AMERICAN REALTY INVESTORS INC - Quarter Report: 2016 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 

FORM 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2016

or

For the transition period from ______ to ______

Commission File Number 001-15663

AMERICAN REALTY INVESTORS, INC.  

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

1603 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, Suite 800, Dallas, Texas 75234 

(Address of principal executive offices) 

(Zip Code)

(469) 522-4200

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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 and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files)   ☒ Yes     ☐ No.

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

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date. 

 AMERICAN REALTY INVESTORS, INC.

FORM 10-Q  

TABLE OF CONTENTS  

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

AMERICAN REALTY INVESTORS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

AMERICAN REALTY INVESTORS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

AMERICAN REALTY INVESTORS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2016

(unaudited, dollars in thousands, except share amounts) 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

AMERICAN REALTY INVESTORS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

AMERICAN REALTY INVESTORS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1. ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Organization

As used herein, the terms “ARL”, “the Company”, “we”, “our” or “us” refer to American Realty Investors, Inc., a Nevada corporation, which was formed in 1999.

The Company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and its common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol (“ARL”). Approximately 86.7% of ARL’s stock is owned by related parties. Subsidiaries of ARL own approximately 80.9% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Transcontinental Realty Investors, Inc. (“TCI”), a Nevada corporation, which has its common stock listed and traded on the NYSE under the symbol (“TCI”). Accordingly, TCI’s financial results are consolidated with those of ARL. In 2012, May Realty Holdings, Inc. (“MRHI”) subsidiaries acquired more than 80% of ARL stock and as a result, ARL is included in the MRHI consolidated group for federal income tax reporting. We have no employees.

TCI, a subsidiary of ARL, owns approximately 81.1% of the common stock of Income Opportunity Realty Investors, Inc. (“IOT”). IOT’s financial results are consolidated with those of TCI and its subsidiaries. Shares of IOT are traded on the New York Stock Exchange Euronext (“NYSE MKT”) under the symbol (“IOT”).

ARL invests in real estate through direct ownership, leases and partnerships and also invests in mortgage loans on real estate. Pillar Income Asset Management, Inc. (“Pillar”) is the Company’s external Advisor and Cash Manager. Although the Board of Directors is directly responsible for managing the affairs of ARL, and for setting the policies which guide it, the day-to-day operations of ARL are performed by Pillar, as the contractual Advisor, under the supervision of the Board. Pillar’s duties include, but are not limited to: locating, evaluating and recommending real estate and real estate-related investment opportunities and arranging debt and equity financing for the Company with third party lenders and investors. Additionally, Pillar serves as a consultant to the Board with regard to their decisions in connection with ARL’s business plan and investment policy. Pillar also serves as an Advisor and Cash Manager to TCI and IOT.

Regis Realty Prime, LLC (“Regis”) manages our commercial properties and provides brokerage services. ARL engages third-party companies to lease and manage its apartment properties.

Properties

We own or had interests in a total property portfolio of 57 income-producing properties as of March 31, 2016. The properties consisted of:

We join with various third-party development companies to construct residential apartment communities. We are in the predevelopment process on several residential apartment communities that have not yet begun construction. At March 31, 2016, we had three apartment projects in development. The third-party developer typically holds a general partner as well as a majority limited partner interest in a limited partnership formed for the purpose of building a single property, while we generally take a minority limited partner interest in the limited partnership. We may contribute land to the partnership as part of our equity contribution or we may contribute the necessary funds to the partnership to acquire the land. We are required to fund all necessary equity contributions while the third-party developer is responsible for obtaining construction financing, hiring a general contractor and for the overall management, successful completion and delivery of the project. We generally bear all the economic risks and rewards of ownership in these partnerships and therefore include these partnerships in our Consolidated Financial Statements. The third-party developer is paid a developer fee typically equal to a percentage of the construction costs. When the project reaches stabilized occupancy, we acquire the third-party developer’s partnership interests in exchange for any remaining unpaid developer fees.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted in accordance with such rules and regulations, although management believes the disclosures are adequate to prevent the information presented from being misleading. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring matters) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2016, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for other interim periods or for the full fiscal year.

The year-end Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2015 was derived from the audited Consolidated Financial Statements at that date, but does not include all of the information and disclosures required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. For further information, refer to the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. Certain 2015 Consolidated Financial Statement amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2016 presentation.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company, its subsidiaries, generally all of which are wholly-owned, and all entities in which we have a controlling interest. Arrangements that are not controlled through voting or similar rights are accounted for as a Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”), in accordance with the provisions and guidance of ASC Topic 810, “Consolidation”, whereby we have determined that we are a primary beneficiary of the VIE and meet certain criteria of a sole general partner or managing member as identified in accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) Issue 04-5, Investor’s Accounting for an Investment in a Limited Partnership when the Investor is the Sole General Partner and the Limited Partners have Certain Rights (“EITF 04-5”). VIEs are generally entities that lack sufficient equity to finance their activities without additional financial support from other parties or whose equity holders as a group lack adequate decision making ability, the obligation to absorb expected losses or residual returns of the entity, or have voting rights that are not proportional to their economic interests. The primary beneficiary is generally the entity that provides financial support and bears a majority of the financial risks, authorizes certain capital transactions, or makes operating decisions that materially affect the entity’s financial results. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

In determining whether we are the primary beneficiary of a VIE, we consider qualitative and quantitative factors, including, but not limited to: the amount and characteristics of our investment; the obligation or likelihood for us or other investors to provide financial support; our and the other investors’ ability to control or significantly influence key decisions for the VIE; and the similarity with and significance to the business activities of us and the other investors. Significant judgments related to these determinations include estimates about the current future fair values and performance of real estate held by these VIEs and general market conditions.

For entities in which we have less than a controlling financial interest or entities where we are not deemed to be the primary beneficiary, the entities are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Accordingly, our share of the net earnings or losses of these entities is included in consolidated net income. Our investment in Gruppa Florentina, LLC is accounted for under the equity method.

Real Estate, Depreciation and Impairment

Real estate assets are stated at the lower of depreciated cost or fair value, if deemed impaired. Major replacements and betterments are capitalized and depreciated over their estimated useful lives. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the useful lives of the properties (buildings and improvements: 10-40 years; furniture, fixtures and equipment: 5-10 years). The Company continually evaluates the recoverability of the carrying value of its real estate assets using the methodology prescribed in ASC Topic 360 (“ASC 360”), “Property, Plant and Equipment”. Factors considered by management in evaluating impairment of its existing real estate assets held for investment include significant declines in property operating profits, annually recurring property operating losses and other significant adverse changes in general market conditions that are considered permanent in nature. Under ASC 360, a real estate asset held for investment is not considered impaired if the undiscounted, estimated future cash flows of an asset (both the annual estimated cash flow from future operations and the estimated cash flow from the theoretical sale of the asset) over its estimated holding period are in excess of the asset’s net book value at the balance sheet date. If any real estate asset held for investment is considered impaired, a loss is provided to reduce the carrying value of the asset to its estimated fair value.

Real Estate Held For Sale

We periodically classify real estate assets as “held for sale”. An asset is classified as held for sale after the approval of our Board of Directors, after an active program to sell the asset has commenced and if the sale is probable. One of the deciding factors in determining whether a sale is probable is whether the firm purchase commitment is obtained and whether the sale is probable within the year. Upon the classification of a real estate asset as held for sale, the carrying value of the asset is reduced to the lower of its net book value or its estimated fair value, less costs to sell the asset. Subsequent to the classification of assets as held for sale, no further depreciation expense is recorded. Real estate assets held for sale are stated separately on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. Upon a decision that the sale is no longer probable, the asset is classified as an operating asset and depreciation expense is reinstated.

Prior to January 1, 2015, the operating results of real estate assets held for sale and sold are reported as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. Income from discontinued operations includes the revenues and expenses, including depreciation and interest expense, associated with the assets. Subsequent to January 1, 2015, Accounting Standards Update 2014-08, “Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity” (“ASU 2014-08”) substantially changed the criteria for determining whether a disposition qualifies for discontinued operations presentation. Adoption of this standard will result in substantially fewer of the Company’s dispositions meeting the discontinued operations criteria.

Cost Capitalization

Costs related to planning, developing, leasing and constructing a property are capitalized and classified as Real Estate in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We capitalize interest to qualifying assets under development based on average accumulated expenditures outstanding during the period. In capitalizing interest to qualifying assets, we first use the interest incurred on specific project debt, if any, and next use the weighted average interest rate of non-project specific debt. We capitalize interest, real estate taxes and certain operating expenses until building construction is substantially complete and the building is ready for its intended use, but no later than one year from the cessation of major construction activity.

We capitalize leasing costs which include commissions paid to outside brokers, legal costs incurred to negotiate and document a lease agreement and any internal costs that may be applicable. We allocate these costs to individual tenant leases and amortize them over the related lease term.

Fair Value Measurement

We apply the guidance in ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures”, to the valuation of real estate assets. These provisions define fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in a transaction between market participants at the measurement date, establish a hierarchy that prioritizes the information used in developing fair value estimates and require disclosure of fair value measurements by level within the fair value hierarchy. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable data (Level 3 measurements), such as the reporting entity’s own data.

The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date and includes three levels defined as follows:

A financial instrument’s categorization within the valuation hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Deferred Costs

Costs relating to the financing of properties are deferred and amortized over the life of the related financing agreement. Amortization is reflected as interest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, with remaining terms ranging from 6 months to 40 years. Unamortized financing costs are written off when the financing agreement is extinguished before the maturity date.

Related Parties

We apply ASC Topic 805, “Business Combinations”, to evaluate business relationships. Related parties are persons or entities who have one or more of the following characteristics, which include entities for which investments in their equity securities would be required, trust for the benefit of persons including principal owners of the entities and members of their immediate families, management personnel of the entity and members of their immediate families and other parties with which the entity may deal if one party controls or can significantly influence the decision making of the other to an extent that one of the transacting parties might be prevented from fully pursuing its own separate interests, or affiliates of the entity.

Newly Issued Accounting Standards

In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2014-08, “Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity”, which changes the criteria for determining which disposals qualify to be accounted for as discontinued operations and modifies related reporting and disclosure requirements.

Disposals representing a strategic shift in operations, such as a change in a major line of business, a major geographical area or major equity investment, that have a major effect on a company’s operations and financial results will be presented as discontinued operations. If the disposal does qualify as a discontinued operation under ASU 2014-08, the Company will be required to expand their disclosures about discontinued operations to provide more information on the assets, liabilities, income and expenses of the disposed component.

The classification of operating results as discontinued operations are applied retroactively for all periods presented. The new standard was effective January 1, 2015. We adopted ASU 2014-08 as of January 1, 2015 and believe future sales of our individual operating properties will no longer qualify as discontinued operations. Adoption of this standard has resulted in substantially fewer of the Company’s dispositions meeting the discontinued operations criteria. See Note 8 below.

In May 2014, Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09 (“ASU 2014-09”), “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” was issued. This new guidance established a new single comprehensive revenue recognition model and provides for enhanced disclosures. Under the new policy, the nature, timing and amount of revenue recognized for certain transactions could differ from those recognized under existing accounting guidance. This new standard does not affect revenue recognized under lease contracts. ASU 2014-09 is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this guidance has on its financial position and results of operations, if any.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03, “Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs” (“ASU 2015-03”). ASU 2015-03 requires debt issuance costs to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the associated debt liability, consistent with the presentation of a debt discount. Prior to the issuance of the standard, debt issuance costs were required to be presented in the balance sheet as an asset. The Company has adopted this standard effective June 30, 2015. The accompanying financials have been reclassified to reflect the adoption.

In February 2016, Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02 (“ASU 2016-02”), Leases was issued. This new guidance establishes a new model for accounting for leases and provides for enhanced disclosures. ASU 2016-02 is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this guidance, if any, on its financial position and results of operations.

NOTE 2. REAL ESTATE ACTIVITY

Below is a summary of the real estate owned as of March 31, 2016 (dollars in thousands):

The highlights of our significant real estate transactions for the three months ended March 31, 2016 are listed below:

Purchases

For the three months ended March 31, 2016, the Company did not acquire any income-producing properties.

Sales

For the three months ended March 31, 2016, TCI sold approximately 40.9 acres of land, located in Texas, to independent third parties, for a total sales price of $4.2 million. TCI recorded a gain of approximately $1.7 million from the sales.

In addition, TCI sold one industrial warehouse, located in Texas, consisting of approximately 177,805 square feet. The sale resulted in a loss of approximately $0.2 million.

In November 2015, the Company entered into a sales contract with an unrelated party. The contract was for most of the developable land owned by the Company in the Mercer Crossing Development located in Farmers Branch, Texas. In addition, TCI, IOT and Realty Advisors, Inc. (“RAI”) also sold land in this transaction. Total consideration for the sale was $75 million. The ultimate allocation of sales proceeds to the parties involved is yet to be determined and will be complete when the final use of the land, certain development commitments are completed and the note is collected. The agreement between TCI and the other parties related to this transaction provides for TCI to hold the subordinated note from the buyer in the amount of $50 million. At the closing, the note payable to related parties of $16.1 million was paid off. Due to an inadequate down payment from the buyer and the level of seller financing involved, the transaction is being accounted for under the deposit method. Under the deposit method, no revenue is recognized and the asset sold remains on the books until the criteria for full revenue recognition is met.

As of March 31, 2016, the Company has approximately 91 acres of land, at various locations that were sold to related parties in multiple transactions. These transactions are treated as “subject to sales contract” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Due to the related party nature of the transactions TCI has deferred the recording of the sales in accordance with ASC 360-20.

We continue to invest in the development of apartment projects. During the three months ended March 31, 2016, we have expended $8.4 million related to the construction or predevelopment of various apartment complexes and capitalized $0.5 million of interest costs.

NOTE 3. NOTES AND INTEREST RECEIVABLE

A portion of our assets are invested in mortgage notes receivable, principally secured by real estate. We may originate mortgage loans in conjunction with providing purchase money financing of property sales. Notes receivable are generally collateralized by real estate or interests in real estate and guarantees, unless noted otherwise, are so secured. Management intends to service and hold for investment the mortgage notes in our portfolio. A majority of the notes receivable provide for principal to be paid at maturity. Below is a summary of our notes receivable (dollars in thousands):

⁽¹⁾ Related party notes

⁽²⁾ An allowance was taken for estimated losses at full value of note

We invest in mortgage loans, secured by mortgages that are subordinate to one or more prior liens either on the fee or a leasehold interest in real estate. Recourse on such loans ordinarily includes the real estate on which the loan is made, other collateral and guarantees.

At March 31, 2016, we had mortgage loans and accrued interest receivable from related parties, net of allowances, totaling $116.2 million. We recognized interest income of $3.0 million related to these notes receivables.

The Company has various notes receivable from Unified Housing Foundation, Inc. (“UHF”) and Foundation for Better Housing, Inc. (“FBH”). UHF and FBH are determined to be related parties due to our reliance upon the performance of the collateral secured under the notes receivable. Payments are due from surplus cash flow of operations of the properties. A sale or refinance of any of the properties underlying these notes will be used to repay outstanding interest and principal for the remaining notes for the specific borrower. These notes are cross-collateralized for the specific borrower, but to the extent cash is received from a specific UHF or FBH property, it is applied first against any outstanding interest for the related-property note. The allowance on the UHF notes was a purchase allowance that was netted against the notes when acquired.

NOTE 4. INVESTMENT IN UNCONSOLIDATED INVESTEES

Investments in unconsolidated investees in which we have a 20% to 50% interest or otherwise exercise significant influence are carried at cost and adjusted for the Company’s proportionate share of their undistributed earnings or losses under the equity method of accounting.

Investments in unconsolidated investees consist of the following:

Gruppa Florentina, LLC is the sole shareholder of Milano Restaurants International Corporation, (“Milano”) which operates 33 pizza parlors under the trade name “Me-N-Ed’s Pizza Parlors” and four pizza parlors operating under the trade name “Blast 825 Pizza”, located primarily in Central and Northern California. Milano has a 100% ownership interest in Siena Corp, which operates two grills under the trade names “Me-N-Ed’s Victory Grill” and “Me-N-Ed’s Coney Island Grill”. Milano has a 100% ownership interest in Piazza del Pane, Inc., which operates two restaurants located in Central California. Milano also has 23 franchised locations, including two operating, under the trade name Angelo & Vito’s Pizzerias.

The following is a summary of the financial position and results of operations from our investees (dollars in thousands):

NOTE 5. NOTES PAYABLE

Below is a summary of our notes and interest payable as of March 31, 2016 (dollars in thousands):

The segment labeled as “Other” consists of unsecured or stock-secured notes payable.

With respect to the additional notes payable due to the acquisition of properties or refinancing of existing mortgages, a summary of some of the more significant transactions is discussed below:

During the year the Company refinanced or modified two loans with a total principal balance of $37.2 million. The refinancing resulted in lower interest rates and the extension of the term of the loan. The transactions provide for lower monthly payments over the term of loans.

There are various land mortgages, secured by the property, that are in the process of a modification or extension to the original note due to expiration of the loan. We are in constant contact with these lenders, working together in order to modify the terms of these loans and we anticipate a timely resolution that is similar to the existing agreement or subsequent modification.

In conjunction with the development of various apartment projects and other developments, we drew down $5.1 million in construction loans during the three months ended March 31, 2016.

The properties that we have sold to a related party and have deferred the recognition of the sale are treated as “subject to sales contract” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. These properties were sold to a related party in order to help facilitate an appropriate debt or organizational restructure and may or may not be transferred back to the seller upon resolution. These properties have mortgages that are secured by the property and many have corporate guarantees. According to the loan documents, the maker is currently in default on these mortgages primarily due to lack of payment and is actively involved in discussions with every lender in order to settle or cure the default situation. We have reviewed each asset and taken impairment to the extent we feel the value of the property was less than our current basis.

NOTE 6. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The following table reconciles the beginning and ending balances of accounts receivable from and (accounts payable) to related parties as of March 31, 2016 (dollars in thousands):

During the ordinary course of business, we have related party transactions that include, but are not limited to, rent income, interest income, interest expense, general and administrative costs, commissions, management fees and property expenses. In addition, we have assets and liabilities that include related party amounts. The related party amounts included in assets and liabilities, and the related party revenues and expenses received/paid are shown on the face of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

NOTE 7. OPERATING SEGMENTS

Our segments are based on our method of internal reporting which classifies our operations by property type. Our property types are grouped into commercial properties, apartments, land and other operating segments. Significant differences among the accounting policies of the operating segments as compared to the Consolidated Financial Statements principally involve the calculation and allocation of administrative and other expenses. Management evaluates the performance of each of the operating segments and allocates resources to them based on their net operating income and cash flow.

Items of income that are not reflected in the segments are interest, other income, gain on debt extinguishment, gain on condemnation award, equity in partnerships and gains on sale of real estate. Expenses that are not reflected in the segments are provision for losses, advisory, net income and incentive fees, general and administrative, non-controlling interests and net loss from discontinued operations before gains on sale of real estate.

The segment labeled as “Other” consists of revenue and operating expenses related to the notes receivable and corporate debt.

Presented below is our reportable segments’ operating income for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, including segment assets and expenditures (dollars in thousands):

The table below reconciles the segment information to the corresponding amounts in the Consolidated Statements of Operations (dollars in thousands):

The table below reconciles the segment information to the corresponding amounts in the Consolidated Balance Sheets (dollars in thousands):

NOTE 8. DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

Prior to January 1, 2015, we applied the provisions of ASC 360, “Property, Plant and Equipment”, which required that long-lived assets that are to be disposed of by sale be measured at the lesser of (1) book value or (2) fair value less cost to sell. In addition, it requires that one accounting model be used for long-lived assets to be disposed of by sale and broadens the presentation of discontinued operations to include more disposal transactions.

Effective January 1, 2015, the Company adopted the provisions of ASU 2014-08, “Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity”, which changes the criteria of ASC 360 related to determining which disposals qualify to be accounted for as discontinued operations and modifies related reporting and disclosure requirements.

Disposals representing a strategic shift in operations that have a major effect on a company’s operations and financial results will be presented as discontinued operations. Companies will be required to expand their disclosures about discontinued operations to provide more information on the assets, liabilities, income and expenses of the discontinued operations. The new standard was effective January 1, 2015. Adoption of this standard will result in substantially fewer of the Company’s dispositions meeting the discontinued operations criteria.

There were no sales of income-producing properties in the first three months of 2016 that meet the criteria for discontinued operations. Amounts included in discontinued operations represent the residual amounts from sales classified as discontinued operations prior to January 1, 2015. The following table summarizes revenue and expense information for the properties sold and held for sale (dollars in thousands):

Our application of ASC 360 results in the presentation of the net operating results of these qualifying properties sold or held for sale during 2015 as income from discontinued operations. This does not have an impact on net income available to common shareholders and only impacts the presentation of these properties within the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

NOTE 9. COMMITMENTS, CONTINGENCIES, AND LIQUIDITY

LK-Four Hickory, LLC

In conjunction with its sale of Four Hickory in November 2007, the Company agreed to fund amounts to satisfy its commitment to compensate LK-Four Hickory, LLC for move-in discounts and other concessions to existing tenants at the time of sale. The Company also has various agreements with LK-Four Hickory, LLC related to the funding of projection shortfalls, which, to date, they have not had to provide any additional funding. In addition, related parties of the Company have active lease agreements with LK-Four Hickory, LLC, and the Company has since guaranteed amounts related to certain of these leases.

On December 17, 2007, both Limkwang Nevada, Inc., the majority owner of LK-Four Hickory, LLC, and ARL unconditionally guaranteed the punctual payment when due, whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or hereafter, including all fees and expenses incurred by the bank on collection of a $28.0 million note payable for LK-Four Hickory, LLC which has a current outstanding balance of $22.1 million.

The Company’s investment in LK-Four Hickory, LLC at January 17, 2012 was sold and the Company has additional reserves for estimated potential amounts it could be liable for if various related parties are not able to meet their obligations to LK-Four Hickory, LLC. The Company will continue to evaluate these potential estimates and also the likelihood of having to fund any of these and adjust their reserves accordingly.

Liquidity. Management believes that ARL will generate excess cash flow from property operations in 2016; such excess, however, will not be sufficient to discharge all of ARL’s obligations as they became due. Management intends to sell land and income-producing real estate, refinance real estate and obtain additional borrowings primarily secured by real estate to meet its liquidity requirements.

Partnership Buyouts. ARL is the limited partner in various partnerships related to the construction of residential properties. As permitted in the respective partnership agreements, ARL intends to purchase the interests of the general and any other limited partners in these partnerships subsequent to the completion of these projects. The amounts paid to buy out the non-affiliated partners are limited to development fees earned by the non-affiliated partners and are outlined in the respective partnership agreements.

Litigation. The ownership of property and provision of services to the public as tenants entails an inherent risk of liability. Although the Company and its subsidiaries are involved in various items of litigation incidental to and in the ordinary course of its business, in the opinion of management, the outcome of such litigation will not have a material adverse impact upon the Company’s financial condition, results of operation or liquidity, unless otherwise noted below.

Guarantees. The Company is the primary guarantor on a $60.35 million mezzanine loan between UHF and a lender. In addition, ARI and an officer of the Company are limited recourse guarantors of the loan. As of March 31, 2016 UHF was in compliance with the covenants to the loan agreement.

ART and ART Midwest, Inc.

While the Company and all entities in which the Company has a direct or indirect equity interest are not parties to or obligated in any way for the outcome, a formerly owned entity (American Realty Trust, Inc.) and its former subsidiary (ART Midwest, Inc.) have been engaged since 1999 in litigation with Mr. David Clapper and entities related to Mr. Clapper (collectively, the “Clapper Parties”). The matter originally involved a transaction in 1998 in which ART Midwest, Inc. was to acquire eight residential apartment complexes from the Clapper Parties. Through the years, a number of rulings, both for and against American Realty Trust, Inc. (“ART”) and ART Midwest, Inc., were issued. In October 2011, a ruling was issued under which the Clapper Parties received a judgment for approximately $74 million, including $26 million in actual damages and $48 million interest. The ruling was against ART and ART Midwest, Inc., but no other entity. During February 2014, the Court of Appeals affirmed a portion of the judgment in favor of the Clapper Parties, but also ruled that a double counting of a significant portion of the damages had occurred and remanded the case back to the trial court to recalculate the damage award, as well as pre and post-judgment interest thereon. ART was also a significant owner of a partnership interest in the partnership that was awarded the initial damages in this matter.

In 2005, ART filed suit against a major national law firm over the initial transaction. That action was initially abated while the principal case with the Clapper Parties was pending, but the abatement was recently lifted and the action against the law firm is expected to move forward. The only defendants in the litigation involving the Clapper Parties are ART and ART Midwest, Inc., which, together, had total assets and net worth, as of December 31, 2012, of approximately $10 million. In January 2012, the Company sold all of the issued and outstanding stock of ART to an unrelated party for a promissory note in the amount of $10 million. At December 31, 2012, the Company fully reserved and valued such note at zero.

Management believes that the Company has no liability for any ultimate judgment in the proceeding involving the Clapper Parties; however, Management of the Company has serious reservations about the current collectability of the $10 million note and, accordingly, has reserved the full amount of the note.

Port Olpenitz

ARL, through a foreign subsidiary, was involved in developing a maritime harbor town on the 420 acre site of the former naval base of Olpenitz in Kappeln, Germany. Disputes with the local partner related to his mismanagement of the project resulted in his being replaced as the managing partner which was followed by a filing for bankruptcy protection in Germany to completely remove him from the project. An insolvency manager was placed in control of the project in order to protect the creditors and as of December 31, 2013, had sold the vast majority of assets (almost all land) of the project. The Company no longer has any financial responsibility for the obligations of the creditors related to the project and has claims filed for loans relating to our investment in the project. Due to the questionable collectability of these loans from the proceeds of the project, the Company has written off the unreserved balance of $5.3 million in the project. As of December 13, 2013, ARL had filed two lawsuits in Germany to recover funds invested in the project. The lawsuits are against: 1) the former German partner and his company, and 2) against the law firm in Hamburg originally hired to protect ARL’s investment in the project. At this time it is unknown how much can be recovered or how successful the litigation will be.

Dynex Capital, Inc.

On July 20, 2015, the 68^th Judicial District Court in Dallas County, Texas issued its Final Judgment in Cause No. DC-03-00675, styled Basic Capital Management, Inc., American Realty Trust, Inc., Transcontinental Realty Investors, Inc., Continental Poydras Corp., Continental Common, Inc. and Continental Baronne, Inc. v. Dynex Commercial, Inc. The case, which was litigated for more than a decade, had its origin with Dynex Commercial making loans to Continental Poydras Corp., Continental Common, Inc. and Continental Baronne, Inc. (subsidiaries of Continental Mortgage & Equity Trust (“CMET”), an entity which merged into TCI in 1999 after the original suit was filed). Under the original loan commitment, $160 million in loans were to be made to the entities. The loans were conditioned on the execution of a commitment between Dynex Commercial and Basic Capital Management, Inc. (“Basic”).

An original trial in 2004, which also included Dynex Capital, Inc. as a defendant, resulted in a jury awarding damages in favor of Basic for “lost opportunity,” as well as damages in favor of ART and in favor of TCI and its subsidiaries for “increased costs” and “lost opportunity.” The original Trial Court judge ignored the jury’s findings, however, and entered a “Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict” (“JNOV”) in favor of the Dynex entities (the judge held the Plaintiffs were not entitled to any damages from the Dynex entities). After numerous appeals by all parties, Dynex Capital, Inc. was ultimately dismissed from the case and the remaining claims against Dynex Commercial were remanded to the Trial Court for a new judgment consistent with the jury’s findings. The Court entered the new Final Judgment against Dynex Commercial, Inc. on July 20, 2015.

The Final Judgment entered against Dynex Commercial, Inc. on July 20, 2015 awarded Basic $0.256 million in damages, plus pre-judgment interest of $0.192 million for a total amount of $0.448 million. The Judgment awarded ART $14.2 million in damages, plus pre-judgment interest of $10.6 million for a total amount of $24.8 million. The Judgment awarded TCI $11.1 million, plus pre-judgment interest of $8.4 million for a total amount of $19.5 million. The Judgment also awarded Basic, ART, and TCI post-judgment interest at the rate of 5% per annum from April 25, 2014 until the date their respective damages are paid. Lastly, the Judgement awarded Basic, ART, and TCI $1.6 million collectively in attorneys’ fees from Dynex Commercial, Inc.

The Company is reviewing the Final Judgment with counsel to determine the appropriate steps moving forward now that they have obtained this Final Judgment against Dynex Commercial, Inc.

NOTE 10. EARNINGS PER SHARE

Earnings Per Share (“EPS”) have been computed pursuant to the provisions of ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share”. The computation of basic EPS is calculated by dividing net income available to common shareholders from continuing operations, adjusted for preferred dividends, by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Shares issued during the period shall be weighted for the portion of the period that they were outstanding.

As of March 31, 2016, we have 2,000,614 shares of Series A 10.0% cumulative convertible preferred stock, which are outstanding. These shares may be converted into common stock at 90% of the average daily closing price of the common stock for the prior 20 trading days. These are considered in the computation of diluted earnings per share if the effect of applying the if-converted method is dilutive. Of the outstanding 2,000,614 shares of Series A 10.0% cumulative convertible preferred stock, 900,000 shares are owned by ARL. Dividends are not paid on the shares owned by ARL subsidiaries.

Prior to July 17, 2014, Realty Advisors, Inc. (“RAI”), a related party, owned 2,451,435 shares of the outstanding Series A 10.0% convertible preferred stock and had accrued dividends unpaid of $15.1 million. On July 17, 2014, RAI converted 890,797 shares, including $6.3 million in accumulated dividends unpaid for these shares, into the requisite number of shares of common stock. This conversion resulted in the issuance of 2,502,230 new shares of ARL common stock. On April 9, 2015, RAI converted 460,638 shares, including $2.3 million in accumulated dividends unpaid for these shares, into the requisite number of shares of common stock. This conversion resulted in the issuance of 1,486,741 new shares of ARL common stock. As of March 31, 2016 RAI owns 1,100,000 shares of the outstanding Series A 10.0% convertible preferred stock and has accrued dividends unpaid of $8.9 million.

NOTE 11. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

The date to which events occurring after March 31, 2016, the date of the most recent balance sheet, have been evaluated for possible adjustment to the Consolidated Financial Statements or disclosure is May 13, 2016, which is the date on which the Consolidated Financial Statements were available to be issued.

The Company has determined that there are no subsequent events to be reported.

ITEM 2.          MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this report.

This Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, principally, but not only, under the captions “Business”, “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”. We caution investors that any forward-looking statements in this report, or which management may make orally or in writing from time to time, are based on management’s beliefs and on assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. When used, the words “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “intend”, “may”, “might”, “plan”, “estimate”, “project”, “should”, “will”, “result” and similar expressions which do not relate solely to historical matters are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions and are not guarantees of future performance, which may be affected by known and unknown risks, trends, uncertainties and factors that are beyond our control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated, or projected. We caution you that, while forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs when we make them, they are not guarantees of future performance and are impacted by actual events when they occur after we make such statements. We expressly disclaim any responsibility to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Accordingly, investors should use caution in relying on past forward-looking statements, which are based on results and trends at the time they are made, to anticipate future results or trends.

Some of the risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements include, among others, the following:

The risks included here are not exhaustive. Some of the risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements, include among others, the factors listed and described at Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, which investors should review. There have been no changes from the risk factors previously described in the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.

Other sections of this report may also include suggested factors that could adversely affect our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time-to-time and it is not possible for management to predict all such matters; nor can we assess the impact of all such matter on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as prediction of actual results. Investors should also refer to our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for future periods and to other materials we may furnish to the public from time-to-time through Forms 8-K or otherwise as we file them with the SEC.

Overview

We are an externally advised and managed real estate investment company that owns a diverse portfolio of income-producing properties and land held for development. Our portfolio of income-producing properties includes residential apartment communities, office buildings and other commercial properties. Our investment strategy includes acquiring existing income-producing properties, as well as developing new properties on land already owned or acquired for a specific development project. We acquire land primarily in urban in-fill locations or high-growth suburban markets. We are an active buyer and seller of real estate and during the three months ended March 31, 2016, we sold $4.2 million of land and $1.5 million of income producing properties. As of March 31, 2016, we owned 7,983 units in 48 residential apartment communities, eight commercial properties comprising approximately 2.0 million rentable square feet and a golf course comprising approximately 96 acres. In addition, we owned 3,771 acres of land held for development.

We finance our acquisitions primarily through operating cash flow, proceeds from the sale of land and income-producing properties and debt financing primarily in the form of property-specific first-lien mortgage loans from commercial banks and institutional lenders. We finance our development projects principally with variable interest rate construction loans that are converted to long-term, fixed rate amortizing mortgages when the development project is completed and occupancy has been stabilized. We will, from time to time, also enter into partnerships with various investors to acquire income-producing properties or land and to sell interests in certain of our wholly owned properties. When we sell assets, we may carry a portion of the sales price generally in the form of a short-term, interest bearing seller-financed note receivable. We generate operating revenues primarily by leasing apartment units to residents and leasing office, retail and industrial space to commercial tenants. We have no employees.

We have historically engaged in and may continue to engage in certain business transactions with related parties, including, but not limited to, asset acquisition and dispositions. Transactions involving related parties cannot be presumed to be carried out on an arm’s length basis due to the absence of free market forces that naturally exist in business dealings between two or more unrelated entities. Related party transactions may not always be favorable to our business and may include terms, conditions and agreements that are not necessarily beneficial to or in our best interest.

Pillar Income Asset Management, Inc. (“Pillar”) is the Company’s external Advisor and Cash Manager. Although the Board of Directors is directly responsible for managing the affairs of ARL, and for setting the policies which guide it, the day-to-day operations of ARL are performed by Pillar, as the contractual Advisor, under the supervision of the Board. Pillar’s duties include, but are not limited to, locating, evaluating and recommending real estate and real estate-related investment opportunities and arranging debt and equity financing for the Company with third party lenders and investors. Additionally, Pillar serves as a consultant to the Board with regard to their decisions in connection with ARL’s business plan and investment policy. Pillar also serves as an Advisor and Cash Manager to TCI and IOT. 

Regis Realty Prime, LLC (“Regis”) manages our commercial properties and provides brokerage services. ARL engages third-party companies to lease and manage its apartment properties.

Critical Accounting Policies

We present our Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) is the single source of authoritative accounting principles recognized by the FASB to be applied by nongovernmental entities in the preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP.

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include our accounts, our subsidiaries, generally all of which are wholly-owned, and all entities in which we have a controlling interest. Arrangements that are not controlled through voting or similar rights are accounted for as a Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”), in accordance with the provisions and guidance of ASC Topic 810 “Consolidation”, whereby we have determined that we are a primary beneficiary of the VIE and meet certain criteria of a sole general partner or managing member as identified in accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) Issue 04-5, Investor’s Accounting for an Investment in a Limited Partnership when the Investor is the Sole General Partner and the Limited Partners have Certain Rights (“EITF 04-5”). VIEs are generally entities that lack sufficient equity to finance their activities without additional financial support from other parties or whose equity holders as a group lack adequate decision making ability, the obligation to absorb expected losses or residual returns of the entity, or have voting rights that are not proportional to their economic interests. The primary beneficiary generally is the entity that provides financial support and bears a majority of the financial risks, authorizes certain capital transactions, or makes operating decisions that materially affect the entity’s financial results. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

In determining whether we are the primary beneficiary of a VIE, we consider qualitative and quantitative factors, including, but not limited to: the amount and characteristics of our investment; the obligation or likelihood for us or other investors to provide financial support; our and the other investors’ ability to control or significantly influence key decisions for the VIE; and the similarity with and significance to the business activities of us and the other investors. Significant judgments related to these determinations include estimates about the current future fair values and performance of real estate held by these VIEs and general market conditions. 

For entities in which we have less than a controlling financial interest or entities where we are not deemed to be the primary beneficiary, the entities are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Accordingly, our share of the net earnings or losses of these entities are included in consolidated net income. Our investment in Gruppa Florentina, LLC is accounted for under the equity method.

Real Estate

Upon acquisitions of real estate, we assess the fair value of acquired tangible and intangible assets, including land, buildings, tenant improvements, “above-market” and “below-market” leases, origination costs, acquired in-place leases, other identified intangible assets and assumed liabilities in accordance with ASC Topic 805 “Business Combinations”, and allocate the purchase price to the acquired assets and assumed liabilities, including land at appraised value and buildings at replacement cost.

We assess and consider fair value based on estimated cash flow projections that utilize appropriate discount and/or capitalization rates, as well as available market information. Estimates of future cash flows are based on a number of factors including, the historical operating results, known and anticipated trends, and market and economic conditions. The fair value of the tangible assets of an acquired property considers the value of the property as if it were vacant. We also consider an allocation of purchase price of other acquired intangibles, including acquired in-place leases that may have a customer relationship intangible value, including (but not limited to) the nature and extent of the existing relationship with the tenants, the tenants’ credit quality and expectations of lease renewals. Based on our acquisitions to date, our allocation to customer relationship intangible assets has been immaterial.

A variety of costs are incurred in the acquisition, development and leasing of properties. After determination is made to capitalize a cost, it is allocated to the specific component of a project that is benefited. Determination of when a development project is substantially complete and capitalization must cease involves a degree of judgment. Our capitalization policy on development properties is guided by ASC Topic 835-20 “Interest – Capitalization of Interest” and ASC Topic 970 “Real Estate - General”. The costs of land and buildings under development include specifically identifiable costs. The capitalized costs include pre-construction costs essential to the development of the property, development costs, construction costs, interest costs, real estate taxes, salaries and related costs and other costs incurred during the period of development. We cease capitalization when a building is considered substantially complete and ready for its intended use, but no later than one year from the cessation of major construction activity.

Prior to January 1, 2015, the operating results of real estate assets held for sale and sold are reported as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. Income from discontinued operations includes the revenues and expenses, including depreciation and interest expense, associated with the assets. Subsequent to January 1, 2015, Accounting Standards Update 2014-08, “Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity” (“ASU 2014-08”) substantially changed the criteria for determining whether a disposition qualifies for discontinued operations presentation. Adoption of this standard will result in substantially fewer of the Company’s dispositions meeting the discontinued operations criteria.

Depreciation and Impairment

Real estate is stated at depreciated cost. The cost of buildings and improvements includes the purchase price of property, legal fees and other acquisition costs. Costs directly related to the development of properties are capitalized. Capitalized development costs include interest, property taxes, insurance, and other project costs incurred during the period of development.

Management reviews its long-lived assets used in operations for impairment when there is an event or change in circumstances that indicates impairment in value. An impairment loss is recognized if the carrying amount of its assets is not recoverable and exceeds its fair value. If such impairment is present, an impairment loss is recognized based on the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over its fair value. The evaluation of anticipated cash flows is highly subjective and is based in part on assumptions regarding future occupancy, rental rates and capital requirements that could differ materially from actual results in future periods. 

Investments in Unconsolidated Real Estate Ventures

Except for ownership interests in variable interest entities, we account for our investments in unconsolidated real estate ventures under the equity method of accounting because we exercise significant influence over, but do not control, these entities. These investments are recorded initially at cost, as investments in unconsolidated real estate ventures, and subsequently adjusted for equity in earnings and cash contributions and distributions. Any difference between the carrying amount of these investments on our balance sheet and the underlying equity in net assets is amortized as an adjustment to equity in earnings of unconsolidated real estate ventures over the life of the related asset. Under the equity method of accounting, our net equity is reflected within the Consolidated Balance Sheets, and our share of net income or loss from the joint ventures is included within the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The joint venture agreements may designate different percentage allocations among investors for profits and losses; however, our recognition of joint venture income or loss generally follows the joint venture’s distribution priorities, which may change upon the achievement of certain investment return thresholds. For ownership interests in variable interest entities, we consolidate those in which we are the primary beneficiary.

Recognition of Rental Income

Rental income for commercial property leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the respective lease terms. On our Consolidated Balance Sheets, we include as a receivable the excess of rental income recognized over rental payments actually received pursuant to the terms of the individual commercial lease agreements.

Reimbursements of operating costs, as allowed under most of our commercial tenant leases, consist of amounts due from tenants for common area maintenance, real estate taxes and other recoverable costs, and are recognized as revenue in the period in which the recoverable expenses are incurred. We record these reimbursements on a “gross” basis, since we generally are the primary obligor with respect to purchasing goods and services from third-party suppliers, have discretion in selecting the supplier and have the credit risk with respect to paying the supplier.

Rental income for residential property leases is recorded when due from residents and is recognized monthly as earned, which is not materially different than on a straight-line basis as lease terms are generally for periods of one year or less. An allowance for doubtful accounts is recorded for all past due rents and operating expense reimbursements considered to be uncollectible.

Revenue Recognition on the Sale of Real Estate

Sales and the associated gains or losses of real estate are recognized in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 360-20, “Property, Plant and Equipment – Real Estate Sale”. The specific timing of a sale is measured against various criteria in ASC 360-20 related to the terms of the transaction and any continuing involvement in the form of management or financial assistance associated with the properties. If the sales criteria for the full accrual method are not met, we defer some or all of the gain recognition and account for the continued operations of the property by applying the finance, leasing, deposit, installment or cost recovery methods, as appropriate, until the sales criteria are met.

Non-Performing Notes Receivable

We consider a note receivable to be non-performing when the maturity date has passed without principal repayment and the borrower is not making interest payments in accordance with the terms of the agreement. 

Interest Recognition on Notes Receivable

We record interest income as earned in accordance with the terms of the related loan agreements.

Allowance for Estimated Losses

We assess the collectability of notes receivable on a periodic basis, of which the assessment consists primarily of an evaluation of cash flow projections of the borrower to determine whether estimated cash flows are sufficient to repay principal and interest in accordance with the contractual terms of the note. We recognize impairments on notes receivable when it is probable that principal and interest will not be received in accordance with the contractual terms of the loan. The amount of the impairment to be recognized generally is based on the fair value of the partnership’s real estate that represents the primary source of loan repayment. See Note 3 “Notes and Interest Receivable” for details on our notes receivable.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

We apply the guidance in ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures”, to the valuation of real estate assets. These provisions define fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in a transaction between market participants at the measurement date, establish a hierarchy that prioritizes the information used in developing fair value estimates and require disclosure of fair value measurements by level within the fair value hierarchy. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable data (Level 3 measurements), such as the reporting entity’s own data.

The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date and includes three levels defined as follows: 

A financial instrument’s categorization within the valuation hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Related Parties 

We apply ASC Topic 805, “Business Combinations”, to evaluate business relationships. Related parties are persons or entities who have one or more of the following characteristics, which include entities for which investments in their equity securities would be required, trust for the benefit of persons including principal owners of the entities and members of their immediate families, management personnel of the entity and members of their immediate families and other parties with which the entity may deal if one party controls or can significantly influence the decision making of the other to an extent that one of the transacting parties might be prevented from fully pursuing its own separate interests, or affiliates of the entity.

Results of Operations

The discussion of our results of operations is based on management’s review of operations, which is based on our segments. Our segments consist of apartments, commercial properties, hotels, land and other. For discussion purposes, we break these segments down into the following sub-categories; same property portfolio, acquired properties and developed properties in the lease-up phase. The same property portfolio consists of properties that were held by us for the entire period for both years being compared. The acquired property portfolio consists of properties that we acquired but have not been held for the entire period for both periods being compared. Developed properties in the lease-up phase consist of completed projects that are being leased up. As we complete each phase of the project, we lease-up that phase and include those revenues in our continuing operations. Once a developed property becomes leased up and is held the entire period for both periods under comparison, it is considered to be included in the same property portfolio.

Prior to January 1, 2015, the operating results of real estate assets held for sale and sold are reported as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. Income from discontinued operations includes the revenues and expenses, including depreciation and interest expense, associated with the assets. Subsequent to January 1, 2015, Accounting Standards Update 2014-08, “Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity” (“ASU 2014-08”) substantially changed the criteria for determining whether a disposition qualifies for discontinued operations presentation. Adoption of this standard will result in substantially fewer of the Company’s dispositions meeting the discontinued operations criteria.

The following discussion is based on our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, as included in Part I, Item 1. “Financial Statements” of this report. The prior year’s property portfolios have been adjusted for subsequent sales. Continuing operations relates to income-producing properties that were held during those years as adjusted for sales in the subsequent years.

At March 31, 2016 and 2015, we owned or had interests in a portfolio of 57 and 47 income-producing properties, respectively. The total property portfolio represents all income-producing properties held as of March 31 for the period presented. Sales subsequent to the period ended represent properties that were held as of the period end for the periods presented, but sold in a subsequent quarter. Continuing operations represents all properties that have not been reclassified to discontinued operations as of March 31, 2016 for the periods presented. The table below shows the number of income-producing properties held at the quarter ended:

Comparison of the three months ended March 31, 2016 to the same period ended 2015: 

For the three months ended March 31, 2016, we reported a net loss applicable to common shares of ($3.7) million or ($0.24) per diluted earnings per share, as compared to a net income applicable to common shares of $3.0 million or $0.17 per diluted earnings per share for the same period ended 2015. The Company is currently working on stabilizing and enhancing the value of its real estate portfolios.

Revenues

Rental and other property revenues were $29.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016. This represents an increase of $6.0 million, as compared to the prior period revenues of $23.2 million. This change, by segment, is an increase in the apartment portfolio of $5.2 million, and an increase in the commercial portfolio of $0.8 million. Our apartment portfolio continues to thrive in the current economic conditions with occupancies averaging over 95%. We have been able to surpass expectations due to the high-quality product offered, strength of our management team and our commitment to our tenants. The increase in our apartment and commercial portfolios was mainly due to the acquisition of new properties. We are continuing to market our properties aggressively to attract new tenants and strive for continuous improvement of our properties in order to maintain our existing tenants.

Expense

Property operating expenses were $15.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016. This represents an increase of $3.5 million, as compared to the prior period operating expenses of $11.7 million. This change, by segment, is an increase in the apartment portfolio of $2.3 million, an increase in the commercial portfolio of $0.8 million, and an increase in the land portfolio of $0.4 million. The increase in property operating expenses is consistent with the acquisition of new properties.

Depreciation and amortization expense was $5.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016. This represents an increase of $1.1 million, as compared to the prior period expense of $4.7 million. This change by segment is an increase of $0.7 million in the apartment portfolio and an increase of $0.4 million in the commercial portfolio. 

Advisory fees increased $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 as compared to the prior period. Advisory fees are computed based on a gross asset fee of 0.0625% per month (0.75% per annum) of the weighted average of the gross asset value. 

Other income (expense)

Mortgage and loan interest expense was $13.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016. This represents an increase of $3.7 million, as compared to the prior period expense of $9.8 million. The majority of this increase is in the apartments and other portfolios and is due to the acquisition of new apartment complexes, incurring new corporate debt obligations and the acquisition of one commercial property. This increase by segment is reflected in an increase of $0.3 million in the commercial portfolio, an increase of $1.2 million in the apartment portfolio, a decrease in the land portfolio of $0.8 million due to the transfer of mortgage obligations related to land sold, and an increase of $3.0 million in the other portfolio.

Loan charges expense was $0.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016. This represents a decrease of $1.2 million, as compared to the prior period expense of $1.9 million. The decrease was due to the decline of prepayment penalties related to refinances in this quarter.

Gain on land sales decreased for the three months ended March 31, 2016, as compared to the prior period. In 2016, we sold 40.9 acres of land for a sales price of $4.2 million and recorded a gain of $1.7 million. In 2015, we sold 33.4 acres of land for a sales price of $7.2 million and recorded a gain of $2.9 million.

There were no sales of income-producing properties in the first three months of 2016 that meet the criteria for discontinued operations. Amounts included in discontinued operations represent the residual amounts from sales classified as discontinued operations prior to January 1, 2015. The following table summarizes revenue and expense information for the properties sold and held for sale (dollars in thousands):

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal liquidity needs are:

Our principal sources of cash have been and will continue to be:

We draw on multiple financing sources to fund our long-term capital needs. We generally fund our development projects with construction loans. Management anticipates that our available cash from property operations may not be sufficient to meet all of our cash requirements. Management intends to selectively sell land and income-producing assets, refinance or extend real estate debt and seek additional borrowing secured by real estate to meet its liquidity requirements. Although the past cannot predict the future, historically, management has been successful at extending a portion of our current maturity obligations and selling assets as necessary to meet current obligations.

Cash Flow Summary

The following summary discussion of our cash flows is based on the statements of cash flows as presented in Part I Item 1. “Financial Statements” and is not meant to be an all-inclusive discussion of the changes in our cash flow (dollars in thousands):

Our primary use of cash for operations is daily operating costs, general and administrative expenses, advisory fees and land holding costs. Our primary source of cash from operating activities is from rental income on properties. In addition, we have a related party account in which excess cash is transferred to or from. The majority of the variance is due to gains on sale of income-producing properties in the prior period and related party receivables.

Our primary cash outlays for investing activities are for construction and development, acquisition of land and income producing properties, and capital improvements to existing properties. Our primary sources of cash from investing activities are from the proceeds on the sale of land and income-producing properties. 

Our primary sources of cash from financing activities are from proceeds on notes payables either through refinancing our existing loans or by obtaining new financing. Our primary cash outlays are for recurring debt payments and payments on maturing notes payable. The increase is due to proceeds received in the current period from new loans and refinancing.

Environmental Matters

Under various federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations, we may be potentially liable for removal or remediation costs, as well as certain other potential costs relating to hazardous or toxic substances (including governmental fines and injuries to persons and property) where property-level managers have arranged for the removal, disposal or treatment of hazardous or toxic substances. In addition, certain environmental laws impose liability for release of asbestos-containing materials into the air, and third parties may seek recovery for personal injury associated with such materials.

Management is not aware of any environmental liability relating to the above matters that would have a material adverse effect on our business, assets or results of operations.

Inflation

The effects of inflation on our operations are not quantifiable. Revenues from property operations tend to fluctuate proportionately with inflationary increases and decreases in real estate costs. Fluctuations in the rate of inflation also affect the sales values of properties and the ultimate gains to be realized from property sales. To the extent that inflation affects interest rates, earnings from short-term investments and the cost of new financings as well as the cost of variable interest rate debt will be affected.

Tax Matters 

ARL is a member of the May Realty Holdings, Inc., (“MRHI”) consolidated group for federal income tax reporting. There is a tax sharing and compensating agreement between ARL, Income Opportunities Realty Investors, Inc. (“IOT”), and Transcontinental Realty Investors, Inc. (“TCI”). 

Financial statement income varies from taxable income principally due to the accounting for income and losses of investees, gains and losses from asset sales, depreciation on owned properties, amortization of discounts on notes receivable and payable and the difference in the allowance for estimated losses. ARL had a loss for federal income tax purposes for the first three months of 2016, taxable income in 2015 and a taxable loss in 2014; therefore, it recorded no provision for income taxes. 

At March 31, 2016, ARL had a net deferred tax asset of $82.1 million due to tax deductions available to it in future years. However, as management cannot determine that it is more likely than not that ARL will realize the benefit of the deferred tax assets, a 100% valuation allowance has been established.

ITEM 3.          QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISKS

At March 31, 2016, our exposure to a change in interest rates on our debt is as follows (dollars in thousands, except per share): 

Our variable rate exposure is mitigated through the ability to secure long-term fixed rate HUD financing on the residential apartment complexes with a weighted average borrowing rate of  3.83% at March 31, 2016. 

ITEM 4.          CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES  

Based on an evaluation by our management (with the participation of our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer), as of the end of the period covered by this report, our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f)) during the most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION 

ITEM 5.          UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS 

On September 1, 2000, the Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of up to a total of 1,000,000 shares of ARL common stock. This repurchase program has no termination date. In August 2010, the Board of Directors approved an increase in the share repurchase program for up to an additional 250,000 shares of Common Stock which results in a total authorization under the repurchase program for up to 1,250,000 shares. There were no shares purchased under this program during the first quarter of 2016. As of March 31, 2016, 986,750 shares have been purchased and 263,250 shares may be purchased under the program.

ITEM 6.          EXHIBITS

The following exhibits are filed herewith or incorporated by reference as indicated below: 

SIGNATURE PAGE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.