SEC Company Response from BRT Apartments Corp. (BRT) (CIK 0000014846) (BRT) — Apr 11, 2008
BRT Apartments Corp. (BRT) (CIK 0000014846)
Date: April 11, 2008 · CIK: 0000014846 · Accession: 0001144204-08-021811
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 001-07172
Referenced dates: April 4, 2008
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CORRESP
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filename1.htm
Unassociated Document
BRT
REALTY TRUST
60
Cutter
Mill Rd. Suite 303
Great
Neck, NY 11021
(516)
466-3100
April
11,
2008
Ms.
Linda
Van Doorn
Senior
Assistant Chief Accountant
United
States Securities and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporate Finance
Washington,
DC 20549
Dear
Ms.
Van Doorn:
We
are in
receipt of your additional comment letter dated April 4, 2008 regarding our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2007 (File No.
001-07172). We have reviewed your comments and provide additional responses
below to each of your comments. Our responses follow the order of your
letter.
1.
With respect to the statement requested, we acknowledge the
following:
·
The
Company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosures
in
the filings;
·
Staff
comments or changes to disclosures in response to staff comments do
not
foreclose the Commission from taking any action with respect to the
filings; and
·
The
Company may not assert staff comments as a defense in any proceeding
initiated by the Commission or any person under federal securities
laws of
the United States.
2.
With respect to the comment regarding our loan portfolio and the individual
who
became incapacitated in May 2007 and how we considered paragraphs 8-10 of SFAS
114 in determining that these loans were not impaired at September 30, 2007
and
December 31, 2007, please be advised:
We
review
our loan portfolio each quarter for possible impairment. The loans made to
the
entities controlled by this individual were discussed and reviewed as part
of
our normal quarterly review procedures. This individual had in place prior
to
the event which resulted in his incapacitation, a capable management team,
which
had been managing these properties, as well as other properties owned by this
individual, both before and after his incapacity. Since this individual has
become incapacitated, we have been monitoring the situation and are in close,
regular contact with his management group. All of these loans (except for a
single loan in the amount of $2,700,000) are collateralized by income producing
multi-family rental properties; have a floating rate of interest ranging from
prime plus 4% to prime plus 5% with minimum rates of interest ranging from
12.75% to 13.25% and have maturity dates ranging from February 8, 2008 to August
10, 2008. In accordance with paragraphs 8-10 of SFAS 114, impairment is
recognized when based on current information and events, it is probable that
we
will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms
of the loan agreement. All of these loans are collateral dependent and we
anticipate payment of principal and interest from the current cash flow and
the
sale of the collateral. Additionally, the payment history demonstrated by the
borrowing entities since the principal’s incapacitation make it probable that we
will be able to collect all amounts contractually due. Based on these
considerations we determined that these loans were not impaired at September
30,
2007.
For
the
quarter ended December 31, 2007, we performed our normal quarterly review of
the
loans and determined that no impairment existed at December 31, 2007.
Additionally, before the filing of our December 31, 2007 Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q, our representative performed a site inspection of each of the
properties securing our loans. From the time of the incapacitation through
the
filing of our Annual Report on Form 10-K and as of December 31, 2007, all of
the
loans made to this individual’s entities, with the exception of the single loan
in the amount of $ 2,700,000, had performed according to their contractual
terms
The
single loan in the amount of $2,700,000, which is secured by a single family
residential property located in Westchester County, New York, was reclassified
as non-performing as of December 31, 2007, but no impairment charge was taken
as
we have determined based on our quarterly loan impairment analysis that the
estimated collateral value is sufficient to collect all amounts due.
We
continue to monitor the loans as part of our quarterly review process and if
conditions and events change, will record impairment charges should it be
probable that that we will not be able to collect all amounts due.
3.
You have asked us to clarify how we considered the criteria in paragraph 5
(c)
of FIN 46(R) in determining that the joint venture was not a variable interest
entity. Specifically, you have asked us to clarify whether or not the registrant
is the investor with disproportionately few voting rights and if it is, clarify
how we determined that substantially all the joint venture’s activities did not
involve and were not conducted on the registrant’s behalf.
Paragraph
5(c)(ii) of FIN46(R) states that one of the criteria that subject an entity
to
consolidation is that substantially all the activities either involve or are
conducted on behalf of the investor that has disproportionately few voting
rights.
This
joint venture is capitalized 25% by a wholly-owned subsidiary of the registrant
and 75% by a subsidiary of CIT Capital USA. Although we hold a minority of
the
equity interest in this joint venture, pursuant to the joint venture agreement,
all major decisions regarding this joint venture require the approval of both
members resulting in the registrant effectively holding 50% of the voting rights
and CIT Capital USA effectively holding 50% of the voting rights. Given these
facts, the CIT entity, not the registrant, is the investor with
disproportionately few voting rights.
In
addition, both BRT and CIT Capital USA are involved in the real estate lending
business and the joint ventures activities are not conducted on behalf of the
CIT member which has the disproportionately few voting rights but is conducted
for the benefit of both members of the joint venture.
If
there
are any additional questions or comments that you may have, please contact
me at
the number listed above.
Sincerely,
BRT
REALTY TRUST
/s/George
Zweier
George
Zweier
Vice
President and
Chief
Financial Officer