The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the related notes of Ladder Capital Corp included within this report and the Annual Report. This Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements. See "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" within this Quarterly Report and "Risk Factors" within the Annual Report for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to, those in "Risk Factors" set forth within the Annual Report.

References to "Ladder," the "Company," and "we," "our" and "us" refer to Ladder Capital Corp, a Delaware corporation incorporated in 2013, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Ladder Capital Corp is the sole general partner of Ladder Capital Finance Holdings LLLP ("LCFH") and, as a result of the serialization of LCFH on December 31, 2014, became the sole general partner of Series REIT of LCFH. LC TRS I LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Series REIT of LCFH, is the general partner of Series TRS of LCFH. Ladder Capital Corp has a controlling interest in Series REIT of LCFH, and through such controlling interest, also has a controlling interest in Series TRS of LCFH. Ladder Capital Corp's only business is to act as the sole general partner of LCFH and Series REIT of LCFH, and, as a result of the foregoing, Ladder Capital Corp directly and indirectly operates and controls all of the business and affairs of LCFH, and each Series thereof, and consolidates the financial results of LCFH, and each Series thereof, into Ladder Capital Corp's consolidated financial statements.

Overview

We are an internally-managed real estate investment trust ("REIT") that is a leader in commercial real estate finance. We originate and invest in a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate and real estate-related assets, focusing on senior secured assets. Our investment activities include: (i) our primary business of originating senior first mortgage fixed and floating rate loans collateralized by commercial real estate with flexible loan structures; (ii) investing in investment grade securities secured by first mortgage loans on commercial real estate; and (iii) owning and operating commercial real estate, including net leased commercial properties. We believe that our in-house origination platform, ability to flexibly allocate capital among complementary product lines, credit-centric underwriting approach, access to diversified financing sources, and experienced management team position us well to deliver attractive returns on equity to our shareholders through economic and credit cycles.

Our businesses, including balance sheet lending, conduit lending, securities investments, and real estate investments, provide for a stable base of net interest and rental income. We have originated $25.8 billion of commercial real estate loans from our inception through September 30, 2020. During this timeframe, we also acquired $12.7 billion of predominantly investment grade-rated securities secured by first mortgage loans on commercial real estate and $1.8 billion of selected net leased and other real estate assets.

As part of our commercial mortgage lending operations, we originate conduit loans, which are first mortgage loans on stabilized, income producing commercial real estate properties that we intend to make available for sale in commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS") securitizations. From our inception in October 2008 through September 30, 2020, we originated $16.6 billion of conduit loans, which were sold into 69 CMBS securitizations, making us, by volume, the second largest non-bank contributor of loans to CMBS securitizations in the United States in such period. Our sales of loans into securitizations are generally accounted for as true sales, not financings, and we generally retain no ongoing interest in loans which we securitize unless we are required to do so as issuer pursuant to the risk retention requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, (the "Dodd-Frank Act"). The securitization of conduit loans enables us to reinvest our equity capital into new loan originations or allocate it to other investments.

As of September 30, 2020, we had $6.4 billion in total assets and $1.5 billion of total equity. Our assets included $2.7 billion of loans, $1.4 billion of securities, $1.0 billion of real estate, and $875.8 million of unrestricted cash.

We maintain a diversified and flexible financing strategy supporting our investment strategy and overall business operations, including unsecured debt and significant committed term financing from leading financial institutions. Refer to "Our Financing Strategies" and "Liquidity and Capital Resources" for further information.


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Table of Contents Ladder was founded in October 2008 and we completed our IPO in February 2014. We are led by a disciplined and highly aligned management team. As of September 30, 2020, our management team and directors held interests in our Company comprising 10.7% of our total equity. On average, our management team members have 27 years of experience in the industry. Our management team includes Brian Harris, Chief Executive Officer; Pamela McCormack, President; Marc Fox, Chief Financial Officer; Robert Perelman, Head of Asset Management; and Kelly Porcella, Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel. Kevin Moclair, Chief Accounting Officer, is an additional officer of Ladder. As of September 30, 2020, we employed 60 full-time industry professionals.

COVID-19 Impact on the Organization

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel strain of coronavirus ("COVID-19") a global pandemic and recommended containment and mitigation measures worldwide. As of the date of this filing, the majority of our employees continue to work remotely in compliance with state guidelines. We continue to actively manage the liquidity and operations of the Company in light of the market disruption and overall financial impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic across most industries in the United States. In view of the uncertainty related to the severity and duration of the pandemic, its ultimate impact on our revenues, profitability and financial position is difficult to assess at this time. The Company has disclosed the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on our business throughout this Quarterly Report.


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