As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2014
Registration No. 333-164313 |
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 17 TO
FORM S-11
on
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Maryland
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
27-1106076
(I.R.S. employer
identification number)
11501 Northlake Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
(513) 554-1110
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of the registrant’s principal executive offices)
Jeffrey S. Edison
Chief Executive Officer
11501 Northlake Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
(513) 554-1110
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Robert H. Bergdolt, Esq. | Peter M. Fass, Esq. |
DLA Piper LLP (US) | James P. Gerkis, Esq. |
4141 Parklake Avenue, Suite 300 | Proskauer Rose LLP |
Raleigh, North Carolina 27612-2350 | Eleven Times Square |
(919) 786-2000 | New York, New York 10036-8299 |
(212) 969-3000 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to public: From time to time after effectiveness of the registration statement.
If the only securities being registered on this form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: x
If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box: ¨
If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨
If this form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:
Large accelerated filer ¨ | Accelerated filer ¨ |
Non-accelerated filer ¨ | Smaller Reporting Company x |
(Do not check if smaller reporting company)
Explanatory note: This registration statement (reg. no. 333-164313) for the issuer’s primary offering and dividend reinvestment plan offering was first declared effective by the Staff on August 12, 2010. This post-effective amendment no. 17 to Form S-11 on Form S-3 amends the registrant’s registration statement to make it a dividend reinvestment plan only registration statement. The registrant reserved the right to reallocate shares between the primary offering and the dividend reinvestment plan. The registrant has reallocated 2,676,000 unsold shares remaining from the primary offering to the dividend reinvestment plan. As a result, the registrant is offering a maximum of 6,176,000 total shares pursuant to its dividend reinvestment plan on this registration statement on Form S-3.
PHILLIPS EDISON – ARC SHOPPING CENTER REIT INC.
Dividend Reinvestment Plan
Maximum Offering of 6,176,000 Shares of Common Stock
Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. is a Maryland corporation, incorporated October 13, 2009, that elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, beginning with the taxable year that ended December 31, 2010. We have acquired, and intend to continue to acquire, and operate a diversified portfolio of well-occupied grocery-anchored neighborhood and community shopping centers leased to a mix of national, creditworthy retailers selling necessity-based goods and services in strong demographic markets throughout the United States. As of February 21, 2014, we owned 85 grocery-anchored shopping centers consisting of approximately 9.0 million square feet.
We are offering up to 6,176,000 shares of our common stock to our existing stockholders pursuant to our amended and restated dividend reinvestment plan. Some of the significant features of the plan are:
· | Stockholders who elect to participate in the plan may choose to invest all or a portion of their cash distributions in shares of our common stock. |
· | We are offering the shares at a purchase price of $9.50 per share. |
· | We may amend or terminate the dividend reinvestment plan for any reason at any time upon 10 days’ notice to participants. |
· | Participants may terminate participation in the plan at any time upon written notice to us. For your termination to be effective for a particular distribution, we must have received your notice of termination at least 10 business days prior to the last day of the month to which the distribution relates. |
· | If you participate in our dividend reinvestment plan, you will be deemed to have received, and for income tax purposes will be taxed on, the amount reinvested in shares of our common stock to the extent the amount reinvested was not a tax-free return of capital. In addition, you will be treated for tax purposes as having received an additional distribution to the extent the shares are purchased at a discount to fair market value, if any. |
You may elect to participate in our dividend reinvestment plan by completing the distribution options change form or other company-approved authorization form.
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the specific risks set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” under Item 1A of Part I of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and under Item 1A of Part II of our most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as the same may be updated from time to time by future filings under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Neither the SEC, the Attorney General of the State of New York nor any other state securities regulator has approved or disapproved of our common stock, determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete or passed on or endorsed the merits of this offering. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
This investment involves a high degree of risk. You should purchase these securities only if you can afford a complete loss of your investment. The use of projections or forecasts in this offering is prohibited. No one is permitted to make any oral or written predictions about the cash benefits or tax consequences you will receive from your investment.
Price to Public | Selling Commissions and Dealer Manager Fees | Net Proceeds (Before Expenses) | ||||||||||
Dividend Reinvestment Plan | ||||||||||||
Per Share | $ | 9.50 | $ | 0.00 | $ | 9.50 | ||||||
Total Maximum | $ | 58,672,000.00 | $ | 0.00 | $ | 58,672,000.00 |
The date of this prospectus is February 28, 2014.
Suitability Standards
The shares we are offering through this prospectus are suitable only as a long-term investment for persons of adequate financial means and who have no need for liquidity in this investment. Because there is no public market for our shares, you will have difficulty selling your shares.
In consideration of these factors, we have established suitability standards for investors in this offering and subsequent purchasers of our shares. These general suitability standards require that a purchaser of shares have either:
· | a net worth of at least $250,000; or |
· | gross annual income of at least $70,000 and a net worth of at least $70,000. |
In addition, the states listed below have established suitability requirements that are more stringent than ours and investors in these states are directed to the following special suitability standards:
· | California – In addition to the general suitability requirements described above, an investor’s maximum investment in our shares is limited to 10% of such investor’s net worth. |
· | Ohio – In addition to the general suitability requirements described above, an investor must have a liquid net worth of at least 10 times the amount of their investment in us, our affiliates and any other non-traded real estate investment programs. “Liquid net worth” is defined as that portion of net worth (total assets minus total liabilities) that is comprised of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities. |
· | Oregon – In addition to the general suitability requirements described above, an investor’s maximum investment in us and our affiliates cannot exceed 10% of the investor’s net worth. |
For purposes of determining the suitability of an investor, net worth in all cases should be calculated excluding the value of an investor’s home, home furnishings and automobiles. In the case of sales to fiduciary accounts, these suitability standards must be met by the fiduciary account, by the person who directly or indirectly supplied the funds for the purchase of the shares if such person is the fiduciary or by the beneficiary of the account.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUITABILITY STANDARDS | i |
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements | 1 |
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY | 2 |
Risk Factors | 8 |
Estimated Use of Proceeds | 9 |
description of Dividend reinvestment plan | 9 |
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS | 12 |
Plan of Distribution | 34 |
Limited Liability and Indemnification of Directors, Officers, Employees and Other Agents | 34 |
Legal Matters | 36 |
Experts | 36 |
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE | 36 |
Where You Can Find More Information | 39 |
Appendix A – Amended and restated DIVIDEND Reinvestment Plan | A-1 |
APPENDIX B – DISTRIBUTION OPTIONS CHANGE FORM | B-1 |
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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus other than historical facts may be considered forward-looking statements. Such statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies and prospects and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, as well as known and unknown risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Therefore, such statements are not intended to be a guarantee of our performance in future periods. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” or other similar words. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus. We make no representations or warranties (express or implied) about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements and we do not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Any such forward-looking statements are subject to unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors and are based on a number of assumptions involving judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic, competitive and market conditions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately. To the extent that our assumptions differ from actual results, our ability to meet such forward-looking statements, including our ability to generate positive cash flow from operations, make distributions to stockholders, and maintain the value of our real estate properties, may be significantly hindered. Some of the risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to our business, operating results, prospects and financial condition are as follows:
· | We have a limited operating history and we depend on our sub-advisor (acting on behalf of our advisor) to conduct our operations. Both our advisor and our sub-advisor have limited operating histories and limited experience operating a public company. |
· | All of our executive officers and some of our directors are also officers, managers, directors or holders of a controlling interest in our advisor, sub-advisor or other affiliates of our sponsors. As a result, they face conflicts of interest, including significant conflicts created by our advisor’s and sub-advisor’s compensation arrangements with us and other sponsor-advised programs and conflicts in allocating time among us and these other programs. These conflicts could result in action or inaction that is not in the best interests of our stockholders. |
· | We pay substantial fees and expenses to our advisor, our sub-advisor and their respective affiliates. These fees increase your risk of loss. |
· | Our organizational documents permit us to pay distributions from any source without limit, including offering proceeds. We have not established limits on the amount of offering proceeds, borrowings or cash advances we may use to pay distributions. To the extent distributions exceed our net income or net capital gain, a greater proportion of your distributions will generally represent a return of capital as opposed to current income or gain, as applicable. To date, we have paid distributions from operating cash flow, proceeds from financings and contributions from our sub-advisor. |
· | We depend on tenants for our revenue and, accordingly, our revenue is dependent upon the success and economic viability of our tenants. Revenues from our property investments could decrease due to a reduction in tenants (caused by factors including, but not limited to, tenant defaults, tenant insolvency, early termination of tenant leases and non-renewal of existing tenant leases) and/or lower rental rates, limiting our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders. |
· | Continued disruptions in the financial markets and uncertain economic conditions could adversely affect our ability to implement our business strategy and generate returns to stockholders. |
· | Our failure to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes would reduce the amount of income we have available for distribution and limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. |
For a discussion of the risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to our business, operating results, prospects and financial condition, you should carefully review the risk factors disclosed under Item 1A of Part I of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and under Item 1A of Part II of our most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and any updated risk factors contained in future filings we make under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Except as otherwise required by federal securities laws, we do not undertake to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights material information about this offering. Because it is a summary, it may not contain all of the information that is important to you. To understand this offering fully, you should read the entire prospectus carefully before making a decision to participate in the dividend reinvestment plan. You should also review the section of this prospectus titled “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.”
What is Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.?
Phillips Edison-ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. is a public non-traded real estate investment trust incorporated in December 2009 in an effort to leverage the expertise of its two industry leading co-sponsors, Phillips Edison Limited Partnership and AR Capital, LLC, while capitalizing on the market opportunity to acquire and manage grocery-anchored neighborhood and community shopping centers located in strong demographic markets throughout the United States. We seek to acquire and manage shopping centers that are typically above 80% occupied, anchored by the dominant grocer in the region, and have a mix of national and regional retailers selling necessity-based goods and services. We expect to build a high-quality portfolio utilizing the following acquisition strategy:
· | Grocery-Anchored Retail — We are focused on acquiring well-occupied grocery-anchored shopping centers serving the day-to-day shopping needs of the community in the surrounding trade area. |
· | Infill Locations/Solid Markets — We target properties in established or growing markets based on trends in population density, population growth, employment, household income, employment diversification and other key demographic factors creating higher barriers to entry, which we believe limit additional competition. |
· | Triple-Net Leases — We negotiate leases to provide for tenant reimbursements of operating expenses, real estate taxes and insurance, providing a level of protection against rising expenses. |
· | Discount To Replacement Cost — We intend to acquire properties at values based on current in-place rents and at a substantial discount to replacement cost. |
Our strategy is to acquire, own and manage a high-quality, diverse, grocery-anchored real estate portfolio, while maintaining a focused approach to maximize stockholder value. We believe these goals will be supported by the following attributes of our company:
· | Stable Income to Provide Consistent Distributions — Sustainable income from profitable national and regional tenants, a majority of which comes from grocery anchor tenants, is expected to fund monthly distributions to our stockholders at a rate consistent with our operating performance. |
· | Upside Potential — We seek to create value from a combination of the strategic leasing of portfolio vacancies, rental growth, creation of new revenue streams, and strategic expense reduction, all leading to increased cash flow. |
· | Diversification — We intend to own and manage a retail grocery-anchored portfolio diversified by geography, tenant mix, and lease expirations, thereby mitigating risk. |
· | Low Leverage — We intend to utilize a prudent leverage strategy with an approximate 50% targeted loan-to-value ratio on our portfolio once we have invested substantially all of the combined net proceeds of our primary initial public offering and this offering. |
· | Tenured Management with a National Platform — Our Phillips Edison sponsor's seasoned team of professional managers have extensive retail industry expertise and established tenant relationships and provide reliable execution of our acquisition and operating strategies through their national operating and leasing platform. |
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· | Property Focus — We utilize a property-specific operational focus that combines intensive leasing and merchandising plans with cost containment measures to deliver a more solid and stable income stream from each property. |
· | Exit Strategy — We anticipate selling our assets, selling or merging our company, or listing our company on a national securities exchange within three to five years after the completion of the primary portion of our initial public offering (which occurred in February 2014). |
As of February 21, 2014, we owned 85 grocery-anchored shopping centers. We are externally advised by our advisor and sub-advisor, American Realty Capital II Advisors, LLC (“AR Capital Advisor” or “our advisor”) and Phillips Edison NTR LLC (the “Phillips Edison Sub-Advisor” or “our sub-advisor”), respectively. Pursuant to the agreement between our advisor and sub-advisor, our sub-advisor, acting on behalf of our advisor, conducts our operations and manages our portfolio of real estate investments. We have no paid employees.
Our office is located at 11501 Northlake Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45249. Our telephone number is (513) 554-1110. Our fax number is (513) 554-1820, and our web site address is www.phillipsedison-arc.com. The contents of that web site are not incorporated by reference in, or are otherwise a part of, this prospectus.
What is the dividend reinvestment plan?
We are offering up to 6,176,000 shares of our common stock to our existing stockholders pursuant to our amended and restated dividend reinvestment plan. Pursuant to the plan, stockholders may elect to have all or a portion of their distributions reinvested in additional shares of our common stock. The purchase price for shares purchased under the dividend reinvestment plan will initially be $9.50 per share. Once we establish an estimated value per share that is not based on the price to acquire a share in the primary portion of our initial public offering or a follow-on public offering, shares issued pursuant to our dividend reinvestment plan will be priced at the estimated value per share of our common stock, as determined by an independent valuation firm chosen for that purpose; provided, that in no event will such estimated value be less than 95% of the fair market value per share. We expect to establish an estimated value per share upon the completion of our offering stage. We will consider our offering stage complete when we are no longer offering equity securities ― whether through the primary portion of our initial public offering or follow-on public offerings ― and have not done so for up to 18 months. (For purposes of this definition, we will not consider “public equity offerings” to include offerings on behalf of selling stockholders or offerings related to any dividend reinvestment plan, employee benefit plan or the redemption of interests in our operating partnership.) No selling commissions or dealer manager fees are payable on shares sold under our dividend reinvestment plan.
We may amend or terminate the dividend reinvestment plan for any reason at any time upon 10 days’ written notice to the participants. We may provide notice by including such information (a) in a current report on Form 8-K or in our annual or quarterly reports, all publicly filed with the SEC, or (b) in a separate mailing to the participants.
Who may participate in the dividend reinvestment plan?
All of our common stockholders are eligible to participate in our dividend reinvestment plan; however, we may elect to deny your participation in the dividend reinvestment plan if you reside in a jurisdiction or foreign country where, in our judgment, the burden or expense of compliance with applicable securities laws makes your participation impracticable or inadvisable.
At any time prior to the listing of our shares on a national stock exchange, you must cease participation in our dividend reinvestment plan if you no longer meet the net income and net worth standards set forth in our charter or in this prospectus, as amended and supplemented. Participants must agree to notify us promptly when they no longer meet these standards. See the “Suitability Standards” section of this prospectus (immediately following the cover page).
If you choose to participate in our dividend reinvestment plan you will need to fill out a distribution options change form, like the one contained in this prospectus as Appendix B, that we will provide to you at your request. Your participation in the dividend reinvestment plan will begin with the next distribution made after receipt of your distribution options change form. You can choose to have all or a portion of your distributions reinvested through the dividend reinvestment plan. You may also change the percentage of your distributions that will be reinvested at any time by completing a new distribution options change form or other form provided for that purpose. You should consult with your financial advisor before making any decision to participate in or to increase your level of participation in the dividend reinvestment plan. If you choose to change the percentage of your distributions that will be reinvested, you must represent that you continue to meet the applicable suitability standards set forth in this prospectus, as amended and supplemented.
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What are the tax consequences of participation in the dividend reinvestment plan?
If you elect to participate in the dividend reinvestment plan and are subject to federal income taxation, you will incur a tax liability for distributions allocated to you even though you have elected not to receive the distributions in cash but rather to have the distributions withheld and reinvested pursuant to the dividend reinvestment plan. Specifically, you will be treated as if you have received the distribution from us in cash and then applied such distribution to the purchase of additional shares. In addition, to the extent you purchase shares through our dividend reinvestment plan at a discount to their fair market value, you will be treated for tax purposes as receiving an additional distribution equal to the amount of the discount.
At least until we establish an estimated value per share not based on the last price paid to acquire a share in the primary portion of our initial public offering or a follow-on public offering, we expect that (1) we will sell shares under the dividend reinvestment plan at $9.50 per share, (2) no secondary trading market for our shares will develop and (3) our advisor will estimate the fair market value of a share to be $10.00. Therefore, at least until we establish such an estimated value per share, participants in our dividend reinvestment plan will be treated as having received a distribution of $10.00 for each $9.50 reinvested by them under our dividend reinvestment plan. You will be taxed on the amount of such distribution (including the discount from fair market value) as a dividend to the extent such distribution is from current or accumulated earnings and profits, unless we have designated all or a portion of the distribution as a capital gain distribution. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Taxation of Stockholders.” We will withhold 28% of the amount of dividends or other distributions paid if you fail to furnish a valid taxpayer identification number, fail to properly report interest or distributions or fail to certify that you are not subject to withholding.
How will you use the proceeds raised in this offering?
We expect to use the net proceeds from the sale of shares under our dividend reinvestment plan for general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, the following:
· | the repurchase of shares under our share repurchase program; |
· | capital expenditures, tenant improvement costs and leasing costs related to our investments in real estate properties; |
· | reserves required by any financings of our investments; |
· | funding obligations under any of our real estate loans receivable; |
· | investments in real estate properties and real estate-related loans and securities, which would include payment of acquisition fees to our advisor and sub-advisor; and |
· | the repayment of debt. |
We cannot predict with any certainty how much, if any, dividend reinvestment plan proceeds will be available for specific purposes. No selling commissions or dealer manager fees are payable on shares sold under our dividend reinvestment plan, and we expect any other offering expenses to be nominal.
What are your investment objectives?
Our primary investment objectives are:
· | to preserve and protect your capital contribution; |
· | to provide you with stable cash distributions; |
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· | to realize growth in the value of our assets upon the sale of such assets; and |
· | to provide you with the potential for future liquidity through the sale of our assets, a sale or merger of our company, a listing of our common stock on a national securities exchange, or other similar transaction. |
We may return all or a portion of your capital contribution in connection with the sale of the company or the assets we have acquired or upon maturity or payoff of debt investments we may make. Alternatively, you may be able to obtain a return of all or a portion of your capital contribution in connection with the sale of your shares.
Who are your advisor and sub-advisor and what do they do?
AR Capital Advisor is a limited liability company that was formed in the State of Delaware on December 28, 2009. Our advisor has a limited operating history and limited experience managing a public company. As our advisor, AR Capital Advisor is responsible for coordinating the management of our day-to-day operations and for identifying and making investments in real estate properties on our behalf, subject to the supervision of our board of directors. Subject to the terms of the advisory agreement between AR Capital Advisor and us, AR Capital Advisor has delegated most of its duties, including managing our day-to-day operations, identifying and negotiating investments on our behalf and providing asset management services, to Phillips Edison Sub-Advisor, which is indirectly wholly owned by Phillips Edison Limited Partnership, our other sponsor, and which we generally refer to throughout this prospectus as the “sub-advisor.” Notwithstanding such delegation to the sub-advisor, AR Capital Advisor retains ultimate responsibility for the performance of all the matters entrusted to it under the advisory agreement.
Because our advisor is owned by affiliates of AR Capital, LLC and because our sub-advisor is owned by affiliates of Phillips Edison Limited Partnership, we consider ourselves to be co-sponsored by these entities. Unless the context dictates otherwise, throughout this prospectus we generally refer collectively to Phillips Edison Limited Partnership and the individuals who own and control it, as our “Phillips Edison sponsor.” We generally refer collectively to AR Capital, LLC and the individuals who own and control it, as our “AR Capital sponsor.” Collectively, we may refer to our Phillips Edison sponsor and our AR Capital sponsor as “our sponsors.” We also refer to AR Capital Advisor and Phillips Edison Sub-Advisor as “Advisor Entities.”
Phillips Edison Sub-Advisor is a limited liability company that was formed in the State of Delaware on December 9, 2009. Our sub-advisor has a limited operating history and limited experience managing a public company. Phillips Edison Sub-Advisor has primary responsibility, acting on behalf of AR Capital Advisor, for making decisions regarding the selection and the negotiation of real estate investments. Major decisions to be jointly approved by AR Capital Advisor and Phillips Edison Sub-Advisor, subject to the direction of our board of directors, include decisions with respect to the retention of investment banks, mergers and other change-of-control transactions, and certain significant press releases.
Are there any special restrictions on the ownership or transfer of shares?
Yes. Our charter contains restrictions on the ownership of our shares that prevent any one person from owning more than 9.8% in value of our aggregate outstanding stock or more than 9.8% in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our aggregate outstanding common stock unless exempted by our board of directors. These restrictions are designed to enable us to comply with ownership restrictions imposed on REITs by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). Our charter also limits your ability to sell your shares unless: (1) the prospective purchaser meets the suitability standards regarding income or net worth and (2) the transfer complies with the minimum purchase requirements.
What are your exit strategies?
It is our intention to begin the process of achieving a Liquidity Event not later than three to five years after the termination of the primary portion of our initial public offering (which occurred in February 2014). A “Liquidity Event” could include a sale of our assets, a sale or merger of our company, a listing of our common stock on a national securities exchange, or other similar transaction.
If we do not begin the process of achieving a Liquidity Event by the fifth anniversary of the termination of the primary portion of our initial public offering, our charter requires either (1) an amendment to our charter to extend the deadline to begin the process of achieving a Liquidity Event or (2) the holding of a stockholder meeting to vote on a proposal for an orderly liquidation of our portfolio.
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If we sought and failed to obtain stockholder approval of a charter amendment extending the deadline with respect to a Liquidity Event, our charter requires us to submit a plan of liquidation for the approval of our stockholders. If we sought and failed to obtain stockholder approval of both the charter amendment and our liquidation, we would continue our business. If we sought and obtained stockholder approval of our liquidation, we would begin an orderly sale of our properties and other assets. The precise timing of such sales would take account of the prevailing real estate and financial markets, the economic conditions in the submarkets where our properties are located and the U.S. federal income tax consequences to our stockholders. In making the decision to apply for listing of our shares, our directors will try to determine whether listing our shares or liquidating our assets will result in greater value for stockholders.
One of the factors our board of directors will consider when making this determination is the liquidity needs of our stockholders. In assessing whether to list or liquidate, our board of directors would likely solicit input from financial advisors as to the likely demand for our shares upon listing. If, after listing, the board believed that it would be difficult for stockholders to dispose of their shares, then that factor would weigh against listing. However, this would not be the only factor considered by the board. If listing still appeared to be in the best long-term interests of our stockholders, despite the prospects of a relatively small market for our shares upon the initial listing, the board may still opt to list our shares of common stock in keeping with its obligations under Maryland law. The board would also likely consider whether there was a sufficient pent-up demand to sell our shares when making decisions regarding listing or liquidation. The degree of participation in our dividend reinvestment plan and the number of requests for repurchases under the share repurchase program at this time could be an indicator of stockholder demand to liquidate their investment.
Will I be notified of how my investment is doing?
Yes, we will provide you with periodic updates on the performance of your investment in us, including:
· | monthly distribution reports; |
· | an annual report; and |
· | three quarterly financial reports. |
We will provide this information to you via one or more of the following methods, in our discretion and with your consent, if necessary:
· | U.S. mail or other courier; |
· | facsimile; |
· | electronic delivery; or |
· | posting on our web site at www.phillipsedison-arc.com. |
When will I get my detailed tax information?
We intend to issue and mail your Form 1099-DIV tax information, or such other successor form, by January 31st of each year.
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Who can help answer my questions about the offering?
If you have more questions about the offering, or if you would like additional copies of this prospectus, you should contact your financial advisor or contact:
Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.
11501 Northlake Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
Telephone: 800-875-6585 ext. 1338
E-mail: investorrelations@phillipsedison-arc.com
www.phillipsedison-arc.com
Where can I find more information about Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc?
We are required to file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. SEC rules allow us to incorporate by reference information into this prospectus. By incorporating by reference, we are disclosing important information to you by referring you to another document that we have filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, except for information incorporated by reference that is superseded by information contained in this prospectus. Further, any reports filed by us with the SEC after the date of this prospectus and before the date that the offering of the securities by means of this prospectus is terminated will automatically update and, where applicable, supersede any information contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. See “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” and “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus.
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Risk Factors
An investment in our common stock involves various risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of the risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to our business, operating results, prospects and financial condition, you should carefully review the risk factors disclosed under Item 1A of Part I of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and under Item 1A of Part II of our most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and any updated risk factors contained in future filings we make under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as amended and supplemented. These risks can adversely affect our business, operating results, prospects and financial condition. This could cause the value of our common stock to decline and could cause you to lose all or part of your investment.
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Estimated Use of Proceeds
We expect to use the net proceeds from the sale of shares under our dividend reinvestment plan for general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, the following:
· | the repurchase of shares under our share repurchase program; |
· | capital expenditures, tenant improvement costs and leasing costs related to our investments in real estate properties; |
· | reserves required by any financings of our investments; |
· | funding obligations under any of our real estate loans receivable; |
· | investments in real estate properties and real estate-related loans and securities, which would include payment of acquisition fees to our advisor and sub-advisor; and |
· | the repayment of debt. |
We cannot predict with any certainty how much, if any, dividend reinvestment plan proceeds will be available for specific purposes. No selling commissions or dealer manager fees are payable on shares sold under our dividend reinvestment plan, and we expect any other offering expenses to be nominal.
description of Dividend reinvestment plan
We have adopted an amended and restated dividend reinvestment plan pursuant to which you may elect to have your dividends and other distributions reinvested in additional shares of our common stock. The following discussion summarizes the principal terms of this plan. Appendix A to this prospectus contains the full text of our amended and restated dividend reinvestment plan as is currently in effect.
Eligibility
All of our common stockholders are eligible to participate in our dividend reinvestment plan; however, we may elect to deny your participation in the dividend reinvestment plan if you reside in a jurisdiction or foreign country where, in our judgment, the burden or expense of compliance with applicable securities laws makes your participation impracticable or inadvisable.
At any time prior to the listing of our shares on a national stock exchange, you must cease participation in our dividend reinvestment plan if you no longer meet the net income and net worth standards set forth in our charter or in the then-current prospectus. Participants must agree to notify us promptly when they no longer meet these standards. See the “Suitability Standards” section of this prospectus (immediately following the cover page) and the distribution options change form attached hereto as Appendix B.
Election to Participate
If you choose to participate in our dividend reinvestment plan, you will need to fill out a distribution options change form, like the one contained in this prospectus as Appendix B, that we will provide to you at your request. Your participation in the dividend reinvestment plan will begin with the next distribution made after receipt of your distribution options change form. You can choose to have all or a portion of your distributions reinvested through the dividend reinvestment plan. You may also change the percentage of your distributions that will be reinvested at any time by completing a new distribution options change form or other form provided for that purpose. You should consult with your financial advisor before making any decision to participate in or to increase your level of participation in the dividend reinvestment plan. If you choose to change the percentage of your distributions that will be reinvested, you must represent that you continue to meet the applicable suitability standards set forth in this prospectus, as amended and supplemented.
Stock Purchases
Shares will be purchased under the dividend reinvestment plan promptly after the date of each monthly distribution payment. The purchase of fractional shares is a permissible and likely result of the reinvestment of distributions under the dividend reinvestment plan.
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The purchase price for shares purchased under the dividend reinvestment plan will initially be $9.50 per share. Once we establish an estimated value per share that is not based on the price to acquire a share in the primary portion of our initial public offering or a follow-on public offering, shares issued pursuant to our dividend reinvestment plan will be priced at the estimated value per share of our common stock, as determined by an independent valuation firm chosen for that purpose; provided, that in no event will such estimated value be less than 95% of the fair market value per share. We expect to establish an estimated value per share not based on the price to acquire a share in the primary portion of our initial public offering or a follow-on public offering upon the completion of our offering stage. We will consider our offering stage complete when we are no longer offering equity securities ― whether through the primary portion of our initial public offering or follow-on public offerings ― and have not done so for up to 18 months. (For purposes of this definition, we will not consider “public equity offerings” to include offerings on behalf of selling stockholders or offerings related to any dividend reinvestment plan, employee benefit plan or the redemption of interests in our operating partnership.)
After the termination of the offering of our shares pursuant to the dividend reinvestment plan, we may determine to allow participants to reinvest cash distributions from us in shares issued by other real estate programs sponsored by us or our affiliates only if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
· | prior to the time of such reinvestment, the participant has received the final prospectus and any supplements thereto offering interests in the affiliated program and such prospectus allows investments pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan; |
· | a registration statement covering the interests in the affiliated program has been declared effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”); |
· | the offer and sale of such interests are qualified for sale under applicable state securities laws; |
· | the participant executes the subscription agreement included with the prospectus for the affiliated program; and |
· | the participant qualifies under applicable investor suitability standards as contained in the prospectus for the affiliated program. |
Stockholders who invest in affiliated programs pursuant to our dividend reinvestment plan will become investors in such affiliated programs and, as such, will receive the same reports as other investors in the affiliated programs.
Account Statements
You or your designee will receive a confirmation of your purchases under the dividend reinvestment plan. Your confirmation will disclose the following information:
· | the amount of the distribution reinvested for your account; |
· | the date of the reinvestment; |
· | the number and price of the shares purchased by you; and |
· | the total number of shares in your account. |
In addition, within 90 days after the end of each calendar year, we will provide you with an individualized report on your investment, including the purchase dates, purchase price, number of shares owned and the amount of distributions made in the prior year as well as the effect and tax consequences of reinvesting distributions.
Fees and Commissions
No selling commissions or dealer manager fees are payable on shares sold under the dividend reinvestment plan.
Voting
You may vote all shares, including fractional shares, that you acquire through the dividend reinvestment plan.
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U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of Participation
If you elect to participate in the dividend reinvestment plan and are subject to federal income taxation, you will incur a tax liability for distributions allocated to you even though you have elected not to receive the distributions in cash but rather to have the distributions withheld and reinvested pursuant to the dividend reinvestment plan. Specifically, you will be treated as if you have received the distribution from us in cash and then applied such distribution to the purchase of additional shares. In addition, to the extent you purchase shares through our dividend reinvestment plan at a discount to their fair market value, you will be treated for tax purposes as receiving an additional distribution equal to the amount of the discount.
At least until we establish an estimated value per share not based on the last price paid to acquire a share in the primary portion of our initial public offering or a follow-on public offering, we expect that (1) we will sell shares under the dividend reinvestment plan at $9.50 per share, (2) no secondary trading market for our shares will develop and (3) our advisor will estimate the fair market value of a share to be $10.00. Therefore, at least until we establish such an estimated value per share, participants in our dividend reinvestment plan will be treated as having received a distribution of $10.00 for each $9.50 reinvested by them under our dividend reinvestment plan. You will be taxed on the amount of such distribution (including the discount from fair market value) as a dividend to the extent such distribution is from current or accumulated earnings and profits, unless we have designated all or a portion of the distribution as a capital gain distribution. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Taxation of Stockholders.” We will withhold 28% of the amount of dividends or other distributions paid if you fail to furnish a valid taxpayer identification number, fail to properly report interest or distributions or fail to certify that you are not subject to withholding.
Termination of Participation
You may terminate your participation in the dividend reinvestment plan at any time by providing us with written notice. For your termination to be effective for a particular distribution, we must have received your notice of termination at least 10 business days prior to the last day of the month to which the distribution relates. Any transfer of your shares will effect a termination of the participation of those shares in the dividend reinvestment plan. We will terminate your participation in the dividend reinvestment plan to the extent that a reinvestment of your distributions would cause you to violate the ownership limit contained in our charter, unless you have obtained an exemption from the ownership limit from our board of directors. If you elect to redeem some, but less than all, of your shares pursuant to our share repurchase program, you will remain enrolled in the dividend reinvestment plan with respect to your remaining shares unless you provide us with written notice indicating that you wish to terminate participation in the dividend reinvestment plan.
Amendment or Termination of Plan
We may amend or terminate the dividend reinvestment plan for any reason at any time upon 10 days’ written notice to the participants. We may provide notice by including such information (a) in a current report on Form 8-K or in our annual or quarterly reports, all publicly filed with the SEC, or (b) in a separate mailing to the participants.
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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our common stock. The law firm of DLA Piper LLP (US) has acted as our tax counsel and reviewed this summary. For purposes of this section under the heading “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations,” references to “Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.,” “we,” “our” and “us” mean only Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. and not its subsidiaries or other lower-tier entities, except as otherwise indicated. This summary is based upon the Internal Revenue Code, the regulations promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department (the “Treasury Regulations”), rulings and other administrative pronouncements issued by the IRS, 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. We have not sought and do not currently expect to seek an advance ruling from the IRS regarding any matter discussed in this prospectus. The summary is also based upon the assumption that we and our subsidiaries and affiliates will operate in accordance with each entity’s applicable organizational documents. This summary is for general information only and does not purport to discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to a particular investor in light of its investment or tax circumstances or to investors subject to special tax rules, such as:
· | financial institutions; |
· | insurance companies; |
· | broker-dealers; |
· | regulated investment companies; |
· | partnerships and trusts, or those holding interests in such entities; |
· | persons who hold our stock on behalf of other persons as nominees; |
· | persons who receive our stock through the exercise of employee stock options (if we ever have employees) or otherwise as compensation; |
· | persons holding our stock as part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “conversion transaction,” “constructive ownership transaction,” “synthetic security” or other integrated investment; |
· | “S” corporations; |
and, except to the extent discussed below:
· | tax-exempt organizations; and |
· | foreign investors. |
This summary assumes that investors hold their common stock as a capital asset, which generally means as property held for investment.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of holders of our common stock depends in some instances on determinations of fact and interpretations of complex provisions of U.S. federal income tax law for which no clear precedent or authority may be available. In addition, the U.S. federal income tax consequences to any particular stockholder of holding our common stock depend on the stockholder’s particular tax circumstances. For example, a stockholder that is a partnership or trust that has issued an equity interest to certain types of tax-exempt organizations may be subject to a special entity-level tax if we make distributions attributable to “excess inclusion income.” See “—Taxation of Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.—Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income.” A similar tax may be payable by persons who hold our stock as nominees on behalf of tax-exempt organizations. 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, exchanging, or otherwise disposing of our common stock.
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Taxation of Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.
We made an election to be taxed as a REIT under Section 856 of the Internal Revenue Code, effective for our taxable year ended December 31, 2010. We believe that we have been organized and have operated, and expect to continue to operate, in such a manner as to qualify for taxation as a REIT.
The law firm of DLA Piper LLP (US), acting as our tax counsel in connection with this offering, has rendered an opinion dated July 1, 2010, (i) assuming that the actions described in this section are completed on a timely basis and we timely file the requisite elections, that we were organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code, and that our then proposed method of operation would enable us to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT and (ii) that our operating partnership will be treated as a partnership, or, if there is only a single owner, a disregarded entity, and not an association or publicly traded partnership (within the meaning of Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code) subject to tax as a corporation, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, beginning with its first taxable year. It must be emphasized that the opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US) was based on various assumptions relating to our organization and operation and was conditioned upon fact-based representations and covenants made by our management regarding our organization, assets, and income, and the past, present and future conduct of our business operations. While we intend to operate so that we qualify as a REIT, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations, and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances, no assurance can be given by DLA Piper LLP (US) or by us that we will qualify as a REIT for any particular year. The opinion was expressed as of the date issued and does not cover subsequent periods. Counsel has no obligation to advise us or our stockholders of any subsequent change in the matters stated, represented or assumed, or of any subsequent change in the applicable law. You should be aware that opinions of counsel are not binding on the IRS, and no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge the conclusions set forth in such opinions.
Qualification and taxation as a REIT depends on our ability to meet on a continuing basis, through actual operating results, distribution levels, and diversity of stock and asset ownership, various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Internal Revenue Code, the compliance with which will not be reviewed by DLA Piper LLP (US). Our ability to qualify as a REIT also requires that we satisfy certain asset tests, some of which depend upon the fair market values of assets that we own directly or indirectly. Such values may not be susceptible to a precise determination. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of our operations for any taxable year will satisfy such requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.
Taxation of REITs in General
As indicated above, our qualification and taxation as a REIT depends upon our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Internal Revenue Code. The material qualification requirements are summarized below under “—Requirements for Qualification—General.” While we intend to operate so that we qualify as a REIT, no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge our qualification, or that we will be able to operate in accordance with the REIT requirements in the future. See “—Failure to Qualify.”
Provided that we qualify as a REIT, generally we will be entitled to a deduction for distributions that we pay to our stockholders and therefore will not be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our taxable income that is currently distributed to our stockholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the “double taxation” at the corporate and stockholder levels that generally results from investment in a corporation. In general, the income that we generate is taxed only at the stockholder level upon distribution to our stockholders.
Certain domestic stockholders that are individuals, trusts or estates are generally taxed on corporate distributions at a maximum rate of 20%. With limited exceptions, however, distributions from us or from other entities that are taxed as REITs are generally not eligible for this rate and will continue to be taxed at rates applicable to ordinary income. See “—Taxation of Stockholders—Taxation of Taxable Domestic Stockholders—Distributions.”
Any net operating losses and other tax attributes generally do not pass through to our stockholders, subject to special rules for certain items such as the capital gains that we recognize. See “—Taxation of Stockholders.”
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If we qualify as a REIT, we will nonetheless be subject to federal tax in the following circumstances:
· | We will be taxed at regular corporate rates on any undistributed taxable income, including undistributed net capital gains. |
· | We may be subject to the “alternative minimum tax” on our items of tax preference, including any deductions of net operating losses. |
· | If we have net income from prohibited transactions, which are, in general, sales or other dispositions of inventory or property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, other than foreclosure property, such income will be subject to a 100% tax. See “—Prohibited Transactions” and “—Foreclosure Property” below. |
· | If we elect to treat property that we acquire in connection with a foreclosure of a mortgage loan or certain leasehold terminations as “foreclosure property,” we may thereby avoid the 100% tax on gain from a resale of that property (if the sale would otherwise constitute a prohibited transaction), but the income from the sale or operation of the property may be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax at the highest applicable rate (currently 35%). |
· | If we derive “excess inclusion income” from an interest in certain mortgage loan securitization structures (i.e., a “taxable mortgage pool” or a residual interest in a REMIC), we could be subject to corporate level U.S. federal income tax at a 35% rate to the extent that such income is allocable to specified types of tax-exempt stockholders known as “disqualified organizations” that are not subject to unrelated business income tax. See “—Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income” below. “Disqualified organizations” are any organization described in Section 860E(e)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code, including: (1) the United States; (2) any state or political subdivision of the United States; (3) any foreign government and (4) certain other organizations. |
· | If we should fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as discussed below, but nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because we satisfy other requirements, we will be subject to a 100% tax on an amount based on the magnitude of the failure, as adjusted to reflect the profit margin associated with our gross income. |
· | If we should violate the asset tests (other than certain de minimis violations) or other requirements applicable to REITs, as described below, and yet maintain our qualification as a REIT because there is reasonable cause for the failure and other applicable requirements are met, we may be subject to an excise tax. In that case, the amount of the excise tax will be at least $50,000 per failure, and, in the case of certain asset test failures, will be determined as the amount of net income generated by the assets in question multiplied by the highest corporate tax rate (currently 35%) if that amount exceeds $50,000 per failure. |
· | If we should fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (a) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (b) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year, and (c) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we would be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the sum of (1) the amounts that we actually distributed and (2) the amounts we retained and upon which we paid U.S. federal income tax at the corporate level. |
· | We may be required to pay monetary penalties to the IRS in certain circumstances, including if we fail to meet record keeping requirements intended to monitor our compliance with rules relating to the composition of a REIT’s stockholders, as described below in “—Requirements for Qualification—General.” |
· | A 100% tax may be imposed on transactions between us and a TRS (as described below) that do not reflect arm’s-length terms. |
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· | If we acquire (or are deemed to acquire via a REIT election) appreciated assets from a corporation that is not a REIT (i.e., a corporation taxable under subchapter C of the Internal Revenue Code) in a transaction in which the adjusted tax basis of the assets in our hands is determined by reference to the adjusted tax basis of the assets in the hands of the subchapter C corporation, we may be subject to tax on such appreciation at the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate then applicable if we subsequently recognize gain on a disposition of any such assets during the 10-year period following their acquisition from the subchapter C corporation. |
· | The earnings of our subsidiaries, including any subsidiary we may elect to treat as a TRS, are generally subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax to the extent that such subsidiaries are subchapter C corporations. |
In addition, we and our subsidiaries may be subject to a variety of taxes, including payroll taxes and state and local and foreign income, property and other taxes on our assets and operations. We could also be subject to tax in situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.
Requirements for Qualification—General
The Internal Revenue Code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust or association:
1. | that is managed by one or more trustees or directors; |
2. | the beneficial ownership of which is evidenced by transferable shares, or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest; |
3. | that would be taxable as a domestic corporation but for its election to be subject to tax as a REIT; |
4. | that is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company subject to specific provisions of the Internal Revenue Code; |
5. | the beneficial ownership of which is held by 100 or more persons; |
6. | in which, during the last half of each taxable year, not more than 50% in value of the outstanding stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer “individuals” (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code to include specified entities); |
7. | which elects to be taxed as a REIT, or has made such election for a previous taxable year, and satisfies all relevant filing and other administrative requirements that must be met to elect and maintain REIT qualification; and |
8. | which meets other tests described below, including with respect to the nature of its income and assets. |
The Internal Revenue Code provides that conditions (1) through (4) must be met during the entire taxable year, and that condition (5) must be met during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Conditions (5) and (6) need not be met during a corporation’s initial tax year as a REIT (which, in our case, was 2010). Our charter provides restrictions regarding the ownership and transfer of our shares, which are intended to assist us in satisfying the share ownership requirements described in conditions (5) and (6) above.
We believe that we have issued common stock with sufficient diversity of ownership to satisfy requirements (5) and (6). In addition, our charter restricts the ownership and transfer of our stock so that we should continue to satisfy these requirements.
To monitor compliance with the share ownership requirements, we generally are required to maintain records regarding the actual ownership of our shares. To do so, we must demand written statements each year from the record holders 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 distributions 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.
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In addition, a corporation generally may not elect to become a REIT unless its taxable year is the calendar year. We have adopted December 31 as our year-end, and thereby satisfy this requirement. Finally, a REIT cannot have retained any C corporation earnings and profits of any REIT taxable year.
The Internal Revenue Code provides relief from violations of the REIT gross income requirements, as described below under “—Income Tests,” in cases where a violation is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, and other requirements are met, including the payment of a penalty tax that is based upon the magnitude of the violation. In addition, certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code extend similar relief in the case of certain violations of the REIT asset requirements (see “—Asset Tests” below) and other REIT requirements, again provided that the violation is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, and other conditions are met, including the payment of a penalty tax. If we fail to satisfy any of the various REIT requirements, there can be no assurance that these relief provisions would be available to enable us to maintain our qualification as a REIT, and, if such relief provisions are available, the amount of any resultant penalty tax could be substantial.
Effect of Subsidiary Entities
Ownership of Partnership Interests. 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 U.S. federal income tax purposes. An unincorporated domestic entity with two or more owners generally is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If we are a partner in an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, Treasury Regulations provide that we are deemed to own our proportionate share of the partnership’s assets, and to earn our proportionate share of the partnership’s income, for purposes of the asset and gross income tests applicable to REITs. Our proportionate share of a partnership’s assets and income is based on our capital interest in the partnership (except that for purposes of the 10% value test, our proportionate share of the partnership’s assets is based on our proportionate interest in the equity and certain debt securities issued by the partnership). In addition, the assets and gross income of the partnership are deemed to retain the same character in our hands. Thus, our proportionate share of the assets and items of income of any of our subsidiary partnerships will be treated as our assets and items of income for purposes of applying the REIT requirements. For any period of time that we own 100% of our operating partnership, all of the operating partnership’s assets and income will be deemed to be ours for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Disregarded Subsidiaries. If we own a corporate subsidiary that is a “qualified REIT subsidiary,” that subsidiary is generally disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and all of the subsidiary’s assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit are treated as our assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit, including for purposes of the gross income and asset tests applicable to REITs. A qualified REIT subsidiary is any corporation, other than a TRS (as described below), that is directly or indirectly wholly owned by a REIT. Thus, in applying the requirements described herein, any qualified REIT subsidiary that we own will be ignored, and all assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction and credit of such subsidiary will be treated as our assets, liabilities, and items of income, deduction and credit.
In the event that a disregarded subsidiary of ours ceases to be wholly owned—for example, if any equity interest in the subsidiary is acquired by a person other than us or another disregarded subsidiary of ours—the subsidiary’s separate existence would no longer be disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Instead, the subsidiary 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 requirements applicable to REITs, including the requirement that REITs generally may not own, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the securities of another corporation. See “—Asset Tests” and “—Income Tests.”
Taxable Corporate Subsidiaries. In the future we may jointly elect with any of our subsidiary corporations, whether or not wholly owned, to treat such subsidiary corporations as taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”). A REIT is permitted to own up to 100% of the stock of one or more TRSs. A TRS is a fully taxable corporation 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 with respect to 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. We generally may not own more than 10% of the securities of a taxable corporation, as measured by voting power or value, unless we and such corporation elect to treat such corporation as a TRS. Overall, no more than 25% of the value of a REIT’s assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more TRSs.
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The separate existence of a TRS or other taxable corporation is not ignored for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, a TRS or other taxable corporation generally would be subject to corporate income tax on its earnings, which may reduce the cash flow that we and our subsidiaries generate in the aggregate, and may reduce our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
We are not treated as holding the assets of a TRS or other taxable subsidiary corporation or as receiving any income that the subsidiary earns. Rather, the stock issued by a taxable subsidiary to us is an asset in our hands, and we treat the distributions paid to us from such taxable subsidiary, if any, as income to the extent of the earnings and profits of such taxable subsidiary. This treatment can affect our income and asset test calculations, as described below. Because we do not include the assets and income of TRSs or other taxable subsidiary corporations in determining our compliance with the REIT requirements, we may use such entities to undertake indirectly activities that the REIT rules might otherwise preclude us from doing directly or through pass-through subsidiaries. For example, we may use TRSs or other taxable subsidiary corporations to conduct activities that give rise to certain categories of income such as management fees or activities that would be treated in our hands as prohibited transactions.
Certain restrictions imposed on TRSs are intended to ensure that such entities will be subject to appropriate levels of U.S. federal income taxation. First, a TRS with a debt-equity ratio in excess of 1.5 to 1 may not deduct interest payments made in any year to an affiliated REIT to the extent that such payments exceed, generally, 50% of the TRS’s adjusted taxable income for that year (although the TRS may carry forward to, and deduct in, a succeeding year the disallowed interest amount if the 50% test is satisfied in that year). In addition, if amounts are paid to a REIT or deducted by a TRS due to transactions between the REIT and a TRS that exceed the amount that would be paid to or deducted by a party in an arm’s-length transaction, the REIT generally will be subject to an excise tax equal to 100% of such excess. We intend to scrutinize all of our transactions with any of our subsidiaries that are treated as a TRS in an effort to ensure that we do not become subject to this excise tax; however, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in avoiding this excise tax.
We may own TRSs that are organized outside of the United States. For example, we may hold certain investments and instruments through TRSs to the extent that direct ownership by us could jeopardize our compliance with the REIT qualification requirements, and we may make TRS elections with respect to certain offshore issuers of CDOs and/or other instruments to the extent that we do not own 100% of the offshore issuer’s equity. Special rules apply in the case of income earned by a taxable subsidiary corporation that is organized outside of the United States. Depending upon the nature of the subsidiary’s income, the parent REIT may be required to include in its taxable income an amount equal to its share of the subsidiary’s income, without regard to whether, or when, such income is distributed by the subsidiary. See “—Income Tests” below. A TRS that is organized outside of the United States may, depending upon the nature of its operations, be subject to little or no U.S. federal income tax. There is a specific exemption from U.S. federal income tax for non-U.S. corporations that restrict their activities in the United States to trading 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. We currently expect that any offshore TRSs will rely on that exemption or otherwise operate in a manner so that they will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on their net income at the entity level.
Income Tests
In order to qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy two gross income requirements on an annual basis. First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year, excluding gross income from sales of inventory or dealer property in “prohibited transactions,” generally must be derived from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property, including interest income derived from mortgage loans secured by real property (including certain types of mortgage-backed securities), “rents from real property,” distributions received from other REITs, and gains from the sale of real estate assets, any amount includible in gross income with respect to a regular or residual interest in a REMIC, unless less than 95% of the REMIC’s assets are real estate assets, in which case only a proportionate amount of such income will qualify, as well as specified income from temporary investments. Second, at least 95% of our gross income in each taxable year, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain hedging transactions, must be derived from some combination of such income from investments in real property (i.e., income that qualifies under the 75% income test described above), as well as dividends, interest, and gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities, which need not have any relation to real property.
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Gross income from the sale of inventory property is excluded from both the numerator and the denominator in both income tests. Income and gain from hedging transactions that we enter into to hedge indebtedness incurred or to be incurred to acquire or carry real estate assets will generally be excluded from both the numerator and the denominator for purposes of both gross income tests. We intend to monitor the amount of our non-qualifying income and manage our investment portfolio to comply at all times with the gross income tests but we cannot assure you that we will be successful in this effort.
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:
· | 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 the term “rents from real property” solely by reason of being based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales. |
· | Except for rents received from a taxable REIT subsidiary as discussed below, rents received from a tenant will not qualify as “rents from real property” in satisfying the gross income tests if the REIT, or an actual or constructive owner of 10% or more of the REIT, actually or constructively owns, in the case of a corporate tenant, 10% or more of the stock by vote or value of such tenant, and, in the case of any other tenant, 10% or more of the profits or capital of such tenant. |
· | If such rent is received from a taxable REIT subsidiary with respect to any property, no more than 10% of the leased space at the property may be leased to taxable REIT subsidiaries and related party tenants and rents received from such property must be substantially comparable to rents paid by other tenants, except related party tenants, of the REIT’s property for comparable space. |
· | 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 personal property will not qualify as “rents from real property.” |
· | For rents received to qualify as “rents from real property,” the REIT generally must not furnish or render services to the tenants of the property, subject to a 1% de minimis exception, other than through an independent contractor from whom the REIT derives no revenue or through a taxable REIT subsidiary. The REIT may, however, directly perform certain services that are “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and are not otherwise considered “rendered to the occupant” of the property. |
We do not and will not, and as the sole member of the general partner of the operating partnership will not permit the operating partnership to:
· | charge rent for any property that is based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person, except by reason of being based on a percentage of receipts or sales, as described above; |
· | lease any property to a related party tenant unless we determine that the income from such lease would not jeopardize our status as a REIT; |
· | lease any property to a taxable REIT subsidiary, unless we determine not more than 10% of the leased space at such property is leased to related party tenants and our taxable REIT subsidiaries and the rents received from such lease are substantially comparable to those received from other tenants, except rent from related party tenants, of us for comparable space; |
· | derive rental income attributable to personal property, other than personal property leased in connection with the lease of real property, the amount of which is less than 15% of the total rent received under the lease; or |
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· | perform services considered to be rendered to the occupant of the property, other than through an independent contractor from whom the operating partnership derives no revenue or through a taxable REIT subsidiary, unless we determine that the income from such services would not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT. |
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: (1) an amount that is based on a fixed percentage or percentages of gross receipts or sales and (2) an amount that is based on the income or profits of a borrower where the borrower derives substantially all of its income from the real property securing the debt by leasing substantially all of its interest in the property, but only to the extent that the amounts received by the borrower 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.
Interest income constitutes qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross income test to the extent that the obligation is secured by a mortgage on real property. If we receive interest income with respect to a mortgage loan that is secured by both real property and other property and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property on the date of our commitment to make or purchase the mortgage loan, the interest income will be apportioned between the real property and the other property, and our income from the arrangement will qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test only to the extent that the interest is allocable to the real property. Even if a loan is not secured by real property or is undersecured, the income that it generates may nonetheless qualify for purposes of the 95% gross income test. Note that a “significant modification” of a debt instrument may result in a new debt instrument which requires new tests of the value of the underlying real estate. The portion of the interest income that will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test will be equal to the portion of the principal amount of the loan that is not secured by real property (i.e., the amount by which the loan exceeds the value of the real estate that is security for the loan).
Interest, including original issue discount or market discount that we accrue on our real estate-related debt investments generally will be qualifying income for purposes of both gross income tests. However, some of our investments may not be secured by mortgages on real property or interests in real property. Our interest income from those investments will be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test but not the 75% gross income test. In addition, as discussed above, if the fair market value of the real estate securing any of our investments is less than the principal amount of the underlying loan as of a certain testing date, a portion of the income from that investment will be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test but not the 75% gross income test.
We and our subsidiaries may also invest in REMICs, and we may invest in other types of commercial mortgage-backed securities. See below under “—Asset Tests” for a discussion of the effect of such investments on our qualification as a REIT.
We may directly or indirectly receive distributions from TRSs or other corporations that are not REITs or qualified REIT subsidiaries. These distributions generally are treated as dividend income to the extent of the earnings and profits of the distributing corporation. Such distributions will generally constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, but not for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any distributions that we receive from a REIT, however, will be qualifying income for purposes of both the 95% and 75% income tests.
If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we may still qualify as a REIT for such year if we are entitled to relief under applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These relief provisions will be generally available if (1) our failure to meet these tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and (2) following our identification of the failure to meet the 75% or 95% gross income test for any taxable year, we file a schedule with the IRS setting forth each item of our gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income test for such taxable year in accordance with Treasury Regulations yet to be issued. It is not possible to state whether we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions in all circumstances. If these relief provisions are inapplicable to a particular set of circumstances, we will not qualify as a REIT. As discussed above under “—Taxation of REITs in General,” even where these relief provisions apply, the Internal Revenue Code imposes a tax based upon the amount by which we fail to satisfy the particular gross income test.
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Asset Tests
At the close of each calendar quarter, we must also satisfy four tests relating to the nature of our assets. First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must be represented by some combination of “real estate assets,” cash, cash items, U.S. government securities, and, under some circumstances, stock or debt instruments purchased with new capital. For this purpose, real estate assets include interests in real property, such as land, buildings, leasehold interests in real property, stock of other corporations that qualify as REITs, and some kinds of mortgage-backed securities and mortgage loans. Assets that do not qualify for purposes of the 75% test are subject to the additional asset tests described below.
Second, the value of any one issuer’s securities that we own may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets.
Third, we may not own more than 10% of any one issuer’s outstanding securities, as measured by either voting power or value. The 5% and 10% asset tests do not apply to securities of taxable REIT subsidiaries and qualified REIT subsidiaries and the 10% asset test does not apply to “straight debt” having specified characteristics and to certain other securities described below. Solely for purposes of the 10% asset test, the determination of our interest in the assets of a partnership or limited liability company in which we own an interest will be based on our proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership or limited liability company, excluding for this purpose certain securities described in the Internal Revenue Code.
Fourth, the aggregate value of all securities of taxable REIT subsidiaries that we hold may not exceed 25% of the value of our total assets.
Notwithstanding the general rule, as noted above, that for purposes of the REIT income and asset tests we are treated as owning our proportionate share of the underlying assets of a subsidiary partnership, if we hold indebtedness issued by a partnership, the indebtedness will be subject to, and may cause a violation of, the asset tests unless the indebtedness is a qualifying mortgage asset or other conditions are met. Similarly, although stock of another REIT is a qualifying asset for purposes of the REIT asset tests, any non-mortgage debt that is issued by another REIT may not so qualify (such debt, however, will not be treated as “securities” for purposes of the 10% asset test, as explained below).
We anticipate that substantially all of our gross income will be from sources that will allow us to satisfy the income tests described above. Further, our purchase contracts for such real properties will apportion no more than 5% of the purchase price of any property to property other than “real property,” as defined in the Internal Revenue Code. However, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not contest such purchase price allocation. If the IRS were to prevail, resulting in more than 5% of the purchase price of property being allocated to other than “real property,” we may be unable to continue to qualify as a REIT under the 75% asset test, and may also be subject to additional taxes, as described below. In addition, we intend to invest funds not used to acquire properties in cash sources, “new capital” investments or other liquid investments which allow us to continue to qualify under the 75% asset test. Therefore, our investment in real properties will constitute “real estate assets” and should allow us to meet the 75% asset test.
We believe that most of the real estate-related securities that we hold are and will be qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test. However, our investment in other asset-backed securities, bank loans and other instruments that are not secured by mortgages on real property will not be qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test.
Certain relief provisions are available to REITs to satisfy the asset requirements or to maintain REIT qualification notwithstanding certain violations of the asset and other requirements. One such provision allows a REIT which fails one or more of the asset requirements to nevertheless maintain its REIT qualification if: (1) the REIT provides the IRS with a description of each asset causing the failure, (2) the failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, (3) the REIT pays a tax equal to the greater of (a) $50,000 per failure, and (b) the product of the net income generated by the assets that caused the failure multiplied by the highest applicable corporate tax rate (currently 35%) and (4) the REIT either disposes of the assets causing the failure within six months after the last day of the quarter in which it identifies the failure, or otherwise satisfies the relevant asset tests within that time frame.
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In the case of de minimis violations of the 10% and 5% asset tests, a REIT may maintain its qualification despite a violation of such requirements if (1) the value of the assets causing the violation does not exceed the lesser of 1% of the REIT’s total assets and $10,000,000 and (2) the REIT either disposes of the assets causing the failure within six months after the last day of the quarter in which it identifies the failure, or the relevant tests are otherwise satisfied within that time frame.
Certain securities will not cause a violation of the 10% asset test described above. Such securities include instruments that constitute “straight debt,” which includes, among other things, securities having certain contingency features. A security does not qualify as “straight debt” where a REIT (or a controlled TRS of the REIT) owns other securities of the same issuer which do not qualify as straight debt, unless the value of those other securities constitute, in the aggregate, 1% or less of the total value of that issuer’s outstanding securities. In addition to straight debt, the Internal Revenue Code provides that certain other securities will not violate the 10% asset test. Such securities include (1) any loan made to an individual or an estate, (2) certain rental agreements pursuant to which one or more payments are to be made in subsequent years (other than agreements between a REIT and certain persons related to the REIT under attribution rules), (3) any obligation to pay rents from real property, (4) securities issued by governmental entities that are not dependent in whole or in part on the profits of (or payments made by) a non-governmental entity, (5) any security (including debt securities) issued by another REIT and (6) any debt instrument issued by a partnership if the partnership’s income is of a nature that it would satisfy the 75% gross income test described above under “—Income Tests.” In applying the 10% asset test, a debt security issued by a partnership is not taken into account to the extent, if any, of the REIT’s proportionate interest in the equity and certain debt securities issued by that partnership.
Any interests that we hold in a REMIC will generally qualify as real estate assets and income derived from REMIC interests will generally be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the REIT income tests described above. If less than 95% of the assets of a REMIC are real estate assets, however, then only a proportionate part of our interest in the REMIC and income derived from the interest qualifies for purposes of the REIT asset and income tests. If we hold a “residual interest” in a REMIC from which we derive “excess inclusion income,” we will be required to either distribute the excess inclusion income or pay tax on it (or a combination of the two), even though we may not receive the income in cash. To the extent that distributed excess inclusion income is allocable to a particular stockholder, the income (1) would not be allowed to be offset by any net operating losses otherwise available to the stockholder, (2) would be subject to tax as unrelated business taxable income in the hands of most types of stockholders that are otherwise generally exempt from U.S. federal income tax and (3) would result in the application of U.S. federal income tax withholding at the maximum rate (30%), without reduction of any otherwise applicable income tax treaty, to the extent allocable to most types of foreign stockholders. Moreover, any excess inclusion income that we receive that is allocable to specified categories of tax-exempt investors which are not subject to unrelated business income tax, such as government entities, may be subject to U.S. federal corporate-level income tax in our hands, whether or not it is distributed.
To the extent that we hold mortgage participations or commercial mortgage-backed securities that do not represent REMIC interests, such assets may not qualify as real estate assets, and the income generated from them might not qualify for purposes of either or both of the REIT income tests, depending upon the circumstances and the specific structure of the investment.
We believe that our holdings of securities and other assets will comply with the foregoing REIT asset requirements, and we intend to monitor compliance on an ongoing basis. Certain mezzanine loans we make or acquire may qualify for the safe harbor in Revenue Procedure 2003-65 pursuant to which certain loans secured by a first priority security interest in ownership interests in a partnership or limited liability company will be treated as qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% real estate asset test and the 10% vote or value test. We may make some mezzanine loans that do not qualify for that safe harbor and that do not qualify as “straight debt” securities or for one of the other exclusions from the definition of “securities” for purposes of the 10% value test. We intend to make such investments in such a manner as not to fail the asset tests described above.
No independent appraisals will be obtained to support our conclusions as to the value of our total assets or the value of any particular security or securities. Moreover, values of some assets, including instruments issued in securitization transactions, may not be susceptible to a precise determination, and values are subject to change in the future. Furthermore, the proper classification of an instrument as debt or equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes may be uncertain in some circumstances, which could affect the application of the REIT asset requirements. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not contend that our interests in our subsidiaries or in the securities of other issuers will not cause a violation of the REIT asset tests.
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If we should fail to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a calendar quarter, such a failure would not cause us to lose our REIT qualification if we: (1) satisfied the asset tests at the close of the preceding calendar quarter and (2) the discrepancy between the value of our assets and the asset requirements was not wholly or partly caused by an acquisition of non-qualifying assets, but instead arose from changes in the market value of our assets. If the condition described in (2) were not satisfied, we still could avoid disqualification by eliminating any discrepancy within 30 days after the close of the calendar quarter in which it arose or by making use of relief provisions described below.
Annual Distribution Requirements
In order to qualify as a REIT, we are required to make distributions, other than capital gain distributions, to our stockholders in an amount at least equal to:
(a) the sum of
(1) | 90% of our “REIT taxable income,” computed without regard to our net capital gains and the dividends paid deduction, and |
(2) | 90% of our net income, if any, (after tax) from foreclosure property (as described below), minus |
(b) the sum of specified items of non-cash income.
In addition, if we were to recognize “built-in-gain” (as defined below) on disposition of any assets acquired from a “C” corporation in a transaction in which our basis in the assets was determined by reference to the “C” corporation’s basis (for instance, if the assets were acquired in a tax-free reorganization), we would be required to distribute at least 90% of the built-in-gain recognized net of the tax we would pay on such gain. “Built-in-gain” is the excess of (a) the fair market value of an asset (measured at the time of acquisition) over (b) the basis of the asset (measured at the time of acquisition).
We generally must make these distributions in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if either are (1) declared before we timely file our tax return for the year and if paid with or before the first regular distribution payment after such declaration; or (2) declared in October, November or December of the taxable year, payable to stockholders of record on a specified day in any such month, and actually paid before the end of January of the following year. The distributions under clause (1) are taxable to the stockholders of our common stock in the year in which paid, and the distributions in clause (2) 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.
In order for distributions to be counted for this purpose, and to provide a tax deduction for us, the distributions must not be “preferential dividends.” A distribution is not a preferential dividend if the distribution is (1) pro rata among all outstanding shares of stock within a particular class and (2) in accordance with the preferences among different classes of stock as set forth in our organizational documents.
To the extent that we distribute at least 90%, but less than 100%, of our “REIT taxable income,” as adjusted, we will be subject to tax at ordinary corporate tax rates on the retained portion. We may elect to retain, rather than distribute, our net long-term capital gains and pay tax on such gains. In this case, we could elect for our stockholders to include their proportionate shares of such undistributed long-term capital gains in income, and to receive a corresponding credit for their share of the tax that we paid. Our stockholders would then increase their adjusted basis of their stock by the difference between (1) the amounts of capital gain distributions that we designated and that they include in their taxable income, minus (2) the tax that we paid on their behalf with respect to that income.
To the extent that we have available net operating losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may reduce the amount of distributions that we must make in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. Such losses, however, will generally not affect the character, in the hands of our stockholders, of any distributions that are actually made as ordinary dividends or capital gains. See “—Taxation of Stockholders—Taxation of Taxable Domestic Stockholders—Distributions.”
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If we should fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (1) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (2) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year and (3) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we would be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the sum of (1) the amounts actually distributed, plus (2) the amounts of income we retained and on which we have paid U.S. federal corporate income tax.
It is possible that, from time to time, we may not have sufficient cash to meet the distribution requirements due to timing differences between (1) our actual receipt of cash, including receipt of distributions from our subsidiaries and (2) our inclusion of items in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Other potential sources of non-cash taxable income include:
· | “residual interests” in REMICs or taxable mortgage pools; |
· | loans or mortgage-backed securities held as assets that are issued at a discount and require the accrual of taxable economic interest in advance of receipt in cash; and |
· | loans on which the borrower is permitted to defer cash payments of interest, and distressed loans on which we may be required to accrue taxable interest income even though the borrower is unable to make current servicing payments in cash. |
In the event that such timing differences occur, in order to meet the distribution requirements, it might be necessary for us to arrange short-term, or possibly long-term, borrowings, or to pay distributions in the form of taxable in-kind distributions of property.
We may be able to rectify a failure to meet the distribution requirements for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to stockholders in a later year, which may be included in our deduction for distributions paid for the earlier year. In this case, we may be able to avoid losing REIT qualification or being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends. We will be required to pay an interest-like penalty based on the amount of any deduction taken for deficiency dividends.
Failure to Qualify
If we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification other than the gross income or 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. Relief provisions are available for failures of the gross income tests and asset tests, as described above in “—Income Tests” and “—Asset Tests.”
If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year, and the relief provisions described above do not apply, we would be subject to tax, including any applicable alternative minimum tax, on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. We cannot deduct distributions to stockholders in any year in which we are not a REIT, nor would we be required to make distributions in such a year. In this situation, to the extent of current and accumulated earnings and profits, distributions to domestic stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates will generally be taxable at capital gains rates. In addition, subject to the limitations of the Internal Revenue Code, corporate distributees may be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Unless we are entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, we would also be disqualified from re-electing to be taxed as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we lost qualification. It is not possible to state whether, in all circumstances, we would be entitled to this statutory relief.
Prohibited Transactions
Net income that we derive from a prohibited transaction is subject to a 100% tax. The term “prohibited transaction” generally includes a sale or other disposition of property (other than foreclosure property, as discussed below) that is held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business. We intend to conduct our operations so that no asset that we own (or are treated as owning) will be treated as, or as having been, held for sale to customers, and that a sale of any such asset will not be treated as having been in the ordinary course of our business. Whether property is held “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business” depends on the particular facts and circumstances. There is an exception to this rule for the sale of property that: (i) is a real estate asset under the 75% Asset Test; (ii) has been held for at least two years; (iii) has aggregate expenditures which are includable in the basis of the property not in excess of 30% of the net selling price; (iv) in some cases, was held for production of rental income for at least two years; (v) in some cases, substantially all of the marketing and development expenditures were made through an independent contractor; and (vi) when combined with other sales in the year, either does not cause the REIT to have made more than seven sales of property during the taxable year, or occurs in a year when the REIT disposes of less than 10% of its assets (measured by U.S. federal income tax basis or fair market value, and ignoring involuntary dispositions and sales of foreclosure property). No assurance can be given that any property that we sell will not be treated as property held for sale to customers, or that we can comply with certain safe-harbor provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that would prevent such treatment. The 100% tax does not apply to gains from the sale of property that is held through a TRS or other taxable corporation, although such income will potentially be subject to tax in the hands of the corporation at regular corporate rates, nor does the tax apply to sales which qualify for a safe harbor as described in Section 857(b)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code.
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Foreclosure Property
Foreclosure property is real property and any personal property incident to such real property (1) that we acquire as the result of having bid on the property at foreclosure, or having otherwise reduced the property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law, after a default (or upon imminent default) on a lease of the property or a mortgage loan held by us and secured by the property, (2) for which we acquired the related loan or lease at a time when default was not imminent or anticipated and (3) with respect to which we made a proper election to treat the property as foreclosure property. We generally will be subject to tax at the maximum corporate rate (currently 35%) on any net income from foreclosure property, including any gain from the disposition of the foreclosure property, other than income that would otherwise be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any gain from the sale of property for which a foreclosure property election has been made will not be subject to the 100% tax on gains from prohibited transactions described above, even if the property would otherwise constitute inventory or dealer property. To the extent that we receive any income from foreclosure property that does not qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test, we intend to make an election to treat the related property as foreclosure property.
Derivatives and Hedging Transactions
We and our subsidiaries may enter into hedging transactions with respect to interest rate exposure on one or more of our assets or liabilities. Hedging transactions could take a variety of forms, including the use of derivative instruments such as interest rate swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements, options, futures contracts, forward rate agreements or similar financial instruments. Except to the extent provided by Treasury Regulations, any income from a hedging transaction we entered into (1) in the normal course of our business primarily to manage risk of interest rate, inflation and/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, which is clearly identified as specified in Treasury Regulations before the closing of the day on which it was acquired, originated, or entered into, including gain from the sale or disposition of such a transaction and (2) primarily to manage risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% income tests which is clearly identified as such before the closing of the day on which it was acquired, originated, or entered into, will not constitute gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions is likely to be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT. We may conduct some or all of our hedging activities through our TRS or other corporate entity, the income from which may be subject to U.S. federal income tax, rather than by participating in the arrangements directly or through pass-through subsidiaries. No assurance can be given, however, that our hedging activities will not give rise to income that does not qualify for purposes of either or both of the REIT gross income tests, or that our hedging activities will not adversely affect our ability to satisfy the REIT qualification requirements.
Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income
An entity, or a portion of an entity, may be classified as a taxable mortgage pool, or TMP, under the Internal Revenue Code if:
· | substantially all of its assets consist of debt obligations or interests in debt obligations; |
· | more than 50% of those debt obligations are real estate mortgages or interests in real estate mortgages as of specified testing dates; |
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· | the entity has issued debt obligations (liabilities) that have two or more maturities; and |
· | the payments required to be made by the entity on its debt obligations (liabilities) “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) consist 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 TMP. Our financing and securitization arrangements may give rise to TMPs with the consequences as described below.
Where an entity, or a portion of an entity, is classified as a TMP, it is generally treated as a taxable corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In the case of a REIT, or a portion of a REIT, or a disregarded subsidiary of a REIT, that is a TMP, however, special rules apply. The TMP is not treated as a corporation that is subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax, and the TMP classification does not directly affect the tax qualification of the REIT. Rather, the consequences of the TMP classification would, in general, except as described below, be limited to the stockholders of the REIT.
A portion of the REIT’s income from the TMP, which might be noncash accrued income, could be treated as excess inclusion income. Section 860E(c) of the Internal Revenue Code defines the term “excess inclusion” with respect to a residual interest in a REMIC. The IRS, however, has yet to issue guidance on the computation of excess inclusion income on equity interests in a TMP held by a REIT. Generally, however, excess inclusion income with respect to our investment in any TMP and any taxable year will equal the excess of (1) the amount of income we accrue on our investment in the TMP over (2) the amount of income we would have accrued if our investment were a debt instrument having an issue price equal to the fair market value of our investment on the day we acquired it and a yield to maturity equal to 120% of the long-term applicable federal rate in effect on the date we acquired our interest. The term “applicable federal rate” refers to rates that are based on weighted average yields for treasury securities and are published monthly by the IRS for use in various tax calculations. If we undertake securitization transactions that are TMPs, the amount of excess inclusion income we recognize in any taxable year could represent a significant portion of our total taxable for that year. Under recently issued IRS guidance, the REIT’s excess inclusion income, including any excess inclusion income from a residual interest in a REMIC, must be allocated among its stockholders in proportion to distributions paid. We are required to notify our stockholders of the amount of “excess inclusion income” allocated to them. A stockholder’s share of our excess inclusion income:
· | cannot be offset by any net operating losses otherwise available to the stockholder; |
· | is subject to tax as unrelated business taxable income in the hands of most types of stockholders that are otherwise generally exempt from U.S. federal income tax; and |
· | results in the application of U.S. federal income tax withholding at the maximum rate (30%), without reduction for any otherwise applicable income tax treaty or other exemption, to the extent allocable to most types of foreign stockholders. |
See “—Taxation of Stockholders.” To the extent that excess inclusion income is allocated from a TMP to a tax-exempt stockholder of a REIT that is not subject to unrelated business income tax (such as a government entity), the REIT will be subject to tax on this income at the highest applicable corporate tax rate (currently 35%). In this case, we are authorized to reduce and intend to reduce distributions to such stockholders by the amount of such tax paid by the REIT that is attributable to such stockholder’s ownership. Treasury Regulations provide that such a reduction in distributions does not give rise to a preferential dividend that could adversely affect the REIT’s compliance with its distribution requirements. See “—Annual Distribution Requirements.” The manner in which excess inclusion income is calculated, or would be allocated to stockholders, including allocations among shares of different classes of stock, remains unclear under current law. As required by IRS guidance, we intend to make such determinations using a reasonable method. Tax-exempt investors, foreign investors and taxpayers with net operating losses should carefully consider the tax consequences described above, and are urged to consult their tax advisors.
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If a subsidiary partnership of ours that we do not wholly own, directly or through one or more disregarded entities, were a TMP, the foregoing rules would not apply. Rather, the partnership that is a TMP would be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and potentially could be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax or withholding tax. In addition, this characterization would alter our income and asset test calculations and could adversely affect our compliance with those requirements. We intend to monitor the structure of any TMPs (including whether a TRS election might be made in respect of any such TMP) in which we have an interest to ensure that they will not adversely affect our qualification as a REIT.
Taxation of Stockholders
Taxation of Taxable Domestic Stockholders
Distributions. So long as we qualify as a REIT, the distributions that we make to our taxable domestic stockholders out of current or accumulated earnings and profits that we do not designate as capital gain distributions will generally be taken into account by stockholders as ordinary income and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporations. With limited exceptions, our distributions are not eligible for taxation at the preferential U.S. federal income tax rates for qualified distributions received by certain domestic stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates from taxable C corporations. Such stockholders, however, are taxed at the preferential rates on distributions designated by and received from REITs to the extent that the distributions are attributable to:
· | income retained by the REIT in the prior taxable year on which the REIT was subject to U.S. federal corporate level income tax (less the amount of tax); |
· | distributions received by the REIT from TRSs or other taxable C corporations; or |
· | income in the prior taxable year from the sales of “built-in gain” property acquired by the REIT from C corporations in carryover basis transactions (less the amount of corporate tax on such income). |
Distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends will generally be taxed to our stockholders as long-term capital gains, to the extent that such distributions do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year, without regard to the period for which the stockholder that receives such distribution has held its stock. We may elect to retain and pay taxes on some or all of our net long-term capital gains, in which case provisions of the Internal Revenue Code will treat our stockholders as having received, solely for tax purposes, our undistributed capital gains, and the stockholders will receive a corresponding credit for taxes that we paid on such undistributed capital gains. See “—Taxation of Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. — Annual Distribution Requirements.” Corporate stockholders may be required to treat up to 20% of some capital gain distributions as ordinary income. Long-term capital gains are generally taxable at maximum federal rates of 20% in the case of stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates, and 35% in the case of stockholders that are corporations. Capital gains attributable to the sale of depreciable real property held for more than 12 months are subject to a 25% maximum U.S. federal income tax rate for taxpayers who are taxed as individuals, to the extent of previously claimed depreciation deductions.
Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will generally represent a return of capital and will not be taxable to a stockholder to the extent that the amount of such distributions does not exceed the adjusted basis of the stockholder’s shares in respect of which the distributions were made. Rather, the distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of the stockholder’s shares. To the extent that such distributions exceed the adjusted basis of a stockholder’s shares, the stockholder generally must include such distributions in income as long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the shares have been held for one year or less. In addition, any distribution that we declare in October, November or December of any year and that is payable to a stockholder of record on a specified date in any such month will be treated as both paid by us and received by the stockholder on December 31 of such year, provided that we actually pay the distribution before the end of January of the following calendar year.
We have the ability to declare a large portion of a dividend in shares of our stock if our stock is a readily marketable security. As long as a portion of such dividend is paid in cash and certain requirements are met, the entire distribution may be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, a stockholder will be taxed on 100% of the dividend in the same manner as a cash dividend, even though most of the dividend was paid in shares of our stock.
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To the extent that we have available net operating losses and capital losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may reduce the amount of distributions that we must make in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. See “—Taxation of Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.—Annual Distribution Requirements.” Such losses, however, are not passed through to stockholders and do not offset income of stockholders from other sources, nor would such losses affect the character of any distributions that we make, which are generally subject to tax in the hands of stockholders to the extent that we have current or accumulated earnings and profits.
If excess inclusion income from a taxable mortgage pool or REMIC residual interest is allocated to any stockholder, that income will be taxable in the hands of the stockholder and would not be offset by any net operating losses of the stockholder that would otherwise be available. See “—Taxation of Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. —Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income.” As required by IRS guidance, we intend to notify our stockholders if a portion of a distribution paid by us is attributable to excess inclusion income.
Dispositions of Our Stock. In general, capital gains recognized by certain individuals, trusts and estates upon the sale or disposition of our stock will be subject to a maximum U.S. federal income tax rate of 20% if the stock is held for more than one year, and will be taxed at ordinary income rates if the stock is held for one year or less. Gains recognized by stockholders that are corporations are subject to U.S. federal income tax at a maximum rate of 35%, whether or not such gains are classified as long-term capital gains. Capital losses recognized by a stockholder upon the disposition of our stock that was held for more than one year at the time of disposition will be considered long-term capital losses, and are generally available only to offset capital gain income of the stockholder but not ordinary income (except in the case of individuals, who may offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income each year). In addition, any loss upon a sale or exchange of shares of our stock by a stockholder who has held the shares for six months or less, after applying holding period rules, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of distributions that we make that are required to be treated by the stockholder as long-term capital gain.
If an investor recognizes a loss upon a subsequent disposition of our stock or other securities in an amount that exceeds a prescribed threshold, it is possible that the provisions of the Treasury Regulations involving “reportable transactions” could apply, with a resulting requirement to separately disclose the loss-generating transaction to the IRS. These regulations, though directed towards “tax shelters,” are broadly written and apply to transactions that would not typically be considered tax shelters. The Internal Revenue Code imposes significant penalties for failure to comply with these requirements. You should consult your tax advisor concerning any possible disclosure obligation with respect to the receipt or disposition of our stock or securities or transactions that we might undertake directly or indirectly. Moreover, you should be aware that we and other participants in the transactions in which we are involved (including their advisors) might be subject to disclosure or other requirements pursuant to these regulations.
Passive Activity Losses and Investment Interest Limitations. Distributions that we make and gain arising from the sale or exchange by a domestic stockholder of our stock will not be treated as passive activity income. As a result, stockholders will not be able to apply any “passive losses” against income or gain relating to our stock. To the extent that distributions we make do not constitute a return of capital, they will be treated as investment income for purposes of computing the investment interest limitation.
Medicare contribution tax. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012, U.S. stockholders who are individuals, estates or certain trusts are generally required to pay a 3.8% Medicare tax on their net investment income (including dividends and gains from the disposition of our stock), or in the case of estates and trusts on their net investment income that is not distributed, in each case to the extent that their total adjusted income exceeds applicable thresholds.
Taxation of Foreign Stockholders
The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income and estate tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our stock applicable to non-U.S. holders. A “non-U.S. holder” is any person other than:
· | a citizen or resident of the United States; |
· | a corporation (or entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States, or of any state thereof, or the District of Columbia; |
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· | an estate, the income of which is includable in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or |
· | a trust if a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. fiduciaries have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust. |
If a partnership, including for this purpose any entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. An investor that is a partnership and the partners in such partnership should consult their tax advisors about the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common stock.
The following discussion is based on current law, and is for general information only. It addresses only selected, and not all, aspects of U.S. federal income and estate taxation.
Ordinary Dividends. The portion of distributions received by non-U.S. holders: (1) that is payable out of our earnings and profits, (2) which is not attributable to our capital gains and (3) which is not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. holder, will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless reduced or eliminated by treaty. Reduced treaty rates and other exemptions are not available to the extent that income is attributable to excess inclusion income allocable to the foreign stockholder. Accordingly, we will withhold at a rate of 30% on any portion of a distribution that is paid to a non-U.S. holder and attributable to that holder’s share of our excess inclusion income. See “—Taxation of Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.—Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income.” As required by IRS guidance, we intend to notify our stockholders if a portion of a distribution paid by us is attributable to excess inclusion income.
In general, non-U.S. holders will not be considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business solely as a result of their ownership of our stock. In cases where the dividend income from a non-U.S. holder’s investment in our stock is, or is treated as, effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, the non-U.S. holder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at graduated rates, in the same manner as domestic stockholders are taxed with respect to such distributions. Such income must generally be reported on a U.S. income tax return filed by or on behalf of the non-U.S. holder. The income may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax in the case of a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation.
Non-Dividend Distributions. Unless our stock constitutes a U.S. real property interest (a “USRPI”), distributions that we make that are not out of our earnings and profits will not be subject to U.S. income tax. If we cannot determine at the time a distribution is made whether or not the distribution will exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, the distribution will be subject to withholding at the rate applicable to ordinary dividends. The non-U.S. holder may seek a refund from the IRS of any amounts withheld if it is subsequently determined that the distribution was, in fact, in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. If our stock constitutes a USRPI, as described below, distributions that we make in excess of the sum of (a) the stockholder’s proportionate share of our earnings and profits, plus (b) the stockholder’s basis in its stock, will be taxed under FIRPTA, at the rate of tax, including any applicable capital gains rates, that would apply to a domestic stockholder of the same type (e.g., an individual or a corporation, as the case may be), and the collection of the tax will be enforced by a refundable withholding at a rate of 10% of the amount by which the distribution exceeds the stockholder’s share of our earnings and profits.
Capital Gain Distributions. Under FIRPTA, a distribution that we make to a non-U.S. holder, to the extent attributable to gains from dispositions of USRPIs that we held directly or through pass-through subsidiaries, or USRPI capital gains, will, except as described below, be considered effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. holder and will be subject to U.S. income tax at the rates applicable to U.S. individuals or corporations, without regard to whether we designate the distribution as a capital gain distribution. See above under “—Taxation of Foreign Stockholders—Ordinary Dividends,” for a discussion of the consequences of income that is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. In addition, we will generally be required to withhold tax equal to 35% of the amount of distributions to the extent the distributions constitute USRPI capital gains. Distributions subject to FIRPTA may also be subject to a 30% branch profits tax in the hands of a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation. A distribution is not a USRPI capital gain if we held an interest in the underlying asset solely as a creditor. Capital gain distributions received by a non-U.S. holder that are attributable to dispositions of our assets other than USRPIs are not subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax, unless (1) the gain is effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s U.S. trade or business, in which case the non-U.S. holder would be subject to the same treatment as U.S. holders with respect to such gain or (2) the non-U.S. holder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the United States, in which case the non-U.S. holder will incur a 30% tax on his or her capital gains.
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A capital gain distribution that would otherwise have been treated as a USRPI capital gain will not be so treated or be subject to FIRPTA, and generally will not be treated as income that is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, and instead will be treated in the same manner as an ordinary dividend (see “—Taxation of Foreign Stockholders—Ordinary Dividends”), if (1) the capital gain distribution is received with respect to a class of stock that is regularly traded on an established securities market located in the United States and (2) the recipient non-U.S. holder does not own more than 5% of that class of stock at any time during the year ending on the date on which the capital gain distribution is received. At the time you purchase shares in this offering, our shares will not be publicly traded and we can give you no assurance that our shares will ever be publicly traded on an established securities market. Therefore, these rules will not apply to our capital gain distributions.
Dispositions of Our Stock. Unless our stock constitutes a USRPI, a sale of our stock by a non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. taxation under FIRPTA. Our stock will not be treated as a USRPI if less than 50% of our assets throughout a prescribed testing period consist of interests in real property located within the United States, excluding, for this purpose, interests in real property solely in a capacity as a creditor.
Even if the foregoing 50% test is not met, our stock nonetheless will not constitute a USRPI if we are a “domestically-controlled qualified investment entity.” A domestically-controlled qualified investment entity includes a REIT, less than 50% of the value of which is held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. holders at all times during a specified testing period. We believe that we are and will be a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity, and that a sale of our stock should not be subject to taxation under FIRPTA. If our stock constitutes a USRPI and we do not constitute a domestically controlled qualified investment entity, but our stock becomes “regularly traded,” as defined by applicable Treasury Regulations, on an established securities market, a non-U.S. holder’s sale of our stock nonetheless would not be subject to tax under FIRPTA as a sale of a USRPI, provided that the selling non-U.S. holder held 5% or less of the outstanding stock at all times during a specified testing period. However, as mentioned above, we can give you no assurance that our shares will ever be publicly traded on an established securities market.
If gain on the sale of our stock were subject to taxation under FIRPTA, the non-U.S. holder would be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return and would be subject to the same treatment as a U.S. stockholder with respect to such gain, subject to applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of non-resident alien individuals, and the purchaser of the stock could be required to withhold 10% of the purchase price and remit such amount to the IRS.
Gain from the sale of our stock that would not otherwise be subject to FIRPTA will nonetheless be taxable in the United States to a non-U.S. holder in two cases: (1) if the non-U.S. holder’s investment in our stock is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business conducted by such non-U.S. holder, the non-U.S. holder will be subject to the same treatment as a U.S. stockholder with respect to such gain, or (2) if the non-U.S. holder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the United States, the nonresident alien individual will be subject to a 30% tax on the individual’s capital gain. In addition, even if we are a domestically controlled qualified investment entity, upon disposition of our stock, a non-U.S. holder may be treated as having gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI if the non-U.S. holder (1) disposes of our common stock within a 30-day period preceding the ex-dividend date of a distribution, any portion of which, but for the disposition, would have been treated as gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI and (2) acquires, or enters into a contract or option to acquire, other shares of our common stock within 30 days after such ex-dividend date.
Information Reporting Requirements and Backup Withholding for Non-U.S. Stockholders. Payments of dividends or of proceeds from the disposition of stock made to a non-U.S. holder may be subject to information reporting and backup withholding unless such holder establishes an exemption, for example, by properly certifying its non U.S. status on an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or another appropriate version of Internal Revenue Service Form W-8. Notwithstanding the foregoing, backup withholding and information reporting may apply if either we have, or our paying agent has actual knowledge or reason to know, that a non-U.S. holder is a United States person. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, the United States income tax liability of persons subject to backup withholding will be reduced by the amount of tax withheld. If withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund or credit may be obtained, provided that the required information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service.
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Estate Tax. If our stock is owned or treated as owned by an individual who is not a citizen or resident (as specially defined for U.S. federal estate tax purposes) of the United States at the time of such individual’s death, the stock will be includable in the individual’s gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes, unless an applicable estate tax treaty provides otherwise, and may therefore be subject to U.S. federal estate tax.
New Legislation Relating to Foreign Accounts. The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (the “HIRE Act”), which was enacted in 2010, imposes a 30% withholding tax on certain types of payments made to “foreign financial institutions” and certain other non-U.S. entities unless certain due diligence, reporting, withholding, and certification obligations requirements are satisfied. The portion of the HIRE Act that provides for this withholding tax and related provisions is known as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA.”
On January 17, 2013, final regulations under FATCA were published. As a general matter, FATCA imposes a 30% withholding tax on dividends on, and gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of, our shares if paid to a foreign entity unless either (i) the foreign entity is a “foreign financial institution” that undertakes certain due diligence, reporting, withholding, and certification obligations, (ii) the foreign entity is not a “foreign financial institution” and identifies certain of its U.S. investors, or (iii) the foreign entity otherwise is excepted under FATCA.
Under delayed effective dates provided for in the final regulations the required withholding does not begin until July 1, 2014 with respect to dividends on our shares, and January 1, 2017 with respect to gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our shares.
If withholding is required under FATCA on a payment related to our stock, investors that otherwise would not be subject to withholding (or that otherwise would be entitled to a reduced rate of withholding) generally will be required to seek a refund or credit from the IRS to obtain the benefit of such exemption or reduction (provided that such benefit is available). We will not pay any additional amounts in respect of amounts withheld under FATCA. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect of FATCA in their particular circumstances.
Taxation of Tax-Exempt Stockholders
Tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit-sharing trusts and individual retirement accounts, generally are exempt from U.S. federal income taxation. However, they may be subject to taxation on their UBTI. While some investments in real estate may generate UBTI, the IRS has ruled that dividend distributions from a REIT to a tax-exempt entity do not constitute UBTI. Based on that ruling, and provided that (1) a tax-exempt stockholder has not held our stock as “debt financed property” within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code (i.e., where the acquisition or holding of the property is financed through a borrowing by the tax-exempt stockholder) and (2) our stock is not otherwise used in an unrelated trade or business, distributions that we make and income from the sale of our stock generally should not give rise to UBTI to a tax-exempt stockholder.
To the extent, however, that we are (or a part of us, or a disregarded subsidiary of ours, is) deemed to be a TMP, or if we hold residual interests in a REMIC, a portion of the distributions paid to a tax-exempt stockholder that is allocable to excess inclusion income may be treated as UBTI. We anticipate that our investments may generate excess inclusion income.
If excess inclusion income is allocable to some categories of tax-exempt stockholders that are not subject to UBTI, such as governmental investors, we will be subject to corporate level tax on such income, and, in that case, we are authorized to reduce and intend to reduce the amount of distributions to those stockholders whose ownership gave rise to the tax. See “—Taxation of Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.—Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income.” As required by IRS guidance, we intend to notify our stockholders if a portion of a distribution paid by us is attributable to excess inclusion income.
Tax-exempt stockholders that are social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts, and qualified group legal services plans exempt from U.S. federal income taxation under Sections 501(c)(7), (c)(9), (c)(17) and (c)(20) of the Internal Revenue Code are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally require such stockholders to characterize distributions that we make as UBTI.
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In certain circumstances, a pension trust that owns more than 10% of our stock could be required to treat a percentage of its distributions as UBTI, if we are a “pension-held REIT.” We will not be a pension-held REIT unless either (1) one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our stock or (2) a group of pension trusts, each individually holding more than 10% of the value of our stock, collectively owns more than 50% of our stock. Certain restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock should generally prevent a tax-exempt entity from owning more than 10% of the value of our stock and should generally prevent us from becoming a pension-held REIT.
Tax-exempt stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the federal, state, local and foreign income and other tax consequences of owning our stock.
Tax Aspects of Investments in Partnerships
We anticipate holding direct or indirect interests in one or more partnerships, including the operating partnership. We intend to operate as an Umbrella Partnership REIT, or UPREIT, which is a structure whereby we would own a direct interest in the operating partnership, and the operating partnership would, in turn, own the properties and may possibly own interests in other non-corporate entities that own properties. Such non-corporate entities would generally be organized as limited liability companies, partnerships or trusts and would either be disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes (if the operating partnership was the sole owner) or treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The following is a summary of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of our investment in the operating partnership. This discussion should also generally apply to any investment by us in a property partnership or other non-corporate entity.
A partnership (that is not a publicly traded partnership) is not subject to tax as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Rather, partners are allocated their proportionate share of the items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of the partnership, and are potentially subject to tax thereon, without regard to whether the partners receive any distributions from the partnership. We will be required to take into account our allocable share of the foregoing items for purposes of the various REIT gross income and asset tests, and in the computation of our REIT taxable income and U.S. federal income tax liability. Further, there can be no assurance that distributions from the operating partnership will be sufficient to pay the tax liabilities resulting from an investment in the operating partnership.
Generally, for entities formed after January 1, 1997, an entity with two or more members formed as a partnership or limited liability company under state law will be taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes unless it specifically elects otherwise. Because the operating partnership was formed as a partnership under state law after January 1, 1997 and will have two or more partners, the operating partnership will be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Additionally, we do not expect that the operating partnership (and any partnership invested in by the operating partnership) will be treated as a publicly traded partnership within the meaning of Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code, which is taxed as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The interests in the operating partnership (and any partnership invested in by the operating partnership) will fall within one of the “safe harbors” for the partnership to avoid being classified as a publicly traded partnership. However, our ability to satisfy the requirements of some of these safe harbors depends on the results of our actual operations.
If for any reason the operating partnership (or any partnership invested in by the operating partnership) is taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the character of our assets and items of gross income would change, and as a result, we would most likely be unable to satisfy the applicable requirements under U.S. federal income tax laws discussed above for maintaining REIT status. In addition, any change in the status of any partnership may be treated as a taxable event, in which case we could incur a tax liability without a related cash distribution. Further, if any partnership was treated as a corporation, items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of such partnership would be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax, and the partners of any such partnership would be treated as stockholders, with distributions to such partners being treated as dividends.
Anti-abuse Treasury Regulations have been issued under the partnership provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that authorize the IRS, in some abusive transactions involving partnerships, to disregard the form of a transaction and recast it as it deems appropriate. The anti-abuse regulations apply where a partnership is utilized in connection with a transaction (or series of related transactions) with a principal purpose of substantially reducing the present value of the partners’ aggregate U.S. federal tax liability in a manner inconsistent with the intent of the partnership provisions. The anti-abuse regulations contain an example in which a REIT contributes the proceeds of a public offering to a partnership in exchange for a general partnership interest. The limited partners contribute real property assets to the partnership, subject to liabilities that exceed their respective aggregate bases in such property. The example concludes that the use of the partnership is not inconsistent with the intent of the partnership provisions, and thus, cannot be recast by the IRS. However, the anti-abuse regulations are extraordinarily broad in scope and are applied based on an analysis of all the facts and circumstances. As a result, we cannot assure you that the IRS will not attempt to apply the anti-abuse regulations to us. Any such action could potentially jeopardize our status as a REIT and materially affect the tax consequences and economic return resulting from an investment in us.
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The operating partnership will be considered as having terminated for U.S. federal income tax purposes if either: (i) no part of any business of the partnership continues to be carried on, or (ii) within a 12-month period there is a sale or exchange of units representing 50% or more of the total ownership in the operating partnership. The operating partnership would be considered as having terminated solely for tax purposes and the termination would not result in an actual liquidation or dissolution of the operating partnership for state law purposes. It is unlikely that the operating partnership would terminate as a result of a sale of 50% or more of the operating partnership’s total ownership. Provisions in the operating partnership agreement specifically prohibit transfers of units (and any exercise of exchange rights) that would cause such a termination.
The termination of the operating partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes would cause its taxable year to close. This may cause a “bunching” of income if the operating partnership’s taxable year is different from that of its partners; however, both we and the operating partnership intend to use the calendar taxable year. Additional tax consequences may result from a deemed termination. A deemed termination may also cause the operating partnership to reset its periods for depreciation and amortization, and to remake other tax elections, all of which could result in further tax consequences. Termination of the operating partnership generally would also cause a deemed termination of every non-corporate entity in which the operating partnership had a majority interest, with similar consequences.
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
We will report to our domestic stockholders and the IRS the amount of dividends paid during each calendar year and the amount of any tax withheld. Under the backup withholding rules, a domestic stockholder may be subject to backup withholding with respect to dividends paid unless the holder is a corporation or comes within other exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact or provides a taxpayer identification number or social security number, certifies as to no loss of exemption from backup withholding and otherwise complies with applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules. A domestic stockholder that does not provide his or her correct taxpayer identification number or social security number may also be subject to penalties imposed by the IRS. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. In addition, we may be required to withhold a portion of a capital gain distribution to any domestic stockholder who fails to certify its non-foreign status.
We must report annually to the IRS and to each non-U.S. stockholder the amount of dividends paid to such holder and the tax withheld with respect to such dividends, regardless of whether withholding was required. Copies of the information returns reporting such dividends and withholding may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. stockholder resides under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty. A non-U.S. stockholder may be subject to backup withholding unless applicable certification requirements are met.
Payment of the proceeds of a sale of our common stock within the U.S. is subject to both backup withholding and information reporting unless the beneficial owner certifies under penalties of perjury that it is a non-U.S. stockholder (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the beneficial owner is a U.S. person) or the holder otherwise establishes an exemption. Payment of the proceeds of a sale of our common stock conducted through certain U.S. related financial intermediaries is subject to information reporting (but not backup withholding) unless the financial intermediary 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. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is furnished to the IRS.
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Other Tax Considerations
Dividend Reinvestment Plan
Stockholders who participate in the dividend reinvestment plan will recognize taxable dividend income in the amount they would have received had they elected not to participate, even though they receive no cash. These deemed dividends will be treated as actual dividends from us to the participating stockholders and will retain the character and U.S. federal income tax effects applicable to all dividends. In addition, to the extent stockholders purchase shares through the dividend reinvestment plan at a discount to their fair market value, such stockholders will be treated as receiving an additional distribution equal to the amount of the discount, if any. See the “Taxation of Taxable Domestic Stockholders” portion of this section above. Stock received under the program will have a holding period beginning with the day after purchase, and a U.S. federal income tax basis equal to its cost, which is the gross amount of the deemed distribution.
Share Repurchase Program
A repurchase of our shares will be treated under Section 302 of the Internal Revenue Code as a taxable dividend (to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits), unless the repurchase satisfies certain tests set forth in Section 302(b) of the Internal Revenue Code enabling the repurchase to be treated as a sale or exchange of our shares. The repurchase will satisfy such test if it (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the stockholder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the stockholder’s stock interest in us, or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the stockholder, all within the meaning of Section 302(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. In determining whether any of these tests have been met, shares considered to be owned by the stockholder by reason of certain constructive ownership rules set forth in the Internal Revenue Code, as well as shares actually owned, must generally be taken into account. Because the determination as to whether any of the alternative tests of Section 302(b) of the Internal Revenue Code are satisfied with respect to any particular stockholder of our shares will depend upon the facts and circumstances existing at the time the determination is made, prospective investors are advised to consult their own tax advisors to determine such tax treatment. If a repurchase of our shares is treated as a distribution that is taxable as a dividend, the amount of the distribution would be measured by the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received by the stockholders. The stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in such repurchased shares would be transferred to the stockholder’s remaining stockholdings in us. If, however, the stockholder has no remaining stockholdings in us, such basis may, under certain circumstances, be transferred to a related person or it may be lost entirely.
Legislative or Other Actions Affecting REITs
The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. Changes to the federal tax laws and interpretations thereof could adversely affect an investment in our stock.
State, Local and Foreign Taxes
We and our subsidiaries and stockholders may be subject to state, local or foreign taxation in various jurisdictions including those in which we or they transact business, own property or reside. We may own real property assets located in numerous jurisdictions, and may be required to file tax returns in some or all of those jurisdictions. Our state, local or foreign tax treatment and that of our stockholders may not conform to the U.S. federal income tax treatment discussed above. We may own foreign real estate assets and pay foreign property taxes, and dispositions of foreign property or operations involving, or investments in, foreign real estate assets may give rise to foreign income or other tax liability in amounts that could be substantial. Any foreign taxes that we incur do not pass through to stockholders as a credit against their U.S. federal income tax liability. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the application and effect of state, local and foreign income and other tax laws on an investment in our stock.
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Plan of Distribution
We are offering up to 6,176,000 shares of our common stock to our existing stockholders pursuant to our amended and restated dividend reinvestment plan. Pursuant to the plan, stockholders may elect to have all or a portion of their distributions reinvested in additional shares of our common stock. The purchase price for shares purchased under the dividend reinvestment plan will initially be $9.50 per share. Once we establish an estimated value per share that is not based on the price to acquire a share in the primary portion of our initial public offering or a follow-on public offering, shares issued pursuant to our dividend reinvestment plan will be priced at the estimated value per share of our common stock, as determined by an independent valuation firm chosen for that purpose; provided, that in no event will such estimated value be less than 95% of the fair market value per share. We expect to establish an estimated value per share not based on the price to acquire a share in the primary portion of our initial public offering or a follow-on public offering upon the completion of our offering stage. We will consider our offering stage complete when we are no longer offering equity securities ― whether through the primary portion of our initial public offering or follow-on public offerings ― and have not done so for up to18 months. (For purposes of this definition, we will not consider “public equity offerings” to include offerings on behalf of selling stockholders or offerings related to any dividend reinvestment plan, employee benefit plan or the redemption of interests in our operating partnership.) No selling commissions or dealer manager fees are payable on shares sold under our dividend reinvestment plan.
For information with respect to enrollment in the dividend reinvestment plan, eligibility to participate, and termination of participation, see “Description of Dividend Reinvestment Plan.” For information with respect to the suitability standards applicable to this offering, see “Suitability Standards” immediately following the cover page of this prospectus.
Limited
Liability and Indemnification of
Directors, Officers, Employees and Other Agents
Maryland law permits a corporation to include in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages, except for liability resulting from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment and which is material to the cause of action.
Maryland law requires a corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which our charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made or threatened to be made a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity. Maryland law permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:
· | the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (i) was committed in bad faith or (ii) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty; |
· | the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or |
· | in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. |
However, under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, unless in either case a court orders indemnification and then only for expenses.
Maryland law permits a corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation's receipt of (a) a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation and (b) a written undertaking by him or her or on his or her behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the standard of conduct was not met.
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Except as restricted therein or by Maryland law, our charter limits the liability of our directors and our officers to us and our stockholders for monetary damages and requires us to indemnify and advance expenses to our directors, our officers, AR Capital Advisor or Phillips Edison Sub-Advisor and their respective affiliates. However, we may not indemnify our directors, AR Capital Advisor, Phillips Edison Sub-Advisor or their respective affiliates for any liability or loss suffered by any of them or hold any of them harmless for any loss or liability suffered by us unless all of the following conditions are met:
· | the party seeking exculpation or indemnification has determined, in good faith, that the course of conduct that caused the loss or liability was in our best interests; |
· | the party seeking exculpation or indemnification was acting on our behalf or performing services for us; |
· | in the case of an independent director, the liability or loss was not the result of gross negligence or willful misconduct by the independent director; |
· | in the case of a non-independent director, AR Capital Advisor or Phillips Edison Sub-Advisor or one of their respective affiliates, the liability or loss was not the result of negligence or misconduct by the party seeking exculpation or indemnification; and |
· | the indemnification or agreement to hold harmless is recoverable only out of our net assets and not from the common stockholders. |
The SEC takes the position that indemnification against liabilities arising under the Securities Act is against public policy and unenforceable. Furthermore, our charter prohibits the indemnification of our directors, AR Capital Advisor or Phillips Edison Sub-Advisor, their respective affiliates or any person acting as a broker-dealer for liabilities arising from or out of a violation of state or federal securities laws, unless one or more of the following conditions are met:
· | there has been a successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving alleged material securities law violations; |
· | such claims have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction; or |
· | a court of competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against the indemnitee and finds that indemnification of the settlement and the related costs should be made, and the court considering the request for indemnification has been advised of the position of the SEC and of the published position of any state securities regulatory authority of a jurisdiction in which the securities were offered or sold as to indemnification for violations of securities laws. |
Our charter further provides that the advancement of funds to our directors and to AR Capital Advisor or Phillips Edison Sub-Advisor and their respective affiliates for reasonable legal expenses and other costs incurred in advance of the final disposition of a proceeding for which indemnification is being sought is permissible only if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
· | the proceeding relates to acts or omissions with respect to the performance of duties or services on our behalf; |
· | the legal proceeding was initiated by a third party who is not a common stockholder or, if by a common stockholder acting in his or her capacity as such, a court of competent jurisdiction approves such advancement; and |
· | the person seeking the advancement provides us with written affirmation of such person’s good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification has been met and undertakes to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by us, together with the applicable legal rate of interest thereon, if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification. |
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We have also purchased and maintain insurance on behalf of all of our directors and officers against liability asserted against or incurred by them in their official capacities with us, whether or not we are required or have the power to indemnify them against the same liability.
Legal Matters
The validity of the shares of our common stock being offered hereby has been passed upon for us by DLA Piper LLP (US), Raleigh, North Carolina. DLA Piper LLP (US) has also reviewed the statements relating to certain U.S. federal income tax matters that are likely to be material to U.S. holders of our common stock under the caption “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations,” has passed upon our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, and has served as counsel for our sub-advisor and its affiliates. Proskauer Rose LLP, New York, New York serves as counsel for our advisor and its affiliates.
Experts
The consolidated financial statements and the related financial statement schedule, incorporated in this prospectus by reference from Phillips Edison-ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.’s Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2012 on Form 10-K, have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
The Statements of Revenues and Certain Operating Expenses of Tramway Crossing, Westin Centre, The Village at Glynn Place, Vine Street Square, and Richmond Plaza for the year ended December 31, 2011 and of The Shops at Westridge, Mableton Crossing, Hamilton Ridge, Grassland Crossing, Fairview Oaks, Butler Creek, Macland Pointe, Fairlawn Town Centre, Kleinwood Center, Vineyard Shopping Center, and Murray Landing for the year ended December 31, 2012, incorporated by reference in this prospectus from Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.’s Current Reports on Form 8-K/A as filed with the SEC on May 4, 2012, on July 10, 2012, on August 8, 2012, on November 7, 2012, on April 3, 2013, and on May 8, 2013 have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors, as stated in their reports, which are incorporated herein by reference (which reports express an unmodified opinion and include an emphasis-of-matter paragraph referring to the purpose of the statements) and have been so incorporated in reliance upon the reports of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
We have elected to “incorporate by reference” certain information into this prospectus. By incorporating by reference, we are disclosing important information to you by referring you to documents we have filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, except for information incorporated by reference that is superseded by information contained in this prospectus. You can access documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus at our website at http://www.PhillipsEdison-ARC.com (URL for documents: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=244048&p=irol-sec). There is additional information about us, our advisor, our sub-advisor, and their affiliates at the website, but unless specifically incorporated by reference herein as described in the paragraphs below, the contents of that site are not incorporated by reference in or otherwise a part of this prospectus.
The following documents filed with the SEC are incorporated by reference in this prospectus (Commission File No. 333-164313), except for any document or portion thereof deemed to be “furnished” and not filed in accordance with SEC rules:
· | Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 filed with the SEC on March 7, 2013; |
· | Amendment No. 1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on March 8, 2013; |
· | Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2013 filed with the SEC on May 9, 2013; |
· | Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2013 filed with the SEC on August 8, 2013; |
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· | Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2013 filed with the SEC on November 8, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 27, 2014; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 23, 2014; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 24, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 13, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 10, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 5, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 4, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 4, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 30, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 21, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 16, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 7, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 24, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 24, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 17, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 10, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 4, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on August 30, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 27, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 20, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 19, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 12, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 31, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 15, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 9, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 1, 2013; |
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· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 28, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 20, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 6, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 5, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 3, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on May 8, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 25, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 8, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on April 3, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 2, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 25, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 22, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on February 19, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 4, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 4, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 31, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 28, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 22, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 18, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 14, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 4, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 3, 2013; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on November 7, 2012; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on August 8, 2012; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on July 10, 2012; |
· | Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on May 4, 2012; |
· | The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A12G (Reg. No. 000-54691) filed with the SEC on April 30, 2012; and |
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· | Definitive Proxy Statement for our 2013 annual meeting of stockholders filed with the SEC on April 23, 2013. |
We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, upon request, a copy of any or all of the information that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus. To receive a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than exhibits, unless they are specifically incorporated by reference in those documents, call or write us at:
Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.
11501 Northlake Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
Telephone: 800-875-6585 ext. 1338
E-mail: investorrelations@phillipsedison-arc.com
www.phillipsedison-arc.com
The information relating to us contained in this prospectus does not purport to be comprehensive and should be read together with the information contained in the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
Where You Can Find More Information
We are required to file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any documents filed by us at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information about the public reference room. Our filings with the SEC are also available to the public through the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. We have filed with the SEC a registration statement relating to the securities covered by this prospectus. This prospectus is a part of the registration statement and does not contain all the information in the registration statement. Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus to a contract or other document of ours, the reference is only a summary and you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of the registration statement for a copy of the contract or other document. You may review a copy of the registration statement at the SEC’s public reference room in Washington, D.C., as well as through the SEC’s Internet site.
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APPENDIX A
AMENDED AND RESTATED DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN
Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), has adopted an Amended and Restated Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the “DRP”), the terms and conditions of which are set forth below. Capitalized terms shall have the same meaning as set forth in the Company’s charter unless otherwise defined herein.
1. | Number of Shares Issuable. The number of shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance under the DRP is 30,000,000. |
2. | Participants. “Participants” are holders of the Company’s shares of Common Stock who elect to participate in the DRP. |
3. | Distribution Reinvestment. The Company will apply that portion (as designated by a Participant) of the dividends and other distributions (“Distributions”) declared and paid in respect of a Participant’s shares of Common Stock to the purchase of additional shares of Common Stock for such Participant. The Company will not pay selling commissions on shares of Common Stock purchased in the DRP. |
4. | Procedures for Participation. Qualifying stockholders may elect to become a Participant by completing and executing a distribution options change form or any other Company-approved authorization form as may be available from the Company. To increase their participation, Participants must complete a new distribution options change form. Participation in the DRP will begin with the next Distribution payable after receipt of a Participant’s enrollment or authorization. Shares will be purchased under the DRP promptly after the date that the Company makes a Distribution. Distributions will be paid monthly as authorized by the Company’s board of directors and declared by the Company. |
5. | Purchase of Shares. Until the Company establishes an estimated value per share of Common Stock that is not based on the price to acquire a share of Common Stock in the Company’s primary initial public offering or a follow-on public offering, Participants will acquire Common Stock at a price of $9.50 per share. Once the Company establishes an estimated value per share of Common Stock that is not based on the price to acquire a share of Common Stock in the Company’s primary initial public offering or a follow-on public offering, Participants will acquire Common Stock at a price equal to the estimated value of the Company’s Common Stock, as estimated by the Company’s advisor or other firm chosen by the board of directors for that purpose. The Company expects to establish an estimated value per share of Common Stock that is not based on the price to acquire a share of Common Stock in the Company’s primary offering or a follow-on public offering after the completion of the Company’s offering stage. The Company’s offering stage will be complete when the Company is no longer offering equity securities – whether through its primary initial public offering or follow-on public offerings – and has not done so for 18 months. For the purpose of determining when the Company’s offering stage is complete, public equity offerings do not include offerings on behalf of selling stockholders or offerings related to any dividend reinvestment plan, employee benefit plan or the redemption of interests in Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center Operating Partnership, L.P., the Company’s operating partnership. Participants in the DRP may purchase fractional shares so that 100% of the Distributions will be used to acquire shares. However, a Participant will not be able to acquire shares under the DRP to the extent such purchase would cause it to exceed limits set forth in the Company’s charter, as amended. |
6. | Taxation of Distributions. The reinvestment of Distributions in the DRP does not relieve Participants of any taxes that may be payable as a result of those Distributions and their reinvestment pursuant to the terms of this DRP. |
7. | Share Certificates. The shares issuable under the DRP shall be uncertificated until the board of directors determines otherwise. |
8. | Reinvestment in Subsequent Programs. |
(a) | After the termination of the issuance of Common Stock pursuant to the DRP, the Company may determine, in its sole discretion, to provide to each Participant notice of the opportunity to have some or all of such Participant’s Distributions (at the discretion of the Company and, if applicable, the Participant) invested through the DRP in any publicly offered limited partnership, real estate investment trust or other real estate program sponsored by the Company or any of its affiliates (a “Subsequent Program”). If the Company makes such an election, Participants may invest Distributions in equity securities issued by such Subsequent Program through the DRP only if the following conditions are satisfied: |
A-1 |
(i) | prior to the time of such reinvestment, the Participant has received the final prospectus and any supplements thereto offering interests in the Subsequent Program and such prospectus allows investment pursuant to a distribution reinvestment plan; |
(ii) | a registration statement covering the interests in the Subsequent Program has been declared effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”); |
(iii) | the offering and sale of such interests are qualified for sale under the applicable state securities laws; |
(iv) | the Participant executes the subscription agreement included with the prospectus for the Subsequent Program; |
(v) | the Participant qualifies under the applicable investor suitability standards as contained in the prospectus for the Subsequent Program; and |
(vi) | the Subsequent Program has accepted an aggregate amount of subscriptions in excess of its minimum offering amount. |
(b) | The Company may determine, in its sole discretion, to allow a participant in a Subsequent Program or any previous publicly offered limited partnership, real estate investment trust or other real estate program sponsored by the Company or any of its affiliates (each, an “Affiliated Program”) to become a “Participant.” If the Company makes such an election, such Participants may invest distributions received from the Affiliated Program in shares of Common Stock through this DRP, if the following conditions are satisfied: |
(i) | prior to the time of such reinvestment, the Participant has received the final prospectus and any supplements thereto offering interests in the Affiliated Program and such prospectus allows investment pursuant to a distribution reinvestment plan; |
(ii) | a registration statement covering the interests in the Affiliated Program has been declared effective under the Securities Act; |
(iii) | the offering and sale of such interests are qualified for sale under the applicable state securities laws; |
(iv) | the Participant executes the subscription agreement included with the prospectus for the Affiliated Program; and |
(v) | the Participant qualifies under applicable investor suitability standards as contained in the prospectus for the Affiliated Program. |
9. | Voting of DRP Shares. In connection with any matter requiring the vote of the Company’s stockholders, each Participant will be entitled to vote all shares acquired by the Participant through the DRP. |
10. | Reports. Within 90 days after the end of the calendar year, the Company shall provide each Participant with (i) an individualized report on the Participant’s investment, including the purchase date(s), purchase price and number of shares owned, as well as the amount of Distributions received during the prior year; and (ii) all material information regarding the DRP and the effect of reinvesting dividends, including the tax consequences thereof. |
11. | Termination by Participant. A Participant may terminate participation in the DRP at any time by delivering to the Company a written notice. To be effective for any Distribution, such notice must be received by the Company at least ten business days prior to the last day of the month to which the Distribution relates. Any transfer of shares by a Participant will terminate participation in the DRP with respect to the transferred shares. Upon termination of DRP participation, Distributions will be distributed to the stockholder in cash. |
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12. | Amendment or Termination of DRP by the Company. The Company may amend or terminate the DRP for any reason upon ten days’ written notice to the Participants. The Company may provide notice by including such information (a) in a current report on Form 8-K or in its annual or quarterly reports, all publicly filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or (b) in a separate mailing to the participants. |
13. | Liability of the Company. The Company shall not be liable for any act done in good faith, or for any good faith omission to act. |
14. | Governing Law. The DRP shall be governed by the laws of the State of Maryland. |
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APPENDIX B
Phillips Edison-ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.
Distribution Options Change Form
Standard Mail: Phillips Edison-ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc., P.O. Box 219912, Kansas City, MO 64121-9912
Overnight Mail: Phillips Edison-ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc., c/o DST Systems, Inc., 430 W 7th St., Kansas City, MO 64105-1407
For Questions: Phone: (888) 518-8073 Fax: (877) 894-1127
This form may be used by any current investor (an “Investor”) in Phillips Edison-ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. (the “Company”) to change their distribution option. For all custodial account registrations, this form must be signed by both investor and custodian.
Investor Information
Please print the exact current registration in which Shares are registered. Include custodian or trust name if applicable. |
Name of Investor |
Name of Joint Owner |
Account Number |
Tax ID/Social Security Number |
Address |
City, State, ZIP |
Telephone |
Distribution Options
Your dividend distribution may be applied in up to three ways. Indicate your preference(s) below.
ALLOCATION %
___% | I would like to participate in the Dividend Reinvestment Plan. |
___% | I would like to receive a distribution check mailed to my mailing address listed above. Distributions paid to the address of record are not available for custodial account registrations. Investments registered as such will have distributions sent directly to the custodian FBO the investor. |
___% | I would like for my distribution to be deposited into a third-party (non-custodial only) account per my instructions below. I authorize the Company or its agent to deposit my distribution into the provided third party account listed below. An automated deposit entry shall constitute the receipt for each transaction. This authority will remain in force until I notify the Company in writing to cancel it at such time and such manner as to give the Company reasonable time to act. In the event that the Company deposits funds erroneously into my account, it is authorized to debit my account for an amount not to exceed the amount of the erroneous deposit. Distributions paid to the address of record or third party account are not available for custodial account registrations. Investments registered as such will have distributions sent directly to the custodian FBO the investor. For deposits into checking accounts, please enclose a voided check (note: you may not direct deposit via ACH to brokerage account). By enclosing a voided check, you authorize Phillips Edison-ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. or its transfer agent to begin making electronic deposits to the designated checking account. |
100% | Distribution must be made in whole percentages equaling 100% |
B-1 |
Institution Name |
Account Name |
Account Number |
Institution ABA# |
Street / PO Box |
City, State, ZIP |
Subscriber Signatures
Investors electing to participate in the Dividend Reinvestment Plan must complete this section. Please carefully read and separately initial each of the representations below. Except in the case of fiduciary accounts, you may not grant any person a power of attorney to make such representations on your behalf:
In order to induce the Company to accept this distribution modification, I hereby represent and warrant as follows:
Owner | Joint Owner | |||||
(a) | I have received the Company’s prospectus, as supplemented and amended (the “Prospectus”), no later than five business days prior to the date of this agreement, and I accept and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of the organizational documents of the Company. I acknowledge that a copy of the Prospectus is available online at www.phillipsedison-arc.com or may be obtained by contacting my financial advisor. | |||||
Initials | Initials | |||||
(b) | I have (i) a net worth (exclusive of home, home furnishings, and automobiles) of $250,000 or more; or (ii) a net worth (exclusive of home, home furnishings, and automobiles) of at least $70,000 and had during the last tax year or estimate that I will have during the current tax year a minimum of $70,000 annual gross income. I acknowledge that I have the duty to promptly notify the Company in writing if, at any time during which I am participating in the Dividend Reinvestment Plan, I fail to meet these net worth and net income standards. | |||||
Initials | Initials | |||||
(c) | I am purchasing shares of the Company’s common stock for my own account, and I acknowledge that there is no public market for this investment. | |||||
Initials | Initials | |||||
(d) | If I am a California resident, my investment in the Company does not exceed 10% of my net worth (exclusive of home, home furnishings, and automobiles). | |||||
Initials | Initials | |||||
(d) | If I am an Ohio resident, my liquid net worth is at least 10 times the amount of my aggregate investment in the Company, its affiliates and any other non-traded real estate investment programs. “Liquid net worth” is defined as that portion of my net worth (total assets minus total liabilities) that is comprised of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities. | |||||
Initials | Initials | |||||
(d) | If I am an Oregon resident, my aggregate investment in the Company and its affiliates does not exceed 10% of my net worth (exclusive of home, home furnishings, and automobiles). | |||||
Initials | Initials | |||||
Investor Signatures
MY SIGNATURE BELOW INDICATES I HAVE READ THE FOREGOING AND AGREE TO THE TERMS HEREIN.
I acknowledge that distributions made prior to the date this instruction becomes effective (generally up to 30 days after receipt of this properly completed form) will be made in the manner previously provided for. This instruction supersedes all prior instructions regarding the subject matter hereof.
I acknowledge that I have the duty to promptly notify the Company in writing if, at any time during which I am participating in the Dividend Reinvestment Plan, I fail to meet the suitability requirements for making an investment in the Company or cannot make the other representations or warranties set forth in this form.
Signature of Owner or Authorized Person | Printed Name | Date | |
Signature of Joint Owner or Authorized Person | Printed Name | Date |
B-2 |
Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.
Maximum Offering of
6,176,000 Shares
of Common Stock
__________________
PROSPECTUS
__________________
February 28, 2014
We have not authorized any dealer, salesperson or other individual to give any information or to make any representations that are not contained in this prospectus. If any such information or statements are given or made, you should not rely upon such information or representation. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell any securities other than those to which this prospectus relates, or an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, to any person in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would be unlawful. This prospectus speaks as of the date set forth above. You should not assume that the delivery of this prospectus or that any sale made pursuant to this prospectus implies that the information contained in this prospectus will remain fully accurate and correct as of any time subsequent to the date of this prospectus.
Our shares are not FDIC insured, may lose value and are not bank guaranteed.
PART II. INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following table sets forth the costs and expenses payable by Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. (the “Company”) in connection with the distribution of the securities registered under the Company’s dividend reinvestment plan. All amounts are estimated.
Item | Amount | |||
SEC registration fee* | $ | – | ||
Legal fees and expenses | 75,000 | |||
Blue sky fees and expenses | 30,000 | |||
Accounting fees and expenses | 20,000 | |||
Other expenses | 750,000 | |||
Total | $ | 875,000 |
* SEC registration fee paid in connection with the initial primary public offering.
Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Maryland law permits a corporation to include in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages, except for liability resulting from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment and which is material to the cause of action.
Maryland law requires a corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which the Company’s charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made or threatened to be made a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity. Maryland law permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:
· | the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (i) was committed in bad faith or (ii) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty; |
· | the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or |
· | in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. |
However, under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, unless in either case a court orders indemnification and then only for expenses.
II-1 |
Maryland law permits a corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation's receipt of (a) a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation and (b) a written undertaking by him or her or on his or her behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the standard of conduct was not met.
Except as restricted by Maryland law or the conditions set forth below, the Company’s charter limits the liability of the Company’s directors and officers to the Company and its stockholders for money damages.
Except as restricted by Maryland law or the conditions set forth below, the charter also requires that the Company (a) indemnify a director, an officer or the advisor or any of its affiliates against any and all losses or liabilities reasonably incurred by them in connection with or by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted to be performed on behalf of the Company in such capacity and (b) pay or reimburse their reasonable expenses in advance of the final disposition of a proceeding.
However, under the Company’s charter, the Company shall not indemnify a director, the advisor or any of the advisor’s affiliates (each an “Indemnitee”) for any liability or loss suffered by an Indemnitee, nor shall it hold an Indemnitee harmless for any loss or liability suffered by the Company, unless all of the following conditions are met: (1) an Indemnitee has determined, in good faith, that the course of conduct that caused the loss or liability was in the best interests of the Company; (2) the Indemnitee was acting on behalf of or performing services for the Company; (3) such liability or loss was not the result of (A) negligence or misconduct by the Indemnitee, excluding an independent director, or (B) gross negligence or willful misconduct by an independent director; and (4) such indemnification or agreement to hold harmless is recoverable only out of the Company’s net assets and not from its common stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Indemnitee shall not be indemnified by the Company for any losses, liability or expenses arising from or out of an alleged violation of federal or state securities laws by such party unless one or more of the following conditions are met: (1) there has been a successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving alleged material securities law violations as to the particular Indemnitee; (2) such claims have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction as to the particular Indemnitee; and (3) a court of competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against a particular Indemnitee and finds that indemnification of the settlement and the related costs should be made, and the court considering the request for indemnification has been advised of the position of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and of the published position of any state securities regulatory authority of a jurisdiction in which securities of the Company were offered or sold as to indemnification for violations of securities laws.
The charter further provides that the advancement of Company funds to an Indemnitee for legal expenses and other costs incurred as a result of any legal action for which indemnification is being sought is permissible only if all of the following conditions are satisfied: (1) the legal action relates to acts or omissions with respect to the performance of duties or services on behalf of the Company; (2) the legal action is initiated by a third party who is not a common stockholder or the legal action is initiated by a common stockholder acting in his or her capacity as such and a court of competent jurisdiction specifically approves such advancement; and (3) the Indemnitee provides the Company with written affirmation of the Indemnitee’s good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification has been met and undertakes to repay the advanced funds to the Company, together with the applicable legal rate of interest thereon, if the Indemnitee is found not to be entitled to indemnification.
It is the position of the SEC that indemnification of directors and officers for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) is against public policy and is unenforceable pursuant to Section 14 of the Securities Act.
The Company has purchased and maintains insurance on behalf of all of its directors and executive officers against liability asserted against or incurred by them in their official capacities with the Company, whether or not the Company is required or has the power to indemnify them against the same liability.
II-2 |
Item 16. Exhibits
The following exhibits are filed as part of this registration statement:
Ex. | Description | |
4.1 | Amended and Restated Dividend Reinvestment Plan, included as Appendix A to prospectus | |
4.2 | Statement regarding restrictions on transferability of shares of common stock (to appear on stock certificate or to be sent upon request and without charge to stockholders issued shares without certificates) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 (No. 333-164313) filed March 1, 2010) | |
4.3 | Form of Distribution Options Change Form, included as Appendix B to prospectus | |
4.4 | Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center Operating Partnership, L.P. dated February 4, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.6 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed March 7, 2013) | |
5.1 | Opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US) re legality (incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 5.1 to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 (No. 333-164313) filed July 2, 2010) | |
8.1 | Opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US) re tax matters (incorporated by reference to Exhibit No. 8.1 to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 (No. 333-164313) filed July 2, 2010) | |
23.1 | Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP | |
23.2 | Consent of DLA Piper LLP (US) (included in Exhibit 5.1) | |
23.3 | Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP relating to the audits of certain Statements of Revenues and Certain Operating Expenses | |
24.1 | Power of Attorney (incorporated by reference to the filings of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 (No. 333-164313) as follows: for Mr. Murphy, to the signature page to Post-Effective Amendment No. 15 filed July 16, 2013; for Mr. Addy, to the signature page to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 filed March 10, 2011; for Messrs. Chao and Massey, to the signature page to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 filed July 2, 2010; for Messrs. Edison and Kahane, to the signature page to the Company’s initial Registration Statement filed January 13, 2010) | |
99.1 | Amended Share Repurchase Program (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 5, 2011) |
II-3 |
Item 17. Undertakings
(a) The Company undertakes to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement (i) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; (ii) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement; and (iii) to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement; provided, however, that clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above do not apply if the Registration Statement is on Form S-3, and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those clauses is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Company pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the Registration Statement.
(b) The Company undertakes (i) that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new Registration Statement relating to the securities offered therein and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof and (ii) to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(c) The Company undertakes that, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness; provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.
(d) The Company undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of any employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new Registration Statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(e) The Company undertakes to deliver or cause to be delivered with the prospectus, to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest annual report to security holders that is incorporated by reference in the prospectus and furnished pursuant to and meeting the requirements of Rule 14a-3 or Rule 14c-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and, where interim financial information required to be presented by Article 3 of Regulation S-X are not set forth in the prospectus, to deliver, or cause to be delivered to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest quarterly report that is specifically incorporated by reference in the prospectus to provide such interim financial information.
II-4 |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this post-effective amendment to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Cincinnati, State of Ohio, on February 28, 2014.
Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ John B. Bessey | ||
John B. Bessey | |||
Co-President and Chief Investment Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
Name | Title | Date | |||
* | Chairman of the Board and | February 28, 2014 | |||
Jeffrey S. Edison | Chief Executive Officer | ||||
(Principal Executive Officer) | |||||
/s/ John B. Bessey | Co-President and Chief Investment | February 28, 2014 | |||
John B. Bessey | Officer | ||||
* | Co-President and Chief Operating | February 28, 2014 | |||
R. Mark Addy | Officer | ||||
* | Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and | February 28, 2014 | |||
Devin I. Murphy | Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | ||||
* | Director | February 28, 2014 | |||
William M. Kahane | |||||
* | Director | February 28, 2014 | |||
Leslie T. Chao | |||||
* | Director | February 28, 2014 | |||
Paul J. Massey, Jr. | |||||
*By: | /s/ John B. Bessey | February 28, 2014 | |||
John B. Bessey | |||||
Attorney-in-fact |
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Post-Effective Amendment No. 17 to Form S-11 on Form S-3 (Registration Statement No. 333-164313) of our report dated March 7, 2013, relating to the consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule of Phillips Edison - ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2012, and to the reference to us under the heading "Experts" in the Prospectus, which is a part of such Registration Statement.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
Cincinnati, Ohio
February 28, 2014
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Post-Effective Amendment No. 17 to Form S-11 on Form S-3 of Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. (Registration Statement No. 333-164313) of:
· | Our report dated May 4, 2012, relating to the combined statement of revenues and certain operating expenses of Tramway Crossing and Westin Centre for the year ended December 31, 2011 (which report expresses an unmodified opinion and includes an emphasis-of-matter paragraph referring to the purpose of the statement) appearing in the current report on Form 8-K/A of Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc., dated May 4, 2012 |
· | Our report dated July 10, 2012, relating to the statement of revenues and certain operating expenses of The Village at Glynn Place for the year ended December 31, 2011 (which report expresses an unmodified opinion and includes an emphasis-of-matter paragraph referring to the purpose of the statement) appearing in the current report on Form 8-K/A of Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc., dated July 10, 2012 |
· | Our report dated August 8, 2012, relating to the statement of revenues and certain operating expenses of Vine Street Square for the year ended December 31, 2011 (which report expresses an unmodified opinion and includes an emphasis-of-matter paragraph referring to the purpose of the statement) appearing in the current report on Form 8-K/A of Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc., dated August 8, 2012 |
· | Our report dated November 7, 2012, relating to the statement of revenues and certain operating expenses of Richmond Plaza for the year ended December 31, 2011 (which report expresses an unmodified opinion and includes an emphasis-of-matter paragraph referring to the purpose of the statement) appearing in the current report on Form 8-K/A of Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc., dated November 7, 2012 |
· | Our report dated April 3, 2013 relating to the combined statement of revenues and certain operating expenses of The Shops at Westridge, Mableton Crossing, Hamilton Ridge, Grassland Crossing, Fairview Oaks, Butler Creek and Macland Pointe for the year ended December 31, 2012 (which report expresses an unmodified opinion and includes an emphasis-of-matter paragraph referring to the purpose of the statement) appearing in the current report on Form 8-K/A of Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc., dated April 3, 2013 |
· | Our report dated April 3, 2013 relating to the statement of revenues and certain operating expenses of Fairlawn Town Centre for the year ended December 31, 2012 (which report expresses an unmodified opinion and includes an emphasis-of-matter paragraph referring to the purpose of the statement) appearing in the current report on Form 8-K/A of Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc., dated April 3, 2013 |
· | Our report dated May 8, 2013, relating to the combined statement of revenues and certain operating expenses of Murray Landing, Vineyard Shopping Center, and Kleinwood Center for the year ended December 31, 2012 (which report expresses an unmodified opinion and includes an emphasis-of-matter paragraph referring to the purpose of the statement) appearing in the current report on Form 8-K/A of Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc., dated May 8, 2013 |
We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in the Prospectus, which is part of such Registration Statement.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
Cincinnati, Ohio
February 28, 2014
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