Trailing 12 Months

Understanding Trailing 12 Months (TTM) in Commercial Real Estate

In the context of commercial mortgages, Trailing 12 Months (TTM) refers to a financial reporting method that analyzes the performance of a property over the immediate past 12 consecutive months. Unlike a standard fiscal year or calendar year report, which may contain outdated information depending on the time of year, a TTM statement provides a real-time snapshot of a property’s financial health ending with the most recently completed month.

Lenders and underwriters prioritize TTM data because it offers the most current perspective on a property's ability to generate cash flow. This is critical for determining the risk level of a commercial mortgage and the maximum loan amount a borrower can qualify for.

Key Components of a TTM Report

A TTM report typically breaks down the income and expenses of a commercial asset. The data points most scrutinized by lenders include:

• Gross Potential Rent (GPR): The total rent that would be collected if the property were 100% occupied at market rates.
• Effective Gross Income (EGI): The actual income collected after accounting for vacancies, concessions, and "bad debt" (uncollected rent).
• Operating Expenses: All costs associated with running the property, including property taxes, insurance, utilities, maintenance, and management fees.
• Net Operating Income (NOI): The remaining profit after operating expenses are subtracted from the EGI. This figure is the primary metric used to determine loan eligibility.

Why TTM is Essential for Commercial Mortgages

Lenders use TTM data for several specific purposes during the underwriting process:

• Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR): Lenders calculate the DSCR by dividing the TTM Net Operating Income by the proposed annual mortgage payments. This ensures the property generates enough actual cash flow to cover the debt.
• Valuation and Cap Rates: Commercial property value is often determined by dividing the TTM NOI by a market-specific capitalization rate. Using the TTM ensures the valuation is based on current performance rather than projections.
• Trend Analysis: By looking at a TTM statement alongside previous years' data, a lender can identify if the property is "trending up" (increasing income) or "trending down" (rising expenses or falling occupancy).
• Seasonality Adjustments: TTM captures a full cycle of 12 months, which accounts for seasonal fluctuations in utility costs (such as heating in winter) or spikes in income (such as seasonal leases in retail or hospitality).

The Difference Between TTM and Pro Forma

It is important to distinguish between TTM and Pro Forma figures. While Pro Forma represents the projected or "future" potential of a property once improvements are made or rents are raised, the TTM represents the "hard numbers" of what has actually occurred. In most conventional commercial mortgage scenarios, lenders base their primary loan-to-value (LTV) and debt coverage calculations on the TTM, as it represents the most conservative and verified data available.