7. Equity

During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, we issued 321,354 shares of common stock to 10 limited partners of the Operating Partnership in exchange for an equal number of units pursuant to the partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership.

Stock Based Compensation

Awards under our stock based compensation plans primarily take the form of LTIP units and restricted stock grants made under The Simon Property Group, L.P. 1998 Stock Incentive Plan, or the Plan. These awards are all performance based and are based on various corporate and business unit performance measures as further described below. In the aggregate, we recorded compensation expense, net of capitalization, related to these stock based compensation arrangements of approximately $40.0 million and $35.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively, which is included within home and regional office costs and general and administrative costs in the accompanying statements of operations and comprehensive income.

LTIP Programs. On March 16, 2010, the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors, or the Compensation Committee, approved three long-term, performance based incentive compensation programs, or the 2010 LTIP programs, for certain senior executive officers. Awards under the LTIP programs take the form of LTIP units, a form of limited partnership interest issued by the Operating Partnership, and will be considered earned if, and only to the extent to which, applicable total shareholder return, or TSR, performance measures are achieved during the performance period. Once earned, LTIP units will become the equivalent of units only after a two year service-based vesting period, beginning after the end of the performance period. Awarded LTIP units not earned are forfeited. During the performance period, participants are entitled to receive on the LTIP units awarded to them distributions equal to 10% of the regular quarterly distributions paid on a unit of the Operating Partnership. As a result, we account for these LTIP units as participating securities under the two-class method of computing earnings per share. The 2010 LTIP programs had one, two and three year performance periods, which ended on December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively.

In the first quarter of 2011, the Compensation Committee determined the extent to which the performance measures had been achieved and 133,673 LTIP units were earned under the one-year 2010 LTIP program and, pursuant to the award agreements, vested in two equal installments in 2012 and 2013. In the first quarter of 2012, the Compensation Committee determined the extent to which the performance measures had been achieved and 337,006 LTIP units were earned under the two-year 2010 LTIP program and, pursuant to the award agreements, will vest in two equal installments in 2013 and 2014. In the first quarter of 2013, the Compensation Committee determined the extent to which the performance measures had been achieved and 489,654 LTIP units were earned under the three-year 2010 LTIP program and, pursuant to the award agreements entered into with program participants, the earned LTIP units will vest in two equal installments in 2014 and 2015, subject to the conditions described in those agreements.

During July 2011, the Compensation Committee approved a new three-year long-term performance based incentive compensation program, or the 2011-2013 LTIP program, and awarded LTIP units to certain senior executive officers. The 2011-2013 LTIP program has a three year performance period ending on December 31, 2013.

During March 2012, the Compensation Committee approved a three-year long-term performance based incentive compensation program, or the 2012-2014 LTIP program, and awarded LTIP units to certain senior executive officers. The 2012-2014 LTIP program has a three year performance period ending December 31, 2014 and units awarded under that program will be considered earned if, and only to the extent to which, applicable TSR performance measures are achieved during the performance period. One-half of the earned LTIP units will vest on January 1 of each of the second and third years following the end of the applicable performance period, subject to the participant maintaining employment with us through those dates.

During February 2013, the Compensation Committee approved a three-year long-term performance based incentive compensation program, or the 2013-2015 LTIP program, and awarded LTIP units to certain senior executive officers. The 2013-2015 LTIP program has a three year performance period ending December 31, 2015 and units awarded under that program will be considered earned if, and only to the extent to which, applicable TSR performance measures are achieved during the performance period. One-half of the earned LTIP units will vest on January 1 of each of the second and third years following the end of the applicable performance period, subject to the participant maintaining employment with us through those dates.

The 2010 LTIP program awards have an aggregate grant date fair value, adjusted for estimated forfeitures, of $7.2 million for the one-year program, $14.8 million for the two-year program and $23.0 million for the three-year program. Both the 2011-2013 LTIP program and 2012-2014 LTIP program have aggregate grant date fair values of $35.0 million, adjusted for estimated forfeitures. The 2013-2015 LTIP program has an aggregate grant date fair value of $33.5 million, adjusted for estimated forfeitures. Grant date fair values were estimated based upon the results of a Monte Carlo model, and the resulting expense will be recorded regardless of whether the TSR performance measures are achieved, if the required service is delivered. The grant date fair values are being amortized into expense over the period from the grant date to the date at which the awards, if any, become vested.

Restricted Stock. The Compensation Committee awarded an aggregate of 107,528 shares of restricted stock to employees on February 25, 2013, April 1, 2013 and June 6, 2013 under the Plan, at a fair market value of $157.37 per share, $159.32 per share and $166.56 per share, respectively. On May 14, 2013, our non-employee Directors were awarded 3,487 shares of restricted stock under the Plan at a fair market value of $179.23 per. The fair market value of the restricted stock awarded on February 25, 2013, April 1, 2013 and June 6, 2013 is being recognized as expense over the three-year vesting service period. The fair market value of the restricted stock awarded on May 14, 2013 to our non-employee Directors is being recognized as expense over the one-year vesting service period.

Other Compensation Arrangements. On July 6, 2011, in connection with the execution of an employment agreement, the Compensation Committee granted David Simon, our Chairman and CEO, a retention award in the form of 1,000,000 LTIP units. The award vests in one-third increments on July 5^th of 2017, 2018 and 2019, subject to continued employment. The grant date fair value of the retention award was $120.3 million which is being recognized as expense over the eight-year term of his employment agreement on a straight-line basis.

Changes in Equity

The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending carrying amounts of total equity, equity attributable to common stockholders and equity attributable to noncontrolling interests:

	Preferred Stock		Common Stock		Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)		Capital in Excess of Par Value		Accumulated Deficit		Common Stock Held in Treasury		Noncontrolling interests		Total Equity

January 1, 2013	$	44,719	$	31	$	(90,900)	$	9,175,724	$	(3,083,190)	$	(135,781)	$	982,486	$	6,893,089
Exchange of limited partner units for common shares								6,041						(6,041)		—
Issuance of limited partner units																—
Contributions from noncontrolling interest partners and other		(247)						(3,248)		(170)		17,750		39,299		53,384
Adjustment to limited partners' interest from change in ownership in the Operating Partnership								19,422						(19,422)		—
Distributions to common stockholders and limited partners, excluding Operating Partnership preferred interests										(1,072,782)				(179,855)		(1,252,637)
Distributions to other noncontrolling interest partners														(249)		(249)
Comprehensive income, excluding $1,436 attributable to preferred interests in the Operating Partnership and $6,499 attributable to noncontrolling redeemable interests in properties in temporary equity						14,198				937,252				159,456		1,110,906

September 30, 2013	$	44,472	$	31	$	(76,702)	$	9,197,939	$	(3,218,890)	$	(118,031)	$	975,674	$	6,804,493