Daniel J. Cooperman
About Daniel J. Cooperman
Daniel J. Cooperman is Chief Originations Officer of Terra Property Trust, Inc. (TPTA), serving in this role since January 2016; he is age 50 and holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder . He has approximately 20 years’ experience in acquisition, financing, leasing, and asset management across commercial real estate with an aggregate value exceeding $5 billion, reflecting deep origination and underwriting credentials relevant to TPTA’s credit-focused strategy . His biography highlights prior roles at The Greenwich Group International and Chase Manhattan Bank’s Global Properties Group, underscoring institutional transaction execution and diligence expertise .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terra Property Trust, Inc. | Chief Originations Officer | Since Jan 2016 | Leads origination across CRE credit platform; multi-fund alignment |
| Terra Fund Advisors / Manager | Chief Originations Officer | Since Sep 2017 | Origination leadership across affiliated vehicles and mandates |
| Terra Capital Advisors (and Terra Capital Advisors 2) | Chief Originations Officer | Since Jan 2015 | Scaling of origination capability across advisor platforms |
| Terra Income Advisors / Terra BDC | Chief Originations Officer; previously Managing Director of Originations | Feb 2015–Oct 2022; MD from May 2013–Feb 2015 | Origination and portfolio growth across BDC mandates |
| Fund 5 International | Chief Originations Officer | Since Jan 2015 | Expanded origination reach across international fund mandates |
| Terra Income Advisors 2; Terra International; Terra Fund 7 | Chief Originations Officer | Since Oct 2016 | Multi-vehicle origination leadership; diversified loan sourcing |
| Commercial real estate (aggregate experience) | Various origination/asset roles | ~20 years | Experience across >$5B of CRE assets strengthens underwriting rigor |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Greenwich Group International, LLC | Mortgage and mezzanine placement | Prior to Terra Capital Partners’ formation | Institutional deal placement and capital markets experience |
| Chase Manhattan Bank – Global Properties Group | Financial analysis and due diligence | Prior tenure | Strategic real estate acquisition/divestiture diligence for bank platform |
| JGS (Japanese conglomerate) | Acquisitions and asset management | Prior tenure | Global real estate holdings management experience |
Fixed Compensation
- TPTA is externally managed; executive officers are employees of the Manager and do not receive cash compensation from TPTA for serving as officers .
- TPTA has not maintained equity compensation plans for executives or directors as of year-end 2024 .
| Component | Disclosure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary | Not paid by TPTA | Executives are compensated by Manager; no direct TPTA salary |
| Target Bonus % | Not paid by TPTA | No company-paid incentives; Manager determines pay |
| Actual Bonus | Not paid by TPTA | No company-paid incentives |
| Cash Retainers (Directors) | $60,000; Audit Chair $15,000; Audit Members $10,000 | 2024 director cash fees; executives receive none from TPTA |
Performance Compensation
- No RSUs, PSUs, or stock options granted by TPTA; there is no equity compensation plan in place .
- No company-disclosed performance metric-linked payouts for executive officers (compensation occurs at Manager level; not disclosed in TPTA proxy) .
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not applicable (externally managed; no TPTA plan) | — | — | — | — | — |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Beneficial ownership: Daniel J. Cooperman beneficially owns 0 shares of Class B Common Stock (as of April 18, 2025) .
- Insider Trading Policy prohibits short sales, publicly traded options on TPTA securities, hedging/monetization transactions (e.g., prepaid forwards, swaps, collars, exchange funds), and pledging or holding TPTA securities in margin accounts—reducing misalignment and leverage risks .
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Shares outstanding (Class B) | 24,338,581 (as of 4/18/2025) |
| Daniel J. Cooperman beneficially owned shares | 0 |
| Ownership % | 0.00% |
| Vested vs. unvested shares | Not applicable (no TPTA equity awards) |
| Options (exercisable/unexercisable) | None disclosed (no TPTA option plan) |
| Shares pledged as collateral | Prohibited by policy |
| Hedging of company stock | Prohibited by policy |
| Stock ownership guidelines | Not disclosed |
Employment Terms
- Role start date: Chief Originations Officer since January 2016 (TPTA; also roles across Manager and affiliates) .
- Indemnification: TPTA has indemnification agreements with officers, advancing expenses and indemnifying to the fullest extent permitted under Maryland law, with repayment required if indemnification is later deemed inapplicable .
- Insider Trading Policy: Pre-clearance required; blackout restrictions; prohibition on short sales, options, hedging/monetization, and pledging/margin, enhancing governance controls .
- Compensation Committee: None—Board manages director compensation; executives do not receive compensation from TPTA .
- Severance/Change-of-control: No executive-specific severance or change-of-control terms disclosed for Cooperman; as context, the Manager’s Management Agreement has termination constructs (Company may terminate for unsatisfactory performance or unfair compensation subject to conditions; termination fee equals 3x average annual fees and reimbursements over the prior 24 months unless termination for specified cause or internalization event) . These provisions affect external management continuity rather than individual executive severance.
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Zero direct equity ownership suggests limited personal exposure to TPTA equity outcomes; however, stringent prohibitions on hedging/pledging reduce risk of misaligned behaviors and leverage against company stock .
- Selling pressure: No company equity awards or options and zero holdings imply minimal insider selling pressure from Cooperman at TPTA .
- Governance/related-party dynamics: Externally managed structure with material fees (e.g., asset management, servicing, disposition, origination) and participation arrangements underscores inherent conflict risks; the Board’s related-party policy and disinterested approvals mitigate but do not eliminate these risks .
- Retention risk: Tenure since 2016 across TPTA and affiliated advisors indicates continuity in origination leadership; absence of company-level severance/change-of-control terms suggests retention levers are primarily Manager-driven .