ORGANIZATION |
12 Months Ended |
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Dec. 31, 2023 | |
| Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] | |
| ORGANIZATION | ORGANIZATION Overview
Copper Property CTL Pass Through Trust, a New York common law trust (the “Trust,” “we,” “our” or “us”) was formed on December 21, 2020, in connection with the reorganization of Old Copper Company, Inc. (f/k/a J. C. Penney Company, Inc.) (“Old Copper”), effective as of January 30, 2021 (the “Effective Date”) pursuant to the terms of the Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization of Old Copper and certain of its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Debtors”) (the “Plan of Reorganization”).
On the Effective Date, through separate wholly-owned property holding companies (the “PropCos”), the Trust acquired (as discussed below), 160 retail properties (the “Retail Properties”) and six distribution centers (the “Warehouses” and, together with the Retail Properties, the “Properties”), all of which were leased under two Master Leases (as discussed in Note 4) to one or more subsidiaries of Copper Retail JV LLC (“OpCo Purchaser”) (collectively with its subsidiaries, “Penney Intermediate Holdings LLC”), an entity formed by and under the joint control of Simon Property Group, L.P. and Brookfield Asset Management Inc. During 2021, the Trust sold all six Warehouses.
The Trust’s operations consist solely of (i) owning the Properties and interests as lessee of land under non-cancellable ground leases, (ii) leasing the Properties under the terms of the Retail Master Lease (as defined below) to Penney Intermediate Holdings LLC as the sole tenant and (iii) subject to market conditions and the conditions set forth in the Trust Agreement, selling the Properties to third-party purchasers through the PropCos.
As of December 31, 2023, the real estate portfolio consists of 130 Retail Properties, of which 21 are encumbered by ground leases, in the United States (the "U.S.") across 35 states and Puerto Rico, and comprising 17.3 million square feet of leasable space.
Formation
On May 15, 2020, the Debtors commenced voluntary cases under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the “Bankruptcy Court”).
On October 28, 2020, the Debtors entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Asset Purchase Agreement”) with OpCo Purchaser, and Copper Bidco LLC (“PropCo Purchaser” and, together with OpCo Purchaser, the “Purchasers”), an entity formed on behalf of lenders under Old Copper’s (i) senior secured superpriority, priming debtor-in-possession credit facility (the “DIP Facility”), (ii) 5.875% senior secured notes due 2023 (the “First Lien Notes”) and (iii) Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement, dated as of June 23, 2016 (the “Term Loan Facility” and together with the First Lien Notes, the “First Lien Debt”), pursuant to which the Purchasers agreed to acquire substantially all of the Debtors’ assets and assume certain of the Debtors’ obligations in connection with the purchased assets.
On December 12, 2020, the Debtors filed the Plan of Reorganization which was confirmed by the Bankruptcy Court on December 16, 2020.
On December 21, 2020, the Trust was formed in connection with the reorganization of Old Copper.
On the Effective Date, the Plan of Reorganization became effective pursuant to its terms, at which point PropCo Purchaser and GLAS Trust Company, LLC, as the Trust's independent third-party trustee (the "Trustee"), entered into an Amended and Restated Trust Agreement (as amended, the “Trust Agreement”). In connection with the consummation of the transactions set forth in the Asset Purchase Agreement and in exchange for a $1 billion
aggregate credit bid by PropCo Purchaser, comprising $900 million of claims under the DIP Facility and $100 million of claims, on a pro rata basis, under the First Lien Debt, and simultaneous release of obligations under the DIP Facility and First Lien Debt, Old Copper transferred (or caused its subsidiaries to transfer) its fee simple or ground leasehold title (as applicable) in certain properties to the PropCos and assigned (or caused such subsidiaries to assign) the Master Leases (as defined below) relating to the Properties to the Trust.
As a result, as of the Effective Date, the Trust owned, through the PropCos, 160 Retail Properties and six Warehouses, all of which were leased to one or more subsidiaries of Penney Intermediate Holdings LLC under two Master Leases. In connection with the foregoing, certain of the Debtors' lenders received their pro-rata portion of the equity interest in the Trust, as evidenced by the Trust Certificates (as defined below). The aggregate credit bid was not an indicator of the fair value of the assets and liabilities of the Trust as of the Effective Date, and it does not represent the full extent of debt that was owed to the creditor group.
The Trust accounted for the reorganization using fresh start accounting under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standard Codification ("ASC") Topic 852, which resulted in the Trust becoming a new entity for financial reporting purposes on the Effective Date. Accordingly, all assets and liabilities were recorded at fair value in accordance with accounting requirements for business combinations under ASC 805-20.
As of the Effective Date, Old Copper had no ability to exercise any control over the Properties or the Trust and has
no affiliation with the Trust. The Trust owns directly or indirectly 100% of the equity or partnership interests (as applicable) in the PropCos. Specifically, the PropCos include (i) CTL Propco I LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, CTL Propco I L.P., a Delaware limited partnership and CTL Propco PR I LLC and CTL Propco PR II LLC, Puerto Rico limited liability companies, which collectively own the fee simple or ground leasehold title (as applicable) to the Retail Properties and (ii) CTL Propco II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and CTL Propco II L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, which collectively owned the fee simple title to the Warehouses. CTL Propco II LLC and CTL Propco II L.P. were dissolved on October 6, 2022.
Trust Agreement
The Trust is governed by the Trust Agreement between PropCo Purchaser and the Trustee. The Trust Agreement created a series of equity trust certificates designated as “Copper Property CTL Pass Through Certificates” (the “Trust Certificates”), 75 million of which were issued on the Effective Date. Each Trust Certificate represents a fractional undivided beneficial interest in the Trust and represents the interests of the holders of the Trust Certificates (“Certificateholders”) in the Trust. All Trust Certificateholders shall vote as a single class and shall be in all respects equally and ratably entitled to the benefits of the Trust Agreement without preference, priority or distinction on account of the actual time or times of authentication and delivery, all in accordance with the terms and provisions of the Trust Agreement.
The Trustee performs trust administration duties, including treasury management and certificate administration, and earns trustee fees. The Trust pays the Trustee an annual service fee of $100, which is amortized monthly, and are included in “General and administrative expenses” on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and the period from the Effective Date to December 31, 2021, the Trust incurred trustee fees of $100, $100 and $105, respectively.
On December 30, 2021, the Trust amended the Trust Agreement, without the consent of its Certificateholders (as provided in the Trust Agreement), to permit the Trust to invest moneys held by the Trust instead of holding them in non-interest bearing accounts. The Trust has adopted a policy to maintain its cash equivalents in a government money market fund administered by a major bulge bracket investment banking firm which invests its assets only in (i) cash and (ii) securities issued or guaranteed by the United States or certain U.S. government agencies and having a weighted average life and weighted average maturity of no more than 120 days and 60 days, respectively. Each of these government money market funds is managed to maintain a stable net asset value, thereby eliminating principal risk. As a result of these investments, for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 , the Trust earned interest
income of $1,190 and $427, respectively, which are included in "Other income" on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Management Agreement
The Trust has retained Hilco JCP LLC, an affiliate of Hilco Real Estate LLC, as its independent third-party manager to perform asset management duties with respect to the Properties (together with any of its affiliates, replacement or successor, the “Manager”) pursuant to an agreement with an initial term of 24 months, with automatic six month renewals until the termination of the Trust. The Trust pays the Manager a base management fee (the “Base Fee”) and a fee for each property sold (the “Asset Management Fee”). The Base Fee is an amount equal to the greater of 5.75% of the lease payments of the Properties per month and $333 per month. The Asset Management Fees consist of a closing fee of $50 for each Warehouse sold and a success fee for each Retail Property and Warehouse sold which varies based on the sales proceeds and date sold.
For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the period from the Effective Date to December 31, 2021, the Trust incurred Base Fees of $5,869, $6,242 and $8,058, respectively, which are included in “Operating expenses” on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations, of which $492 and $494 as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, were included in “Accounts payable and accrued expenses” on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and the period from the Effective Date to December 31, 2021, the Trust incurred Asset Management Fees of $86, $591 and $4,454, respectively, which are included in “Gain on sales of investment properties, net” on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. On May 12, 2021, the Trust filed a preliminary proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, to solicit consent from Certificateholders to amend the Trust Agreement and Management Agreement. On June 11, 2021, following the expiration of the consent solicitation and upon receipt of the requisite approval from the Certificateholders, the Trust amended the Trust Agreement and the Management Agreement to effectuate the proposed amendments. As a result of the amendments, the Trust is now required to dispose of all Retail Properties by December 10, 2025.
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