Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration No. 333-268538
PROSPECTUS
AMERICA FIRST MULTIFAMILY INVESTORS, L.P.
(TO BE RENAMED GREYSTONE HOUSING IMPACT INVESTORS LP)
$300,000,000
Beneficial Unit Certificates Representing Assigned Limited
Partnership Interests
Preferred Units Representing Limited Partnership
Interests
Debt Securities
We may use this prospectus to offer and sell, from time to time,
beneficial unit certificates representing assigned limited
partnership interests (“BUCs”) or preferred units representing
limited partnership interests in America First Multifamily
Investors, L.P. (which, effective December 5, 2022, will be renamed
Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP), or debt securities, in one
or more offerings. We refer to the BUCs, preferred units, and the
debt securities collectively as the “securities” in this
prospectus. The aggregate initial offering price of all securities
sold by us under this prospectus will not exceed $300,000,000. We
will provide the specific terms of each issuance of these
securities in supplements to this prospectus. You should read this
prospectus and any supplement carefully before you decide to invest
in our securities.
We may offer and sell these securities to or through one or more
underwriters, dealers, and agents, or directly to purchasers, on a
continuous or delayed basis, and in amounts, at prices, and on
terms to be determined by market conditions and other factors at
the time of the offering. This prospectus describes the general
terms of the securities and the general manner in which we will
offer the securities. Each time we offer to sell securities we will
provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific
information about those securities and the terms of that offering.
The prospectus supplement also may add, update, or change
information contained in this prospectus. If agents or any dealers
or underwriters are involved in the sale of the securities, the
applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the names of the
agents, dealers, or underwriters and any applicable commissions or
discounts. Net proceeds from the sale of securities will be set
forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. For general
information about the distribution of securities offered, please
see “Plan
of Distribution”
in this prospectus.
Through the close of trading on December 2, 2022, our BUCs were
traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “ATAX.”
The last reported sale price of our BUCs on December 2, 2022 was
$18.60 per BUC. Effective upon the opening of trading on December
5, 2022, our BUCs will trade on the New York Stock Exchange (the
“NYSE”) under the symbol “GHI.” From and after December 5, 2022,
our name will be Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP. We will
provide information in the prospectus supplement for the trading
market, if any, for any preferred units or debt securities we may
offer. Our principal executive offices are located at 14301 FNB
Parkway, Suite 211, Omaha, Nebraska, 68154. Our telephone number is
(402) 952-1235.
This prospectus may be used to offer and sell securities only if
accompanied by a prospectus supplement. You should read this
prospectus and any prospectus supplement carefully before you
invest. You should also read the documents we refer to in the
“Where
You Can Find More Information”
section of this prospectus for information on us and our financial
statements.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Limited
partnerships are inherently different from corporations. You should
carefully consider the information under the heading
“Risk
Factors”
beginning on page
11
of this prospectus, and contained in any applicable prospectus
supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference herein
and therein, before you make an investment in our
securities.
Neither the Securities
and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has
approved or disapproved of these securities, or determined if this
prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the
contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is December 2, 2022.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference
or provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any
“free writing prospectus” we may authorize to be delivered to you.
We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different
information or to make additional representations. We are not
making or soliciting an offer of any securities other than the
securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus
supplement. We are not making or soliciting an offer of these
securities in any state or jurisdiction where an offer is not
permitted or in any circumstances in which such offer or
solicitation is unlawful. You should not assume that the
information contained or incorporated by reference in this
prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date
other than the date on the front cover of each of those
documents.
We further note that the representations, warranties, and covenants
made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any
document that is incorporated by reference herein or in any
prospectus supplement were made solely for the benefit of the
parties to such agreement and the third-party beneficiaries named
therein, if any, including, in some cases, for the purpose of
allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should
not be deemed to be a representation, warranty, or covenant to you.
Moreover, such representations, warranties, or covenants were
accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such
representations, warranties, and covenants should not be relied on
as accurately representing the current state of our
affairs.
i
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a “shelf” registration statement on Form
S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or
SEC. Under the shelf registration process, we may, from time to
time, offer and sell BUCs, preferred units representing limited
partnership interests, or debt securities, in one or more
offerings, with a maximum aggregate offering price of $300,000,000,
as described in this prospectus.
This prospectus provides you with a general description of us and
the securities offered under this prospectus. Each time we sell
securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus
supplement that will contain specific information about the terms
of that offering and the securities being offered. The prospectus
supplement also may add to, update, or change the information
contained in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between
the information contained in this prospectus and any information
incorporated by reference in this prospectus, on the one hand, and
the information contained in any applicable prospectus supplement
or incorporated by reference therein, on the other hand, you should
rely on the information in the applicable prospectus supplement or
incorporated by reference in the prospectus supplement. This
prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the
registration statement. The registration statement filed with the
SEC includes exhibits that provide more details about the matters
discussed in this prospectus. You should read carefully this
prospectus, any prospectus supplement, and the additional
information described below under the heading “Where
You Can Find More Information.”
Wherever references are made in this prospectus to information that
will be included in a prospectus supplement, to the extent
permitted by applicable law, rules, or regulations, we may instead
include such information or add, update, or change the information
contained in this prospectus by means of a post-effective amendment
to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part,
through filings we make with the SEC that are incorporated by
reference into this prospectus or by any other method as may then
be permitted under applicable law, rules, or
regulations.
Statements made in this prospectus, in any prospectus supplement or
in any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any
prospectus supplement as to the contents of any contract or other
document are not necessarily complete. In each instance we refer
you to the copy of the contract or other document filed as an
exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a
part, or as an exhibit to the documents incorporated by reference.
You may obtain copies of those documents as described in this
prospectus under “Where
You Can Find More Information.”
Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any sale made hereunder
implies that there has been no change in our affairs or that the
information in this prospectus is correct as of any date after the
date of this prospectus. You should not assume that the information
in this prospectus, including any information incorporated in this
prospectus by reference, an accompanying prospectus supplement, or
any “free writing prospectus” we may authorize to be delivered to
you, is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front
cover of each of those documents. Our business, financial
condition, results of operations, and prospects may have changed
since that date.
Throughout this prospectus, when we use the terms “we,” “us,” or
the “Partnership,” we are referring to America First Multifamily
Investors, L.P., which, from and after December 5, 2022, will be
named Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP. References in this
prospectus to our “General Partner” refer to America First Capital
Associates Limited Partnership Two, whose general partner is
Greystone AF Manager, LLC (“Greystone Manager”). References in this
prospectus to “Existing Preferred Units” refer collectively to our
Series A Preferred Units, Series A-1 Preferred Units, and Series B
Preferred Units. In addition, references in this prospectus to
“Units” refer collectively to our BUCs, the Existing Preferred
Units, and any additional series of preferred units that may be
authorized after the date hereof, and references to our
“Unitholders” refer collectively to the holders of our BUCs, the
Existing Preferred Units, and any such additional series of
preferred units.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains or incorporates by reference certain
forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of
historical facts contained in this prospectus, including statements
regarding our future results of operations and financial position,
business strategy, and plans and objectives of management for
future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used,
statements which are not historical in nature, including those
containing words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “should,”
“expect,” “believe,” “intend,” and similar expressions, are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based
forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and
projections about future events and financial trends that we
believe may affect our business, financial condition, and results
of operations. This prospectus also contains estimates and other
statistical data made by independent parties and by us relating to
market size and growth and other industry data. This data involves
several assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to
give undue weight to such estimates. We have not independently
verified the statistical and other industry data generated by
independent parties which are contained in this prospectus and,
accordingly, we cannot guarantee their accuracy or
completeness.
These forward-looking statements are subject, but not limited, to
various risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those
relating to:
•
defaults on the mortgage loans securing our mortgage revenue bonds
(“MRBs”) and governmental issuer loans (“GILs”);
•
the competitive environment in which we operate;
•
risks associated with investing in multifamily, student, senior
citizen residential properties, and commercial
properties;
•
general economic, geopolitical, and financial conditions, including
the current and future impact of changing interest rates,
inflation, international conflicts, and the COVID-19 pandemic on
business operations, employment, and financial
conditions;
•
uncertain conditions within the domestic and international
macroeconomic environment, including monetary and fiscal policy and
conditions in the investment, credit, interest rate, and
derivatives markets;
•
adverse reactions in U.S. financial markets related to actions of
foreign central banks or the economic performance of foreign
economies, including in particular China, Japan, the European
Union, and the United Kingdom;
•
the general condition of the real estate markets in the regions in
which we operate, which may be unfavorably impacted by increases in
mortgage interest rates, slowing economic growth, persistent
elevated inflation levels, and other factors;
•
changes in interest rates and credit spreads, as well as the
success of any hedging strategies we may undertake in relation to
such changes, and the effect such changes may have on the relative
spreads between the yield on our investments and our cost of
financing;
•
persistent inflationary trends, spurred by multiple factors
including expansionary monetary and fiscal policy, high commodity
prices, a tight labor market, and low residential vacancy rates,
which may result in further interest rate increases and lead to
increased market volatility;
•
our ability to access debt and equity capital to finance our
assets;
•
current maturities of our financing arrangements and our ability to
renew or refinance such financing arrangements;
•
the potential exercise of redemption rights by the holders of our
Series A Preferred Units;
•
local, regional, national, and international economic and credit
market conditions;
•
recapture of previously issued Low Income Housing Tax Credits
(“LIHTCs”) in accordance with Section 42 of the Internal Revenue
Code;
2
•
geographic concentration of properties related to our investments;
and
•
changes in the U.S. corporate tax code and other government
regulations affecting our business.
Other risks, uncertainties, and factors, including those discussed
in any supplement to this prospectus or in the reports that we file
from time to time with the SEC (such as our Forms 10-K and 10-Q)
could cause our actual results to differ materially from those
projected in any forward-looking statements we make. We are not
obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events,
or otherwise. In addition, projections, assumptions, and estimates
of our future performance and the future performance of the
industries in which we operate are necessarily subject to a high
degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors,
including those described under the heading “Risk
Factors”
in this prospectus and those described in our Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30,
2022.
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ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP
Our Business
The Partnership was formed in 1998 under the Delaware Revised
Uniform Limited Partnership Act (“Delaware LP Act”) for the primary
purpose of acquiring a portfolio of mortgage revenue bonds (“MRBs”)
that are issued by state and local housing authorities to provide
construction and/or permanent financing for affordable multifamily
housing, seniors housing and commercial properties. We also invest
in governmental issuer loans (“GILs”), which are similar to MRBs,
to provide construction financing for affordable multifamily
properties. We expect and believe the interest received on our MRBs
and GILs is excludable from gross income for federal income tax
purposes. The Partnership may also invest in other types of
securities that may or may not be secured by real estate and may
make property loans to multifamily properties which may or may not
be financed by MRBs or GILs held by the Partnership, to the extent
permitted under the terms of the Partnership’s First Amended and
Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership dated September 15, 2015,
as further amended (the “Partnership Agreement”). In addition, we
may acquire interests in multifamily, student, and senior citizen
residential properties (“MF Properties”).
We also make noncontrolling equity investments in unconsolidated
entities for the construction, stabilization, and ultimate sale of
market-rate multifamily properties. We are entitled to
distributions if, and when, cash is available for distribution
either through operations, a refinance or a sale of the
property.
Our general partner is America First Capital Associates Limited
Partnership Two (“AFCA 2” or the “General Partner”). The general
partner of AFCA 2 is Greystone AF Manager LLC (“Greystone
Manager”), which is an affiliate of Greystone & Co. II LLC
(collectively with its affiliates, “Greystone”). Greystone is a
real estate lending, investment, and advisory company with an
established reputation as a leader in multifamily and healthcare
finance, having ranked as a top Federal Housing Administration
(“FHA”), Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), and
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) lender in
these sectors.
We are a partnership for federal income tax purposes. This means
that we do not pay federal income taxes on our income. Instead, all
of our profits and losses are allocated to our partners, including
the holders of BUCs, under the terms of our Partnership Agreement.
See “Material
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations”
beginning on page
34.
Our initial limited partner, which has the obligation to perform
certain actions on behalf of the BUC holders under the Partnership
Agreement, is Greystone ILP, Inc., a Delaware corporation. The BUCs
represent assignments by the initial limited partner of its rights
and obligations as a limited partner to outside third party
investors.
The Partnership has been in operation since 1998 and will continue
in existence until dissolved in accordance with the terms of the
Partnership Agreement. Our principal executive office is located at
14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 211, Omaha, NE, 68154, and our telephone
number is (402) 952-1235.
We maintain a website at www.ataxfund.com, where certain
information about us is available. Effective December 5, 2022, our
website address will be ghiinvestors.com. The information found on,
or accessible through, our website is not incorporated into, and
does not form a part of, this prospectus or any other report or
document we file with or furnish to the SEC.
For additional information about our business, properties, and
financial condition, please refer to the documents cited in
“Where
You Can Find More Information.”
Recent Developments
On November 4, 2022, the Board of Managers (the “Board of Managers”
or “Board”) of Greystone Manager approved the transfer of the
listing of the Partnership’s BUCs from the Nasdaq Stock Market
(“NASDAQ”) to the NYSE. On November 22, 2022, we announced the BUCs
were approved for listing on the
4
NYSE. Effective upon the opening of trading on December 5, 2022,
our BUCs will trade on the NYSE under the symbol “GHI.” In
connection with the foregoing, the Board approved a change in the
name of the Partnership, and from and after December 5, 2022, our
name will be Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP.
Business Objectives and Strategy
Investment Strategy
Our primary business objective is to manage our portfolio of
investments to achieve the following:
•
Generate attractive, risk-adjusted total returns for our
Unitholders;
•
Create streams of recurring income to support regular cash
distributions to Unitholders;
•
Pass through tax-advantaged income to Unitholders;
•
Generate income from capital gains on asset
dispositions;
•
Use leverage effectively to increase returns on debt investments;
and
•
Preserve and protect Partnership assets.
We are pursuing a business strategy of acquiring additional MRBs,
GILs and other investments, as permitted by the Partnership
Agreement, on a leveraged basis to achieve our business objectives.
In allocating our capital and executing our strategy, we seek to
balance the risks of owning specific investments with the earnings
opportunity on the investments.
We believe there continues to be significant unmet demand for
affordable multifamily and senior citizen residential housing in
the United States. Government programs that provide direct rental
support to residents have not kept up with demand. Therefore,
investment programs such as those pursued by the Partnership, which
promote private sector development and support for affordable
housing through MRBs, GILs, tax credits and grant funding to
developers, have become more prominent. The types of MRBs and GILs
in which we invest offer developers of affordable housing a
low-cost source of construction and/or permanent debt financing. We
plan to continue to invest in additional MRBs and GILs issued to
finance affordable multifamily and senior residential rental
housing properties.
We continue to evaluate opportunities for MRB investments to fund
senior citizen housing projects or skilled nursing facilities
issued as private activity or 501(c)(3) bonds similar in legal
structure to those issued for traditional affordable multifamily
housing projects. We will continue to leverage the expertise of
Greystone and other reputable third parties in evaluating
independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled
nursing properties prior to our MRB acquisitions. During 2021, we
acquired our first senior citizen housing MRB, Meadow Valley, that
will finance the construction and stabilization of a combined
independent living, assisted living and memory care facility in
Traverse City, MI.
We continually assess opportunities to expand and/or reposition our
existing portfolio of MRBs and GILs. Our principal objective is to
improve the quality and performance of our portfolio of MRBs and
GILs and, ultimately, increase the amount of cash available for
distribution to our Unitholders. In certain circumstances, we may
allow the borrowers of our MRBs to redeem the MRBs prior to the
final maturity date. Such MRB redemptions will usually require a
sale or refinancing of the underlying property. We may also elect
to sell MRBs that have experienced significant appreciation in
value. In other cases, we may elect to sell MRBs on properties that
are in stagnant or declining real estate markets. The proceeds
received from these transactions will be redeployed into other
investments consistent with our investment objectives. We
anticipate holding our GILs until maturity as the terms are
typically for two to four years and have defined forward purchase
commitments from Freddie Mac, acting through a servicer.
5
We will also continue to make strategic equity investments in
market-rate multifamily residential properties (“JV Equity
Investments”) through noncontrolling membership interests in
unconsolidated entities. We believe such equity investments
diversify our investment portfolio while also providing attractive
risk-adjusted returns for our Unitholders.
Financing Strategy
We finance our assets with what we believe to be a prudent amount
of leverage, the level of which varies from time to time based upon
the characteristics of our portfolio, availability of financing,
and market conditions. This leverage strategy allows us to generate
enhanced returns and lowers our net capital investment, allowing us
to make additional investments. We currently obtain leverage on our
investments and assets through:
•
Advances on our secured line of credit facilities (“LOCs”) with
BankUnited, N.A. and Bankers Trust Company;
•
Tax-Exempt Bond Securitization (“TEBS”) programs with Freddie
Mac;
•
Tender Option Bond (“TOB”) Trust securitizations with Mizuho
Capital Markets (“Mizuho”) and Barclays Bank PLC
(“Barclays”);
•
A Term TOB Trust securitization with Morgan Stanley;
•
Secured notes (“Secured Notes”) issued to Mizuho; and
•
Mortgages payable associated with our MF Properties.
We may utilize other types of secured or unsecured borrowings in
the future, including more complex financing structures and
diversification of our leverage sources and
counterparties.
We refer to our TEBS, TOB Trust, and Term TOB Trust securitizations
and our Secured Notes as our debt financings. The TEBS, TOB Trust
and Term TOB Trust securitizations are consolidated variable
interest entities (“VIEs”) for financial reporting purposes. These
arrangements are structured such that we transfer our assets to an
entity, such as a trust or special purpose entity, which then
issues senior and residual beneficial interests. The senior
beneficial interests are sold to third-party investors in exchange
for debt proceeds. We retain the residual beneficial interest which
entitles us to certain rights to the securitized assets and to
residual cash proceeds. We generally structure our debt financings
such that principal, interest, and any trust expenses are payable
from the cash flows of the secured assets and we are generally
entitled to all residual cash flows for our general use. As the
residual interest holder, we may be required to make certain
payments or contribute certain assets to the VIEs if certain events
occur. Such events include, but are not limited to, a downgrade in
the investment rating of the senior securities issued by the VIEs,
a ratings downgrade of the liquidity provider for the VIEs,
increases in short term interest rates beyond pre-set maximums, an
inability to re-market the senior securities or an inability to
obtain liquidity support for the senior securities. If such an
event occurs in an individual VIE, we may be required to deleverage
the VIE by repurchasing some or all of the senior securities.
Otherwise, the underlying collateral will be sold and, if the
proceeds are not sufficient to pay the principal amount of the
senior securities plus accrued interest and other trust expenses,
the Partnership will be required to fund any such shortfall. If we
do not fund the shortfall, the default and liquidation provisions
will be invoked against us. For each TEBS securitization, our
shortfall funding is limited to the stated amount of our residual
interest.
The TOB Trusts with Mizuho and Barclays are subject to covenants
and requirements under the respective master agreements, primarily
related to maintenance of certain levels of partners’ capital,
maximum leverage, and the continued listing of our BUCs on a
national securities exchange. The TOB Trusts are also subject to
margin collateral requirements. We may also be required to post
collateral, typically in cash, related to the TOB Trusts with
Mizuho and Barclays. The amount of collateral posting required is
dependent on the aggregate valuation of the
6
underlying MRBs, taxable MRBs, GILs, taxable GILs and property
loans in relation to thresholds set by Mizuho and
Barclays.
The willingness of leverage providers to extend financing is
dependent on various factors such as their underwriting standards,
regulatory requirements, available lending capacity, and existing
credit exposure to the Partnership. An inability to access debt
financing at an acceptable cost may result in adverse effects on
our financial condition and results of operations. There can be no
assurance that we will be able to finance additional acquisitions
of MRBs, GILs or other investments through additional debt
financings. Although the consequences of market and economic
conditions and their impact on our ability to pursue our plan to
grow through investments in additional MRBs and GILs are not fully
known, we do not anticipate that our existing assets will be
adversely affected in the long-term.
We set target constraints for each type of financing utilized by
us. Those constraints are dependent upon several factors, including
the assets being leveraged, the tenor of the leverage program,
whether the financing is subject to margin or collateral calls, and
the liquidity and marketability of the financed collateral. We use
target constraints for each type of financing to manage to an
overall maximum 75% leverage level (the “Leverage Ratio”), as
established by the Board of Managers of Greystone Manager. The
Board of Managers of Greystone Manager retains the right to change
the maximum Leverage Ratio in the future based on the consideration
of factors the Board of Managers considers relevant. We calculate
our Leverage Ratio as total outstanding debt divided by total
assets using cost adjusted for paydowns for MRBs, GILs, property
loans, taxable MRBs and taxable GILs, and initial cost for deferred
financing costs and real estate assets. As of September 30, 2022,
our overall Leverage Ratio was approximately 70%.
We actively manage both our fixed and variable rate debt financings
and our exposure to changes in market interest rates. Certain
leverage sources, such as our TOB Trusts, Secured Notes and one
TEBS financing, currently bear interest at variable rates. We may
enter into derivative instruments in connection with our risk
management activities to protect against rising interest rates,
which may include interest rate caps, interest rate swaps, total
return swaps, swaptions, futures, options or other available
hedging instruments. When possible, we will obtain variable-rate
debt financing for our variable-rate investment assets such that we
are at least partially hedged against rising interest rates without
the need for separate derivative instruments.
In addition to leverage, we may obtain additional capital through
the issuance of one or more additional series of preferred units
and/or BUCs. We may issue additional series of preferred equity in
private placements or public offerings which are registered with
the SEC.
Reportable Segments
As of September 30, 2022, we have four reportable segments: (1)
Affordable Multifamily MRB Investments, (2) Seniors and Skilled
Nursing MRB Investments, (3) Market-Rate Joint Venture Investments,
and (4) MF Properties. The Partnership separately reports its
consolidation and elimination information because it does not
allocate certain items to the segments.
Investment Types
Mortgage Revenue Bonds (“MRBs”)
We invest in MRBs that are issued by state and local governments,
their agencies, and authorities to finance the construction or
acquisition and rehabilitation of income-producing multifamily
rental properties. An MRB does not constitute an obligation of any
state or local government, agency or authority and no state or
local government, agency or authority is liable on them, nor is the
taxing power of any state or local government pledged to the
payment of principal or interest on an MRB. An MRB is a
non-recourse obligation of the property owner. Each MRB is
collateralized by a mortgage on all real and personal property of
the secured property. The sole source of the funds to pay principal
and interest on an MRB is the net cash flow or the sale or
refinancing proceeds from the secured property. We may commit to
provide funding for MRBs on a draw-down basis during construction
and/or rehabilitation of the secured property.
7
We expect and believe that the interest received on our MRBs is
excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes. We
primarily invest in MRBs that are senior obligations of the secured
properties, though we may also invest in subordinate MRBs. The MRBs
predominantly bear interest at fixed interest rates and require
regular principal and interest payments on either a monthly or
semi-annual basis. The majority of our MRBs have initial
contractual terms of 15 years or more. MRBs may have optional call
dates that may be exercised by the borrower or the Partnership that
are earlier than the contractual maturity at either par or premiums
to par.
As of September 30, 2022, we own 74 MRBs with an aggregate
outstanding principal amount of approximately $688 million. Our
MRBs are owned either directly by the Partnership or by
consolidated variable interest entities (“VIEs”) associated with
our debt financing facilities. Our 74 MRBs are secured by 65
multifamily residential properties containing a total of 10,491
rental units located in 13 states in the United States. One MRB is
secured by a mortgage on the ground, facilities, and equipment of a
to-be-constructed seniors housing property in Michigan.
The four types of MRBs which we may acquire as investments are as
follows:
•
Private activity bonds issued under Section 142(d) of the Internal
Revenue Code (“IRC”);
•
Bonds issued under Section 145 of the IRC on behalf of
not-for-profit entities qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the
IRC;
•
Essential function bonds issued by a public instrumentality to
finance a multifamily residential property owned by such
instrumentality; and
•
Existing “80/20 bonds” that were issued under Section 103(b)(4)(A)
of the IRC.
Each of these structures permit the issuance of MRBs under the IRC
to finance the construction or acquisition and rehabilitation of
affordable rental housing or other not-for-profit commercial
property. Under applicable Treasury Regulations, any affordable
multifamily residential project financed with tax-exempt MRBs
(other than essential function bonds as described in the third
bullet above) must set aside a percentage of its total rental units
for occupancy by tenants whose incomes do not exceed stated
percentages of the median income in the local area. Those rental
units of the multifamily residential project not subject to tenant
income restrictions may be rented at market rates (unless there are
restrictions otherwise imposed by the bond issuer or a governmental
entity). With respect to private activity bonds issued under
Section 142(d) of the IRC, the owner of the multifamily residential
project may elect, at the time the MRBs are issued, whether to set
aside a minimum of 20% of the units for tenants making less than
50% of area median income (as adjusted for household size) or 40%
of the units for tenants making less than 60% of the area median
income (as adjusted for household size). State and local housing
authorities may require additional tenant income or rent
restrictions more restrictive than those required by Treasury
Regulations. There are no Treasury Regulations related to MRBs that
are secured by a commercial property owned by a non-profit
sponsor.
The borrowers associated with our MRBs are either syndicated
partnerships formed to receive allocations of LIHTCs or
not-for-profit entities. LIHTC eligible projects are attractive to
developers of affordable housing because it helps them raise equity
and debt financing. Under the LIHTC program, developers that
receive an allocation of private activity bonds will also receive
an allocation of federal LIHTCs as a method to encourage the
development of affordable multifamily housing. We do not invest in
LIHTCs but are attracted to MRBs that are issued in association
with federal LIHTC allocations because they bear interest that we
expect and believe is exempt from federal income taxes. To be
eligible for federal LIHTCs, a property must either be newly
constructed or substantially rehabilitated, and therefore, may be
less likely to become functionally obsolete in the near term as
compared to an older property. There are various requirements to be
eligible for federal LIHTCs, including rent and tenant income
restrictions, which vary by property. Our borrowers that are owned
by not-for-profit entities typically have missions to provide
affordable multifamily rental units to underserved populations in
their market areas. The affordable housing properties securing
501(c)(3) bonds also must comply with the IRS safe harbors for
tenant incomes and rents.
8
Governmental Issuer Loans (“GILs”)
We invest in GILs that are issued by state or local governmental
authorities to finance the construction of affordable multifamily
properties. A GIL does not constitute an obligation of any state or
local government, agency or authority and no state or local
government, agency or authority is liable for them, nor is the
taxing power of any state or local government pledged to the
payment of principal or interest on a GIL. Each GIL is secured by a
mortgage on all real and personal property of the secured property.
The GILs may share first mortgage lien positions with taxable
property loans and/or taxable GILs also owned by the Partnership.
Sources of the funds to pay principal and interest on a GIL consist
of the net cash flow or the sale or refinancing proceeds from the
secured property and limited-to-full payment guarantees provided by
affiliates of the GIL’s borrower. We may commit to provide funding
for GILs on a draw-down basis during construction of the secured
properties.
We expect and believe the interest received on our GILs is
excludable from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The
GILs are senior obligations of the secured properties and bear
interest at variable interest rates. The GILs have initial terms of
two to four years, though the borrower may prepay all amounts due
at any time without penalty. At the closing of each GIL, Freddie
Mac, through a servicer, has forward committed to purchase the GIL
at maturity at par if the property has reached stabilization and
other conditions are met. As of September 30, 2022, an affiliate of
Greystone, Greystone Servicing Company LLC, has provided a forward
commitment to purchase 11 of the Partnership’s GILs. Greystone
Servicing Company LLC will then immediately sell the GILs to
Freddie Mac pursuant to a financing commitment between Greystone
Servicing Company LLC and Freddie Mac.
As of September 30, 2022, we own 13 GILs with an aggregate
outstanding principal amount of approximately $281 million. Our
GILs are owned by our consolidated VIEs associated with our debt
financing facilities. Such GILs are related to 13 affordable
multifamily properties containing a total of 2,419 rental units
located in six states in the United States.
The GILs have been issued under Section 142(d) of the IRC and are
subject to the same set aside and tenant income restrictions noted
in the “Mortgage Revenue Bonds” description above. The borrowers
associated with our GILs are syndicated partnerships formed to
receive allocations of LIHTCs.
Investments in Unconsolidated Entities
We invest in membership interests in unconsolidated entities, also
referred to as JV Equity Investments, for the construction of
market-rate multifamily real estate properties. We do not have
controlling interests in the JV Equity Investments and account for
the membership interests using the equity method of accounting. Our
joint venture equity investments are passive in nature. Operational
oversight of each property is controlled by our joint venture
partner according to the property’s operating agreement. All
projects are managed by a property management company affiliated
with our joint venture partner. Decisions on when to sell an
individual property are made by our joint venture partner based on
its view of the local market conditions and current leasing
trends.
An affiliate of our joint venture partner provides a guarantee of
our preferred return on our equity investment through a date
approximately five years after commencement of construction. We
account for our joint venture equity investments using the equity
method and recognize our preferred return during the hold period.
Upon the sale of a property, we will recognize any previously
unrecognized preferred return and a gain on sale based on sales
proceeds distributed to us. Historically, the majority of our
income from our joint venture equity investments is recognized at
the time of sale. As a result, we may experience significant income
recognition in those quarters when a property is sold and our
equity investment is redeemed. As of September 30, 2022, we owned
membership interests in ten JV Equity Investments located in three
states in the United States. Seven of the ten JV Equity Investments
are located in Texas. One JV Equity Investment in San Marcos, Texas
is reported as a consolidated VIE.
MF Properties
We have and may acquire controlling interests in multifamily,
student or senior citizen residential properties. We plan to
operate the MF Properties in order to position ourselves for a
future investment in MRBs
9
issued to finance the acquisition and/or rehabilitation of the
properties by new owners or until the opportunity arises to sell
the MF Properties at what we believe is their optimal fair
value.
As of September 30, 2022, we owned two MF Properties containing a
total of 859 rental units located in Nebraska and
California.
Property Loans
We have made and may make in the future, property loans to finance
capital improvements, otherwise support property operations, or
fund the construction of properties securing our MRBs and GILs or
other property. We may also make taxable property loans that are
unsecured.
General Investment Matters
Our investments in unconsolidated entities and MF Properties are
considered “Other Investments” under the terms of our Partnership
Agreement. Property loans to properties not securing our MRBs and
GILs are also considered Other Investments. We may invest in other
types of securities and investments that may or may not be secured
by real estate that are also considered Other Investments. We may
also invest in “Tax Exempt Investments,” other than our MRBs and
GILs, such as the PHC Certificates, under the terms of our
Partnership Agreement. Such Tax Exempt Investments must be rated in
one of the four highest rating categories by at least one
nationally recognized securities rating agency. Under the terms of
the Partnership Agreement, the aggregate value of our Other
Investments and Tax-Exempt Investments cannot exceed 25% of our
assets at the time of acquisition.
We rely on an exemption from registration under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, which has certain restrictions on the types
and amounts of securities owned by the Partnership.
Cash Distributions
We currently make quarterly cash distributions to our BUC holders.
The Partnership Agreement allows the General Partner to elect to
make cash distributions on a more or less frequent basis, provided
that distributions are made at least semi-annually. Regardless of
the distribution period selected, cash distributions to BUC holders
must be made within 60 days of the end of each such period. The
amount of any cash distribution is determined by the General
Partner and depends on the amount of interest received on our MRBs,
GILs and other investments, our financing costs which are affected
by the interest rates we pay on our debt financing, the amount of
cash held in our reserves, and other factors that the General
Partner considers relevant.
The holders of our Series A Preferred Units are entitled to
receive, when, as, and if declared by the General Partner out of
funds legally available for the payment of distributions,
non-cumulative cash distributions at the rate of 3.00% per annum of
the $10.00 per unit purchase price of the Series A Preferred Units,
payable quarterly. The Series A Preferred Units rank senior to our
BUCs and our Series B Preferred Units, and rank on parity with our
Series A-1 Preferred Units, with respect to the payment of
distributions and to any other class or series of Partnership
interests or securities expressly designated as ranking junior to
the Series A Preferred Units, and junior to any other class or
series of Partnership interests or securities expressly designated
as ranking senior to the Series A Preferred Units. Distributions
declared on the Series A Preferred Units are payable quarterly in
arrears.
The holders of our Series A-1 Preferred Units will be entitled to
receive, when, as, and if declared by the General Partner out of
funds legally available for the payment of distributions,
non-cumulative cash distributions at the rate of 3.00% per annum of
the $10.00 per unit purchase price of the Series A-1 Preferred
Units, payable quarterly. The Series A-1 Preferred Units rank
senior to our BUCs and our Series B Preferred Units, and rank on
parity with our Series A Preferred Units, with respect to the
payment of distributions and to any other class or series of
Partnership interests or securities expressly designated as ranking
junior to the Series A-1 Preferred Units, and junior to any other
class or series of Partnership interests or securities expressly
designated as ranking senior to the Series A-1 Preferred Units.
Distributions declared on the Series A-1 Preferred Units will be
payable quarterly in arrears.
10
RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves risks. Additionally,
limited partner interests are inherently different from the capital
stock of a corporation, although many of the business risks to
which we are subject are similar to those that would be faced by a
corporation engaged in similar businesses. You should carefully
consider the risk factors and all of the other information included
in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus or any
prospectus supplement, including those included in our most recent
Annual Report on Form 10-K and, if applicable, in our Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, in evaluating
an investment in our securities. If any of these risks were to
occur, our business, financial condition, or results of operations
could be adversely affected. Any adverse effect on our business,
financial condition, or operating results could result in a decline
in the value of our securities and the loss of all or part of your
investment. When we offer and sell any securities pursuant to a
prospectus supplement, we may include additional risk factors
relevant to such securities in the prospectus supplement. Also,
please read “Cautionary
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
USE OF PROCEEDS
Unless we inform you otherwise in a supplement to this prospectus,
we intend to use the net proceeds to us from the sale of any
particular offering of securities covered by this prospectus to
acquire additional MRBs, GILs, and other investments meeting our
investment criteria. Any remaining net proceeds will be used for
general business purposes, potentially including reduction in our
indebtedness. Any specific allocation of the net proceeds of an
offering of securities to a purpose will be determined at the time
of the offering and will be described in a prospectus
supplement.
THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
General
The rights and obligations of our Unitholders and the General
Partner are set forth in the Partnership Agreement. The following
is a summary of the material provisions of the Partnership
Agreement. This summary does not purport to be complete and is
subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the terms of the
Partnership Agreement, which is incorporated by reference into the
registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We
will provide prospective investors with a copy of the Partnership
Agreement upon request at no charge.
Organization and Duration
The Partnership was organized in 1998 and has a perpetual
existence.
Purpose
The purpose of the Partnership under the Partnership Agreement is
to engage directly in, or enter into or form, hold, and dispose of
any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability
company, or other arrangement to engage indirectly in, any business
activity that is approved by the General Partner and that lawfully
may be conducted by a limited partnership organized under the
Delaware LP Act, and do anything necessary or appropriate to the
foregoing. In this regard, the purpose of the Partnership includes,
without limitation, the acquisition, holding, selling, and
otherwise dealing with MRBs and other instruments backed by
multifamily residential properties, and other investments as
determined by the General Partner.
Management
Management by General Partner
Under the terms of the Partnership Agreement, the General Partner
has full, complete, and exclusive authority to manage and control
the business affairs of the Partnership. Such authority
specifically includes, but is not limited to, the power to (i)
acquire, hold, refund, reissue, remarket, securitize, transfer,
foreclose upon, sell or otherwise deal with the investments of the
Partnership, (ii) issue additional Units and other Partnership
securities, borrow money, and issue evidences of indebtedness,
(iii) apply the proceeds from the sale or the issuance
of
11
additional Units or other Partnership securities to the acquisition
of additional MRBs (and associated taxable mortgages) and other
types of investments meeting the Partnership’s investment criteria,
(iv) issue options, warrants, rights, and other equity instruments
relating to Units under employee benefit plans and executive
compensation plans maintained or sponsored by the Partnership and
its affiliates, (v) issue Partnership securities in one or more
classes or series with such designations, preferences, rights,
powers, and duties, which may be senior to existing classes and
series of Partnership securities, including BUCs, and (vi) engage
in spin-offs and other similar transactions, and otherwise transfer
or dispose of Partnership assets pursuant to such transactions. The
Partnership Agreement provides that the General Partner and its
affiliates may and shall have the right to provide goods and
services to the Partnership subject to certain conditions. The
Partnership Agreement also imposes certain limitations on the
authority of the General Partner, including restrictions on the
ability of the General Partner to dissolve the Partnership without
the consent of a majority in interest of the limited
partners.
Other than certain limited voting rights discussed under
“–
Voting Rights of Unitholders,”
the BUC holders do not have any authority to transact business for,
or participate in the management of, the Partnership. The only
recourse available to BUC holders in the event that the General
Partner takes actions with respect to the business of the
Partnership with which BUC holders do not agree is to vote to
remove the General Partner and admit a substitute general partner.
See “–
Withdrawal or Removal of the General Partner”
below. Holders of the Existing Preferred Units have no voting
rights, except for limited voting rights discussed below under
“–
Voting Rights of Unitholders.”
Change of Management Provisions
The Partnership Agreement contains provisions that are intended to
discourage any person or group from attempting to remove the
General Partner or otherwise changing the Partnership’s management,
and thereby achieve a takeover of the Partnership, without first
negotiating such acquisition with the Board of Managers of
Greystone. In this regard, the Partnership Agreement provides that
if any person or group (other than the General Partner and its
affiliates) acquires beneficial ownership of 20% or more of any
class of Partnership securities (including BUCs), that person or
group loses voting rights with respect to all of his, her, or its
securities and such securities will not be considered “outstanding”
for voting or notice purposes, except as required by law. This loss
of voting rights will not apply to any person or group that
acquires the securities from the General Partner or its affiliates
and any transferees of that person or group approved by the General
Partner, or to any person or group who acquires the securities with
the prior approval of the Board of Managers of
Greystone.
In addition, the Partnership Agreement provides that, under
circumstances where the General Partner withdraws without violating
the Partnership Agreement or is removed by the BUC holders without
cause, the departing General Partner will have the option to
require the successor general partner to purchase the general
partner interest of the departing General Partner and its general
partner distribution rights for their fair market value. See
“–
Withdrawal or Removal of the General Partner”
below.
Issuance of Partnership Securities
General
As of the date of this prospectus, other than the interest of the
General Partner in the Partnership, our only outstanding
Partnership securities are the BUCs, the Series A Preferred Units,
and the Series A-1 Preferred Units representing limited partnership
interests in the Partnership. The Partnership Agreement provides
that the General Partner may cause the Partnership to issue
additional Units from time to time on such terms and conditions as
it shall determine. In addition, subject to certain approval rights
of the holders of our Existing Preferred Units for issuances
adversely affecting the Existing Preferred Units, the Partnership
Agreement authorizes the General Partner to issue additional
limited partnership interests and other Partnership securities in
one or more classes or series with such designations, preferences,
rights, powers, and duties, which may be senior to existing classes
and series of Partnership securities, including BUCs, as determined
by the General Partner without the approval of
Unitholders.
It is possible that we will fund acquisitions of our investments
and other business operations through the issuance of additional
BUCs, preferred units, or other equity securities. The holders of
Units do not have a preemptive right to acquire additional BUCs,
preferred units, or other Partnership securities. All limited
partnership
12
interests issued pursuant to and in accordance with the Partnership
Agreement are considered fully paid and non-assessable limited
partnership interests in the Partnership.
BUCs
Our BUCs are beneficial unit certificates that represent
assignments by the initial limited partner of its entire limited
partner interest in the Partnership. Although BUC holders will not
be limited partners of the Partnership and have no right to be
admitted as limited partners, they will be bound by the terms of
the Partnership Agreement and will be entitled to the same economic
benefits, including the same share of income, gains, losses,
deductions, credits, and cash distributions, as if they were
limited partners of the Partnership.
The BUCs are issued in registered form only and, except as noted
below, are freely transferable. Through the close of trading on
December 2, 2022, the BUCs were listed on the NASDAQ Global Select
Market under the symbol “ATAX.” On November 22, 2022, we announced
the BUCs were approved for listing on the NYSE, and effective upon
the opening of trading on December 5, 2022, the BUCs will trade on
the NYSE under the symbol “GHI.” In connection with the listing of
the BUCs on the NYSE, from and after December 5, 2022, our name
will be Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP.
A purchaser of BUCs will be recognized as a BUC holder for all
purposes on the books and records of the Partnership on the day on
which the General Partner (or other transfer agent appointed by the
General Partner) receives satisfactory evidence of the transfer of
the BUCs. All BUC holder rights, including voting rights, rights to
receive distributions, and rights to receive reports, and all
allocations in respect of BUC holders, including allocations of
income and expenses, will vest in, and be allocable to, BUC holders
as of the close of business on such day. American Stock Transfer
& Trust Company, LLC, of New York, New York has been appointed
by the General Partner to act as the registrar and transfer agent
for the BUCs.
In addition, the Partnership Agreement grants the General Partner
the authority to take such action as it deems necessary or
appropriate, including action with respect to the manner in which
BUCs are being or may be transferred or traded, in order to
preserve the status of the Partnership as a partnership for federal
income tax purposes or to ensure that limited partners (including
BUC holders) will be treated as limited partners for federal income
tax purposes.
Series A Preferred Units
Holders of the Series A Preferred Units are entitled to receive,
when, as, and if declared by the General Partner out of funds
legally available for the payment of distributions, non-cumulative
cash distributions at the rate of 3.00% per annum of the $10.00 per
unit purchase price of the Series A Preferred Units, payable
quarterly. In the event of any liquidation, dissolution, or winding
up of the Partnership, the holders of the Series A Preferred Units
are entitled to a liquidation preference in connection with their
investments in an amount equal to $10.00 per Series A Preferred
Unit, plus an amount equal to all distributions declared and unpaid
thereon to the date of final distribution.
With respect to anticipated quarterly distributions and rights upon
liquidation, dissolution, or the winding-up of the Partnership’s
affairs, the Series A Preferred Units rank senior to the BUCs, the
Series B Preferred Units, and to any other class or series of
Partnership interests or securities expressly designated as ranking
junior to the Series A Preferred Units, on parity with the Series
A-1 Preferred Units, and junior to any other class or series of
Partnership interests or securities expressly designated as ranking
senior to the Series A Preferred Units. The Series A Preferred
Units have no stated maturity, are not subject to any sinking fund
requirements, and will remain outstanding indefinitely unless
repurchased or redeemed by the Partnership.
Upon the sixth anniversary of the closing of the sale of Series A
Preferred Units to a holder thereof, and upon each anniversary
thereafter, each holder of Series A Preferred Units will have the
right to redeem, in whole or in part, the Series A Preferred Units
held by such holder at a per unit redemption price equal to $10.00
per unit plus an amount equal to all declared and unpaid
distributions. In addition, for a period of 60 days after any date
on which the General Partner determines that the ratio of the
aggregate market value of the issued and outstanding BUCs as of the
close of business, New York time, on any date to the aggregate
value of the issued and outstanding Series A
13
Preferred Units and Series A-1 Preferred Units, as shown on the
Partnership’s financial statements, on that same date has fallen
below 1.0 and has remained below 1.0 for a period of 15 consecutive
business days, each holder of Series A Preferred Units will have
the right, but not the obligation, to cause the Partnership to
redeem, in whole or in part, the Series A Preferred Units held by
such holder at a per unit redemption price equal to $10.00 per unit
plus an amount equal to all declared and unpaid
distributions.
The Partnership does not intend in the future to issue any
additional units of the currently existing series of preferred
units designated as “Series A Preferred Units,” although the
Partnership may, in the future, create and issue units of one or
more new sub-series of Series A Preferred Units.
Holders of Series A Preferred Units have no voting rights except
for limited voting rights relating to issuances of Partnership
securities adversely affecting the Series A Preferred
Units.
Series A-1 Preferred Units
Holders of the Series A-1 Preferred Units will be entitled to
receive, when, as, and if declared by the General Partner out of
funds legally available for the payment of distributions,
non-cumulative cash distributions at the rate of 3.00% per annum of
the $10.00 per unit purchase price of the Series A-1 Preferred
Units, payable quarterly. In the event of any liquidation,
dissolution, or winding up of the Partnership, the holders of the
Series A-1 Preferred Units will be entitled to a liquidation
preference in connection with their investments in an amount equal
to $10.00 per Series A-1 Preferred Unit, plus an amount equal to
all distributions declared and unpaid thereon to the date of final
distribution.
With respect to anticipated quarterly distributions and rights upon
liquidation, dissolution, or the winding-up of the Partnership’s
affairs, the Series A-1 Preferred Units rank senior to the BUCs,
the Series B Preferred Units, and to any other class or series of
Partnership interests or securities expressly designated as ranking
junior to the Series A-1 Preferred Units, on parity with the Series
A Preferred Units, and junior to any other class or series of
Partnership interests or securities expressly designated as ranking
senior to the Series A-1 Preferred Units. The Series A-1 Preferred
Units have no stated maturity, are not subject to any sinking fund
requirements, and will remain outstanding indefinitely unless
repurchased or redeemed by the Partnership.
Upon the sixth anniversary of the closing of a holder’s purchase of
Series A-1 Preferred Units by a holder thereof, and upon each
anniversary thereafter, each holder of Series A-1 Preferred Units
will have the right to redeem, in whole or in part, the Series A-1
Preferred Units held by such holder at a per unit redemption price
equal to $10.00 per unit plus an amount equal to all declared and
unpaid distributions. In addition, for a period of 60 days after
any date on which the General Partner determines that the ratio of
the aggregate market value of the issued and outstanding BUCs as of
the close of business, New York time, on any date to the aggregate
value of the issued and outstanding Series A Preferred Units and
Series A-1 Preferred Units, as shown on the Partnership’s financial
statements, on that same date has fallen below 1.0 and has remained
below 1.0 for a period of 15 consecutive business days, each holder
of Series A-1 Preferred Units will have the right, but not the
obligation, to cause the Partnership to redeem, in whole or in
part, the Series A-1 Preferred Units held by such holder at a per
unit redemption price equal to $10.00 per unit plus an amount equal
to all declared and unpaid distributions.
No Series A-1 Preferred Units shall be issued by the Partnership if
the sum of the original Series A Preferred Units purchase price for
all issued and outstanding Series A Preferred Units, plus the
original Series A-1 Preferred Units purchase price for all issued
and outstanding Series A-1 Preferred Units, inclusive of the Series
A-1 Preferred Units intended to be issued by the Partnership to the
purchaser of Series A-1 Preferred Units, will exceed $150,000,000
on the date of issuance.
Holders of Series A-1 Preferred Units will have no voting rights
except for limited voting rights relating to issuances of
Partnership securities adversely affecting the Series A Preferred
Units.
Series B Preferred Units
Holders of the Series B Preferred Units will be entitled to
receive, when, as, and if declared by the General Partner out of
funds legally available for the payment of distributions,
non-cumulative cash distributions at the rate
14
of 3.40% per annum of the $10.00 per unit purchase price of the
Series B Preferred Units, payable quarterly. In the event of any
liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the Partnership, before
any payment or distribution of the assets of the Partnership shall
be made to or set apart for the holders of any other class or
series of limited partnership interest ranking junior to the Series
B Preferred Units, the holders of the Series B Preferred Units will
be entitled to a liquidation preference in connection with their
investments in an amount equal to $10.00 per Series B Preferred
Unit, plus an amount equal to all distributions declared and unpaid
thereon to the date of final distribution.
With respect to anticipated quarterly distributions and rights upon
liquidation, dissolution, or the winding-up of the Partnership’s
affairs, the Series B Preferred Units rank senior to the BUCs and
to any other class or series of Partnership interests or securities
that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the Series B
Preferred Units, and junior to our Series A Preferred Units, Series
A-1 Preferred Units, and any other class or series of Partnership
interests or securities expressly designated as ranking senior to
the Series B Preferred Units. The Series B Preferred Units have no
stated maturity, are not subject to any sinking fund requirements,
and will remain outstanding indefinitely unless repurchased or
redeemed by the Partnership.
Upon the eighth anniversary of the closing of a holder’s purchase
of Series B Preferred Units, and upon each anniversary thereafter,
each holder of Series B Preferred Units will have the right to
redeem, in whole or in part, the Series B Preferred Units held by
such holder at a per unit redemption price equal to $10.00 per unit
plus an amount equal to all declared and unpaid distributions. In
addition, for a period of 60 days after any date on which the
General Partner determines that the ratio of the aggregate market
value of the issued and outstanding BUCs as of the close of
business, New York time, on any date to the aggregate value of the
issued and outstanding Series A Preferred Units and Series A-1
Preferred Units, as shown on the Partnership’s financial
statements, on that same date has fallen below 1.0 and has remained
below 1.0 for a period of 15 consecutive business days, each holder
of Series B Preferred Units will have the right, but not the
obligation, to cause the Partnership to redeem, in whole or in
part, the Series B Preferred Units held by such holder at a per
unit redemption price equal to $10.00 per unit plus an amount equal
to all declared and unpaid distributions.
Holders of Series B Preferred Units will have no voting rights
except for limited voting rights relating to issuances of
Partnership securities adversely affecting the Series B Preferred
Units.
As of the date of this prospectus, there are no Series B Preferred
Units issued and outstanding.
Cash Distributions
General
The Partnership Agreement provides that all Net Interest Income
generated by the Partnership that is not contingent interest will
be distributed 99% to the limited partners and BUC holders as a
class and 1% to the General Partner. During the years ended
December 31, 2021 and 2020, the General Partner received total
distributions of Net Interest Income of approximately $177,800 and
$191,100, respectively. In addition, the Partnership Agreement
provides that the General Partner is entitled to 25% of Net
Interest Income representing contingent interest up to a maximum
amount equal to 0.9% per annum of the principal amount of all
mortgage bonds held by the Partnership, as the case may
be.
Interest Income of the Partnership includes all cash receipts,
except for (i) capital contributions, (ii) Residual Proceeds
(defined below), or (iii) the proceeds of any loan or the
refinancing of any loan. “Net Interest Income” of the Partnership
means all Interest Income plus any amount released from the
Partnership’s reserves for distribution, less expenses and debt
service payments and any amount deposited in reserve or used or
held for the acquisition of additional investments.
The Partnership Agreement provides that Net Residual Proceeds
(whether representing a return of principal or contingent interest)
will be distributed 100% to the limited partners and BUC holders as
a class, except that 25% of Net Residual Proceeds representing
contingent interest will be distributed to the General Partner
until it receives a maximum amount per annum (when combined with
all distributions to it of Net Interest Income representing
contingent interest during the year) equal to 0.9% of the principal
amount of the Partnership’s mortgage bonds. Under the terms of the
Partnership Agreement, “Residual Proceeds” means all amounts
received by the Partnership
15
upon the sale of any asset or from the repayment of principal of
any bond. “Net Residual Proceeds” means, with respect to any
distribution period, all Residual Proceeds received by the
Partnership during such distribution period, plus any amounts
released from reserves for distribution, less all expenses that are
directly attributable to the sale of an asset, amounts used to
discharge indebtedness, and any amount deposited in reserve or used
or held for the acquisition of investments. Notwithstanding its
authority to invest Residual Proceeds in additional investments,
the General Partner does not intend to use this authority to
acquire additional investments indefinitely without distributing
Net Residual Proceeds to the limited partners and BUC holders.
Rather, it is designed to afford the General Partner the ability to
increase the income-generating investments of the Partnership in
order to potentially increase the Net Interest Income from, and
value of, the Partnership.
The General Partner received total distributions of Net Interest
Income representing contingent interest and Net Residual Proceeds
of approximately $2.6 million and zero during each of the years
ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
With respect to the cash available for distribution to the limited
partners, and subject to the preferential rights of the holders of
any class or series of our Partnership securities ranking senior to
such securities with respect to distribution rights, holders of
Series A Preferred Units and Series A-1 Preferred Units are each
entitled to receive, when, as, and if declared by the General
Partner out of funds legally available for the payment of
distributions, non-cumulative cash distributions at the rate of
3.00% per annum of the $10.00 per unit purchase price of the Series
A Preferred Units or Series A-1 Preferred Units, as applicable,
payable quarterly, and holders of the Series B Preferred Units are
entitled to receive, when, as, and if declared by the General
Partner out of funds legally available for the payment of
distributions, non-cumulative cash distributions at the rate of
3.40% per annum of the $10.00 per unit purchase price of the Series
B Preferred Units, payable quarterly. With respect to the payment
of distributions, our Units have the following rankings: (i) Series
A Preferred Units and Series A-1 Preferred Units, which are on
parity to each other, but which are senior to; (ii) the Series B
Preferred Units, which, along with the Series A Preferred Units and
Series A-1 Preferred Units, are senior to; (iii) our
BUCs.
Distributions Upon Liquidation
Upon the dissolution of the Partnership, the proceeds from the
liquidation of its assets will be first applied to the payment of
the obligations and liabilities of the Partnership and the
establishment of any reserves therefor as the General Partner
determines to be necessary, and then distributed to the partners
(including both the General Partner and limited partners) and
Unitholders in proportion to, and to the extent of, their
respective capital account balances, and then in the same manner as
Net Residual Proceeds. With respect to the liquidation proceeds
available for distribution to the limited partners, the holders of
each series of Existing Preferred Units are each entitled to a
liquidation preference in an amount equal to $10.00 per preferred
unit, as applicable, plus an amount equal to all distributions
declared and unpaid thereon to the date of final distribution. With
respect to distributions upon liquidation, dissolution, or the
winding-up of the Partnership’s affairs, our Units have the
following rankings: (i) Series A Preferred Units and Series A-1
Preferred Units, which are on parity to each other, but which are
senior to; (ii) the Series B Preferred Units, which, along with the
Series A Preferred Units and Series A-1 Preferred Units, are senior
to; (iii) our BUCs.
Timing of Cash Distributions
The Partnership currently makes quarterly cash distributions to BUC
holders. However, the Partnership Agreement allows the General
Partner to elect to make cash distributions on a more or less
frequent basis provided that distributions are made at least
semiannually. Regardless of the distribution period selected by the
General Partner, cash distributions to BUC holders must be made
within 60 days of the end of each such period. Distributions
declared on the Series A Preferred Units, Series A-1 Preferred
Units, and Series B Preferred Units are payable quarterly in
arrears.
Allocation of Income and Losses
Income and losses from operations will be allocated 99% to the
limited partners and BUC holders as a class and 1% to the General
Partner. Income arising from a sale of or liquidation of the
Partnership’s assets will be first allocated to the General Partner
in an amount equal to the Net Residual Proceeds or liquidation
proceeds distributed
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to the General Partner from such transaction, and the balance will
be allocated to the limited partners and Unitholders as a class.
Losses from a sale of a property or from a liquidation of the
Partnership will be allocated among the partners in the same manner
as the Net Residual Proceeds or liquidation proceeds from such
transaction are distributed.
Determination of Allocations to Unitholders
Income and losses will be allocated on a monthly basis to the
Unitholders of record as of the last day of a month. If a
Unitholder is recognized as the record holder of Units on such
date, such Unitholder will be allocated all income and losses for
such month.
Cash distributions will be made to the BUC holders of record as of
the last day of each distribution period. If the Partnership
recognizes a transfer prior to the end of a distribution period,
the transferee will be deemed to be the holder for the entire
distribution period and will receive the entire cash distribution
for such period. Accordingly, if the General Partner selects a
quarterly or semiannual distribution period, the transferor of BUCs
during such a distribution period may be recognized as the record
holder of the BUCs at the end of one or more months during such
period and be allocated income or losses for such months but not be
recognized as the record holder of the BUCs at the end of the
period and, therefore, not be entitled to a cash distribution for
such period. Distributions to the holders of Series A Preferred
Units, Series A-1 Preferred Units, and Series B Preferred Units are
made quarterly in arrears on the 15th
day of the first month of each calendar quarter.
The General Partner retains the right to change the method by which
income and losses of the Partnership will be allocated between
buyers and sellers of Units during a distribution period based on
consultation with tax counsel and accountants. However, no change
may be made in the method of allocation of income or losses without
written notice to the Unitholders at least 10 days prior to the
proposed effectiveness of such change unless otherwise required by
law.
Payments to the General Partner
Fees
In addition to its share of Net Interest Income and Net Residual
Proceeds and reimbursement for expenses, the General Partner is
entitled to an administrative fee in an amount equal to 0.45% per
annum of the principal amount of the MRBs, other investments, and
taxable mortgage loans held by the Partnership. In general, the
administrative fee is payable by the owners of the properties
financed by the MRBs held by the Partnership, but is subordinate to
the payment of all base interest to the Partnership on the bonds.
The General Partner may seek to negotiate the payment of the
administrative fee in connection with the acquisition of additional
MRBs by the Partnership by the owner of the financed property or by
another third party. However, the Partnership Agreement provides
that the administrative fee will be paid directly by the
Partnership with respect to any investments for which the
administrative fee is not payable by a third party. In addition,
the Partnership Agreement provides that the Partnership will pay
the administrative fee to the General Partner with respect to any
foreclosed mortgage bonds.
Reimbursement of Expenses
In addition to the cash distributions and fee payments to the
General Partner described above, the Partnership will reimburse the
General Partner or its affiliates on a monthly basis for the actual
out-of-pocket costs of direct telephone and travel expenses
incurred in connection with the business of the Partnership, direct
out-of-pocket fees, expenses, and charges paid to third parties for
rendering legal, auditing, accounting, bookkeeping, computer,
printing, and public relations services, expenses of preparing and
distributing reports to limited partners and BUC holders, an
allocable portion of the salaries and fringe benefits of
non-officer employees of the general partner of the General
Partner, insurance premiums (including premiums for liability
insurance that will cover the Partnership and the General Partner),
the cost of compliance with all state and federal regulatory
requirements and stock exchange listing fees and charges, and other
payments to third parties for services rendered to the Partnership.
The General Partner will also be reimbursed for any expenses it
incurs acting as the partnership representative (or tax matters
partner) for tax purposes for the Partnership. The Partnership will
not reimburse the General Partner or its affiliates for the travel
expenses of the president of the general partner of the General
Partner or for any items of
17
general overhead. The Partnership will not reimburse the General
Partner or its general partner for any salaries or fringe benefits
of any of the executive officers of the general partner of the
General Partner. The annual report to Unitholders is required to
itemize the amounts reimbursed to the General Partner and its
affiliates.
Payments for Goods and Services
The Partnership Agreement provides that the General Partner and its
affiliates may provide goods and services to the Partnership. The
provision of any goods and services by the General Partner or its
affiliates to the Partnership must be part of their ordinary and
ongoing business in which it or they have previously engaged,
independent of the activities of the Partnership, and such goods
and services shall be reasonable for and necessary to the
Partnership, shall actually be furnished to the Partnership, and
shall be provided at the lower of the actual cost of such goods or
services or the competitive price charged for such goods or
services for comparable goods and services by independent parties
in the same geographic location. All goods and services provided by
the General Partner or any affiliates must be rendered pursuant to
the terms of the Partnership Agreement or a written contract
containing a clause allowing termination without penalty on 60
days’ notice to the General Partner by the vote of the majority in
interest of the BUC holders. Any payment made to the General
Partner or any affiliate for goods and services must be fully
disclosed to all limited partners and BUC holders. The General
Partner does not currently provide goods and services to the
Partnership other than its services as General Partner. If the
Partnership acquires ownership of any property through foreclosure
of an MRB, the General Partner or an affiliate may provide property
management services for such property and, in such case, the
Partnership will pay such party its fees for such services. Under
the Partnership Agreement, such property management fees may not
exceed the lesser of (i) the fees charged by unaffiliated property
managers in the same geographic area, or (ii) 5% of the gross
revenues of the managed property.
Liability of Partners and Unitholders
Under the Delaware LP Act and the terms of the Partnership
Agreement, the General Partner will be liable to third parties for
all general obligations of the Partnership to the extent not paid
by the Partnership. However, the Partnership Agreement provides
that the General Partner has no liability to the Partnership for
any act or omission reasonably believed to be within the scope of
authority conferred by the Partnership Agreement and in the best
interest of the Partnership. The Partnership Agreement also
provides that, except as otherwise expressly set forth in the
Partnership Agreement, the General Partner does not owe any
fiduciary duties to the limited partners and BUC holders.
Therefore, Unitholders may have a more limited right of action
against the General Partner than they would have absent those
limitations in the Partnership Agreement. The Partnership Agreement
also provides for indemnification of the General Partner and its
affiliates by the Partnership for certain liabilities that the
General Partner and its affiliates may incur in connection with the
business of the Partnership; provided that no indemnification will
be available to the General Partner and/or its affiliates if there
has been a final judgment entered by a court determining that the
General Partner’s and/or affiliate’s conduct for which
indemnification is requested constitutes fraud, bad faith, gross
negligence, or willful misconduct. To the extent that the
provisions of the Partnership Agreement include indemnification for
liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
such provisions are, in the opinion of the SEC, against public
policy and, therefore, unenforceable.
No Unitholder will be personally liable for the debts, liabilities,
contracts, or any other obligations of the Partnership unless, in
addition to the exercise of his or her rights and powers as a
Unitholder, he or she takes part in the control of the business of
the Partnership. It should be noted, however, that the Delaware LP
Act prohibits a limited partnership from making a distribution that
causes the liabilities of the limited partnership to exceed the
fair value of its assets. Any limited partner who receives a
distribution knowing that the distribution was made in violation of
this provision of the Delaware LP Act is liable to the limited
partnership for the amount of the distribution. This provision of
the Delaware LP Act likely applies to Unitholders. In any event,
the Partnership Agreement provides that to the extent our initial
limited partner is required to return any distributions or repay
any amount by law or pursuant to the Partnership Agreement, each
BUC holder who has received any portion of such distributions is
required to repay his or her proportionate share of such
distribution to our initial limited partner immediately upon notice
by the initial limited partner to such BUC holder. Furthermore, the
Partnership Agreement allows the General Partner to withhold future
distributions to BUC holders until the amount so withheld equals
the amount required to be returned by the initial limited partner.
Because BUCs are transferable, it is possible that distributions
may be withheld from a BUC holder who did not receive the
distribution required to be returned.
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Voting Rights of Unitholders
The Partnership Agreement provides that the initial limited partner
will vote its limited partnership interests as directed by the BUC
holders. Accordingly, except as described below regarding a person
or group owning 20% or more of any class of Partnership securities
then outstanding, the BUC holders, by vote of a majority in
interest of the outstanding BUCs, may:
(i)
amend the Partnership Agreement (provided that the concurrence of
the General Partner is required for any amendment that modifies the
compensation or distributions to which the General Partner is
entitled or that affects the duties of the General
Partner);
(ii)
approve or disapprove the sale or other disposition of all or
substantially all of the Partnership’s assets in a single
transaction (provided that, the General Partner may sell the last
property owned by the Partnership without such
consent);
(iii)
dissolve the Partnership;
(iv)
elect a successor general partner; and
(v)
terminate an agreement under which the General Partner provides
goods and services to the Partnership.
In addition, subject to the provisions of the Partnership Agreement
regarding removal of the General Partner (described below), the BUC
holders holding at least 662/3%
of the outstanding BUCs may remove the General Partner.
Each limited partner and BUC holder that has voting rights under
the Partnership Agreement is entitled to cast one vote for each
unit of limited partnership interest such person owns. However, if
any person or group (other than the General Partner and its
affiliates) acquires beneficial ownership of 20% or more of any
class of Partnership securities (including BUCs), that person or
group loses voting rights with respect to all of his, her, or its
securities and such securities will not be considered “outstanding”
for voting or notice purposes, except as required by law. This loss
of voting rights will not apply to any person or group that
acquires the Partnership securities from the General Partner or its
affiliates and any transferees of that person or group approved by
the General Partner, or to any person or group who acquires the
securities with the prior approval of the board of managers of the
general partner of the General Partner.
The holders of Existing Preferred Units have no voting rights under
the Partnership Agreement, except with respect to any amendment to
the Partnership Agreement that would have a material adverse effect
on the existing terms of the applicable series of Existing
Preferred Units and with respect to the creation or issuance of any
Partnership securities that are senior to any such Existing
Preferred Units. Other than as set forth above, the holders of
Existing Preferred Units have no voting rights under the
Partnership Agreement on any matter that may come before the BUC
holders for a vote. The approval of any of the matters for which
the Existing Preferred Units have voting rights requires the
affirmative vote or consent of the holders of a majority of the
outstanding applicable series of Existing Preferred Units. For any
matter described in this paragraph for which the Existing Preferred
Unit holders are entitled to vote, such holders are entitled to one
vote for each such Existing Preferred Unit held.
The General Partner may at any time call a meeting of the limited
partners and BUC holders, call for a vote without a meeting of the
limited partners and BUC holders, or otherwise solicit the consent
of the limited partners and BUC holders, and is required to call
such a meeting or vote or solicit consents following receipt of a
written request therefor signed by 10% or more in interest of the
outstanding limited partnership interests. The Partnership does not
intend to hold annual or other periodic meetings of any of the
Partnership’s Unitholders.
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Reports
Within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year, the General
Partner will distribute a report to Unitholders that shall include
(i) financial statements of the Partnership for such year that have
been audited by the Partnership’s independent public accountant,
(ii) a report of the activities of the Partnership during such
year, and (iii) a statement (which need not be audited) showing
distributions of Net Interest Income and Net Residual Proceeds. The
annual report will also include a detailed statement of the amounts
of fees and expense reimbursements paid to the General Partner and
its affiliates by the Partnership during the fiscal
year.
Within 60 days after the end of the first three quarters of each
fiscal year, the General Partner will distribute a report that
shall include (i) unaudited financial statements of the Partnership
for such quarter, (ii) a report of the activities of the
Partnership during such quarter, and (iii) a statement showing
distributions of Net Interest Income and Net Residual Proceeds
during such quarter. With respect to both the annual and quarterly
reports described above, the filing of the Partnership’s annual and
quarterly reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q with the SEC are deemed to
satisfy the foregoing report delivery obligations.
The Partnership will also provide Unitholders with a report on Form
K-1 or other information required for federal and state income tax
purposes within 75 days of the end of each year.
Withdrawal or Removal of the General Partner
The General Partner may not withdraw voluntarily from the
Partnership or sell, transfer, or assign all or any portion of its
interest in the Partnership unless a substitute general partner has
been admitted in accordance with the terms of the Partnership
Agreement. With the consent of a majority in interest of the BUC
holders, the General Partner may at any time designate one or more
persons as additional general partners, provided that the interests
of the limited partners and BUC holders in the Partnership are not
reduced thereby. The designation must meet the conditions set out
in the Partnership Agreement and comply with the provisions of the
Delaware LP Act with respect to admission of an additional general
partner. In addition to the requirement that the admission of a
person as successor or additional general partner have the consent
of the majority in interest of the BUC holders, the Partnership
Agreement requires, among other things, that (i) such person agree
to and execute the Partnership Agreement, and (ii) counsel for the
Partnership or the General Partner (or any of the General Partner’s
affiliates) renders an opinion that such person’s admission would
not result in the loss of limited liability of any limited partner
or BUC holder or cause the Partnership or any of its affiliates to
be taxed as a corporation or other entity under U.S. federal tax
law.
With respect to the removal of the General Partner, the Partnership
Agreement provides that the General Partner may not be removed
unless that removal is approved by a vote of the holders of not
less than 662/3%
of the outstanding BUCs, including BUCs held by the General Partner
and its affiliates, voting together as a single class, and the
Partnership receives an opinion of counsel regarding limited
liability and tax matters. Any removal of the General Partner also
will be subject to the approval of a successor general partner by
the vote of a majority in interest of the outstanding BUCs voting
as a single class.
In addition, the Partnership Agreement provides that, under
circumstances where the General Partner withdraws without violating
the Partnership Agreement or is removed by the BUC holders without
cause, the departing General Partner will have the option to
require the successor general partner to purchase the general
partner interest of the departing General Partner and its general
partner distribution rights for their fair market value. This fair
market value will be determined by agreement between the departing
General Partner and the successor general partner. If no such
agreement is reached, an independent investment banking firm or
other independent expert selected by the departing General Partner
and successor general partner will determine the fair market value.
If the departing General Partner and successor general partner
cannot agree upon an expert, then an expert chosen by agreement of
the experts selected by each of them will determine the fair market
value. If the option described above is not exercised, the
departing General Partner’s interest and general partner
distribution rights will automatically convert into BUCs equal to
the fair market value of those interests as determined by an
investment banking firm or other independent expert selected in the
manner described above.
20
The Partnership Agreement also provides that if the General Partner
is removed as the Partnership’s general partner under circumstances
where cause does not exist and the BUCs held by the General Partner
and its affiliates are not voted in favor of that removal, the
General Partner will have the right to convert its general partner
interest and its general partner distribution rights under the
Partnership Agreement into BUCs or receive cash in exchange for
those interests from the Partnership.
Effect of Removal, Bankruptcy, Dissolution, or Withdrawal of the
General Partner
In the event of a removal, bankruptcy, dissolution, or withdrawal
of the General Partner, it will cease to be the General Partner but
will remain liable for obligations arising prior to the time it
ceases to act in that role. The former General Partner’s interest
in the Partnership will be converted into a limited partner
interest having the same rights to share in the allocations of
income and losses of the Partnership and distributions of Net
Interest Income, Net Residual Proceeds and cash distributions upon
liquidation of the Partnership as it did as General Partner. Any
successor general partner shall have the option, but not the
obligation, to acquire all or a portion of the interest of the
removed General Partner at its then fair market value. The
Partnership Agreement bases the fair market value of the General
Partner’s interest on the present value of its future
administrative fees and distributions of Net Interest Income plus
any amount that would be paid to the removed General Partner upon
an immediate liquidation of the Partnership. Any disputes over
valuation in connection with an option exercised by the successor
general partner would be settled by the successor general partner
and removed General Partner through arbitration.
Amendments
Amendments to the Partnership Agreement may be proposed by the
General Partner or by the limited partners holding 10% or more of
the outstanding limited partnership interests. In order to adopt a
proposed amendment, other than the amendments discussed below which
may be approved solely by the General Partner, the General Partner
must seek approval of the holders of the required number of BUCs to
approve the amendment, whether by written consent or pursuant to a
meeting of the BUC holders to consider and vote upon the proposed
amendment.
In addition to amendments to the Partnership Agreement adopted by
the BUC holders, the Partnership Agreement may be amended by the
General Partner, without the consent of the Unitholders, in certain
respects if such amendments are not materially adverse to the
interest of the Unitholders, to reflect the following:
•
to change the name of the Partnership, the location of its
principal place of business, its registered agent, or its
registered office;
•
to add to the representations, duties, or obligations of the
General Partner or surrender any right or power granted to the
General Partner in the Partnership Agreement;
•
to change the fiscal year or taxable year of the Partnership and
any other changes the General Partner determines to be necessary or
appropriate as a result of a change in the fiscal year or taxable
year;
•
to cure any ambiguity or correct or supplement any provision of the
Partnership Agreement which may be inconsistent with the intent of
the Partnership Agreement, if such amendment is not materially
adverse to the interests of the limited partners and BUC holders in
the sole judgment of the General Partner;
•
to amend any provision the General Partner determines to be
necessary or appropriate to satisfy any judicial authority or any
order, directive, or requirement contained in any federal or state
statute, or to facilitate the trading of Units or comply with the
rules of any national securities exchange on which the BUCs are
traded;
21
•
to amend any provision the General Partner determines to be
necessary or appropriate to ensure the Partnership will be treated
as a partnership, and that each BUC holder and limited partner will
be treated as a limited partner, for federal income tax
purposes;
•
to reflect the withdrawal, removal, or admission of
partners;
•
to provide for any amendment necessary, in the opinion of counsel
to the Partnership, to prevent the Partnership, the General
Partner, or their managers, directors, officers, trustees, or
agents from being subject to the Investment Company Act of 1940,
the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, or the “plan asset”
regulations under ERISA;
•
to effectuate any amendment to the Partnership Agreement or the
Partnership’s certificate of limited partnership that the General
Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection
with the authorization of the issuance of any class or series of
Partnership securities; and
•
any other amendments substantially similar to any of the
foregoing.
However, notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment to the
Partnership Agreement that (i) would have a material adverse effect
on the existing terms of the Series A Preferred Units, Series A-1
Preferred Units, or Series B Preferred Units, or (ii) creates
Partnership securities senior to any of the Series A Preferred
Units, Series A-1 Preferred Units, or Series B Preferred Units,
must be approved by the affirmative vote or consent of the holders
of at least a majority of the outstanding Series A Preferred Units,
Series A-1 Preferred Units, or Series B Preferred Units, as
applicable, voting as a separate class.
Dissolution and Liquidation
The Partnership will continue in existence until dissolved under
the terms of the Partnership Agreement. The Partnership will
dissolve upon:
(i)
the passage of 90 days following the bankruptcy, dissolution,
withdrawal, or removal of a general partner who is at that time the
sole general partner, unless all of the remaining partners entitled
to vote (it being understood that for purposes of this provision
the initial limited partner shall vote as directed by a majority in
interest of the BUC holders) agree in writing to continue the
business of the Partnership and a successor general partner is
designated within such 90-day period;
(ii)
the election by a majority in interest of the BUC holders or by the
General Partner (subject to the consent of a majority in interest
of the BUC holders) to dissolve the Partnership; or
(iii)
any other event causing the dissolution of the Partnership under
the laws of the State of Delaware.
Upon dissolution of the Partnership, its assets will be liquidated
and after the payment of its obligations and the setting up of any
reserves for contingencies that the General Partner considers
necessary, any proceeds from the liquidation will be distributed as
set forth under “–
Distributions Upon Liquidation”
above.
Designation of Partnership Representative
The General Partner has been designated as the Partnership’s
partnership representative (or “tax matters partner”) for purposes
of federal income tax audits pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code
and the regulations thereunder. Each Unitholder agrees to execute
any documents that may be necessary or appropriate to maintain such
designation.
Tax Elections
Under the Partnership Agreement, the General Partner has the
exclusive authority to make or revoke any tax elections on behalf
of the Partnership.
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Books and Records
The books and records of the Partnership shall be maintained at the
office of the Partnership located at 14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 211,
Omaha, Nebraska 68154, and shall be available there during ordinary
business hours for examination and copying by any Unitholder or his
or her duly authorized representative. The records of the
Partnership will include, among other records, a list of the names
and addresses of all Unitholders, and Unitholders will have the
right to secure, upon written request to the General Partner and
payment of reasonable expenses in connection therewith, a list of
the names and addresses of, and the number of Units held by, all
Unitholders.
Accounting Matters
The fiscal year of the Partnership is the calendar year. The books
and records of the Partnership shall be maintained on an accrual
basis in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles.
Other Activities
The Partnership Agreement allows the General Partner and its
affiliates to engage generally in other business ventures and
provides that limited partners and BUC holders will have no rights
with respect thereto by virtue of the Partnership Agreement. In
addition, the Partnership Agreement provides that an affiliate of
the General Partner may acquire and hold debt securities or other
interests secured by a property that also secures an MRB held by
the Partnership, provided that such MRB is not junior or
subordinate to the interest held by such affiliate.
Derivative Actions
The Partnership Agreement provides that a BUC holder may bring a
derivative action on behalf of the Partnership to recover a
judgment to the same extent as a limited partner has such rights
under the Delaware LP Act. The Delaware LP Act provides for the
right to bring a derivative action, although it authorizes only a
partner of a partnership to bring such an action. There is no
specific judicial or statutory authority governing the question of
whether an assignee of a partner (such as a BUC holder) has the
right to bring a derivative action where a specific provision
exists in the Partnership Agreement granting such rights.
Furthermore, there is no express statutory authority for a limited
partner’s class action in Delaware, and whether a class action may
be brought by Unitholders to recover damages for breach of the
General Partner’s duties in Delaware state courts is
unclear.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BENEFICIAL UNIT CERTIFICATES
Beneficial Unit Certificates
Our BUCs are beneficial unit certificates that represent
assignments by the initial limited partner of its entire limited
partner interest in the Partnership. Although BUC holders will not
be limited partners of the Partnership and have no right to be
admitted as limited partners, they will be bound by the terms of
the Partnership Agreement and will be entitled to the same economic
benefits, including the same share of income, gains, losses,
deductions, credits, and cash distributions, as if they were
limited partners of the Partnership.
For a description of the rights and privileges of the holders of
our BUCs and the Partnership’s limited partners, including, among
others things, rights to distributions, voting rights, and rights
to receive reports, see “The
Partnership Agreement”
above.
Transfers of BUCs
The BUCs are issued in registered form only and, except as noted
below, are freely transferable. Through the close of trading on
December 2, 2022, the BUCs were listed on the NASDAQ Global Select
Market under the symbol “ATAX.” On November 22, 2022, we announced
the BUCs were approved for listing on the NYSE, and effective upon
the opening of trading on December 5, 2022, the BUCs will trade on
the NYSE under the symbol
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“GHI.” In connection with the listing of the BUCs on the NYSE, from
and after December 5, 2022, our name will be Greystone Housing
Impact Investors LP.
A purchaser of BUCs will be recognized as a BUC holder for all
purposes on the books and records of the Partnership on the day on
which the General Partner (or other transfer agent appointed by the
General Partner) receives satisfactory evidence of the transfer of
the BUCs. All BUC holder rights, including voting rights, rights to
receive distributions, and rights to receive reports, and all
allocations in respect of BUC holders, including allocations of
income and expenses, will vest in, and be allocable to, BUC holders
as of the close of business on such day. American Stock Transfer
& Trust Company, LLC, of New York, New York has been appointed
by the General Partner to act as the registrar and transfer agent
for the BUCs.
In addition, the Partnership Agreement grants the General Partner
the authority to take such action as it deems necessary or
appropriate, including action with respect to the manner in which
BUCs are being or may be transferred or traded, in order to
preserve the status of the Partnership as a partnership for federal
income tax purposes or to ensure that limited partners (including
BUC holders) will be treated as limited partners for federal income
tax purposes.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED UNITS
Our Partnership Agreement authorizes the General Partner to issue
preferred units in one or more classes or series with such
designations, preferences, rights, powers, and duties, which may be
senior to existing classes and series of Partnership securities,
including BUCs, as determined by the General Partner without the
approval of Unitholders, including, among others:
•
redemption rights and terms of redemption;
•
liquidation preferences.
The rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions of the
preferred units of each class or series will be fixed by a
certificate of designations set forth in an amendment to the
Partnership Agreement relating to each class or series. We will set
forth in the applicable prospectus supplement a description of the
terms of any preferred units issued by us that may be offered and
sold pursuant to this prospectus, including, among
others:
•
the maximum number of units in the class or series and the
distinctive designation;
•
the rights to share in Partnership distributions;
•
the terms on which the units may be redeemed, if at
all;
•
the rights of the class or series upon dissolution and liquidation
of the Partnership;
•
the terms of any retirement or sinking fund, if any, for the
purchase or redemption of the units of the class or
series;
•
the terms and conditions, if any, on which the units of the class
or series will be convertible into, or exchangeable for, units of
any other class or series of securities;
•
the voting rights, if any, on the units of the class or series;
and
•
any or all other preferences and relative, participating,
operational, or other special rights or qualifications,
limitations, or restrictions of the units.
As of the date of this prospectus, we had three series of preferred
units authorized for issuance under the Partnership Agreement,
namely the Series A Preferred Units, Series A-1 Preferred Units,
and Series B Preferred
24
Units. As of the date hereof, the only series of preferred units of
which we had issued and outstanding units were the Series A
Preferred Units and Series A-1 Preferred Units. None of the
Existing Preferred Units are listed on any national securities
exchange. There is no established trading market for our Existing
Preferred Units and we do not expect a market to develop. For
descriptions of the rights, preferences, privileges, and
restrictions of the Existing Preferred Units, see
“The
Partnership Agreement – Issuance of Partnership Securities – Series
A Preferred Units; – Series A-1 Preferred Units; and – Series B
Preferred Units”
beginning on page
13
above, which descriptions are incorporated by reference
herein.
The description of Existing Preferred Units in this prospectus and
the description of the terms of a particular series of preferred
units in the prospectus supplement are not complete. You should
refer to the applicable certificate of designations set forth in
the applicable amendment to our Partnership Agreement for complete
information. The prospectus supplement will contain a description
of U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the particular
series of preferred units.
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
We may issue senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities
under one or more separate indentures between us and Wilmington
Trust, National Association, as trustee, or as otherwise named in
an applicable supplement to this prospectus. Following the
execution of any indenture, the indenture will be filed with the
SEC and incorporated by reference in the registration statement of
which this prospectus is a part.
The following summary describes certain material terms and
provisions of our debt securities. When we offer to sell a
particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific
terms of the series in the applicable supplement to this
prospectus. You should read the applicable indenture for more
details regarding the provisions of particular debt
securities.
General
The debt securities will be our direct obligations, which may be
either senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities. The
debt securities will be issued under one or more indentures. Senior
securities and subordinated securities may be issued pursuant to
separate indentures, in each case between us and a trustee, which
may be the same indenture trustee, subject to such amendments or
supplements as may be adopted from time to time. The senior
indenture and the subordinated indenture, as amended or
supplemented from time to time, are sometimes hereinafter referred
to collectively as the “indentures.” The indentures will be subject
to and governed by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended. The
statements made under this heading relating to the debt securities
and the indentures are summaries of their provisions, do not
purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by
reference to the indentures and the debt securities.
Terms
The indebtedness represented by the senior securities will rank
equally with all our other unsecured and unsubordinated
indebtedness. The indebtedness represented by subordinated
securities will be subordinated in right of payment to the prior
payment in full of our senior securities. The particular terms of
the debt securities offered by us will be described in one or more
supplements to this prospectus, along with any applicable federal
income tax considerations unique to such debt securities.
Accordingly, for a description of the terms of any series of debt
securities, reference must be made to both the prospectus
supplement relating to that series and the description of the debt
securities set forth in this prospectus.
Except as set forth in any prospectus supplement, our debt
securities may be issued without limits as to aggregate principal
amount, in one or more series, in each case as established from
time to time by us or as set forth in the applicable indenture. The
terms of each series of our debt securities will be established by
or pursuant to a resolution of the Board of Managers of Greystone
Manager and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a
resolution of the Board of Managers, in an officer’s certificate or
by a supplemental indenture. All debt securities of one series need
not be issued at the same time and, unless otherwise provided, a
series may be reopened, without the consent of the holders of the
debt securities of that series, for issuance of additional debt
securities of that series.
25
Any indenture trustee under an indenture may resign or be removed
with respect to one or more series of debt securities as provided
in the applicable indenture and a successor indenture trustee will
be appointed to act with respect to such series.
The following sets forth certain general terms and provisions of
the indentures and the debt securities. The prospectus supplement
relating to the series of debt securities being offered will
contain further terms of those debt securities, including the
following specific terms:
•
the title of the debt securities and whether the debt securities
are secured, unsecured, senior securities or subordinated
securities;
•
the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities and any limit
on such aggregate principal amount;
•
the price (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount of the
series) at which the debt securities will be issued and, if other
than the principal amount of the debt securities, the portion of
the principal amount of the debt securities payable upon
declaration of the maturity of the debt securities, or (if
applicable) the portion of the principal amount of the debt
securities that is convertible into depositary units or preferred
units, or the method by which any such portion shall be
determined;
•
if convertible, the terms on which such debt securities are
convertible, including the initial conversion price or rate and the
conversion period and any applicable limitations on the ownership
or transferability of the Units receivable on
conversion;
•
the date or dates, or the method for determining the date or dates,
on which the principal of the debt securities will be
payable;
•
the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable), or the method
by which the rate or rates shall be determined, at which the debt
securities will bear interest, if any;
•
the date or dates, or the method for determining the date or dates,
from which any interest will accrue, the dates on which any
interest will be payable, the record dates for interest payment
dates, or the method by which the record dates shall be determined,
the persons to whom interest shall be payable, and the basis upon
which interest shall be calculated if other than that of a 360-day
year of twelve 30-day months;
•
the place or places where the principal of (and premium, if any)
and interest, if any, on the debt securities will be payable, where
the debt securities may be surrendered for conversion or
registration of transfer or exchange and where notices or demands
to or upon us with respect to the debt securities and the
applicable indenture may be served;
•
the period or periods, if any, within which, the price or prices at
which and the other terms and conditions upon which the debt
securities may, pursuant to any optional or mandatory redemption
provisions, be redeemed, as a whole or in part, at our
option;
•
our obligation, if any, to redeem, repay or purchase the debt
securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or
at the option of a holder of the debt securities, and the period or
periods within which, the price or prices at which and the other
terms and conditions upon which the debt securities will be
redeemed, repaid or purchased, as a whole or in part, pursuant to
such obligation;
•
whether the amount of payments of principal of (and premium, if
any) or interest, if any, on such debt securities may be determined
with reference to an index, formula, or other method (which index,
formula, or method may, but need not, be based on a currency,
currencies, currency unit or units, or composite currency or
currencies) and the manner in which such amounts shall be
determined;
•
whether the debt securities will be issued in certificated or
book-entry form and, if so, the identity of the depositary for such
securities;
26
•
whether such debt securities will be in registered form and, if in
registered form, the denominations thereof if other than minimum
denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple
thereof;
•
the applicability, if any, of the defeasance and covenant
defeasance provisions described in this prospectus or set forth in
the applicable prospectus supplement and indenture, or any
modification thereof;
•
whether and under what circumstances we will pay any additional
amounts on the debt securities in respect of any tax, assessment or
governmental charge and, if so, whether we will have the option to
redeem the debt securities in lieu of making such
payment;
•
any deletions from, modifications of, or additions to the events of
default or our covenants, to the extent different from those
described in this prospectus, and any change in the right of any
trustee or any of the holders to declare the principal amount of
any debt securities due and payable;
•
the provisions, if any, relating to the security provided for the
debt securities; and
•
any other terms of the debt securities not inconsistent with the
provisions of the applicable indenture.
If so provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, our debt
securities may be issued at a discount below their principal amount
and provide for less than their entire principal amount to be
payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity of such
debt securities. In such cases, any special U.S. federal income
tax, accounting and other considerations applicable to the
securities will be described in the applicable prospectus
supplement.
Except as may be set forth in any prospectus supplement, neither
our debt securities nor the applicable indenture will contain any
provisions that would limit our ability to incur indebtedness or
that would afford holders of our debt securities protection in the
event of a highly leveraged or similar transaction involving us or
in the event of a change of control, regardless of whether the
indebtedness, transaction or change of control is initiated or
supported by us, any of our affiliates or any other
party.
Reference is made to the applicable prospectus supplement for
information with respect to any deletions from, modifications of,
or additions to, the events of default or covenants that are
described below, including any addition of a covenant or other
provision providing event risk or similar protection.
Denomination, Interest, Registration and Transfer
Unless otherwise described in the applicable prospectus supplement,
our debt securities of any series will be issuable in minimum
denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples thereof.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement,
the principal of (and applicable premium, if any) and interest on
any series of debt securities will be payable at the corporate
trust office of the applicable indenture trustee, except, that, at
our option, payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the
address of the person entitled to payment of interest as it appears
in the applicable register for the debt securities.
Our debt securities of any series will be exchangeable for any
authorized denomination of other debt securities of the same series
and of a like aggregate principal amount and tenor upon surrender
of the debt securities at the corporate trust office of the
applicable indenture trustee or at the office of any registrar
designated by us for such purpose. In addition, subject to certain
limitations imposed upon debt securities issued in book-entry form,
our debt securities of any series may be surrendered for conversion
or registration of transfer or exchange thereof at the corporate
trust office of the applicable indenture trustee or at the office
of any registrar designated by us for such purpose. Every debt
security surrendered for conversion, registration of transfer or
exchange must be duly endorsed or accompanied by a written
instrument of transfer, and the person requesting such action must
provide evidence of
27
title and identity satisfactory to the applicable indenture trustee
or registrar. Except as may be set forth in any prospectus
supplement, no service charge will be made for any registration of
transfer or exchange of any debt securities, but we may require
payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental
charge payable in connection with the registration of any transfer
or exchange. If the applicable prospectus supplement refers to any
registrar (in addition to the applicable indenture trustee)
initially designated by us with respect to any series of debt
securities, we may at any time rescind the designation of any such
registrar or approve a change in the location through which any
registrar acts, except that we will be required to maintain a
transfer agent in each place of payment for such series.
We may at any time designate additional registrars with respect to
any series of debt securities.
Neither we nor any indenture trustee shall be required (1) to
issue, register the transfer of, or exchange debt securities of any
series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days
before the day of the delivery of a notice of redemption of any
debt securities that may be selected for redemption and ending at
the close of business on the day of the delivery, or (2) to
register the transfer of or exchange any debt security, or portion
of the debt security, selected for redemption, in whole or in part,
except the unredeemed portion of any debt security being redeemed
in part.
Merger, Consolidation, or Sale of Assets
The applicable indenture will provide that we may, without the
consent of the holders of any outstanding debt securities,
consolidate with, or sell, lease or convey all or substantially all
of our or its assets to, or merge with or into, any other entity
provided that (a) either we shall be the continuing entity, or the
successor entity (if other than the Partnership) formed by or
resulting from any such consolidation or merger or which shall have
received the transfer of such assets, is organized under the laws
of any domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes by supplemental
indenture our obligations to pay principal of (and premium, if any)
and interest on all of the debt securities and the due and punctual
performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions
contained in the indenture; (b) immediately after the transaction,
no event of default under the applicable indenture, and no event
which, after notice or the lapse of time, or both, would become an
event of default, exists; and (c) an officers’ certificate and
legal opinion covering these conditions shall be delivered to the
applicable indenture trustee.
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable indenture and set forth
in the applicable prospectus supplement, the applicable indenture
will provide that these conditions will not apply or be required to
be complied with in connection with any merger or consolidation or
sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance of all or substantially all
of our assets to a wholly owned subsidiary, provided that if we are
not the surviving entity of the transaction, the surviving entity
complies with clauses (a) and (c) of the immediately preceding
paragraph.
Covenants
Covenants with respect to any series of debt securities will be set
forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Subordination of Subordinated Debt Securities
Unless the prospectus supplement indicates otherwise, the following
provisions will apply to the subordinated debt securities. To the
extent we issue subordinated debt securities, they will also be
contractually subordinated to any senior debt securities or other
senior indebtedness that we may issue. The indebtedness underlying
the subordinated debt securities will be payable only if all
payments due under our senior indebtedness, including any
outstanding senior debt securities, have been made. If we
distribute our assets to creditors upon any
28
dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization or in
bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar proceedings, we
must first pay all amounts due or to become due on all senior
indebtedness before we pay the principal of, or any premium or
interest on, the subordinated debt securities. In the event the
subordinated debt securities are accelerated because of any event
of default, we may not make any payment on the subordinated debt
securities until either we have paid all senior indebtedness or the
acceleration is rescinded.
If we experience a bankruptcy, dissolution, or reorganization,
holders of senior indebtedness may receive more, ratably, and
holders of subordinated debt securities may receive less, ratably,
than our other creditors.
Events of Default, Notice and Waiver
Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement,
each indenture will provide that the following events are “Events
of Default” with respect to any series of debt
securities:
(1)
default for 30 days in the payment of any installment of interest
on any debt security of that series or in the performance of
certain covenants contained in the indenture;
(2)
default in the payment of principal of (or premium, if any, on) any
debt security of the series at its maturity upon redemption or
otherwise;
(3)
default in the performance or breach of any other covenant
contained in the indenture (other than a covenant added to the
indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities
issued under the indenture other than such series), continued for
60 days after written notice as provided in the applicable
indenture has been given;
(4)
certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency, or reorganization, or
court appointment of a receiver, liquidator, or trustee of our
company or any guarantor that is a significant subsidiary, as
defined; and
(5)
any other event of default provided with respect to a particular
series of debt securities.
If an event of default under any indenture with respect to debt
securities of any series at the time outstanding occurs and is
continuing, then in every such case the applicable indenture
trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of
the debt securities of that series will have the right to declare
the principal amount (or, if the debt securities of that series are
original issue discount securities or indexed securities, such
portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of
those debt securities) of all the debt securities of that series to
be due and payable immediately by written notice thereof to us (and
to the applicable indenture trustee if given by the holders).
However, at any time after such a declaration of acceleration with
respect to debt securities of any series (or of all debt securities
then outstanding under any indenture, as the case may be) has been
made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due
has been obtained by the applicable indenture trustee, the holders
of not less than a majority in principal amount of outstanding debt
securities of that series (or of all debt securities then
outstanding under the applicable indenture, as the case may be) may
rescind and annul the declaration and its consequences subject to
certain conditions provided in the applicable indenture. The
indentures also will provide that the holders of not less than a
majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of
any series (or of all debt securities then outstanding under the
applicable indenture, as the case may be) may waive any past
default with respect to that series and its consequences, except a
default in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or
interest on any debt security of that series or in respect of a
covenant or provision which under the indenture cannot be modified
or amended without the consent of each holder affected by such
modification or amendment.
29
The indentures will require each indenture trustee to give notice
to the holders of debt securities within the later of 90 days of a
default or a responsible officer of the trustee obtaining actual
notice of such default under the applicable indenture unless the
default shall have been cured or waived; provided, however, that
the indenture trustee may withhold notice to the holders of any
series of debt securities of any default with respect to the series
if specified responsible officers of such indenture trustee
consider withholding of notice to be in the interest of the
holders.
Except as may be set forth in any prospectus supplement, each
indenture will provide that no holder of debt securities of any
series may institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with
respect to such indenture or for any remedy under it, except in the
case of failure of the applicable indenture trustee, for 60 days,
to act after it has received a written request to institute
proceedings in respect of an event of default from the holders of
not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt
securities of that series, as well as an indemnity reasonably
satisfactory to it, and the holders of a majority in aggregate
principal amount of the outstanding securities of that series have
not given the trustee a direction inconsistent with the request.
This provision will not prevent, however, any holder of debt
securities from instituting suit for the enforcement of payment of
the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the debt
securities on or after the respective due dates thereof.
The indentures will provide that an indenture trustee will be under
no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under an
indenture at the request or direction of any holders of any series
of debt securities then outstanding under that indenture, unless
the holders shall have offered and provided to the indenture
trustee under that indenture security or indemnity satisfactory to
it. The holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of
the outstanding debt securities of any series (or of all debt
securities then outstanding under an indenture, as the case may be)
shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of
conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the
applicable indenture trustee, or of exercising any trust or power
conferred upon the indenture trustee. However, an indenture trustee
may refuse to follow any direction which is in conflict with any
law or the applicable indenture, which may involve the indenture
trustee in personal liability or which may be prejudicial to the
holders of debt securities of such series not joining therein
(provided, however, that the trustee shall have no duty to
determine whether any such direction is prejudicial to any
holder).
Within 90 days after the close of each fiscal year, we will be
required to deliver to each indenture trustee a certificate, signed
by one of several of our specified officers, stating among other
things whether or not the officer has knowledge of any default
under the applicable indenture and, if so, specifying each default
and the nature and status of the default.
Modification of the Indentures
Except as may be set forth in any prospectus supplement,
modifications and amendments of an indenture will be permitted to
be made only with the consent of the holders of not less than a
majority in principal amount of all outstanding debt securities
issued under the indenture affected by the modification or
amendment; provided, however, that no modification or amendment
may, without the consent of the holder of each debt security
affected thereby, (1) extend the stated maturity of the principal
of, or any installment of interest (or premium, if any) on, any the
debt security; (2) reduce the principal amount of, or the rate or
amount of interest on, or any premium payable on redemption of, any
such debt security, or reduce the amount of principal of an
original issue discount security that would be due and payable upon
declaration of acceleration of its maturity or would be provable in
bankruptcy, or adversely affect any right of repayment of the
holder of any such debt security; (3) change the coin or currency
for payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any
the debt security; or (4) modify any of the foregoing provisions or
any of the provisions relating to the waiver of certain past
defaults or covenants or modify certain covenants.
30
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the
outstanding debt securities of each series may, on behalf of all
holders of debt securities of that series, waive, insofar as that
series is concerned, compliance by us with certain restrictive
covenants of the applicable indenture.
Modifications and amendments of an indenture will be permitted to
be made by us and the respective indenture trustee without the
consent of any holder of debt securities for any of the following
purposes among certain others:
(1)
to evidence the succession of another person to our company as
obligor under the indenture;
(2)
to add to the covenants of our company for the benefit of the
holders of all or any series of debt securities or to surrender any
right or power conferred upon us in such indenture;
(3)
to change or eliminate any provisions of the indenture restricting
the payment of principal or premium with respect to securities in
registered form, provided that the action shall not adversely
affect the interest of the holders of the debt securities of any
series in any material respect;
(4)
in the case of subordinated securities, to make any change to the
provisions of an indenture that would limit or terminate the
benefits available to any holder of senior indebtedness, but only
if each such holder of senior indebtedness consents to such
change;
(5)
to add guarantees with respect to the securities or to secure the
securities;
(6)
to convey, transfer, assign, mortgage, or pledge any property to
the indenture trustee;
(7)
to modify an indenture so as to permit its qualification under the
Trust Indenture Act;
(8)
to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any
holder;
(9)
to add to, change or eliminate any provisions of an indenture;
provided that any such addition, change or elimination not
otherwise permitted under the indenture (i) shall be effective only
when there are no debt securities outstanding of any series created
prior thereto which are entitled to the benefit of such provision,
or (ii) does not apply to nor modify the rights of the holders of
any such debt securities;
(10)
to establish the form or terms of securities and coupons of any
series of securities;
(11)
to provide for the acceptance of appointment by a successor
indenture trustee or facilitate the administration of the trusts
under an indenture by more than one indenture trustee;
or
(12)
to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in an
indenture.
The indentures will provide that, in determining whether the
holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding debt
securities of a series have given any request, demand,
authorization, direction, notice, consent, or waiver under the
applicable indenture or whether a quorum is present at a meeting of
holders of debt securities, the principal amount of an original
issue discount security that shall be deemed to be outstanding
shall be the amount of principal that would be due and payable as
of the date of the determination upon declaration of acceleration
of the maturity of the original discount issue security pursuant to
the indenture.
31
Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement,
we will be permitted, at our option, to discharge certain
obligations to holders of any series of debt securities issued
under any indenture that have not already been delivered to the
applicable indenture trustee for cancellation and that either have
become due and payable or will become due and payable within one
year (or scheduled for redemption within one year) by irrevocably
depositing with the applicable indenture trustee, in trust, funds
in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite
currency or currencies in which the debt securities are payable in
an amount sufficient to pay the entire indebtedness on the debt
securities with respect to principal (and premium, if any) and
interest to the date of the deposit (if such debt securities have
become due and payable) or to the stated maturity or redemption
date, as the case may be.
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement,
the indentures will provide that we may elect either:
(1)
to defease and be discharged from any and all obligations with
respect to such debt securities; or
(2)
to be released from our obligations with respect to covenants under
the applicable indenture;
in either case upon the irrevocable deposit by us with the
applicable indenture trustee, in trust, of an amount sufficient to
pay the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the debt
securities on the stated maturity or on the applicable redemption
date.
Such a trust will only be permitted to be established if, among
other things, we have delivered to the applicable indenture trustee
an opinion of counsel (as specified in the applicable indenture)
and to the effect that the holders of the outstanding debt
securities will not recognize income, gain, or loss for U.S.
federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance and will
be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same
manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such
defeasance had not occurred. In the event of defeasance, the
holders of debt securities would thereafter be able to look only to
the trust fund for payment of principal (and premium, if any) and
interest.
The applicable prospectus supplement may further describe the
provisions, if any, permitting such defeasance or covenant
defeasance, including any modifications to the provisions described
above, with respect to the debt securities of or within a
particular series.
Conversion Rights
The terms and conditions, if any, upon which the debt securities
are convertible into Units will be set forth in the applicable
prospectus supplement relating thereto. Such terms will include
whether such debt securities are convertible into BUCs or preferred
units, the conversion price (or manner of calculation thereof), the
conversion period, provisions as to whether conversion will be at
our option or the option of the holders, the events requiring an
adjustment of the conversion price and provisions affecting
conversion in the event of the redemption of such debt securities
and any restrictions on conversion.
Payment
Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement,
the principal of (and applicable premium, if any) and interest on
any series of debt securities will be payable at the office of the
paying agent, which shall be the corporate trust office of the
indenture trustee, the address of which will be stated in the
applicable prospectus supplement; provided that, at our option
payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the
address
32
of the person entitled thereto as it appears in the applicable
register for such debt securities or by wire transfer of funds to
such person at an account maintained within the United
States.
All moneys paid by us to a paying agent or an indenture trustee for
the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on any
debt security which remain unclaimed at the end of one year after
such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will
be repaid to us, and the holder of such debt security thereafter
may look only to us for payment thereof.
Global Securities
The debt securities of a series may be issued in whole or in part
in the form of one or more global securities that will be deposited
with, or on behalf of, a depositary identified in the applicable
prospectus supplement relating to such series. Global securities
will be issued in registered form and in either temporary or
permanent form. The specific terms of the depositary arrangement
with respect to a series of debt securities will be described in
the applicable prospectus supplement relating to such
series.
33
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
This section is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax
considerations that may be relevant to prospective BUC holders who
are individual citizens or residents of the United States. A
description of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of
the acquisition, ownership, and disposition of preferred units and
debt securities will be set forth in a prospectus supplement
relating to the offering of such securities. This section is based
upon current provisions of the IRC, existing and proposed Treasury
regulations promulgated under the IRC (the “Treasury Regulations”),
and current administrative rulings and court decisions, all of
which are subject to change. Later changes in these authorities may
cause the tax consequences to vary substantially from the
consequences described below. The tax consequences to you of an
investment in our BUCs will depend in part on your own tax
circumstances. Unless the context otherwise requires, references in
this section to “us” or “we” are references to America First
Multifamily Investors, L.P., which from and after December 5, 2022,
will be named Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP, and our
consolidated subsidiaries.
The following discussion does not comment on all U.S. federal
income tax matters affecting us or our Unitholders and does not
describe the application of the alternative minimum tax that may be
applicable to certain Unitholders. Moreover, the discussion focuses
on Unitholders who are individual citizens or residents of the
United States and has only limited application to corporations,
estates, entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income
tax purposes, trusts, nonresident aliens, U.S. expatriates and
former citizens or long-term residents of the United States or
other BUC holders subject to specialized tax treatment, such as
banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions,
tax-exempt institutions, foreign persons (including, without
limitation, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign
investment companies and foreign persons eligible for the benefits
of an applicable income tax treaty with the United States),
individual retirement accounts (IRAs), real estate investment
trusts (REITs) or mutual funds, dealers in securities or
currencies, traders in securities, U.S. persons whose “functional
currency” is not the U.S. dollar, persons holding their units as
part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “conversion transaction” or other
risk reduction transaction, persons subject to special tax
accounting rules as a result of any item of gross income with
respect to our units being taken into account in an applicable
financial statement and persons deemed to sell their Units under
the constructive sale provisions of the IRC. In addition, the
discussion only comments, to a limited extent, on state, local and
foreign tax consequences, and does not address the Medicare 3.8%
net investment income tax. Accordingly, we encourage each
prospective Unitholder to consult his, her, or its own tax advisor
in analyzing the state, local and foreign tax consequences
particular to such holder of the ownership or disposition of BUCs
and potential changes in applicable laws.
All statements of law and legal conclusions, but not any statements
of fact, contained in this section, except as described below or
otherwise noted, are the opinion of Barnes & Thornburg LLP and
are based on the accuracy of representations made by us to Barnes
& Thornburg LLP for this purpose. Barnes & Thornburg LLP is
unable to opine that interest on any mortgage revenue bond held by
the Partnership is currently excludable from gross income of a
bondholder for U.S. federal income tax purposes because the facts
necessary to provide such an opinion are unknown and not reasonably
available to the Partnership or counsel, such facts cannot be
obtained by the Partnership or counsel without unreasonable effort
or expense, and because such facts rest peculiarly within the
knowledge of other persons not affiliated with the Partnership.
Specifically, such opinion would require detailed information and
calculations from the respective issuer, borrower, bond trustee,
and guarantors of each mortgage revenue bond regarding eligibility
under and compliance with the applicable provisions of the IRC and
Treasury Regulations, including without limitation, information and
computations relating to the investment of bond proceeds, use of
bond proceeds, occupancy of bond-financed properties and rebate
payments to the United States. Both the Partnership and its counsel
have determined it is not possible to obtain this information and
computations for all mortgage revenue bonds.
No ruling on the U.S. federal, state, or local tax considerations
relevant to the purchase, ownership and disposition of the
Partnership’s Units, or the statements or conclusions in this
description, has been or will be requested from the Internal
Revenue Service (“IRS”) or from any other tax authority, and a
taxing authority, including the IRS, may not agree with the
statements and conclusions expressed herein. In the opinion of
Barnes & Thornburg LLP, based upon the IRC, the Treasury
Regulations, published revenue rulings and court decisions, and the
representations described below, the Partnership will be classified
as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, no
assurance can be given that any opinion of counsel would be
accepted by the IRS or, if challenged by the IRS, sustained in
court. Any contest of this sort with the IRS may materially and
adversely
34
impact the market for our Units, including the prices at which our
BUCs trade. In addition, the costs of any contest with the IRS,
principally legal, accounting and related fees, will result in a
reduction in cash available for distribution to our Unitholders and
our General Partner and thus will be borne indirectly by our
Unitholders and our General Partner. Furthermore, the tax treatment
of us, or of an investment in us, may be significantly modified by
future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions.
Any modifications may or may not be retroactively
applied.
In rendering its opinion set forth in the preceding paragraph,
Barnes & Thornburg LLP has relied on factual representations
made by us and the General Partner. The representations made by us
and the General Partner upon which Barnes & Thornburg LLP has
relied include:
•
We have not elected to be, will not elect to be, and are not
otherwise treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax
purposes; and
•
For each taxable year, more than 90% of our gross income has been
and will be income of the type that is “qualifying income” within
the meaning of Section 7704(d) of the IRC.
We urge you to consult your own tax advisors about the specific tax
consequences to you of purchasing, holding, and disposing of our
BUCs, including the application and effect of U.S. federal, state,
local and foreign income and other tax laws.
Taxation of the Partnership
Partnership Status
An entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income
tax purposes generally will not be liable for entity-level U.S.
federal income taxes. Instead, as described below, each partner of
the partnership (and in our case, our Unitholders) will take into
account its respective share of the items of income, gain, loss and
deduction of the partnership in computing its U.S. federal income
tax liability as if the partner (and in our case, the Unitholder)
had earned such income directly, regardless of whether cash
distributions are made to him or her by the partnership.
Distributions by a partnership to a partner generally are not
taxable to the partnership or the partner unless the amount of cash
distributed to him or her is in excess of the partner’s adjusted
basis in his partnership interest. Please read
“– Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction”
and
“– Treatment of Distributions on BUCs.”
Section 7704 of the IRC generally provides that publicly traded
partnerships will be treated as corporations for U.S. federal
income tax purposes. However, if 90% or more of a partnership’s
gross income for every taxable year it is publicly traded consists
of “qualifying income,” the partnership may continue to be treated
as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes (the
“Qualifying Income Exception”). Qualifying income includes income
and gains derived from the exploration, development, mining or
production, processing, transportation, and marketing of certain
natural resources, including crude oil, natural gas and products
thereof, as well as other types of income such as interest (other
than from a financial business) and dividends. We estimate that
less than 2% of our current gross income is not qualifying income;
however, this estimate could change from time to time.
No ruling has been or will be sought from the IRS and the IRS has
made no determination as to our status or the status of the
operating subsidiaries for U.S. federal income tax purposes or
whether our operations generate “qualifying income” under Section
7704 of the IRC. However, as noted above, Barnes & Thornburg
LLP, as described and qualified above, is of the opinion that we
will be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax
purposes.
If we fail to meet the Qualifying Income Exception, other than a
failure that is determined by the IRS to be inadvertent and that is
cured within a reasonable time after discovery (in which case the
IRS may also require us to make adjustments with respect to our
Unitholders or pay other amounts), we will be treated as
transferring all of our assets, subject to liabilities, to a newly
formed corporation on the first day of the year in which we fail to
meet the Qualifying Income Exception in return for stock in that
corporation, and then as distributing that stock to our Unitholders
in liquidation. This deemed contribution and liquidation generally
should not result in the recognition of
35
taxable income by our Unitholders or us so long as our liabilities
do not exceed the tax basis of our assets and other conditions are
met. Thereafter, we would be treated as an association taxable as a
corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The present U.S. federal income tax treatment of publicly traded
partnerships, including us, or an investment in our Units may be
modified by administrative or legislative action or judicial
interpretation at any time. For example, from time to time, members
of the U.S. Congress propose and consider substantive changes to
the existing U.S. federal income tax laws that affect publicly
traded partnerships, and which may affect a Unitholder’s
investment.
At the state level, several states have been evaluating ways to
subject partnerships to entity-level taxation through the
imposition of state income, franchise, or other forms of taxation.
Imposition of a similar tax on us in the jurisdictions in which we
operate or in other jurisdictions to which we may expand could
substantially reduce our cash available for distribution to our
Unitholders.
If for any reason we are taxable as a corporation in any taxable
year, our items of income, gain, loss and deduction would be taken
into account by us in determining the amount of our liability for
U.S. federal income tax, rather than being passed through to our
Unitholders. Our taxation as a corporation materially would reduce
the cash available for distribution to Unitholders and thus likely
would substantially reduce the value of our Units. Any distribution
made to a Unitholder at a time we are treated as a corporation
would be (i) a taxable dividend to the extent of our current or
accumulated earnings and profits, then (ii) a nontaxable return of
capital to the extent of the Unitholder’s tax basis in its Units,
and thereafter (iii) taxable capital gain.
The remainder of this discussion is based on the opinion of Barnes
& Thornburg LLP that we will be treated as a partnership for
U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Tax Consequences of BUCs Ownership
BUC Holder Status
We will treat BUC holders as partners in the Partnership and
distributions paid to BUC holders as being made to such holders in
their capacity as partners for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Also, BUC holders whose BUCs are held in street name or by a
nominee and who have the right to direct the nominee in the
exercise of all substantive rights attendant to the ownership of
their BUCs will be treated as partners of the Partnership for U.S.
federal income tax purposes.
A beneficial owner of BUCs whose BUCs have been transferred to a
short seller to complete a short sale would appear to lose such
owner’s status as a partner with respect to those Units for federal
income tax purposes. See below under “–
Treatment of Securities Loans.”
Income, gains, deductions, or losses, would not appear to be
reportable by a BUC holder who is not a partner for U.S. federal
income tax purposes, and any cash distributions received by a BUC
holder who is not a partner for U.S. federal income tax purposes
would therefore appear to be fully taxable as ordinary
income.
For a discussion related to the risks of losing partner status as a
result of securities loans, please read
“– Tax Consequences of Units Ownership – Treatment of Securities
Loans.”
BUC holders who are not treated as partners of the Partnership as
described above or who may be at risk of such treatment are urged
to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax
consequences applicable to them under their particular
circumstances.
The remainder of this discussion assumes that BUC holders are
treated as partners in the Partnership and that distributions to
BUC holders will be made to such holders in their capacity as
partners.
Flow-Through of Taxable Income
Subject to the discussion below under
“– Entity-Level Collections of Unitholder Taxes”
with respect to payments we may be required to make on behalf of
our Unitholders, we do not pay any U.S. federal income
tax.
36
Rather, each BUC holder will be required to report on his, her, or
its U.S. federal income tax return each year the income, gains,
losses and deductions allocated to such holder for our taxable year
or years ending with or within its taxable year. Consequently, we
may allocate income to a Unitholder even if that Unitholder has not
received a cash distribution (with which it otherwise may use to
pay the associated tax).
We will treat distributions that are declared to BUC holders as
distributions by the Partnership to the Unitholders in connection
with their interests in the Partnership.
Basis of Units
A Unitholder’s tax basis in its Units (including BUCs) initially
will be the amount paid for those Units. A BUC holder’s basis will
be increased by the holder’s initial allocable share of our
liabilities. A BUC holder’s basis will be (i) increased by the BUC
holder’s share of our income and any increases in such holder’s
share of our liabilities, and (ii) decreased, but not below zero,
by the amount of all distributions to the BUC holder, the BUC
holder’s share of our losses, any decreases in the BUC holder’s
share of our liabilities, and certain other items.
The IRS has ruled that a partner who acquires interests in a
partnership in separate transactions must combine those interests
and maintain a single adjusted tax basis for all of those
interests. If you own BUCs and preferred units, please consult your
tax advisor with respect to determining the consequences on your
basis in your Units.
Treatment of Distributions on BUCs
Distributions by us to a BUC holder generally will not be taxable
to the BUC holder for U.S. federal income tax purposes, except to
the extent the amount of any such cash distribution exceeds the
holder’s tax basis in his, her, or its BUCs immediately before the
distribution. Our cash distributions in excess of a BUC holder’s
tax basis generally will be considered to be gain from the sale or
exchange of the Units, taxable in accordance with the rules
described under “–
Disposition of BUCs.”
Any reduction in a Unitholder’s share of our liabilities for which
no partner, including the General Partner, bears the economic risk
of loss, known as “nonrecourse liabilities,” will be treated as a
distribution by us of cash to that Unitholder. To the extent our
distributions cause a Unitholder’s “at-risk” amount to be less than
zero at the end of any taxable year, he, she, or it must recapture
any losses deducted in previous years. See below
“–
Limitations on Deductibility of Losses.”
A non-pro rata distribution of money or property may result in
ordinary income to a Unitholder, regardless of the holder’s tax
basis in his, her, or its Units, if the distribution reduces the
Unitholder’s share of our “unrealized receivables,” including
depreciation recapture and/or substantially appreciated “inventory
items,” each as defined in the IRC, and collectively, “Section 751
Assets.” Please see “–
Disposition of BUCs – Recognition of Gain or
Loss”
for more discussion of Section 751 Assets.
Limitations on Deductibility of Losses
A Unitholder may not be entitled to deduct the full amount of loss
we allocate to him, her, or it because its share of our losses will
be limited to the lesser of (i) the Unitholder’s adjusted tax basis
in its Units, and (ii) in the case of a Unitholder that is an
individual, estate, trust or certain types of closely-held
corporations, the amount for which the Unitholder is considered to
be “at risk” with respect to our activities. A Unitholder will be
at risk to the extent of its adjusted tax basis in its Units,
reduced by (1) any portion of that basis attributable to the
Unitholder’s share of our nonrecourse liabilities, (2) any portion
of that basis representing amounts otherwise protected against loss
because of a guarantee, stop loss agreement or similar arrangement,
and (3) any amount of money the Unitholder borrows to acquire or
hold its Units, if the lender of those borrowed funds owns an
interest in us, is related to another Unitholder or can look only
to the Units for repayment.
A Unitholder subject to the at risk limitation must recapture
losses deducted in previous years to the extent that distributions
(including distributions deemed to result from a reduction in a
Unitholder’s share of nonrecourse liabilities) cause the
Unitholder’s at risk amount to be less than zero at the end of any
taxable year. Losses disallowed to a Unitholder or recaptured as a
result of the basis or at risk limitations will carry forward and
will be allowable as a deduction in a later year to the extent that
the Unitholder’s adjusted tax basis or at risk amount,
37
whichever is the limiting factor, is subsequently increased. Upon a
taxable disposition of Units, any gain recognized by a Unitholder
can be offset by losses that were previously suspended by the at
risk limitation but not losses suspended by the basis limitation.
Any loss previously suspended by the at-risk limitation in excess
of that gain can no longer be used and will not be available to
offset a Unitholder’s salary or active business income.
In addition to the basis and at risk limitations, a passive
activity loss limitation limits the deductibility of losses
incurred by individuals, estates, trusts, some closely held
corporations and personal service corporations from “passive
activities” (such as, trade or business activities in which the
taxpayer does not materially participate). The passive loss
limitations are applied separately with respect to each publicly
traded partnership. Consequently, any passive losses we generate
will be available to offset only passive income generated by us.
Passive losses that exceed a Unitholder’s share of the passive
income we generate may be deducted in full when a Unitholder
disposes of all of its Units in a fully taxable transaction with an
unrelated party. The passive activity loss rules are applied after
other applicable limitations on deductions, including the at risk
and basis limitations.
For taxpayers other than corporations in taxable years beginning
after December 31, 2020 (as revised by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief,
and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, of 2020 and the Inflation
Reduction Act of 2022), and before January 1, 2028, an “excess
business loss” limitation further limits the deductibility of
losses by such taxpayers. An excess business loss is the excess (if
any) of a taxpayer’s aggregate deductions for the taxable year that
are attributable to the trades or businesses of such taxpayer
(determined without regard to the excess business loss limitation)
over the aggregate gross income or gain of such taxpayer for the
taxable year that is attributable to such trades or businesses plus
a threshold amount. The threshold amount is equal to $270,000 or
$540,000 for taxpayers filing a joint return, in 2022. Disallowed
excess business losses are treated as a net operating loss
carryover to the following tax year. Any losses we generate that
are allocated to a Unitholder and not otherwise limited by the
basis, at risk, or passive loss limitations will be included in the
determination of such Unitholder’s aggregate trade or business
deductions. Consequently, any losses we generate that are not
otherwise limited will only be available to offset a Unitholder’s
other trade or business income plus an amount of non-trade or
business income equal to the applicable threshold amount. Thus,
except to the extent of the threshold amount, our losses that are
not otherwise limited may not offset a Unitholder’s non-trade or
business income (such as salaries, fees, interest, dividends and
capital gains). This excess business loss limitation will be
applied after the passive activity loss limitation.
Limitations on Interest Deductions
Commencing with taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017,
the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 restricts the amount of interest
expense that may be deducted. Generally, “business interest”
expenses are now deductible only to the extent of business interest
income plus 30% of “adjusted taxable income.” Any disallowed amount
may be carried forward indefinitely.
“Business interest” is interest paid or accrued with respect to
indebtedness allocable to a trade or business. It does not include
investment interest expense. The 30% limit applies to “adjusted
taxable income.” For the first four years of this new limitation, a
person’s “adjusted taxable income” means taxable income from trade
or business activities, computed before any deductions for
interest, depreciation, amortization, net operating losses and the
new pass-through deduction. However, in the case of taxable years
beginning on or after January 1, 2022, depreciation and
amortization deductions are not added back to income. As a result,
there now is a lower limit on the amount of interest that may be
deducted. The Partnership does not expect to have a trade or
business that would cause interest allocated to BUC holders to be
treated as business interest.
The deductibility of a non-corporate taxpayer’s “investment
interest expense” generally is limited to the amount of that
taxpayer’s “net investment income.” Investment interest expense
includes interest on indebtedness properly allocable to property
held for investment, our interest expense attributed to portfolio
income, and the portion of interest expense incurred to purchase or
carry an interest in a passive activity to the extent attributable
to portfolio income.
The computation of a BUC holder’s investment interest expense will
take into account interest on any margin account borrowing or other
loan incurred to purchase or carry a unit. Net investment income
includes gross income from property held for investment and amounts
treated as portfolio income under the passive loss rules,
less
38
deductible expenses, other than interest, directly connected with
the production of investment income, but generally does not include
gains attributable to the disposition of property held for
investment or (if applicable) qualified dividend income. The IRS
has indicated that the net passive income earned by a publicly
traded partnership will be treated as investment income to its
unitholders. In addition, the BUC holder’s share of our portfolio
income will be treated as investment income.
Prospective investors are urged to consult their own tax advisors
with respect to the interest expense limitation rules.
Entity-Level Collections of Unitholder Taxes
If we are required or elect under applicable law to pay any U.S.
federal, state, local or non-U.S. tax on behalf of any current or
former Unitholder, we are authorized to treat the payment as a
distribution of cash to the relevant Unitholder. Where the tax is
payable on behalf of all Unitholders or we cannot determine the
specific Unitholder on whose behalf the tax is payable, we are
authorized to treat the payment as a distribution to all current
Unitholders. We are authorized to amend our partnership agreement
in the manner necessary to maintain uniformity of intrinsic tax
characteristics of Units and to adjust later distributions, so that
after giving effect to these distributions, the priority and
characterization of distributions otherwise applicable under our
partnership agreement is maintained as nearly as is practicable.
Payments by us as described above could give rise to an overpayment
of tax on behalf of a Unitholder, in which event the Unitholder may
be entitled to claim a refund of the overpayment amount.
Unitholders are urged to consult their tax advisors to determine
the consequences to them of any tax payment we make on their
behalf.
Limitation on Miscellaneous Itemized Deductions
For any taxable year beginning before January 1, 2026, a
non-corporate taxpayer is prohibited from taking itemized
deductions for miscellaneous expenses, or “miscellaneous itemized
deductions.” For taxable years beginning on or after January 1,
2026, these expenses (i) will be deductible by a non-corporate
unitholder for regular U.S. federal income tax purposes only to the
extent that the unitholder’s share of such expenses, when combined
with other “miscellaneous itemized deductions,” exceeds 2% of its
adjusted gross income for the particular year, (ii) will not be
deductible by a non-corporate unitholder for U.S. federal
alternative minimum tax purposes and (iii) will be subject to
certain other limitations on deductibility. These limitations would
apply to non-corporate BUC holders if the proposed activities of
the Partnership do not constitute a trade or business. There is a
risk that the IRS may contend, in any taxable year, that each
non-corporate BUC holder’s share of each of the Partnership’s
otherwise deductible expenses constitutes a miscellaneous expense,
potentially subject to disallowance through taxable years ending
before January 1, 2026 and the two percent (2%) floor thereafter.
We believe that the proposed activities of the Partnership will
constitute a trade or business, but there can be no assurance that
the IRS will not assert a contrary position on audit.
Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction
In preparing the Partnership’s tax returns, and in determining the
BUC holders’ allocable share of the Partnership’s items of income,
gain, loss and deduction, the Partnership will utilize various
accounting and reporting conventions, some of which are discussed
herein. There is no assurance that the use of such conventions will
produce a result that conforms to the requirements of the IRC,
Treasury Regulations, or IRS administrative pronouncements, and
there is no assurance that the IRS will not successfully challenge
the Partnership’s use of such conventions.
The Partnership generally allocates each item of its income, gain,
loss or deduction among the General Partner and Unitholders in
accordance with their respective percentage interests in the
Partnership. However, the Partnership will make certain special
allocations in connection with the issuance of new BUCs in
accordance with the principles of Section 704(c) of the IRC. Upon
the issuance of additional BUCs, including BUCs issued in this
offering, the Partnership expects that it will restate the “book”
capital accounts of the existing BUC holders under applicable
Treasury Regulations in order to reflect the fair market value of
the Partnership’s assets at the time additional BUCs are issued.
This restatement of the existing BUC holders’ book capital accounts
measures any gain or loss inherent in Partnership assets at the
time new BUC holders are admitted to the Partnership. Section
704(c)
39
requires the Partnership to specially allocate certain items of
gain or loss among the BUC holders in order to eliminate
differences between their book capital accounts (which now reflect
the fair market value of Partnership property on the date the new
BUCs are issued) and their tax capital accounts (which reflect the
Partnership’s tax basis in these assets). The effect of the
allocations under Section 704(c) to a BUC holder purchasing BUCs in
the offering will be essentially the same as if the tax basis of
our assets were equal to the fair market value of our assets at the
time of the offering.
Treatment of Securities Loans
A Unitholder whose units are loaned (for example, a loan to “short
seller” to cover a short sale of Units) may be treated as having
disposed of those Units. If so, such Unitholder would no longer be
treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those Units
during the period of the loan and may recognize gain or loss from
the disposition. As a result, during this period (i) any of our
income, gain, loss or deduction allocated to those Units would not
be reportable by the lending Unitholder, and (ii) any cash
distributions received by the Unitholder as to those Units may be
treated as ordinary taxable income.
Due to a lack of controlling authority, Unitholders desiring to
assure their status as partners and avoid the risk of income
recognition from a loan of their Units are urged to consult their
tax advisors regarding possible alternatives. The IRS has announced
that it is studying issues relating to the tax treatment of short
sales of partnership interests. Please read
“– Disposition of BUCs – Recognition of Gain or
Loss.”
Tax Treatment of Operations
Accounting Method and Taxable Year
We use the year ending December 31 as our taxable year and the
accrual method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Each BUC holder will be required to include in its tax return its
allocable share of items of income, gain, loss and deduction of the
Partnership for the Partnership’s taxable year ending within or
with the holder’s taxable year. A BUC holder that has a taxable
year ending on a date other than December 31 and that disposes of
all its Units following the close of our taxable year but before
the close of its taxable year will be required to include in income
for its taxable year its allocable share of items of income, gain,
loss and deduction, with the result that the holder will be
required to include in income for its taxable year its share of
more than 12 months of our income, gain, loss, and
deduction.
Tax Basis, Depreciation and Amortization
The tax basis of each of our assets will be used for purposes of
computing depreciation and cost recovery deductions and,
ultimately, gain or loss on the disposition of these assets. If we
dispose of depreciable property by sale, foreclosure or otherwise,
all or a portion of any gain, determined by reference to the amount
of depreciation deductions previously taken, may be subject to the
recapture rules and taxed as ordinary income rather than capital
gain. Similarly, a BUC holder who has taken cost recovery or
depreciation deductions with respect to property we own will likely
be required to recapture some or all of those deductions as
ordinary income upon a sale of its interest in us. Please
read
“– Tax Consequences of BUCs Ownership – Allocation of Income, Gain,
Loss and Deduction.”
The costs we incur in offering and selling our BUCs (called
“syndication expenses”) generally must be capitalized and cannot be
deducted currently, ratably or upon our termination. While there
are uncertainties regarding the classification of certain costs as
organization expenses, which may be amortized by us, and as
syndication expenses, which may not be amortized by us, the
underwriting discounts and commissions we incur will be treated as
syndication expenses. Please read “Disposition
of BUCs – Recognition of Gain or Loss.”
We are allowed a first-year bonus depreciation deduction equal to
100% of the adjusted basis of certain depreciable property acquired
and placed in service after September 27, 2017 and before January
1, 2023. For property placed in service during subsequent years,
the deduction is phased down by 20% per year until December 31,
2026. This depreciation deduction applies to both new and used
property. However, use of the deduction with respect to used
property is subject to certain anti-abuse restrictions, including
the requirement that the property be
40
acquired from an unrelated party. We can elect to forgo the
depreciation bonus and use the alternative depreciation system for
any class of property for a taxable year.
Disposition of BUCs
Recognition of Gain or Loss
A BUC holder will be required to recognize gain or loss on a sale
of such BUCs equal to the difference between the BUC holder’s
amount realized and tax basis in the BUCs sold. A BUC holder’s
amount realized generally will equal the sum of the cash and the
fair market value of other property it receives for the BUCs. Gain
or loss recognized by a BUC holder on the sale or exchange of a BUC
held for more than one year generally will be taxable as long-term
capital gain or loss. However, a portion of this gain or loss,
which may be substantial, will be separately computed and taxed as
ordinary income or loss under Section 751 of the IRC to the extent
attributable to Section 751 Assets, such as depreciation recapture
and our “inventory items,” regardless of whether such inventory
item has substantially appreciated in value. Ordinary income
attributable to Section 751 Assets may exceed net taxable gain
realized on the sale or exchange of a BUC and may be recognized
even if there is a net taxable loss realized on the sale or
exchange of a BUC. Thus, a BUC holder may recognize both ordinary
income and a capital gain or loss upon a sale or exchange of a BUC.
Net capital loss may offset capital gains and, in the case of
individuals, up to $3,000 of ordinary income per year.
Furthermore, as described above, the IRS has ruled that a partner
who acquires interests in a partnership in separate transactions
must combine those interests and maintain a single adjusted tax
basis for all of those interests (presumably including both BUCs
and preferred units).
Special rules apply to determining the basis and holding period of
a BUC holder’s BUCs where less than all of a BUC holder’s interest
is sold. A BUC holder considering the purchase of additional BUCs
or a sale of BUCs purchased in separate transactions is urged to
consult its tax advisor as to the possible consequences of this
ruling and application of the Treasury Regulations.
Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees
Holders of BUCs owning BUCs on the record date of any declared
distribution (the “Allocation Date”) will be entitled to receive
the distribution payable with respect to their Units. Purchasers of
BUCs after the Allocation Date will therefore not be entitled to a
cash distribution on their BUCs until the next Allocation
Date.
Notification Requirements
A BUC holder who sells or purchases any of its BUCs generally is
required to notify us in writing of that transaction within 30 days
after the transaction (or, if earlier, January 15 of the year
following the transaction in the case of a seller). Upon receiving
such notifications, we are required to notify the IRS of that
transaction and to furnish specified information to the transferor
and transferee. Failure to notify us of a transfer of BUCs may, in
some cases, lead to the imposition of penalties. However, these
reporting requirements do not apply to a sale by an individual who
is a citizen of the United States and who effects the sale through
a broker who will satisfy such requirements.
Uniformity of Units
Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of BUCs, we
must maintain uniformity of the economic and tax characteristics of
the BUCs to a purchaser of these BUCs. In the absence of
uniformity, we may be unable to completely comply with a number of
U.S. federal income tax requirements, both statutory and
regulatory. A lack of uniformity can result from the application of
certain depreciation and amortization methods. Any non-uniformity
could have a negative impact on the value of the BUCs. Barnes &
Thornburg LLP has not rendered an opinion with respect to our
specific methods of depreciation and amortization, and the IRS may
challenge these methods. If this challenge were sustained, the
uniformity of BUCs might be affected, and the gain from the sale of
BUCs might be increased without the benefit of additional
deductions. Please read “
– Disposition of BUCs – Recognition of Gain or Loss.”
41
Tax-Exempt Organizations and Other Investors
Ownership of Units by employee benefit plans and other tax-exempt
organizations as well as by non-resident alien individuals,
non-U.S. corporations and other non-U.S. persons (collectively,
“Non-U.S. Unitholders”) raises issues unique to those investors and
may have substantially adverse tax consequences to them.
Prospective Unitholders that are tax-exempt entities or Non-U.S.
Unitholders should consult their tax advisors before investing in
our Units. Employee benefit plans and most other tax-exempt
organizations, including IRAs and other retirement plans, are
subject to U.S. federal income tax on unrelated business taxable
income (“UBTI”). A portion of our income allocated to the
Unitholders may be UBTI and, accordingly, will be taxable to a
tax-exempt Unitholder.
Administrative Matters
Information Returns and Audit Procedures
We intend to furnish to each Unitholder, within 90 days after the
close of each taxable year, specific tax information, including a
Schedule K-1, which describes its share of our income, gain, loss
and deduction for our preceding taxable year. In preparing this
information, which will not be reviewed by counsel, we will take
various accounting and reporting positions, some of which have been
mentioned earlier, to determine each Unitholder’s share of income,
gain, loss and deduction. We cannot assure our Unitholders that
those positions will yield a result that conforms to all of the
requirements of the IRC, Treasury Regulations or administrative
interpretations of the IRS.
The IRS may audit our U.S. federal income tax information returns.
We cannot assure prospective Unitholders that the IRS will not
successfully challenge the positions we adopt, and such a challenge
could adversely affect the value of our Units. Adjustments
resulting from an IRS audit may require each Unitholder to adjust a
prior year’s tax liability, and possibly may result in an audit of
the Unitholder’s own return. Any audit of a Unitholder’s return
could result in adjustments unrelated to our returns.
Pursuant to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, for taxable years
beginning after December 31, 2017, if the IRS makes audit
adjustments to our income tax returns, it may assess and collect
any taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest)
resulting from such audit adjustment directly from us, unless we
elect to have our General Partner, Unitholders, and former
Unitholders take any audit adjustment into account in accordance
with their interests in us during the taxable year under audit.
Similarly, for such taxable years, if the IRS makes audit
adjustments to income tax returns filed by an entity in which we
are a member or partner, it may assess and collect any taxes
(including penalties and interest) resulting from such audit
adjustment directly from such entity.
Our Partnership Representative (defined below) may, but is not
required to, elect to have our General Partner, Unitholders, and
former Unitholders take an audit adjustment into account in
accordance with their interests in us during the taxable year under
audit. If this election is not made, or if other adjustments are
made with respect to an entity in which we are a partner or member
and that does not similarly elect our then current Unitholders may
bear some or all of the tax liability resulting from such audit
adjustment, even if such Unitholders did not own our Units during
the taxable year under audit. If, as a result of any such audit
adjustment, we are required to make payments of taxes, penalties or
interest, our cash available for distribution to our Unitholders
might be substantially reduced. These rules still are fairly new,
and the manner in which they may apply to us in the future is
uncertain.
For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, we will
designate a partner, or other person, with a substantial presence
in the United States as the partnership representative
(“Partnership Representative”). The General Partner has been
designated as the Partnership Representative. The Partnership
Representative will have the sole authority to act on our behalf
for purposes of, among other things, U.S. federal income tax audits
and judicial review of administrative adjustments by the IRS. If we
do not make such a designation, the IRS can select any person as
the Partnership Representative. We currently anticipate that we
will designate our General Partner as the Partnership
Representative. Further, any actions taken by us or by the
Partnership Representative on our behalf with respect to, among
other things, U.S. federal income tax audits and judicial review of
administrative adjustments by the IRS, will be binding on us and
all of our Unitholders.
42
Accuracy-Related Penalties
Certain penalties may be imposed as a result of an underpayment of
tax that is attributable to one or more specified causes, including
negligence or disregard of rules or regulations, substantial
understatements of income tax and substantial valuation
misstatements. No penalty will be imposed, however, for any portion
of an underpayment if it is shown that there was a reasonable cause
for the underpayment of that portion and that the taxpayer acted in
good faith regarding the underpayment of that portion. We do not
anticipate that any accuracy-related penalties will be assessed
against us.
State, Local, Foreign and Other Tax Considerations
In addition to U.S. federal income taxes, Unitholders may be
subject to other taxes, including state and local income taxes,
unincorporated business taxes and estate, inheritance or
intangibles taxes that may be imposed by the various jurisdictions
in which we conduct business or own property now or in the future
or in which the Unitholder is a resident. We conduct business or
own property in many states in the United States. Some of these
states may impose an income tax on individuals, corporations and
other entities. As we make acquisitions or expand our business, we
may own property or conduct business in additional states that
impose a personal income tax. Although an analysis of those various
taxes is not presented here, each prospective unitholder should
consider the potential impact of such taxes on its investment in
us.
A Unitholder may be required to file income tax returns and pay
income taxes in some or all of the jurisdictions in which we do
business or own property, though such Unitholder may not be
required to file a return and pay taxes in certain jurisdictions
because its income from such jurisdictions falls below the
jurisdiction’s filing and payment requirement. Further, a
Unitholder may be subject to penalties for a failure to comply with
any filing or payment requirement applicable to such Unitholder.
Some of the jurisdictions may require us, or we may elect, to
withhold a percentage of income from amounts to be distributed to a
Unitholder who is not a resident of the jurisdiction. Withholding,
the amount of which may be greater or less than a particular
Unitholder’s income tax liability to the jurisdiction, generally
does not relieve a nonresident Unitholder from the obligation to
file an income tax return.
Under Sections 1471 through 1474 of the IRC, applicable Treasury
regulations and additional guidance (“FATCA”), the Partnership
generally will be required to withhold a 30% tax from any
“withholdable payments” it makes, or is treated as making, to any
Non-U.S. Unitholder that is an entity unless such Non-U.S.
Unitholder provides certain certifications and other information to
the Partnership sufficient to establish that it qualifies for an
exemption from, or an appropriate reduction of, the FATCA tax
(including information generally relating to its U.S. owners, if
any). For purposes of FATCA, “withholdable payments” are defined,
in relevant part, as payments of U.S.-source fixed, determinable
annual or periodical income.
Moreover, the Treasury Department and the IRS have issued proposed
regulations that (i) provide that the FATCA tax will not be imposed
on gross proceeds from the disposition of property that can produce
U.S. source dividends or interest, as otherwise would have been the
case after December 31, 2018, (ii) delay the time for the
application of the FATCA tax to foreign passthru payments (which
are attributable to withholdable payments) to a date no earlier
than two years after the date of publication of final Treasury
regulations applicable to foreign passthru payments, and (iii)
state that taxpayers may rely on these provisions of the proposed
regulations until final regulations are issued.
Prospective investors are urged to consult their own tax advisors
regarding the consequences of the Partnership having a withholding
obligation under the FATCA tax.
IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH UNITHOLDER TO INVESTIGATE THE
LEGAL AND TAX CONSEQUENCES, UNDER THE LAWS OF PERTINENT
JURISDICTIONS, OF THEIR INVESTMENT IN US. WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND
THAT EACH PROSPECTIVE UNITHOLDER CONSULT, AND DEPEND UPON, ITS OWN
TAX COUNSEL OR OTHER ADVISOR WITH REGARD TO THOSE MATTERS. FURTHER,
IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH UNITHOLDER TO FILE ALL STATE,
LOCAL AND NON-U.S., AS WELL AS U.S. FEDERAL TAX RETURNS THAT MAY BE
REQUIRED OF IT. BARNES & THORNBURG LLP HAS NOT RENDERED AN
OPINION ON THE STATE TAX,
43
LOCAL TAX, ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX, OR FOREIGN TAX CONSEQUENCES OF
AN INVESTMENT IN US.
ERISA CONSIDERATIONS
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, or
ERISA, and the Internal Revenue Code impose restrictions on (a)
employee benefit plans (as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA); (b)
plans described in Section 4975(e)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code,
including individual retirement accounts or Keogh plans; (c) any
entities whose underlying assets include plan assets by reason of a
plan’s investment in such entities (each item described in (a), (b)
or (c) being a “plan”); and (d) persons who have specified
relationships to those plans, i.e., “parties-in-interest” under
ERISA, and “disqualified persons” under the Internal Revenue Code.
ERISA also imposes certain duties on persons who are fiduciaries of
plans subject to ERISA and prohibits certain transactions between a
plan and parties-in-interest or disqualified persons with respect
to such plans. Certain federal, state, local, and non-U.S. or other
laws or regulations that are similar to the relevant provisions of
ERISA or the IRC (“Similar Laws”) may also impose restrictions on
employee benefit plans and/or persons who are fiduciaries of plans
subject to the Similar Laws.
This summary is based on the provisions of ERISA and the IRC (and
related regulations and administrative and judicial
interpretations) as of the date of this prospectus. This summary
does not purport to be complete and future legislation, court
decisions, administrative regulations, rulings or administrative
pronouncements could significantly modify the requirements
summarized below. Any of these changes may be retroactive and,
therefore, may apply to transactions entered into prior to the date
of their enactment or release.
General Fiduciary Matters
ERISA and the IRC impose certain duties on persons who are
fiduciaries of an employee benefit plan that is subject to Title I
of ERISA or Section 4975 of the IRC, which we refer to as an “ERISA
Plan,” and prohibit certain transactions involving the assets of an
ERISA Plan and its fiduciaries or other interested parties. Under
ERISA and the IRC, any person who exercises any discretionary
authority or control over the administration of such an ERISA Plan
or the management or disposition of the assets of an ERISA Plan, or
who renders investment advice for a fee or other compensation to an
ERISA Plan, is generally considered to be a fiduciary of the ERISA
Plan. In considering an investment in our BUCs, preferred units, or
debt securities with any portion of the assets of an employee
benefit plan, a fiduciary of the employee benefit plan should
consider, among other things, whether the investment is in
accordance with the documents and instruments governing the
employee benefit plan and the applicable provisions of ERISA, the
IRC or any applicable Similar Law relating to the fiduciary’s
duties to the employee benefit plan, including, without
limitation:
(a)
whether the investment is prudent under Section 404(a)(1)(B) of
ERISA and any other applicable Similar Laws;
(b)
whether, in making the investment, the employee benefit plan will
satisfy the diversification requirements of Section 404(a)(1)(C) of
ERISA and any other applicable Similar Laws;
(c)
whether making the investment will comply with the delegation of
control and prohibited transaction provisions under Section 406 of
ERISA, Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code and any other
applicable Similar Laws (see “–
Prohibited Transaction Issues”
below);
(d)
whether in making the investment, the employee benefit plan will be
considered to hold, as plan assets, (1) only the investment in our
securities, or (2) an undivided interest in our underlying assets
(see “–
Plan Asset Issues”
below”); and
(e)
whether the investment will result in recognition of unrelated
business taxable income by the employee benefit plan and, if so,
the potential after-tax investment return. See “Material
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations”
above.
44
Prohibited Transaction Issues
Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the IRC prohibit employee
benefit plans (and certain IRAs that are not considered part of an
employee benefit plan) from engaging in certain transactions
involving “plan assets” with parties that are “parties in interest”
under ERISA or “disqualified persons” under the IRC with respect to
the employee benefit plan or IRA, unless an exemption is
applicable. A party in interest or disqualified person who engages
in a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to excise
taxes and other penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the IRC.
In addition, the fiduciary of the ERISA Plan that engaged in such a
non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to excise taxes,
penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the IRC.
The acquisition and/or holding of the debt securities by an ERISA
Plan with respect to which we or the initial purchasers are
considered a party in interest or a disqualified person, may
constitute or result in a direct or indirect prohibited transaction
under Section 406 of ERISA and/or Section 4975 of the IRC, unless
the debt securities are acquired and held in accordance with an
applicable statutory, class, or individual prohibited transaction
exemption. In this regard, the U.S. Department of Labor has issued
prohibited transaction class exemptions, or PTCEs, that may apply
to the acquisition, holding and, if applicable, conversion of the
debt securities. These class exemptions include, without
limitation, PTCE 84-14 respecting transactions determined by
independent qualified professional asset managers, PTCE 90-1
respecting insurance company pooled separate accounts, PTCE 91-38
respecting bank collective investment funds, PTCE 95-60 respecting
life insurance company general accounts, and PTCE 96-23 respecting
transactions determined by in-house asset managers. There can be no
assurance that all of the conditions of any such exemptions will be
satisfied.
Because of the foregoing, our BUCs, preferred units, and/or the
debt securities may not be purchased or held (or converted to
equity securities, in the case of any convertible debt) by any
person investing “plan assets” of any employee benefit plan, unless
such purchase and holding (or conversion, if any) will not
constitute a non-exempt prohibited transaction under ERISA or the
IRC or similar violation of any applicable Similar Laws.
Plan Asset Issues
In connection with an investment in the BUCs, preferred units, or
debt securities with any portion of the assets of an employee
benefit plan, in addition to considering whether the purchase of
our BUCs, preferred units, and/or debt securities is a prohibited
transaction, a fiduciary of an employee benefit plan should
consider whether the plan will, by investing in our securities, be
deemed to own an undivided interest in our assets, with the result
that our General Partner also would be a fiduciary of the plan and
our operations would be subject to the regulatory restrictions of
ERISA, including its prohibited transaction rules, as well as the
prohibited transaction rules of the IRC and any other applicable
Similar Laws. In addition, if our assets are deemed to be “plan
assets” under ERISA, this would result, among other things, in (a)
the application of the prudence and other fiduciary responsibility
standards of ERISA to investments made by us, and (b) the
possibility that certain transactions in which we seek to engage
could constitute “prohibited transactions” under the IRC, ERISA,
and any other applicable Similar Laws.
The Department of Labor regulations, as modified by Section 3(42)
of ERISA, provide guidance with respect to whether, in certain
circumstances, the assets of an entity in which employee benefit
plans acquire equity interests would be deemed “plan assets.” Under
these regulations, an entity’s underlying assets generally would
not be considered to be “plan assets” if, among other
things:
(a)
the equity interests acquired by the employee benefit plan are
“publicly offered securities” – i.e., the equity interests are part
of a class of securities that are widely held by 100 or more
investors independent of the issuer and each other, “freely
transferable” (as defined in the applicable Department of Labor
regulations), and either part of a class of securities registered
pursuant to certain provisions of the federal securities laws or
sold to the plan as part of a public offering under certain
conditions;
(b)
the entity is an “operating company” – i.e., it is primarily
engaged in the production or sale of a product or service other
than the investment of capital either directly or through a
majority-owned subsidiary or subsidiaries, or it qualifies as a
“venture capital operating company” or a “real estate operating
company;” or
45
(c)
there is no “significant” investment by benefit plan investors (as
defined in Section 3(42) of ERISA), which is defined to mean that,
immediately after the most recent acquisition of an equity interest
in any entity by an employee benefit plan, less than 25% of the
total value of each class of equity interest, (disregarding certain
interests held by our General Partner, its affiliates, and certain
other persons who have discretionary authority or control with
respect to the assets of the entity or provide investment advice
for a fee with respect to such assets) is held by the employee
benefit plans that are subject to part 4 of Title I of ERISA (which
excludes governmental plans and non-electing church plans) and/or
Section 4975 of the IRC, IRAs, and certain other employee benefit
plans not subject to ERISA (such as electing church
plans).
With respect to an investment in our BUCs, we believe that our
assets should not be considered “plan assets” under these
regulations because it is expected that the investment will satisfy
the requirements in (a) above and may also satisfy the requirements
in (b) and/or (c) above (although there is little applicable
Department of Labor guidance with respect to whether we may qualify
as an “operating company” as required for compliance with (b), and
we do not monitor the level of investment by benefit plan investors
as required for compliance with (c)).
The foregoing discussion of issues arising for employee benefit
plan investments under ERISA, the IRC and applicable Similar Laws
is general in nature and is not intended to be all inclusive, nor
should it be construed as legal advice. Plan fiduciaries and other
persons contemplating a purchase of our BUCs, preferred units,
and/or debt securities should consult with their own counsel
regarding the potential applicability of and consequences of such
purchase under ERISA, the IRC, and other Similar Laws in light of
the complexity of these rules and the serious penalties, excise
taxes and liabilities imposed on persons who engage in non-exempt
prohibited transactions or other violations. The sale of any BUCs,
preferred units, and/or debt securities by or to any employee
benefit plan is in no respect a representation by us or any of our
affiliates or representatives that such an investment meets all
relevant legal requirements with respect to investments by such
employee benefit plans generally or any particular employee benefit
plan, or that such an investment is appropriate for such employee
benefit plans generally or any particular employee benefit
plan.
Representation
By purchase or acceptance of the BUCs, preferred units, and/or debt
securities, each purchaser and subsequent transferee of such
securities will be deemed to have represented and warranted that
either (i) no portion of the assets used by such purchaser or
transferee to acquire and hold the securities constitutes assets of
any employee benefit plan, or (ii) the purchase and holding (and
any conversion, if applicable) of the securities by such purchaser
or transferee will not constitute a non-exempt prohibited
transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the IRC
or similar violation under any applicable Similar Laws.
46
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We may sell the securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and
any accompanying prospectus supplements to or through one or more
underwriters, brokers, or dealers, or we may sell the securities to
investors directly or through agents, or through a combination of
any of these methods of sale. Any underwriter or agent involved in
the offer and sale of our securities will be named in the
applicable prospectus supplement. We may sell securities directly
to investors on our own behalf in those jurisdictions where we are
authorized to do so.
Underwriters may offer and sell our securities at a fixed price or
prices, which may be changed, at market prices prevailing at the
time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market prices, or
at negotiated prices. We also may, from time to time, authorize
dealers or agents to offer and sell securities on the terms and
conditions described in the applicable prospectus supplement. In
connection with the sale of our securities, underwriters may
receive compensation from us in the form of underwriting discounts
or commissions and may also receive commissions from purchasers of
the securities for whom they may act as agent. Underwriters may
sell these securities to or through dealers, and such dealers may
receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions, or
commissions from the underwriters or commissions from the
purchasers for which they may act as agents.
Our securities may also be sold in one or more of the following
transactions: (a) block transactions (which may involve crosses) in
which a broker-dealer may sell all or a portion of the securities
as agent but may position and resell all or a portion of the block
as principal to facilitate the transaction; (b) purchases by a
broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its
own account pursuant to a prospectus supplement; (c) a special
offering, an exchange distribution, or a secondary distribution in
accordance with applicable NASDAQ (or, following the transfer of
the listing of the BUCs, the NYSE) or other stock exchange rules;
(d) ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which a
broker-dealer solicits purchasers; (e) sales “at the market” to or
through a market maker or into an existing trading market, on an
exchange or otherwise, for securities; and (f) sales in other ways
not involving market makers or established trading markets,
including direct sales to purchasers. Broker-dealers may also
receive compensation from purchasers of our securities which is not
expected to exceed customary compensation in the types of
transactions involved.
Any underwriting compensation paid by us to underwriters or agents
in connection with the offering of securities, and any discounts or
concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating
dealers, will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Dealers and agents participating in the distribution of our
securities may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts and
commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on
resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts
and commissions.
Underwriters, dealers, and agents may be entitled, under agreements
entered into with us, to indemnification against and contribution
toward certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the
Securities Act. Unless otherwise set forth in the accompanying
prospectus supplement, the obligations of any underwriters to
purchase any of our securities will be subject to certain
conditions precedent, and the underwriters will be obligated to
purchase all of the securities then being sold, if any is
purchased.
Underwriters, dealers, and agents may engage in transactions with,
or perform services for, us and our affiliates in the ordinary
course of business.
In connection with the offering of securities described in this
prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, certain
underwriters, selling group members, and their respective
affiliates may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or
otherwise affect the market price of the security being offered.
These transactions may include stabilization transactions effected
in accordance with Rule 104 of Regulation M promulgated by the SEC
pursuant to which these persons may bid for or purchase securities
for the purpose of stabilizing their market price. The underwriters
in an offering of our securities may also create a “short position”
for their account by selling more securities in connection with the
offering than they are committed to purchase from us. In that case,
the underwriters could cover all or a portion of the short position
by either purchasing the securities in the open market following
completion of the offering or by exercising any over-allotment
option granted to them by us. In addition, the managing underwriter
may impose “penalty bids” under contractual arrangements with other
underwriters, which means that they can reclaim from an underwriter
(or any selling group member participating in the offering) for the
account of the other underwriters, the selling concession for the
securities that are distributed in the offering
47
but subsequently purchased for the account of the underwriters in
the open market. Any of the transactions described in this
paragraph or comparable transactions that are described in any
accompanying prospectus supplement may result in the maintenance of
the price of our securities at a level above that which might
otherwise prevail in the open market. None of the transactions
described in this paragraph or in an accompanying prospectus
supplement are required to be taken by any underwriters and, if
they are undertaken, may be discontinued at any time.
Through the close of trading on December 2, 2022, our BUCs were
listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “ATAX.”
Effective upon the opening of trading on December 5, 2022, the BUCs
will trade on the NYSE under the symbol “GHI.” Any underwriters or
agents to or through which BUCs are sold by us may make a market in
our BUCs, but these underwriters or agents will not be obligated to
do so and any of them may discontinue any market making at any time
without notice. None of our Existing Preferred Units are listed on
any national securities exchange. No assurance can be given as to
the liquidity of or trading market for any of our
securities.
Because the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”)
views our BUCs as interests in a direct participation program, any
offering of BUCs under the registration statement of which this
prospectus forms a part will be made in compliance with Rule 2310
of the FINRA Conduct Rules.
To the extent required, this prospectus may be amended or
supplemented from time to time to describe a specific plan of
distribution. The place and time of delivery for the securities in
respect of which this prospectus is delivered will be set forth in
the prospectus supplement relating thereto.
LEGAL MATTERS
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement,
the validity of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon
for us by Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Indianapolis, Indiana. The
description of federal income tax consequences in
“Material
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations”
is based on the opinion of Barnes & Thornburg LLP. Legal
counsel to any underwriters may pass upon legal matters for such
underwriters and will be named in the applicable prospectus
supplement.
EXPERTS
The financial statements of America First Multifamily Investors,
L.P. incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 have been
so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the
authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting. The
balance sheet of America First Capital Associates Limited
Partnership Two incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 has
been so incorporated in reliance on the report of Lutz &
Company, P.C., an independent registered public accounting firm,
given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and
accounting.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We furnish and file annual, quarterly, and current reports and
other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet
website that contains reports, proxy and information statements,
and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file
electronically with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the
public on the SEC’s Internet website at http://www.sec.gov. Those
filings are also available to the public on our corporate website
at http://www.ataxfund.com (or, effective December 5, 2022,
http://www.ghiinvestors.com). Information contained on our website
is not a part of this prospectus and the inclusion of our website
address in this prospectus is an inactive textual reference
only.
We have filed a registration statement, of which this prospectus is
a part, covering the securities offered hereby. As allowed by SEC
rules, this prospectus does not contain all the information set
forth in the registration statement and the exhibits, financial
statements, and schedules thereto. We refer you to the registration
statement,
48
the exhibits, financial statements, and schedules thereto for
further information. This prospectus is qualified in its entirety
by such other information.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
SEC rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” into this
prospectus the information we file with the SEC. This means that we
can disclose important information to you by referring you to the
documents containing the information. The information we
incorporate by reference is considered to be included in and an
important part of this prospectus and should be read with the same
care. Information that we later file with the SEC that is
incorporated by reference into this prospectus will automatically
update and supersede this information. We are incorporating by
reference into this prospectus the following documents that we have
filed with the SEC:
•
our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on
March 2,
March 15,
March 21,
April 4,
April 27,
April 29,
May 17,
June 15,
July 20,
August 1,
August 29,
September 14,
September 29,
October 3,
October 21,
November 7
(except for the information furnished under Item 7.01
thereof),
November 22
(except for the information furnished under Item 7.01 thereof),
and
November 30, 2022;
•
the description of our beneficial unit certificates representing
assigned limited partnership interests contained in our
registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on
November 28, 2022,
together with any further amendment or report filed with the SEC
for the purpose of updating such description.
In addition, we also incorporate by reference into this prospectus
all documents and additional information that we may subsequently
file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the
Exchange Act after the initial filing of the registration statement
of which this prospectus is a part (including prior to the
effectiveness of the registration statement) and prior to the
termination of any offering. These documents include, but are not
limited to, Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form
10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as proxy statements,
if any. Any statement contained in this prospectus or in any
document incorporated, or deemed to be incorporated, by reference
into this prospectus shall be deemed to be modified or superseded
for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement
contained in this prospectus or in any subsequently filed document
that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference into this
prospectus modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so
modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified
or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus and the
related registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
unless specifically stated to the contrary, none of the information
we disclose under Items 2.02 or 7.01 of any Current Report on Form
8-K that we may from time to time furnish to the SEC will be
incorporated by reference into, or otherwise included in, this
prospectus.
The information related to us contained in this prospectus should
be read together with the information contained in the documents
incorporated by reference. We will provide without charge to each
person, including any beneficial owner of our securities, to whom
this prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request, a copy
of any and all of the information or documents that have been
incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered
with this prospectus (without exhibits, unless the exhibits are
specifically incorporated by reference but not delivered with this
prospectus). Requests should be directed to:
Mr. Jesse A. Coury
America First Multifamily Investors, L.P.
(to be renamed Greystone Housing Impact Investors LP)
14301 FNB Parkway, Suite 211
Omaha, Nebraska 68154
(402) 952-1235
49
You should rely only on the information and representations in this
prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement, and the documents
that are incorporated by reference. We have not authorized anyone
else to provide you with different information or representations.
We are not offering these securities in any state where the offer
is prohibited by law. You should not assume that the information in
this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement, or any
incorporated document is accurate as of any date other than the
date of the document.
50
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