Certain statements contained in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. CMTG intends for all such forward-looking statements to be covered by the applicable safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in those acts. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by CMTG’s use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” “seek,” “objective,” “goal,” “strategy,” “plan,” “focus,” “priority,” “should,” “could,” “potential,” “possible,” “look forward,” “optimistic,” or other similar words. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including known and unknown risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Therefore, such statements are not intended to be a guarantee of CMTG’s performance in future periods. Except as required by law, CMTG does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this release.
Definitions
Distributable Earnings (Loss):
Distributable Earnings (Loss) is a non-GAAP measure used to evaluate our performance excluding the effects of certain transactions, non-cash items and GAAP adjustments, as determined by our Manager. Distributable Earnings (Loss) is a non-GAAP measure, which the Company defines as net income (loss) in accordance with GAAP, excluding (i) non-cash stock-based compensation expense, (ii) real estate owned held-for-investment depreciation and amortization, (iii) any unrealized gains or losses from mark-to-market valuation changes (other than permanent impairments) that are included in net income (loss) for the applicable period, (iv) one-time events pursuant to changes in GAAP and (v) certain non-cash items, which in the judgment of our Manager, should not be included in Distributable Earnings (Loss). Furthermore, the Company presents Distributable Earnings prior to realized gains and losses, which includes charge-offs of principal, accrued interest receivable, and/or exit fees, as the Company believes this more easily allows our Board, Manager, and investors to compare our operating performance to our peers, to assess our ability to declare and pay dividends, and to determine our compliance with certain financial covenants. Pursuant to the Management Agreement, we use Core Earnings, which is substantially the same as Distributable Earnings (Loss) excluding incentive fees, to determine the incentive fees we pay our Manager.
The Company believes that Distributable Earnings (Loss) and Distributable Earnings prior to realized gains and losses provide meaningful information to consider in addition to our net income (loss) and cash flows from operating activities in accordance with GAAP. Distributable Earnings (Loss) and Distributable Earnings prior to realized gains and losses do not represent net income (loss) or cash flows from operating activities in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to GAAP net income (loss), an indication of our cash flows from operating activities, a measure of our liquidity or an indication of funds available for our cash needs. In addition, the Company’s methodology for calculating these non-GAAP measures may differ from the methodologies employed by other companies to calculate the same or similar supplemental performance measures and, accordingly, the Company’s reported Distributable Earnings (Loss) and Distributable Earnings prior to realized gains and losses may not be comparable to the Distributable Earnings (Loss) and Distributable Earnings prior to realized gains and losses reported by other companies.
In order to maintain the Company’s status as a REIT, the Company is required to distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain, as dividends. Distributable Earnings (Loss), Distributable Earnings prior to realized gains and losses, and other similar measures, have historically been a useful indicator over
