Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
Credit Agreement
On January 30, 2026 (the “Closing Date”), Claros Mortgage Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“CMTG” or the “Company”), entered into a Term Loan Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”), as borrower, with the lenders party thereto and HPS Investment Partners, LLC (“HPS”), acting not individually but in its capacities as administrative agent for the lenders and collateral agent for the secured parties. The lenders are investment funds and accounts managed by HPS. The following summary of the Credit Agreement is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Credit Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the meanings given to them in the Credit Agreement.
The Credit Agreement provides for a term loan credit facility consisting of an initial term loan (the “Term Loan”) in an aggregate principal amount of $500.0 million. The Company used the proceeds of the Term Loan, together with cash on hand, to repay in full the Company’s existing secured term loan in the amount of approximately $556.2 million and to pay transaction fees and expenses. Under certain circumstances, the lenders may, in their discretion, make additional term loans to the Company.
The Company’s obligations under the Credit Agreement are guaranteed by certain subsidiaries of the Company and secured by liens on the assets and the equity of certain subsidiaries, in each case, subject to customary limitations and exceptions. The interest rate under the Credit Agreement is calculated at a per annum rate equal to the Term SOFR Rate plus 6.75% for Term Benchmark Loans, subject to a SOFR floor of 2.50%. The Term Loan has a maturity date of January 30, 2030. The outstanding amounts under the Credit Agreement may be prepaid at any time without premium or penalty, provided that upon the earlier of the maturity date and the repayment of the Term Loan in full, the Company will pay an exit fee equal to an amount necessary to meet a minimum multiple of invested capital (“MOIC”) on the Term Loan of 1.175x, and if the MOIC on the Term Loan exceeds 1.175x at such time, no exit fee will be payable.
The Credit Agreement contains customary representations and warranties, conditions to borrowing and events of default, the occurrence of which would entitle lenders to accelerate the amounts outstanding. The Credit Agreement also contains covenants that provide for certain restrictions with respect to, among other things, the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries to incur indebtedness, create liens, make investments, merge or consolidate, dispose of assets, make restricted payments, repurchase common stock, and enter into certain transactions with affiliates. Upon satisfaction of certain conditions, including the paydown of the principal amount of the Term Loan to $250.0 million or less, certain of such covenants may become less restrictive. The Credit Agreement also requires the Company to maintain certain financial covenants, including (A) a maximum total Debt to Equity Ratio of 3.50 to 1.00, (B) a minimum Tangible Net Worth of $1.0 billion plus seventy-five percent (75%) of the aggregate cash proceeds received from any equity issuances, capital contributions and/or subscriptions (net of any related costs) received by the Company after the Closing Date, and (C) a minimum Interest Coverage Ratio calculated on a trailing twelve month basis (i) that is waived from the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2025 through the fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2027, (ii) of 1.10 to 1.00 for the fiscal quarters ending September 30, 2027 and December 31, 2027, (iii) of 1.20 to 1.00 for the fiscal quarters ending March 31, 2028 and June 30, 2028, and (iv) of 1.30 to 1.00 for the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2028 and beyond.
The Credit Agreement provides the lenders the right to appoint two non-voting observers to the Company’s board of directors, each of whom must qualify as independent under the standards of the New York Stock Exchange and be reasonably satisfactory to the Company (the “Board Observers”). The lenders have not yet exercised their right to appoint the Board Observers.
The Credit Agreement provides additional governance rights upon the occurrence and continuance of a Material Event of Default, including the right to have the two Board Observers be automatically appointed to the Company’s board of directors (in such context, the “Designated Directors”) and to have such Designated Directors participate in a review of the Company’s external manager, Claros REIT Management LP (the “Manager”), and make a recommendation to the board of directors regarding whether or not to terminate the Manager. See “—Amendment to the Amended and Restated Management Agreement” below and the discussion of the Amended & Restated Bylaws of the Company contained in Item 5.03 below.
Amendments to Existing Facilities
Effective as of the Closing Date, the Company and CMTG JP Finance LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into that certain Amendment No. 8 to the Amended and Restated Master Repurchase Agreement and Amendment No. 4 to Guarantee Agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, that provides for, among other things, (i) a waiver of the minimum interest coverage ratio financial covenant through the fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2027, (ii) a minimum interest coverage ratio of 1.10 to 1.00 for the fiscal quarters ending September 30, 2027 and December 31, 2027, (iii) a minimum interest coverage ratio of 1.20 to 1.00 for the fiscal quarters ending March 31, 2028 and June 30, 2028, (iv) a minimum interest coverage ratio of 1.30 to 1.00 for the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2028 and beyond (clauses (i) through (iv), collectively, the “ICR Covenant Modifications”), and (v) a minimum tangible net worth financial covenant of $1.0 billion plus seventy-five percent (75%) of the aggregate cash proceeds received from any equity issuances, capital contributions and/or subscriptions (net of any related costs) received by the Company after the Closing Date (the “TNW Covenant Modification”).