are variable they are either based on the CPI index or a percentage of sales. The one office lease is subleased as of March 2019. As of March 31, 2019, these leases have a weighted-average remaining lease term of 38.8 years and a weighted-average discount rate of 8.1%.
As required by the Comparative Under ASC 840 Option, which is a transitional amendment that allows for the presentation of comparative periods in the year of adoption under ASC 840 (the former leasing guidance), the Company's future obligations to be paid under the Company's operating leases where the Company is the lessee as of December 31, 2018 is also presented below:
In regard to leases that commenced before January 1, 2019, the Company elected to use a package of practical expedients to not reassess whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain a lease, to not reassess lease classification for any expired or existing leases, and to not reassess initial direct costs for any existing leases. The Company also elected a practical expedient to not assess whether existing or expired land easements that were not previously accounted for as leases under ASC 840 are or contain a lease under ASC 842. Additionally, the Company elected a practical expedient by class of underlying asset applied to all leases to elect not to separate lease and nonlease components as long as the lease and at least one nonlease component have the same timing and pattern of transfer and the lease is classified as an operating lease. The combined component is being accounted for under ASC 842. The Company made an accounting policy election to exclude sales and other similar taxes from revenues, and instead account for them as costs of the lessee. Lastly, the Company has elected not to apply the recognition requirements of ASC 842 to short-term leases.
In April 2019, the Company entered into a settlement agreement and release with respect to the class action lawsuit filed on March 16, 2016 in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida by Wave Lengths Hair Salons of Florida, Inc. d/b/a Salon Adrian. The settlement agreement states that the Company is to set aside a common fund with a monetary and non-monetary value of $90,000 to be disbursed to class members in accordance with an agreed-upon formula that is based upon aggregate damages of $60,000. Class members will be comprised of past and current tenants at certain of the Company's shopping centers that it owns or formerly owned during the class period, which will extend from January 1, 2011 through the date of court preliminary approval. Class members who are past tenants and make a claim will receive payment of their claims in cash. Class members who are current tenants will receive monthly credits against rents and future charges, beginning no earlier than January 1, 2020 and continuing for the following five years. Any amounts under the settlement allocated to tenants with outstanding amounts payable to the Company, including tenants which have declared bankruptcy or declare bankruptcy over the relevant period, will first be deducted from the amounts owed to the Company. All attorney’s fees and associated costs to be paid to class counsel (up to a maximum of $28,000), any incentive award to the class representative (up to a maximum of $50), and class administration costs (which are expected to not exceed $100), will be funded by the common fund, but must be approved by the court. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the Company will not pay any dividends to holders of its common shares payable in the third and fourth quarters of 2019. The settlement agreement does not restrict the Company's ability to declare dividends payable in 2020 or in subsequent years. The Company recorded an accrued liability and corresponding litigation settlement expense of $88,150 in the three months ended March 31, 2019 related to the settlement agreement.
In April 2019, we entered into a settlement agreement and release with respect to the class action lawsuit filed on March 16, 2016 in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida by Wave Lengths Hair Salons of Florida, Inc. d/b/a Salon Adrian. The settlement agreement states that we are to set aside a common fund with a monetary and non-monetary value of $90.0 million to be disbursed to class members in accordance with an agreed-upon formula that is based upon aggregate damages of $60.0 million. Class members will be comprised of past and current tenants at certain of our shopping centers that we own or formerly owned during the class period, which will extend from January 1, 2011 through the date of court preliminary approval. Class members who are past tenants and make a claim will receive payment of their claims in cash. Class members who are current tenants will receive monthly credits against rents and future charges, beginning no earlier than January 1, 2020 and continuing for the following five years. Any amounts under the settlement allocated to tenants with outstanding amounts payable to us, including tenants which have declared bankruptcy or declare bankruptcy over the relevant period, will first be deducted from the amounts owed to us. All attorney’s fees and associated costs to be paid to class counsel (up to a maximum of $28.0 million), any incentive award to the class representative (up to a maximum of $50 thousand), and class administration costs (which are expected to not exceed $100 thousand), will be funded by the common fund, but must be approved by the court. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, we will not pay any dividends to holders of our common shares payable in the third and fourth quarters of 2019. The settlement agreement does not restrict our ability to declare dividends payable in 2020 or in subsequent years. We recorded an accrued liability and corresponding litigation settlement expense of $88,150 in the three months ended March 31, 2019 related to the settlement agreement.