LTC PROPERTIES INC - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

​

Commission file number: 1-11314

LTC PROPERTIES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

​

2829 Townsgate Road, Suite 350

Westlake Village, California 91361

(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (805) 981-8655

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

​

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: NONE

Indicate by checkmark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by checkmark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

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

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

​

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.  ☒

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

The aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $1,450,403,000 as of June 30, 2020 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter).

The number of shares of common stock outstanding as of February 11, 2021 was 39,242,225.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K where indicated.

​

​

Table of Contents

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, adopted pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not purely historical may be forward-looking. You can identify some of the forward-looking statements by their use of forward-looking words, such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates” or “anticipates,” or the negative of those words or similar words. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties regarding events, conditions and financial trends that may affect our future plans of operation, business strategy, results of operations and financial position. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those included within or contemplated by such forward- looking statements, including, but not limited to, our dependence on our operators for revenue and cash flow; the duration and extent of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; government regulation of the health care industry; federal and state health care cost containment measures including reductions in reimbursement from third-party payors such as Medicare and Medicaid; required regulatory approvals for operation of health care facilities; a failure to comply with federal, state, or local regulations for the operation of health care facilities; the adequacy of insurance coverage maintained by our operators; our reliance on a few major operators; our ability to renew leases or enter into favorable terms of renewals or new leases; operator financial or legal difficulties; the sufficiency of collateral securing mortgage loans; an impairment of our real estate investments; the relative illiquidity of our real estate investments; our ability to develop and complete construction projects; our ability to invest cash proceeds for health care properties; a failure to qualify as a REIT; our ability to grow if access to capital is limited; and a failure to maintain or increase our dividend. For a discussion of these and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements, please see the discussion under “Risk Factors” contained in this report and in other information contained in this report and our publicly available filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not undertake any responsibility to update or revise any of these factors or to announce publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

​

​

2

​

Table of Contents

LTC Properties, Inc.

Table of Contents

​

​

3

​

Table of Contents

PART I

Item 1. BUSINESS

General

LTC Properties, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that invests in seniors housing and health care properties through sale-leasebacks, mortgage financing, joint ventures, construction financing and structured finance solutions including preferred equity, bridge, mezzanine and unitranche lending. Our investments in owned properties and mortgage loans represent our primary source of income. We depend upon the performance of our operators with respect to the daily management and marketing of long-term health care services offered at our properties.

Our real estate investments include the following types of properties:

We include independent living facilities and memory care as part of the assisted living property classification in some parts of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We also invest in other (“OTH”) types of properties, such as land parcels and behavioral health care hospitals, as noted in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, when we refer to “we,” “our,” “us,” “registrant,” “the company,” or similar terms in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we mean LTC Properties, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

​

4

​

Table of Contents

Portfolio

The following table summarizes our real estate investment portfolio as of December 31, 2020 (dollar amounts in thousands):

​

​

​

​

As of December 31, 2020, we had $1.4 billion in carrying value of net real estate investments, consisting of $1.1 billion or 81.1% invested in owned and leased properties and $0.3 billion or 18.9% invested in mortgage loans secured by first mortgages.

Owned Properties. The following table summarizes our investment in owned properties at December 31, 2020 (dollar amounts in thousands):

​

​

Owned properties are leased pursuant to non-cancelable operating leases generally with an initial term of 10 to 15 years. Many of the leases contain renewal options. The leases provide for fixed minimum base rent during the initial and renewal periods. The majority of our leases contain provisions for specified annual increases over the rents of the prior year and that increase is generally computed in one of four ways depending on specific provisions of each lease:

Each lease is a triple net lease which requires the lessee to pay all taxes, insurance, maintenance and repairs, capital and non-capital expenditures and other costs necessary in the operations of the facilities. Generally, our leases provide for one or more of the following: security deposits, property tax impounds, and credit enhancements such as corporate or personal guarantees or letters of credit. In addition, our leases are typically structured as master leases and multiple master leases with one operator, and are generally cross defaulted.

The following table summarizes the concentration of our top ten operators of owned properties for 2020 and percentage of rental revenue, excluding rental income from properties sold, variable rental income due to lessee reimbursement of our real estate taxes, and adjustment for collectibility of rental income for those operators for 2020 and 2019:

Mortgage Loans. As part of our strategy of making investments in properties used in the provision of long-term health care services, we provide mortgage financing on such properties based on our established investment underwriting criteria. We have also provided construction loans that by their terms convert into purchase/lease transactions or permanent financing mortgage loans upon completion of construction. All of our mortgage loan investments currently relate to skilled nursing facilities. The following table summarizes our investments in mortgage loans secured by first mortgages at December 31, 2020 (dollar amounts in thousands):

​

​

In general, the mortgage loans may not be prepaid except in the event of the sale of the collateral property to a third-party that is not affiliated with the borrower, although partial prepayments (including the prepayment premium) are often permitted where a mortgage loan is secured by more than one property upon a sale of one or more, but not all, of the collateral properties to a third-party which is not an affiliate of the borrower. The terms of the mortgage loans generally impose a premium upon prepayment of the loans depending upon the period in which the prepayment occurs, whether such prepayment was permitted or required, and certain other conditions such as upon the sale of the property under a pre-existing purchase option, destruction or condemnation, or other circumstances as approved by us. The prepayment premium is based on a yield maintenance formula. In addition to a lien on the mortgaged property, the loans

6

​

Table of Contents

are generally secured by certain non-real estate assets of the properties and contain certain other security provisions in the form of letters of credit and/or security deposits.

Investment Policies and Strategies

Our investment policy is to invest primarily seniors housing and health care properties. Over the past three years, we have underwritten investments in seniors housing communities and health care centers for a total of approximately $197.0 million. Additionally, during the past three years, we have disposed properties for a total sales price of $186.2 million.

Historically our investments have consisted of:

In evaluating potential investments, we consider factors such as:

Prior to an investment, we conduct a property site review to assess the general physical condition of the property and the potential of additional services. In addition, we review third-party environmental reports, land surveys, and market studies (if applicable) as well as conduct a financial due diligence review of the property before the investment is made.

We seek to diversify our portfolio by operator, by property type, and geographically. Our primary marketing and business development strategy is to increase awareness of our presence and build long-term relationships in the seniors housing and health care industry by supporting targeted industry trade organizations, attending industry specific conferences and events attended by seniors housing and care providers, and seeking out speaking engagements at industry related events as well as interviews in industry publications. We believe this targeted marketing and business development effort has provided deal flow opportunities and will continue to provide opportunities for new investments in 2021. Since competition from investors as well as other capital providers for large transactions consisting of fully-marketed, multi-property portfolios generally result in valuations above our targeted investment criteria, our marketing and business development efforts focus on sourcing relationships with regionally based operating companies to execute on single property transactions (for acquisition, mortgage financing or development), or smaller multi-property portfolios that are not broadly marketed by third-party intermediaries which complement our historic investment execution and are priced at yields that are accretive to our stockholders.

7

​

Table of Contents

It is our current policy, and we intend to continue this policy, that all borrowers of funds from us and lessees of any of our properties secure adequate comprehensive property and general and professional liability insurance that covers us as well as the borrower and/or lessee. Although we actively monitor and seek to ensure compliance with our policies, we may be subject to loss for any number of reasons, such as, noncompliance on the part of our lessees/borrowers, losses that exceed covered limits or that are not covered, inability of lessees/borrowers to obtain insurance on commercially reasonable terms, bankruptcy of a carrier, or insufficient tail coverage.  We contend that as a non-possessory landlord we are not generally responsible for what takes place on real estate we do not possess, claims including general and professional liability claims may still be asserted against us which may result in costs and exposure for which insurance is not available.

Competition

In the health care industry, we compete for real property investments with health care providers, other health care related REITs, real estate partnerships, banks, private equity funds, venture capital funds and other investors. Many of our competitors are significantly larger and have greater financial resources and lower cost of capital than we have available to us. Our ability to compete successfully for real property investments will be determined by numerous factors, including our ability to identify suitable acquisition targets, our ability to negotiate acceptable terms for any such acquisition and the availability and our cost of capital.

The lessees and borrowers of our properties compete on a local, regional and, in some instances, national basis with other health care providers. The ability of the lessee or borrower to compete successfully for patients or residents at our properties depends upon several factors, including the levels of care and services provided by the lessees or borrowers, the reputation of the providers, physician referral patterns, physical appearances of the properties, family preferences, financial condition of the operator and other competitive systems of health care delivery within the community, population and demographics.

REIT Tax Status

We have elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we must meet a number of organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that we annually distribute to our shareholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gains. As a REIT, we generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax on the taxable income we distribute to our shareholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the generally applicable corporate tax rate. Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to U.S. federal income tax provisions on certain specific transactions and property, as well as certain state and local taxes on our income, property or net worth and U.S. federal income and excise taxes on our undistributed income.

Health Care Regulation

Overview

The health care industry is heavily regulated by the government. Our borrowers and lessees who operate health care facilities are subject to extensive regulation by federal, state and local governments. These laws and regulations are subject to frequent and substantial changes resulting from legislation, adoption of rules and regulations, and administrative and judicial interpretations of existing law. These changes may have a dramatic effect on the definition of permissible or impermissible activities, the relative costs associated with doing business and the amount of reimbursement by both government and other third-party payors. These changes may be applied retroactively. The ultimate timing or effect of these changes cannot be predicted. The failure of any borrower of funds from us or lessee of any of our properties to comply with such laws, requirements and regulations could result in sanctions or remedies such as denials of payment for new Medicare and Medicaid admissions, civil monetary penalties, state oversight and loss of Medicare and Medicaid participation or licensure. Such action could affect our borrower’s or lessee’s ability to operate its facility or facilities and could adversely affect such borrower’s or lessee’s ability to make debt or lease payments to us.

8

​

Table of Contents

The properties we own and the manner in which they are operated are affected by changes in the reimbursement, licensing and certification policies of federal, state and local governments. Properties may also be affected by changes in accreditation standards or procedures of accrediting agencies. In addition, expansion (including the addition of new beds or services or acquisition of medical equipment) and occasionally the discontinuation of services of health care facilities are, in some states, subjected to state and regulatory approval through “certificate of need” laws and regulations.

Health Care Reform and Other Legislative Developments

Federal health care reform, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended (the “Affordable Care Act”), has expanded access to health insurance, reduced health care costs, and instituted various health policy reforms. Among other things, the Affordable Care Act: reduced Medicare skilled nursing facility reimbursement by a so-called “productivity adjustment” based on economy-wide productivity gains; required the development of a value-based purchasing program for Medicare skilled nursing facility services; authorized bundled payment programs, which can include post-acute services; and provided incentives to state Medicaid programs to promote community-based care as an alternative to institutional long-term care services. In addition, the Affordable Care Act impacts both us and our lessees and borrowers as employers, including requirements related to the health insurance we offer to our respective employees. Many aspects of the Affordable Care Act have been implemented through regulations and subregulatory guidance. In December 2017, President Trump signed into law a tax reform bill that repeals the Affordable Care Act’s penalty for individuals who fail to maintain health coverage meeting certain minimum standards. While there have been efforts to repeal the law and enact alternative reforms, the Biden Administration has indicated it will support and expand upon the Affordable Care Act. Additional revisions of the Affordable Care Act could be made in future, although the details and timing of any such actions are unknown at this time. There can be no assurance that the implementation of the Affordable Care Act or any subsequent modifications or related legal challenges will not adversely impact the operations, cash flows or financial condition of our lessees and borrowers, which subsequently could materially adversely impact our revenue and operations.

The Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 required the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a skilled nursing facility “value-based purchasing program” tying Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities to their performance on certain new readmissions measures, applicable to services furnished beginning October 1, 2018. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 set the annual skilled nursing facility prospective payment system update for fiscal year 2018 at 1%, and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 established an update of 2.4% for fiscal year 2019. Additional reforms affecting the payment for and availability of health care services have been proposed at the state level and adopted by certain states.

President Biden, Congress and state legislatures can be expected to continue to review and assess alternative health care delivery systems and payment methodologies, including potential changes in Medicare and Medicaid payment policy for skilled nursing facility services and other types of post-acute care. Additional changes in laws, new interpretations of existing laws, or other changes in payment methodologies may have a dramatic effect on the definition of permissible or impermissible activities, the relative costs associated with doing business and the amount of reimbursement by the government and other third-party payors. There can be no assurances that enacted or future legislation will not have an adverse impact on the financial condition of our borrowers and lessees, which subsequently could materially adversely impact our company.

Reimbursement

The ability of our borrowers and lessees to generate revenue and profit determines the underlying value of that property to us. Revenues of our borrowers and lessees of skilled nursing centers are generally derived from payments for patient care. Sources of such payments for skilled nursing facilities include the federal Medicare program, state Medicaid programs, private insurance carriers, managed care organizations, preferred provider arrangements, and self-insured employers, as well as the patients themselves.

A significant portion of the revenue of our skilled nursing center borrowers and lessees is derived from governmentally-funded reimbursement programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Because of significant health care costs paid by such government programs, both federal and state governments have adopted and continue to consider

9

​

Table of Contents

various health care reform proposals to control health care costs. In many instances, revenues from Medicaid programs are insufficient to cover the actual costs incurred in providing care to Medicaid patients. In addition, all states have been making changes to their long-term care delivery systems that emphasize home and community-based long-term care services, in some cases coupled with cost-controls for institutional providers. Increasingly, state Medicaid programs are providing coverage through managed care programs under contracts with private health plans, which is intended to decrease state Medicaid costs. The federal government also has adopted various policies to promote community-based alternatives to institutional services. The Trump Administration and Congress considered revising federal payments to state Medicaid programs to establish block grants or impose per capita limits on federal Medicaid payments to states. On January 30, 2020, the Trump Administration announced that states could apply to participate in a new Medicaid “Healthy Adult Opportunity” (“HAO”) Demonstration project, which would reimburse participating states under a capped aggregate or per-capita federal financial participation financing model in exchange for the states gaining greater flexibility in the scope and administration of their Medicaid programs for certain beneficiary populations (individuals qualifying for Medicaid based on need for long-term care services and supports would be exempt). As states and the federal government continue to respond to budget pressures, future reduction in Medicaid payments for skilled nursing facility services could have an adverse effect on the financial condition of our borrowers and lessees which could, in turn, adversely impact the timing or level of their payments to us.

With regard to the Medicare program, over the years there have been efforts to contain Medicare fee-for-service spending, promote Medicare managed care, and, more recently, tie reimbursement to quality and value of care. CMS annually updates Medicare skilled nursing facility prospective payment system rates and other policies. On July 31, 2018, CMS issued a final rule updating skilled nursing facility rates and policies for fiscal year 2019. The final rule includes a 2.4% payment increase, which CMS projected will increase overall payments to skilled nursing facilities by $820 million in fiscal year 2019 compared with fiscal year 2018 levels. The final rule also replaced the existing Resource Utilization Groups, Version IV (“RUG–IV”) case mix classification system with a new model beginning in fiscal year 2020, which began October 1, 2019. The new case mix classification system, called the “Patient-Driven Payment Model,” bases Medicare payment on resident needs rather than the amount of therapy a resident receives. On July 30, 2019, CMS issued its final fiscal year 2020 Medicare skilled nursing facility update. Under the final rule, CMS projected Medicare aggregate payments to skilled nursing facilities would increase by $851 million, or 2.4%, for fiscal year 2020 compared with fiscal year 2019. The final rule also addressed implementation of the Patient-Driven Payment Model case mix classification system that became effective on October 1, 2019, changes to the group therapy definition in the skilled nursing facility setting, and various skilled nursing facility Value-Based Purchasing (“VBP”) and quality reporting program policies.

On April 10, 2020, CMS issued a proposed rule to update SNF rates and policies for fiscal year 2021, which started October 1, 2020, and issued the final rule on July 31, 2020. CMS estimates that payments to SNFs would increase by $750 million, or 2.2%, for fiscal year 2021 compared to fiscal year 2020. CMS also adopted revised geographic delineations to identify a provider’s status as an urban or rural facility and to calculate the wage index, applying a 5% cap on any decreases in a provider’s wage index from fiscal year 2020 to fiscal year 2021. Finally, CMS also finalized updates to the SNF value-based purchasing program to reflect previously finalized policies, updated the 30-day phase one review and correction deadline for the baseline period quality measure quarterly report, and announced performance periods and performance standards for the fiscal year 2023 program year.

Since the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic and beginning as of March 13, 2020, CMS has issued numerous temporary regulatory waivers and new rules to assist health care providers, including SNFs, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These include, waiving the SNFs 3-day qualifying inpatient hospital stay requirement, flexibility in calculating a new Medicare benefit period, waiving timing for completing functional assessments, waiving requirements for health care professional licensure, survey and certification, provider enrollment, and reimbursement for services performed by telehealth, among many others. CMS also announced a temporary expansion of its Accelerated and Advance Payment Program to allow SNFs and certain other Medicare providers to request accelerated or advance payments in an amount up to 100% of the Medicare Part A payments they received from October–December 2019; this expansion was suspended April 26, 2020 in light of other CARES Act funding relief. The Continuing Appropriations Acts, 2021 and Other Extensions Act, enacted on October 1, 2020, amended the repayment terms for all providers and suppliers that requested and received accelerated and advance payments during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Specifically, Congress gave providers and suppliers that received Medicare accelerated and advance payment(s) one year from when the first loan payment was made to begin making repayments. In addition, CMS has also enhanced

10

​

Table of Contents

requirements for nursing facilities to report COVID-19 infections to local, state and federal authorities. On January 7, 2021, former Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Secretary Azar announced that he had renewed, effective January 21, 2021, the declared public health emergency for an additional 90-day period.

On March 26, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), sweeping legislation intended to bolster the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to offering economic relief to individuals and impacted businesses, the law expands coverage of COVID-19 testing and preventative services, addresses health care workforce needs, eases restrictions on telehealth services during the crisis, and increases Medicare regulatory flexibility, among many other provisions. Notably, the CARES Act temporarily suspended the 2% across-the-board “sequestration” reduction of all Medicare Fee-For-Service (“FFS”) payments under the Medicare program that had previously been in effect since April 1, 2013, for the period May 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020, and extended the current Medicare sequester requirement through fiscal year 2030. In addition, the law provides $100 billion in grants to eligible health care providers for health care related expenses or lost revenues that are attributable to COVID-19. On April 10, 2020, CMS announced the distribution of $30 billion in funds to Medicare providers based upon their 2019 Medicare fee for service revenues. Eligible providers were required to agree to certain terms and conditions in receiving these grants. In addition, HHS authorized $20 billion of additional funding for providers that have already received funds from the initial distribution of $30 billion. Unlike the first round of funds, which came automatically, providers were required to apply for these additional funds and submit the required supporting documentation, using the online portal provided by HHS. Providers were required to attest to and agree to specific terms and conditions for the use of such funds. HHS expressed a goal of allocating the whole $50 billion proportionally across all providers based on those providers’ proportional share of 2018 net Medicare fee-for-service revenue, so that some providers will not be eligible for additional funds. On May 22, 2020, HHS announced that it had begun distributing $4.9 billion in additional relief funds to SNFs to offset revenue losses and assist nursing homes with additional costs related to responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency and the shipments of personal protective equipment provided to nursing homes by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. On June 9, 2020, HHS announced that it expected to distribute approximately $15 billion to eligible providers that participate in state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (“CHIP”) programs and have not received a payment from the Provider Relief Fund General Allocation. On July 22, 2020, President Trump announced that HHS would devote $5 billion in Provider Relief Funds to Medicare-certified long-term care facilities and state veterans’ homes to build nursing home skills and enhance nursing homes’ response to COVID-19, including enhanced infection control. Nursing homes must participate in the Nursing Home COVID-19 training to be qualified to receive this funding. On August 27, 2020, HHS announced that it had distributed almost $2.5 billion to nursing homes to support increased testing, staffing, and personal protective equipment needs. On September 3, 2020, HHS announced a $2 billion performance-based incentive payment distribution to nursing homes and SNFs. Finally, on October 1, 2020, the Trump Administration announced $20 billion in new funding for several types of providers, including those who previously received, rejected, or accepted a general distribution provider relief fund payment. The application deadline for these Phase 3 funds was November 6, 2020.

On December 27, 2020, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (H.R. 133). The $1.4 trillion omnibus appropriations legislation funds the government through September 30, 2021 and was attached to a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package. Of the $900 billion in COVID-19 relief, $73 billion was allocated to HHS. Notably, the bill adds an additional $3 billion to the Provider Relief Fund, includes language specific to reporting requirements, and allows providers to use any reasonable method to calculate lost revenue, including the difference between such provider’s budgeted and actual revenue budget if such budget had been established and approved prior to March 27, 2020. This change reverts to HHS’ previous guidance from June 2020 on how to calculate lost revenues. In addition, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, also extends the CARES Act’s sequestration suspension to March 31, 2021. On January 15, 2021, HHS announced that it would be amending the reporting timeline for Provider Relief Funds and indicated that it was working to update the Provider Relief Fund requirements to be consistent with the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

On July 18, 2019, CMS published a final rule that eliminates the prohibition on pre-dispute binding arbitration agreements between long-term care facilities and their residents. The rule also strengthens the transparency of arbitration agreements and makes other changes to arbitration requirements for long-term care facilities. There can be no assurance that these rules or future regulations modifying Medicare skilled nursing facility payment rates or other requirements for Medicare and/or Medicaid participation will not have an adverse effect on the financial condition of our borrowers and lessees which could, in turn, adversely impact the timing or level of their payments to us.

11

​

Table of Contents

CMS also has implemented a variety of Medicare bundled payment programs that seek to promote greater care coordination and more efficient use of resources. Certain of these models, such as the Medicare Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement and Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced models, have impacted post-acute care, including skilled nursing facility services. There can be no assurances that new Medicare payment models will not adversely affect revenues of our skilled nursing center borrowers and lessees and thereby adversely affect those borrowers’ and lessees’ abilities to make their debt or lease payments to us.

Moreover, health care facilities continue to experience pressures from private payors attempting to control costs; reimbursement from private payors has in some cases fallen relative to government payors. Governmental and public concern regarding health care costs may result in significant reductions in payment to health care facilities, and there can be no assurance that future payment rates for either governmental or private payors will be sufficient to cover cost increases in providing services to patients. Any changes in reimbursement policies which reduce reimbursement to levels that are insufficient to cover the cost of providing patient care could adversely affect revenues of our skilled nursing center borrowers and lessees and to a much lesser extent our assisted living community borrowers and lessees and thereby adversely affect those borrowers’ and lessees’ abilities to make their debt or lease payments to us. Failure of the borrowers or lessees to make their debt or lease payments would have a direct and material adverse impact on us.

Fraud and Abuse Enforcement

Various federal and state laws govern financial and other arrangements between health care providers that participate in, receive payments from, or make or receive referrals for work in connection with government funded health care programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. These laws, known as the fraud and abuse laws, include the federal anti-kickback statute, which prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying any remuneration directly or indirectly in return for, or to induce, the referral, or arrange for the referral, of an individual to a person for the furnishing of an item or service for which payment may be made under federal health care programs. In addition, the federal physician self-referral law, commonly known as the Stark Law, prohibits physicians and certain other types of practitioners from making referrals for certain designated health services paid in whole or in part by Medicare and Medicaid to entities with which the practitioner or a member of the practitioner’s immediate family has a financial relationship, unless the financial relationship fits within an applicable exception to the Stark Law. The Stark Law also prohibits the entity receiving the referral from seeking payment under the Medicare program for services rendered pursuant to a prohibited referral. Sanctions for violating the Stark Law include civil monetary penalties of up to $25,820 per prohibited service provided, assessments equal to three times the dollar value of each such service provided and exclusion from the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Many states have enacted similar fraud and abuse laws which are not necessarily limited to items and services for which payment is made by federal health care programs. Violations of these laws may result in fines, imprisonment, denial of payment for services, and exclusion from federal and/or other state-funded programs. Other federal and state laws authorize the imposition of penalties, including criminal and civil fines and exclusion from participation in federal health care programs for submitting false claims, improper billing and other offenses. Federal and state government agencies have continued rigorous enforcement of criminal and civil fraud and abuse laws in the health care arena. Our borrowers and lessees are subject to many of these laws, and some of them could in the future become the subject of a governmental enforcement action.

Environmental Regulation

Under various federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations, an owner of real property or a secured lender (such as us) may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of hazardous or toxic substances at, under or disposed of in connection with such property, as well as other potential costs relating to hazardous or toxic substances (including government fines and damages for injuries to persons and adjacent property). Such laws often impose such liability without regard to whether the owner or secured lender knew of, or was responsible for, the presence or disposal of such substances and may be imposed on the owner or secured lender in connection with the activities of an operator of the property. The cost of any required remediation, removal, fines or personal or property damages and the owner’s or secured lender’s liability therefore could exceed the value of the property, and/or the assets of the owner or secured lender. In addition, the presence of such substances, or the failure to properly dispose of or remediate such substances, may adversely affect the owner’s ability to sell or rent such property or to borrow using such property as collateral which, in turn, would reduce our revenues.

12

​

Table of Contents

Although the mortgage loans that we provide and leases covering our properties require the borrower and the lessee to indemnify us for certain environmental liabilities, the scope of such obligations may be limited and we cannot assure that any such borrower or lessee would be able to fulfill its indemnification obligations.

Human Capital

We recognize the value of our employees and are committed to being a workplace that encourages respect, collaboration, communication, transparency, and integrity. We seek to hire employees with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Our success starts and ends with having the best talent, and as a result, we are focused on attracting, developing and retaining our employees. We offer employees a competitive and comprehensive benefits package. We support employees attending industry conferences and obtaining professional licenses.

We are committed to the health and safety of our employees. During 2020, as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented additional safety protocols including working remotely.

As of December 31, 2020, we employed 24 people. Our employees are not members of any labor union, and we consider our relations with our employees to be excellent.

Investor Information

We make available to the public free of charge through our internet website our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such reports with, or furnish such reports to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Our internet website address is www.LTCreit.com. We are not including the information contained on our website as part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The SEC also maintains an internet website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information we file. The internet address of the SEC website is www.sec.gov.

You may contact our Investor Relations Department at:

LTC Properties, Inc.

2829 Townsgate Road, Suite 350

Westlake Village, California 91361

Attn: Investor Relations

(805) 981-8655

​

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

This section discusses risk factors that could affect our business, operations, and financial condition. If any of these risks, as well as other risks and uncertainties that we have not yet identified or that we currently believe are not material, actually occur, we could be materially adversely affected and the value of our securities could decline. In addition, these risk factors contain “forward-looking statements” as discussed above under the “Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements.” The following information should be read in conjunction with Management’s Discussion and Analysis, and the consolidated financial statements and related notes in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

​

13

​

Table of Contents

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We are dependent on our operators for revenue and cash flow.

Substantially all of our revenue and sources of cash flows are derived from operating lease rentals and interest earned on outstanding loans receivable. Our investments in owned properties and mortgage loans represent our primary source of liquidity to fund distributions. We do not implement operational decisions with respect to the daily management and marketing of care services offered at our properties. We therefore are dependent upon the performance of our operators and the income and rates we earn on leases and loans. A decrease in occupancy and/or increase in operating costs could have an adverse effect on our lessees and borrowers. For example, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related public health measures, our lessees and borrowers have experienced a decrease in occupancy and an increase in operating costs. There can be no assurance that our lessees and borrowers will have sufficient assets, income, and access to financing to enable them to satisfy, in full, their respective obligations to us. Our financial condition and ability to pay dividends could be adversely affected by financial difficulties experienced by any of our lessees or borrowers, or in the event any such operator does not renew and/or extend its relationship with us at similar or better financial terms.

The duration and extent of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic remains uncertain.

​

The COVID-19 pandemic and related public health measures have adversely affected our operations and those of our operators. The operations and occupancy levels at the seniors housing and health care facilities of our lessees and borrowers have been adversely affected by COVID-19 and could be further adversely affected by COVID-19 or another pandemic especially if there are infections on a large scale at our properties. The impact of COVID-19 has included, and another pandemic could include early resident move-outs, our operators delaying accepting new residents due to quarantines, potential occupants postponing moves to our operators’ facilities, and/or hospitals cancelling or significantly reducing elective surgeries thereby reducing the number of people in need of skilled nursing care. Operating costs of our lessees and borrowers also have risen due to the impact of COVID-19, including cost increases in staffing and pay, purchases of personal protective equipment (“PPE”), and implementation of additional safety protocols. In response to requests by operators adversely impacted by COVID-19, we provided rent abatements totaling $1.1 million and rent deferrals totaling $2.5 million between April and December 2020, of which $1.5 million subsequently has been paid. The $2.1 million in rent abatements and deferrals net with repayments represented approximately 2% of our April through December 2020 contractual rent. Additionally, health orders, rent moratoriums, and other initiatives by federal, state, and local authorities could affect our operators and our ability to collect rent and/or enforce remedies for the failure to pay rent. The extent to which COVID-19 or another pandemic could impact our operations and those of our operators will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the duration, spread and severity of the pandemic, the actions taken to contain the pandemic or mitigate its impact, and the direct and indirect economic effects of the pandemic and containment measures. Further, if COVID-19 results in an extended adverse trend away from seniors housing and health care facilities to at-home and alternative care services, the occupancy rates of our operators and the value of our real estate investments could be negatively impacted.

​

The health care industry is heavily regulated by the government.

Our borrowers and lessees who operate health care facilities are subject to extensive regulation by federal, state and local governments. These laws and regulations are subject to frequent and substantial changes resulting from legislation, adoption of rules and regulations, and administrative and judicial interpretations of existing law. These changes may have a dramatic effect on the definition of permissible or impermissible activities, the relative costs associated with doing business and the amount of reimbursement by both government and other third-party payors. These changes may be applied retroactively. The ultimate timing or effect of these changes cannot be predicted. For instance, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended (the “Affordable Care Act”) may be subject to revision, replacement, repeal or expansion. In addition, CMS has adopted regulations that impose new standards for long-term care facilities participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. See Item 1. Business—Health Care Regulation. The failure of any borrower of funds from us or lessee of any of our properties to comply with such laws, requirements and regulations could affect its ability to operate its facility or facilities and could adversely affect such lessee’s or borrower’s ability to make lease or debt payments to us.

​

14

​

Table of Contents

Federal and state health care cost containment measures including reductions in reimbursement from third-party payors such as Medicare and Medicaid could adversely affect us and the ability of our operators to make payments to us.

The ability of our borrowers and lessees to generate revenue and profit determines the underlying value of that property to us. Revenues of our borrowers and skilled nursing center lessees are generally derived from payments for patient care. Sources of such payments include the federal Medicare program, state Medicaid programs, private insurance carriers, health care service plans, health maintenance organizations, preferred provider arrangements, self-insured employers, as well as the patients themselves.

The health care industry continues to face increased government and private payor pressure on health care providers to control costs. Federal legislative and regulatory policies have been adopted and may continue to be proposed that would reduce Medicare and/or Medicaid payments to nursing facilities. Moreover, state budget pressures continue to result in adoption of Medicaid provider payment reductions in some states. Increasingly, state Medicaid programs are providing coverage through managed care programs under contracts with private health plans, which is intended to decrease state Medicaid costs. The Trump Administration and Congress considered revising federal payments to state Medicaid programs to establish block grants or impose per capita limits on federal Medicaid payments to states, and the Trump Administration announced that states may apply to receive payment on such a basis for limited patient populations under a new “Healthy Adult Opportunity” (HAO) Demonstration. See Item 1. Business—Health Care Regulation. In light of continuing federal and state Medicaid program reforms, budget cuts, and regulatory initiatives, no assurance can be given that the implementation of such regulations and reforms will not have an adverse effect on the financial condition or results of operations of our lessees and/or borrowers which, in turn, could affect their ability to meet their contractual obligations to us.

Required regulatory approvals could delay operation of health care facilities. 

Operators of skilled nursing and other health care facilities must be licensed under applicable state law and, depending upon the type of facility, certified or approved under the Medicare and/or Medicaid programs. A new operator in certain states also must receive change-of-ownership approvals under certificate of need laws. Delays in an operator receiving regulatory approvals from the applicable federal, state, or local government agencies, or the inability of an operator to receive such approvals, could prolong the period during which we are unable to receive lease or loan payments. We also could incur expenses in connection with any licensing, certification, or change-of-ownership proceedings. 

Failure to comply with federal, state, or local regulations could prohibit operation of health care facilities.

The failure of our operators to comply with federal, state, or local regulations could result in penalties which could include loss or restriction of license, loss of accreditation, denial of reimbursement, imposition of fines, suspension or decertification from federal and state health care programs, or closure of the facility. These regulations have increased in response to COVID-19. The loss or imposition of restrictions on any required license, registration, certificate of need, provider agreement or certification would prevent a facility from operating in the manner intended by the operator. Additionally, failure by any of our operators to comply with applicable laws and regulations could result in adverse publicity and reputational harm, and therefore could harm our business. 

Insurance coverage maintained by our operators could be inadequate to protect against contingencies.

Operators of health care facilities may become subject to claims that their services have resulted in injury or other adverse effects. For example, due to the enhanced danger to senior citizens, COVID-19 infections at our properties could lead to increased legal claims against our operators. As a non-possessory landlord, we contend we are not generally responsible for what takes place at properties we do not possess. Although we require our operators to secure adequate comprehensive liability insurance that covers us as well as the operator, we could be subject to losses due to noncompliance or insufficient coverage. In addition, certain risks could be uninsurable or unavailable. There can be no assurance that we or our operators will have adequate insurance or funds to cover all contingencies. If an uninsured loss occurs or a loss exceeds policy limits, we could lose both invested capital and anticipated revenue from a property.

15

​

Table of Contents

We rely on a few major operators.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, approximately 38.8% of our revenues from leases and interest income from real estate investments were generated from three operators. The failure, inability, or unwillingness of any of these operators to meet their obligations to us could materially reduce our cash flow as well as our results of operations.

We may be unable to renew leases, or the terms of renewals or new leases could be less favorable than current leases.

Approximately 79.1% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2020, was derived from operating lease rentals. There can be no assurance that a lessee will operate its lease through expiration or that a lessee will exercise an option to renew its lease upon expiration. In such scenarios, there can be no assurance that we would be able to find a suitable replacement operator, re-lease the property on substantially equivalent or better terms than the prior lease, if at all. Additionally, to retain current or attract new operators, we could be asked to provide rent concessions or undertake capital expenditures to improve properties.

Operator financial or legal difficulties could delay or prevent collection of rent.

If a lessee experiences financial or legal difficulties, it could fail to pay us rent when due, assert counterclaims, or seek bankruptcy protection. In the case of a master lease, this risk is magnified, as a default could reduce or eliminate rental revenue from several properties. Over the past three years, five of our operators have had or continue to have financial or legal difficulties resulting in non-payment of rent or bankruptcy. See Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Executive Overview—Portfolio Overview—Update on Certain Operators for further discussion. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and depending its scope and duration could continue to cause, financial and legal difficulties for certain of our lessees. If an operator is unable to comply with the terms of its leases, we could be asked to defer rent or forced to modify the leases in ways that are unfavorable to us. Alternatively, the failure of an operator to perform its obligations under a lease or other agreements with us could force us to declare a default and terminate the lease. There can be no assurance that we would be able to find a suitable replacement operator, re-lease the property on substantially equivalent or better terms than the prior lease, if at all. If a lessee seeks bankruptcy protection, it could delay our efforts to collect past due amounts owed to us under the applicable lease and ultimately preclude collection of all or a portion of those amounts.

Collateral securing mortgage loans could be insufficient.

If a borrower defaults under a mortgage loan, we could be obligated to foreclose on or otherwise protect our investment by acquiring title to the property. In such a scenario, the borrower could contest enforcement of foreclosure, assert counterclaims, or seek bankruptcy protection. This could limit or delay our ability to recover unpaid principal and/or interest and exercise other rights and remedies. Declines in the value of the property could prevent us from realizing an amount equal to our investment. Additionally, it could be difficult to expeditiously find a suitable replacement operator, if at all, or otherwise successfully operate or occupy the property, which could adversely affect our ability to recover our investment.

Our real estate investments could become impaired.

We periodically, but not less than quarterly, evaluate our real estate investments and other assets for impairment indicators. The judgment regarding the existence of impairment indicators is based on factors such as market conditions, operator performance, and legal structure. If we determine that an impairment has occurred, we would be required to make an adjustment to the net carrying value of the asset which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations in the period in which the write-off occurs.

Our real estate investments are relatively illiquid and could be difficult to sell for book value.

Real estate investments are relatively illiquid and therefore tend to limit our ability to vary our portfolio promptly in response to changes in economic or other conditions. The real estate market is affected by many factors, such as general economic conditions, availability of financing, interest rates, and other factors, including supply and

16

​

Table of Contents

demand, that are beyond our control. All of our real estate investments are special purpose properties that cannot be readily converted to other health care related services, general residential, retail, or office use. Transfers of operations of health care facilities are subject to regulatory approvals not required for transfers of other types of commercial operations and other types of real estate. If the operation of any of our properties becomes unprofitable or a lessee or borrower becomes unable to meet its obligations on the lease or mortgage loan, the liquidation value of the property could be substantially less than the net book value or the amount owing on any related mortgage loan than would be the case if the property were readily adaptable to other uses.

Development and construction risks could affect the profitability and completion of properties.

Our business includes development and construction of seniors housing and health care properties. Construction and development projects involve risks such as the following:

We may be unable to invest cash proceeds due to competition for health care properties.

From time to time, we will have cash available from the sale of equity and debt capital, sale of properties, and funds from operations. With these cash proceeds, we may seek to invest in health care properties as part of our business and growth strategy. We compete for health care property investments with developers, public and private REITs, and other investors, some of whom may have greater financial resources than us. The competition for health care properties could affect our ability to make timely investments on acceptable terms, which could adversely affect our ability to grow or acquire properties profitably or with attractive return.

​

Our operators face competition providing seniors housing and health care services.

The business of providing seniors housing and health care is highly competitive. Our operators compete with other companies providing similar care services or alternatives such as home health agencies, hospices, life care at home, community-based service programs, retirement communities, and convalescent centers. Additionally, our operators are sensitive to changes in the labor market and wages and benefits offered to their employees, which can impact their ability to remain competitive. There can be no assurance that our operators will not encounter increased competition in the future which could limit their ability to attract residents or expand their businesses and therefore affect their ability to make their lease or loan payments to us.

Risks Related to Our Status as a REIT

Our failure to qualify as a REIT would have serious adverse consequences to our stockholders.

We intend to operate so as to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. We believe that we have been organized and have operated in a manner which would allow us to qualify as a REIT under the Code beginning with our taxable year ended December 31, 1992. However, it is possible that we have been organized or have operated in a manner which would not allow us to qualify as a REIT, or that our future operations could cause us to fail to qualify. Qualification as a REIT requires us to satisfy numerous requirements (some

17

​

Table of Contents

on an annual and quarterly basis) established under highly technical and complex Code provisions for which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations, and involves the determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control. For example, in order to qualify as a REIT, at least 95% of our gross income in any year must be derived from qualifying sources, and we must pay dividends to stockholders aggregating annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and by excluding capital gains). Legislation, new regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could significantly change the tax laws with respect to qualification as a REIT or the federal income tax consequences of such qualification.

If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will be subject to federal and state income tax (including any applicable alternative minimum tax for taxable years ending prior to January 1, 2018) on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. Unless we are entitled to relief under statutory provisions, we would be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we lost qualification. If we lose our REIT status, our net earnings available for investment or distribution to stockholders would be significantly reduced for each of the years involved. In addition, we would no longer be required to make distributions to stockholders.

Recent changes to the U.S. tax laws could have a significant negative impact on the overall economy, our tenants, our investors, and our business.

On December 22, 2017, H.R. 1, commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA“) was signed into law making significant changes to the Code. Relevant changes include, but are not limited to the following:

While the changes in the TCJA generally appear to be favorable with respect to REITs, the extensive changes to non-REIT provisions in the Code may have unanticipated effects on us or our stockholders. Moreover, Congressional leaders have recognized that the process of adopting extensive tax legislation in a short amount of time without hearings and substantial time for review is likely to have led to drafting errors, issues needing clarification and unintended consequences that will have to be reviewed in subsequent tax legislation. At this point, it is not clear when Congress will address these issues or when the Internal Revenue Service will issue administrative guidance on the changes made in the TCJA.

As a result of the changes to U.S. federal tax laws implemented by the TCJA, our taxable income and the amount of distributions to our stockholders required in order to maintain our REIT status, and our relative tax advantage as a REIT, may significantly change. The long-term impact of the TCJA on the overall economy, government revenues, our tenants, us, and the real estate industry cannot be reliably predicted at this early stage of the new law’s implementation. Furthermore, the TCJA may negatively impact certain of our tenants’ operating results, financial condition, and future business plans. The TCJA may also result in reduced government revenues, and therefore reduced government spending, which may negatively impact some of our tenants that rely on government funding. There can be no assurance that the TCJA will not negatively impact our operating results, financial condition, and future business operations.

18

​

Table of Contents

Risks Related to Our Capital Structure

Limited access to capital could affect our growth.

As a REIT, we are required to distribute at least 90% of our taxable income. Our growth therefore is generally through the investment of new capital in real estate assets. As of December 31, 2020, we had $7.8 million of cash on hand and $510.1 million available under our unsecured revolving line of credit. We also have the ability to access the capital markets through the issuance of $200.0 million of common stock under our equity distribution agreement and an indeterminate amount through the issuance of debt and/or equity securities under an automatic shelf registration statement. We currently believe our liquidity and various sources of available capital are sufficient to fund operations and development commitments, meet debt service obligations, make dividend distributions, and finance potential investments. In the future, however, our ability to access the equity and/or debt markets could be limited. During such times, most of our available capital would be required to meet existing commitments. Limited access to the equity and/or debt markets could negatively impact our growth if we are unable to obtain additional capital, dispose of assets on favorable terms, or acquire health care properties on a competitive basis.

We could incur more debt.

We operate with a policy of incurring debt when it is advisable in the opinion of our Board of Directors. As of December 31, 2020, our indebtedness represented approximately 35.8% of our gross assets. We could incur additional debt by borrowing under our unsecured revolving line of credit, mortgaging properties we own, and/or issuing debt securities in public offerings or private transactions. The degree of indebtedness could affect our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, or other corporate purposes and make us more vulnerable to a downturn in business or the economy generally.

Covenants related to our indebtedness could limit our operations.

The terms of our current indebtedness as well as debt instruments that we enter into in the future are subject to customary financial and operational covenants. These include requiring us to maintain debt service coverage, leverage ratios, and minimum net worth requirements. We may be unable to maintain compliance with these covenants and, if we fail to do so, we may be unable to obtain waivers and/or amend the covenants. If some or all of our debt is accelerated and becomes immediately due and payable, we may be unable repay or refinance the debt. Our continued ability to incur debt and operate our business is subject to compliance with these covenants, which could limit operational flexibility.

​

An increase in market interest rates could increase our debt cost and impact our stock price.

We have entered into debt obligations, such as our unsecured revolving line of credit, with interest and related payments that vary with the movement of certain indices. In the future, we could incur additional indebtedness in connection with the entry into new credit facilities or the financing of acquisitions or development activity. If market interest rates increase, so could our interest costs. This could make the financing of any acquisition more costly. Rising interest rates could limit our ability to refinance existing debt when it matures or cause us to pay higher interest rates upon refinancing. Further, the dividend yield on our common stock will influence its price. An increase in market interest rates could lead prospective purchasers of our common stock to expect a higher dividend yield, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

The phase-out of LIBOR could affect interest rates.

The London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) is used as a reference rate for our unsecured revolving line of credit and is a widely used benchmark in financial markets. The United Kingdom‘s Financial Conduct Authority originally announced that it would phase-out publication of LIBOR after December 31, 2021 but recently announced an extension of LIBOR publication through June 30, 2023. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee, organized by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) as a preferred alternative to LIBOR in U.S. dollar derivatives and other financial contracts. We are not able to predict when LIBOR will cease to be available or if SOFR or another alternative rate reference rate will attain market traction as a LIBOR replacement. If LIBOR ceases to exist, we will need to agree upon a benchmark replacement index

19

​

Table of Contents

for our unsecured revolving line of credit. The new rate could be less favorable than LIBOR. Additionally, the transition process could result in delays in funding, higher interest expense, additional expenses, and increased volatility in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR, all of which could adversely affect our cash flow.

Ownership through partnerships and joint ventures could limit property performance.

We have in the past and may in the future develop and/or acquire properties in partnerships and similar joint ventures, including those in which we own a preferred interest, when we believe circumstances warrant this type of investment. Our organizational documents do not limit the amount of available funds that we can invest in partnerships or other joint venture structures. As of December 31, 2020, we had six active joint ventures with a total LTC equity investment of $86.0 million. Investments in partnerships and joint ventures, including limited liability companies, involve risks such as the following:

We generally will seek to maintain sufficient control of a partnerships or joint venture to permit us to achieve our business objectives. However, in the event that it fails to meet expectations or becomes insolvent, we could lose our investment in the partnership or joint venture.

Risks Related to Our Stock

A failure to maintain or increase our dividend could reduce the market price of our common stock.

The decision to declare and pay dividends on our common stock, as well as the timing, amount, and composition of any future dividends, will be at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors. The ability to maintain or raise the dividend on our common stock is dependent, to a large part, on growth of funds available for distribution. This growth in turn depends upon increased revenues from additional investments and loans, rental increases, and mortgage rate increases. Any change in our dividend policy could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

Your ownership percentage in our common stock could be diluted.

From time to time, we could issue additional shares of our common stock in connection with sales under our equity distribution agreement or other capital market transactions. These issuances could cause your percentage ownership in our common stock to be diluted in the future and could have a dilutive effect on our earnings per share and reduce the value of our common stock. Additionally, our charter authorizes us to issue, without the approval of our stockholders, one or more classes or series of preferred stock having such designations, powers, privileges, preferences, including preferences over our common stock respecting dividends and distributions, terms of redemption and relative participation, optional or other rights, if any, of the shares of each such series of preferred stock and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as our Board of Directors determines. The terms of one or more classes or series of preferred stock could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock.

Provisions in our charter limit ownership of shares of our stock.

No more than 50% in value of the outstanding shares of a REIT can be beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals at any time during the last half of each taxable year. To ensure qualification under

20

​

Table of Contents

this test, our charter provide that, subject to exceptions, no person is permitted to beneficially own more than 9.8% of outstanding shares of any class or series of our stock, including our common stock. Our Board of Directors could decide to exempt a person from the 9.8% ownership limit unless doing so would result in the termination of our status as a REIT. Shares of our stock in excess of the 9.8% ownership limitation that lack an applicable exemption may lose rights to dividends and voting, and may be subject to redemption. Additionally, acquisition of any shares of our stock that would result in our disqualification as a REIT may be limited or void. The 9.8% ownership limitation also could have the effect of delaying, deferring, or preventing a change in control of us, including a merger or acquisition or tender offer that might provide a premium price for holders of our stock.

Maryland law could increase the difficulty of acquiring us. 

 Provisions of Maryland law, our charter, and our bylaws could have the effect of discouraging, delaying, or preventing transactions that involve an actual or threatened change in control. These provisions include the following:

These and other provisions of Maryland law could increase the difficulty of acquiring us, even if the acquisition would be in the best interests of our stockholders.

General Risk Factors

We are dependent on key personnel. 

Our three executive officers and other senior officers have a significant role in our success. Our ability to retain our management group or to attract suitable replacements should any member of the management group leave is dependent on the competitive nature of the employment market. The loss of services from key members of the management group or a limitation in their availability could adversely affect our business and could be negatively perceived in the capital markets.

Our investments are concentrated in a single sector.

Our investments are concentrated in health care properties. A downturn in the health care property sector could have a greater adverse effect on our business and financial condition than if we had investments in multiple industries and sectors. A downturn in the health care property sector also could adversely impact the ability of our operators to meet their obligations to us and maintain residents and occupancy rates. Additionally, a downturn in the health care property sector could adversely affect the value of our properties and our ability to sell properties at prices or on terms acceptable to us.

21

​

Table of Contents

Disruptions in the capital markets could affect the price of our common stock and our ability to obtain financing. 

The United States capital markets have experienced significant price volatility, dislocations, and liquidity disruptions, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has caused market prices of many securities, including our common stock, to fluctuate substantially. Uncertainty in the stock and credit markets could negatively impact our ability to access financing at reasonable terms, which could negatively impact our ability to acquire properties and otherwise pursue our investment strategy. A prolonged downturn in the stock or credit markets could cause other unknown negative impacts on us and the economy.

Catastrophic weather and natural disasters could affect our properties.

Some of our properties are located in areas susceptible to catastrophic weather and natural disasters, including fires, snow or ice storms, windstorms or hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, or other severe conditions. Adverse weather and natural events could cause damage to our properties. If our operators suffer losses from catastrophic weather or natural disasters, we could lose our invested capital and anticipated future revenue from the property.

We could incur costs associated with hazardous substances and contamination.

Under various federal, state, and local environmental laws, owners or operators of real estate could be required to investigate and remediate the effects of contamination of currently or formerly owned real estate by hazardous substances, often regardless of knowledge of or responsibility for the contamination. Although our operators are primarily responsible for the condition of the property they occupy, we also could be held liable to a governmental authority or to third parties for property damage, personal injuries, and for investigation and clean-up costs incurred in connection with the contamination or we could be required to incur additional costs to change how the property is constructed or operated due to presence of such substances. The presence of hazardous substances or a failure to properly remediate any resulting contamination could adversely affect our ability to lease, mortgage, or sell an affected property.

Information technology failures or data breaches could harm our business.

We and our operators rely on information technology systems to process, transmit, and store financial transactions and records, operator and lease data, and other confidential information. Information technology systems are vulnerable to failure or breaches due to improper functioning and unauthorized access from physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses, attacks by hackers, and similar disruptions. This risk has increased since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic as we and our operators have increased reliance on information technology. The inability to maintain proper function, security, and availability of our and our operators’ information systems and the data maintained in those systems could interrupt our operations, damage our reputation, subject us to liability claims or regulatory penalties, harm our business relationships, or increase our security and insurance costs.

Privacy or security failures or breaches could expose us to liability.

We and our operators are subject to various federal and state laws governing privacy and security of personally identifiable information. Despite safeguards by us and our operators, a privacy or security failure or breach could occur as a result of unintentional or deliberate acts to obtain unauthorized access to information, or to destroy, manipulate, or sabotage data. Information technology failures or data breaches also could result in the loss or release of personally identifiable information. A privacy or security failure or breach could cause a loss of business, regulatory enforcement, substantial legal liability, and reputational harm. Where the failure or breach affects an operator, this could jeopardize the operator’s ability to fulfill its obligations to us. Further, the adoption of new privacy and security laws at the federal and state level could require us and our operators to incur significant compliance costs.

Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

​

22

​

Table of Contents

Item 2. PROPERTIES

Here and throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K wherever we provide details of our properties’ bed/unit count, the number of beds/units applies to skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, memory care and behavioral health care properties only. This number is based upon unit/bed counts shown on operating licenses provided to us by lessees/borrowers or units/beds as stipulated by lease/mortgage documents. These numbers often differ, usually not materially by property, from units/beds in operation at any point in time. The differences are caused by such things as operators converting a patient/resident room for alternative uses, such as offices or storage, or converting a multi-patient room/unit into a single patient room/unit. We monitor our properties on a routine basis through site visits and reviews of current licenses. In an instance where such change would cause a de-licensing of beds or in our opinion impact the value of the property, we may take action against the lessee/borrower to preserve the value of the property/collateral.

Owned Properties. The following table sets forth certain information regarding our owned properties as of December 31, 2020 (dollars amounts in thousands):

​

​

​

23

​

Table of Contents

The following chart represents the 10 states with the highest percentage of gross investment for our owned properties as of December 31, 2020:

The following table sets forth certain information regarding our lease expirations for our owned properties as of December 31, 2020 (dollars amounts in thousands):

​

24

​

Table of Contents

Mortgage Loans. The following table sets forth certain information regarding our mortgage loans as of December 31, 2020 (dollars amounts in thousands):

​

​

Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are and may become from time to time a party to various claims and lawsuits arising in the ordinary course of our business, which in our opinion are not singularly or in the aggregate anticipated to be material to our results of operations or financial condition. Claims and lawsuits may include matters involving general or professional liability asserted against the lessees or borrowers of our properties, which we believe under applicable legal principles are not our responsibility as a non-possessory landlord or mortgage holder. We believe that these matters are the responsibility of our lessees and borrowers pursuant to general legal principles and pursuant to insurance and indemnification provisions in the applicable leases or mortgages. We intend to continue to vigorously defend such claims and lawsuits.

Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable

PART II

Item 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information

Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “LTC”.

Holders

As of February 11, 2021, we had approximately 368 holders of our common stock, as determined by counting our record holders and the number of participants reflected in a security position listing provided to us by the Depository Trust Company. Because such “DTC participants” are brokers and other institutions holding shares of our common stock on behalf of their customers, we do not know the actual number of unique stockholders represented by these record holders.

25

​

Table of Contents

Dividend

We declared and paid total cash distributions on common stock as set forth below:

We intend to distribute to our stockholders an amount at least sufficient to satisfy the distribution requirements of a REIT. Cash flows from operating activities available for distribution to stockholders will be derived primarily from interest and rental payments from our real estate investments. All distributions will be made subject to approval of our Board of Directors and will depend on our earnings, our financial condition and such other factors as our Board of Directors deem relevant. In order to qualify for the beneficial tax treatment accorded to REITs by Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code, we are required to make distributions to holders of our shares equal to at least 90% of our REIT taxable income.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

None.

​

26

​

Table of Contents

Stock Performance Graph

The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”), an organization representing U.S. REITs and publicly traded real estate companies, classifies a company with 50% or more of assets directly or indirectly in the equity ownership of real estate as an equity REIT. Our equity ownership of real estate assets was more than 75% during 2020.

This graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock from December 31, 2015 to December 31, 2020 with the cumulative stockholder total return of (1) the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index and (2) the NAREIT Equity REIT Index. The comparison assumes $100 was invested on December 31, 2015 in our common stock and in each of the foregoing indices and assumes the reinvestment of dividends.

The stock performance depicted in the above graph is not necessarily indicative of future performance.

The stock performance graph shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing by us under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 except to the extent that we specifically incorporate such information by reference, and shall not otherwise be deemed filed under such Acts.

​

27

​

Table of Contents

Item 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The following table of selected financial information should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.