8-K

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 6, 2014

Starwood Property Trust, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Maryland
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation) 001-34436
(Commission
File Number) 27-0247747
(IRS Employer
Identification No.)

591 West Putnam Avenue Greenwich, CT	06830
(Address of principal	(Zip Code)
executive offices)

Registrant’s telephone number,
including area code:
(203) 422-7700

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o   Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o   Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o   Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o   Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02.             Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On May 6, 2014, Perry Stewart Ward resigned as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer of Starwood Property Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), effective as of May 7, 2014.  On May 6, 2014, the Board of Directors of the Company appointed Rina Paniry to succeed Mr. Ward as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer, effective as of May 7, 2014.  The Company issued a press release on May 6, 2014 announcing this appointment, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

Ms. Paniry, age 40, will be employed by an affiliate of SPT Management, LLC, the Company’s external manager (the “Manager”).  Ms. Paniry has served as the Chief Financial Officer of LNR Property LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“LNR”), since 2013 and prior to that served as Chief Accounting Officer of LNR since 2006.  Prior to joining LNR, Ms. Paniry spent 11 years at Deloitte & Touche in numerous roles.

There are no arrangements or understandings between Ms. Paniry and any other persons pursuant to which she was selected as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer. There are also no family relationships between Ms. Paniry and any director or executive officer of the Company, and Ms. Paniry has no direct or indirect material interest in any transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.  See the information disclosed under the heading “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” in the Company’s definitive proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2014 for a description of certain relationships between the Company and the Manager.

In connection with Ms. Paniry’s appointment as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer, Ms. Paniry received a grant under the Company’s  Equity Plan of 14,547 restricted shares of the Company’s common stock, with such shares vesting in equal quarterly installments over a three-year period beginning on June 30, 2014.

Item 9.01.             Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

99.1 Press Release, dated May 6, 2014.

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SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	STARWOOD PROPERTY TRUST, INC.
Dated: May 8, 2014	By:	/s/ Andrew J. Sossen
	Name:	Andrew J. Sossen
	Title:	Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel

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Exhibit Index

99.1 Press Release, dated May 6, 2014.

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EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Starwood Property Trust Completes Chief Financial Officer Transition Plan

- Promotes Rina Paniry to Chief Financial Officer- - Hires Zach Tanenbaum as Director of Investor Relations -

Company Release - 05/06/2014 07:15

GREENWICH, Conn., May 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/— Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD) announced today that, as part of the Company’s previously disclosed transition plan, Rina Paniry, who currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer of subsidiary LNR Property LLC, has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Paniry will succeed Stew Ward effective May 7, 2014.

“We welcome Rina as a member of our executive team here at Starwood Property Trust. Rina has been instrumental in leading the integration and transition of our core finance functions, including accounting, treasury, planning and tax, to LNR’s Miami office following our acquisition of the business in 2013,” said Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Starwood Property Trust. “Her depth of experience and knowledge, along with her eight-year tenure at LNR and current responsibility for the Company’s finance functions, give us great confidence in her ability to lead our financial team’s efforts as CFO. I would also like to thank Stew for his tremendous work over the past four years. He was instrumental in our growth and in completing the integration of LNR, which will allow for a seamless transition of his role. We wish him the very best and much happiness in his future endeavors.”

Ms. Paniry joined LNR in June 2006 as Chief Accounting Officer. Her expertise lies in the accounting for highly technical subject matter and complex transactions. Prior to joining LNR, Ms. Paniry spent eleven years at Deloitte & Touche, where she began her career. She worked in numerous roles with increasing responsibility, principally in the real estate industry in the functional areas of audit and mergers & acquisitions.

In addition, the Company has appointed Zach Tanenbaum to serve in the newly created role as Director of Investor Relations. Most recently, Mr. Tanenbaum was a Senior Analyst at Wesley Capital Management, where he focused on the real estate and specialty finance sectors. Mr. Tanenbaum previously served as a Vice President and Equity Research Analyst at MLV& Co. LLC, where he covered mortgage REITs and specialty finance. He began his career in equity research at FBR Capital Markets & Co. Mr. Tanenbaum covered Starwood Property Trust as part of his duties at both MLVand FBR.

About Starwood Property Trust

Starwood Property Trust is focused on originating, investing in, financing and managing commercial mortgage loans and other commercial real estate debt investments, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and other commercial real estate-related debt investments. Starwood Property Trust, through its 2013 acquisition of LNR Property LLC, now also operates as special servicer in the United States and a primary and special servicer in Europe and has expanded its product offering to include fixed rate conduit loans. Starwood Property Trust also invests in residential mortgage-backed securities and residential real estate owned, and may invest in non-performing loans, commercial properties subject to net leases and residential mortgage loans. Starwood Property Trust is externally managed and advised by SPT Management, LLC, an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group, and has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Investor Relations – Starwood Property Trust

Phone: 203-422-7788

Email: investorrelations@stwdreit.com

Media Relations – Starwood Property Trust

Phil Denning or Jason Chudoba

ICR, Inc.

Phone: 646-277-1249

Jason.chudoba@icrinc.com, Phil.denning@icrinc.com

SOURCE Starwood Property Trust, Inc.