Exhibit 99.1

RISK FACTORS

Risks Related to Our Investment Program

Our existing loans and investments expose us to a high degree of risk associated with investing in real estate assets.

Real estate historically has experienced significant fluctuations and cycles in performance that may result in reductions in the value of our real estate related investments. The performance and value of our loans and investments once originated or acquired by us depends upon many factors beyond our control. The ultimate performance and value of our investments is subject to the varying degrees of risk generally incident to the ownership and operation of the properties which collateralize or support our investments. The ultimate performance and value of our loans and investments depends upon, in large part, the commercial property owner’s ability to operate the property so that it produces sufficient cash flows necessary either to pay the interest and principal due to us on our loans and investments or pay us as an equity advisor. Revenues and cash flows may be adversely affected by:

• changes in national economic conditions;

• changes in local real estate market conditions due to changes in national or local economic conditions or changes in local property market characteristics;

• competition from other properties offering the same or similar services;

• changes in interest rates and in the state of the debt and equity capital markets;

• the ongoing need for capital improvements, particularly in older building structures;

• changes in real estate tax rates and other operating expenses;

• adverse changes in governmental rules and fiscal policies, civil unrest, acts of God, including earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, which may decrease the availability of or increase the cost of insurance or result in uninsured losses;

• adverse changes in zoning laws;

• the impact of present or future environmental legislation and compliance with environmental laws;

• the impact of lawsuits which could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert management’s time and attention from our day-to-day operations; and

• other factors that are beyond our control and the control of the property owners.

In the event that any of the properties underlying our loans or investments experiences any of the foregoing events or occurrences, the value of, and return on, such investments, our profitability and the market price of our class A common stock would be negatively impacted.

We may change our investment strategy without shareholder consent, which may result in riskier investments than our current investments.

As part of our strategy, we may seek to expand our investment activities beyond real estate related investments. We may change our investment activities at any time without the consent of our shareholders, which could result in our making investments that are different from, and possibly riskier than, our current real estate investments. New investments we may make outside of our area of historical expertise may not perform as well as our current portfolio of real estate related investments.

We are exposed to the risks involved with making subordinated investments.

Our subordinated investments involve the risks attendant to investments consisting of subordinated loan and similar positions. In many cases, management of our investments and our remedies with respect thereto, including the ability to foreclose on or direct decisions with respect to the collateral securing such investments, is subject to the rights of senior lenders and the rights set forth in inter-creditor or servicing agreements. Our interests, and those of the senior lenders and other interested parties may not be aligned.

We may not be able to obtain the level of leverage necessary to optimize our return on investment.

Our return on investment depends, in part, upon our ability to grow our balance sheet portfolio of invested assets and those of our investment management vehicles through the use of leverage at a cost of debt that is lower than the yield earned on our investments. We generally obtain leverage through the issuance of collateralized debt obligations, or CDOs, repurchase agreements and other borrowings. Our ability to obtain the necessary leverage on beneficial terms ultimately depends upon the quality of the portfolio assets that collateralize our indebtedness. Our failure to obtain and/or maintain leverage at desired levels, or to obtain leverage on attractive terms, would have a material adverse effect on our performance or that of our investment management vehicles. Moreover, we are dependent upon a few lenders to provide financing under repurchase agreements for our origination or acquisition of loans and investments and there can be no assurance that these agreements will be renewed or extended at expiration. Our ability to obtain financing through CDOs is subject to conditions in the debt capital markets which are impacted by factors beyond our control that may at times be adverse and reduce the level of investor demand for such securities.

We are subject to the risks of holding leveraged investments.

Leverage creates an opportunity for increased return on equity, but at the same time creates risk for us and our investment management vehicles. For example, leveraging magnifies changes in our net worth. We and our investment management vehicles will leverage assets only when there is an expectation that leverage will provide a benefit, such as enhancing returns, although we cannot assure you that the use of leverage will prove to be beneficial. Increases in

credit spreads in the market generally may adversely affect the market value of our investments. Because borrowings under our repurchase agreements and some other agreements are secured by our investments, which are subject to being marked to market by our credit providers, the borrowings available to us may decline if the market value of our investments decline. Moreover, we cannot assure you that we will be able to meet mark-to-market capital calls or debt service obligations in general and, to the extent such obligations are not met, there is a risk of loss of some or all of our investments through foreclosure or a financial loss if we or they are required to liquidate assets, the impact of which could be magnified if such a liquidation is at a commercially inopportune time.

We may guarantee some of our leverage and contingent obligations.

We guarantee the performance of some of our obligations, including but not limited to some of our repurchase agreements, derivative agreements, obligations to co-invest in our investment management vehicles and unsecured indebtedness. Non-performance on such obligations may cause losses to us in excess of the capital we initially may have invested/committed under such obligations and there is no assurance that we will have sufficient capital to cover any such losses.

Our secured and unsecured credit agreements may impose restrictions on our operation of the business.

Under our secured and unsecured credit agreements, such as our repurchase agreements and derivative agreements, we may make certain representations, warranties and affirmative and negative covenants that may restrict our ability to operate while still utilizing those sources of credit. Such representations, warranties and covenants may include but are not limited to restrictions on corporate guarantees, the maintenance of certain financial ratios, including our ratio of debt to equity capital and our debt service coverage ratio, as well as the maintenance of a minimum net worth, restrictions against a change of control of our company and limitations on alternative sources of capital.

Our success depends on the availability of attractive investments and our ability to identify, structure, consummate, leverage, manage and realize returns on attractive investments.

Our operating results are dependent upon the availability of, as well as our ability to identify, structure, consummate, leverage, manage and realize returns on, credit sensitive investment opportunities. In general, the availability of desirable credit sensitive investment opportunities and, consequently, our balance sheet returns and our investment management vehicles’ returns, will be affected by the level and volatility of interest rates, conditions in the financial markets, general economic conditions, the market and demand for credit sensitive investment opportunities, and the supply of capital for such investment opportunities. We cannot make any assurances that we will be successful in identifying and consummating investments which satisfy our rate of return objectives or that such investments, once consummated, will perform as anticipated. In addition, if we are not successful in investing for our investment management vehicles, the potential revenues we earn from management fees and co-investment returns will be reduced. We may expend significant time and resources in identifying and pursuing targeted investments, some of which may not be consummated.

The real estate investment business is highly competitive. Our success depends on our ability to compete with other providers of capital for real estate investments.

Our business is highly competitive. Competition may cause us to accept economic or structural features in our investments that we would not have otherwise accepted and it may cause us to search for investments in markets outside of our traditional product expertise. We compete for attractive investments with traditional lending sources, such as insurance companies and banks, as well as other REITs, specialty finance companies and private equity vehicles with similar investment objectives, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate our target investments. Many of our competitors have greater financial resources and lower costs of capital than we do, which provides them with greater operating flexibility and a competitive advantage relative to us.

Our loans and investments may be subject to fluctuations in interest rates which may not be adequately protected, or protected at all, by our hedging strategies.

Our current balance sheet investment program emphasizes loans with both “floating” interest rates and fixed interest rates. Floating rate investments earn interest at rates that adjust from time to time (typically monthly) based upon an index (typically LIBOR), allowing this portion of our portfolio to be insulated from changes in value due specifically to changes in rates. Fixed interest rate investments, however, do not have adjusting interest rates and, as prevailing interest rates change, the relative value of the fixed cash flows from these investments will cause potentially significant changes in value. Depending on market conditions, fixed rate assets may become a greater portion of our new loan originations. We may employ various hedging strategies to limit the effects of changes in interest rates (and in some cases credit spreads), including engaging in interest rate swaps, caps, floors and other interest rate derivative products. No strategy can completely insulate us or our investment management vehicles from the risks associated with interest rate changes and there is a risk that they may provide no protection at all and potentially compound the impact of changes in interest rates. Hedging transactions involve certain additional risks such as counterparty risk, the legal enforceability of hedging contracts, the early repayment of hedged transactions and the risk that unanticipated and significant changes in interest rates may cause a significant loss of basis in the contract and a change in current period expense. We cannot make assurances that we will be able to enter into hedging transactions or that such hedging transactions will adequately protect us or our investment management vehicles against the foregoing risks. In addition, cash flow hedges which are not perfectly correlated (and appropriately designated/documented as such) with a variable rate financing will impact our reported income as gains, and losses on the ineffective portion of such hedges will be recorded.

Our use of leverage may create a mismatch with the duration and index of the investments that we are financing.

We attempt to structure our leverage such that we minimize the difference between the term of our investments and the leverage we use to finance such an investment. In the event that our leverage is shorter term than the financed investment, we may not be able to extend or find appropriate replacement leverage and that would have an adverse impact on our liquidity and our returns. In the event that our leverage is longer term than the financed investment, we may not

be able to repay such leverage or replace the financed investment with an optimal substitute or at all, which will negatively impact our desired leveraged returns.

We attempt to structure our leverage such that we minimize the difference between the index of our investments and the index of our leverage—financing floating rate investments with floating rate leverage and fixed rate investments with fixed rate leverage. If such a product is not available to us from our lenders on reasonable terms, we may use hedging instruments to effectively create such a match. For example, in the case of fixed rate investments, we may finance such an investment with floating rate leverage, but effectively convert all or a portion of the attendant leverage to fixed rate using hedging strategies.

Our attempts to mitigate such risk are subject to factors outside of our control, such as the availability to us of favorable financing and hedging options, which is subject to a variety of factors, of which duration and term matching are only two such factors.

Our loans and investments may be illiquid which will constrain our ability to vary our portfolio of investments.

Our real estate investments and structured financial product investments are relatively illiquid and some are highly illiquid. Such illiquidity may limit our ability to vary our portfolio or our investment management vehicles’ portfolios of investments in response to changes in economic and other conditions. Illiquidity may result from the absence of an established market for investments as well as the legal or contractual restrictions on their resale. In addition, illiquidity may result from the decline in value of a property securing these investments. We cannot make assurances that the fair market value of any of the real property serving as security will not decrease in the future, leaving our or our investment management vehicles’ investments under-collateralized or not collateralized at all, which could impair the liquidity and value, as well as our return on such investments.

We may not have control over certain of our loans and investments.

Our ability to manage our portfolio of loans and investments may be limited by the form in which they are made. In certain situations, we or our investment management vehicles may:

• acquire investments subject to rights of senior classes and servicers under inter-creditor or servicing agreements;

• acquire only a participation in an underlying investment;

• co-invest with third parties through partnerships, joint ventures or other entities, thereby acquiring non-controlling interests; or

• rely on independent third party management or strategic partners with respect to the management of an asset.

Therefore, we may not be able to exercise control over the loan or investment. Such financial assets may involve risks not present in investments where senior creditors, servicers or third party controlling investors are not involved. Our rights to control the process following a

borrower default may be subject to the rights of senior creditors or servicers whose interests may not be aligned with ours. A third party partner or co-venturer may have financial difficulties resulting in a negative impact on such asset, may have economic or business interests or goals which are inconsistent with ours and those of our investment management vehicles, or may be in a position to take action contrary to our or our investment management vehicles’ investment objectives. In addition, we and our investment management vehicles may, in certain circumstances, be liable for the actions of our third party partners or co-venturers.

We may not achieve our targeted rate of return on our investments.

We originate or acquire investments based on our estimates or projections of overall rates of return on such investments, which in turn are based upon, among other considerations, assumptions regarding the performance of assets, the amount and terms of available financing to obtain desired leverage and the manner and timing of dispositions, including possible asset recovery and remediation strategies, all of which are subject to significant uncertainty. In addition, events or conditions that we have not anticipated may occur and may have a significant effect on the actual rate of return received on an investment.

As we acquire or originate investments for our balance sheet portfolio, whether as new additions or as replacements for maturing investments, there can be no assurance that we will be able to originate or acquire investments that produce rates of return comparable to rates on our existing investments.

Investor demand for commercial real estate CDOs has been substantially curtailed.

The recent turmoil in the structured finance markets, in particular the sub-prime residential loan market, has negatively impacted the credit markets generally, and, as a result, investor demand for commercial real estate collateralized debt obligations has been substantially curtailed. In recent years, we have relied to a substantial extent on CDO financings to obtain match funded financing for our investments. Until the market for commercial real estate CDOs recovers, we may be unable to utilize CDOs to finance our investments and we may need to utilize less favorable sources of financing to finance our investments on a long-term basis. There can be no assurance as to when demand for commercial real estate CDOs will return or the terms of such securities investors will demand or whether we will be able to issue CDOs to finance our investments on terms beneficial to us.

We may not be able to acquire suitable investments for a CDO issuance, or we may not be able to issue CDOs on attractive terms, which may require us to utilize more costly financing for our investments.

We intend to capitalize on opportunities to finance certain of our investments through the issuance of CDOs. During the period that we are acquiring these investments, we intend to finance our purchases through repurchase agreements. We use these repurchase agreements to finance our acquisition of investments until we have accumulated a sufficient quantity of investments, at which time we may refinance them through a securitization, such as a CDO issuance. As a result, we are subject to the risk that we will not be able to acquire a sufficient amount of eligible investments to maximize the efficiency of a CDO issuance. In addition,

conditions in the debt capital markets may make the issuance of CDOs less attractive to us even when we do have a sufficient pool of collateral. If we are unable to issue a CDO to finance these investments, we may be required to utilize other forms of potentially less attractive financing.

We may not be able to find suitable replacement investments for CDOs with reinvestment periods.

Some of our CDOs have periods where principal proceeds received from assets securing the CDO can be reinvested for a defined period of time, commonly referred to as a reinvestment period. Our ability to find suitable investments during the reinvestment period that meet the criteria set forth in the CDO documentation and by rating agencies may determine the success of our CDO investments. Our potential inability to find suitable investments may cause, among other things, lower returns, interest deficiencies, hyper-amortization of the senior CDO liabilities and may cause us to reduce the life of our CDOs and accelerate the amortization of certain fees and expenses.

The use of CDO financings with over-collateralization and interest coverage requirements may have a negative impact on our cash flow.

The terms of CDOs will generally provide that the principal amount of investments must exceed the principal balance of the related bonds by a certain amount and that interest income exceeds interest expense by a certain amount. Generally, CDO terms provide that, if certain delinquencies and/or losses or other factors cause a decline in collateral or cash flow levels, the cash flow otherwise payable on our retained subordinated classes may be redirected to repay classes of CDOs senior to ours until the issuer or the collateral is in compliance with the terms of the governing documents. Other tests (based on delinquency levels or other criteria) may restrict our ability to receive net income from assets pledged to secure CDOs. We cannot assure you that the performance tests will be satisfied. With respect to future CDOs we may issue, we cannot assure you, in advance of completing negotiations with the rating agencies or other key transaction parties as to the actual terms of the delinquency tests, over-collateralization and interest coverage terms, cash flow release mechanisms or other significant factors upon which net income to us will be calculated. Failure to obtain favorable terms with regard to these matters may adversely affect the availability of net income to us. If our investments fail to perform as anticipated, our overcollateralization, interest coverage or other credit enhancement expense associated with our CDO financings will increase.

We may be required to repurchase loans that we have sold or to indemnify holders of our CDOs.

If any of the loans we originate or acquire and sell or securitize through CDOs do not comply with representations and warranties that we make about certain characteristics of the loans, the borrowers and the underlying properties, we may be required to repurchase those loans or replace them with substitute loans. In addition, in the case of loans that we have sold instead of retained, we may be required to indemnify persons for losses or expenses incurred as a result of a breach of a representation or warranty. Repurchased loans typically require a significant allocation of working capital to carry on our books, and our ability to borrow against such assets

is limited. Any significant repurchases or indemnification payments could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

The commercial mortgage and mezzanine loans we originate or acquire and the commercial mortgage loans underlying the CMBS in which we invest are subject to delinquency, foreclosure and loss, which could result in losses to us.

Our commercial mortgage and mezzanine loans are secured by commercial property and are subject to risks of delinquency and foreclosure, and risks of loss that are greater than similar risks associated with loans made on the security of single-family residential property. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by an income-producing property typically is dependent primarily upon the successful operation of the property rather than upon the existence of independent income or assets of the borrower. If the net operating income of the property is reduced, the borrower’s ability to repay the loan may be impaired. Net operating income of an income-producing property can be affected by, among other things: tenant mix, success of tenant businesses, property management decisions, property location and condition, competition from comparable types of properties, changes in laws that increase operating expenses or limit rents that may be charged, any need to address environmental contamination at the property, changes in national, regional or local economic conditions and/or specific industry segments; declines in regional or local real estate values and declines in regional or local rental or occupancy rates, increases in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses, and changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies, including environmental legislation, acts of God, terrorism, social unrest and civil disturbances.

Our investments in subordinated CMBS and similar investments are subject to losses.

In general, losses on an asset securing a mortgage loan included in a securitization will be borne first by the equity holder of the property and then by the most junior security holder. In the event of default and the exhaustion of any equity support and any classes of securities junior to those in which we invest (and in some cases we may be invested in the junior most classes of securitizations), we may not be able to recover all of our investment in the securities we purchase. In addition, if the underlying mortgage portfolio has been overvalued by the originator, or if the values subsequently decline and, as a result, less collateral is available to satisfy interest and principal payments due on the related mortgage backed securities, the securities in which we invest may incur significant losses.

The prices of lower credit quality CMBS are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than more highly rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic downturns and underlying borrower developments. A projection of an economic downturn, for example, could cause a decline in the price of lower credit quality CMBS because the ability of borrowers to make principal and interest payments on the mortgages underlying the mortgage backed securities may be impaired. In such event, existing credit support in the securitization structure may be insufficient to protect us against loss of our principal on these securities.

We may invest in non-performing assets that are subject to a higher degree of financial risk.

We will make investments in non-performing or other troubled assets that involve a high degree of financial risk and there can be no assurance that our investment objectives will be realized or that there will be any return on our investment. Furthermore, investments in properties operating in workout modes or under bankruptcy protection laws may, in certain circumstances, be subject to additional potential liabilities that could exceed the value of our original investment.

The impact of the events of September 11, 2001 and the effect thereon on terrorism insurance expose us to certain risks.

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 disrupted the U.S. financial markets, including the real estate capital markets, and negatively impacted the U.S. economy in general. Any future terrorist attacks, the anticipation of any such attacks, and the consequences of any military or other response by the U.S. and its allies may have a further adverse impact on the U.S. financial markets and the economy generally. We cannot predict the severity of the effect that such future events would have on the U.S. financial markets, the economy or our business.

In addition, the events of September 11, 2001 created significant uncertainty regarding the ability of real estate owners of high profile assets to obtain insurance coverage protecting against terrorist attacks at commercially reasonable rates, if at all. A bill to extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002, or TRIA, beyond 2007 has been introduced in Congress, but no assurance can be provided as to its enactment. The absence of affordable insurance coverage may adversely affect the general real estate lending market, lending volume and the market’s overall liquidity and may reduce the number of suitable investment opportunities available to us and the pace at which we are able to make investments. If the properties that we invest in are unable to obtain affordable insurance coverage, the value of those investments could decline and in the event of an uninsured loss, we could lose all or a portion of our investment.

The economic impact of any future terrorist attacks could also adversely affect the credit quality of some of our loans and investments. Some of our loans and investments will be more susceptible to such adverse effects than others. We may suffer losses as a result of the adverse impact of any future attacks and these losses may adversely impact our results of operations.

Our non-U.S. investments will expose us to certain risks.

We make investments in foreign countries. Investing in foreign countries involves certain additional risks that may not exist when investing in the United States. The risks involved in foreign investments include:

• exposure to local economic conditions, local interest rates, foreign exchange restrictions and restrictions on the withdrawal of foreign investment and earnings, investment restrictions or requirements, expropriations of property and changes in foreign taxation structures;

• potential adverse changes in the diplomatic relations of foreign countries with the United States and government policies against investments by foreigners;

• changes in foreign regulations;

• hostility from local populations, potential instability of foreign governments and risks of insurrections, terrorist attacks, war or other military action;

• fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;

• changes in social, political, legal, taxation and other conditions affecting our international investment;

• logistical barriers to our timely receipt of financial information relating to our international investments that may need to be included in our periodic reporting obligations as a public company; and

• lack of uniform accounting standards (including availability of information in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles).

Unfavorable legal, regulatory, economic or political changes such as those described above could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We may from time to time invest a portion of our assets in non-U.S. investments or in instruments denominated in non-U.S. currencies, the prices of which will be determined with reference to currencies other than the U.S. dollar. We may hedge our foreign currency exposure. To the extent unhedged, the value of our non-U.S. assets will fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates as well as the price changes of our investments in the various local markets and currencies. Among the factors that may affect currency values are trade balances, the level of short-term interest rates, differences in relative values of similar assets in different currencies, long-term opportunities for investment and capital appreciation and political developments. An increase in the value of the U.S. dollar compared to the other currencies in which we make our investments will reduce the effect of increases and magnify the effect of decreases in the prices of our securities in their local markets. We could realize a net loss on an investment, even if there were a gain on the underlying investment before currency losses were taken into account. The Fund may seek to hedge currency risks by investing in currencies, currency futures contracts and options on currency futures contracts, forward currency exchange contracts, swaps, options or any combination thereof (whether or not exchange traded), but there can be no assurance that these strategies will be effective, and such techniques entail costs and additional risks.

There are increased risks involved with construction lending activities.

We originate loans for the construction of commercial and residential use properties. Construction lending generally is considered to involve a higher degree of risk than other types of lending due to a variety of factors, including generally larger loan balances, the dependency on successful completion of a project, the dependency upon the successful operation of the project (such as achieving satisfactory occupancy and rental rates) for repayment, the difficulties in estimating construction costs and loan terms which often do not require full amortization of the loan over its term and, instead, provide for a balloon payment at stated maturity.

Some of our investments and investment opportunities may be in synthetic form.

Synthetic investments are contracts between parties whereby payments are exchanged based upon the performance of an underlying reference obligation. In addition to the risks associated with the performance of the reference obligation, these synthetic interests carry the risk of the counterparty not performing its contractual obligations. Market standards, GAAP accounting methodology and tax regulations related to these investments are evolving, and we cannot be certain that their evolution will not adversely impact the value or sustainability of these investments. Furthermore, our ability to invest in synthetic investments, other than through a taxable REIT subsidiaries, may be severely limited by the REIT qualification requirements because synthetic investment contracts generally are not qualifying assets and do not produce qualifying income for purposes of the REIT asset and income tests.

Risks Related to Our Investment Management Business

We are subject to risks and uncertainties associated with operating our investment management business, and we may not achieve from this business the investment returns that we expect.

We will encounter risks and difficulties as we operate our investment management business. In order to achieve our goals as an investment manager, we must:

• manage our investment management vehicles successfully by investing their capital in suitable investments that meet their respective investment criteria;

• actively manage the assets in our portfolios in order to realize targeted performance;

• create incentives for our management and professional staff to the task of developing and operating the investment management business; and

• structure, sponsor and capitalize future investment management vehicles that provide investors with attractive investment opportunities.

If we do not successfully operate our investment management business to achieve the investment returns that we or the market anticipates, our results of operations may be adversely impacted.

We may expand our investment management business to involve other investment classes where we do not have prior investment experience. We may find it difficult to attract third party investors without a performance track record involving such investments. Even if we attract third party capital, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in deploying the capital to achieve targeted returns on the investments.

We face substantial competition from established participants in the private equity market as we offer mezzanine and other investment management vehicles to third party investors.

We face significant competition from large financial and other institutions that have proven track records in marketing and managing investment management vehicles and otherwise have a competitive advantage over us because they have access to pre-existing third party investor networks into which they can channel competing investment opportunities. If our competitors offer investment products that are competitive with products offered by us, we will find it more difficult to attract investors and to capitalize our investment management vehicles.

Our investment management vehicles are subject to the risk of defaults by third party investors on their capital commitments.

The capital commitments made by third party investors to our investment management vehicles represent unsecured promises by those investors to contribute cash to the investment management vehicles from time to time as investments are made by the investment management vehicles. Accordingly, we are subject to general credit risks that the investors may default on their capital commitments. If defaults occur, we may not be able to close loans and investments we have identified and negotiated which could materially and adversely affect the investment management vehicles’ investment program or make us liable for breach of contract, in either case to the detriment of our franchise in the private equity market.

Risks Related to Our Company

We are dependent upon our senior management team to develop and operate our business.

Our ability to develop and operate our business depends to a substantial extent upon the experience, relationships and expertise of our senior management and key employees. We cannot assure you that these individuals will remain in our employ. The employment agreement with our chief executive officer, John R. Klopp, expires on December 31, 2008, unless further extended. The employment agreement with our chief operating officer, Stephen D. Plavin, expires on December 28, 2008, unless further extended by us to 2009. The employment agreement with our chief financial officer, Geoffrey G. Jervis, expires on December 31, 2009, unless further extended by us to 2010. The employment agreement with our chief credit officer, Thomas C. Ruffing, expires on December 31, 2008. The loss of the services of our senior management and key employees could have a material adverse effect on our operations.

There may be conflicts between the interests of our investment management vehicles and us.

We are subject to a number of potential conflicts between our interests and the interests of our investment management vehicles. We are subject to potential conflicts of interest in the allocation of investment opportunities between our balance sheet and our investment management vehicles. In addition, we may make investments that are senior or junior to, participations in, or have rights and interests different from or adverse to, the investments made by our investment management vehicles. Our interests in such investments may conflict with the interests of our investment management vehicles in related investments at the time of origination or in the event of a default or restructuring of the investment. Finally, our officers and

employees may have conflicts in allocating their time and services among us and our investment management vehicles.

We must manage our portfolio in a manner that allows us to rely on an exclusion from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940 in order to avoid the consequences of regulation under that Act.

We rely on an exclusion from registration as an investment company afforded by Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under this exclusion, we are required to maintain, on the basis of positions taken by the SEC staff in interpretive and no-action letters, a minimum of 55% of the value of the total assets of our portfolio in “mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate,” which we refer to as “Qualifying Interests,” and a minimum of 80% in Qualifying Interests and real estate related assets. Because registration as an investment company would significantly affect our ability to engage in certain transactions or to organize ourselves in the manner we are currently organized, we intend to maintain our qualification for this exclusion from registration. In the past, when required due to the mix of assets in our balance sheet portfolio, we have purchased all of the outstanding interests in pools of whole residential mortgage loans, which we treat as Qualifying Interests based on SEC staff positions. Investments in such pools of whole residential mortgage loans may not represent an optimum use of our investable capital when compared to the available investments we target pursuant to our investment strategy and these investments present additional risks to us, and these risks are compounded by our inexperience with such investments. We continue to analyze our investments and may acquire other pools of whole loan residential mortgage backed securities when and if required for compliance purposes.

We treat our investments in CMBS, B Notes and mezzanine loans as Qualifying Interests for purposes of determining our eligibility for the exclusion provided by Section 3(c)(5)(C) to the extent such treatment is consistent with guidance provided by the SEC or its staff. In the absence of such guidance that otherwise supports the treatment of these investments as Qualifying Interests, we will treat them, for purposes of determining our eligibility for the exclusion provided by Section 3(c)(5)(C), as real estate related assets or miscellaneous assets, as appropriate.

If our portfolio does not comply with the requirements of the exclusion we rely upon, we could be forced to alter our portfolio by selling or otherwise disposing of a substantial portion of the assets that are not Qualifying Interests or by acquiring a significant position in assets that are Qualifying Interests. Altering our portfolio in this manner may have an adverse effect on our investments if we are forced to dispose of or acquire assets in an unfavorable market and may adversely affect our stock price.

If it were established that we were an unregistered investment company, there would be a risk that we would be subject to monetary penalties and injunctive relief in an action brought by the SEC, that we would be unable to enforce contracts with third parties and that third parties could seek to obtain rescission of transactions undertaken during the period it was established that we were an unregistered investment company and limitations on corporate leverage that would have a material adverse impact on our investment returns.

We may expand our franchise through business acquisitions and the recruitment of financial professionals, which may present additional costs and other challenges and may not prove successful.

Our business plan contemplates expansion of our franchise into complementary investment strategies involving other credit-sensitive structured financial products. We may undertake such expansion through business acquisitions or the recruitment of financial professionals with experience in other products. We may also expend a substantial amount of time and capital pursuing opportunities to expand into complementary investment strategies that we do not consummate. The expansion of our operations could place a significant strain on our management, financial and other resources. Our ability to manage future expansion will depend upon our ability to monitor operations, maintain effective quality controls and significantly expand our internal management and technical and accounting systems, all of which could result in higher operating expenses and could adversely affect our current business, financial condition and results of operations.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to identify and integrate businesses or professional teams we acquire to pursue complementary investment strategies and expand our business. Moreover, any decision to pursue expansion into businesses with complementary investment strategies will be in the discretion of our management and may be consummated without prior notice or shareholder approval. In such instances, shareholders will be relying on our management to assess the relative benefits and risks associated with any such expansion.

Risks Relating to Our Class A Common Stock

Because a limited number of shareholders, including members of our management team, own a substantial number of our shares, they may make decisions or take actions that may be detrimental to your interests.

By virtue of their direct and indirect share ownership, John R. Klopp, a director and our chief executive officer, Craig M. Hatkoff, a director and former officer, and other shareholders indirectly owned by trusts for the benefit of our chairman of the board, Samuel Zell, have the power to significantly influence our affairs and are able to influence the outcome of matters required to be submitted to shareholders for approval, including the election of our directors, amendments to our charter, mergers, sales of assets and other acquisitions or sales. The influence exerted by these shareholders over our affairs might not be consistent with the interests of some or all of our other shareholders. As of November 6, 2007, these shareholders collectively own and control 2,312,284 shares of our class A common stock representing approximately 13.0% of our outstanding class A common stock.

W. R. Berkley Corporation, or WRBC, owns 3,133,300 shares of our class A common stock which represents 17.9% of our outstanding class A common stock as of November 6, 2007. An officer of WRBC serves on our board of directors and, therefore, has the power to significantly influence our affairs. Through its significant ownership of our class A common stock, WRBC may have the ability to influence matters submitted for shareholder approval. The influence exerted by WRBC over our affairs might not be consistent with the interests of some or all of our other shareholders.

The concentration of ownership in our officers or directors or shareholders associated with them may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of our company, including transactions in which you might otherwise receive a premium for your class A common stock, and might negatively affect the market price of our class A common stock.

Some provisions of our charter and bylaws and Maryland law may deter takeover attempts, which may limit the opportunity of our shareholders to sell their shares at a favorable price.

Some of the provisions of our charter and bylaws and Maryland law discussed below could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so might be beneficial to our shareholders by providing them with the opportunity to sell their shares at a premium to the then current market price.

Issuance of Preferred Stock Without Shareholder Approval. Our charter authorizes our board of directors to authorize the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock and up to 100,000,000 shares of class A common stock. Our charter also authorizes our board of directors, without shareholder approval, to classify or reclassify any unissued shares of our class A common stock and preferred stock into other classes or series of stock and to amend our charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock of any class or series that may be issued. Our board of directors, therefore, can exercise its power to reclassify our stock to increase the number of shares of preferred stock we may issue without shareholder approval. Preferred stock may be issued in one or more series, the terms of which may be determined without further action by shareholders. These terms may include preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption. The issuance of any preferred stock, however, could materially adversely affect the rights of holders of our class A common stock and, therefore, could reduce the value of the class A common stock. In addition, specific rights granted to future holders of our preferred stock could be used to restrict our ability to merge with, or sell assets to, a third party. The power of our board of directors to issue preferred stock could make it more difficult, delay, discourage, prevent or make it more costly to acquire or effect a change in control, thereby preserving the current shareholders’ control.

Advance Notice Bylaw. Our bylaws contain advance notice procedures for the introduction of business and the nomination of directors. These provisions could discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other shareholders to elect shareholder-nominated directors and to propose and approve shareholder proposals opposed by management.

Maryland Takeover Statutes. We are subject to the Maryland Business Combination Act which could delay or prevent an unsolicited takeover of us. The statute substantially restricts the ability of third parties who acquire, or seek to acquire, control of us to complete mergers and other business combinations without the approval of our board of directors even if such transaction would be beneficial to shareholders. “Business combinations” between such a third party acquiror or its affiliate and us are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the acquiror or its affiliate becomes an “interested shareholder.” An “interested shareholder” is defined as any person who beneficially owns 10 percent or more of our shareholder voting power or an affiliate or associate of ours who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date interested shareholder status is determined, was the beneficial owner of

10 percent or more of our shareholder voting power. If our board of directors approved in advance the transaction that would otherwise give rise to the acquiror or its affiliate attaining such status, such as the issuance of shares of our class A common stock to WRBC, the acquiror or its affiliate would not become an interested shareholder and, as a result, it could enter into a business combination with us. Our board of directors could choose not to negotiate with an acquirer if the board determined in its business judgment that considering such an acquisition was not in our strategic interests. Even after the lapse of the five-year prohibition period, any business combination with an interested shareholder must be recommended by our board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:

• 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by shareholders; and

• two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by shareholders other than the interested shareholder and affiliates and associates thereof.

The super-majority vote requirements do not apply if the transaction complies with a minimum price requirement prescribed by the statute.

The statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by the board of directors prior to the time that an interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. Our board of directors has exempted any business combination involving family partnerships controlled separately by John R. Klopp and Craig M. Hatkoff, and a limited liability company indirectly controlled by a trust for the benefit of Samuel Zell and his family. As a result, these persons and WRBC may enter into business combinations with us without compliance with the super-majority vote requirements and the other provisions of the statute.

We are subject to the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act. With certain exceptions, the Maryland General Corporation Law provides that “control shares” of a Maryland corporation acquired in a control share acquisition have no voting rights except to the extent approved by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding shares owned by the acquiring person or by our officers or by our directors who are our employees, and may be redeemed by us. “Control shares” are voting shares which, if aggregated with all other shares owned or voted by the acquiror, would entitle the acquiror to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the specified ranges of voting power. A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition, upon satisfaction of certain conditions, including an undertaking to pay expenses, may compel our board to call a special meeting of shareholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights of the “control shares” in question. If no request for a meeting is made, we may present the question at any shareholders’ meeting.

If voting rights are not approved at the shareholders’ meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver the statement required by Maryland law, then, subject to certain conditions and limitations, we may redeem for fair value any or all of the control shares, except those for which voting rights have previously been approved. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a shareholders’ meeting and the acquirer may then vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, then all other shareholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares for

purposes of these appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquiror in the control share acquisition. The control share acquisition statute does not apply to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if we are a party to the transaction, nor does it apply to acquisitions approved or exempted by our charter or bylaws. Our bylaws contain a provision exempting certain holders identified in our bylaws from this statute, including WRBC, family partnerships controlled separately by John R. Klopp and Craig M. Hatkoff, and a limited liability company indirectly controlled by a trust for the benefit of Samuel Zell and his family.

We are also subject to the Maryland Unsolicited Takeovers Act which permits our board of directors, among other things and notwithstanding any provision in our charter or bylaws, to elect on our behalf to stagger the terms of directors and to increase the shareholder vote required to remove a director. Such an election would significantly restrict the ability of third parties to wage a proxy fight for control of our board of directors as a means of advancing a takeover offer. If an acquiror was discouraged from offering to acquire us, or prevented from successfully completing a hostile acquisition, you could lose the opportunity to sell your shares at a favorable price.

The market value of our class A common stock may be adversely affected by many factors.

As with any public company, a number of factors may adversely influence the price of our class A common stock, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include, in addition to other risk factors mentioned in this section:

• the level of institutional interest in us;

• the perception of REITs generally and REITs with portfolios similar to ours, in particular, by market professionals;

• the attractiveness of securities of REITs in comparison to other companies; and the market’s perception of our growth potential and potential future cash dividends.

An increase in market interest rates may lead prospective purchasers of our class A common stock to expect a higher dividend yield, which would adversely affect the market price of our class A common stock.

One of the factors that will influence the price of our class A common stock will be the dividend yield on our stock (distributions as a percentage of the price of our stock) relative to market interest rates. An increase in market interest rates may lead prospective purchasers of our class A common stock to expect a higher dividend yield, which could adversely affect the market price of our class A common stock.

Your ability to sell a substantial number of shares of our class A common stock may be restricted by the low trading volume historically experienced by our class A common stock.

Although our class A common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the daily trading volume of our shares of class A common stock has historically been lower than the

trading volume for certain other companies. As a result, the ability of a holder to sell a substantial number of shares of our class A common stock in a timely manner without causing a substantial decline in the market of the shares, especially by means of a large block trade, may be restricted by the limited trading volume of the shares of our class A common stock.

Risks Related to our REIT Status and Certain Other Tax Items

Our charter does not permit any individual to own more than 9.9% of our class A common stock, and attempts to acquire our class A common stock in excess of the 9.9% limit would be void without the prior approval of our board of directors.

For the purpose of preserving our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, our charter prohibits direct or constructive ownership by any individual of more than a certain percentage, currently 9.9%, of the lesser of the total number or value of the outstanding shares of our class A common stock as a means of preventing ownership of more than 50% of our class A common stock by five or fewer individuals. The charter’s constructive ownership rules are complex and may cause the outstanding class A common stock owned by a group of related individuals or entities to be deemed to be constructively owned by one individual. As a result, the acquisition of less than 9.9% of our outstanding class A common stock by an individual or entity could cause an individual to own constructively in excess of 9.9% of our outstanding class A common stock, and thus be subject to the charter’s ownership limit. There can be no assurance that our board of directors, as permitted in the charter, will increase, or won’t decrease, this ownership limit in the future. Any attempt to own or transfer shares of our class A common stock in excess of the ownership limit without the consent of our board of directors will be void, and will result in the shares being transferred by operation of law to a charitable trust, and the person who acquired such excess shares will not be entitled to any distributions thereon or to vote such excess shares.

The 9.9% ownership limit may have the effect of precluding a change in control of us by a third party without the consent of our board of directors, even if such change in control would be in the interest of our shareholders or would result in a premium to the price of our class A common stock (and even if such change in control would not reasonably jeopardize our REIT status). The ownership limit exemptions and the reset limits granted to date would limit our board of directors’ ability to reset limits in the future and at the same time maintain compliance with the REIT qualification requirement prohibiting ownership of more than 50% of our class A common stock by five or fewer individuals.

There are no assurances that we will be able to pay dividends in the future.

We intend to pay quarterly dividends and to make distributions to our shareholders in amounts such that all or substantially all of our taxable income in each year, subject to certain adjustments, is distributed. This, along with other factors, should enable us to qualify for the tax benefits accorded to a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. All distributions will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, our financial condition, maintenance of our REIT status and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time. There are no assurances that we will be able to pay dividends in the

future. In addition, some of our distributions may include a return of capital, which would reduce the amount of capital available to operate our business.

We will be dependent on external sources of capital to finance our growth.

As with other REITs, but unlike corporations generally, our ability to finance our growth must largely be funded by external sources of capital because we generally will have to distribute to our shareholders 90% of our taxable income in order to qualify as a REIT, including taxable income where we do not receive corresponding cash. Our access to external capital will depend upon a number of factors, including general market conditions, the market’s perception of our growth potential, our current and potential future earnings, cash distributions and the market price of our class A common stock.

If we do not maintain our qualification as a REIT, we will be subject to tax as a regular corporation and face a substantial tax liability. Our taxable REIT subsidiaries will be subject to income tax.

We expect to continue to operate so as to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. However, qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex Internal Revenue Code provisions for which only a limited number of judicial or administrative interpretations exist. Even a technical or inadvertent mistake could jeopardize our REIT status. Furthermore, new tax legislation, administrative guidance or court decisions, in each instance potentially with retroactive effect, could make it more difficult or impossible for us to qualify as a REIT. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any tax year, then:

• we would be taxed as a regular domestic corporation, which under current laws, among other things, means being unable to deduct distributions to shareholders in computing taxable income and being subject to federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates;

• any resulting tax liability could be substantial, could have a material adverse effect on our book value and would reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to shareholders; and

• unless we were entitled to relief under applicable statutory provisions, we would be required to pay taxes, and thus, our cash available for distribution to shareholders would be reduced for each of the years during which we did not qualify as a REIT.

Fee income from our investment management business is expected to be realized by one of our taxable REIT subsidiaries, and, accordingly, will be subject to income tax.

Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities and limit our expansion opportunities.

In order to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, our sources of income, the nature of our investments in commercial real estate and related assets, the amounts we distribute to our shareholders and the

ownership of our stock. We may also be required to make distributions to shareholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Thus, compliance with REIT requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits.

Complying with REIT requirements may force us to liquidate or restructure otherwise attractive investments.

In order to qualify as a REIT, we must also ensure that at the end of each calendar quarter, at least 75% of the value of our assets consists of cash, cash items, government securities and qualified REIT real estate assets. The remainder of our investments in securities cannot include more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer or 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer unless we and such issuer jointly elect to be treated as a “taxable REIT subsidiary” under the Internal Revenue Code. The total value of all of our investments in taxable REIT subsidiaries cannot exceed 20% of the value of our total assets. In addition, no more than 5% of the value of our assets can consist of the securities of any one issuer. If we fail to comply with these requirements, we must dispose of a portion of our assets within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter in order to avoid losing our REIT status and suffering adverse tax consequences.

Complying with REIT requirements may force us to borrow to make distributions to shareholders.

From time to time, our taxable income may be greater than our cash flow available for distribution to shareholders. If we do not have other funds available in these situations, we may be unable to distribute substantially all of our taxable income as required by the REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Thus, we could be required to borrow funds, sell a portion of our assets at disadvantageous prices or find another alternative. These options could increase our costs or reduce our equity.

We utilize “taxable mortgage pools” to finance our investments.

Certain securitizations, such as our CDOs, are considered taxable mortgage pools, or TMPs, for federal income tax purposes. TMPs are generally subject to an unavoidable federal tax on the portion of their income deemed to be excess inclusion income, or EII. As a REIT, we are exempt from taxation at the corporate level on such EII as long as we own 100% of the equity interests in the securitization (as defined for tax purposes). Notwithstanding the foregoing, we will be subject to taxation at the corporate level on any EII allocated to certain shareholders treated as disqualified organizations under applicable tax rules (generally tax-exempt entities, including federal, state, and foreign governmental entities).

In certain instances, we have either pledged our equity interests in these TMPs as collateral under our repurchase agreements or have contributed these interests to other TMPs—in both cases subjecting the pools to the potential loss of their tax exempt status in the event that we were forced to sell our interests or our interests were foreclosed upon by a third party that was not afforded the same exemption as us.

Despite our general corporate level exemption from taxation on EII, our shareholders (other than disqualified organizations, described above) are subject to taxation on the EII that we earn. The Internal Revenue Service has not given clear guidance as to the appropriate method for the calculation of EII and, absent such clear guidance, we have calculated EII based upon what we believe to be a reasonable method. Our estimation of EII is disclosed in our year end financial statements. In addition, pursuant to recently issued guidance from the Internal Revenue Service, we are required to allocate EII to our shareholders in proportion to dividends paid and to inform our shareholders of the amount and character of the EII allocated to them. Given the lack of guidance concerning calculation of EII, there can be no assurances that we have calculated excess inclusion income in a manner satisfactory to the Internal Revenue Service.