EX-99.3

The following is a summary of the material federal income tax considerations relating to ACRES Commercial Realty Corp.’s qualification and taxation as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, and the acquisition, holding, and disposition of ACRES Commercial Realty Corp.’s capital stock. For purposes of this Exhibit, references to “we,” “us,” “our” and “company” refer to “ACRES Commercial Realty Corp.” only and not its subsidiaries or other lower-tier entities, except as otherwise indicated.

This summary is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Internal Revenue Code, the Treasury regulations, current administrative interpretations and practices of the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, (including administrative interpretations and practices expressed in private letter rulings that are binding on the IRS only with respect to the particular taxpayers who requested and received those rulings) and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect and all of which are subject to differing interpretations or to change, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any of the tax consequences described below. No advance ruling has been or will be sought from the IRS regarding any matter discussed in this summary. The summary is also based upon the assumption that the operation of the company, and of its subsidiaries and other lower-tier and affiliated entities, will, in each case, be in accordance with its applicable organizational documents. This summary is for general information only, and does not purport to discuss all aspects of federal income taxation that may be important to a particular stockholder in light of its investment or tax circumstances or to stockholders subject to special tax rules, such as:

This summary assumes that stockholders will hold our shares of capital stock as capital assets, which generally means as property held for investment.

THE FEDERAL INCOME TAX TREATMENT OF HOLDERS OF SHARES OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK DEPENDS IN SOME INSTANCES ON DETERMINATIONS OF FACT AND INTERPRETATIONS OF COMPLEX PROVISIONS OF FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAW FOR WHICH NO CLEAR PRECEDENT OR AUTHORITY MAY BE AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF HOLDING SHARES OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK FOR ANY PARTICULAR STOCKHOLDER WILL DEPEND ON THE STOCKHOLDER’S PARTICULAR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES. YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND FOREIGN INCOME AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU, IN LIGHT OF YOUR PARTICULAR INVESTMENT OR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES, OF ACQUIRING, HOLDING, AND DISPOSING OF SHARES OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK.

We elected to be taxed as a REIT under the federal income tax laws effective for our initial taxable year ended on December 31, 2005. We believe that, commencing with such taxable year, we have been organized and operated in such a manner so as to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the federal income tax laws, and we intend to continue to operate in such a manner, but no assurances can be given that we have qualified or will continue to operate in a manner so as to qualify or remain qualified as a REIT. This section discusses the laws governing the federal income tax treatment of a REIT and its stockholders. These laws are highly technical and complex.

We believe that we have been organized and operated in a manner that will allow us to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code, and we intend to continue to be organized and operated in such a manner. Qualification and taxation as a REIT depends on our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, through actual operating results, distribution levels, diversity of stock ownership, and various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Internal Revenue Code and the Treasury regulations issued thereunder, including requirements relating to the nature and composition of our assets and income. Our ability to comply with the REIT asset requirements also depends, in part, upon the fair market values of assets that we own directly or indirectly. Such values may not be susceptible to a precise determination. For a discussion of the federal income tax consequences of our failure to qualify as a REIT, see “—Failure to Qualify.”

If we qualify as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to federal income tax on our net taxable income that we distribute currently to our stockholders, but taxable income generated by all of our domestic “taxable REIT subsidiaries,” or TRSs, will be subject to regular corporate income tax. However, our stockholders will generally be taxed on dividends that they receive at ordinary income rates unless such dividends are designated by us as capital gain dividends, return of capital or qualified dividend income. This differs from non-REIT C corporations, which generally are subject to federal corporate income taxes but whose individual and certain non-corporate trust and estate stockholders are generally taxed on dividends they receive at a preferential rate, and whose corporate stockholders generally receive the benefits of a dividends received deduction that substantially reduces the effective rate that they pay on such dividends. In general, income earned by a REIT and distributed to its stockholders will be subject to less federal income taxation than if such income were earned by a non-REIT C corporation, subjected to corporate income tax, and then distributed and taxed to stockholders.

While we generally are not subject to corporate income tax on income that we distribute currently to our stockholders, we will be subject to federal tax in the following circumstances:

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We will pay federal income tax on net taxable income, including net capital gain, that we do not distribute to our stockholders during, or within a specified time period after, the calendar year in which the income is earned.

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net income from the sale or other disposition of property acquired through foreclosure, or foreclosure property, that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, and

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We will pay a 100% tax on net income earned on sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business.

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If we fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, as described below under “—Requirements for Qualification—Gross Income Tests,” and nonetheless continue to qualify as a REIT, we will pay a 100% tax on the greater of the amount by which we fail the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, multiplied, in either case, by a fraction intended to reflect our profitability.

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In the event of a failure of any of the asset tests (other than certain de minimis failures of the 5% and 10% asset tests), as described below under “—Requirements for Qualification—Asset Tests,” as long as the failure was due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, we dispose of the assets or otherwise comply with such asset tests within six months after the last day of the quarter in which we identify such failure, and we file a schedule with the IRS describing the assets that caused such failure, we will pay a tax equal to the greater of (i) $50,000 or (ii) an amount determined by multiplying the highest federal income tax rate applicable to corporations by the net income from the nonqualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy such asset tests.

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If we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification, other than the gross income tests and the asset tests, and the failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, we may retain our qualification as a REIT but will be required to pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure.

we will pay a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the amount we actually distributed, plus any retained amounts on which income tax has been paid at the corporate level.

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We may elect to retain and pay income tax on our net long-term capital gain. In that case, a U.S. stockholder (as defined below) would include its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain in its income (to the extent that we make a timely designation of such gain to the stockholder) and would receive a credit for its proportionate share of the tax we paid or receive a refund to the extent the tax paid by us exceeds the U.S. stockholder’s tax liability on the undistributed capital gains.

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We will be subject to a 100% excise tax on amounts received by us from a TRS (or on certain expenses deducted by a TRS or income earned by a TRS) if certain arrangements between us and a TRS are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis.

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If we acquire any asset from a C corporation, or a corporation that generally is subject to full corporate-level tax, in a merger or other transaction in which we acquire a basis in the asset that is determined by reference either to the C corporation’s basis in the asset or to another asset, we will pay tax at the highest regular corporate rate applicable if we recognize gain on the sale or disposition of the asset during the five-year period after we acquire the asset. The amount of gain on which we will pay tax is the lesser of:

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the amount of gain that we would have recognized if we had sold the asset at the time we acquired it, assuming that the C corporation will not elect in lieu of this treatment to an immediate tax when the asset is acquired.

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If we own a residual interest in a real estate mortgage investment conduit, or REMIC, we will be taxable at the highest corporate rate on the portion of any excess inclusion income that we derive from the REMIC residual interests allocable to stockholders that are “disqualified organizations.” Similar rules will also apply if we own an equity interest in a taxable mortgage pool. To the extent that we own a REMIC residual interest or a taxable mortgage pool through a TRS, we will not be subject to this tax. For a discussion of “excess inclusion income,” see “—Requirements for Qualification—Taxable Mortgage Pools.” A “disqualified organization” includes:

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any other tax-exempt organization, other than a farmer’s cooperative described in section 521 of the Internal Revenue Code, that is exempt both from income taxation and from taxation under the unrelated business taxable income provisions of the Internal Revenue Code; and

We do not currently hold, or intend to hold, REMIC residual interests nor do we currently own residual interests in taxable mortgage pools.

In addition, notwithstanding our qualification as a REIT, we may also have to pay certain state and local income taxes, because not all states and localities treat REITs in the same manner that they are treated for federal income tax purposes. Moreover, as further described below, any domestic TRS in which we own an interest will be subject to federal corporate income tax on its taxable income. In addition, we may be subject to a variety of taxes other than income tax, including state and local franchise, property, and other taxes and foreign taxes. We could also be subject to tax in situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.

A REIT is a corporation, trust, or association that meets each of the following requirements:

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Not more than 50% in value of its outstanding shares or ownership certificates is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals, which the federal income tax laws define to include certain entities, after applying certain attribution rules.

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It elects to be a REIT, or has made such an election for a previous taxable year, which has not been revoked or terminated, and satisfies all filing and other administrative requirements established by the IRS that must be met to elect and maintain REIT status.

We must meet the first four requirements during our entire taxable year and must meet the fifth requirement during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months. The sixth requirement must be met during the last half of each taxable year, but neither the fifth nor the sixth requirement applies to the first taxable year for which an election to become a REIT is made. If we comply with regulatory rules pursuant to which we are required to send annual letters to our stockholders requesting information regarding the actual ownership of our stock, and we do not know, or exercising reasonable diligence would not have known, whether we failed to meet the sixth requirement, we will be treated as having met the requirement. For purposes of determining share ownership under the sixth requirement, an “individual” generally includes a supplemental unemployment compensation benefits plan, a private foundation, or a portion of a trust permanently set aside or used exclusively for charitable purposes. An “individual,” however, generally does not include a trust that is a qualified employee pension or profit sharing trust under the federal income tax laws, and beneficiaries of such a trust will be treated as holding our stock in proportion to their actuarial interests in the trust for purposes of the sixth requirement.

We believe that we have issued sufficient common stock with sufficient diversity of ownership to satisfy the fifth and sixth requirements. In addition, our charter contains restrictions regarding the ownership and transfer of our stock that are intended to assist us in continuing to satisfy these requirements. These restrictions, however, may not ensure that we will be able to satisfy these share ownership requirements. If we fail to do so, we will fail to qualify as a REIT.

To monitor compliance with the share ownership requirements, we generally are required to maintain records regarding the actual ownership of our stock. To do so, we must demand written statements each year from the recordholders of significant percentages of our stock pursuant to which the record holders must disclose the actual owners of the shares (i.e., the persons required to include our dividends in their gross income). We must maintain a list of those persons failing or refusing to comply with this demand as part of our records. We could be subject to monetary penalties if we fail to comply with these record-keeping requirements. If you fail or refuse to comply with the demands, you will be required by Treasury regulations to submit a statement with your tax return disclosing your actual ownership of our shares and other information. In addition, we must satisfy all relevant filing and other administrative requirements established by the IRS that must be met to elect and maintain our REIT qualification, use a calendar year for federal income tax purposes, and comply with the record keeping requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and regulations promulgated thereunder which we have satisfied or intend to satisfy.

Qualified REIT Subsidiaries. A corporation that is a “qualified REIT subsidiary” is not treated as a corporation separate from its parent REIT. A “qualified REIT subsidiary” is a corporation, other than a TRS, all of the capital stock of which is owned by the REIT. All assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction and credit of a “qualified REIT subsidiary” are treated as assets,

liabilities, and items of income, deduction and credit of the REIT. A qualified REIT subsidiary is not subject to federal corporate income taxation, although it may be subject to state and local taxation in some states.

In the event that a qualified REIT subsidiary or disregarded subsidiary ceases to be wholly owned by us (for example, if any equity interest in the subsidiary is acquired by a person other than us or another disregarded subsidiary of us), the subsidiary’s separate existence would no longer be disregarded for federal income tax purposes. Instead, it would have multiple owners and would be treated as either a partnership or a taxable corporation. Such an event could, depending on the circumstances, adversely affect our ability to satisfy the various asset and gross income tests applicable to REITs, including the requirement that REITs generally may not own, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the value or voting power of the outstanding securities of another corporation. See “—Asset Tests” and “—Gross Income Tests.”

Other Disregarded Entities and Partnerships. An unincorporated domestic entity, such as a partnership, limited liability company, or trust, that has a single owner generally is not treated as an entity separate from its parent for federal income tax purposes, including for purposes of the gross income and asset tests applicable to REITs. An unincorporated domestic entity with two or more owners generally is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. In the case of a REIT that is a partner in an entity that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, the REIT is treated as owning its proportionate share of the assets of the partnership and as earning its proportionate share of the gross income of the partnership based on its pro rata share of capital interests in the partnership for purposes of the applicable REIT qualification tests, as described below. However, solely for purposes of the 10% value test (described in “—Asset Tests”), the determination of our interest in partnership assets is based on our proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership, excluding for these purposes certain excluded securities as described in the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, the assets and gross income of the partnership generally are deemed to retain the same character in the hands of a REIT. Thus, our proportionate share of the assets, liabilities and items of income of any partnership, joint venture, or limited liability company that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes in which we acquire an interest, directly or indirectly, will be treated as our assets and gross income for purposes of applying the various REIT qualification requirements. Consequently, to the extent that we directly or indirectly hold a preferred or other equity interest in a partnership, joint venture, or limited liability company, the partnership’s, joint venture’s, or limited liability company’s assets and operations may affect our ability to qualify as a REIT, even though we may have no control or only limited influence over the partnership.

Taxable REIT Subsidiaries. A REIT is permitted to own up to 100% of the stock of one or more TRSs. A TRS is generally a fully taxable corporation in which a REIT directly or indirectly owns stock that may earn income that would not be qualifying income if earned directly by the parent REIT. The subsidiary and the REIT must jointly elect to treat the subsidiary as a TRS. A corporation of which a TRS directly or indirectly owns more than 35% of the voting power or value of the stock will automatically be treated as a TRS. However, an entity will not qualify as a TRS if it directly or indirectly operates or manages a lodging or health care facility or, generally, provides to another person, under a franchise, license or otherwise, rights to any brand name under which any lodging facility or health care facility is operated. We generally may not own more than 10%, as measured by voting power or value, of the securities of a corporation that is not a qualified REIT subsidiary or a REIT unless we and such corporation elect to treat such corporation as a TRS. Overall, no more than 20% of the value of a REIT’s assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more TRSs.

TRSs are subject to federal income tax, and state and local income tax where applicable, on their taxable income. To the extent that a TRS is required to pay taxes, it will have less cash available for distribution to us. If our TRSs pay dividends to us, then the dividends we pay to our stockholders who are taxed as individuals, up to the amount of dividends we receive from such TRSs, will generally be eligible to be taxed at the reduced rate applicable to qualified dividend income. See “—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders.” The decision as to whether our TRSs will distribute their after-tax income to us will be made on a periodic basis, subject to our compliance with the 20% asset test with respect to TRSs.

We have made TRS elections with respect to several foreign corporations involved in securitizations, and Exantas Real Estate TRS Inc., or XAN RE TRS, and we may in the future make TRS elections with respect to certain entities that issue equity interests to us pursuant to CDO securitizations. The Internal Revenue Code and the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder provide a specific exemption from federal income tax to non-U.S. corporations that restrict their activities in the United States to trading in stock and securities (or any activity closely related thereto) for their own account, whether such trading (or such other activity) is conducted by the corporation or its employees through a resident broker, commission agent, custodian or other agent. Certain U.S. stockholders of such non-U.S. corporations are required to include in their income currently their proportionate share of the earnings of such a corporation, whether or not such earnings are distributed. Certain CDO vehicles in which we invested and may invest in the future and with which we will jointly make a TRS election, are or will be organized as Cayman Islands companies and either rely on such exemption or otherwise operate in a manner so that are not be subject to federal income tax on their net income. Therefore, despite such contemplated entities’ anticipated status as TRSs, such entities generally are not subject to federal corporate income tax on their earnings. However, we are required to include in our income, on a current basis, the earnings of these TRSs. This could affect our ability to comply with the REIT income tests and distribution requirements. See “—Gross Income Tests” and “—Distribution Requirements.”

The TRS rules limit the deductibility of interest paid or accrued by a TRS to its parent REIT to assure that the TRS is subject to an appropriate level of corporate taxation. Further, the rules impose a 100% excise tax on transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT or the REIT’s tenants that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis. We intend to scrutinize all of our

transactions with any of our subsidiaries that are treated as TRSs in an effort to ensure that we do not become subject to this penalty tax; however, we cannot assure that we will be successful in avoiding this penalty tax.

Taxable Mortgage Pools and REMICs. An entity, or a portion of an entity, that does not elect to be treated as a REMIC may be classified as a taxable mortgage pool under the Internal Revenue Code if:

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the payments required to be made by the entity on its debt obligations “bear a relationship” to the payments to be received by the entity on the debt obligations that it holds as assets.

Under the Treasury regulations, if less than 80% of the assets of an entity (or a portion of an entity) consists of debt obligations, these debt obligations are considered not to comprise “substantially all” of its assets, and therefore the entity would not be treated as a taxable mortgage pool.

We have made and may continue in the future to make investments or enter into financing and securitization transactions that give rise to us being considered to own an interest in one or more taxable mortgage pools. Where an entity, or a portion of an entity, is classified as a taxable mortgage pool, it is generally treated as a taxable corporation for federal income tax purposes. However, special rules apply to a REIT, a portion of a REIT, or a qualified REIT subsidiary that is a taxable mortgage pool. The portion of the REIT’s assets, held directly or through a qualified REIT subsidiary that qualifies as a taxable mortgage pool is treated as a qualified REIT subsidiary that is not subject to corporate income tax, and the taxable mortgage pool classification does not affect the tax qualification of the REIT. Rather, the consequences of the taxable mortgage pool classification are generally, except as described below, limited to the tax liability on the REIT and the REIT’s stockholders. The Treasury Department has yet to issue regulations governing the tax treatment of the stockholders of a REIT that owns an interest in a taxable mortgage pool.

A portion of our income from a REMIC residual interest or taxable mortgage pool arrangement, which might be non-cash accrued income, or “phantom” taxable income, could be treated as “excess inclusion income” and allocated to our stockholders. Excess inclusion income is an amount, with respect to any calendar quarter, equal to the excess, if any, of (i) income allocable to the holder of a REMIC residual interest or taxable mortgage pool interest during such calendar quarter over (ii) the sum of an amount for each day in the calendar quarter equal to its ratable portion of the product of (a) the adjusted issue price of the interest at the beginning of the quarter multiplied by (b) 120% of the long-term federal rate (determined on the basis of compounding at the close of each calendar quarter and properly adjusted for the length of such quarter). This non-cash or “phantom” income would be subject to the distribution requirements that apply to us and could therefore adversely affect our liquidity. See “—Distribution Requirements.”

Our excess inclusion income would be allocated among our stockholders in proportion to dividends paid. A stockholder’s share of excess inclusion income (i) would not be allowed to be offset by any net operating losses otherwise available to the stockholder, (ii) would be subject to tax as unrelated business taxable income in the hands of most types of stockholders that are otherwise generally exempt from federal income tax, (iii) would result in the application of federal income tax withholding, without reduction for any otherwise applicable income tax treaty, to the extent allocable to most types of foreign stockholders and (iv) in the case of a stockholder that is a REIT, a regulated investment company or common trust fund, would be considered excess inclusion income of such entity. The manner in which excess inclusion income would be allocated to dividends attributable to a tax year that are not paid until a subsequent tax year or to dividends attributable to a portion of a tax year when no excess inclusion income-generating assets were held or how such income is to be reported to stockholders is not clear under current law.

Although the law is unclear, the IRS has taken the position that a REIT is taxable at the highest corporate tax rate on the portion of any excess inclusion income that it derives from an equity interest in a taxable mortgage pool equal to the percentage of its stock that is held in record name by disqualified organizations (as defined above under “—Taxation of Our Company”). Similar rules apply if we own a residual interest in a REMIC. Nominees who hold our shares on behalf of disqualified organizations are subject to this tax on the portion of our excess inclusion income allocable to the capital stock held on behalf of disqualified organizations. A regulated investment company or other pass-through entity owning our capital stock in record name will be subject to tax at the highest corporate tax rate on any excess inclusion income allocated to their owners that are disqualified organizations. In addition, we will withhold on dividends paid to non-U.S. stockholders (as defined below) with respect to the excess inclusion portion of dividends paid to such stockholders without regard to any treaty exception or reduction in tax rate.

The manner in which excess inclusion income would be allocated among shares of different classes of stock is not clear under current law. Tax-exempt investors, regulated investment company or REIT investors, foreign investors and taxpayers with net operating losses should consult their tax advisors with respect to excess inclusion income.

If we own less than 100% of the ownership interests in a subsidiary that is a taxable mortgage pool, or if we made a TRS election with respect to a subsidiary that is a taxable mortgage pool, the foregoing rules would not apply. Rather, the subsidiary

would be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, and would potentially be subject to corporate income tax. In addition, this characterization would alter our REIT income and asset test calculations and could adversely affect our compliance with those requirements. We currently do not have any subsidiary in which we own some, but less than all, of the ownership interests that is or will become a taxable mortgage pool and for which we have not made a TRS election. We intend to monitor the structure of any taxable mortgage pools in which we have an interest to ensure that they will not adversely affect our qualification as a REIT.

We must satisfy two gross income tests annually to maintain our qualification as a REIT. First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year must consist of defined types of income that we derive, directly or indirectly, from investments relating to real property or mortgage loans on real property or qualified temporary investment income. Qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test generally includes:

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interest on debt secured by a mortgage on real property or on interests in real property and interest on debt secured by a mortgage on real property and personal property if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property, and interest on qualified mezzanine loans;

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amounts (other than amounts the determination of which depends in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person) received or accrued as consideration for entering into agreements (i) to make loans secured by mortgages on real property or on interests in real property or (ii) to purchase or lease real property (including interests in real property and interests in mortgages on real property);

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income derived from a REMIC in proportion to the real estate assets held by the REMIC, unless at least 95% of the REMIC’s assets are real estate assets, in which case all of the income derived from the REMIC; and

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interest or dividend income derived from the temporary investment in stock or debt instruments of new capital that is attributable to the issuance of our stock or a public offering of our debt with a maturity date of at least five years and that we receive during the one-year period beginning on the date on which we received such new capital.

Although a debt instrument issued by a “publicly offered REIT” (i.e., a REIT that is required to file annual and periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act) is treated as a “real estate asset” for the asset tests, the interest income and gain from the sale of such debt instruments is not treated as qualifying income for the 75% gross income test unless the debt instrument is secured by real property or an interest in real property.

Second, in general, at least 95% of our gross income for each taxable year must consist of income that is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, other types of interest and dividends, gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities or any combination of these. Cancellation of indebtedness income, certain foreign currency gains, and gross income from our sale of property that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business are excluded from both the numerator and the denominator in both income tests. In addition, income and gain from certain “hedging transactions,” as defined in “—Hedging Transactions,” that we enter into in the normal course of our business to hedge indebtedness incurred or to be incurred to acquire or carry real estate assets or to manage risk of currency fluctuations with respect to certain items of income or gain and that are clearly and timely identified as such will be excluded from both the numerator and the denominator for purposes of the gross income tests. We will monitor the amount of our non-qualifying income and we will manage our investment portfolio to comply at all times with the gross income tests. The following paragraphs discuss some of the specific applications of the gross income tests to us.

Interest. The term “interest,” as defined for purposes of both gross income tests, generally excludes any amount that is based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. However, interest generally includes the following:

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an amount that is based on the income or profits of a debtor, as long as the debtor derives substantially all of its income from the real property securing the debt from leasing substantially all of its interest in the property, and only to the extent that the amounts received by the debtor would be qualifying, “rents from real property” if received directly by a REIT.

If a loan contains a provision that entitles a REIT to a percentage of the borrower’s gain upon the sale of the real property securing the loan or a percentage of the appreciation in the property’s value as of a specific date, income attributable to that loan provision will be treated as gain from the sale of the property securing the loan, which generally is qualifying income for purposes of both gross income tests, provided that the property is not held as inventory or dealer property in the hands of the borrower or the REIT.

Interest on debt secured by a mortgage on real property or on interests in real property, including, for this purpose, market discount, original issue discount, prepayment penalties, loan assumption fees, and late payment charges that are not compensation for services, generally is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. However, if a loan is secured by real property and other property and the highest principal amount of a loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property (including, for loans secured by real property and personal property where the fair market value of the personal property is less than 15% of the total fair market value of all such property, such personal property) securing the loan as of the date (1) the REIT agreed to originate or acquire the loan or (2) as discussed further below, in the event of a “significant modification,” the date we modified the loan, a portion of the interest income from such loan will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, but will be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test. In the case of real estate mortgage loans secured by both real and personal property, if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all property securing the loan, then the personal property securing the loan will be treated as real property for purposes of determining whether the mortgage is qualifying under the 75% asset test and interest income that qualifies for purposes of the 75% gross income test. If apportionment is required, the percentage of the interest income that will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test will be equal to the percentage of the principal amount of the loan that is not secured by real property—that is, the amount by which the loan exceeds the value of the real estate that is security for the loan.

The interest, original issue discount, and market discount income that we receive from our mortgage-related assets generally, including B notes, will be qualifying income for purposes of both gross income tests. We expect that some of our loans, which we have called mezzanine loans, will not be secured by a direct interest in real property. Instead, such loans will be secured by ownership interests in a non-corporate entity owning real property. In Revenue Procedure 2003-65, the IRS established a safe harbor under which interest from loans secured by a first priority security interest in ownership interests in a partnership or limited liability company owning real property will be treated as qualifying income for both the 75% and 95% gross income tests, and the loans will be treated as qualifying assets for the purposes of the 75% asset test described below, provided several requirements are satisfied. Although the Revenue Procedure provides a safe harbor on which taxpayers may rely, it does not prescribe rules of substantive law. In situations where a loan is secured by interests in non-corporate entities but not all of the requirements of the safe harbor are met, the interest income from the loan will be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, but there is a risk that such interest income will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. We have not limited ourselves to acquiring mezzanine loans that comply with all requirements of the safe harbor. Based on advice of counsel, we believe that substantially all of our mezzanine loans should be treated as qualifying assets notwithstanding the failures to comply with all of the requirements of the safe harbor and we will not treat any future mezzanine loans as qualifying assets absent such advice. Nevertheless, in light of the sparse guidance regarding mezzanine loans that do not meet with foregoing safe harbor, it is possible that the IRS could disagree and challenge the treatment of these loans as qualifying assets and/or our qualification as a REIT. In addition, certain investments characterized by us as debt for federal income tax purposes could, if successfully challenged and determined to represent equity for federal income tax purposes, result in us failing to meet the REIT gross income tests; the result of which could cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT or be subject to a penalty tax. Finally, some of our loans will not be secured by mortgages on real property or interests in real property. Our interest income from those loans will be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, but not the 75% gross income test. Further, as discussed above, if the fair market value of the real estate securing any of our loans is less than the principal amount of the loan, a portion of the income from that loan will be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test but not the 75% gross income test.

We hold certain participation interests, including B Notes, in mortgage loans and mezzanine loans. Such interests in an underlying loan are created by virtue of a participation or similar agreement to which the originator of the loan is a party, along with one or more participants. The borrower on the underlying loan is typically not a party to the participation agreement. The performance of this investment depends upon the performance of the underlying loan, and if the underlying borrower defaults, the participant typically has no recourse against the originator of the loan. The originator often retains a senior position in the underlying loan, and grants junior participations that absorb losses first in the event of a default by the borrower. We believe that our participation interests qualify as real estate assets for purposes of the REIT asset tests described below, and that the interest that we derive from such investments will be treated as qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% income test. The appropriate treatment of participation interests for federal income tax purposes is not entirely certain, however, and no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge our treatment of our participation interests. In the event of a determination that such participation interests do not qualify as real estate assets, or that the income that we derive from such participation interests does not qualify as mortgage interest for purposes of the REIT asset and income tests, we could be subject to a penalty tax, or could fail to qualify as a REIT. See “—Taxation of Our Company,” “—Requirements for Qualification,” “—Asset Tests” and “—Failure to Qualify.”

We have modified some of our loans by agreement with the borrowers and we may agree to additional loan modifications. If an amendment to an outstanding loan results in a “significant modification” under the applicable Treasury regulations, the modified debt is generally treated for federal income tax purposes as a new debt instrument issued in exchange for the original loan. IRS Revenue Procedure 2014-51 provides a safe harbor pursuant to which we will not be required to redetermine the fair market

value of the real property securing a loan for purposes of the gross income and asset tests in connection with a loan modification that is (i) occasioned by a borrower default or (ii) made at a time when we reasonably believe that the modification to the loan will substantially reduce a significant risk of default on the original loan. To the extent we significantly modify loans in a manner that does not qualify for that safe harbor, we will be required to redetermine the value of the real property securing the loan at the time it was significantly modified, which could result in a portion of the interest income on the loan being treated as nonqualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. In determining the value of the real property securing such a loan, we may obtain third-party appraisals or rely on internal valuations.

Fee Income. We may receive various fees in connection with our operations. The fees generally will be qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests if they are received in consideration for entering into an agreement to make a loan secured by mortgages on real property and the fees are not determined by income and profits. Other fees generally are not qualifying income for purposes of either gross income test, and thus cannot exceed 5% of our annual gross income. Any fees earned by XAN RE TRS and any other TRS will not be included in our gross income for purposes of the gross income tests.

Dividends. Our share of any dividends received from any corporation (including any TRS, but excluding any REIT) in which we own an equity interest will qualify for purposes of the 95% gross income test but not for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Our share of any dividends received from any other REIT in which we own an equity interest will be qualifying income for purposes of both gross income tests.

In prior years, we have treated certain income inclusions received with respect to our past equity investments in foreign TRSs as qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test but not the 75% gross income test. The provisions that set forth what income is qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test provide that gross income derived from dividends, interest and certain other enumerated classes of passive income qualify for purposes of the 95% gross income test. Income inclusions from equity investments in our foreign TRSs are technically neither dividends nor any of the other enumerated categories of income specified in the 95% gross income test for federal income tax purposes, and there is no clear precedent with respect to the qualification of such income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests. However, based on advice of counsel, we treated such income inclusions, to the extent distributed by a foreign TRS in the year accrued, as qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test. In 2011, the IRS issued two private letter rulings considering situations in which a REIT had to include income from foreign corporations. The IRS ruled that such income would qualify for the 95% gross income test. Since private letter rulings may only be relied on by the taxpayer to whom they are issued, it is still possible that, because this income does not meet the literal requirements of the REIT provisions, the IRS could successfully take the position that such income is not qualifying income. In the event that such income was determined not to qualify for the 95% gross income test, we would be subject to a penalty tax with respect to such income to the extent it and other nonqualifying income exceeded 5% of our gross income and/or we could fail to qualify as a REIT.

Rents from Real Property. We have acquired real property through foreclosure, the receipt of the deed-in-lieu of foreclosure and direct investment and may acquire additional real property or an interest therein in the future. To the extent that we acquire real property or an interest therein, rents we receive will qualify as “rents from real property” in satisfying the gross income requirements for a REIT described above only if the following conditions are met:

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First, the amount of rent must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. However, an amount received or accrued generally will not be excluded from rents from real property solely by reason of being based on fixed percentages of receipts or sales.

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Second, rents we receive from a “related party tenant” will not qualify as rents from real property in satisfying the gross income tests unless the tenant is a TRS, at least 90% of the property is leased to unrelated tenants, the rent paid by the TRS is substantially comparable to the rent paid by the unrelated tenants for comparable space and, if the tenant is a “controlled taxable REIT subsidiary” (i.e., a TRS in which we own directly or indirectly more than 50% of the voting power or value of the stock), the rent is not attributable to an increase in rent due to a modification of a lease with a controlled taxable REIT subsidiary. A tenant is a related party tenant if the REIT, or an actual or constructive owner of 10% or more of the REIT, actually or constructively owns 10% or more of the tenant.

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Third, if rent attributable to personal property, leased in connection with a lease of real property, is greater than 15% of the total rent received under the lease, then the portion of rent attributable to the personal property will not qualify as rents from real property.

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Fourth, we generally must not operate or manage our real property or furnish or render services to our tenants, other than through an “independent contractor” who is adequately compensated and from whom we do not derive revenue. However, we may provide services directly to tenants if the services are “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and are not considered to be provided for the tenants’ convenience. In addition, we may provide a minimal amount of “non-customary” services to the tenants of a property, other than through an independent contractor, as long as our income from the services does not exceed 1% of our income from the related property. Furthermore, we may own up to 100% of the stock of a TRS, which may provide customary and non-customary services to tenants without tainting our rental income from the related properties.

Hedging Transactions and Foreign Currency Gains. From time to time, we may enter into hedging transactions with respect to one or more of our assets or liabilities. Hedging transactions could take a variety of forms, including interest rate swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements, options, futures contracts, forward rate agreements, or similar financial instruments. Income and gain from a “hedging transaction” that is clearly identified as a hedging transaction as specified in the Internal Revenue Code will not constitute gross income and thus will be exempt from the 95% gross income test and the 75% gross income test. The term “hedging transaction” as used above generally means any transaction entered into in the normal course of business primarily to manage risk of (1) interest rate or price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets, including gain from the sale or disposition of such a transaction, or (2) currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% gross income test. In addition, if we entered into a hedging transaction (i) to manage the risk of interest rate, price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made or (ii) to manage the risk of currency fluctuations, and a portion of the hedged indebtedness or property is disposed of and in connection with such extinguishment or disposition we enter into a new clearly identified hedging transaction (a “Counteracting Hedge”), income from the applicable hedge and income from the Counteracting Hedge (including gain from the disposition of such Counteracting Hedge) will not be treated as gross income for purposes of the 95% and 75% gross income tests. We are required to clearly identify any such hedging transaction before the close of the day on which it was acquired, originated, or entered into. To the extent that we do not properly identify such transactions as hedges or hedge with other types of financial instruments, the income from those transactions will likely be treated as nonqualifying income for purposes of the gross income tests. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT. In addition, certain foreign currency gains will be excluded from gross income for purposes of one or both of the gross income tests.

Prohibited Transactions. A REIT will incur a 100% tax on the net income derived from any sale or other disposition of property, other than foreclosure property, that the REIT holds primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business. Any such income will be excluded from the application of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. We believe that none of our assets will be held primarily for sale to customers and that a sale of any of our assets will not be in the ordinary course of our business. Whether a REIT holds an asset “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business” depends, however, on the facts and circumstances in effect from time to time, including those related to a particular asset. Nevertheless, we will attempt to comply with the terms of safe-harbor provisions in the federal income tax laws prescribing when a sale of real property will not be characterized as a prohibited transaction. We cannot assure you however, that we can comply with the safe-harbor provisions or that we will avoid owning property that may be characterized as property that we hold “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business.” To the extent necessary to avoid the prohibited transactions tax, we will conduct sales of our assets through a TRS.

Foreclosure Property. We will be subject to tax at the maximum corporate rate on any income from foreclosure property, other than income that otherwise would be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, less expenses directly connected with the production of that income. However, gross income from foreclosure property will qualify under the 75% and 95% gross income tests. Foreclosure property is any real property, including interests in real property, and any personal property incident to such real property:

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that is acquired by a REIT as the result of the REIT having bid on such property at foreclosure, or having otherwise reduced such property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law, after there was default or default was imminent on a lease of such property or on indebtedness that such property secured;

However, a REIT will not be considered to have foreclosed on a property where the REIT takes control of the property as a mortgagee-in-possession and cannot receive any profit or sustain any loss except as a creditor of the mortgagor. Property generally ceases to be foreclosure property at the end of the third taxable year following the taxable year in which the REIT acquired the property, or longer if an extension is granted by the Secretary of the Treasury. This grace period terminates and foreclosure property ceases to be foreclosure property on the first day:

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on which a lease is entered into for the property that, by its terms, will give rise to income that does not qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test, or any amount is received or accrued, directly or indirectly, pursuant to a lease entered into on or after such day that will give rise to income that does not qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test;

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on which any construction takes place on the property, other than completion of a building or any other improvement, where more than 10% of the construction was completed before default became imminent; or

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which is more than 90 days after the day on which the REIT acquired the property and the property is used in a trade or business that is conducted by the REIT, other than through an independent contractor from whom the REIT itself does not derive or receive any income.

Failure to Satisfy Gross Income Tests. If we fail to satisfy one or both of the gross income tests for any taxable year, we nevertheless may qualify as a REIT for that year if we qualify for relief under certain provisions of the federal income tax laws. Those relief provisions generally will be available if:

It is not possible, however, to state whether in all circumstances we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions. For example, if the IRS were to determine that we failed the 95% gross income test because income inclusions with respect to our equity investments in foreign TRSs that were distributed by the foreign TRSs during the year such income was accrued are not qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, or if such income caused us to fail the 75% gross income test, the IRS could conclude that our failure to satisfy the applicable gross income test was not due to reasonable cause. If these relief provisions are inapplicable to such failure, we will fail to qualify as a REIT. See “—Failure to Qualify.” In addition, as discussed above in “—Taxation of Our Company,” even if the relief provisions apply, we would incur a 100% tax on the gross income attributable to the amount by which we fail the 75% or 95% gross income test, multiplied, in either case, by a fraction intended to reflect our profitability.

To qualify as a REIT, we also must satisfy the following asset tests at the end of each quarter of each taxable year. First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets (or, the 75% asset class) must consist of:

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interests in real property, including leaseholds and options to acquire real property and leaseholds, and personal property to the extent such personal; property is leased in connection with real property and rents attributable to such personal property are treated as “rents from real property”;

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interests in mortgage loans secured by real property (including mortgages secured by both real and personal property if the value of such property does not exceed 15% of the total property securing the loan) ;

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investments in stock or debt instruments during the one-year period following our receipt of new capital that we raise through equity offerings or public offerings of debt with at least a five-year term; and

However, if less than 95% of the assets of a REMIC consists of assets that are qualifying real estate-related assets under the federal income tax laws, determined as if we held such assets directly, we will be treated as holding directly our proportionate share of the assets of such REMIC.

Second, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, the value of our interest in any one issuer’s securities may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets.

Third, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, we may not own more than 10% of the voting power or value of any one issuer’s outstanding securities.

Fourth, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, no more than 20% of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of one or more TRSs.

Fifth, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, no more than 25% of the value of our total assets may consist of securities other than those in the 75% asset class.

For purposes of the second, third and fifth asset tests, the term “securities” does not include stock in another REIT, equity or debt securities of a qualified REIT subsidiary or TRS, mortgage loans that constitute real estate assets, or equity interests in a partnership. The term “securities”, however, generally includes debt securities issued by a partnership or another REIT (other than a “publicly offered REIT”), except that, for purposes of the 10% value test, the term “securities” does not include debt securities that meet the straight debt safe harbor described below.

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“Straight debt” securities, which is defined as a written unconditional promise to pay on demand or on a specified date a sum certain in money if (i) the debt is not convertible, directly or indirectly, into stock, and (ii) the interest rate and interest payment dates are not contingent on profits, the borrower’s discretion, or similar factors. “Straight debt” securities do not include any securities issued by a partnership or a corporation in which we or any controlled TRS (i.e., a TRS in which we own directly or indirectly more than 50% of the voting power or value of the stock) hold non- “straight debt” securities that have an aggregate value of more than 1% of the issuer’s outstanding securities. However, “straight debt” securities include debt subject to the following contingencies:

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a contingency relating to the time of payment of interest or principal, as long as either (i) there is no change to the effective yield of the debt obligation, other than a change to the annual yield that does not exceed the greater of 0.25% or 5% of the annual yield, or (ii) neither the aggregate issue price nor the aggregate face amount of the issuer’s debt obligations held by us exceeds $1 million and no more than 12 months of unaccrued interest on the debt obligations can be required to be prepaid; and

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a contingency relating to the time or amount of payment upon a default or prepayment of a debt obligation, as long as the contingency is consistent with customary commercial practice.

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Any debt instrument issued by an entity treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes in which we are a partner to the extent of our proportionate interest in the equity and certain debt securities issued by that partnership.

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Any debt instrument issued by an entity treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes not described above if at least 75% of the partnership’s gross income, excluding income from prohibited transaction, is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test described above in “—Gross Income Tests.”

As discussed above under “—Gross Income Tests”, we hold and may make additional mezzanine loans that do not comply with the IRS safe harbor, but which we treat as qualifying assets. Although we believe substantially all of our mezzanine loans are qualifying assets, it is possible that the IRS could challenge our characterization of such loans and our qualification as a REIT. If any such IRS challenge was successful, the applicable mezzanine loan would be subject to the second, third and fifth asset tests described above.

We believe that most of the residential mortgage loans (including the B notes) and mortgage-backed securities, or MBS, that we have held and expect to hold have been and will be qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test. For purposes of these rules, however, if the outstanding principal balance of a mortgage loan exceeds the fair market value of the real property securing the loan at the time we commit to acquire the loan, a portion of such loan likely will not be a qualifying real estate asset under the federal income tax laws. Furthermore, we may be required to retest modified loans that we hold to determine if the modified loan is adequately secured by real property if the modification results in a significant modification, as discussed above in “—Gross Income Tests—Interest.” Although the law on the matter is not entirely clear, it appears that the non-qualifying portion of that mortgage loan will be equal to the portion of the loan amount that exceeds the value of the associated real property that is security for that loan.

In the event that we invest in a mortgage loan that is secured by both real property and other property, Revenue Procedure 2014-51 may apply to determine what portion of the mortgage loan will be treated as a real estate asset for purposes of the 75% asset test. Pursuant to Revenue Procedure 2014-51, modifying and superseding Revenue Procedure 2011-16, the IRS will not challenge a REIT’s treatment of a loan as being, in part, a qualifying real estate asset in an amount equal to the lesser of (1) the fair market value of the loan on the date of the relevant quarterly REIT asset testing date or (2) the greater of (a) the fair market value of the real property securing the loan on the date of the relevant quarterly REIT asset testing date or (b) the fair market value of the real property securing the loan determined as of the date the REIT committed to acquire the loan. Our debt securities issued by other REITs or corporations that are not secured by mortgages on real property will not be qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test. We believe that any stock that we will acquire in other REITs will be qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test. However, if a REIT in which we own stock fails to qualify as a REIT in any year, the stock in such REIT will not be a qualifying asset for purposes of the 75% asset test. Instead, we would be subject to the second, third, and fifth assets tests described above with respect to our investment in such a disqualified REIT. We will also be subject to those assets tests with respect to our investments in any non-REIT C corporations for which we do not make a TRS election. We believe that the value of our investment in XAN RE

TRS, together with the value of our interest in the securities of our TRSs, including our TRS securitizations, has been and will continue to be less than 20% of the value of our total assets.

We will monitor the status of our assets for purposes of the various asset tests and will seek to manage our portfolio to comply at all times with such tests. There can be no assurances, however, that we will be successful in this effort. In this regard, to determine our compliance with these requirements, we will need to estimate the value of the real estate securing our mortgage loans at various times, including at the time of any modification that results in a significant modification to a debt instrument we hold. In addition, we will have to value our investment in our other assets to ensure compliance with the asset tests. Although we will seek to be prudent in making these estimates, there can be no assurances that the IRS might not disagree with these determinations and assert that a different value is applicable, in which case we might not satisfy the 75% and the other asset tests and would fail to qualify as a REIT. If we fail to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a calendar quarter, we will not lose our REIT qualification if:

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the discrepancy between the value of our assets and the asset test requirements arose from changes in the market values of our assets and was not wholly or partly caused by the acquisition of one or more non-qualifying assets

If we did not satisfy the condition described in the second item, above, we still could avoid disqualification by eliminating any discrepancy within 30 days after the close of the calendar quarter in which it arose.

In the event that we violate the second or third asset tests described above at the end of any calendar quarter, we will not lose our REIT qualification if the failure is de minimis (up to the lesser of 1% of the total value of our assets at the end of the quarter in which the failure occurs or $10 million) and we dispose of assets or otherwise comply with the asset tests within six months after the last day of the quarter. In the event of a failure of any of the asset tests (other than a de minimis failure of the 5% and 10% asset tests described in the preceding sentence), as long as the failure was due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, we will not lose our REIT qualification if we identify the failure on a separate schedule, dispose of assets or otherwise comply with the asset tests within six months after the last day of the quarter in which our identification of the failure occurs and pay a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or an amount determined by multiplying the highest federal income tax rate applicable to corporations by the net income from the nonqualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy the asset tests.

We currently believe that the mortgage-related assets, securities and other assets that we expect to hold will satisfy the foregoing asset test requirements. However, no independent appraisals will be obtained to support our conclusions as to the value of our assets and securities, or in many cases, the real estate collateral for the mortgage loans that we hold. Moreover, the values of some assets, such as the securities of some of our TRSs, may not be susceptible to a precise determination. As a result, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not contend that our ownership of securities and other assets violates one or more of the asset tests applicable to REITs.

We currently have financing arrangements that are structured as sale and repurchase agreements pursuant to which we sell certain of our assets to a counter party and simultaneously enter into an agreement to repurchase these assets at a later date in exchange for a purchase price. Economically, these agreements are financings that are secured by the assets sold pursuant thereto. We believe that we would be treated for REIT asset and income test purposes as the owner of the assets that are the subject of any such sale and repurchase agreement notwithstanding that such agreements may transfer record ownership of the assets to the counterparty during the term of the agreement. It is possible, however, that the IRS could assert that we did not own the assets during the term of the sale and repurchase agreement, in which case we could fail to qualify as a REIT.

Each taxable year, we generally must distribute dividends, other than capital gain dividends and deemed distributions of retained capital gain, to our stockholders in an aggregate amount at least equal to:

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the excess of the sum of specified items of non-cash income (including original issue discount on our senior and mezzanine loans) over 5% of our REIT taxable income, computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gain.

We generally must make such distributions in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if either (i) we declare the distribution before we timely file our federal income tax return for the year and pay the distribution on or before the first regular dividend payment date after such declaration or (ii) we declare the distribution in October, November or December of the taxable year, payable to stockholders of record on a specified day in any such month, and we actually make the distribution before the end of January of the following year. The distributions under clause (i) are taxable to the stockholders in the year in which

paid, and the distributions in clause (ii) are treated as paid on December 31 of the prior taxable year. In both instances, these distributions relate to our prior taxable year for purposes of the 90% distribution requirement.

If we cease to be a “publicly offered REIT,” then, for distributions to be counted as satisfying the annual distribution requirements for REITs, and to provide us with a REIT-level tax deduction, the distributions must not have been “preferential dividends.” A dividend is not a preferential dividend if the distribution is (i) pro-rata among all outstanding shares of stock within a particular class, and (ii) in accordance with the preferences among different classes of stock as set forth in our organizational documents.

We may satisfy the 90% distribution test with taxable distributions of our stock or debt securities. The IRS has issued a revenue procedure authorizing “publicly offered REITs” to treat certain distributions that are paid partly in cash and partly in stock as dividends that would satisfy the REIT annual distribution requirement and qualify for the dividends paid deduction for federal income tax purposes. As a “publicly offered REIT,” as long as at least 20% of the total dividend is available in cash and certain other requirements are satisfied, the IRS will treat the stock distribution as a dividend (to the extent applicable rules treat such distribution as being made out of our earnings and profits). We have no current intention to make a taxable dividend payable in our stock.

We will pay federal income tax on taxable income, including net capital gain, that we do not distribute to stockholders at regular corporate rates. Furthermore, if we fail to distribute during a calendar year, or by the end of January following the calendar year in the case of distributions with declaration and record dates falling in the last three months of the calendar year, at least the sum of:

we will incur a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the sum of (i) amounts we actually distribute (taking into account excess distributions from prior years) and (ii) the amounts of income retained on which we have paid corporate income tax.. We may elect to retain rather than distribute and pay income tax on all or a portion of the net capital gain we receive in a taxable year. See “—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders.” In that case, we may elect to have our stockholders include their proportionate share of the undistributed net capital gains in income as long-term capital gains and receive a credit for their share of the tax paid by us. We will also be treated as having distributed any such retained amount for purposes of the 4% nondeductible excise tax described above. We intend to make timely distributions sufficient to satisfy the annual distribution requirements and to avoid corporate income tax and the 4% nondeductible excise tax.

It is possible that, from time to time, we may experience timing differences between the actual receipt of income and actual payment of deductible expenses and the inclusion of that income and deduction of such expenses in arriving at our REIT taxable income. Possible examples of those timing differences include the following:

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We will recognize taxable income in advance of the related cash flow if any of our MBS are deemed to have original issue discount. We generally must accrue original issue discount based on a constant yield method that takes into account projected prepayments but that defers taking into account credit losses until they are actually incurred.

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We may recognize taxable market discount income when we receive the proceeds from the disposition of, or principal payments on, loans that have a stated redemption price at maturity that is greater than our tax basis in those loans, although such proceeds often will be used to make non-deductible principal payments on related borrowings.

Although several types of non-cash income are excluded in determining the annual distribution requirement, we will incur corporate income tax and the 4% nondeductible excise tax with respect to those non-cash income items if we do not distribute those items on a current basis. As a result of the foregoing, we may have less cash than is necessary to distribute all of our taxable income and thereby avoid corporate income tax and the excise tax imposed on certain undistributed income. In such a situation, we may need to borrow funds or issue additional common or preferred stock.

Under certain circumstances, we may be able to correct a failure to meet the distribution requirement for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to our stockholders in a later year. We may include such deficiency dividends in our deduction for dividends

paid for the earlier year. Although we may be able to avoid income tax on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends, we will be required to pay interest to the IRS based upon the amount of any deduction we take for deficiency dividends.

If we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification, other than the gross income tests and the asset tests, we could avoid disqualification if our failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect and we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure. In addition, there are relief provisions for a failure of the gross income tests and asset tests, as described in “—Gross Income Tests” and “—Asset Tests.”

If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, and no relief provision applies, we would be subject to federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. In calculating our taxable income in a year in which we fail to qualify as a REIT, we would not be able to deduct amounts paid out to stockholders. In fact, we would not be required to distribute any amounts to stockholders in that year. In such event, to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, all distributions to stockholders would be taxable as dividend income, whether or not attributable to capital gains of ours. Subject to certain limitations of the federal income tax laws, corporate stockholders might be eligible for the dividends received deduction, and individual and certain non-corporate trust and estate stockholders may be eligible for the reduced federal income tax rate of 15% on such dividends. Unless we qualified for relief under specific statutory provisions, we also would be disqualified from electing to be taxed as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we ceased to qualify as a REIT. We cannot predict whether in all circumstances we would qualify for such statutory relief.

The term “U.S. stockholder” means a beneficial owner of our capital stock that, for federal income tax purposes, is:

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a corporation (including an entity treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes) created or organized under the laws of the United States, any of its States, or the District of Columbia;

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any trust if (i) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election in place to be treated as a U.S. person.

If a partnership, entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes holds our capital stock, the federal income tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner in a partnership holding our capital stock, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our capital stock by the partnership. A “non-U.S. stockholder” is a beneficial owner of our capital stock that is not a U.S. stockholder, a partnership or an entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

As long as we qualify as a REIT, a taxable “U.S. stockholder” must generally take into account as ordinary income taxable at ordinary income tax rates distributions made out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits that we do not designate as capital gain dividends or retained long-term capital gain. For purposes of determining whether a distribution is made out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, our earnings and profits will be allocated first to our preferred stock, then to our common stock. A U.S. stockholder will not qualify for the dividends received deduction generally available to corporations. In addition, dividends paid to a U.S. stockholder generally will not qualify as “qualified dividend income” and thus will not qualify for the reduced capital gains rates that currently generally apply to distributions by non-REIT C corporations to certain non-corporate U.S. stockholders. Because we are not generally subject to federal income tax on the portion of our REIT taxable income distributed to our stockholders (see “—Taxation of Our Company” above), our dividends generally will not be eligible for the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income. However, the preferential tax rate for qualified dividend income will apply to our ordinary REIT dividends attributable to dividends received by us from non-REIT corporations, such as our domestic TRSs (but generally not from our TRSs organized as Cayman organizations), and to the extent attributable to income upon which we have paid corporate income tax (e.g., to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our taxable income). In general, to qualify for the reduced tax rate on qualified dividend income, a stockholder must hold our capital stock for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which our capital stock became ex-dividend. U.S. stockholders other than corporations are also subject to a Medicare surtax on investment income (including both qualified and nonqualified dividends) if certain thresholds of modified adjusted gross income are exceeded.

A U.S. stockholder generally will recognize distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends as long-term capital gain without regard to the period for which the U.S. stockholder has held our capital stock. A corporate U.S. stockholder, however, may be required to treat up to 20% of certain capital gain dividends as ordinary income.

The aggregate amount of dividends that we may designate as “capital gain dividends” or “qualified dividend income” with respect to any taxable year may not exceed the dividends paid by us with respect to such year, including dividends that are paid in the following year (if they are declared before we timely file our tax return for the year and if made with or before the first regular dividend payment after such declaration) are treated as paid with respect to such year.

A U.S. stockholder will not incur tax on a distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits if the distribution does not exceed the adjusted basis of the U.S. stockholder’s capital stock. Instead, the distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of such capital stock. A U.S. stockholder will recognize a distribution in excess of both our current and accumulated earnings and profits and the U.S. stockholder’s adjusted basis in his or her capital stock as long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the shares of capital stock have been held for one year or less, assuming the shares of capital stock are a capital asset in the hands of the U.S. stockholder. In addition, if we declare a distribution in October, November, or December of any year that is payable to a U.S. stockholder of record on a specified date in any such month, such distribution will be treated as both paid by us and received by the U.S. stockholder on December 31 of such year, provided that we actually pay the distribution during January of the following calendar year.

Stockholders may not include in their individual income tax returns any of our net operating losses or capital losses. Instead, these losses generally are carried over by us for potential offset against our future income. Taxable distributions from us and gain from the disposition of our capital stock will not be treated as passive activity income and, therefore, stockholders generally will not be able to apply any “passive activity losses,” such as losses from certain types of limited partnerships in which the stockholder is a limited partner, against such income. In addition, taxable distributions from us and gain from the disposition of our capital stock generally will be treated as investment income for purposes of the investment interest limitations. We will notify stockholders after the close of our taxable year as to the portions of the distributions attributable to that year that constitute ordinary income, return of capital and capital gain.

Any excess inclusion income (see “—Requirements for Qualification-Taxable Mortgage Pools” for a definition of excess inclusion income) that we recognize generally will be allocated among our stockholders to the extent that it exceeds our undistributed REIT taxable income in a particular year. A stockholder’s share of excess inclusion income would not be allowed to be offset by any net operating losses or other deductions otherwise available to the stockholder.

In general, a U.S. stockholder who is not a dealer in securities must treat any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of our capital stock as long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. stockholder has held the capital stock for more than one year and otherwise as short-term capital gain or loss. In general, a U.S. stockholder will realize gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the fair market value of any property and the amount of cash received in such disposition, and (ii) the U.S. stockholder’s adjusted basis in the shares for tax purposes. Such adjusted tax basis will equal the U.S. stockholder’s acquisition cost, increased by the excess of net capital gains deemed distributed to the U.S. stockholder (discussed above) less tax deemed paid on it and reduced by any returns of capital. However, a U.S. stockholder must treat any loss upon a sale or exchange of capital stock held by such stockholder for six months or less as a long-term capital loss to the extent of capital gain dividends and any other actual or deemed distributions from us that such U.S. stockholder treats as long-term capital gain. All or a portion of any loss that a U.S. stockholder realizes upon a taxable disposition of our capital stock may be disallowed if the U.S. stockholder purchases other capital stock within 30 days before or after the disposition.

Except as provided below, (i) a U.S. stockholder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon a conversion of preferred stock into our common stock, and (ii) a U.S. stockholder’s basis and holding period in our common stock received upon conversion generally will be the same as those of the converted preferred stock (but the basis will be reduced by the portion of adjusted tax basis allocated to any fractional share exchanged for cash). Any of our common stock received in a conversion that is attributable to accumulated and unpaid dividends on the converted preferred stock will be treated as a distribution that is potentially taxable as a dividend. Cash received upon conversion in lieu of a fractional share generally will be treated as a payment in a taxable exchange for such fractional share, and gain or loss will be recognized on the receipt of cash in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash received and the adjusted tax basis allocable to the fractional share deemed exchanged. This gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. stockholder has held the preferred stock for more than one year at the time of conversion. U.S. stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisors regarding the federal income tax consequences of any transaction by which such holder exchanges common shares received on a conversion of preferred stock for cash or other property.

Redemption of preferred stock for cash will be treated under Section 302 of the Internal Revenue Code as a distribution taxable as a dividend (to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits) at ordinary income rates, unless the redemption satisfies one of the tests set forth in Section 302(b) of the Internal Revenue Code for the sale or exchange of the redeemable shares. The redemption will be treated as a sale or exchange if it (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. stockholder’s interest in our shares, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. stockholder’s interest in all of our

classes of shares, or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. stockholder, all within the meaning of Section 302(b) of the Internal Revenue Code.

In determining whether any of these tests have been met, common stock, all series of preferred stock and any options to acquire the foregoing considered to be owned by the U.S. stockholder by reason of certain constructive ownership rules set forth in the Internal Revenue Code, as well as common stock, all series of preferred stock and any options to acquire the foregoing actually owned by such U.S. stockholder, must generally be taken into account. If a U.S. stockholder does not own (actually or constructively) any of our common stock, or a U.S. stockholder owns an insubstantial percentage of our outstanding common or preferred stock, based upon current law, a redemption of such stockholder’s preferred stock is likely to qualify for sale or exchange treatment because the redemption would not be “essentially equivalent to a dividend.” However, because the determination as to whether any of the alternative tests of Section 302(b) of the Internal Revenue Code will be satisfied with respect to a U.S. stockholder’s preferred stock depends upon the facts and circumstances at the time the determination must be made, prospective investors are advised to consult their tax advisor to determine such tax treatment.

If a redemption of preferred stock is not treated as a distribution taxable as a dividend, it will be treated as a taxable sale or exchange of the stock. As a result, a U.S. stockholder will recognize gain or loss for federal income tax purposes in an amount equal to the difference between (i) the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received (less any portion thereof attributable to accumulated and declared but unpaid dividends, which will be taxable as a dividend to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits), and (ii) such stockholder’s adjusted basis in the preferred stock for tax purposes. Such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if the preferred stock has been held as a capital asset, and will be long-term gain or loss if the preferred stock has been held for more than one year at the time of the redemption. If a redemption of preferred stock is treated as a distribution taxable as a dividend, the amount of the distribution will be measured by the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received by the U.S. stockholder. In that case, a U.S. stockholder’s adjusted basis in the redeemable preferred stock for tax purposes will be transferred to such U.S. stockholder’s remaining shares in us. If the U.S. stockholder does not own any of our other shares, such basis may, under certain circumstances, be transferred to a related person or it may be lost entirely.

A taxpayer generally must hold a capital asset for more than one year for gain or loss derived from its sale or exchange to be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, which generally entitles the taxpayer to a preferential rate on such gain. The rate on capital gain from the sale or exchange of “section 1250 property,” or depreciable real property, applies to the lesser of the total amount of the gain or the accumulated depreciation on the Section 1250 property. With respect to distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends and any retained capital gain that we are deemed to distribute, we generally may designate whether such a distribution is from the sale of “Section 1250 property” or of other capital assets in order to determine which individual tax rate applies. The tax rate differential between capital gain and ordinary income for those taxpayers may be significant. In addition, the characterization of income as capital gain or ordinary income may affect the deductibility of capital losses. A non-corporate taxpayer may deduct capital losses not offset by capital gains against its ordinary income only up to a maximum annual amount. A non-corporate taxpayer may carry forward unused capital losses indefinitely. A corporate taxpayer must pay tax on its net capital gain at ordinary corporate rates. A corporate taxpayer may deduct capital losses only to the extent of capital gains, with unused losses being carried back three years and forward five years. Capital gains (as well as other investment income taxed at ordinary rates) are also subject to the Medicare surtax in the case of certain taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds certain thresholds depending on filing status.

As noted above, U.S. stockholders that are individuals, estates or trusts to pay an additional tax on “net investment income” earned directly or indirectly by U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates whose income exceeds certain thresholds. Among other items, net investment income generally includes interest on debt instruments and dividends on stock and net gain attributable to the disposition of such securities to the extent that such gain would be otherwise included in taxable income. U.S. stockholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of this legislation on their ownership and disposition of our capital stock.

Tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit sharing trusts and individual retirement accounts, generally are exempt from federal income taxation. However, they are subject to taxation on their unrelated business taxable income, or UBTI. While many investments in real estate generate UBTI, the IRS has issued a ruling that dividend distributions from a REIT to an exempt employee pension trust do not constitute UBTI so long as the exempt employee pension trust does not otherwise use the shares of the REIT in an unrelated trade or business of the pension trust. Based on that ruling, amounts that we distribute to tax-exempt stockholders generally should not constitute UBTI. However, if a tax-exempt stockholder were to finance (or be deemed to finance) its acquisition of capital stock with debt, a portion of the income that it receives from us would constitute UBTI pursuant to the “debt-financed property” rules. Moreover, social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts and qualified group legal services plans that are exempt from taxation under special provisions of the federal income tax laws are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally will require them to characterize distributions that they receive from us as UBTI. Furthermore, a tax-exempt stockholder’s share of any excess inclusion income that we recognize would be subject to

tax as UBTI. Finally, in certain circumstances, a qualified employee pension or profit sharing trust that owns more than 10% of our stock must treat a percentage of the dividends that it receives from us as UBTI. Such percentage is equal to the gross income we derive from an unrelated trade or business, determined as if we were a pension trust, divided by our total gross income for the year in which we pay the dividends. That rule applies to a pension trust holding more than 10% of our stock only if:

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we qualify as a REIT by reason of the modification of the rule requiring that no more than 50% of our stock be owned by five or fewer individuals that allows the beneficiaries of the pension trust to be treated as holding our stock in proportion to their actuarial interests in the pension trust; and

The rules governing federal income taxation of nonresident alien individuals, foreign corporations, foreign partnerships, and other foreign stockholders are complex. This section is only a summary of such rules. We urge non-U.S. stockholders to consult their own tax advisors to determine the impact of federal, state, and local income tax laws on ownership of our capital stock, including any reporting requirements.

Ordinary Dividends. A non-U.S. stockholder that receives a distribution that is not attributable to gain from our sale or exchange of United States real property interests, as defined below, and that we do not designate as a capital gain dividend or retained capital gain will recognize ordinary income to the extent that we pay the distribution out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. A withholding tax on the gross amount of the distribution ordinarily will apply unless an applicable tax treaty reduces or eliminates the tax. However, if a distribution is treated as effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, the non-U.S. stockholder generally will be subject to federal income tax on the distribution at graduated rates, in the same manner as U.S. stockholders are taxed on distributions and also may be subject to the branch profits tax in the case of a corporate non-U.S. stockholder. We plan to withhold federal income tax at the applicable rate on the gross amount of any distribution paid to a non-U.S. stockholder unless either:

However, reduced treaty rates are not available to the extent that the income allocated to the non-U.S. stockholder is excess inclusion income. Our excess inclusion income generally will be allocated among our stockholders to the extent that it exceeds our undistributed REIT taxable income in a particular year.

Non-Dividend Distributions. A non-U.S. stockholder will not incur tax on a distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits if the excess portion of the distribution does not exceed the adjusted basis of its capital stock. Instead, the excess portion of the distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of that capital stock. A non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to tax on a distribution that exceeds both our current and accumulated earnings and profits and the adjusted basis of its capital stock if the non-U.S. stockholder otherwise would be subject to tax on gain from the sale or exchange of its capital stock, as described below. Because we generally cannot determine at the time we make a distribution whether the distribution will exceed our current and accumulated earnings and profits, we normally will withhold tax on the entire amount of any distribution at the same rate as we would withhold on a dividend. However, a non-U.S. stockholder may obtain a refund from the IRS of amounts that we withhold if we later determine that a distribution in fact exceeded our current and accumulated earnings and profits.

Capital Gain Dividends. A non-U.S. stockholder will incur tax on distributions that are attributable to gain from our sale or exchange of “United States real property interests” under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Act of 1980 (“FIRPTA”). The term “United States real property interests” includes interests in real property, other than interests in real property solely in a capacity as a creditor, and shares in corporations at least 50% of whose assets consist of United States real property interests. As a result, we do not anticipate that we will generate material amounts of gain that would be subject to FIRPTA. Nonetheless, we cannot exclude the possibility, for example, if we are able to resell a foreclosure property for an amount higher than the fair market value of such property at the time of foreclosure. Under the FIRPTA rules, a non-U.S. stockholder is taxed on distributions attributable to gain from sales of United States real property interests as if the gain were effectively connected with a U.S. business of the non-U.S. stockholder. A non-U.S. stockholder thus would be taxed on such a distribution at the normal capital gain rates applicable to U.S. stockholders, subject to a special alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals. A non-U.S. corporate stockholder not entitled to treaty relief or exemption also may be subject to the branch profits tax on such a distribution. We must

withhold on any such distribution that we could designate as a capital gain dividend. A non-U.S. stockholder may receive a credit against our tax liability for the amount we withhold. However, a non-U.S. stockholder that owns, actually or constructively, no more than 10% of our capital stock at all times during the one-year period ending on the date of the distribution will not be subject to the FIRPTA withholding tax with respect to distributions that are attributable to gain from our sale or exchange of United States real property interests, provided our capital stock is regularly traded on an established securities market. Instead, non-U.S. stockholders generally would be subject to withholding tax on such capital gain distributions in the same manner as they are subject to withholding tax on ordinary dividends.

Sale of Capital Stock. In the unlikely event that our capital stock constituted a United States real property interest (which generally requires that at least 50% of our assets consist of United States real property interests), gains from the sale of our capital stock by a non-U.S. stockholder could be subject to a FIRPTA tax. However, even if that event were to occur, a non-U.S. stockholder generally would not incur tax under FIRPTA on gain from the sale of our capital stock if we were a “domestically controlled qualified investment entity.” We will be a domestically controlled qualified investment entity if, at all times during a specified testing period, we are a REIT and less than 50% in value of our stock is held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. stockholders. Because our capital stock is publicly traded, no assurance can be given that we will be a domestically controlled qualified investment entity.

Even if we are a domestically controlled qualified investment entity, upon disposition of our capital stock, a non-U.S. stockholder may be treated as having gain from the sale or exchange of a United States real property interest if the non-U.S. stockholder disposes of an interest in our stock and directly or indirectly acquires, enters into a contract or option to acquire or is deemed to acquire, other shares of our stock within a specified period. This rule does not apply if the exception for distributions to 10% or smaller stockholder of regularly traded classes of stock is satisfied

Even if we do not qualify as a domestically controlled qualified investment entity at the time the non-U.S. stockholder sells or exchanges our capital stock, the gain from such a sale or exchange will not be subject to tax under FIRPTA as a sale of United States real property interests if our capital stock is regularly traded, as defined by the applicable Treasury regulations, on an established securities market, and such non-U.S. stockholder owned, actually or constructively, 10% or less of our capital stock at all times during a specified testing period.

If the gain on the sale of the capital stock were taxed under FIRPTA, a non-U.S. stockholder would be taxed on that gain in the same manner as a taxable U.S. stockholder, subject to applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals, and the purchaser of the stock could be required to withhold on the purchase price and remit such amount to the IRS. Furthermore, a non-U.S. stockholder generally will incur tax on gain not subject to FIRPTA if:

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the gain is effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s U.S. trade or business, in which case the non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to the same treatment as U.S. stockholders with respect to such gain, or

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the non-U.S. stockholder is a nonresident alien individual who is present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are met, in which case the non-U.S. stockholder will incur a tax on his or her capital gains.

Qualified Shareholders. Subject to the exception discussed below, any distribution to a “qualified shareholder” who holds REIT stock directly or indirectly (through one or more partnerships) will not be subject to FIRPTA, and thus will not be subject to special withholding rules under FIRPTA. While a “qualified shareholder” will not be subject to FIRPTA withholding on our distributions or dispositions of our capital stock, certain investors of a “qualified shareholder” (i.e., non-U.S. persons who hold interests in the “qualified shareholder” (other than interests solely as a creditor), and hold more than 10% of the applicable class of our stock (whether or not by reason of the investor’s ownership in the “qualified shareholder”)) may be subject to FIRPTA withholding.

In addition, a sale of our stock by a “qualified shareholder” who holds such stock directly or indirectly (through one or more partnerships) will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation under FIRPTA. As with distributions, certain investors of a “qualified shareholder” (i.e., non-U.S. persons who hold interests in the “qualified shareholder” (other than interests solely as a creditor), and hold more than 10% of the stock of such REIT (whether or not by reason of the investor’s ownership in the “qualified shareholder”)) may be subject to FIRPTA withholding. REIT distributions received by a “qualified shareholder” that are exempt from FIRPTA withholding may still be subject to regular U.S. withholding tax.

A “qualified shareholder” is a foreign person that (i) either is eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty that includes an exchange of information program and whose principal class of interests is listed and regularly traded on one or more recognized stock exchanges (as defined in such comprehensive income tax treaty), or is a foreign partnership that is created or organized under foreign law as a limited partnership in a jurisdiction that has an agreement for the exchange of information with respect to taxes with the United States and has a class of limited partnership units representing greater than 50% of the value of all the partnership units that is regularly traded on the NYSE or NASDAQ markets, (ii) is a qualified collective investment vehicle (defined below), and (iii) maintains records on the identity of each person who, at any time during the foreign person’s taxable year, is the direct owner of 5% or more of the class of interests or units (as applicable) described in (i), above.

A qualified collective investment vehicle is a foreign person that (i) would be eligible for a reduced rate of withholding under the comprehensive income tax treaty described above, even if such entity holds more than 10% of the applicable class of stock

of such REIT, (ii) is publicly traded, is treated as a partnership under the Internal Revenue Code, is a withholding foreign partnership, and would be treated as a “United States real property holding corporation” if it were a domestic corporation, or (iii) is designated as such by the Secretary of the Treasury and is either (a) fiscally transparent within the meaning of section 894 of the Internal Revenue Code, or (b) required to include dividends in its gross income, but is entitled to a deduction for distributions to its investors.

Qualified Foreign Pension Funds. Any distribution to a “qualified foreign pension fund” (or an entity all of the interests of which are held by a “qualified foreign pension fund”) who holds our capital stock directly or indirectly (through one or more partnerships) will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation under FIRPTA, and thus will not be subject to special withholding rules under FIRPTA. REIT distributions received by a “qualified foreign pension fund” that are exempt from FIRPTA withholding may still be subject to regular U.S. withholding tax. In addition, a sale of our stock by a “qualified foreign pension fund” that holds such stock directly or indirectly (through one or more partnerships) will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation under FIRPTA.

A qualified foreign pension fund is any trust, corporation or other organization or arrangement (i) which is created or organized under the law of a country other than the United States, (ii) which is established to provide retirement or pension benefits to participants or beneficiaries that are current or former employees (or persons designated by such employees) of one or more employers in consideration for services rendered, (iii) which does not have a single participant or beneficiary with a right to more than 5% of its assets or income, (iv) which is subject to government regulation and provides annual information reporting about its beneficiaries to the relevant tax authorities in the country in which it is established or operates, and (v) with respect to which, under the laws of the country in which it is established or operates, (a) contributions to such organization or arrangement that would otherwise be subject to tax under such laws are deductible or excluded from the gross income of such entity or taxed at a reduced rate, or (b) taxation of any investment income of such organization or arrangement is deferred or such income is taxed at a reduced rate.

Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders on Conversion or Redemption of Preferred Stock

Conversion of Preferred Stock. The conversion of our preferred stock into our common stock may be a taxable exchange for a non-U.S. stockholder if our preferred stock constitutes a United States real property interest. Even if our preferred stock constitutes a United States real property interest, provided our common stock also constitutes a United States real property interest, a non-U.S. stockholder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon a conversion of preferred stock into our common stock so long as certain FIRPTA-related reporting requirements are satisfied. If our preferred stock constitutes a United States real property interest and such requirements are not satisfied, however, a conversion will be treated as a taxable exchange of preferred stock for our common stock. Such a deemed taxable exchange will be subject to tax under FIRPTA at the rate of tax, including any applicable capital gains rates, that would apply to a U.S. stockholder of the same type (e.g., a corporate or a non-corporate stockholder, as the case may be) on the excess, if any, of the fair market value of such non-U.S. stockholder’s common stock received over such non-U.S. stockholder’s adjusted basis in its preferred stock. Collection of such tax will be enforced by a refundable withholding tax on the value of the common stock.

Any shares of common stock received in a conversion that are attributable to accumulated and unpaid dividends on the converted preferred stock will be treated as a distribution that is potentially taxable as a dividend as described under “—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders” above. Cash received upon conversion in lieu of a fractional share of common stock generally will be treated as a payment in a taxable exchange for such fractional share as described under “—Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders” above.

Non-U.S. stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of any transaction by which such non-U.S. stockholder exchanges shares of our common stock received on a conversion of preferred stock for cash or other property.

Redemption of Preferred Stock. As described under “—Taxation of U.S. Stockholders on Redemption of Preferred Stock” above, a redemption that satisfies certain tests set forth in Section 302(b) of the Internal Revenue Code will be treated as a taxable exchange and a redemption that does not satisfy certain tests under Section 302(b) of the Internal Revenue Code will be treated as a distribution that is taxable as dividend income (to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits). For a more detailed discussion of the treatment of a redemption of preferred stock, see “—Taxation of U.S. Stockholders on Redemption of Preferred Stock.”

Non-U.S. stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of any transaction by which such non-U.S. stockholder redeems our preferred stock.

Under sections 1471 through 1474 of the Internal Revenue Code (such sections commonly referred to as “FATCA”), a U.S. federal withholding tax will apply to dividends that we pay to certain foreign entities if such entities do not satisfy disclosure requirements related to U.S. accounts or ownership. Foreign entities must provide documentation evidencing compliance with or an exemption from FATCA, typically provided on IRS Form W-8BEN-E, to avoid this withholding tax. If a payment is both subject to withholding under FATCA and subject to withholding tax discussed above, the withholding under FATCA may be credited

against, and therefore reduce, such other withholding tax. Non-U.S. stockholders and U.S. stockholders holding through foreign accounts or intermediaries should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of FATCA in light of their individual circumstances.

We will report to our stockholders and to the IRS the amount of distributions we pay during each calendar year, and the amount of tax we withhold, if any. Under the backup withholding rules, a stockholder may be subject to backup withholding with respect to distributions unless the holder:

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provides a taxpayer identification number, certifies as to no loss of exemption from backup withholding, and otherwise complies with the applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules.

A stockholder who does not provide us with its correct taxpayer identification number also may be subject to penalties imposed by the IRS. Any amount paid as backup withholding will be creditable against the stockholder’s income tax liability. In addition, we may be required to withhold a portion of capital gain distributions to any stockholders who fail to certify their non-foreign status to us.

Backup withholding generally will not apply to payments of dividends made by us or our paying agents, in their capacities as such, to a non-U.S. stockholder provided that the non-U.S. stockholder furnishes to us or our paying agent the required certification as to its non-U.S. status, such as providing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E, or Form W-8ECI, or certain other requirements are met. Notwithstanding the foregoing, backup withholding may apply if either we or our paying agent has actual knowledge, or reason to know, that the holder is a U.S. person that is not an exempt recipient. Payments of the net proceeds from a disposition or a redemption effected outside the U.S. by a non-U.S. stockholder made by or through a foreign office of a broker generally will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding. However, information reporting (but not backup withholding) generally will apply to such a payment if the broker has certain connections with the U.S. unless the broker has documentary evidence in its records that the beneficial owner is a non-U.S. stockholder and specified conditions are met or an exemption is otherwise established. Payment of the net proceeds from a disposition by a non-U.S. stockholder of our shares made by or through the U.S. office of a broker generally is subject to information reporting and backup withholding unless the non-U.S. stockholder certifies under penalties of perjury that it is not a U.S. person and satisfies certain other requirements, or otherwise establishes an exemption from information reporting and backup withholding.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be refunded or credited against the stockholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability if certain required information is furnished to the IRS. Stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of backup withholding to them and the availability of, and procedure for obtaining an exemption from, backup withholding.

The present federal income tax treatment of REITs may be modified, possibly with retroactive effect, by legislative, judicial or administrative action at any time. The REIT rules are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department, which may result in statutory changes as well as revisions to regulations and interpretations. In addition, several proposals have been made that would make substantial changes to the federal income tax laws generally. We cannot predict whether any of these changes will become law. We cannot predict the long-term effect of any future law changes on REITs or their stockholders. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the effect of potential changes to the federal income tax laws on an investment in our capital stock.

We and/or our stockholders may be subject to taxation by various states and localities, including those in which we or a stockholder transacts business, owns property or resides. The state and local tax treatment may differ from the federal income tax treatment described above. Consequently, stockholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the effect of state and local tax laws upon an investment in our capital stock.