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

The following discussion of the financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the Financial Statements and the Notes to those statements included elsewhere in this report. Certain statements in this discussion and elsewhere in this report constitute forward-looking statements, within the meaning of section 21E of the Exchange Act, that involve risks and uncertainties. The actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

Company Overview

Sachem Capital Corp. was formed as HML Capital Corp. in January 2016 under the New York Business Corporation Law. On February 8, 2017, we acquired all the assets of Sachem Capital Partners, LLC (SCP), a Connecticut limited liability company, through which our business was conducted prior to our initial public offering, in exchange for 6,283,237 of our common shares and our assumption of all of SCP’s liabilities, including SCP’s obligations under the Bankwell Credit Facility (the “Exchange”). Prior to the consummation of the Exchange, we were not engaged in any business or investment activities and had only nominal assets and no liabilities.

On February 9, 2017, immediately after completing the Exchange, we completed our initial public offering in which we sold 2.6 million common shares at $5.00 per share, or $13 million of gross proceeds (the “IPO”). The net proceeds from the IPO were approximately $11.1 million. The primary purpose of the IPO was to raise additional equity capital to fund mortgage loans and expand our mortgage loan portfolio. The IPO was also intended to diversify our ownership so that we could qualify, for federal income tax purposes, as a real estate investment trust, or REIT.

We believe that, following the consummation of the IPO, we have met all the requirements to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and intend to elect to be taxed as a REIT beginning with our 2017 tax year. As a REIT, we are entitled to claim deductions for distributions of taxable income to our shareholders thereby eliminating any corporate tax on such taxable income. Any taxable income not distributed to shareholders is subject to tax at the regular corporate tax rates and may also be subject to a 4% exercise tax to the extent it exceeds 10% of our total taxable income. To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required to distribute each year at least 90% of our taxable income. As a REIT, we may also be subject to federal excise taxes and state taxes.

Operational and Financial Overview

Since December 2010, when we commenced operations as SCP, through June 30, 2018, our most recent quarter end, we have made an aggregate of 787 loans, which includes renewals and extensions of existing loans. At June 30, 2018, (i) our loan portfolio included 385 mortgage loans, with individual principal loan amounts ranging from $15,000 to $2.0 million and an aggregate loan amount of approximately $72.4 million, (ii) the average original principal amount of the mortgage loans in the portfolio was $188,000 and the median mortgage loan amount was $127,000 and (iii) approximately 51% of the mortgage loans had a principal amount of $250,000 or less. In comparison, at June 30, 2017, (i) our loan portfolio included 280 loans, with individual principal loan amounts ranging from $10,000 to $1.2 million and an aggregate loan amount of approximately $47.8 million, (ii) the average original principal amount of the loans in the portfolio was $170,740 and the median loan amount was $120,000 and (iii) approximately 82.0% of the loans had a principal amount of $250,000 or less. At June 30, 2018 and 2017, unfunded commitments for future advances under construction loans totaled approximately $6.4 million and $3.3 million, respectively.

Similarly, our revenues and net income have been growing. For the six months ended June 30, 2018, revenues and net income were approximately $5.76 million and $4.18, respectively. For the first six months of 2017, revenues and net income were approximately $2.82 million and $1.85 million, respectively. We cannot assure you, our shareholders, that we will be able to sustain these growth rates.

Our operating expenses have increased significantly due to multiple factors including our conversion from a limited liability company to a regular C corporation, operating as a REIT, our status as a publicly-held reporting company and growth in our operations. As a corporation, we incur various costs and expenses that we did not have as a limited liability company, such as director fees, directors’ and officers’ insurance and we incur significant compensation and other employee-related costs for services rendered by our senior executive officers. Moreover, because of various laws, rules and regulations that prohibit or severely limit our ability to enter into agreements with related parties, certain operating expenses, have increased as well. Finally, we anticipate increases in professional fees, filing fees, printing and mailing costs, exchange listing fees, transfer agent fees and other miscellaneous costs related to our compliance with various laws, rules and regulations applicable to REITs and a publicly-held reporting company. For example, we are required to, among other things, file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and operating results. Also, as a public reporting company, we must establish and maintain effective disclosure and financial controls. As a result, we may need to hire additional accounting and finance personnel with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge, which will also increase our operating expenses.

Our loans typically have a maximum initial term of one to three years and bear interest at a fixed rate of 5.0% to 12.5% per year and a default rate for non-payment of 18% per year. We usually receive origination fees, or “points,” ranging from 2% to 5% of the original principal amount of the loan as well as other fees relating to underwriting, funding and managing the loan. Since we treat an extension or renewal of an existing loan as a new loan, we also receive additional “points” and other loan-related fees in connection with those transactions. Interest is always payable monthly in arrears. As a matter of policy, we do not make any loans if the loan-to value ratio exceeds 70%. In the case of construction loans, the loan-to-value ratio is based on the post-construction value of the property. Under the terms of the Webster Facility (described below), mortgage loans exceeding $250,000 require a third-party to complete an appraisal of the collateral. Failure to obtain such an appraisal would render the loan ineligible for inclusion in the borrowing base. In the case of smaller loans, we rely on readily available market data, including tax assessment rolls, recent sales transactions and brokers to evaluate the strength of the collateral. Finally, we have adopted a policy that limits the maximum amount of any loan we fund to a single borrower or a group of affiliated borrowers to 10% of the aggregate amount of our loan portfolio after taking into account the loan under consideration.

Our revenue consists primarily of interest earned on our loan portfolio and our net income is the spread between the interest we earn and our cost of funds. Our capital structure is more heavily weighted to equity rather than debt (approximately 71% vs. 29% of our total capitalization at June 30, 2018.) At June 30, 2018, the interest rate on the Webster Facility was 6.09% per annum and the annual yield on our loan portfolio was 12.30% per annum. The yield has remained steady over the past few years as older loans come due and are either repaid or refinanced at similar rates. The yield reflected above does not include other amounts collected from borrowers such as origination fees, default rates of interest and late payment fees. We expect our borrowing costs to continue to increase in 2018 as interest rates continue to increase. To date, we have not raised rates on our loans to match the recent increases in our borrowing rate. After considering the benefits and risks of increasing our rates, considering our relatively low level of debt and cost of funds, we believe the better strategy is to focus on building market share rather than short-term profits and cash flow, although this strategy could adversely impact our profits and cash flow in the short-term.

In addition, we seek to mitigate some of the risk associated with rising rates by limiting the term of new loans to one year, whenever possible. If, at the end of the term, the loan is not in default and meets our other underwriting criteria, we will consider an extension or renewal of the loan at our then prevailing interest rate. However, if interest rates continue to increase, we may find it necessary to change our strategy and try to increase the rates on our mortgage loans as well. If we are successful, this may undermine our strategy to increase market share. If we are not successful, the “spread” between our borrowing costs and the yield on our portfolio will be squeezed and would adversely impact our net income. We cannot assure you that we will be able to increase our rates at any time in the future and we cannot assure you that we can continue to increase our market share.

As a real estate finance company, we deal with a variety of default situations, including breaches of covenants, such as the obligation of the borrower to maintain adequate liability insurance on the mortgaged property, to pay the taxes on the property and to make timely payments to us. As such, we may not be aware that a default occurred. As a result, we are unable to quantify the number of loans that may have, at one time or another, been in default. Since December 2010, when SCP commenced operations, through June 30, 2018, our most recent quarter end, we have made an aggregate of 787 mortgage loans having an aggregate original principal amount of $144.6 million. Until 2015, we never had a situation where a borrower was unable to service a loan during its term or unable to repay the entire outstanding balance, interest and principal, in full at maturity.

At June 30, 2018, of the 385 mortgage loans in our portfolio, eight are designated by us as “non-performing”, typically because the borrower is more than 90 days in arrears on its interest payment obligations or because the borrower has failed to make timely payments of real estate taxes or insurance premiums. The aggregate outstanding principal balance of these non-performing loans and the accrued but unpaid interest as of June 30, 2018 was approximately $2.56 million, representing approximately 3.5% of our aggregate mortgage loan portfolio. The non-performing loans have all been referred to counsel to commence foreclosure proceedings or to negotiate settlement terms. In the case of each non-performing loan, we believe the value of the collateral exceeds the outstanding balance on the loan.

Financing Strategy Overview

To continue to grow our business, we must increase the size of our loan portfolio, which requires that we raise additional capital either by selling shares of our capital stock or by incurring additional indebtedness. We do not have a policy limiting the amount of indebtedness that we may incur. Thus, our operating income in the future will depend on how much debt we incur and the spread between our cost of funds and the yield on our loan portfolio. Rising interest rates could have an adverse impact on our business if we cannot increase the rates on our loans to offset the increase in our cost of funds and to satisfy investor demand for yield. In addition, rapidly rising interest rates could have an unsettling effect on real estate values, which could compromise some of our collateral.

We do not have any formal policy limiting the amount of indebtedness we may incur. However, under the terms of the Webster Facility, unless otherwise explicitly permitted by the Credit and Security Agreement, we may not incur any additional indebtedness without Webster’s consent. The most significant exception to this covenant is one that permits us to separately finance the mortgage loans in our portfolio that secure “commercial” properties. Depending on various factors we may, in the future, decide to take on additional debt to expand our mortgage loan origination activities to increase the potential returns to our shareholders. Although we have no pre-set guidelines in terms of leverage ratio, the amount of leverage we will deploy will depend on our assessment of a variety of factors, which may include the liquidity of the real estate market in which most of our collateral is located, employment rates, general economic conditions, the cost of funds relative to the yield curve, the potential for losses and extension risk in our portfolio, the gap between the duration of our assets and liabilities, our opinion regarding the creditworthiness of our borrowers, the value of the collateral underlying our portfolio, and our outlook for interest rates and property values. At June 30, 2018, debt proceeds represented approximately 29% of our total capital. However, to grow the business and satisfy the requirement to pay out 90% of net profits, we expect to increase our level of debt over time to approximately 50% of our total capital. We intend to use leverage for the sole purpose of financing our portfolio and not for speculating on changes in interest rates.

We consummated our IPO in February 2017, offering and selling 2,600,000 common shares at a price of $5.00 per share. The net proceeds, after payment of underwriting discounts and commissions and transaction fees were approximately $11.1 million, which we initially used to pay down the entire outstanding balance on the Bankwell Credit Facility. In November 2017, we completed a second public offering in which we sold an aggregate of 4,312,500 common shares at a public offering price of $4.00 per share. The gross proceeds from the November offering were $17.25 million and the net proceeds were approximately $16.0 million, which were also used to reduce the outstanding balance on the Bankwell Credit Facility.

The Bankwell Credit Facility was a $20 million revolving credit facility that we used to fund the loans we originated. The Bankwell Credit Facility was secured by a first priority lien on all our assets, including our mortgage loan portfolio. It was also jointly and severally guaranteed by JJV, Jeffrey C. Villano and John L. Villano, CPA, our co-chief executive officers. The liability of each guarantor was capped at $1 million.

On May 11, 2018 (the “Closing Date”), we entered into a Credit and Security Agreement with Webster Business Credit Corporation (“WBCC”), Bankwell Bank and Berkshire Bank (collectively, the “Lenders”) under which the Lenders agreed to provide us with a $35 million revolving credit facility (the “Webster Facility”) to replace the Bankwell Credit Facility, which has now been repaid in full and terminated. The Webster Facility is secured by a first priority lien on substantially all our assets, including our mortgage loan portfolio. Amounts outstanding under the Webster Facility bear interest at a floating rate equal to the 30-day LIBOR rate plus 4.00% per annum and will be due and payable on May 11, 2022.

Pursuant to the terms of the agreement governing the Webster Facility, we may draw up to 75% of the aggregate principal amount of our “Eligible Mortgage Loans,” which are defined as mortgage loans secured by a first mortgage lien on real property as to which (a) certain representations and warranties are correct, (b) the loan-to-value ratio is not greater than seventy percent (70%), (c) the principal amount of such mortgage loan does not exceed $1.5 million ($4 million in the case of related borrowers), (d) (i) with respect to mortgage loans made prior to the Closing Date, the mortgage note has a stated maturity that does not exceed thirty-six (36) months and does not provide for, or have, any extension beyond thirty-six (36) months from the original due date of such mortgage note (ii) with respect to Mortgage Loans made on or after the Closing Date, the mortgage note has a stated maturity that does not exceed twenty-four (24) months and does not provide for, or have, any extension beyond twenty-four (24) months from the original due date of such mortgage note and (e) the mortgage file has been delivered to WBCC, the Agent for the Lenders and (f) that were approved by Agent in its “permitted discretion” for inclusion as collateral. Mortgage loans secured by non-residential properties are excluded. At the Closing Date, our Eligible Mortgage Loans totaled approximately $43.2 million.

Under the terms of the Credit and Security Agreement, we, either directly or through a loan subsidiary, may enter into a separate loan transaction with one or more third party financial institution(s), which is secured by a lien on the mortgage loans in our portfolio that are secured by “commercial” properties. As of the June 30, 2018, mortgage loans secured by commercial loans had an aggregate principal amount of approximately $18.6 million.

Events of default under the terms of the new credit facility include: (i) failure to timely pay amounts due; (ii) breach of covenants and other agreements; (iii) material misrepresentations; (iv) bankruptcy or insolvency; (v) failure to deliver reports on time; (vi) change in control or change in management and (vii) material adverse changes to our business.

In connection with the new credit facility we made various representations and warranties, which are typical of transactions of this type including those relating to our authority to enter into the transaction, our organization and qualification, the filing of tax returns and the payment of taxes, the completeness and accuracy of our financial statements, our compliance with laws, rules and regulations relating to our employees, the workplace and the environment, our solvency, our indebtedness and liabilities; our intellectual property; the status of our material agreements, that we are not in default of any material agreements, that we have no labor disputes and our status as a REIT.

We also agreed to various affirmative and negative and financial covenants typical of transactions of this type. The financial covenants include maintaining (i) a minimum tangible net worth of not less than $52 million, (ii) a fixed charge coverage ratio of not less than 1.25:1 and (iii) a senior funded debt to tangible net worth ratio of not more than 2:1. We are in compliance with each of these covenants.

We are also obligated to provide the lenders with various reports and schedules including unaudited quarterly and audited annual financial statements, an annual budget and a borrowing base certificate. If we fail to provide these reports on a timely basis, we are subject to late fees of $150/day/report.

Finally, in addition to interest, we are responsible for the following additional fees: (i) unused line fee of 0.375% per annum, payable quarterly, (ii) the Agent’s fee of 0.25% per annum computed on the actual outstanding balances, payable monthly, (iii) a collateral evaluation fee of $2,500 per month; and (iv) a computer access fee of $150 per month. Other periodic charges include audit fees of $950/day/person, 2-4 times per year.

REIT Qualification

We believe that since the consummation of the IPO, we have qualified as a REIT and that it is in the best interests of our shareholders that we operate as a REIT. We intend to make the election to be taxed as a REIT beginning with our 2017 tax year. As a REIT, we are required to distribute at least 90% of our taxable income to our shareholders on an annual basis. We cannot assure you that we will qualify as a REIT or that, even if we do qualify initially, we will be able to maintain REIT status.

Our qualification as a REIT depends on our ability to meet on a continuing basis, through actual investment and operating results, various complex requirements under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), relating to, among other things, the sources of our gross income, the composition and values of our assets, our compliance with the distributions requirements applicable to REITs and the diversity of ownership of our outstanding common shares. Given that our senior executive officers, Jeffrey C. Villano and John L. Villano, own a significant portion of our outstanding capital shares, we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain that qualification.

So long as we qualify as a REIT, we, generally, will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income that we distribute currently to our shareholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year and do not qualify for certain statutory relief provisions, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate income tax rates and may be precluded from electing to be treated as a REIT for four taxable years following the year during which we lose our REIT qualification. Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income.

Emerging Growth Company Status

We are an “emerging growth company”, as defined in the JOBS Act, and, for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may choose to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies but not to emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to have our independent registered public accounting firm audit our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As an emerging growth company, we can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until those standards apply to private companies. We intend to avail ourselves of these options. Once adopted, we must continue to report on that basis until we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company.

We will cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest of: (i) the end of the 2022 fiscal year; (ii) the first fiscal year after our annual gross revenue are $1.07 billion or more; (iii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; or (iv) the end of any fiscal year in which the market value of our common shares held by non-affiliates exceeded $700 million as of the end of the second quarter of that fiscal year. We cannot predict if investors will find our common shares less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. If, investors find our common shares less attractive because of our decision to take advantage of the exemptions provided by the JOBS Act regarding disclosure, there may be a less active trading market for our common shares and the price of our common shares may be more volatile.

Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We base our use of estimates on (a)a preset number of assumptions that consider past experience, (b) future projections and (c) general financial market conditions. Actual amounts could differ from those estimates.

Interest income from commercial loans is recognized, as earned, over the loan period and origination fee revenue on commercial loans is amortized over the term of the respective note.

As an “emerging growth company,” we intend to avail ourselves of the reduced disclosure requirements and extended transition periods for adopting new or revised accounting standards that would otherwise apply to us as a public reporting company. Once adopted, we must continue to report on that basis until we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to those of other public reporting companies that either are not emerging growth companies or that are emerging growth companies but have opted not to avail themselves of these provisions of the JOBS Act and investors may deem our securities a less attractive investment relative to those other companies, which could adversely affect our stock price.

Results of operations

We were formed in January 2016 and, prior to the consummation of the Exchange, had not engaged in any business activity. Except as otherwise stated, the results of operations discussed below for the three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2017, include those of SCP for the portion of the period prior to the consummation of the Exchange on February 8, 2017. Given the significant changes to our operations in the first quarter of 2017, comparisons of operating results in 2018 and 2017 may not be appropriate.

Three months ended June 30, 2018 compared to three months ended June 30, 2017

Total revenue

Total revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2018 was approximately $3.04 million compared to approximately $1.56 million for the three months ended June 30, 2017, an increase of $1.48 million, or 94.9%. The increase in revenue represents an increase in lending operations. For the 2018 period, interest income was approximately $2.38 million, net origination fees were approximately $340,000 and other income was approximately $205,000. In comparison, for the three months ended June 30, 2017, interest income was approximately $1.22 million, net origination fees were approximately $170,000 and other income was approximately $79,000.

Operating costs and expenses

Total operating costs and expenses for three months ended June 30, 2018 were approximately $832,000 compared to approximately $603,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2017 period, an increase of approximately 37.9%. The increase in operating costs and expenses is primarily attributable to the increase in our lending operations. Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs for the three months ended June 30, 2018 were approximately $382,000 compared to approximately $171,000 for the corresponding 2017 period, an increase of approximately 123.4%, reflecting the increase in the amount of our outstanding indebtedness and a decrease in our cost of funds. Compensation and related costs for the three months ended June 30, 2018 was approximately $300,000 compared to approximately $165,000 for the corresponding 2017 period. The increase was due primarily to the increase in the base annual compensation payable to our co-chief executive officers as well as salary increases payable to our other employees. For the three months ended June 30, 2018, we experienced decreases in professional fees (approximately $42,000 in 2018 compared to approximately $48,000 for the corresponding period) and general and administrative expenses (approximately $81,000 in the 2018 period compared to approximately $132,000 for the corresponding 2017 period). Depreciation for the three months ended June 30, 2018 was approximately $5,800 compared to $7,700 for the corresponding 2017 period.

Net Income

Net income for the three months ended June 30, 2018 was approximately $2.21 million, or $0.14 per share, compared to approximately $957,000, or $0.09 per share for the three months ended June 30, 2017.

Six months ended June 30, 2018 compared to six months ended June 30, 2017

Total revenue

Total revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2018 was approximately $5.76 million compared to approximately $2.82 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017, an increase of $2.94 million, or 104.2%. The increase in revenue represents an increase in lending operations. For the 2018 period, interest income was approximately $4.34 million, net origination fees were approximately $689,000 and other income was approximately $500,000. In comparison, for the six months ended June 30, 2017, interest income was approximately $2.26 million, net origination fees were approximately $267,000 and other income was approximately $126,000. Prior to the completion of the IPO, 75% of gross origination fees were paid to JJV, LLC, SCP’s managing member. Accordingly, from January 1, 2017 through February 8, 2017, net origination fee income is net of the amounts payable to JJV and other adjustments. From and after February 9, 2017, JJV is no longer entitled to any payments from us (other than dividends paid to it in its capacity as a shareholder of Sachem Capital Corp.).

Operating costs and expenses

Total operating costs and expenses for six months ended June 30, 2018 were $1.58 million compared to approximately $969,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2017, an increase of approximately 62.6%. The increase in operating costs and expenses is primarily attributable to the increase in our lending operations as well as a change in our status from a limited liability company to a publicly-held real estate investment trust (REIT) subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. Interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costs for the six months ended June 30, 2018 were approximately $605,000 compared to approximately $287,000 for the corresponding 2017 period, an increase of approximately 110.8%, reflecting the increase in the amount of our outstanding indebtedness. Compensation and related costs for the six months ended June 30, 2018 was approximately $545,000 compared to approximately $271,000 for the corresponding 2017 period. However, this was offset, in part, by a decrease in compensation to manager to $0 in 2018 compared to approximately $36,000 in the corresponding 2017 period. For the six months ended June 30, 2018, professional fees were approximately $158,000 compared to approximately $132,000 for the corresponding 2017 period. General and administrative expenses remained consistent with approximately $163,000 in the 2018 period compared to approximately $177,000 for the corresponding 2017 period. The foregoing increases were primarily due to the change in our status from a private to a public company subject to the reporting obligations of the Exchange Act. Depreciation for the six months ended June 30, 2018 was approximately $13,500 compared to approximately $13,000 for the corresponding 2017 period. In addition, for the six months ended June 30, 2018, we incurred a $19,000 excise tax, because we failed to distribute 85% of our 2017 taxable income in 2017 as is required of REITs.

Net Income

Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2018 was approximately $4.18 million, or $0.27 per share, compared to approximately $1.85 million, or $0.14 per share for the six months ended June 30, 2017. Since we operated as a limited liability company prior to the IPO, the net income per share data for the six months ended June 30, 2017 does not include the net income per share for the period prior to the IPO.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Net cash provided by operating activities for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018 was approximately $2.93 million compared to approximately $1.66 million for the corresponding 2017 period, an increase of approximately $1.27 million. For the 2018 period the increase in net cash provided by operating activities is primarily attributable to an increase in net income of approximately $2.33 million, and decreases in the escrow deposit of approximately $100,000, other receivables of approximately $172,000, and due to members of approximately $656,000, offset by an increase in interest and fees receivables of approximately $482,000 and decreases in deferred revenue of approximately $295,000, due to note purchaser of approximately $723,000, accrued expenses of approximately $312,000 and advances from borrowers of approximately $300,000.

Net cash used in investing activities for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018 was approximately $10.14 million compared to approximately $14.45 million for the comparable 2017 period. The decrease in cash used in investing activities for the 2018 period is primarily due to increased collections on mortgages receivable of approximately $9.80 million and proceeds from the sale of a mortgage receivable of $1.20 million, offset by an increase in the issuance of mortgages receivable of approximately $7.03 million.

Net cash provided by financing activities for the six-month period ended June 30, 2018 was approximately $8.48 million compared to approximately $13.10 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2017. Net cash provided by financing activities for the 2018 period primarily consists of combined net proceeds from the Bankwell Credit Facility and the Webster Facility of approximately $12.30 million offset by dividends paid of approximately $3.24 million, while net cash provided by financing activities in the 2017 period consists primarily of net proceeds from the IPO of approximately $11.51 million and member contributions of approximately $653,000 offset by net payments on the Bankwell Credit Facility of approximately $4.04 million and members distributions of approximately $2.46 million.

We project anticipated cash requirements for our operating needs as well as cash flows generated from operating activities available to meet these needs. Our short-term cash requirements primarily include funding of loans and payments for usual and customary operating and administrative expenses, such as employee compensation, rent, sales, marketing expenses and dividends. Based on this analysis, we believe that our current cash balances, the amount available to us under our new credit facility, described below, and our anticipated cash flows from operations will be sufficient to fund the operations for the next 12 months.

Our long-term cash needs will include principal payments on outstanding indebtedness and funding of new mortgage loans. Funding for long-term cash needs will come from our cash on hand, operating cash flows, and unused capacity of our revolving credit facility or any replacement thereof.

From and after the effective date of our REIT election, we intend to pay regular quarterly distributions to holders of our common shares in an amount not less than 90% of our REIT taxable income (determined before the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gains).

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We are not a party to any off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements or other relationships with unconsolidated entities or other persons that are likely to affect liquidity or the availability of our requirements for capital resources.

Contractual Obligations

As of June 30, 2018, our contractual obligations include unfunded amounts of any outstanding construction loans and unfunded commitments for loans as well as contractual obligations consisting of operating leases for equipment and software licenses.

As of the date of the Exchange, SCP owed $910,211 to JJV of which $64,794 represented borrower charges advanced by JJV and $845,417 represented expenses paid by JJV for and on behalf of SCP for professional and other costs associated with the IPO, services rendered to SCP in connection with originating, underwriting, closing and servicing loans on our behalf and other miscellaneous items. The entire amount due to JJV was paid by SCP from its cash on hand on February 9, 2017. From and after the IPO, JJV is no longer entitled to any management or other fees for services rendered to SCP or to us unless specifically authorized by our board of directors, which majority must also include a majority of the “independent” directors.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2  —  “Significant Accounting Policies” to the accompanying Financial Statements for explanation of recent accounting pronouncements impacting us.