UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): June 6, 2018

 

New York REIT, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

Maryland   001-36416   27-1065431

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

  (Commission File Number)  

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

7 Bulfinch Place, Suite 500

Boston, Massachusetts 02114

(Address, including zip code, of Principal Executive Offices)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (617) 570-4750

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2).

 

Emerging growth company  ¨

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ¨

 

 

 

 

 

Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

 

On June 6, 2018, New York REIT, Inc. (the “Company”), New York REIT Operating Partnership, L.P. (the “Operating Partnership”) and Winthrop REIT Advisors, LLC (the “Winthrop Advisor”) entered into Amendment No. 2 (the “Amendment”) to the Agreement dated as of December 19, 2016, as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto dated February 28, 2018 (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Amendment amends the Advisory Agreement to provide the following:

 

(i)            The term of the Advisory Agreement will end on the earlier of the effective date of the conversion of the Company to a liquidating entity or the transfer of the Company’s assets to a liquidating trust (the “Liquidation Date”), or December 6, 2018, six months from the date of the Amendment. The term of the Advisory Agreement will automatically renew for a one-month period on the expiration of the term or any renewal term, unless terminated by a majority of the Company’s independent directors or the Winthrop Advisor, upon written notice 45 days before the expiration of the term or any renewal term and will automatically terminate at the effective time of the dissolution of the Company in accordance with its plan of liquidation or, if the assets of the Company are transferred to a liquidating trust (or the Company is converted into a liquidating entity), the final disposition of the assets transferred to the liquidating trust or held by the liquidating entity.

 

(ii)          The Advisory Agreement may be terminated upon 15 days’ written notice by a majority of the Company’s independent directors if the Company’s chief executive officer resigns or is otherwise unavailable to serve as the Company’s chief executive officer for any reason and the Winthrop Advisor has not proposed a new chief executive officer acceptable to a majority of the Company’s independent directors.

 

(iii)        In determining the Cost of Assets (as defined in the Advisory Agreement) for purposes of calculating the management fee payable to the Winthrop Advisor, the cost of the Viceroy Hotel will, for each month from and after April 2018, be deemed to equal its then-current book value.

 

(iv)        Following the Liquidation Date, the Company will pay to the Winthrop Advisor a monthly fee of $100,000, which will be increased by an amount to be agreed between the Winthrop Advisor and the Company’s independent directors if, following the Liquidation Date, the principal executive and financial officers of the successor entity to the Company are required to certify the financial and other information contained in the successor entity’s quarterly and annual reports pursuant to Section 302 the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended.

 

(v)          From and after March 1, 2018, the Company will reimburse the Winthrop Advisor for the compensation of Wendy Silverstein as the Company’s chief executive officer or otherwise, in such amounts as may be agreed between the Winthrop Advisor and the Company from time to time.

 

The foregoing description of the Amendment does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the complete Amendment, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits

 

Exhibit No.   Description
10.1   Amendment No. 2 to Advisory Agreement, dated as of June 6, 2018, among New York REIT, Inc., New York Recovery Operating Partnership, L.P., and Winthrop REIT Advisors LLC.

 

 

 

  

SIGNATURES

 

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

 

 

Date: June 11, 2018 By: /s/ Wendy Silverstein  
    Name: Wendy Silverstein  
    Title: Chief Executive Officer and President
         

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.1

 

AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO ADVISORY AGREEMENT

 

This AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO ADVISORY AGREEMENT is made as of June 6, 2018 by and among New York REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation (together with its subsidiaries, the “ Company ”), New York Recovery Operating Partnership, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Operating Partnership ”), and Winthrop REIT Advisors LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ Service Provider ”).

 

RECITALS

 

WHEREAS , the Company, the Operating Partnership and the Service Provider entered into that certain Advisory Agreement, dated as of December 19, 2016, pursuant to which the Company and the Operating Partnership appointed Service Provider to ( i ) serve during the Interim Period as their exclusive advisor with respect to the POL Matters and provide those services set forth in section 3(a) thereof, and ( ii ) serve as their advisor from and after the Transition Date, to perform the Services set forth therein in each case on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Advisory Agreement and subject to the supervision of the Board (as amended by that certain Amendment No. 1 to Advisory Agreement, made as of February 28, 2018, the “ Advisory Agreement ”);

 

WHEREAS , the Company intends to either transfer its assets to a liquidating trust or covert into a liquidating entity (the “ Conversion ”); and

 

WHEREAS , pursuant to Section 23 of the Advisory Agreement, the Company, the Operating Partnership and the Service Provider desire to make certain amendments to the Advisory Agreement;

 

NOW , THEREFORE , in consideration of the promises made herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:

 

1. Capitalized Terms . Capitalized terms used herein but not specifically defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed to such terms in the Advisory Agreement.

 

2. Cost of Assets . In determining the Cost of Assets for purposes of calculating the Management Fee payable to Service Provider pursuant to Section 10(a)(i) of the Advisory Agreement, the cost attributed to the Viceroy Hotel property, located at 120 West 57th Street, New York, New York, shall, for each month from and after April 2018, be based on the then-current book value of such property.

 

 

 

 

3. Post-Conversion Fees . From the Conversion until the termination of the Advisory Agreement, the Company shall not pay the Asset Management Fee to Service Provider and shall instead shall pay to Service Provider a monthly fee (the “ Post-Conversion Fee ”) equal to $100,000 (prorated for any partial month) as compensation for Services rendered by Service Provider and its Affiliates in connection with the management of the Company’s Assets. Notwithstanding anything in the Advisory Agreement to the contrary, including Sections 10(a), 10(b) and 10(d) of the Advisory Agreement, no fee or payment other than the Post-Conversion Fee shall be paid to Service Provider or any of its Affiliates by the Company or the Operating Partnership following the Conversion; provided that if, following the Conversion, the principal executive and financial officers of the liquidating entity are required to submit certifications pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, then the Post-Conversion Fee shall be increased by an amount to be agreed between the Service Provider and the Independent Directors.

 

4. Term of Agreement . Section 15 of the Advisory Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

 

TERM OF AGREEMENT. This Agreement shall continue in force until the earlier of ( i ) the effective time of the Conversion and ( ii ) the date that is six (6) months following the date hereof (the “ Initial Term ”) and thereafter shall renew automatically for successive one month periods (each, an “ Automatic Renewal Term ”) unless a majority of the Independent Directors or Service Provider elect to terminate this Agreement in accordance with Section 16 hereof; provided , however , that this Agreement shall terminate automatically at the effective time of the dissolution of the Company in accordance with a Plan of Liquidation, if the assets of the Company are not transferred to a liquidating trust and the Company is not converted into a liquidating entity or, if the assets of the Company are transferred to a liquidating trust (or the Company is converted into a liquidating entity), the final disposition of the assets and liabilities transferred by the liquidating trust or entity.”

 

5. Termination by the Parties . Section 16 of the Advisory Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

 

TERMINATION BY THE PARTIES . This Agreement may be terminated at the expiration of the Initial Term or any Automatic Renewal Term by ( x ) a majority of the Independent Directors, without Cause and without penalty, upon written Notice forty-five (45) days’ prior to the end of such term or ( y ) Service Provider, without Cause and without penalty, upon written Notice forty-five (45) days’ prior to the end of such term. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement ( a ) shall terminate automatically upon a Change of Control, ( b ) may be terminated upon fifteen (15) days’ written Notice by a majority of the Independent Directors with Cause, and ( c ) may be terminated upon fifteen (15) days’ written Notice by a majority of the Independent Directors if ( i ) the chief executive officer of the Company resigns or is otherwise unavailable to serve as chief executive officer of the Company for any reason and ( ii ) Service Provider has not proposed a new chief executive officer who is ready, willing and able to serve as chief executive officer and is acceptable to a majority of the Independent Directors in the good faith exercise of their discretion. The provisions of Sections 18 through 30 (inclusive) of this Agreement shall survive any expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement.”

 

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6. Compensation of Chief Executive Officer . From and after March 1, 2018, the Company shall reimburse the Advisor for the compensation of Wendy Silverstein as chief executive officer of the Company or otherwise, in such amounts as may be agreed between the Advisor and the Company from time to time.

7. Effect of the Agreement . Except as modified by this Amendment No. 2, all of the terms of the Advisory Agreement are hereby ratified and confirmed and shall remain in full force and effect. This Amendment No. 2 shall be construed as one with the Advisory Agreement, and the Advisory Agreement shall, where context requires, be read and construed so as to incorporate this Amendment No. 2.

 

8. General Provisions . The terms and provisions of Sections 22 through 30 (inclusive) of the Advisory Agreement are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth herein in their entirety and shall apply mutatis mutandis to this Amendment No. 2.

 

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Amendment No. 2 as of the date first written above.

 

  NEW YORK REIT, INC.
     
     
     
  By: /s/ Randolph C. Read
    Name: Randolph C. Read
    Title:   Chairman
     
     
     
     
  NEW YORK RECOVERY OPERATING PARTNERSHIP, L.P.
     
 
  By: New York REIT, Inc., its general partner
     
     
  By: /s/ Randolph C. Read
    Name: Randolph C. Read
    Title:   Chairman
     
     
     
  WINTHROP REIT ADVISORS LLC
     
     
     
  By: /s/ John Garilli
    Name: John Garilli
    Title:   President

 

 

[Signature Page to Amendment No. 2 to Agreement]