Greystone Housing Impact Investors (GHI) 10-K2019 FY Annual report

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C.  20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

OR

For the transition period from            to            

Commission File Number:  000-24843

AMERICA FIRST MULTIFAMILY INVESTORS, L.P.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(402) 952-1235

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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.    YES  ☐    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.    YES  ☐    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.    YES  ☒    NO  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of the chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    YES  ☒    NO  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company.  See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    YES  ☐    NO  ☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s BUCs held by non-affiliates based on the final sales price of the BUCs on the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was $432,123,245.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None

INDEX

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PART I

Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report (“Report”) (including, but not limited to, the information contained in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”) contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Report, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used, statements which are not historical in nature, including those containing words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “should,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. This Report also contains estimates and other statistical data made by independent parties and by us relating to market size and growth and other industry data. This data involves several assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. We have not independently verified the statistical and other industry data generated by independent parties and contained in this Report, and, accordingly, we cannot guarantee their accuracy or completeness. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the industries in which we operate are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described under the headings “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Report.

These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those relating to:

Other risks, uncertainties and factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements we make. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise.

All references to “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Partnership” in this Report mean America First Multifamily Investors, L.P. (“ATAX”), its wholly owned subsidiaries and its consolidated variable interest entities.  See Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” of this Report for additional details.

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Item 1. Business.

The Partnership was formed for the primary purpose of acquiring a portfolio of mortgage revenue bonds (“MRBs”) that are issued by state and local housing authorities to provide construction and/or permanent financing for affordable multifamily and student housing (collectively “Residential Properties”) and commercial properties in their market areas. We expect and believe the interest received on these MRBs is excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The Partnership may also invest in other types of securities that may or may not be secured by real estate and may make property loans to multifamily residential properties which may or may not be financed by MRBs held by the Partnership, to the extent permitted under the terms of the Partnership’s First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership dated September 15, 2015, as further amended (the “Partnership Agreement”). In addition, the Partnership may acquire interests in multifamily, student, and senior citizen residential properties.  

The Partnership’s general partner is America First Capital Associates Limited Partnership Two (“AFCA 2” or the “General Partner”).  The general partner of AFCA 2 is Greystone AF Manager LLC (“Greystone Manager”), which is an affiliate of Greystone & Co., Inc. (“Greystone & Co.”).  Greystone & Co., together with its affiliated companies (collectively “Greystone”), is a real estate lending, investment, and advisory company with an established reputation as a leader in multifamily and healthcare finance, having ranked as a top FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac lender in these sectors.

The Partnership has issued Beneficial Unit Certificates (“BUCs”) representing assigned limited partner interests to investors (“BUC holders”). The Partnership has issued non-cumulative, non-voting, non-convertible Series A Preferred Units that represent limited interests in the Partnership under the Partnership Agreement. The holders of the BUCs and Series A Preferred Units are referred to herein as “Unitholders”. Unitholders will incur tax liability if any interest earned on the Partnership’s MRBs is determined to be taxable, as well as from the Partnership’s taxable investments. See Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in this Report for additional details.  

The Partnership has been in operation since 1998 and owns 76 MRBs with an aggregate outstanding principal amount of approximately $679.7 million as of December 31, 2019. The majority of these MRBs were issued by state and local housing authorities in order to provide construction and/or permanent financing for 66 Residential Properties containing a total of 10,871 rental units located in 13 states in the United States.  Each MRB for the Residential Properties is secured by a mortgage or deed of trust.  One MRB is secured by a mortgage on the ground, facilities, and equipment of a commercial ancillary health care facility in Tennessee. Each of the MRBs provides for interest payable at a fixed rate on a periodic basis.

Of the Partnership’s MRBs, 13 are owned directly by the Partnership. Seven MRBs are owned by ATAX TEBS I, LLC; 12 MRBs are owned by ATAX TEBS II, LLC; 7 MRBs are owned by ATAX TEBS III, LLC; and 25 MRBs are owned by ATAX TEBS IV, LLC. Each of these TEBS entities is a special purpose entity owned and controlled by the Partnership to facilitate Tax-Exempt Bond Securitization (“TEBS”) financings with the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”). One MRB is securitized and held by Deutsche Bank AG (“Deutsche Bank”) in a Term Tender Option Bond (“Term TOB”) facility. Five MRBs are securitized and held by Deutsche Bank in Term A/B Trust financing facilities. One MRB is securitized and held by Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A. (“Morgan Stanley”) in a Term TOB facility. Five MRBs are securitized and held by Mizuho Capital Markets, LLC (“Mizuho”) in Tender Option Bond (“TOB”) Trust financing facilities. During 2019, we strategically diversified our lending relationships. We closed on a new Term TOB Trust financing structure with Morgan Stanley in May 2019 and new TOB Trust financing structures with Mizuho beginning in July 2019. The addition of these two investment banking relationships will further diversify our access to debt financing arrangements.

The ability of the Residential Properties and the commercial property that collateralize our MRBs to make payments of interest is a function of the net cash flow generated by these properties. Net cash flow from a multifamily or student residential property depends on the rental and occupancy rates of the property and the level of operating expenses. Occupancy rates and rents are directly affected by the supply of, and demand for, apartments in the market areas in which a property is located. This, in turn, is affected by several factors such as the requirement that a certain percentage of the rental units be set aside for tenants who qualify as persons of low to moderate income, local or national economic conditions, the amount of new apartment construction, and interest rates on single-family mortgage loans. Net cash flow from the commercial property depends on the number of cancer patients which utilize the cancer therapy center and the ability to hire and retain key employees to provide the related cancer treatment. In addition, factors such as government regulation, inflation, real estate and other taxes, labor problems, and natural disasters can affect the economic operations of the properties which collateralize the MRBs. The return we realize from our investments in MRBs depends upon the economic performance of the Residential Properties and the commercial property which collateralize these MRBs. We may be in competition with other residential rental properties and commercial properties located in the same geographic areas as the properties financed with our MRBs.

We may also make taxable property loans to Residential Properties that secure MRBs held by us. We do this to provide financing for capital improvements at these properties or to otherwise support property operations when we determine it is in our best long-term interest.

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We rely on an exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, which has certain restrictions on the types and amounts of securities owned by the Partnership. We may also invest in other types of securities that may or may not be secured by real estate to the extent allowed by the Partnership Agreement. The Partnership Agreement requires that any tax-exempt investments, other than MRBs, that are not secured by a direct or indirect interest in a property must be rated in one of the four highest rating categories by at least one nationally recognized securities rating agency.  The Partnership’s acquisition of any tax-exempt investment other than an MRB or other investment may not cause the aggregate book value of such investments to exceed 25% of our assets at the time of acquisition.

As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Partnership owned three tax-exempt investments consisting of Public Housing Capital Fund Trusts’ Certificates (“PHC Certificates”). The PHC Certificates had an aggregate outstanding principal amount of approximately $43.3 million as of December 31, 2019. The PHC Certificates consist of custodial receipts evidencing loans made to numerous public housing authorities.  Principal and interest on these loans are payable by the respective public housing authorities out of annual appropriations to the public housing authorities by HUD under HUD’s Capital Fund Program established under the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 (the “Capital Fund Program”). The PHC Trusts have a first lien on these annual Capital Fund Program payments to secure the public housing authorities’ respective obligations to pay principal and interest on their loans. The PHC Certificates are securitized into three separate TOB Trust financing facilities with Mizuho. In January 2020, the Partnership sold the PHC Certificates to an unrelated third party and paid off all amounts due on the related TOB Trust financing facilities.

As of December 31, 2019, we owned membership interests in nine unconsolidated entities (“Vantage Properties”). Our investments in the Vantage Properties are used to construct multifamily real estate properties. We do not have controlling interests in the Vantage Properties and account for the membership interests using the equity method of accounting.  The Partnership earns a return on its membership interests accruing immediately on its contributed capital, which is guaranteed, to an extent, through the second anniversary of construction completion by an unrelated third party.  The limited membership interests entitle the Partnership to shares of certain cash flows generated by the Vantage Properties from operations and upon the occurrence of certain capital transactions, such as a refinancing or sale.

We may acquire ownership interests in multifamily, student, and senior citizen apartment properties (“MF Properties”). As of December 31, 2019, we owned two MF Properties containing 859 rental units located in Nebraska and California. In addition, we may acquire real estate securing our MRBs or taxable property loans through foreclosure in the event of a default. Net cash flow of our MF Properties depends on the rental and occupancy rates of the properties and the level of operating expenses. Occupancy rates and rents are directly affected by the supply of, and demand for, apartments in the market areas in which a property is located. This, in turn, is affected by several factors such as local or national economic conditions, the amount of new apartment construction, interest rates on single-family mortgage loans, government regulation, inflation, real estate and other taxes, labor problems, and natural disasters. We operate our MF Properties until the opportunity arises to sell the properties at what we believe is their optimal fair value or to position ourselves for future investments in MRBs issued to finance these properties.

As of December 31, 2019, we had four reportable segments: (1) Mortgage Revenue Bond Investments, (2) MF Properties, (3) Public Housing Capital Fund Trusts, and (4) Other Investments. The Partnership separately reports its consolidation and elimination information because it does not allocate certain items to the segments.  See Note 24 to the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements for additional details.

Business Objectives and Strategy

Our business objectives are acquiring, holding, selling and otherwise dealing with a portfolio of MRBs which have been issued to provide construction and/or permanent financing for affordable multifamily, student housing and commercial properties. The Partnership expects and believes the interest earned on these MRBs is excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes.  The Partnership seeks to achieve its investment growth strategy by investing in additional MRBs and other investments as permitted by the Partnership Agreement, taking advantage of financing structures available in the securities market, and entering into interest rate risk management instruments.

We are pursuing a business strategy of acquiring additional MRBs and other investments, as permitted by the Partnership Agreement, on a leveraged basis to: (i) increase the amount of cash available for distribution to our Unitholders, and (ii) reduce risk through interest rate hedging. We may finance the acquisition of additional MRBs and other investments through the reinvestment of cash flow, the issuance of additional BUCs or Series A Preferred Units, the use of lines of credit, or through securitization financing using our existing portfolio of MRBs and other investments. Our current operating policy is to use securitizations or other forms of leverage which will not exceed 75% of the total Partnership assets. The Partnership assets are defined as the cost, adjusted for paydowns, for MRBs, PHC Certificates, property loans, and taxable MRBs, and the initial cost for deferred financing costs and MF Properties.   See the discussion of financing arrangements and liquidity and capital resources in Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

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We continually assess opportunities to reposition our existing portfolio of MRBs. The principal objective of this assessment is to improve the quality and performance of our MRB portfolio and, ultimately, increase the amount of cash available for distribution to our Unitholders. We may selectively allow the borrowers of our MRBs to redeem the MRBs early. Through the selective redemption of the MRBs, a sale or refinancing of the underlying property will be required. We may also elect to sell MRBs that have experienced significant appreciation in value. In other cases, we may elect to sell MRBs on properties that are in stagnant or declining markets. The proceeds received from these transactions would be redeployed into other investments consistent with our investment objectives.

We expect to invest primarily in MRBs issued to provide affordable rental housing, student housing and commercial property. The four basic types of MRBs which we may acquire as investments are as follows:

Each of these structures permit the issuance of MRBs to finance the construction or acquisition and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing or other not-for-profit commercial property. Under applicable Treasury Regulations, any affordable multifamily residential project financed with MRBs that are purportedly tax-exempt must set aside a percentage of its total rental units for occupancy by tenants whose incomes do not exceed stated percentages of the median income in the local area. In each case, the balance of the rental units in the multifamily residential project may be rented at market rates (unless otherwise restricted by local housing authorities). With respect to private activity bonds issued under Section 142(d) of the IRC, the owner of the multifamily residential project may elect, at the time the MRBs are issued, whether to set aside a minimum of 20% of the units for tenants making less than 50% of area median income (as adjusted for household size) or 40% of the units for tenants making less than 60% of the area median income (as adjusted for household size). The MRBs that were secured by Residential Properties issued prior to the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (so called “80/20” bonds) require that 20% of the rental units be set aside for tenants whose income does not exceed 80% of the area median income, without adjustment for household size. State and local housing authorities may require additional rent restrictions above those required by Treasury Regulations. There are no Treasury Regulations related to the MRBs which are collateralized by the commercial property.

We expect that many of the private activity housing MRBs that we evaluate for acquisition will be issued in conjunction with the syndication of LIHTCs by the owner of the financed multifamily residential project. Additionally, to facilitate our investment strategy of acquiring additional MRBs, we may also acquire ownership positions in multifamily properties that are held in our MF Properties segment. In many cases, we expect to acquire MRBs on these MF Properties at the time of a restructuring of the MF Property’s ownership. Such restructuring may involve the syndication of LIHTCs in conjunction with property rehabilitation.

Additionally, we are continuing to pursue a business strategy of making equity investments in market-rate multifamily residential properties, such as the Vantage Properties, through noncontrolling membership interests in unconsolidated entities.

Investment Types

Mortgage Revenue Bonds. We invest in MRBs that are secured by a mortgage or deed of trust on Residential Properties and a commercial property. Each of these MRBs bear interest at a fixed annual base rate. The amount of interest earned by us from our investment in MRBs is a function of the net cash flow generated by the Residential Properties and the commercial property which collateralize the MRBs. Net cash flow from a residential property depends on the rental and occupancy rates of the property and the level of operating expenses. Net cash flow from the commercial property depends on the number of cancer patients that utilize the cancer therapy center and the ability to hire and retain key employees to provide the related cancer treatment.

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Other Securities and Investments. We may invest in other types of securities and investments that may or may not be secured by real estate, as permitted under the terms of the Partnership Agreement. Other tax-exempt investments must be rated in one of the four highest rating categories by at least one nationally recognized securities rating agency. These tax-exempt securities and other investments may not represent more than 25% of our assets at the time of acquisition.

Property Loans. We may also make taxable property loans which are secured by Residential Properties that are financed by MRBs and taxable property loans which are unsecured.

MF Properties. We may acquire controlling interests in multifamily, student or senior citizen residential properties. We plan to operate the MF Properties to position ourselves for a future investment in MRBs issued to finance the acquisition and/or rehabilitation of the property by a new owner or until the opportunity arises to sell the properties at what we believe is their optimal fair value.

Investment Opportunities and Business Challenges

There continues to be a significant unmet demand for affordable multifamily and senior citizen residential housing in the United States. HUD reports that there is a high demand for quality affordable housing. The types of MRBs in which we invest offer developers of affordable housing a low-cost source of construction and permanent debt financing for these types of properties. Investors purchase these MRBs because the interest income paid on these bonds is expected to be exempt from federal income taxation.

The demand for affordable housing by qualified potential residents whose income does not exceed 50-60% of the area median income continues to increase. Government programs that provide direct rental support to residents have not kept up with the demand, therefore programs that support private sector development and support for affordable housing through MRBs, tax credits and grant funding to developers have become more prominent.

In addition to MRBs, the federal government promotes affordable housing using LIHTCs for affordable multifamily rental housing. The syndication and sale of LIHTCs, along with MRB financing, is attractive to developers of affordable housing because it helps them raise equity and debt financing for their projects. Under this program, developers that receive an allocation of private activity bonds will also receive an allocation of federal LIHTCs as a method to encourage the development of affordable multifamily housing. We do not invest in LIHTCs, but are attracted to MRBs that are issued in association with federal LIHTC syndications.  In order to be eligible for federal LIHTCs, a property must either be newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated, and therefore, may be less likely to become functionally obsolete in the near term than an older property. There are various requirements to be eligible for federal LIHTCs, including rent and tenant income restrictions. In general, the property owner must elect to set aside either 40% or more of the property’s residential units for occupancy by households whose income is 60% or less (adjusted for family size) of the area median gross income or 20% or more of the property’s residential units for occupancy by households whose income is 50% or less (adjusted for family size) of the area median gross income. These units generally remain subject to these set aside requirements for a minimum of 30 years.

We use leverage to increase investment returns for the benefit of our Unitholders. The inability to access debt financing may result in adverse effects on our financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to finance additional acquisitions of MRBs or other investments, through either additional equity or debt financing. Although the consequences of market and economic conditions and their impact on our ability to pursue our plan to grow through investments in additional MRBs are not fully known, we do not anticipate that our existing assets will be adversely affected in the long-term. In addition, the Residential Properties and MF Properties which have not reached stabilization (which is 90% occupancy for 90 days and the achievement of 1.15 times debt service coverage ratio on amortizing debt service during the period) will result in lower economic occupancy at the related properties.

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Since 2016, the Partnership has identified and owned membership interests in twelve Vantage Properties. These investments in Vantage Properties are used to construct market-rate, multifamily real estate properties. The limited membership interests entitle the Partnership to shares of certain cash flows generated by the Vantage Properties from operations and upon the occurrence of certain capital transactions, such as a refinancing or sale.

Financing Arrangements

The Partnership may finance the acquisition of additional MRBs or other investments through the reinvestment of cash flow, the use of available lines of credit, debt financing collateralized by our existing portfolio of MRBs or other investments (including the securitization of MRBs), or the issuance of Series A Preferred Units or additional BUCs.

Debt Financing. We utilize leverage to enhance investor rates of return. We use target constraints for each type of financing utilized by us to manage an overall 75% leverage constraint. The amount of leverage utilized is dependent upon several factors, including the assets being leveraged, the tenor of the leverage program, whether the financing is subject to market collateral calls, and the liquidity and marketability of the financing collateral. While short term variations from targeted levels may occur within financing classes, overall Partnership leverage will not exceed 75%. Our overall leverage ratio is calculated as total outstanding debt divided by total partnership assets using the carrying value of the MRBs, PHC Certificates, property loans, taxable MRBs, and initial finance costs and the MF Properties at cost. As of December 31, 2019, our leverage ratio was approximately 61%.

Equity Financing. We may, from time to time, issue additional BUCs in the public market.  In December 2019, the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (“Registration Statement”) was declared effective by the SEC under which the Partnership may to offer up to $225.0 million of BUCs for sale from time to time. The Registration Statement will expire in December 2022.

Preferred Equity. Under the Partnership Agreement, we are authorized to issue partnership securities, including preferred units of limited partnership interests, containing certain designations, preferences, rights, powers, and duties as determined by the General Partner.  The Partnership previously issued 9,450,000 Series A Preferred Units for gross proceeds of approximately $94.5 million to five financial institutions in a private placement that was terminated in October 2017. The Partnership used the proceeds received to acquire MRBs that are issued by state and local housing authorities to provide construction and/or permanent financing for affordable multifamily, student housing, and commercial properties that are likely to receive consideration as “qualified investments” under the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (“CRA”).

The Series A Preferred Units have no stated maturity, are not subject to any sinking fund requirements, and will remain outstanding indefinitely unless redeemed by the Partnership or by the holder. Upon the sixth anniversary of the closing of the sale of Series A Preferred Units to a holder thereof, and upon each anniversary thereafter, each holder of Series A Preferred Units and the Partnership both have the right to redeem, in whole or in part, the Series A Preferred Units held by such holder at a redemption price equal to $10.00 per unit plus all declared and unpaid distributions through the date of the redemption.

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Recent Investment Activities

The following table presents information regarding the investment activities of the Partnership for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018:

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Recent Financing Activities

The following table presents information regarding the debt financing, derivatives, Series A Preferred Units and partners’ capital activities of the Partnership for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, exclusive of retired debt amounts listed in the recent investment activities table above:

Management and Employees

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We are managed by our General Partner, AFCA 2, which is controlled by its general partner, Greystone Manager. The Board of Managers of Greystone Manager act as the managers (and effectively as the directors) of the Partnership. In addition, certain employees of Greystone Manager act as executive officers of the Partnership. Certain services are provided to us by employees of Greystone Manager and we reimburse Greystone Manager for its allocated share of their salaries and benefits. As of December 31, 2019, the Partnership had no employees.

Competition

We compete with private investors, lending institutions, trust funds, investment partnerships, Freddie Mac, the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and other entities with objectives similar to ours for the acquisition of MRBs and other investments. This competition could reduce the availability of investments to the Partnership for acquisition and reduce the interest rate that issuers pay on these investments.

Because we invest in MRBs secured by Residential Properties, an MRB secured by a commercial property, ownership interests in the MF Properties, and membership interests in unconsolidated entities, we may be in competition with other real estate investments in the same geographic areas. Multifamily rental properties also compete with single-family housing that is either owned or leased by potential tenants. To compete effectively, the multifamily or student residential properties financed or owned by us must offer quality apartments at competitive rental rates. To maintain occupancy rates and attract quality tenants, the Residential Properties, MF Properties and properties owned by unconsolidated entities may offer rental concessions, such as free rent to new tenants for a stated period. These Residential Properties, MF Properties and properties owned by unconsolidated entities also compete by offering quality apartments in attractive locations and that provide tenants with amenities such as recreational facilities, garages and pleasant landscaping.

Environmental Matters

We believe each of the MF Properties, the Residential Properties, the commercial property, and properties owned by unconsolidated entities comply, in all material respects, with federal, state and local regulations regarding hazardous waste and other environmental matters. We are not aware of any environmental contamination at any of these properties that would require any material capital expenditure by the underlying properties, and therefore the Partnership, for the remediation thereof.

Tax Status

We are a partnership for federal income tax purposes. This means that we do not pay federal income taxes on our income. Instead, our profits and losses are allocated to our partners, including the holders of Series A Preferred Units, under the terms of the Partnership Agreement. The distributive share of our income, deductions and credits is included in each Unitholder’s income tax return and is reported to our Unitholders on Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Schedule K-1.

We hold interests in The 50/50 MF Property and certain property loans through a wholly owned subsidiary that is a “C” corporation for income tax purposes. The subsidiary files separate federal and state income tax returns and its income is subject to federal and state income taxes.

We consolidate separate legal entities that record and report income taxes based upon their individual legal structure which may include corporations, limited partnerships, and limited liability companies. We do not believe the consolidation of these entities for reporting under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) will impact our tax status, amounts reported to Unitholders on IRS Schedule K-1, our ability to distribute income to Unitholders that we believe is tax-exempt or the current level of quarterly distributions.

All financial information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is presented on the basis of Accounting Principles Generally Accepted in the United States of America, with the exception of the Non-GAAP measure disclosed in Item 7 of this Report.

General Information

The Partnership is a Delaware limited partnership. Our general partner is AFCA 2, whose general partner is Greystone Manager. Our initial limited partner, which has the obligation to perform certain actions on behalf of the BUC holders under the Partnership Agreement, is Greystone ILP, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Our BUCs, which are publicly traded and listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “ATAX,” represent assignments by the initial limited partner of its rights and obligations as a limited partner to outside third-party investors. The Series A Preferred Units of the Partnership represent limited partnership interests in the Partnership under the Partnership Agreement. The affairs of the Partnership and the conduct of its business are governed by the Partnership Agreement. The Partnership maintains its principal corporate office at 14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 211, Omaha, NE  68154, and its telephone number is (402) 952-1235.

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The Partnership does not have any employees of its own. Employees of Greystone Manager, acting through AFCA 2 (our General Partner), are responsible for our operations and we reimburse Greystone Manager for the allocated salaries and benefits of these employees and for other expenses incurred in running our business operations. AFCA 2 is entitled to an administrative fee equal to 0.45% per annum of the average outstanding principal balance of any MRBs, tax-exempt investments or other investments for which an unaffiliated party is not obligated to pay. When the administrative fee is payable by a property owner, it is subordinated to the payment of all interest due to the Partnership for the MRB on that property. Our Partnership Agreement provides that the administrative fee will be paid directly by us with respect to any investments for which the administrative fee is not payable by the property owner or a third party. In addition, our Partnership Agreement provides that we will pay the administrative fee to the General Partner with respect to any foreclosed MRBs.

AFCA 2 may also earn mortgage placement fees resulting from the identification and evaluation of additional investments that we acquire. Any fees related to the origination of financing facilities are paid by the property owner out of the gross proceeds of the financing. The fees, if any, will be subject to negotiation between AFCA 2, its affiliate, and such property owners.

Available Information

Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other reports are filed with the SEC.  Copies of our filings with the SEC may be obtained from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or from our website at www.ataxfund.com, as soon as reasonably practical after filed with the SEC. Access to these filings is free of charge. The information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Report.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Risks Related to our Business and Investments

We engage in transactions with related parties.

The Partnership’s general partner is owned entirely by affiliates of Greystone. The Partnership’s general partner manages our investments, performs administrative services for us and earns administrative fees that are paid by either the borrowers related to our MRBs or by us. The Partnership may enter into various arrangements for services provided by entities controlled by or affiliates with Greystone. Our arrangements with Greystone and its affiliates are considered related party transactions. By their nature, related party transactions may not be considered to have been negotiated at arm’s length. These relationships may also cause a conflict of interest in other situations where we are negotiating with Greystone or its affiliates. See Note 22 of the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements for additional details.

Our MRBs, property loans and investments in unconsolidated entities are illiquid assets and their values may decrease.

Our MRBs, property loans and investments in unconsolidated entities are relatively illiquid, and there is no existing trading market for them. There are no market makers, price quotations, or other indications of a developed trading market for these investments. In addition, no rating has been issued on any of the existing MRBs and we do not expect to obtain ratings on MRBs we may acquire in the future. Accordingly, any buyer of these MRBs would need to perform its own due diligence prior to a purchase. The Partnership’s ability to sell its MRBs, property loans and investments in unconsolidated entities and the price it may receive upon their sale, will be affected by the number of potential buyers, the number of similar securities on the market at the time and by other market conditions. Such a sale could result in a loss to the Partnership.

The receipt of interest and principal payments on our MRBs will be affected by the economic results of the underlying Residential Properties and a commercial property.

Although our MRBs are issued by state or local housing authorities, they are not general obligations of these governmental entities and are not backed by any taxing authority. Instead, each of these MRBs is backed by a non-recourse loan made to the owner of the underlying Residential Properties and commercial property. Because of the non-recourse nature of the underlying mortgage loans, the sole source of cash to pay base and contingent interest on the MRB, and to ultimately pay the principal amount of the bond, is the net cash flow generated by the operation of the financed property and the net proceeds from the ultimate sale or refinancing of the property (except in cases where a property owner has provided a limited guarantee of certain payments). This makes our investments in these MRBs subject to risks usually associated with direct investments in multifamily real estate. If a property is unable to sustain net cash flow at a level necessary to pay its debt service obligations on our MRB on the property, a default may occur. Net cash flow and net sale proceeds from a property are applied only to debt service payments of the MRB secured by that property and are not available to satisfy debt service obligations on other MRBs that we hold. In addition, the value of a property at the time of its sale or refinancing will be a direct function of its perceived future profitability. Therefore, the amount of interest that we earn on our MRBs, and whether or not we will receive the entire principal balance of the bonds as and when due, will depend to a large degree on the economic results of the underlying properties.

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The net cash flow from the operation of a property may be affected by many things, such as the number of tenants, the rental and fee rates, operating expenses, the cost of repairs and maintenance, taxes, government regulation, competition from other similar multifamily or student residential properties, mortgage rates for single-family housing, and general and local economic conditions. In most of the markets in which the properties financed by our MRBs are located, there is significant competition from other multifamily and single-family housing that is either owned or leased by potential tenants. Low mortgage interest rates and federal tax deductions for interest and real estate taxes make single-family housing more accessible to persons who may otherwise rent apartments.

The rent restrictions and occupant income limitations imposed on properties financed by our MRBs may limit the revenues of such properties.

All the Residential Properties securing our MRBs are subject to certain federal, state and/or local requirements with respect to the permissible income of their tenants. Since federal rent subsidies are not generally available on these properties, rents are limited in the LIHTC properties to 30% of the related income limitation for a designated portion of the property.  As a result, these rents may not be sufficient to cover all operating costs with respect to these units and debt service on the applicable MRB. This may force the property owner, when permissible, to charge rents on the remaining units that are higher than they would be otherwise and may, therefore, exceed competitive rents. This may adversely affect the occupancy rate of a property securing an investment and the property owner’s ability to service its debt.

There are many risks related to the lease-up of newly constructed or renovated properties that may affect the MRBs issued to finance these properties.

We may acquire MRBs issued to finance properties in various stages of construction or renovation. As construction or renovation is completed, these properties will move into the lease-up phase. The lease-up of these properties may not be completed on schedule or at anticipated rent levels, resulting in a greater risk these investments may go into default rather than investments secured by mortgages on properties that are stabilized or fully leased-up. The underlying property may not achieve expected occupancy or debt service coverage levels. While we may require property developers to provide us with a guarantee covering operating deficits of the property during the lease-up phase, we may not be able to do so in all cases or such guarantees may not fully protect us in the event a property is not leased to an adequate level of economic occupancy as anticipated.

The repayment of our MRBs by the borrowers is principally dependent upon proceeds from the sale or refinancing of the underlying properties.

The principal of most of our MRBs does not fully amortize by their stated maturity dates. This means that all or some of the balance of our MRBs will be repaid as a lump-sum “balloon” payment at the end of their term. The ability of the property owners to repay the MRBs with balloon payments is dependent upon their ability to sell the properties securing our MRBs or obtain adequate refinancing. The MRBs are not personal obligations of the property owners, and we rely solely on the values of the properties securing these MRBs for security. Similarly, if an MRB goes into default, our only recourse is to foreclose on the underlying property. If the value of the underlying property securing the MRB is less than the outstanding principal balance plus accrued interest on the MRB, we will incur a loss.

There are various risks associated with our investments in unconsolidated entities.

Our investments in unconsolidated entities represent equity investments in limited liability companies created to develop, construct and operate multifamily properties. We are entitled to certain distributions under the terms of the investees’ governing documents based on the availability of cash to pay such distributions. The only sources of cash flows for such distributions are either the net cash flows from the operation of the property, the cash proceeds from a sale of the property, or through the permanent financing in the form of an MRB or other form of permanent financing. The net cash flow from the operation of a property may be affected by many factors, such as the number of tenants, the rental and fee rates, operating expenses, the cost of repairs and maintenance, taxes, debt service requirements, competition from other similar multifamily properties and general and local economic conditions. Sale proceeds are primarily dependent, among other things, on the value of a property to a prospective buyer at the time of its sale. If there are no net cash flows from operations or insufficient proceeds from a sale or a refinancing event, we are unlikely to receive distributions from our investees and we may be unable to recover our investments in these entities.

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There are many risks related to the construction of Residential Properties that may affect the MRBs issued to finance these properties and multifamily properties that underlie our equity investments in unconsolidated entities.

We may invest in MRBs secured by residential housing properties, and we make equity investments in limited liability companies created to develop, construct and operate multifamily properties. Construction of such properties generally takes approximately twelve to eighteen months. The principal risk associated with these investment activities is that construction of the underlying properties may be substantially delayed or never completed. This may occur for many reasons including (i) insufficient financing to complete the project due to underestimated construction costs or cost overruns; (ii) failure of contractors or subcontractors to perform under their agreements; (iii) inability to obtain governmental approvals; (iv) labor disputes; and (v) adverse weather and other unpredictable contingencies beyond the control of the developer. While we may be able to protect ourselves from some of these risks by obtaining construction completion guarantees from developers, agreements of construction lenders to purchase our bonds if construction is not completed on time, and/or payment and performance bonds from contractors, we may not be able to do so in all cases or such guarantees or bonds may not fully protect us in the event a property is not completed. In other cases, we may decide to forego certain types of available security if we determine that the security is not necessary or is too expensive to obtain in relation to the risks covered.

If a property is not completed or costs more to complete than anticipated, it may cause us to receive less than the full amount of interest owed to us on the MRB financing such property or otherwise result in a default under the mortgage loan that secures our MRB on the property. In such case, we may be forced to foreclose on the incomplete property and sell it in order to recover the principal and accrued interest on our MRB and we may suffer a loss of capital as a result. Alternatively, we may decide to finance the remaining construction of the property, in which event we will need to invest additional funds into the property, either as equity or as a taxable property loan. Any return on this additional investment would be taxable. Also, if we foreclose on a property, we will no longer receive interest on the bond issued to finance the property. The overall return to us from our investment in such property is likely to be less than if the construction had been completed on time or within budget.

As it relates to our equity investments, if a property is not completed or costs more to complete than anticipated, it may cause us to receive less distributions than expected. Furthermore, we may be prevented from receiving a return on our investments or recovering our initial investment, which would likely adversely affect our results of operations.

An increase in interest rates may make it difficult for us to finance or refinance our debt obligations and could reduce the number of investments we can acquire and cash flow from operations.

If debt is unavailable at acceptable rates, we may not be able to finance the purchase of additional investments. If we finance the acquisition of our investments, we may be unable to refinance the debt at maturity or may be unable to refinance at acceptable terms. If we refinance our debt at higher rates of interest, interest expense will increase and our cash flows from operations will be reduced.

Our variable-rate debt financing and market value of assets may be adversely impacted by increasing interest rates.

We have financed the acquisition of certain assets using variable-rate debt financing. The interest that we pay on these financings fluctuates with specific interest rate indices. A majority of our investment assets earn income at fixed rates and the amount of interest we earn on these investments will not change with general movements in market-based interest rates. Accordingly, an increase in the applicable interest rate index used for our variable rate debt financing will cause an increase in our interest expense and will reduce our operating cash flows. Our use of derivatives is designed to mitigate some but not all of the exposure we may have to the negative impact of rising interest rates.

An increase in interest rates could also decrease the market value of assets owned by the Partnership. A decrease in the market value of assets owned by the Partnership could decrease the amount realized on the sale of our investments and would thereby decrease the amount of our cash flows. During periods of low prevailing interest rates, the interest rates we earn on new interest-bearing assets we acquire may be lower than the interest rates on our existing portfolio of interest-bearing assets.

Conditions in the tax credit markets due to known or potential changes in U.S. corporate tax rates may increase our cost of borrowing, make financing difficult to obtain or restrict our ability to invest in MRBs and other investments, each of which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and business.

Conditions in the tax credit market due to changes in the U.S. corporate tax rates have previously, and may in the future, have an adverse impact on our cost of borrowings and may restrict our ability to invest in MRBs and other investments.  It is unclear when and how quickly conditions will stabilize in the tax credit markets. These conditions, as well as the cost and availability of credit has been, and may continue to be, adversely affected in all markets in which we operate. Concern about the stability of the tax credit markets has led many lenders and institutional investors to reduce, and in some cases, cease, providing funding to borrowers. Our access to debt and equity financing may be adversely affected. Changes in the U.S. tax rates, and the resulting impacts to the tax credit market, may limit our ability to replace or renew maturing debt financing on a timely basis, may impair our ability to acquire MRBs and other investments and may impair our access to capital markets to meet our liquidity and growth requirements which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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If we acquire ownership of Residential Properties, we will be subject to all the risks normally associated with the ownership of multifamily real estate.

We may acquire ownership of Residential Properties financed by MRBs held by us in the event of a default on such bonds. We will be subject to all of the risks normally associated with the operation of multifamily real estate including declines in property values, occupancy and rental rates, increases in operating expenses, and the ability to refinance if needed. We may also be subject to government regulations, natural disasters and environmental issues, any of which could have an adverse effect on our financial results, the property’s cash flows and our ability to sell the properties.

The properties securing our MRBs are geographically dispersed throughout the United States, with significant concentrations in certain states.

The properties securing our MRBs are geographically dispersed throughout the United States, with significant concentrations in certain states. Such concentrations expose us to potentially negative effects of local or regional economic downturns, which could prevent us from collecting principal and interest on our MRBs.

There is a risk that a third-party developer that has provided guarantees of our returns on investments in unconsolidated entities may not perform on the guarantees.

One developer has provided a guarantee of returns on our investments in unconsolidated entities through the second anniversary of construction completion of the underlying multifamily property.  The guarantees remain through the two-year anniversary of construction completion of each multifamily property up to a maximum amount for each investment. If the underlying multifamily properties do not generate sufficient cash proceeds, either through net cash flows from operations or upon a sale event or through the permanent financing in the form of an MRB, then we are entitled to enforce the guarantee against the developer. If the developer is unable to perform on the guarantee, we may be prevented from realizing our returns earned on our investments in unconsolidated entities through the second anniversary of construction completion, which may result in the recognition of losses.

There are risks associated with the financial performance of our investments in MF Properties.

The financial performance of our investments in MF Properties depends on the rental and occupancy rates of the properties and the level of operating expenses. Occupancy rates and rents are directly affected by the supply of, and demand for, apartments in the market areas in which a property is located. This, in turn, is affected by several factors such as local or national economic conditions, and the amount of new apartment construction and interest rates on single-family mortgage loans. In addition, factors such as government regulation, inflation, real estate and other taxes, labor problems, and natural disasters can affect the economic operations of the properties. We may be considered to be in competition with other residential rental properties located in the same geographic areas as the properties financed with our MRBs.

There are additional risks when we make taxable property loans to Residential Properties.

The taxable property loans that we make to owners of the Residential Properties that secure MRBs held by us are non-recourse obligations of the property owner. As a result, the primary source of principal and interest payments on these taxable property loans is the net cash flow generated by these properties or the net proceeds from the sale or refinance of these properties. The net cash flow from the operation of a property may be impacted by many factors as previously discussed. In addition, any payment of principal and interest is subordinate to payment of all principal and interest (including contingent interest) on the MRB secured by the property. As a result, there is a greater risk of default on the taxable property loans than on the associated MRBs. If a property is unable pay current debt service obligations on the taxable property loan, a default may occur. Taxable property loans are not secured by the underlying properties and we do not expect to pursue foreclosure or other remedies against a property upon default of a taxable property loan if the property is not in default on its MRB financing.

Certain Residential Properties funded by our MRBs, as well as certain MF Properties and investments in unconsolidated entities, are not completely insured against damages from hurricanes and other major storms.

If a property underlying an investment was to be damaged by a hurricane or a major storm, the amount of uninsured losses could be significant, and the property owner may not have the resources to fully rebuild the property. In addition, the damages to a property may result in all or a portion of the rental units not being rentable for a period of time. If a property owner does not carry rental interruption insurance, the loss of rental income would reduce the cash flow available to pay principal and interest on MRBs collateralized by these properties. This loss of rental income would also reduce the ability of MF Properties and investments in unconsolidated entities to pay us distributions.  In addition, the property owner could also lose their LIHTCs if the property was not repaired.

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The properties securing our MRBs, MF Properties and investments in unconsolidated entities may be subject to liability for environmental contamination which could increase the risk of default on such MRBs or loss of our investment.

The owner or operator of real property may become liable for the costs of removal or remediation of hazardous substances released on its property. Various federal, state and local laws often impose such liability without regard to whether the owner or operator of real property knew of, or was responsible for, the release of such hazardous substances. We cannot assure you that the properties that secure our MRBs, MF Properties and investments in unconsolidated entities will not be contaminated. The costs associated with the remediation of any such contamination may be significant and may exceed the value of a property or result in the property owner defaulting on the MRB secured by the property or otherwise result in a loss of our investment in the property.

Risks Related to Debt Financings and Derivative Instruments

There are risks associated with debt financing programs that involve securitization of our MRBs.

We obtain debt financing through various securitization programs related to our MRBs. The terms of these securitization programs differ, but in general require our investment assets be placed into a trust or other special purpose entity that issues a senior security to unaffiliated investors while we retain the residual interest. The trust administrator receives all the principal and interest payments from the underlying MRBs and distributes proceeds to holders of the various security interests. The senior securities are paid contractual principal and interest at a variable or fixed rate, depending on the terms of the security. As the holder of the residual interest, we are entitled to any remaining principal and interest after payment of all trust-related fees (i.e. trustee fees, remarketing agent fees, liquidity provider fees, credit enhancement fees, etc.). Specific risks generally associated with these asset securitization programs include the following:

Changes in interest rates can adversely affect the cost of the asset securitization financing.

The interest rates payable on certain securities reset periodically based on the weekly Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (“SIFMA”) floating index usually tied to interest rates on short-term instruments. In addition, because the senior securities may typically be tendered back to the trust, causing the trust to remarket the senior securities from time to time, an increase in interest rates may require an increase to the interest rate paid on the senior securities in order to successfully remarket these securities. Any increase in the interest rate payable on the senior securities will result in more of the underlying interest being used to pay interest on the senior securities and, after all trust-related fees, leaving less interest available to us. Higher short-term interest rates will reduce, and could even eliminate, our return on residual interests in this type of financing.

Payments on our residual interests are subordinate to payments on the senior securities and to payment of all trust-related fees.

Our residual interests are subordinate to the senior securities and payment of all trust-related fees. As a result, none of the interest received by such a trust will be paid to us as the holder of a residual interest until all payments currently due on the senior securities have been paid in full and all trust expenses satisfied. As the holder of residual interests in these trusts, we can look only to the assets of the trust remaining after payment of these senior obligations for payment on the residual interests. No third party guarantees the payment of any return to be received for our residual interests.

Termination of an asset securitization financing can occur for many reasons which could result in the liquidation of the securitized assets and result in additional losses.

In general, the trust or other special purpose entity formed for an asset securitization financing can terminate for many different reasons relating to problems with the assets or problems with the trust itself. Problems with the assets that could cause the trust to collapse include payment or other defaults or a determination that the interest on the assets is taxable. Problems with a trust include a downgrade in the investment rating of the senior securities that it has issued, a ratings downgrade of the liquidity provider for the trust, increases in short term interest rates in excess of the interest paid on the underlying assets, an inability to remarket the senior securities or an inability to obtain credit or liquidity support for the trust. In each of these cases, the trust will be collapsed and the MRBs and other collateral held by the trusts will be sold. If the proceeds from the sale of the trust collateral are not sufficient to pay the principal amount of the senior securities plus accrued interest and all trust expenses then we will be required, through our guarantee of the trusts, to fund any such shortfall. The Partnership, as holder of the residual interest in the trust, may lose our investment in the residual interest and realize additional losses to fully repay senior trust obligations.

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An insolvency or receivership of the program sponsor could impair our ability to recover the assets and other collateral pledged by it in connection with a bond securitization financing.

In the event the sponsor of an asset securitization financing program becomes insolvent, it could be placed in receivership. In that situation, it is possible that we would not be able to recover the investment assets or other collateral pledged in connection with the securitization financing or that we will not receive all payments due on our residual interests.

We are subject to various risks associated with our derivative agreements.

We purchase derivative instruments to mitigate some, but not all, of our exposure to rising interest rates. There is no assurance these instruments will fully insulate us from any adverse financial consequences resulting from rising interest rates. In addition, our risks from derivative instruments include the following:

We are required to record the fair value of our derivative instruments on our financial statements with changes recorded in current earnings. This can result in significant period to period volatility in our reported net income over the term of these instruments.

Risks Related to Ownership of Beneficial Unit Certificates and Series A Preferred Units

Cash distributions related to BUCs may change at the discretion of the Partnership’s general partner.

The amount of the cash per BUC distributed by the Partnership may increase or decrease at the determination of the Partnership’s general partner based on its assessment of the amount of cash available to us for this purpose, as well as other factors it deems to be relevant. We may supplement our cash available for distribution with unrestricted cash. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash from operations, we may need to reduce the level of cash distributions per BUC from the current level. In addition, there is no assurance that we will be able to maintain our current level of annual cash distributions per BUC even if we complete our current investment plans. Any change in our distribution policy could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our BUCs.

Any future issuances of additional BUCs could cause their market value to decline.

We may issue additional BUCs from time to time to raise additional equity capital. The issuance of additional BUCs will cause dilution of the existing BUCs and may cause a decrease in the market price of the BUCs.

Holders of Series A Preferred Units have extremely limited voting rights.

The voting rights of a holder of Series A Preferred Units is extremely limited.  Our BUCs are the only class of our partnership interests carrying full voting rights.

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The Partnership’s General Partner has the authority to declare cash distributions related to the Series A Preferred Units.

The holders of Series A Preferred Units are entitled to receive non-cumulative cash distributions, when, as, and if declared by the Partnership’s General Partner, out of funds legally available therefor, at an annual rate of 3.0%. Under the terms of the Partnership Agreement, the Partnership’s General Partner has the authority, based on its assessment of the amount of cash available to us for distributions, not to declare distributions to the holders of the Series A Preferred Units.  

Holders of Series A Preferred Units may have liability to repay distributions.

Under certain circumstances, holders of the Series A Preferred Units may have to repay amounts wrongfully returned or distributed to them.  Under Section 17-607 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, we may not make a distribution if the distribution would cause the Partnership’s liabilities to exceed the fair value of its assets.  Liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interests and liabilities that are non-recourse to the Partnership are not counted for purposes of determining whether a distribution is permitted.

Delaware law provides that for a period of three years from the date of an impermissible distribution, limited partners who received the distribution and who knew at the time of the distribution that it violated Delaware law will be liable to the limited partnership for the distribution amount.  A purchaser of Series A Preferred Units who becomes a limited partner is liable for the obligations of the transferring limited partner to make contributions to the Partnership that are known to such purchaser of Series A Preferred Units at the time it became a limited partner and for unknown obligations if the liabilities could be determined from our Partnership Agreement.

The assets held by the Partnership may not be considered qualified investments under the CRA by the bank regulatory authorities.

In most cases, “qualified investments,” as defined by the CRA, are required to be responsive to the community development needs of a financial institution’s delineated CRA assessment area or a broader statewide or regional area that includes the institution’s assessment area.  For an institution to receive CRA credit with respect to the Series A Preferred Units, the Partnership must hold CRA qualifying investments that relate to the institution’s assessment area.

As defined in the CRA, qualified investments are any lawful investments, deposits, membership shares, or grants that have as their primary purpose community development.  The term “community development” is defined in the CRA as: (1) affordable housing (including multifamily rental housing) for low- to moderate-income individuals; (2) community services targeted to low- or moderate-income individuals; (3) activities that promote economic development by financing businesses or farms that meet the size eligibility standards of 13 C.F.R. §121.802(a)(2) and (3) or have gross annual revenues of $1 million or less; or (4) activities that revitalize or stabilize low- or moderate-income geographies, designated disaster areas, or distressed or underserved non-metropolitan middle-income geographies designated by the federal banking regulators.

Investments are not typically designated as qualifying investments at the time of issuance by any governmental agency.  Accordingly, the General Partner must evaluate whether each potential investment may be qualifying investments with respect to a specific Unitholder.  The final determinations that assets held by the Partnership are qualifying investments are made by the federal and, where applicable, state bank supervisory agencies during their periodic examinations of financial institutions.  There is no assurance that the agencies will concur with the General Partner’s evaluation of any of the Partnership’s assets as qualifying investments.

Each holder of Series A Preferred Units is a limited partner of the Partnership, not just of the investments in its Designated Target Region(s).  The financial returns on an investor’s investment will be determined based on the performance of all the assets in the Partnership’s geographically diverse portfolio, not just by the performance of the assets in the Designated Target Region(s) selected by the investor.

In determining whether a particular investment is qualified, the General Partner will assess whether the investment has as its primary purpose community development.  The General Partner will consider whether the investment: (1) provides affordable housing for low- to moderate-income individuals; (2) provides community services targeted to low- to moderate-income individuals; (3) funds activities that (a) finance businesses or farms that meet the size eligibility standards of the Small Business Administration’s Development Company or Small Business Investment Company programs or have annual revenues of $1 million or less and (b) promote economic development; or (4) funds activities that revitalize or stabilize low- to moderate-income areas.  For institutions whose primary regulator is the Federal Reserve Board (“FRB), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”), or Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), the General Partner may also consider whether an investment revitalizes or stabilizes a designated disaster area, or an area designated by those agencies as a distressed or underserved non-metropolitan middle-income area.

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An activity may be deemed to promote economic development if it supports permanent job creation, retention, and/or improvement for persons who are currently low- to moderate-income, or supports permanent job creation, retention, and/or improvement in low- to moderate-income areas targeted for redevelopment by federal, state, local, or tribal governments.  Activities that revitalize or stabilize a low- to moderate-income geography are activities that help attract and retain businesses and residents.  The General Partner maintains documentation, readily available to a financial institution or an examiner, supporting its determination that a Partnership asset is a qualifying investment for CRA purposes.

Obligations of U.S. Government agencies, authorities, instrumentalities, and sponsored enterprises (such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity.  However, the maximum potential liability of the issuers of some of these securities may greatly exceed their current resources and no assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to any of these entities if it is not obligated to do so contractually or by law.

The investment in the Series A Preferred Units is not a deposit or obligation of, or insured or guaranteed by, any entity or person, including the U.S. Government and the FDIC.  The value of the Partnership’s assets will vary, reflecting changes in market conditions, interest rates, and other political and economic factors.  There is no assurance that the Partnership can achieve its investment objective, since all investments are inherently subject to market risk. There also can be no assurance that either the Partnership’s investments or Series A Preferred Units of the Partnership will receive investment test credit under the CRA.

Under certain circumstances, investors may not receive CRA credit for their investment in the Series A Preferred Units.

The CRA requires the three federal bank supervisory agencies, the FRB, the OCC, and the FDIC, to encourage the institutions they regulate to help meet the credit needs of their local communities, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.  Each agency has promulgated rules for evaluating and rating an institution’s CRA performance which, as the following summary indicates, vary according to an institution’s asset size.  An institution’s CRA performance can also be adversely affected by evidence of discriminatory credit practices regardless of its asset size.

For an institution to receive CRA credit with respect to an investment in the Series A Preferred Units, the Partnership must hold CRA-qualifying investments that relate to the institution’s delineated CRA assessment area.  The Partnership expects that an investment in its Series A Preferred Units will be considered a qualified investment under the CRA, but neither the Partnership nor the General Partner has received an interpretative letter from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (“FFIEC”) stating that an investment in the Partnership is considered eligible for regulatory credit under the CRA.  Moreover, there is no guarantee that future changes to the CRA or future interpretations by the FFIEC will not affect the continuing eligibility of the Partnership’s investments.  So that the Partnership itself may be considered a qualified investment, the Partnership will seek to invest only in investments that meet the prevailing community investing standards put forth by U.S. regulatory agencies.  

In this regard, the Partnership expects that a majority of its investments will be considered eligible for regulatory credit under the CRA, but there is no guarantee that an investor will receive CRA credit for its investment in the Series A Preferred Units.  For example, a state banking regulator may not consider the Partnership eligible for regulatory credit.  If CRA credit is not given, there is a risk that an investor may not fulfill its CRA requirements.

The Partnership’s portfolio investment decisions may create CRA strategy risks.

Portfolio investment decisions take into account the Partnership’s goal of holding MRBs and other securities in designated geographic areas and will not be exclusively based on the investment characteristics of such assets, which may or may not have an adverse effect on the Partnership’s investment performance.  CRA qualified assets in geographic areas sought by the Partnership may not provide as favorable return as CRA qualified assets in other geographic areas.  The Partnership may sell assets for reasons relating to CRA qualification at times when such sales may not be desirable and may hold short-term investments that produce relatively low yields pending the selection of long-term investments believed to be CRA-qualified.

The Series A Preferred Units are subordinated to existing and future debt obligations, and the interests could be diluted by the issuance of additional units, including additional Series A Preferred Units, and by other transactions.

The Series A Preferred Units are subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness, including indebtedness outstanding under any senior bank credit facility.  The Partnership may incur additional debt under its senior bank credit facility or future credit facilities.  The payment of principal and interest on its debt reduces cash available for distribution to Unitholders, including the Series A Preferred Units.

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The issuance of additional units pari passu with or senior to the Series A Preferred Units would dilute the interests of the holders of the Series A Preferred Units, and any issuance of senior securities, parity securities, or additional indebtedness could affect the Partnership’s ability to pay distributions on or redeem the Series A Preferred Units.

Holders of the Series A Preferred Units may be required to bear the risks of an investment for an indefinite period of time.

Holders of the Series A Preferred Units may be required to bear the financial risks of an investment in the Series A Preferred Units for an indefinite period of time.  In addition, the Series A Preferred Units will rank junior to all Partnership current and future indebtedness (including indebtedness outstanding under the Partnership’s senior bank credit facility) and other liabilities, and any other senior securities we may issue in the future with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against the Partnership.

There is no public market for the Series A Preferred Units, which may prevent an investor from liquidating its investment.

The Series A Preferred Units were offered in a private placement and the Partnership did not register the Series A Preferred Units with the SEC or any state securities commission.  The Series A Preferred Units may not be resold unless the Partnership registers the securities with the SEC or an exemption from the registration requirement is available.  It is not expected that any market for the Series A Preferred Units will develop or be sustained in the future.  The lack of any public market for the Series A Preferred Units severely limits the ability to liquidate the investment, except for the right to put the Series A Preferred Units to the Partnership under certain circumstances.

Market interest rates may adversely affect the value of the Series A Preferred Units.

One of the factors that will influence the value of the Series A Preferred Units will be the distribution rate on the Series A Preferred Units (as a percentage of the price of the units) relative to market interest rates.  An increase in market interest rates, which continue to remain at low levels relative to historical rates, may lower the value of the Series A Preferred Units and also would likely increase the Partnership’s borrowing costs.

Risks Related to Income Taxes

Not all the income received by us is exempt from taxation.

Income from our property loans, MF Properties, Investments in Unconsolidated Entities and taxable MRBs and related gains or losses on sale are subject to federal and state income taxes. Furthermore, income and gains generated by assets within a wholly owned subsidiary (the “Greens Hold Co”) and its subsidiaries are subject to federal, state and local incomes as the Greens Hold Co is a “C” corporation for income tax purposes.

To the extent we generate taxable income, Unitholders will be subject to income taxes on this income, whether or not they receive cash distributions.

As a partnership, our Unitholders will be individually liable for income tax on their proportionate share of any taxable income realized by us, whether or not we make cash distributions.

There are limits on the ability of our Unitholders to deduct Partnership losses and expenses allocated to them.

The ability of Unitholders to deduct their proportionate share of the losses and expenses generated by us will be limited in certain cases, and certain transactions may result in the triggering of the Alternative Minimum Tax for Unitholders who are individuals.

Unitholders may incur tax liability if any of the interest on our MRBs or PHC Certificates is determined to be taxable.

In each MRB transaction, the governmental issuer, as well as the underlying borrower, has covenanted and agreed to comply with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements necessary to establish and maintain the tax-exempt status of interest earned on the MRBs. Failure to comply with such requirements may cause interest on the related issue of bonds to be includable in gross income for federal income tax purposes retroactive to the date of issuance, regardless of when such noncompliance occurs. Should the interest income on an MRB be deemed to be taxable, the bond documents include a variety of rights and remedies that we have concluded would help mitigate the economic impact of taxation of the interest income on the affected MRBs. Under such circumstances, we would enforce all of such rights and remedies as set forth in the related bond documents as well as any other rights and remedies available under applicable law. In addition, in the event the tax-exemption of interest income on any MRB is challenged by the IRS, we would participate in the tax and legal proceedings to contest any such challenge and would, under appropriate circumstances, appeal any adverse final determinations. The loss of tax-exemption for any particular MRB would not, in and of itself, result in the loss of tax-exemption for any unrelated MRBs. However, the loss of such tax-exemption could result in the distribution to our Unitholders of taxable income relating to such MRBs.

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In addition, we have, and may in the future, obtain debt financing through asset securitization programs in which we place MRBs and PHC Certificates into trusts and are entitled to a share of the interest received by the trust on these bonds after the payment of interest on senior securities and related expenses issued by the trust. It is possible that the characterization of our residual interest in such a securitization trust could be challenged and the income that we receive through these instruments could be treated as ordinary taxable income includable in our gross income for federal tax purposes.

If we are determined to be an association taxable as a corporation, it will have adverse economic consequences for us and our Unitholders.

We have determined to be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. The purpose of this determination is to eliminate federal and state income tax liability for us and allow us to pass through our interest income on our MRBs, which we expect and believe to be tax-exempt, to our Unitholders so that they are not subject to federal income tax on this income. If our treatment as a partnership for tax purposes is successfully challenged, we would be classified as an association taxable as a corporation. This would result in the Partnership being taxed on its taxable income, if any, and, in addition, would result in all cash distributions made by us to Unitholders being treated as taxable dividend income to the extent of our earnings and profits. The payment of these dividends would not be deductible by us. The listing of our BUCs for trading on the NASDAQ causes us to be treated as a “publicly traded partnership” under Section 7704 of the IRC. A publicly traded partnership is generally taxable as a corporation unless 90% or more of its gross income is “qualifying” income. Qualifying income includes interest, dividends, real property rents, gain from the sale or other disposition of real property, gain from the sale or other disposition of capital assets held to produce interest or dividends, and certain other items. We expect and believe that substantially all our gross income will continue to be tax-exempt interest income on our MRBs, but there can be no assurance that will be the case. While we believe that all interest income is qualifying income, it is possible that some or all of our income could be determined not to be qualifying income. In such a case, if more than ten percent of our annual gross income in any year is not qualifying income, we will be taxable as a corporation rather than a partnership for federal income tax purposes. We have not received, and do not intend to seek, a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service regarding our status as a partnership for tax purposes.

Risks Related to Governmental, Regulatory and Other Matters

We are not registered under the Investment Company Act.

We are not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”) because we operate under an exemption therefrom. As a result, none of the protections of the Investment Company Act (such as provisions relating to disinterested directors, custody requirements for securities, and regulation of the relationship between a fund and its advisor) will be applicable to us.

Any downgrade, or anticipated downgrade, of U.S. sovereign credit ratings or the credit ratings of the U.S. Government-sponsored entities (“GSEs”) by the various credit rating agencies may materially adversely affect our business.

Our TEBS financing facilities are an integral part of our business strategy and those financings are dependent upon an investment grade rating of Freddie Mac. If Freddie Mac were downgraded to below investment grade, it would have a negative effect on our ability to finance our MRB portfolio on a longer-term basis and could negatively impact our cash flows from operations and our ability to continue distributions at current levels.

We are increasingly dependent on information technology, and potential disruption, cyber-attacks, security problems, and expanding social media vehicles present new risks.

We are increasingly dependent on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit, and store electronic and financial information, to manage and support a variety of business processes and activities, and to comply with regulatory, legal, and tax requirements. If we do not allocate and effectively manage the resources necessary to build and sustain the proper technology infrastructure and to maintain and protect the related automated and manual control processes, we could be subject to business disruptions or damage resulting from security breaches. If any of our information technology systems suffer severe damage, disruption, or shutdown, and our business continuity plans do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, our revenues, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. We could also experience delays in reporting our financial results. In addition, we may be negatively impacted by business interruption, litigation, and reputational damages from leakage of confidential information or from systems conversions when, and if, they occur in the normal course of business.

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The inappropriate use of certain media could cause brand damage or information leakage. Negative posts or comments about the Partnership on any social networking web site could seriously damage its reputation. In addition, the disclosure of non-public information through external media channels could have a negative impact to the Partnership. Identifying new points of entry as social media continues to expand presents new challenges. Any business interruptions or damage to our reputation could negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations, and the market price of our BUCs.

The federal conservatorship of Freddie Mac and related efforts, along with any changes in laws and regulations affecting the relationship between Freddie Mac and the U.S. Government, may materially adversely affect our business.

The problems faced by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac commencing in 2008 resulting in them being placed into federal conservatorship and receiving significant U.S. Government support have sparked serious debate among federal policy makers regarding the continued role of the U.S. Government in providing liquidity and credit enhancement for mortgage loans. As a result, the future roles of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are likely to be reduced (perhaps significantly) and the nature of their guarantee obligations could be considerably limited relative to historical measurements. Alternatively, it is still possible that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could be dissolved entirely or privatized, and, as mentioned above, the U.S. Government could determine to stop providing liquidity support of any kind to the mortgage market. Any changes to the nature of the GSEs or their guarantee obligations could have broad adverse implications for the market and our business, operations and financial condition. If Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac were to be eliminated, or their structures were to change radically (i.e., limitation or removal of the guarantee obligation), our ability to utilize TEBS Financings facilities would be materially and adversely impacted.

The Partnership faces legislative and regulatory risks in connection with its assets and operations, including under the CRA.

Many aspects of the Partnership’s investment objectives are directly affected by the national and local legal and regulatory environments.  Changes in laws, regulations, or the interpretation of regulations could all pose risks to the successful realization of the Partnership’s investment objectives.

It is not known what changes, if any, may be made to the CRA in the future and what impact these changes could have on regulators or the various states that have their own versions of the CRA.  Changes in the CRA might affect Partnership operations and might pose a risk to the successful realization of the Partnership’s investment objectives.  Repeal of the CRA would significantly reduce the attractiveness of an investment in the Partnership’s Series A Preferred Units for regulated investors.  There is no guarantee that an investor will receive CRA credit for its investment in the Series A Preferred Units.  

Item 1B.  Unresolved Staff Comments.

None

Item 2.  Properties.

The Partnership conducts its business operations from and maintains its corporate office at 14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 211, Omaha, Nebraska 68154. The Partnership believes that this office is adequate to meet its business needs for the foreseeable future.

Each of the Partnership’s MRBs are collateralized by the Residential Properties or commercial property. The Partnership may have property loans that are also collateralized by the Residential Properties, but does not hold title or any other interest in these properties.

As of December 31, 2019, the Partnership owned the Suites on Paseo and The 50/50 MF Properties and certain land held for development. The Partnership’s Real Estate Assets are reported within the MF Properties segment and are summarized as follows:

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Item 3.  Legal Proceedings.

The Partnership is periodically involved in ordinary and routine litigation incidental to its business, including foreclosure actions relating to properties securing MRBs held by the Partnership. In our judgment, there are no material pending legal proceedings to which the Partnership is a party or to which any of the properties which collateralize the Partnership’s MRBs are subject, in which a resolution is expected to have a material adverse effect on the Partnership’s consolidated results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition.

Item 4.  Mine Safety Disclosures

Not Applicable.

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PART II

Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Security Holder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Market Information

The Partnership’s BUCs trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the trading symbol “ATAX.”

Stockholder Information

As of December 31, 2019, we had 60,835,204 BUCs outstanding held by a total of approximately 13,800 holders of record.  There were no outstanding unvested restricted unit awards (“RUA” or “RUAs”) as of December 31, 2019.

Distributions

Future distributions paid by the Partnership per BUC will be at the discretion of its General Partner and will be based upon financial, capital, and cash flow considerations. In addition, the holders of Series A Preferred Units are entitled to receive non-cumulative cash distributions, when, as, and if declared by the General Partner, out of funds legally available therefor, in accordance with the terms and in the amount set forth in the Partnership Agreement. Distributions to the BUCs rank junior to distributions to the Series A Preferred Units, and, therefore, such distributions may be limited under certain circumstances.  See Note 19 to the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements for a further description of the Series A Preferred Units. The Partnership currently expects to continue to pay distributions on its Series A Preferred Units and BUCs in the future.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table provides information with respect to compensation plans under which equity securities of the Partnership are currently authorized for issuance as of December 31, 2019:

Unregistered Sale of Equity Securities

The Partnership did not sell any BUCs in 2019 or 2018 that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. There were no sales of unregistered Series A Preferred Units in 2019 or 2018.

The Partnership did not repurchase any outstanding BUCs during the fourth quarter of 2019.

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Item 6.  Selected Financial Data.

Set forth below is selected consolidated financial data for the Partnership, its subsidiaries, and its consolidated variable interest entities (“VIEs”) as of and for the years ended December 31, 2019 through 2015.  Item 6 should be read in conjunction with Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Report and the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements and notes filed in Item 8 of this Report.  

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Item 7.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

General

In this Management’s Discussion and Analysis, all references to “we,” “us,” and the “Partnership” refer to America First Multifamily Investors, L.P., its consolidated subsidiaries, and consolidated VIEs as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Executive Summary

We were formed for the primary purpose of acquiring a portfolio of MRBs that are issued by state and local housing authorities to provide construction and/or permanent financing for affordable multifamily and student housing (collectively “Residential Properties”), and commercial properties in their market areas. We expect and believe the interest received on these bonds is excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes. We may also invest in other types of securities and investments that may or may not be secured by real estate to the extent allowed by the Partnership Agreement.

The Partnership includes the assets, liabilities, and results of operations of the Partnership, our wholly owned subsidiaries and consolidated VIEs. All significant transactions and accounts between us and the consolidated VIEs have been eliminated in consolidation. See Note 2 to the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements for additional details.

As of December 31, 2019, we have four reportable segments: (1) Mortgage Revenue Bond Investments, (2) Public Housing Capital Fund Trusts, (3) MF Properties, and (4) Other Investments. The Partnership separately reports its consolidation and elimination information because it does not allocate certain items to the segments.  See Notes 2 and 24 to the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements for additional details.

Mortgage Revenue Bond Investments Segment  

As of December 31, 2019, we owned 76 MRBs with an aggregate outstanding principal amount of $679.7 million.  Most of these bonds were issued by various state and local housing authorities to provide construction and/or permanent financing for 66 Residential Properties containing a total of 10,871 rental units located in 13 states in the United States.

As of December 31, 2018, we owned 77 MRBs with an aggregate outstanding principal amount of $677.7 million.  Most of these bonds were issued by various state and local housing authorities in order to provide construction and/or permanent financing for 63 Residential Properties containing a total of 10,650 rental units located in 13 states in the United States. 

Each MRB related to a Residential Property is secured by a mortgage or deed of trust.  One MRB is secured by ground, facility, and equipment of a commercial ancillary health care facility in Tennessee.

The following table compares operating results for the Mortgage Revenue Bond Investments segment for the periods indicated (dollar amounts in thousands):

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The following tables summarize the segment’s net interest income, average balances, and related yields earned on interest-earning assets and incurred on interest-bearing liabilities, as well as other income included in total revenues for 2019 and 2018. The net of interest income from interest-earning assets and interest expense for interest-bearing liabilities is the segment’s net interest income. The average balances are based primarily on monthly averages during the respective periods. All dollar amounts are in thousands.

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The following tables summarize the changes in interest income and interest expense between 2019 and 2018, and the extent to which these variances are attributable to 1) changes in the volume of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, or 2) changes in the interest rates of the assets and liabilities. All dollar amounts are in thousands.