As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 8, 2016

File No. 000-55580

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Amendment

No. 1 to

Form 10

 

 

GENERAL FORM FOR REGISTRATION OF SECURITIES

PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

 

HIGHLANDS REIT, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Maryland   81-0862795

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

332 S Michigan Avenue, Ninth Floor

Chicago, Illinois

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

60604

(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

855-377-0510

Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large 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 12(b)-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨    Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   x   (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company   ¨

 

 

 


HIGHLANDS REIT, INC.

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN REGISTRATION STATEMENT

CROSS-REFERENCE SHEET BETWEEN INFORMATION STATEMENT AND ITEMS OF FORM 10

Certain information required to be included in this Form 10 is incorporated by reference to specifically identified portions of the body of the Information Statement filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1. None of the information contained in the Information Statement shall be incorporated herein by reference or deemed to be a part hereof unless such information is specifically incorporated by reference.

 

Item 1. Business.

The information required by this item is contained under the sections of the Information Statement entitled “Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Forward-Looking Statements,” “Our Separation from InvenTrust,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business and Properties,” “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” and “Where You Can Find More Information.” Those sections are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

The information required by this item is contained under the sections of the Information Statement entitled “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements.” Those sections are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 2. Financial Information.

The information required by this item is contained under the sections of the Information Statement entitled “Summary—Summary Historical and Pro Forma Financial and Operating Data,” “Selected Historical Financial and Operating Data,” “Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Those sections are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 3. Properties.

The information required by this item is contained under the section of the Information Statement entitled “Business and Properties—Properties.” That section is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 4. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management.

The information required by this item is contained under the section of the Information Statement entitled “Principal Stockholders.” That section is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 5. Directors and Executive Officers.

The information required by this item is contained under the section of the Information Statement entitled “Management.” That section is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 6. Executive Compensation.

The information required by this item is contained under the section of the Information Statement entitled “Management—Executive Compensation.” That section is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 7. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.

The information required by this item is contained under the sections of the Information Statement entitled “Management” and “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.” Those sections are incorporated herein by reference.

 

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Item 8. Legal Proceedings.

The information required by this item is contained under the section of the Information Statement entitled “Business and Properties—Legal Proceedings.” That section is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9. Market Price of, and Dividends on, the Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters.

The information required by this item is contained under the sections of the Information Statement entitled “Summary,” “Our Separation from InvenTrust,” “Distribution Policy,” “Capitalization” and “Description of Capital Stock.” Those sections are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 10. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.

Not applicable.

 

Item 11. Description of Registrant’s Securities to be Registered.

The information required by this item is contained under the sections of the Information Statement entitled “Our Separation from InvenTrust” and “Description of Capital Stock.” Those sections are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 12. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

The information required by this item is contained under the sections of the Information Statement entitled “Management—Indemnification” and “Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and Our Charter and Bylaws—Limitation of Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers.” Those sections are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 13. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

The information required by this item is contained under the section of the Information Statement entitled “Index to Financial Statements” (and the financial statements and related notes referenced therein). That section is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 14. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

Not applicable.

 

Item 15. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(a) Financial Statements

The information required by this item is contained under the section of the Information Statement entitled “Index to Financial Statements” (and the financial statements and related noted referenced therein). That section is incorporated herein by reference.

(b) Exhibits

See below.

 

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The following documents are filed as exhibits hereto:

 

Exhibit
Number

  

Exhibit Description

  2.1    Form of Separation and Distribution Agreement between InvenTrust Properties Corp. and Highlands REIT, Inc.
  3.1*    Form of Articles of Amendment and Restatement of Highlands REIT, Inc.
  3.2*    Form of Amended and Restated Bylaws of Highlands REIT, Inc.
10.1    Form of Transition Services Agreement between InvenTrust Properties Corp. and Highlands REIT, Inc.
10.2    Form of Employee Matters Agreement between InvenTrust Properties Corp. and Highlands REIT, Inc.
10.3    Form of Executive Employment Agreement between Highlands REIT, Inc. and Richard Vance
10.4    Form of Highlands REIT, Inc. 2016 Incentive Award Plan
10.5*    Form of Indemnification Agreement to be entered into between Highlands REIT, Inc. and each of its directors and executive officers
10.6*    Loan Agreement, dated August 30, 2006, between Bear Stearns Commercial Mortgage, Inc. and MB Herndon, L.L.C.
10.7*    Loan Agreement, dated November 15, 2005, between Bear Stearns Commercial Mortgage, Inc. and MB Hoffman Estates, L.L.C.
10.8*    Loan Agreement, dated December 21, 2006, between Bear Stearns Commercial Mortgage, Inc. and MB St. Louis Chestnut, L.L.C.
10.9    Highlands REIT, Inc. Director Compensation Program
10.10    Form of Highlands REIT, Inc. 2016 Incentive Award Plan Stock Payment Award Grant Notice
21.1*    Subsidiaries of Highlands REIT, Inc.
99.1    Preliminary Information Statement of Highlands REIT, Inc., subject to completion, dated April 8, 2016.

 

* Previously filed.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Highlands REIT, Inc.
By:  

/s/ Richard Vance

  Name:     Richard Vance
  Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

Date: April 8, 2016

 

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Exhibit 2.1

SEPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

BY AND BETWEEN

INVENTRUST PROPERTIES CORP.

AND

HIGHLANDS REIT, INC.

DATED AS OF

                    , 2016


CONTENTS

 

                Page  
ARTICLE I. DEFINITIONS      1   
  Section 1.1      Definitions      1   
  Section 1.2      Interpretation      9   
ARTICLE II. THE SEPARATION      10   
  Section 2.1      Separation Transactions      10   
  Section 2.2      Transfers of Assets and Assumptions of Liabilities      10   
  Section 2.3      Termination of Intercompany Agreements      12   
  Section 2.4      Settlement of Intercompany Accounts.      13   
  Section 2.5      Treatment of Shared Contracts.      13   
  Section 2.6      Capital Contribution.      13   
  Section 2.7      Authorized Signatories      14   
ARTICLE III. CERTAIN ACTIONS PRIOR TO THE DISTRIBUTION      14   
  Section 3.1      SEC and Other Securities Filings      14   
  Section 3.2      Distribution Agent Agreement      14   
  Section 3.3      Governmental Approvals and Consents      14   
  Section 3.4      Ancillary Agreements      14   
  Section 3.5      Governance Matters      14   
ARTICLE IV. THE DISTRIBUTION      15   
  Section 4.1      Delivery to Distribution Agent      15   
  Section 4.2      Mechanics of the Distribution      15   
ARTICLE V. CONDITIONS      16   
  Section 5.1      Conditions Precedent to Consummation of the Distribution      16   
  Section 5.2      Right Not to Close      17   
ARTICLE VI. NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES      17   
  Section 6.1      Disclaimer of Representations and Warranties      17   
  Section 6.2      As Is, Where Is      18   
ARTICLE VII. CERTAIN COVENANTS AND ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS      18   
  Section 7.1      Insurance Matters      18   
  Section 7.2      Tax Matters      20   
  Section 7.3      No Restrictions on Post-Closing Competitive Activities; Corporate Opportunities; Non-Solicitation.      23   
  Section 7.4      Litigation.      24   
  Section 7.5      Mail Forwarding.      25   
  Section 7.6      Non-Disparagement.      25   
  Section 7.7      Rental Payments.      25   
ARTICLE VIII. ACCESS TO INFORMATION; CONFIDENTIALITY; PRIVILEGE      25   
  Section 8.1      Agreement for Exchange of Information      25   
  Section 8.2      Ownership of Information      26   
  Section 8.3      Compensation for Providing Information      26   
  Section 8.4      Retention of Records      26   

 

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                Page  
  Section 8.5      Delivery of Paper Records      26   
  Section 8.6      Limitation of Liability      27   
  Section 8.7      Production of Witnesses      27   
  Section 8.8      Confidentiality      27   
  Section 8.9      Privileged Matters      28   
  Section 8.10      Financial Information Certifications      30   
  Section 8.11      Cooperation and Litigation Support.      30   
  Section 8.12      Tax Contests      30   
ARTICLE IX. MUTUAL RELEASES; INDEMNIFICATION      30   
  Section 9.1      Release of Pre-Distribution Claims      30   
  Section 9.2      Indemnification by Highlands      31   
  Section 9.3      Indemnification by InvenTrust      32   
  Section 9.4      Procedures for Indemnification      33   
  Section 9.5      Indemnification Obligations Net of Insurance Proceeds      35   
  Section 9.6      Indemnification Obligations Net of Taxes      36   
  Section 9.7      Contribution      36   
  Section 9.8      Remedies Cumulative      36   
  Section 9.9      Survival of Indemnities      37   
  Section 9.10      Timing of Payments      37   
  Section 9.11      Pursuit of Claims Against Third Parties      37   
  Section 9.12      Subrogation      37   
  Section 9.13      Limitation of Liability      37   
  Section 9.14      Attorney Representation      38   
ARTICLE X. DISPUTE RESOLUTION      38   
  Section 10.1      Appointed Representative      38   
  Section 10.2      Negotiation and Dispute Resolution      38   
  Section 10.3      Arbitration      39   
  Section 10.4      Continuity of Service and Performance.      40   
  Section 10.5      Waiver of Jury Trial      40   
ARTICLE XI. TERMINATION      40   
  Section 11.1      Termination      40   
  Section 11.2      Effect of Termination      40   
ARTICLE XII. MISCELLANEOUS      40   
  Section 12.1      Further Assurances      40   
  Section 12.2      Payment of Expenses      41   
  Section 12.3      Amendments and Waivers      41   
  Section 12.4      Entire Agreement      41   
  Section 12.5      Survival of Agreements      41   
  Section 12.6      Third Party Beneficiaries      41   
  Section 12.7      Notices      41   
  Section 12.8      Counterparts; Electronic Delivery      42   
  Section 12.9      Severability      42   
  Section 12.10      Assignability; Binding Effect      42   
  Section 12.11      Governing Law; Disputes      43   
  Section 12.12      Force Majeure      43   
  Section 12.13      Construction      43   
  Section 12.14      Performance.      44   

 

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                Page  
  Section 12.15      Title and Headings      44   
  Section 12.16      Exhibits and Schedules      44   
  Section 12.17      Specific Performance      44   
  Section 12.18      Limited Liability      44   

 

Exhibit A        Highlands Properties
Exhibit B        Highlands Subsidiaries
Schedule 1.1        Highlands Assets
Schedule 1.2        Highlands Liabilities
Schedule 2.1        Separation Transactions
Schedule 2.3(b)        Intercompany Agreements
Schedule 2.4        Intercompany Accounts
Schedule 7.1(a)        InvenTrust Available Policies
Schedule 7.2(d)        Certain Tax Returns
Schedule 9.3(c)        InvenTrust Form 10 Information

 

iii


SEPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

This SEPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) is entered into as of April __, 2016, by and between InvenTrust Properties Corp., a Maryland corporation (“ InvenTrust ”), and Highlands REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“ Highlands ”). InvenTrust and Highlands are sometimes referred to herein individually as a “ Party ,” and collectively as the “ Parties .” Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the respective meanings set forth in Section 1.1 .

RECITALS

WHEREAS , InvenTrust, through its Subsidiaries, has previously acquired the properties set forth on Exhibit A (the “ Highlands Properties ”);

WHEREAS , InvenTrust currently owns all of the issued and outstanding shares of the common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of Highlands (the “ Highlands Common Shares ”); and

WHEREAS , the board of directors of InvenTrust has determined that it is advisable and in the best interest of InvenTrust to cause the Highlands Properties to be owned by Highlands and its Subsidiaries, following which, pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, InvenTrust and Highlands shall be separated by way of a distribution to the holders of InvenTrust’s outstanding shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share (“ InvenTrust Common Stock ”), on the Record Date, on a pro rata basis, of 100% of the Highlands Common Shares owned by InvenTrust as of the Distribution Date.

NOW , THEREFORE , in consideration of the foregoing and the covenants and agreements set forth below and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the Parties hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I.

DEFINITIONS

Section 1.1 Definitions . As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth in this Section 1.1 :

AAA ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.3(a) .

Action ” means any demand, claim, action, suit, countersuit, litigation, arbitration, mediation, or proceeding, or any investigation by or before any Governmental Authority.

Affiliate ” means, with respect to any specified Person, any other Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the specified Person. For this purpose “control” of a Person means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such Person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise. Unless explicitly provided herein to the contrary, for purposes of this Agreement, InvenTrust shall be deemed not to be an Affiliate of Highlands or any of its Subsidiaries, and Highlands shall be deemed not to be an Affiliate of InvenTrust or any of its Subsidiaries (other than the Highlands Subsidiaries).

 

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Agreement ” has the meaning set forth in the preamble to this Agreement and includes all Exhibits and Schedules attached hereto or delivered pursuant hereto.

Agreement Dispute ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.2(a) .

Ancillary Agreements ” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.4 .

Appointed Representative ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.1 .

Appropriate Member of the Highlands Group ” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.2 .

Appropriate Member of the InvenTrust Group ” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.3 .

Asset ” means all rights, properties or other assets, whether real, personal or mixed, tangible or intangible, of any kind, nature and description, whether accrued, contingent or otherwise, and wheresoever situated and whether or not carried or reflected, or required to be carried or reflected, on the books of any Person.

Assumed Actions ” means those Actions that are outstanding as of the Effective Time in which InvenTrust or any of its Subsidiaries is a defendant or the Party against whom the claim or investigation is directed and which primarily relate to the Highlands Assets, including, without limitation, the matters set forth on Schedule 1.1 , to the extent such matters involve any claims against InvenTrust or any of its Subsidiaries.

Capital Contribution ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.6 .

Claim ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.3(b) .

Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Confidential Information ” means any and all information:

(a) that is required to be maintained in confidence by any Law or under any Contract;

(b) concerning market studies, business plans, computer hardware, computer software (including all versions, source and object codes and all related files and data), software and database technologies, systems, structures and architectures, and other similar technical or business information;

(c) concerning any business and its affairs, which includes earnings reports and forecasts, macro-economic reports and forecasts, business and strategic plans, general market evaluations and surveys, litigation presentations and risk assessments, financing and credit-related information, financial projections, tax returns and accountants’ materials, historical business plans, strategic plans, Contracts, however documented, and other similar financial or business information;

(d) constituting communications by or to attorneys (including attorney-client privileged communications), memos and other materials prepared by attorneys or under their direction (including attorney work product), communications and materials otherwise related to or made or prepared in connection with or in preparation for any Action; or

 

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(e) constituting notes, analyses, compilations, studies, summaries and other material that contain or are based, in whole or in part, upon any information included in the foregoing clauses (a) through (d).

Consent ” means any consent, waiver or approval from, or notification requirement to, any Person other than a member of either Group.

Contract ” means any written, oral, implied or other contract, agreement, covenant, lease, license, guaranty, indemnity, representation, warranty, assignment, sales order, purchase order, power of attorney, instrument or other commitment, assurance, undertaking or arrangement that is binding on any Person or entity or any part of its property under applicable Law.

Deferred Asset ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2(b)(ii) .

Deferred Liability ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2(b)(ii) .

Disclosing Party ” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.8(d) .

Distribution ” means the transactions contemplated by Section 4.2 .

Distribution Agent ” means DST Systems, Inc.

Distribution Date ” means the date on which the Distribution occurs, such date to be determined by, or under the authority of, the board of directors of InvenTrust, in its sole and absolute discretion.

Effective Time ” means the time at which the Distribution is effective on the Distribution Date.

Employee Matters Agreement ” means the employee matters agreement to be entered into by and between InvenTrust and Highlands or the members of their respective Groups in connection with the Distribution or the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, as it may be amended from time to time.

Escrow Account ” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.4(h) .

Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Expense Amount ” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.4(h) .

Force Majeure ” has the meaning set forth in Section 12.12 .

Governmental Approval ” means any notice, report or other filing to be given to or made with, or any release, consent, substitution, approval, amendment, registration, permit or authorization from, any Governmental Authority.

 

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Governmental Authority ” means any U.S. federal, state, local or non-U.S. court, government, department, commission, board, bureau, agency, official or other regulatory, administrative or governmental authority.

Group ” means either the InvenTrust Group or the Highlands Group, as the context requires.

Guarantee ” means any guarantee (including guarantees of performance or payment under Contracts, commitments, Liabilities and permits), letter of credit or other credit or credit support arrangement or similar assurance, including surety bonds, bid bonds, advance payment bonds, performance bonds, payment bonds, retention and/or warranty bonds or other bonds or similar instruments.

Highlands ” has the meaning set forth in the preamble to this Agreement.

Highlands Assets ” means all of the equity of the Highlands Subsidiaries and all of Assets owned by the Highlands Subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the Highlands Properties and the other assets held by Highlands set forth on Schedule 1.1 and all Assets recorded on the Highlands Balance Sheet, subject to any dispositions of such Assets subsequent to the date of the Highlands Balance Sheet; provided , that the amounts set forth on the Highlands Balance Sheet with respect to any Assets shall not be treated as minimum amounts or limitations on the amount of such Assets that are included in the definition of Highlands Assets.

Highlands Balance Sheet ” means the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Balance Sheet of Highlands as of December 31, 2015, as included in the Information Statement.

Highlands Common Shares ” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.

Highlands Group ” means Highlands and the Highlands Subsidiaries.

Highlands Indemnitees ” means each member of the Highlands Group and their Affiliates and each of their respective current or former directors, officers, agents and employees (in each case, in such Person’s respective capacity as such) and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns.

Highlands Liabilities ” means, except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement or one or more of the Ancillary Agreements:

(a) all Liabilities relating to or arising out of the Highlands Properties whether arising prior to, at the time of, or after the Effective Time, including, without limitation, Indebtedness of Highlands or a Highlands Subsidiary that is outstanding at the Effective Time;

(b) all Liabilities recorded on the Highlands Balance Sheet, subject to the satisfaction of any such Liabilities subsequent to the date of the Highlands Balance Sheet; provided that the amounts set forth on the Highlands Balance Sheet with respect to any Liabilities shall not be treated as minimum amounts or limitations on the amount of such Liabilities that are included in the definition of Highlands Liabilities pursuant to this clause (b);

 

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(c) all Liabilities set forth on Schedule 1.2 ;

(d) all Liabilities for Taxes allocated to Highlands in Section 7.2(c)(i) ; and

(e) all Liabilities that are expressly created by this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement (or the Schedules hereto or thereto) as Liabilities to be assumed or retained by Highlands or any other member of the Highlands Group, and all agreements, obligations and Liabilities of any member of the Highlands Group under this Agreement or any of the Ancillary Agreements.

Highlands Properties ” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.

Highlands Subsidiaries ” means the Subsidiaries of Highlands as of the date of this Agreement, MB REIT and the Subsidiaries of MB REIT, each of which is set forth on Exhibit B , and any Subsidiary of Highlands formed after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Distribution Date.

Indebtedness ” of any specified Person means (a) all obligations of such specified Person for borrowed money or arising out of any extension of credit to or for the account of such specified Person (including reimbursement or payment obligations with respect to surety bonds, letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances and similar instruments), (b) all obligations of such specified Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (c) all obligations of such specified Person upon which interest charges are customarily paid, (d) all obligations of such specified Person under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to Assets purchased by such specified Person, (e) all obligations of such specified Person issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services, (f) all Liabilities secured by (or for which any Person to which any such Liability is owed has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any mortgage, lien, pledge or other encumbrance on property owned or acquired by such specified Person (or upon any revenues, income or profits of such specified Person therefrom), whether or not the obligations secured thereby have been assumed by the specified Person or otherwise become Liabilities of the specified Person, (g) all capital lease obligations of such specified Person, (h) all securities or other similar instruments convertible or exchangeable into any of the foregoing, and (i) any Liability of others of a type described in any of the preceding clauses (a) through (h) in respect of which the specified Person has incurred, assumed or acquired a Liability by means of a Guarantee.

Indemnifiable Loss ” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.5 .

Indemnifying Party ” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.4(a) .

Indemnitee ” means any InvenTrust Indemnitee or any Highlands Indemnitee.

Indemnity Payment ” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.5 .

Information Statement ” means the information statement, attached as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, and any related documentation to be provided to holders of InvenTrust Common Stock in connection with the Distribution, including any amendments or supplements thereto.

Insurance Policy ” means any insurance policies and insurance Contracts, including general liability, property and casualty, workers’ compensation, automobile, directors and

 

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officers liability, EPL / fiduciary liability, workers compensation, employee dishonesty and fiduciary liability policies, whether, in each case, in the nature of primary, excess, umbrella or self-insurance coverage, together with all rights, benefits and privileges thereunder.

Insurance Proceeds ” means those monies (in each case, net of any out-of-pocket costs or expenses incurred in the collection thereof):

(a) received by an insured Person from any insurer, insurance underwriter, mutual protection and indemnity club or other risk collective or pursuant to a management liability and company reimbursement or similar policy; or

(b) paid on behalf of an insured Person by any insurer, insurance underwriter, mutual protection and indemnity club or other risk collective, or pursuant to a management liability and company reimbursement or similar policy, on behalf of the insured.

Intercompany Account ” means any receivable, payable or loan between any member of the InvenTrust Group, on the one hand, and any member of the Highlands Group, on the other hand, that exists prior to the Effective Time and is reflected in the records of the relevant members of the InvenTrust Group and the Highlands Group, except for any such receivable, payable or loan that arises pursuant to this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement.

Intercompany Agreement ” means any Contract between or among any member of the InvenTrust Group, on the one hand, and any member of the Highlands Group, on the other hand, entered into prior to the Distribution Date, but excluding any Contract to which a Person other than any member of the InvenTrust Group or the Highlands Group is also a party.

InvenTrust ” has the meaning set forth in the preamble to this Agreement.

InvenTrust Assets ” means all Assets owned, directly or indirectly, by InvenTrust, other than any Highlands Assets.

InvenTrust Available Policies ” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1(a) .

InvenTrust Common Stock ” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.

InvenTrust Group ” means InvenTrust and the Subsidiaries of InvenTrust other than Highlands and the Highlands Subsidiaries.

InvenTrust Indemnitees ” means each member of the InvenTrust Group and their Affiliates and each of their respective current or former stockholders, directors, officers, agents and employees (in each case, in such Person’s respective capacity as such) and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns.

InvenTrust Liabilities ” means any Liabilities of InvenTrust or any of its Subsidiaries, other than the Highlands Liabilities, including all Liabilities for Taxes allocated to InvenTrust in Section 7.2(c)(ii) . For the avoidance of doubt, InvenTrust Liabilities shall include any Liabilities relating to or arising out of properties or other Assets that were previously owned by Highlands or a Highlands Subsidiary and sold or otherwise disposed of prior to the Effective Time by Highlands or a Highlands Subsidiary.

 

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InvenTrust Statement ” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.3(c) .

IRS ” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.

Law ” means any law, statute, ordinance, code, rule, regulation, order, writ, proclamation, judgment, injunction or decree of any Governmental Authority.

Liabilities ” means any and all Indebtedness, liabilities and obligations, whether accrued, fixed or contingent, mature or inchoate, known or unknown, reflected on a balance sheet or otherwise, including those arising under any Law, Action or any judgment of any Governmental Authority or any award of any arbitrator of any kind, and those arising under any Contract.

Losses ” means any and all damages, losses, deficiencies, Liabilities, obligations, penalties, judgments, settlements, claims, payments, interest costs, Taxes, fines and expenses (including the costs and expenses of any and all Actions and demands, assessments, judgments, settlements and compromises relating thereto and attorneys’, accountants’, consultants’ and other professionals’ fees and expenses incurred in the investigation or defense thereof or the enforcement of rights hereunder) and deductibles and retention amounts under applicable insurance or reimbursement policies.

MB REIT ” means MB REIT (Florida), Inc., a Florida corporation.

New Claims ” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1(a) .

Nonqualifying Income ” means any amount that is treated as gross income for purposes of Section 856 of the Code and which is not Qualifying Income.

Owning Party ” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.8(d) .

Party ” or “ Parties ” has the meaning set forth in the preamble to this Agreement.

Period ” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.1(a) .

Person ” means an individual, a partnership, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, a joint venture, a union, an unincorporated organization or a governmental entity or any department, agency or political subdivision thereof.

Pre-Closing Matters ” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1(a) .

Protected REIT ” means any entity that (i) has elected to be taxed as a REIT, and (ii) either (A) is an Indemnitee or (B) owns a direct or indirect equity interest in any Indemnitee and is treated for purposes of Section 856 of the Code as owning all or a portion of the assets of such Indemnitee or as receiving all or a portion of the Indemnitee’s income.

Qualifying Income ” means gross income that is described in Section 856(c)(3) of the Code.

Recipient Party ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.3(a) .

 

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Record Date ” means the close of business on the date, to be determined by the board of directors of InvenTrust, or a duly authorized committee thereof, as the record date for determining holders of InvenTrust Common Stock entitled to receive Highlands Common Shares in the Distribution.

Record Holders ” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.1 .

Registration Statement ” means the registration statement on Form 10 (File No. 000-55580) of Highlands with respect to the registration under the Exchange Act of the Highlands Common Shares to be distributed in the Distribution, including any amendments or supplements thereto.

REIT ” means a real estate investment trust, as defined under the Code.

REIT-Related Contest ” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.2(f)(ii) .

REIT Requirements ” means the requirements imposed on REITs pursuant to Sections 856 through and including 860 of the Code.

Request for Arbitration ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.3(a) .

Requesting Party ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.3(a) .

SDAT ” means the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland.

SEC ” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Separation ” means the transactions contemplated by Article II .

Shared Contract ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.5 .

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any specified Person, any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture or other organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated, of which at least a majority of the securities or interests having by the terms thereof ordinary voting power to elect at least a majority of the board of directors or others performing similar functions with respect to such corporation or other organization is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by such specified Person or by any one or more of its subsidiaries, or by such specified Person and one or more of its subsidiaries.

Tax Contest ” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.2(f) .

Tax Return ” means any return, declaration, report, claim for refund, or information return or statement related to Taxes, including any schedule or attachment thereto, and including any amendment thereof.

Taxes ” means all taxes, charges, fees, duties, levies, imposts or other assessments imposed by any federal, state, local or foreign Taxing Authority, including income, gross receipts, excise, property, sales, use, license, capital stock, transfer, franchise, payroll, withholding, social security, Medicare, value added and other taxes, and any interest, penalties or additions attributable thereto.

 

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Taxing Authority ” means any Governmental Authority or any subdivision, agency, commission or authority thereof or any quasi-governmental or private body having jurisdiction over the assessment, determination, collection or imposition of any Tax (including the IRS).

Third-Party Claim ” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.4(b) .

Transactions ” means the Separation, the Distribution and any other transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement.

Transition Services Agreement ” means the transition services agreement to be entered into by and between InvenTrust and Highlands or any members of their respective Groups in connection with the Distribution or the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, as it may be amended from time to time.

Section 1.2 Interpretation . In this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(a) words used in the singular include the plural and words used in the plural include the singular;

(b) the words “include,” “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”;

(c) the word “or” shall have the inclusive meaning represented by the phrase “and/or”;

(d) relative to the determination of any period of time, “from” means “from and including,” “to” means “to but excluding” and “through” means “through and including”;

(e) accounting terms used herein shall have the meanings historically ascribed to them by InvenTrust and its Subsidiaries in its and their internal accounting and financial policies and procedures in effect immediately prior to the date of this Agreement;

(f) reference to any agreement, instrument or other document means such agreement, instrument or other document as amended, supplemented and modified from time to time to the extent permitted by the provisions thereof and by this Agreement;

(g) reference to any Law means such Law (including any and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder) as amended, modified, codified or reenacted, in whole or in part, and in effect at the time of determining compliance or applicability;

(h) references to any Person include such Person’s successors and assigns but, if applicable, only if such successors and assigns are permitted by this Agreement; any reference to a third party shall be deemed to mean a Person who is not a Party or an Affiliate of a Party;

(i) if there is any conflict between the provisions of the main body of this Agreement or an Ancillary Agreement and the Exhibits and Schedules hereto or thereto, the provisions of the main body of this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreement, as applicable, shall control unless explicitly stated otherwise in such Exhibit or Schedule;

 

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(j) if there is any conflict between the provisions of this Agreement and any Ancillary Agreement, the provisions of such Ancillary Agreement shall control (but only with respect to the subject matter thereof) unless explicitly stated otherwise therein; and

(k) any portion of this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement obligating a Party to take any action or refrain from taking any action, as the case may be, shall mean that such Party shall also be obligated to cause its relevant Subsidiaries to take such action or refrain from taking such action, as the case may be.

ARTICLE II.

THE SEPARATION

Section 2.1 Separation Transactions . Prior to the Effective Time, InvenTrust shall, and shall cause Highlands and each other Subsidiary and controlled Affiliate of InvenTrust to, effect each of the transactions set forth in Schedule 2.1 , in each case, with such modifications, if any, as InvenTrust shall determine are necessary or desirable for efficiency or similar purposes.

Section 2.2 Transfers of Assets and Assumptions of Liabilities .

(a) Transfer of Assets and Assumption of Liabilities Prior to Effective Time . Subject to Section 2.1 and Section 2.2(b) , InvenTrust and Highlands agree to take all actions necessary so that, immediately prior to the Effective Time, (i) the Highlands Group will own, to the extent it does not already own, all of the Highlands Assets and none of the InvenTrust Assets, and (ii) the Highlands Group will be liable for, to the extent it is not already liable for, all of the Highlands Liabilities and none of the InvenTrust Liabilities.

(b) Deferred Transfers and Assumptions .

(i) Nothing in this Agreement or in any Ancillary Agreement will be deemed to require the transfer of any Assets or the assumption of any Liabilities that by their terms or by operation of Law cannot be transferred or assumed.

(ii) To the extent that any transfer of Assets or assumption of Liabilities contemplated by this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement is not consummated prior to the Effective Time as a result of an absence or non-satisfaction of any required Consent, Governmental Approval and/or other condition (each such Asset or Liability, a “ Deferred Asset ” or a “ Deferred Liability ,” as applicable, and, collectively, a “ Deferred Asset or Liability ”), the Parties will use commercially reasonable efforts to effect such transfers or assumptions as promptly following the Effective Time as practicable. If and when the Consents, Governmental Approvals and/or other conditions, the absence or non-satisfaction of which gave rise to the Deferred Asset or Deferred Liability, are obtained or satisfied, the transfer or assumption of the Deferred Asset or Deferred Liability will be effected in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Agreement or the applicable Ancillary Agreement, if any. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Section 2.2 shall be deemed to create or impose any limitations on the transfer of the Highlands Assets or assumption of Highlands Liabilities, and the Parties each agree that title to each of the Highlands Subsidiaries and Highlands Properties shall be held by Highlands or its Subsidiaries, and that Highlands and its Subsidiaries shall have assumed, to the extent they were not previously liable for, the Highlands Liabilities, at or prior to the Effective Time as a result of the Separation and Distribution.

 

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(iii) From and after the Effective Time until such time as the Deferred Asset or Deferred Liability is transferred or assumed, as applicable, (A) the Party retaining such Deferred Asset will thereafter hold such Deferred Asset for the use and benefit of the Party entitled thereto (at the expense of the Party entitled thereto) and (B) the Party intended to assume such Deferred Liability will pay or reimburse the Party retaining such Deferred Liability for all amounts paid or incurred in connection with the retention of such Deferred Liability; it being agreed that the Party retaining such Deferred Asset or Deferred Liability will not be obligated, in connection with the foregoing clause (A) and clause (B), to expend any money unless the necessary funds are advanced or agreed in writing to be reimbursed by the Party entitled to such Deferred Asset or intended to assume such Deferred Liability. The Party retaining the Deferred Asset or Deferred Liability will use its commercially reasonable efforts to notify the Party entitled to or intended to assume such Deferred Asset or Deferred Liability of the need for such expenditure. In addition, the Party retaining such Deferred Asset or Deferred Liability will, insofar as reasonably practicable and to the extent permitted by applicable Law, (A) treat such Deferred Asset or Deferred Liability in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (B) promptly take such other actions as may be requested by the Party entitled to such Deferred Asset or by the Party intended to assume such Deferred Liability in order to place such Party in the same position as if the Deferred Asset or Deferred Liability had been transferred or assumed, as applicable, as contemplated hereby, and so that all the benefits and burdens relating to such Deferred Asset or Deferred Liability, including possession, use, risk of loss, potential for gain, and control over such Deferred Asset or Deferred Liability, are to inure from and after the Effective Time to such Party entitled to such Deferred Asset or intended to assume such Deferred Liability and (C) hold itself out to third parties as agent or nominee on behalf of the Party entitled to such Deferred Asset or intended to assume such Deferred Liability.

(iv) In furtherance of the foregoing, the Parties agree that, as of the Effective Time, each Party will be deemed to have acquired beneficial ownership of all of the Assets, together with all rights and privileges incident thereto, and will be deemed to have assumed all of the Liabilities, and all duties, obligations and responsibilities incident thereto, that such Party is entitled to acquire or intended to assume pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or the applicable Ancillary Agreement, if any.

(v) The Parties agree to treat, for all tax purposes, any Asset or Liability that is not transferred or assumed prior to the Effective Time and which is subject to the provisions of this Section 2.2(b) , as (A) owned by the Party to which such Asset was intended to be transferred or by the Party which was intended to assume such Liability, as the case may be, from and after the Effective Time, (B) having not been owned by the Party retaining such Asset or Liability, as the case may be, at any time from and after the Effective Time, and (C) having been held by the Party retaining such Asset or Liability, as the case may be, only as agent or nominee on behalf of the other Party from and after the Effective Time until the date such Asset or Liability, as the case may be, is transferred to or assumed by such other Party. The Parties will not take any position inconsistent with the foregoing unless otherwise required by

 

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applicable Law (in which case, the Parties will provide indemnification for any Taxes attributable to the Asset or Liability during the period beginning on the Distribution Date and ending on the date of the actual transfer).

(c) Misallocated Assets and Liabilities .

(i) Except as provided in Section 7.7 , in the event that, at any time from and after the Effective Time, either Party discovers that it or another member of its Group is the owner of, receives or otherwise comes to possess or benefit from any Asset (including the receipt of payments made pursuant to Contracts and proceeds from accounts receivable with respect to such Asset) that should have been allocated to a member of the other Group pursuant to this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement (except in the case of any deliberate acquisition of Assets from a member of the other Group for value subsequent to the Effective Time), such Party shall promptly transfer, or cause to be transferred, such Asset to such member of the other Group, and such member of the other Group shall accept such Asset for no further consideration than that set forth in this Agreement and such Ancillary Agreement. Prior to any such transfer, such Asset shall be held in accordance with Section 2.2(b) .

(ii) In the event that, at any time from and after the Effective Time, either Party discovers that it or another member of its Group is liable for any Liability that should have been allocated to a member of the other Group pursuant to this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement (except in the case of any deliberate assumption of Liabilities from a member of the other Group for value subsequent to the Effective Time), such Party shall promptly transfer, or cause to be transferred, such Liability to such member of the other Group and such member of the other Group shall assume such Liability for no further consideration than that set forth in this Agreement and such Ancillary Agreement. Prior to any such assumption, such Liabilities shall be held in accordance with Section 2.2(b) .

(d) Instruments of Transfer and Assumption . The Parties agree that (i) transfers of Assets that may be required by this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement shall be effected by delivery by the transferor to the transferee of (A) with respect to those Assets that constitute stock or other equity interests, certificates endorsed in blank or evidenced or accompanied by stock powers or other instruments of transfer endorsed in blank, against receipt and (B) with respect to all other Assets, such good and sufficient instruments of contribution, conveyance, assignment and transfer, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Parties, as shall be necessary, in each case, to vest in the designated transferee all of the title and ownership interest of the transferor in and to any such Asset, and (ii) the assumptions of Liabilities required by this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement shall be effected by delivery by the transferee to the transferor of such good and sufficient instruments of assumption, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Parties, as shall be necessary, in each case, for the assumption by the transferee of such Liabilities.

Section 2.3 Termination of Intercompany Agreements .

(a) Except as set forth in Section 2.3(b) , InvenTrust, on behalf of itself and each of the other members of the InvenTrust Group, and Highlands, on behalf of itself and each of the other members of the Highlands Group, hereby terminate, effective as of the Effective Time, any and all Intercompany Agreements. No such terminated Intercompany Agreement will be of any further force or effect from and after the Effective Time and all Parties shall be

 

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released from all Liabilities thereunder other than the Liability to settle any Intercompany Accounts as provided in Section 2.4 . Each Party shall take, or cause to be taken, any and all actions as may be reasonably necessary to effect the foregoing.

(b) The provisions of Section 2.3(a) shall not apply to any of the following agreements (which agreements shall continue to be outstanding after the Distribution Date and thereafter shall be deemed to be, for each relevant Party (or the member of such Party’s Group), an obligation to a third party and shall no longer be an Intercompany Agreement):

(i) this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements (and each other agreement or instrument expressly contemplated by this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement), if any; and

(ii) the agreements listed or described on Schedule 2.3(b) .

Section 2.4 Settlement of Intercompany Accounts . Each Intercompany Account outstanding immediately prior to the Distribution Date (other than those set forth on Schedule 2.4 , if any), will be satisfied and/or settled in full in cash or otherwise cancelled and terminated or extinguished by the relevant members of the InvenTrust Group and the Highlands Group prior to the Effective Time, in each case, in the manner agreed to by the Parties. Each Intercompany Account outstanding immediately prior to the Distribution Date set forth on Schedule 2.4 shall continue to be outstanding after the Distribution Date (unless previously satisfied in accordance with its terms) and thereafter shall be deemed to be, for each Party (or the relevant member of such Party’s Group), an obligation to a third party and shall no longer be an Intercompany Account.

Section 2.5 Treatment of Shared Contracts . Subject to applicable Law and except as otherwise provided in any Ancillary Agreement, and without limiting the generality of the obligations set forth in Section 2.1 and Section 2.2 , unless the Parties otherwise agree or the benefits of any Contract described in this Section 2.5 are expressly conveyed to the applicable Party pursuant to this Agreement or an Ancillary Agreement, any Contract entered into by a member of the InvenTrust Group with a third party that is not a Highlands Asset, but pursuant to which a member of the Highlands Group or the Highlands Assets, as of the Effective Time, have been provided certain revenues or other benefits (any such contract or agreement, a “ Shared Contract ”) shall not be assigned in relevant part to the applicable member(s) of the Highlands Group or amended to give the relevant member(s) of the Highlands Group any entitlement to such rights and benefits thereunder; provided, however, that the Parties shall, and shall cause each of the members of their respective Groups to, take such other reasonable and permissible actions to cause (i) the relevant member of the Highlands Group to receive the rights and benefits previously provided in the ordinary course of business, consistent with past practice, to the Highlands Assets pursuant to such Shared Contract and (ii) the relevant member of the Highlands Group to bear the burden of the corresponding Liabilities under such Shared Contract. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no member of the InvenTrust Group shall be required by this Section 2.5 to maintain in effect any Shared Contract, and no member of the Highlands Group shall have any approval or other rights with respect to any amendment, termination or other modification of any Shared Contract.

Section 2.6 Capital Contribution . At or prior to the Effective Time, InvenTrust shall make a cash contribution to Highlands in an amount sufficient to cause Highlands to have, at the time of the Distribution, not less than $20 million in unrestricted cash (the “ Capital Contribution ”).

 

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Section 2.7 Authorized Signatories . Prior to or concurrently with the Effective Time, InvenTrust shall cause all InvenTrust Group employees to be removed as authorized signatories on all bank accounts maintained by the Highlands Group.

ARTICLE III.

CERTAIN ACTIONS PRIOR TO THE DISTRIBUTION

Section 3.1 SEC and Other Securities Filings .

(a) Prior to the date of this Agreement, the Parties caused the Registration Statement to be prepared and filed with the SEC.

(b) The Parties shall use their respective commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Registration Statement to become effective as soon as reasonably practicable following the date of this Agreement.

(c) As soon as practicable after the Registration Statement becomes effective, InvenTrust shall cause the Information Statement to be mailed to the Record Holders.

(d) The Parties shall cooperate in preparing, filing with the SEC and causing to become effective any other registration statements or amendments or supplements thereto that are necessary or appropriate in order to effect the Transactions, or to reflect the establishment of, or amendments to, any employee benefit plans contemplated hereby.

(e) The Parties shall take all such action as may be necessary or appropriate under state and foreign securities or “blue sky” Laws in connection with the Transactions.

Section 3.2 Distribution Agent Agreement . On or following the date of this Agreement, InvenTrust shall, if requested by the Distribution Agent, enter into a distribution agent agreement with the Distribution Agent or otherwise provide instructions to the Distribution Agent regarding the Distribution.

Section 3.3 Governmental Approvals and Consents . To the extent that any of the Transactions require any Governmental Approval or Consent which has not been obtained prior to the date of this Agreement, the Parties will use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain, or cause to be obtained, such Governmental Approval or Consent prior to the Effective Time.

Section 3.4 Ancillary Agreements . Prior to the Effective Time, each Party shall execute and deliver, and shall cause each applicable member of its Group to execute and deliver, as applicable, the Transition Services Agreement and Employee Matters Agreement, each substantially in the form filed by Highlands with the SEC as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and such other written agreements, documents or instruments (collectively, the “ Ancillary Agreements ”) as the Parties may agree are reasonably necessary or desirable and to the effect the Transactions.

Section 3.5 Governance Matters .

 

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(a) Organizational Documents . On or prior to the Distribution Date, the Parties shall take all necessary actions to adopt each of the articles of amendment and restatement and the amended and restated bylaws of Highlands, each substantially in the forms filed by Highlands with the SEC as exhibits to the Registration Statement, and to file the articles of amendment and restatement with the SDAT.

(b) Officers and Directors .

(i) At or prior to the Effective Time, the Parties shall take all necessary action so that, as of the Effective Time, the executive officers and directors of Highlands will be as set forth in the Information Statement.

(ii) At or prior to the Effective Time, no employee of InvenTrust or its Subsidiaries (other than employees of Highlands or its Subsidiaries) shall be an officer or director of Highlands or any of its Subsidiaries.

ARTICLE IV.

THE DISTRIBUTION

Section 4.1 Delivery to Distribution Agent . Subject to Section 5.1 , on or prior to the Distribution Date, InvenTrust will authorize the Distribution Agent to effect the book-entry transfer of 100% of the outstanding Highlands Common Shares to the holders of record of InvenTrust Common Stock at the close of business on the Record Date (the “ Record Holders ”), and will instruct the Distribution Agent to effect the Distribution at the Effective Time in the manner set forth in Section 4.2 .

Section 4.2 Mechanics of the Distribution .

(a) On the Distribution Date, InvenTrust will direct the Distribution Agent to distribute, effective as of the Effective Time, to each Record Holder, one (1) Highlands Common Share for every one (1) share of InvenTrust Common Stock held by such Record Holder as of the Record Date, subject to Section 4.2(b) . All such Highlands Common Shares to be so distributed shall be distributed as uncertificated shares registered in book-entry form through the direct registration system. No certificates therefor shall be distributed. Following the Distribution, the Parties shall cause the Distribution Agent to deliver an account statement to each holder of Highlands Common Shares reflecting such holder’s ownership thereof. All of the Highlands Common Shares distributed in the Distribution will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, InvenTrust, the Distribution Agent, or any Person that is a withholding agent under applicable Law shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from any consideration distributable or payable hereunder the amounts required to be deducted and withheld under the Code, or any provision of any U.S. federal, state, local or foreign Tax Law. Any amounts so deducted and withheld shall be paid over to the appropriate Taxing Authority in the manner prescribed by Law. To the extent that amounts are so deducted and withheld, such deducted and withheld amounts shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as having been distributed or paid, as applicable, to the Persons in respect of which such deduction and withholding was made. An applicable withholding agent may collect the deducted or withheld amounts by reducing to cash a sufficient portion of the Highlands Common Shares that a Person would otherwise receive, and may require that such Person bear the brokerage or other costs from this withholding procedure.

 

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ARTICLE V.

CONDITIONS

Section 5.1 Conditions Precedent to Consummation of the Distribution . The Distribution shall not be effected unless and until the following conditions have been satisfied or waived by InvenTrust, in its sole and absolute discretion, at or before the Effective Time:

(a) the board of directors of InvenTrust shall have authorized the Distribution, which authorization may be made or withheld in its sole and absolute discretion;

(b) the Registration Statement shall have become effective, with no stop order in effect with respect thereto, and no proceedings for such purpose shall be pending before, or threatened by, the SEC;

(c) InvenTrust shall have mailed the Information Statement (and such other information concerning Highlands, the Distribution and such other matters as the Parties shall determine and as may otherwise be required by Law) to the Record Holders;

(d) all other actions and filings necessary or appropriate under applicable federal or state securities Laws and state blue sky Laws in connection with the Transactions shall have been taken;

(e) the transfer of the Highlands Assets (other than any Highlands Asset that is a Deferred Asset) and Highlands Liabilities (other than any Highlands Liability that is a Deferred Liability) contemplated to be transferred from InvenTrust to Highlands on or prior to the Distribution shall have occurred as contemplated by Section 2.1 , and the transfer of the InvenTrust Assets (other than any InvenTrust Asset that is a Deferred Asset) and InvenTrust Liabilities (other than any InvenTrust Liability that is a Deferred Liability) contemplated to be transferred from Highlands to InvenTrust on or prior to the Distribution Date shall have occurred as contemplated by Section 2.1 ;

(f) Highlands shall have obtained an opinion from Hunton & Williams LLP, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Highlands, to the effect that Highlands has been organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification as a REIT under the Code, and its proposed method of operation will enable it to satisfy the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT;

(g) the Ancillary Agreements shall have been executed and delivered by each of the parties thereto and no party to any of the Ancillary Agreements will be in material breach of any such agreement;

(h) any material Governmental Approvals and Consents necessary to consummate the Transactions or any portion thereof shall have been obtained and be in full force and effect;

(i) no preliminary or permanent injunction or other order, decree, or ruling issued by a Governmental Authority, and no statute (as interpreted through orders or rules of any Governmental Authority duly authorized to effectuate the statute), rule, regulation or executive order promulgated or enacted by any Governmental Authority shall be in effect preventing the consummation of, or materially limiting the benefits of, the Transactions;

 

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(j) no other event or development shall have occurred or failed to occur that, in the judgment of the board of directors of InvenTrust, in its sole discretion, prevents the consummation of the Transactions or any portion thereof or makes the consummation of the Transactions inadvisable;

(k) the articles of amendment and restatement and the amended and restated bylaws of Highlands, each substantially in the forms filed by Highlands with the SEC as exhibits to the Registration Statement, shall have been approved in the manner required by Maryland law and the articles of amendment and restatement shall have been accepted for record by the SDAT;

(l) the executive officers and directors of Highlands will be as set forth in the Information Statement;

(m) any employee of InvenTrust or its Subsidiaries (other than employees of Highlands or its Subsidiaries) that is currently an officer or director of Highlands or any of its Subsidiaries shall have resigned from such officer or director position;

(n) InvenTrust shall have made the Capital Contribution to Highlands; and

(o) no employee of any member of the InvenTrust Group shall be an authorized signatory on a bank account maintained by any member of the Highlands Group.

Section 5.2 Right Not to Close . Each of the conditions set forth in Section 5.1 is for the benefit of InvenTrust, and the board of directors of InvenTrust may, in its sole and absolute discretion, determine whether to waive any condition, in whole or in part. Any determination made by the board of directors of InvenTrust concerning the satisfaction or waiver of any or all of the conditions in Section 5.1 will be conclusive and binding on the Parties. The satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 5.1 will not create any obligation on the part of InvenTrust to any other Person to effect any of the Transactions or in any way limit InvenTrust’s right to terminate this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements as set forth in Section 11.1 or alter the consequences of any termination from those specified in Section 11.2 .

ARTICLE VI.

NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES

Section 6.1 Disclaimer of Representations and Warranties . EACH PARTY (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND EACH OTHER MEMBER OF ITS GROUP) UNDERSTANDS AND AGREES THAT, EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH HEREIN, IN ANY ANCILLARY AGREEMENT OR IN ANY OTHER AGREEMENT OR DOCUMENT CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY ANCILLARY AGREEMENT, NO PARTY IS REPRESENTING OR WARRANTING IN ANY WAY AS TO (A) THE ASSETS, BUSINESSES OR LIABILITIES CONTRIBUTED, TRANSFERRED DISTRIBUTED OR ASSUMED AS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY, (B) ANY CONSENTS OR GOVERNMENTAL APPROVALS REQUIRED IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR THEREWITH, (C) THE VALUE OR FREEDOM FROM ANY

 

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SECURITY INTERESTS OF, OR ANY OTHER MATTER CONCERNING, ANY ASSETS OF ANY PARTY, (D) THE ABSENCE OF ANY DEFENSES OR RIGHT OF SETOFF OR FREEDOM FROM COUNTERCLAIM WITH RESPECT TO ANY ACTION OR OTHER ASSET, INCLUDING ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, OF ANY PARTY, OR (E) THE LEGAL SUFFICIENCY OF ANY CONTRIBUTION, DISTRIBUTION, ASSIGNMENT, DOCUMENT, CERTIFICATE OR INSTRUMENT DELIVERED HEREUNDER OR THEREUNDER TO CONVEY TITLE TO ANY ASSET UPON THE EXECUTION, DELIVERY AND FILING HEREOF OR THEREOF.

Section 6.2 As Is, Where Is . EACH PARTY (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND EACH OTHER MEMBER OF ITS GROUP) UNDERSTANDS AND AGREES THAT ALL ASSETS TRANSFERRED PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY ANCILLARY AGREEMENT ARE BEING TRANSFERRED “AS IS, WHERE IS.”

ARTICLE VII.

CERTAIN COVENANTS AND ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS

Section 7.1 Insurance Matters .

(a) Highlands is insured under certain Insurance Policies issued to InvenTrust prior to the Effective Time (the “ InvenTrust Available Policies ”), the last three (3) years of which are set forth on Schedule 7.1(a) , with respect to occurrences, wrongful acts, and other matters occurring prior to the Effective Time (“ Pre-Closing Matters ”). From and after the Effective Time, Highlands will be entitled to maintain its status as an insured under the InvenTrust Available Policies, including the right to make new claims for coverage under the InvenTrust Available Policies after the Effective Time (“ New Claims ”), but in all events, solely with respect to Pre-Closing Matters, and provided that all such rights under the InvenTrust Available Policies shall be subject to the terms and conditions of such Insurance Policies, including any limits on coverage or scope, any deductibles and other fees and expenses, and shall be subject to the following additional conditions:

(i) Highlands shall provide notice to InvenTrust of any New Claims as promptly as practicable, and in any event in sufficient time so that such claim may be made in accordance with InvenTrust’s claim reporting procedures in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, so long as such procedures are in compliance with the underlying applicable insurance policy (or in accordance with any modifications to such procedures after the Effective Time communicated by InvenTrust to Highlands in writing, so long as such modifications are in compliance with the underlying applicable insurance policy);

(ii) Except in the event that both (i) Highlands has submitted a New Claim to InvenTrust in accordance with Section 7.1.(a)(i) and (ii) InvenTrust fails to provide adequate and timely notice to the applicable insurance carrier or its agent with respect to such New Claim and to the extent that such failure results in a denial of coverage by the insurance carrier, Highlands and the members of the Highlands Group shall exclusively bear and be liable for (and neither InvenTrust nor any members of the InvenTrust Group shall have any obligation to repay or reimburse Highlands or any member of the Highlands Group for), and shall indemnify, hold harmless and reimburse InvenTrust and the members of the InvenTrust Group for, any deductibles, self-insured retention, and out-of-pocket fees and expenses to the extent resulting

 

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from any access to, or any claims made by Highlands or any other members of the Highlands Group or otherwise made in respect of Losses of the Highlands Assets under, any insurance provided pursuant to this Section 7.1(a) ; and

(iii) Except in the event that both (i) Highlands has submitted a New Claim to InvenTrust in accordance with Section 7.1.(a)(i) and (ii) InvenTrust fails to provide adequate and timely notice to the applicable insurance carrier or its agent with respect to such New Claim and to the extent that such failure results in a denial of coverage by the insurance carrier, Highlands shall exclusively bear and be liable for (and neither InvenTrust nor any members of the InvenTrust Group shall have any obligation to repay or reimburse Highlands or any member of the Highlands Group for) all uninsured, uncovered, unavailable or uncollectible amounts of all such claims made by Highlands or any member of the Highlands Group under the InvenTrust Available Policies as provided for in this Section 7.1(a) .

(b) [Reserved].

(c) All payments and reimbursements by Highlands pursuant to Section 7.1(a) will be made within fifteen (15) days after Highlands’ receipt of an invoice therefor from InvenTrust.

(d) InvenTrust shall have the right to administer any New Claims on behalf of Highlands. To the extent that Highlands has provided notice to InvenTrust of any New Claim in accordance with Section 7.1(a)(i) , InvenTrust agrees to submit any such New Claim to the applicable insurance carrier or its agent in a timely and appropriate manner. Highlands will cooperate with InvenTrust with respect to the submission of claims for Pre-Closing Matters under the InvenTrust Available Policies. If InvenTrust has elected to administer any New Claim on behalf of Highlands, InvenTrust will use the same degree of effort in advocating for coverage under the applicable insurance policy with respect to such New Claim as InvenTrust would use in advocating for its own claims but in no event less than a reasonable degree of effort, and will provide Highlands with reasonable assistance to enforce its rights under the InvenTrust Available Policies, provided that Highlands agrees to indemnify and hold harmless InvenTrust for any out-of-pocket costs InvenTrust incurs in connection with such cooperation and assistance, including reasonable attorneys’ fees.

(e) InvenTrust shall retain the exclusive right to control its Insurance Policies and programs, including the right to exhaust, settle, release, commute, buy-back or otherwise resolve disputes with respect to any of its Insurance Policies and programs and to amend, modify or waive any rights under any such Insurance Policies and programs, notwithstanding whether any such policies or programs apply to any Highlands Liabilities and/or claims Highlands has made or could make in the future, and no member of the Highlands Group shall erode, exhaust, settle, release, commute, buyback, modify, amend or waive or otherwise compromise the limits or rights of InvenTrust under the InvenTrust Available Policies in any respect. Highlands shall cooperate with InvenTrust and share such information as is reasonably necessary in order to permit InvenTrust to manage and conduct its insurance matters as it deems appropriate. Neither InvenTrust nor any of the members of the InvenTrust Group shall have any obligation to secure extended reporting for any claims under any Insurance Policies of InvenTrust or any member of the InvenTrust Group for any acts or omissions by any member of the Highlands Group incurred prior to the Effective Time.

 

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(f) This Agreement shall not be considered as an attempted assignment of any policy of insurance or as a contract of insurance and shall not be construed to waive any right or remedy of any member of the InvenTrust Group in respect of any Insurance Policy or any other contract or policy of insurance.

(g) Highlands does hereby, for itself and each other member of the Highlands Group, agree that no member of the InvenTrust Group shall have any Liability whatsoever as a result of the Insurance Policies and practices of InvenTrust and the members of the InvenTrust Group as in effect at any time, including as a result of the level or scope of any such insurance, the creditworthiness of any insurance carrier, the terms and conditions of any policy or otherwise; provided , however , that the foregoing limitation of Liability shall not apply in the event InvenTrust fails to provide adequate and timely notice to any insurance carrier or its agent with respect to any New Claim due to no fault of Highlands and only to the extent that such failure results in a denial of coverage by the insurance carrier.

(h) Highlands acknowledges and agrees, on its own behalf and on behalf of each other member of the Highlands Group, that, from and after the Effective Time, neither Highlands nor any member of the Highlands Group shall have any rights to or under any of InvenTrust’s or its Affiliates’ Insurance Policies, other than the InvenTrust Available Policies as expressly provided in this Article VII, in the Employee Matters Agreement or pursuant to the policy contemplated by Section 7.1(j) .

(i) At the Effective Time, Highlands shall have in effect all insurance programs required to comply with Highlands’ contractual obligations and such other Insurance Policies as reasonably necessary or customary for companies operating a business similar to Highlands’. Such insurance programs including commercial general liability, property and business interruptions, commercial automobile liability, directors and officers liability (including with respect to periods prior to the Distribution), EPL/fiduciary liability, workers compensation, employee dishonesty and fiduciary liability policies, whether, in each case, in the nature of primary, excess, umbrella or self-insurance coverage.

(j) Prior to the effective time, the Parties may elect to obtain insurance covering both Parties and their Affiliates or other related persons in connection with the Transactions. To the extent such insurance is acquired and one Party has paid the premium for such policy prior to the Effective Time, within thirty (30) days following the Effective Time, the other Party shall reimburse such Party for one-half of the amount of such premium. For the avoidance of doubt, any policy obtained pursuant to this Section 7.1(j) shall not be deemed to be an InvenTrust Available Policy.

Section 7.2 Tax Matters .

(a) Taxability of Distribution . The Parties acknowledge that the Distribution is a taxable distribution under Section 301 of the Code, and the Parties shall not take any position on any U.S. federal, state, local or foreign Tax Return that is inconsistent with such treatment.

(b) InvenTrust and Highlands REIT Status .

(i) InvenTrust has no knowledge of any fact or circumstance that would cause Highlands to fail to qualify as a REIT, including a failure to qualify as a REIT due to InvenTrust’s failure to maintain REIT status.

 

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(ii) Subject to Section 7.2(b)(iii) and Section 7.2(b)(iv) , InvenTrust shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cooperate with Highlands as necessary to enable Highlands to qualify for taxation as a REIT and receive customary legal opinions concerning Highlands’ qualification and taxation as a REIT, including by providing information and representations to Highlands and its tax counsel with respect to the composition of InvenTrust’s income and Assets, the composition of the holders of stock of InvenTrust and InvenTrust’s organization, operation, and qualification as a REIT for its taxable years ending on or before December 31, 2016.

(iii) InvenTrust shall use reasonable best efforts to maintain its REIT status for each of its taxable years ending on or before December 31, 2016, unless InvenTrust obtains an opinion from a nationally recognized tax counsel or a private letter ruling from the IRS, on which Highlands can rely, substantially to the effect that InvenTrust’s failure to maintain its REIT status will not prevent Highlands from making a valid REIT election for any taxable year, or otherwise cause Highlands to fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT for any taxable year, pursuant to Section 856(g)(3) of the Code.

(iv) Highlands shall use its reasonable best efforts to qualify for taxation as a REIT for its taxable year ending December 31, 2016.

(v) Highlands shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cooperate with InvenTrust as necessary to enable InvenTrust to qualify for taxation as a REIT and receive customary legal opinions concerning Highlands’ qualification and taxation as a REIT, including by providing information and representations to InvenTrust and its tax counsel with respect to the composition of Highlands’ income and Assets, the composition of the holders of stock of Highlands and Highlands’ organization, operation, and qualification as a REIT for its taxable year ending December 31, 2016.

(c) Allocation of Tax Liabilities .

(i) Except as provided in Section 7.2(c)(ii) , Highlands shall be responsible for, and shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the InvenTrust Group against, any and all Taxes due with respect to (a) Highlands, the Highlands Subsidiaries and the Highlands Assets and (b) any and all Taxes attributable to the Separation and Distribution (other than Taxes incurred by InvenTrust under Section 311(b) of the Code as a result of the Distribution), regardless of whether such Taxes are required to be reported on a Tax Return of Highlands or the Highlands Subsidiaries.

(ii) InvenTrust shall be responsible for, and shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Highlands Group against, any and all Taxes due with respect to Highlands, the Highlands Subsidiaries and the Highlands Assets that are attributable to the failure of InvenTrust or MB REIT to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year ending on or before December 31, 2016.

(d) Tax Returns .

(i) Except as set forth on Schedule 7.2(d), Highlands shall prepare or cause to be prepared and file or cause to be filed any Tax Returns of any of Highlands, the Highlands Subsidiaries and the Highlands Assets, as applicable, for all Tax periods.

 

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In the case of such Tax Returns for all periods ending on or prior to or including the Distribution Date that are required to be filed after the Distribution Date (other than as set forth on Schedule 7.2(d) ), Highlands shall submit those Tax Returns to InvenTrust for its review thirty days prior to filing and shall consider in good faith any changes InvenTrust proposes with respect to such Tax Returns. All such Tax Returns shall be prepared in a manner that is consistent with the past custom and practice of InvenTrust, Highlands and Highlands Subsidiaries and the Highlands Assets, as applicable, except as required by a change in applicable Law.

(ii) InvenTrust shall prepare or cause to be prepared and file or cause to be filed any Tax Returns of the InvenTrust Group that report Taxes related to the Highlands Assets (and as set forth on Schedule 7.2(d) ). Other than any federal or state income Tax Returns of InvenTrust, InvenTrust shall submit those Tax Returns to Highlands for its review thirty days prior to filing and shall consider in good faith any changes Highlands proposes with respect to such Tax Returns. All such Tax Returns shall be prepared in a manner that is consistent with the past custom and practice of InvenTrust, Highlands, the Highlands Subsidiaries and the Highlands Assets, as applicable, except as required by a change in applicable Law.

(iii) In the case either Highlands or InvenTrust is responsible for payment of any Taxes under Section 7.2 that are reported and paid on a Tax Return paid by the other Party, then the Party that is liable for the Taxes shall pay to the other Party, within fifteen business days before the date on which Taxes are to be paid, an amount equal to the portion of such Taxes for which the Party is liable.

(e) Cooperation . The Parties agree (i) to retain all books and records with respect to Tax matters pertinent to Highlands, the Highlands Subsidiaries and the Highlands Assets and their respective assets or business relating to any taxable period beginning before the Distribution Date until the expiration of the statute of limitations (and, to the extent notified by any member of the Highlands Group, any extensions thereof) of the respective Tax periods, and to abide by all record retention agreements entered into with any taxing authority, and (ii) to give Highlands reasonable written notice prior to transferring, destroying or discarding any such books and records and, if Highlands so requests, InvenTrust shall allow Highlands to take possession of such books and records at Highlands’ expense.

(f) Tax Contests . Unless otherwise provided in this Section 7.2(f) , Highlands shall control any audit, examination or proceeding (“ Tax Contest ”) relating in whole or in part to Taxes of Highlands, the Highlands Subsidiaries and the Highlands Assets.

(i) With respect to any Tax Contest for which InvenTrust acknowledges in writing that any member of the InvenTrust Group is liable under this Agreement for any and all Losses relating thereto, the InvenTrust Group shall be entitled to control, in good faith, all proceedings taken in connection with such Tax Contest; provided, however, that (x) InvenTrust shall promptly notify Highlands in writing of its intention to control such Tax Contest, and (y) if any Tax Contest could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on any member of the Highlands Group, the Tax Contest shall not be settled or resolved without Highlands’ consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

 

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(ii) With respect to any Tax Contest the negative resolution of which could reasonably be expected to adversely affect InvenTrust’s ability to qualify as a REIT for any past or future taxable year (a “ REIT-Related Contest ”), InvenTrust shall have the right to participate in all proceedings related to such REIT-Related Contest and shall receive timely notifications of all actions related to such REIT-Related Contest. Highlands shall not be entitled to settle, either administratively or after the commencement of litigation, any REIT-Related Contest in a manner that would adversely affect InvenTrust’s ability to qualify as a REIT for any past or future taxable year without InvenTrust’s prior written consent.

To the extent there is any conflict between the provisions of this Section 7.2(f) and the provisions of Article VIII or Section 9.4 , the provisions of this Section 7.2(f) shall control with respect to Tax Contests.

Section 7.3 No Restrictions on Post-Closing Competitive Activities; Corporate Opportunities; Non-Solicitation .

(a) Each of the Parties agrees that this Agreement shall not include any non-competition or other similar restrictive arrangements with respect to the range of business activities that may be conducted, or investments that may be made, by the Groups. Accordingly, each of the Parties acknowledges and agrees that nothing set forth in this Agreement shall be construed to create any explicit or implied restriction or other limitation on the ability of any Group to engage in any business or other activity that overlaps or competes with the business of the other Group. Except as expressly provided herein, or in the Ancillary Agreements, each Group shall have the right to, and shall have no duty to abstain from exercising such right to, (i) engage or invest, directly or indirectly, in the same, similar or related business activities or lines of business as the other Group, (ii) make investments in the same or similar types of investments as the other Group, (iii) do business with any client, customer, vendor or lessor of any of the other Group or (iv) subject to Section 7.3(d) , employ or otherwise engage any officer, director or employee of the other Group. Neither Party or Group, nor any officer or director thereof, shall be liable to the other Party or Group or its stockholders for breach of any fiduciary duty by reason of any such activities of such Party or Group or of any such Person’s participation therein.

(b) Except as expressly provided herein, or in the Ancillary Agreements, and except as InvenTrust and each other member of the InvenTrust Group, on the one hand, and Highlands and each other member of the Highlands Group, on the other hand, may otherwise agree in writing, the Parties hereby acknowledge and agree that if any Person that is a member of a Group, including any officer or director thereof, acquires knowledge of a potential transaction or matter that may be a corporate opportunity for either or both Groups, the other Group shall not have an interest in, or expectation that, such opportunity be offered to it or that it be offered an opportunity to participate therein, and any such interest, expectation, offer or opportunity to participate, and any other interest or expectation otherwise due to such Group with respect to such opportunity, is hereby renounced by such Group. Accordingly, subject to Section 7.3(c) and except as expressly provided herein, or in the Ancillary Agreements, (i) neither Group nor any officer or director thereof will be under any obligation to present, communicate or offer any such opportunity to the other Group and (ii) each Group has the right to hold any such opportunity for its own account, or to direct, recommend, sell, assign or otherwise transfer such opportunity to any Person or Persons other than the other Group, and, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, neither Group nor the officers or directors thereof shall have or be under any duty to the other Group and shall not be liable to the other Group for any breach or alleged breach thereof or for any derivation of

 

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personal economic gain by reason of the fact that such Group or any of its officers or directors pursues or acquires the opportunity for itself, or directs, recommends, sells, assigns or otherwise transfers the opportunity to another Person, or such Group and its officers or directors does not present, offer or communicate information regarding the opportunity to the other Group.

(c) For the purposes of this Section 7.3 , “corporate opportunities” of a Group shall include business opportunities that such Group is financially able to undertake, that are, by their nature, in a line of business of such Group, are of practical advantage to it and are ones in which any member of the Group has an interest or a reasonable expectancy, and in which, by embracing the opportunities, the self-interest of a Person or any of its officers or directors will be brought into conflict with that of such Group.

(d) Non-Solicitation Covenant . For a period of one (1) year from and after the Effective Time, neither Party shall, and shall ensure that the other members of such Party’s Group shall not, directly or indirectly, solicit or hire any employees of the other Party’s Group without the prior written consent of InvenTrust or Highlands, as applicable; provided , however , that this Section 7.3(d) shall not prohibit any general offers of employment to the public, including through a bona fide search firm, so long as it is not specifically targeted toward employees of the InvenTrust Group or the Highlands Group, as applicable.

Section 7.4 Litigation .

(a) As of the Effective Time, Highlands or a member of the Highlands Group shall assume and thereafter, except as provided in Article IX , be responsible for all Liabilities that may result from the Assumed Actions and all fees and costs relating to the defense of the Assumed Actions, including attorneys’ fees and costs incurred after the Effective Time.

(b) InvenTrust agrees that, at all times from and after the Effective Time, if an Action relating primarily to (i) the InvenTrust Assets or (ii) the InvenTrust Liabilities is commenced by a third party naming both one or more members of the InvenTrust Group and one or more members of the Highlands Group as defendants thereto, then InvenTrust shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause such members of the Highlands Group to be removed from such Action; provided , that, subject to the provisions of Article VIII and Article IX , if InvenTrust is unable to cause such members of the Highlands Group to be removed from such Action, InvenTrust and Highlands shall cooperate and consult to the extent necessary or advisable with respect to such Action.

(c) Highlands agrees that, at all times from and after the Effective Time, if an Action relating primarily to (i) a claim made by a third party relating to, arising out of or resulting from the Transactions, (ii) the Highland Assets or (iii) the Highlands Liabilities is commenced by a third party naming both one or more members of the InvenTrust Group and one or more members of the Highlands Group as defendants thereto, then Highlands shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause such members of the InvenTrust Group to be removed from such Action; provided that, subject to the provisions of Article VIII and Article IX , if Highlands is unable to cause such members of the InvenTrust Group to be removed from such Action, InvenTrust and Highlands shall cooperate and consult to the extent necessary or advisable with respect to such Action.

(d) InvenTrust and Highlands agree that, at all times from and after the Effective Time, if any Action is commenced by a third party naming both one or more members of the

 

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InvenTrust Group and one or more members of the Highlands Group as defendants thereto, and such Action is not covered by Section 7.4(b) or Section 7.4(c) , subject to the provisions of Article VIII and Article IX , InvenTrust and Highlands shall cooperate and consult to the extent necessary or advisable with respect to such Action.

Section 7.5 Mail Forwarding . InvenTrust agrees that following the Effective Time it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to forward to Highlands any correspondence relating to the Highlands Assets that is delivered to InvenTrust.

Section 7.6 Non-Disparagement . Each of the Parties shall not, and shall cause their respective Subsidiaries and their respective officers and employees not to, make, or cause to be made, any statement or communicate any information (whether oral or written) that disparages the other Group and their Affiliates or any of their respective officers, directors or employees.

Section 7.7 Rental Payments . InvenTrust agrees that, to the extent any of the tenants of the Highlands Properties pays rent or other amounts to members of the InvenTrust Group following the Effective Time, it shall as soon as practicable but in any event not more than ten (10) business days following receipt, deliver to Highlands any such rental payments or other amounts to an account or accounts designated by Highlands, along with a detailed reporting of such payments or amounts indicating the name of the tenant who made the payment, the amount of the payment and the date the payment was remitted to InvenTrust.

ARTICLE VIII.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION; CONFIDENTIALITY; PRIVILEGE

Section 8.1 Agreement for Exchange of Information .

(a) Subject to Section 8.1(b) , for a period of four (4) years (the “ Period ”) following the Distribution Date, as soon as reasonably practicable after written request: (i) InvenTrust shall afford to any member of the Highlands Group and their authorized accountants, counsel and other designated representatives, reasonable access during normal business hours to, or at the Highlands Group’s expense provide copies of, all books, records, Contracts, instruments, data, documents and other information in the possession or under the control of any member of the InvenTrust Group immediately following the Distribution Date that relates to any member of the Highlands Group or the Highlands Assets and (ii) Highlands shall afford to any member of the InvenTrust Group and their authorized accountants, counsel and other designated representatives, reasonable access during normal business hours to, or at the InvenTrust Group’s expense provide copies of, all books, records, Contracts, instruments, data, documents and other information in the possession or under the control of any member of the Highlands Group immediately following the Distribution Date that relates to any member of the InvenTrust Group or the InvenTrust Assets; provided , however , that in the event that Highlands or InvenTrust, as applicable, determine that any such provision of or access to any information in response to a request under this Section 8.1(a) would be commercially detrimental in any material respect, violate a Law or agreement or waive any attorney-client privilege, the work product doctrine or other applicable privilege, the Parties shall take all reasonable measures to permit compliance with such request in a manner that avoids any such harm or consequence; provided , further , that to the extent specific information- or knowledge-sharing provisions are contained in any of the Ancillary Agreements, such other provisions (and not this Section 8.1(a) ) shall govern;

 

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provided , further , that the Period shall be extended with respect to requests related to any third party litigation or other Action filed prior to the end of such period, until such litigation or dispute is finally resolved.

(b) A request for information under Section 8.1(a) may be made: (i) to comply with reporting, disclosure, filing or other requirements imposed on the requesting Party (including under applicable securities laws) by a Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over such requesting Party, (ii) for use in any other judicial, regulatory, administrative or other Action or proceeding or in order to satisfy audit, accounting, claims defense, regulatory filings, litigation or other similar requirements (other than in connection with any Action in which any member of a Group is adverse to any member of the other Group), (iii) for use in compensation, benefit or welfare plan administration or other bona fide business purposes or (iv) to comply with any obligations under this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement.

(c) Without limiting the generality of Section 8.1(a) , until the end of the first full fiscal year following the Distribution Date (and for a reasonable period of time thereafter as required for any Party to prepare consolidated financial statements or complete a financial statement audit for the fiscal year during which the Distribution Date occurs), Highlands shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cooperate with any requests from any member of the InvenTrust Group pursuant to Section 8.1(a) and InvenTrust shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cooperate with any requests from any member of the Highlands Group pursuant to Section 8.1(a) , in each case to enable the requesting Party to meet its timetable for dissemination of its earnings releases and financial statements and to enable such requesting Party’s auditors to timely complete their audit of the annual financial statements and review of the quarterly financial statements.

Section 8.2 Ownership of Information . Any information owned by any Person that is provided pursuant to Section 8.1(a) and Section 8.1(c) shall be deemed to remain the property of the providing Person. Unless specifically set forth herein, nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed to grant or confer rights of license or otherwise to the requesting Person with respect to any such information.

Section 8.3 Compensation for Providing Information . A Person requesting information pursuant to Section 8.1(a) and Section 8.1(c) agrees to reimburse the providing Person for the reasonable, out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with such request, if any.

Section 8.4 Retention of Records . To facilitate the exchange of information pursuant to this Article VIII after the Distribution Date, for a period of four (4) years following the Distribution Date, except pursuant to Section 7.2(e) and subject to the general document retention policies of each Party in effect from time to time, the Parties agree to use commercially reasonable efforts to retain, or cause to be retained, all information in their, or any member of their Group’s, respective possession or control on the Distribution Date in accordance with the policies and procedures of InvenTrust as in effect on the Distribution Date, provided , that , Highlands acknowledges that InvenTrust has no obligation to retain Highlands’ corporate books and records (or copies thereof) that are delivered to it pursuant to Section 8.5 below.

Section 8.5 Delivery of Paper Records . Prior to or as promptly as reasonably practicable after the Distribution, and for so long as InvenTrust has any corporate books and records of the Highlands Group in its possession or control, InvenTrust shall deliver or cause

 

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to be delivered to Highlands all such corporate and property-level books and records, including all applicable active agreements (including employment agreements with employees of Highlands or its Subsidiaries), litigation files, Highlands insurance policies and government filings.

Section 8.6 Limitation of Liability . No Person required to provide information under this Article VIII makes any representations or warranties whatsoever with respect to the content of any information provided pursuant to this Article VIII .

Section 8.7 Production of Witnesses . At all times from and after the Distribution Date, upon reasonable request:

(a) Highlands shall use commercially reasonable efforts to make available, or cause to be made available, to any member of the InvenTrust Group, the directors, officers, employees and agents of any member of the Highlands Group as witnesses to the extent that the same may reasonably be required by the requesting Party (giving consideration to business demands of such directors, officers, employees and agents) in connection with any Action in which the requesting Party may from time to time be involved, except in the case of any Action in which any member of the Highlands Group is adverse to any member of the InvenTrust Group; and

(b) InvenTrust shall use commercially reasonable efforts to make available, or cause to be made available, to any member of the Highlands Group, the directors, officers, employees and agents of any member of the InvenTrust Group as witnesses to the extent that the same may reasonably be required by the requesting Party (giving consideration to business demands of such directors, officers, employees and agents) in connection with any Action in which the requesting Party may from time to time be involved, except in the case of any Action in which any member of the InvenTrust Group is adverse to any member of the Highlands Group.

(c) The requesting Party shall bear all out-of-pocket costs and expenses that the other Party incurs in connection with a request under this Section 8.7 .

Section 8.8 Confidentiality .

(a) Highlands (on behalf of itself and each other member of its Group) and InvenTrust (on behalf of itself and each other member of its Group) shall hold, and shall cause each of their respective Affiliates to hold, and each of the foregoing shall cause their respective directors, officers, employees, agents, consultants and advisors to hold, in strict confidence, and not to disclose or release or use, for any purpose other than as expressly permitted pursuant to this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements, any and all Confidential Information concerning any member of the other Group without the prior written consent of such member of the other Group; provided , that each Party and the members of its Group may disclose, or may permit disclosure of, such Confidential Information (i) to other members of their Group and their respective auditors, attorneys, financial advisors, bankers and other appropriate consultants and advisors who have a need to know such information for purposes of performing services for a member of such Group and who are informed of their obligation to hold such information confidential to the same extent as is applicable to the Parties and in respect of whose failure to comply with such obligations, such Party will be responsible, (ii) if it or any of its Affiliates are required or compelled to disclose any such Confidential Information by judicial or administrative process or by other requirements of

 

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Law or stock exchange rule, or (iii) as necessary in order to permit such Party to prepare and disclose its financial statements, or other disclosures required by Law or such applicable stock exchange. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that any demand or request for disclosure of Confidential Information is made pursuant to the foregoing clause (ii) above, the Party requested to disclose Confidential Information concerning a member of the other Group, shall (to the extent not prohibited by judicial or administrative process or by other requirements of Law or stock exchange rule) promptly notify such member of the other Group of the existence of such request or demand and, to the extent commercially practicable, shall provide such member of the other Group thirty (30) days (or such lesser period as is commercially practicable) to seek an appropriate protective order or other remedy, which the Parties will, at the expense of the requesting Party, cooperate in obtaining. In the event that such appropriate protective order or other remedy is not obtained, the Party that is required to disclose Confidential Information about a member of the Group shall furnish, or cause to be furnished, only that portion of the Confidential Information that is legally required to be disclosed and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that confidential treatment is accorded such information.

(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, the Parties shall be deemed to have satisfied their obligations hereunder with respect to Confidential Information of any member of the other Group if they exercise the same degree of care (but no less than a reasonable degree of care) as they exercise to preserve confidentiality for their own similar Confidential Information.

(c) Upon the written request of a Party or a member of its Group, the other Party shall take, and shall cause the applicable members of its Group to take, reasonable steps to promptly (i) deliver to the requesting Person all original copies of Confidential Information (whether written or electronic) concerning the requesting Person or any member of its Group that is in the possession of the other Party or any member of its Group and (ii) if specifically requested by the requesting Person, destroy any copies of such Confidential Information (including an extracts therefrom), unless such delivery or destruction would violate any Law; provided , that the other Party shall not be obligated to destroy Confidential Information that is required by or relates to the business of the other Party or any member of its Group. Upon the written request of the requesting Person, the other Party shall, or shall cause another member of its Group to cause, its duly authorized officers to certify in writing to the requesting Party that the requirements of the preceding sentence have been satisfied in full.

(d) Confidential Information does not include, and there shall be no obligation of a Party and members of its Group (collectively, the “ Disclosing Party ”) hereunder, with respect to information regarding the other Party or members of its Group (collectively, the “ Owning Party ”) that (i) is or becomes generally available to the public, other than as a result of a disclosure by the Disclosing Party, (ii) the Disclosing Party can demonstrate was or became available to the Disclosing Party from a source other than the Owning Party or its representatives, or (iii) is developed independently by the Disclosing Group without reference to the Confidential Information of the Owning Party; provided , however , that, in the case of clause (ii), the source of such information was not known by the Disclosing Party to be bound by a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement with, or other contractual, legal or fiduciary obligation of confidentiality to, the Owning Party with respect to such information.

Section 8.9 Privileged Matters .

 

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(a) Pre-Distribution Services . The Parties recognize that legal and other professional services that have been and will be provided prior to the Effective Time have been and will be rendered for the collective benefit of the Parties and their Affiliates, and that each of the Parties should be deemed to be the client with respect to such pre-Distribution services for the purposes of asserting all privileges that may be asserted under applicable Law.

(b) Post-Distribution Services . The Parties recognize that legal and other professional services will be provided following the Effective Time that will be rendered solely for the benefit of Highlands and its Affiliates or InvenTrust and its Affiliates, as the case may be. With respect to such post-Distribution services, the Parties agree as follows:

(i) InvenTrust shall be entitled, in perpetuity, to control the assertion or waiver of all privileges in connection with privileged information that relates solely to the InvenTrust Assets, whether or not the privileged information is in the possession of or under the control of InvenTrust or Highlands and regardless of when such privileged information was generated. InvenTrust shall also be entitled, in perpetuity, to control the assertion or waiver of all privileges in connection with privileged information that relates solely to the subject matter of any claims constituting InvenTrust Liabilities, now pending or which may be asserted in the future, in any lawsuits or other proceedings initiated by or against any member of the InvenTrust Group, whether or not the privileged information is in the possession of or under the control of InvenTrust or Highlands; and

(ii) Highlands shall be entitled, in perpetuity, to control the assertion or waiver of all privileges in connection with privileged information that relates solely to the Highlands Assets, whether or not the privileged information is in the possession of or under the control of InvenTrust or Highlands and regardless of when such privileged information was generated. Highlands shall also be entitled, in perpetuity, to control the assertion or waiver of all privileges in connection with privileged information that relates solely to the subject matter of any claims constituting Highlands Liabilities, now pending or which may be asserted in the future, in any lawsuits or other proceedings initiated by or against any member of the Highlands Group, whether or not the privileged information is in the possession of or under the control of InvenTrust or Highlands.

(c) The Parties agree that they shall have a shared privilege, with equal right to assert or waive, subject to the restrictions in this Section 8.9 , with respect to all privileges not allocated pursuant to the terms of Section 8.9(b) . Highlands may not waive, and shall cause each other member of the Highlands Group not to waive, any privilege that could be asserted by a member of the InvenTrust Group under any applicable Law, and in which a member of the InvenTrust Group has a shared privilege, without the consent of InvenTrust, which consent may be withheld in its sole discretion. InvenTrust may not waive, and shall cause each other member of the InvenTrust Group not to waive, any privilege that could be asserted by a member of the Highlands Group under any applicable Law, and in which a member of the Highlands Group has a shared privilege, without the consent of Highlands, which consent may be withheld in its sole discretion.

(d) In the event of any litigation or dispute between or among Highlands and InvenTrust, or any members of their respective Groups, the Parties may waive a privilege in which a member of the other Group has a shared privilege, without obtaining the consent

 

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from any other Party; provided , that such waiver of a shared privilege shall be effective only as to the use of information with respect to the litigation or dispute between the relevant Parties and/or the applicable members of their respective Groups, and shall not operate as a waiver of the shared privilege with respect to third parties. All filings containing such information shall be filed under seal, and the Parties shall cooperate in preventing such information from being disclosed outside of the litigation or dispute, including moving for the entry of a confidentiality or protective order covering such information.

(e) The access to information being granted pursuant to Section 8.1 , the agreement to provide witnesses and individuals pursuant to Section 8.7 , the agreement to provide litigation support provided in Section 8.11 and the transfer of privileged information between and among the Parties and the members of their respective Groups pursuant to this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver of any privilege that has been or may be asserted under this Agreement, any of the Ancillary Agreements or otherwise.

Section 8.10 Financial Information Certifications . The Parties agree to cooperate with each other in such manner as is necessary to enable the principal executive officer or officers, principal financial officer or officers and controller or controllers of each of the Parties to make the certifications required of them under Sections 302, 404 and 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Section 8.11 Cooperation and Litigation Support . Without limiting the generality of, and subject to the limitations set forth in, the other provisions of this Article VIII , in the event and for so long as any member of a Group is contesting or defending against or participating in any Action in connection with (i) any of the Transactions or (ii) any fact, situation, circumstance, status, condition, activity, practice, plan, occurrence, event, incident, payment, action, failure to act, or transaction, occurring prior to the Effective Time, involving any member of a Group, each of the other Parties shall and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the directors, officers, employees, agents and other Affiliates of any member of such Party’s Group to, cooperate with the Party or member of such Party’s Group that is involved in the Action.

Section 8.12 Tax Contests . For the avoidance of doubt, to the extent there is any conflict between the provisions of this Article VIII and the provisions of Section 7.2(f) , the provisions of Section 7.2(f) shall control with respect to Tax Contests.

ARTICLE IX.

MUTUAL RELEASES; INDEMNIFICATION

Section 9.1 Release of Pre-Distribution Claims .

(a) Except as provided in Section 9.1(c) , effective as of the Effective Time, Highlands does hereby, for itself and each other member of the Highlands Group, release and forever discharge each InvenTrust Indemnitee, from any and all Liabilities whatsoever to any member of the Highlands Group, whether at law or in equity (including any right of contribution), whether arising under any Contract, by operation of Law or otherwise, existing or arising from any acts or events occurring or failing to occur or alleged to have occurred or to have failed to occur or any conditions existing or alleged to have existed at or before the Effective Time, including in connection with the Transactions.

 

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(b) Except as provided in Section 9.1(c) , effective as of the Effective Time, InvenTrust does hereby, for itself and each other member of the InvenTrust Group, release and forever discharge each Highlands Indemnitee from any and all Liabilities whatsoever to any member of the InvenTrust Group, whether at law or in equity (including any right of contribution), whether arising under any Contract, by operation of Law or otherwise, existing or arising from any acts or events occurring or failing to occur or alleged to have occurred or to have failed to occur or any conditions existing or alleged to have existed at or before the Effective Time, including in connection with the Transactions.

(c) Nothing contained in Section 9.1(a) or Section 9.1(b) shall impair any right of any Person to enforce this Agreement, any Ancillary Agreement or any agreements, arrangements, commitments or understandings that are specified in, or contemplated to continue pursuant to, this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, nothing contained in Section 9.1(a) or Section 9.1(b) shall release any Person from:

(i) any Liability, contingent or otherwise, assumed by, or allocated to, such Person in accordance with this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement;

(ii) any Liability that such Person may have with respect to indemnification or contribution pursuant to this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement for claims brought by third parties, which Liability shall be governed by the provisions of this Article IX and, if applicable, the appropriate provisions of the Ancillary Agreements; or

(iii) any Liability the release of which would result in the release of any Person other than an Indemnitee; provided , that the Parties agree not to bring suit, or permit any other member of their respective Group to bring suit, against any Indemnitee with respect to such Liability.

(d) Highlands shall not make, and shall not permit any other member of the Highlands Group to make, any claim or demand, or commence any Action asserting any claim or demand, including any claim of contribution or indemnification, against any InvenTrust Indemnitee with respect to any Liabilities released pursuant to Section 9.1(a) . InvenTrust shall not make, and shall not permit any member of the InvenTrust Group to make, any claim or demand, or commence any Action asserting any claim or demand, including any claim of contribution or any indemnification, against any Highlands Indemnitee with respect to any Liabilities released pursuant to Section 9.1(b) .

Section 9.2 Indemnification by Highlands . Except as provided in Section 9.4, Section 9.5 or Section 9.6 , Highlands shall, and, in the case of Section 9.2(a) , Section 9.2(b) or Section 9.2(c) , shall in addition (and without limitation to Highlands’ obligations to provide the indemnities described in Section 9.2(a) , Section 9.2(b) or Section 9.2(c) ) cause each Appropriate Member of the Highlands Group to, indemnify, defend and hold harmless the InvenTrust Indemnitees from and against any and all Losses of the InvenTrust Indemnitees relating to, arising out of or resulting from any of the following (without duplication):

(a) any Highlands Liability, including the failure of any member of the Highlands Group or any other Person to pay, perform or otherwise promptly discharge any Highlands Liabilities in accordance with their respective terms, whether prior to, at or after the Effective Time;

 

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(b) any breach by any member of the Highlands Group of any provision of this Agreement or of any of the Ancillary Agreements, subject to any limitations of liability provisions and other provisions applicable to any such breach set forth therein;

(c) the Transactions (except to the extent relating to, arising out of or resulting from an InvenTrust Statement); and

(d) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, with respect to all information contained in the Registration Statement or the Information Statement other the InvenTrust Statements;

in each case, regardless of when or where the loss, claim, accident, occurrence, event or happening giving rise to the Loss took place, or whether any such loss, claim, accident, occurrence, event or happening is known or unknown, or reported or unreported and regardless of whether such loss, claim, accident, occurrence, event or happening giving rise to the Loss existed prior to, on or after the Distribution Date or relates to, arises out of or results from actions, inactions, events, omissions, conditions, facts or circumstances occurring or existing prior to, on or after the Distribution Date. As used in this Section 9.2 Appropriate Member of the Highlands Group ” means the member or members of the Highlands Group, if any, whose acts, conduct or omissions or failures to act are related to, gave rise to or resulted in the Loss from and against which indemnity is provided.

Section 9.3 Indemnification by InvenTrust . Except as provided in Section 9.4, Section 9.5 or Section 9.6 , InvenTrust shall, and, in the case of Section 9.3(a) or Section 9.3(b) , shall in addition (and without limitation to InvenTrust’s obligations to provide the indemnities described in Section 9.3(a) or Section 9.3(b) ), cause each Appropriate Member of the InvenTrust Group to, indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Highlands Indemnitees from and against any and all Losses of the Highlands Indemnitees relating to, arising out of or resulting from any of the following (without duplication):

(a) any InvenTrust Liability, including the failure of any member of the InvenTrust Group or any other Person to pay, perform or otherwise promptly discharge any InvenTrust Liabilities in accordance with their respective terms, whether prior to, at or after the Effective Time;

(b) any breach by any member of the InvenTrust Group of any provision of this Agreement or of any of the Ancillary Agreements, subject to any limitations of liability provisions and other provisions applicable to any such breach set forth therein; and

(c) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, solely with respect to information contained in the Registration Statement or the Information Statement that is included on Schedule 9.3(c) (each, an “ InvenTrust Statement ”);

in each case, regardless of when or where the loss, claim, accident, occurrence, event or happening giving rise to the Loss took place, or whether any such loss, claim, accident,

 

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occurrence, event or happening is known or unknown, or reported or unreported and regardless of whether such loss, claim, accident, occurrence, event or happening giving rise to the Loss existed prior to, on or after the Distribution Date or relates to, arises out of or results from actions, inactions, events, omissions, conditions, facts or circumstances occurring or existing prior to, on or after the Distribution Date. As used in this Section 9.3 . “ Appropriate Member of the InvenTrust Group ” means the member or members of the InvenTrust Group, if any, whose acts, conduct or omissions or failures to act are related to, gave rise to or resulted in the Loss from and against which indemnity is provided.

Section 9.4 Procedures for Indemnification .

(a) An Indemnitee shall give notice of any matter that such Indemnitee has determined has given or would reasonably be expected to give rise to a right of indemnification under this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement (other than a Third-Party Claim which shall be governed by Section 9.4(b) ) to any Party that is or may be required pursuant to this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement to make such indemnification (the “ Indemnifying Party ”) promptly (and in any event within fifteen (15) days) after making such a determination. Such notice shall state the amount of the Loss claimed, if known, and method of computation thereof, a reasonably detailed description of the claim, and contain a reference to the provisions of this Agreement or the applicable Ancillary Agreement in respect of which such right of indemnification is claimed by such Indemnitee; provided , however , that the failure to provide such notice shall not release the Indemnifying Party from any of its obligations except and solely to the extent the Indemnifying Party shall have been materially prejudiced as a result of such failure. Such Indemnifying Party shall have a period of thirty (30) days after the receipt of such notice within which to respond thereto. If such Indemnifying Party does not respond within such thirty (30)-day period, such specified claim shall be conclusively deemed a Liability of the Indemnifying Party under this Section 9.4(a) or, in the case of any written notice in which the amount of the claim (or any portion thereof) is estimated, on such later date when the amount of the claim (or such portion thereof) becomes finally determined. If such Indemnifying Party does not respond within such thirty (30)-day period or rejects such claim in whole or in part, such Indemnitee shall, subject to the provisions of Article X , be free to pursue such remedies as may be available to such party as contemplated by this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements, as applicable, without prejudice to its continuing rights to pursue indemnification or contribution hereunder.

(b) If a claim or demand is made against an Indemnitee by any Person who is not a Party to this Agreement or an Affiliate of a Party (a “ Third-Party Claim ”) as to which such Indemnitee is or reasonably expects to be entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Agreement, such Indemnitee shall provide written notice to the Indemnifying Party promptly, (and in any event within thirty (30) days) after receipt by such Indemnitee of written notice of the Third-Party Claim, which notice shall include reasonable detail and, at a minimum, a copy of the Third Party Claim and a reference to the provisions of this Agreement or the applicable Ancillary Agreement in respect of which such right of indemnification is claimed by such Indemnitee; provided , however , that the failure to provide notice of any such Third-Party Claim pursuant to this sentence shall not release the Indemnifying Party from any of its obligations except and solely to the extent the Indemnifying Party shall have been materially prejudiced as a result of such failure (except that the Indemnifying Party or Parties shall not be liable for any expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in defending such Third-Party Claim during the period in which the Indemnitee failed to give such notice). Thereafter, the Indemnitee shall deliver to the Indemnifying Party, promptly (and in any event within ten (10) days) after the Indemnitee’s receipt thereof, copies of all notices and documents (including court papers) received by the Indemnitee relating to the Third-Party Claim.

 

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(c) Subject to Sections 9.4(d ) and 9.4(e) , an Indemnifying Party shall be entitled (but shall not be required) to assume, control the defense of, and settle any Third-Party Claim, at such Indemnifying Party’s own cost and expense and by such Indemnifying Party’s own counsel if it gives written notice of its intention to do so (including a statement that the Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification under this Article IX ) to the applicable Indemnitees within thirty (30) days of the receipt of notice from such Indemnitees of the Third-Party Claim (failure of the Indemnifying Party to respond within such thirty (30) day period shall be deemed to be an election by the Indemnifying Party not to assume, control the defense of, or have the right to settle such Third-Party Claim). After a notice from an Indemnifying Party to an Indemnitee of its election to assume and control the defense of a Third-Party Claim, such Indemnitee shall have the right to employ separate counsel and to participate in (but not control) the defense at its own expense and, in any event, shall reasonably cooperate with the Indemnifying Party in such defense and make available to the Indemnifying Party all witnesses and information in such Indemnitee’s possession or under such Indemnitee’s control relating thereto as are reasonably required by the Indemnifying Party; provided , however , that such access shall not require the Indemnitee to disclose any information the disclosure of which would, in the good faith judgment of the Indemnitee, result in the loss of any existing privilege with respect to such information or violate any applicable Law.

(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 9.4 , in the event that (i) an Indemnifying Party elects not to assume the defense of a Third-Party Claim, (ii) there exists a conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest between the Indemnifying Party and the Indemnitee, (iii) any Third-Party Claim seeks an order, injunction or other equitable relief or relief for other than money damages against the Indemnitee, (iv) the Indemnitee’s exposure to Liability in connection with such Third-Party Claim is reasonably expected to exceed the Indemnifying Party’s exposure in respect of such Third-Party Claim taking into account the indemnification obligations hereunder, (v) an Indemnifying Party’s stockholders’ equity, as reported on any annual audited balance sheet or unaudited quarterly balance sheet after the Effective Time is less than $100 million; (vi) the Indemnitee is a current or former individual director or officer of InvenTrust or Highlands or (vii) the Person making such Third-Party Claim is a Governmental Authority with regulatory authority over the Indemnitee or any of its material Assets, then the Indemnitee shall be entitled to assume, control the defense of, and subject to Section 9.4(e) , settle such Third-Party Claim, at the Indemnifying Party’s expense, with counsel of such Indemnitee’s choosing. If the Indemnitee is conducting the defense against any such Third-Party Claim, the Indemnifying Party shall reasonably cooperate with the Indemnitee in such defense and make available to the Indemnitee all witnesses and information in such Indemnifying Party’s possession or under such Indemnifying Party’s control relating thereto as are reasonably required by the Indemnitee; provided , however , that such access shall not require the Indemnifying Party to disclose any information the disclosure of which would, in the good faith judgment of the Indemnifying Party, result in the loss of any existing privilege with respect to such information or violate any applicable Law.

(e) In the case of any Third Party Claim subject to indemnification by an Indemnifying Party, the Indemnitee or Indemnifying Party that is controlling the defense shall have the right to consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement or compromise of the Third-Party Claim, subject to the consent of the Indemnifying Party

 

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(where the Indemnitee is controlling the defense) or Indemnitee (where the Indemnifying Party is controlling the defense), which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.

(f) [Reserved]

(g) Absent fraud or intentional misconduct by an Indemnifying Party, the indemnification provisions of this Article IX shall be the sole and exclusive remedy of an Indemnitee for any monetary or compensatory damages or Losses resulting from any breach of this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement, and each Indemnitee expressly waives and relinquishes any and all rights, claims or remedies such Person may have with respect to the foregoing other than under this Article IX against any Indemnifying Party.

(h) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the amount of any indemnification payments due under this Agreement to a Protected REIT shall not exceed an amount equal to the maximum amount that can be paid to the Indemnitee in such year without causing the Protected REIT to fail to meet the REIT Requirements for any tax year, determined as if such indemnification payment was Nonqualifying Income as determined by the REIT tax counsel or independent accountants to the Protected REIT. If the amount payable for any tax year under the preceding sentence is less than the amount that the relevant Indemnifying Party would otherwise be obligated to pay to the relevant Indemnitee pursuant to this Agreement (the “ Expense Amount ”), then: (1) the Indemnifying Party shall place the Expense Amount into an escrow account (the “ Escrow Account ”) using an escrow agent and agreement reasonably acceptable to the Indemnitee and shall not release any portion thereof to the Indemnitee, and (2) the Indemnitee shall not be entitled to any such amount, unless and until the Indemnitee delivers to the Indemnifying Party, at the sole option of the relevant Protected REIT, (i) an opinion of the Protected REIT’s REIT tax counsel to the effect that such amount, if and to the extent paid, would not constitute Nonqualifying Income, (ii) a letter from the Protected REIT’s independent accountants indicating the maximum amount that can be paid at that time to the Indemnitee without causing the Protected REIT to fail to meet the REIT Requirements for any relevant taxable year (in which case, the Indemnitee shall be entitled to receive from the Escrow Account an amount not in excess of such maximum amount), or (iii) a private letter ruling issued by the IRS to the Protected REIT indicating that the receipt of any Expense Amount hereunder will not cause the Protected REIT to fail to satisfy the REIT Requirements.

(i) For the avoidance of doubt, to the extent there is any conflict between the provisions of this Section 9.4 and the provisions of Section 7.2(f) , the provisions of Section 7.2(f) shall control with respect to Tax Contests.

Section 9.5 Indemnification Obligations Net of Insurance Proceeds . The Parties intend that any Loss subject to indemnification or reimbursement pursuant to this Article IX (an “ Indemnifiable Loss ”) will be net of Insurance Proceeds that actually reduce the amount of the Loss. Accordingly, the amount which an Indemnifying Party is required to pay to any Indemnitee will be reduced by any Insurance Proceeds actually recovered by or on behalf of the Indemnitee in reduction of the related Loss. If an Indemnitee receives a payment (an “ Indemnity Payment ”) required by this Agreement from an Indemnifying Party in respect of any Loss and subsequently receives Insurance Proceeds, the Indemnitee will pay to the Indemnifying Party an amount equal to the excess of the Indemnity Payments received over the amount of the Indemnity Payments that would have been due if the Insurance Proceeds recovery had been received, realized or recovered before the Indemnity Payments were made.

 

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The Indemnitee shall use and cause its Affiliates to use commercially reasonable efforts to recover any Insurance Proceeds to which the Indemnitee is entitled with respect to any Indemnifiable Loss. The existence of a claim by an Indemnitee for insurance or against a third party in respect of any Indemnifiable Loss shall not, however, delay any payment pursuant to the indemnification provisions contained in this Article IX and otherwise determined to be due and owing by an Indemnifying Party; rather, the Indemnifying Party shall make payment in full of such amount so determined to be due and owing by it against a concurrent written assignment by the Indemnitee to the Indemnifying Party of the portion of the claim of the Indemnitee for such insurance or against such third party equal to the amount of such payment. The Indemnitee shall use and cause its Affiliates to use commercially reasonable efforts to assist the Indemnifying Party in recovering or to recover on behalf of the Indemnifying Party, any Insurance Proceeds to which the Indemnifying Party is entitled with respect to any Indemnifiable Loss as a result of such assignment. The Indemnitee shall make available to the Indemnifying Party and its counsel all employees, books and records, communications, documents, items or matters within its knowledge, possession or control that are necessary, appropriate or reasonably deemed relevant by the Indemnifying Party with respect to the recovery of such Insurance Proceeds; provided , however , that nothing in this sentence shall be deemed to require a Party to make available books and records, communications, documents or items which (i) in such Party’s good faith judgment could result in a waiver of any privilege even if the Parties cooperated to protect such privilege as contemplated by this Agreement or (ii) such Party is not permitted to make available because of any Law or any confidentiality obligation to a third party, in which case such Party shall use commercially reasonable efforts to seek a waiver of or other relief from such confidentiality restriction. Unless the Indemnifying Party has made payment in full of any Indemnifiable Loss, such Indemnifying Party shall use and cause its Affiliates to use commercially reasonable efforts to recover any Insurance Proceeds to which it or such Affiliate is entitled with respect to any Indemnifiable Loss.

Section 9.6 Indemnification Obligations Net of Taxes . The Parties intend that any Indemnifiable Loss will be net of Taxes. Accordingly, the amount which an Indemnifying Party is required to pay to an Indemnitee will be adjusted to reflect any tax benefit to the Indemnitee from the underlying Loss and to reflect any Taxes imposed upon the Indemnitee (or its shareholders, if the Indemnitee is a REIT) as a result of the receipt of such payment. Such an adjustment will first be made at the time that the Indemnity Payment is made and will further be made, as appropriate, to take into account any change in the liability of the Indemnitee (or its shareholders, if the Indemnitee is a REIT) for Taxes that occurs in connection with the final resolution of an audit by a Taxing Authority.

Section 9.7 Contribution . If the indemnification provided for in this Article IX is unavailable to an Indemnitee in respect of any Indemnifiable Loss, then the Indemnifying Party, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnitee, shall contribute to the Losses paid or payable by such Indemnitee as a result of such Indemnifiable Loss in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of Highlands and each other member of the Highlands Group, on the one hand, and InvenTrust and each other member of the InvenTrust Group, on the other hand, in connection with the circumstances which resulted in such Indemnifiable Loss.

Section 9.8 Remedies Cumulative . The remedies provided in this Article IX shall be cumulative and, subject to the provisions of Article X , shall not preclude assertion by any Indemnitee of any other rights or the seeking of any and all other remedies against any Indemnifying Party.

 

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Section 9.9 Survival of Indemnities . The rights and obligations of each of the Parties and their respective Indemnitees under this Article IX shall survive the Distribution Date indefinitely, unless a specific survival or other applicable period is expressly set forth herein, and shall survive the sale or other transfer by any Party or any of its Subsidiaries of any Assets or businesses or the assignment by it of any Liabilities.

Section 9.10 Timing of Payments . Indemnification or contribution payments in respect of any Liabilities for which an Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification or contribution under this Article IX shall be paid reasonably promptly (but in any event within thirty (30) days of the final determination of the amount that the Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification or contribution under this Article IX ) by the Indemnifying Party to the Indemnitee as such Liabilities are incurred upon demand by the Indemnitee, including reasonably satisfactory documentation setting forth the basis for the amount of such indemnification or contribution payment, including documentation with respect to calculations made and consideration of any Insurance Proceeds that actually reduce the amount of such Liabilities. The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Article IX shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Indemnitee, and (ii) the knowledge by the Indemnitee of Liabilities for which it might be entitled to indemnification hereunder.

Section 9.11 Pursuit of Claims Against Third Parties . If (i) an Indemnifying Party incurs any Liability arising out of this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement; (ii) an adequate legal or equitable remedy is not available for any reason in favor of the Indemnifying Party against the third party to satisfy the Liability incurred by the Indemnifying Party; and (iii) a legal or equitable remedy may be available to the Indemnitee against the third party for such Liability, then the Indemnitee shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cooperate with the Indemnifying Party, at the Indemnifying Party’s expense, to permit the Indemnifying Party to obtain the benefits of such legal or equitable remedy against the third party.

Section 9.12 Subrogation . In the event of payment by or on behalf of any Indemnifying Party to any Indemnitee in connection with any Third-Party Claim, such Indemnifying Party shall be subrogated to and shall stand in the place of such Indemnitee as to any events or circumstances in respect of which such Indemnitee may have any right, defense or claim relating to such Third-Party Claim against any claimant or plaintiff asserting such Third-Party Claim or against any other Person. Such Indemnitee shall cooperate with such Indemnifying Party in a reasonable manner, and at the cost and expense of such Indemnifying Party, in prosecuting any subrogated right, defense or claim.

Section 9.13 Limitation of Liability . EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT SPECIFICALLY PROVIDED IN ANY ANCILLARY AGREEMENT, IN NO EVENT SHALL EITHER PARTY BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER PARTY FOR ANY EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, REMOTE OR SPECULATIVE DAMAGES (INCLUDING IN RESPECT OF LOST PROFITS OR REVENUES), HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF ANY PROVISION OF THIS AGREEMENT, WHETHER OR NOT SUCH PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

 

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Section 9.14 Attorney Representation . InvenTrust, on behalf of itself and the other members of the InvenTrust Group, hereby waives any conflict of interest with respect to any attorney who is or becomes an employee of Highlands resulting from such person being an employee of InvenTrust or any of its Subsidiaries (including members of the Highlands Group) at any time prior to the Distribution and agrees to allow such attorney to represent members of the Highlands Group in any transaction or dispute with respect to this Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements, the Transactions and transactions between the Parties which commence following the Distribution Date. Highlands, on behalf of itself and the other members of the Highlands Group, hereby waives any conflict of interest with respect to any attorney who is or becomes an employee of InvenTrust resulting from such person being an employee of Highlands or any of its Subsidiaries (including any member of the InvenTrust Group) at any time prior to the Distribution and agrees to allow such attorney to represent members of the InvenTrust Group in any transaction or dispute with respect to this Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements and the Transactions and transactions between the Parties which commence following the Distribution Date. In furtherance of the foregoing, each member of the InvenTrust Group and each member of the Highlands Group will, upon request, execute and deliver a specific waiver as may be required in connection with a particular transaction or dispute under the applicable rules of professional conduct in order to effectuate the general waiver set forth above.

ARTICLE X.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Section 10.1 Appointed Representative . Each Party shall appoint a representative who shall be responsible for administering the dispute resolution provisions in Section 10.2 (each, an “ Appointed Representative ”). Each Appointed Representative shall have the authority to resolve any Agreement Disputes on behalf of the Party appointing such representative.

Section 10.2 Negotiation and Dispute Resolution .

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement or in any Ancillary Agreement, in the event of a controversy, dispute or claim arising out of, in connection with, or in relation to the interpretation, performance, nonperformance, validity, termination or breach of this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement or otherwise arising out of, or in any way related to this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby (each, an “ Agreement Dispute ”), the Appointed Representatives shall negotiate in good faith for thirty (30) days to settle any such Agreement Dispute.

(b) Nothing said or disclosed, nor any document produced, in the course of any negotiations, conferences and discussions in connection with efforts to settle an Agreement Dispute that is not otherwise independently discoverable shall be offered or received as evidence or used for impeachment or for any other purpose, but shall be considered as to have been disclosed for settlement purposes.

(c) If a satisfactory resolution of any Agreement Dispute is not achieved by the Appointed Representatives within thirty (30) days, each Party will be entitled to refer the dispute to arbitration in accordance with Section 10.3 .

 

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Section 10.3 Arbitration .

(a) Any Agreement Dispute shall be exclusively and finally settled by arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“ AAA ”). Any Party (a “ Requesting Party ”) may initiate arbitration by notice to the other affected Party or Parties (a “ Recipient Party ”) (a “ Request for Arbitration ”). The arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with AAA rules governing commercial arbitration in effect at the time of the arbitration, except as they may be modified by the provisions of this Agreement. The place of the arbitration shall be Chicago, Illinois. The arbitration shall be conducted by a single arbitrator appointed by the Recipient Party from a list of at least five (5) individuals who are independent and qualified to serve as an arbitrator submitted by the Requesting Party to the Recipient Party within fifteen (15) days after delivery of the Request for Arbitration. In the event the Requesting Party fails to send a list of at least five (5) qualified individuals to serve as arbitrator to the Recipient Party within such fifteen-day period, then the Recipient Party shall appoint such arbitrator within twenty-five (25) days from the Request for Arbitration. In the event the Recipient Party fails to appoint a person to serve as arbitrator from the list of at least five (5) qualified individuals within ten (10) days after its receipt of such list from the Requesting Party, the Requesting Party shall appoint one of the individuals from such list to serve as arbitrator within five (5) days after the expiration of such ten (10) day period. Any individual will be qualified to serve as an arbitrator if he or she shall be an individual who has no material business relationship, directly or indirectly, with either of the Parties and who has at least fifteen (15) years of experience in the practice of law with experience in corporate or commercial transactions. The arbitration shall commence within thirty (30) days after the appointment of the arbitrator; the arbitration shall be completed within sixty (60) days of commencement; and the arbitrator’s award shall be made within thirty (30) days following such completion. The Parties may agree to extend the time limits specified in the foregoing sentence. The Parties intend that all Agreement Disputes, including those relating to indemnification obligations with respect to Third-Party Claims, will be determined expeditiously in accordance with the schedule set forth above. In the event that more than one Request for Arbitration is filed with the AAA relating to the same dispute, the arbitrator selected pursuant to the first made Request for Arbitration filed with the AAA shall decide all related demands for arbitration made by any and all Parties.

(b) The arbitrator will apply the substantive law (and the law of remedies, if applicable) of the State of Maryland without giving effect to the principles of conflicts of law, and will be without power to apply any different substantive law. The arbitrator will render an award and a written opinion in support thereof. Such award shall include the costs related to the arbitration and reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses to the prevailing Party or Parties. The arbitrator also has the authority to grant provisional remedies, including injunctive relief, and to award specific performance. The arbitrator may entertain a motion to dismiss and/or a motion for summary judgment by any Party, applying the standards governing such motions under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and may rule upon any claim or counterclaim, or any portion thereof (a “ Claim ”), without holding an evidentiary hearing, if, after affording the Parties an opportunity to present written submissions and documentary evidence, the arbitrator concludes that there is no material issue of fact and that the Claim may be determined as a matter of law. The Parties waive, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any rights to appeal, or to review of, any arbitrator’s award by any court. The arbitrator’s award shall be final and binding, and judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

 

39


(c) The Parties agree to maintain confidentiality as to all aspects of the arbitration, except as may be required by applicable law, regulations or court order, or to maintain or satisfy any suitability requirements for any license by any state, federal or other regulatory authority or body, including professional societies and organizations; provided that nothing herein shall prevent a Party from disclosing information regarding the arbitration for purposes of enforcing the award. The Parties further agree to obtain the arbitrator’s agreement to preserve the confidentiality of the arbitration.

Section 10.4 Continuity of Service and Performance . Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the Parties will continue to provide service and honor all other commitments under this Agreement during the course of dispute resolution pursuant to the provisions of this Article X with respect to all matters not subject to such dispute, controversy or claim to the extent such Party is obligated to do so pursuant to this Agreement.

Section 10.5 Waiver of Jury Trial . EACH PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND ABSOLUTELY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING BROUGHT BY A PARTY TO COMPEL THE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEDURES PROVIDED IN THIS ARTICLE X AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF ANY AWARDS OR DECISION OBTAINED FROM SUCH ARBITRATION PROCEEDING, AND AGREES TO TAKE ANY AND ALL ACTION NECESSARY OR APPROPRIATE TO EFFECT SUCH WAIVER.

ARTICLE XI.

TERMINATION

Section 11.1 Termination . Upon written notice, this Agreement and each of the Ancillary Agreements may be terminated at any time prior to the Effective Time by and in the sole discretion of InvenTrust without the approval of any other Party.

Section 11.2 Effect of Termination . In the event of termination pursuant to Section 11.1 , neither Party shall have any Liability of any kind to the other Party.

ARTICLE XII.

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 12.1 Further Assurances . Subject to the limitations or other provisions of this Agreement, including the right of InvenTrust to terminate this Agreement at any time prior to the Effective Time as set forth Section 11.1 , (a) each Party shall, and shall cause the other members of its Group to, use commercially reasonable efforts (subject to, and in accordance with applicable Law) to take promptly, or cause to be taken promptly, all actions, and to do promptly, or cause to be done promptly, and to assist and cooperate with the other Party in doing, all things reasonably necessary, proper or advisable to consummate and make effective the Transactions and to carry out the intent and purposes of this Agreement, including using commercially reasonable efforts to obtain satisfaction of the conditions precedent in Article V within its reasonable control and to perform all covenants and agreements herein applicable to such Party or any member of its Group and (b) neither Party will, nor will either Party allow any other member of its Group to, without the prior written consent of the other Party, take any action which would reasonably be expected to prevent or materially impede, interfere with or delay any of the Transactions. Without limiting the

 

40


generality of the foregoing, where the cooperation of third parties, such as insurers, would be necessary in order for a Party to completely fulfill its obligations under this Agreement, such Party shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such third parties to provide such cooperation.

Section 12.2 Payment of Expenses . Except as provided in Section 7.1(j) , InvenTrust shall be responsible for paying all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the Transactions whether incurred and payable prior to, on or after the Distribution Date, including legal and accounting advisory fees.

Section 12.3 Amendments and Waivers .

(a) Subject to Section 11.1 , this Agreement may not be amended except by an agreement in writing signed by both Parties.

(b) Any term or provision of this Agreement may be waived, or the time for its performance may be extended, by the Party or the Parties entitled to the benefit thereof. Any such waiver shall be validly and sufficiently given for the purposes of this Agreement if, as to any Party, it is executed by a writing signed by an authorized representative of such Party. Waiver by any Party of any default by the other Party of any provision of this Agreement shall not be construed to be a waiver by the waiving Party of any subsequent or other default, nor shall it in any way affect the validity of this Agreement or prejudice the rights of the other Party, thereafter, to enforce each and every such provision. No failure or delay by any Party in exercising any right, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof, or the exercise of any other right, power or privilege. The rights and remedies hereunder are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights or remedies that either Party would otherwise have.

Section 12.4 Entire Agreement . This Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements and the Exhibits and Schedules referenced herein and therein and attached hereto or thereto, constitute the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersede all previous agreements, negotiations, discussions, understandings, writings, commitments and conversations between the Parties with respect to such subject matter. No agreements or understandings exist between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof other than those set forth or referred to herein.

Section 12.5 Survival of Agreements . Except as otherwise expressly contemplated by this Agreement, all covenants and agreements of the Parties contained in this Agreement shall survive the Effective Time and remain in full force and effect in accordance with their applicable terms.

Section 12.6 Third Party Beneficiaries . Except (a) as provided in Article IX relating to Indemnitees and for the release of any Person provided under Section 9.1 and (b) as provided in Section 7.1 relating to insured persons, this Agreement is for the sole benefit of the Parties and their successors and assigns, and nothing herein, express or implied, is intended to or shall confer upon any other Person or entity any legal or equitable right, benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever, under or by reason of this Agreement.

Section 12.7 Notices . All notices, demands and other communications required to be given to a Party hereunder shall be in writing and shall be personally delivered, sent by a

 

41


nationally recognized overnight courier, or mailed by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested) to such Party at the relevant street address set forth below (or at such other street address as such Party may designate from time to time by written notice in accordance with this provision):

 

  (a) If to InvenTrust:

InvenTrust Properties Corp.

2809 Butterfield Road

Oak Brook, Illinois 60523

Attention: Secretary and General Counsel

 

  (b) If to Highlands:

Highlands REIT, Inc.

332 S. Michigan Avenue

Ninth Floor

Chicago, Illinois 60604

Attention: President and CEO

Notice by courier or certified or registered mail shall be effective on the date it is officially recorded as delivered to the intended recipient by return receipt or similar acknowledgment. All notices and communications delivered in person shall be deemed to have been delivered to and received by the addressee, and shall be effective, on the date of personal delivery.

Section 12.8 Counterparts; Electronic Delivery . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which, when so executed and delivered or transmitted by facsimile, e-mail or other electronic means, shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which taken together shall constitute but one and the same instrument. Execution and delivery of this Agreement or any other documents pursuant to this Agreement by facsimile or other electronic means shall be deemed to be, and shall have the same legal effect as, execution by an original signature and delivery in person.

Section 12.9 Severability . If any term or other provision of this Agreement or the Exhibits and Schedules attached hereto or thereto is determined by a nonappealable decision by a court, administrative agency or arbitrator to be invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the Transactions is not affected in any manner materially adverse to either Party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the court, administrative agency or arbitrator shall interpret this Agreement so as to affect the original intent of the Parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner to the end that the Transactions are fulfilled to the fullest extent possible. If any sentence in this Agreement is so broad as to be unenforceable, the provision shall be interpreted to be only as broad as is enforceable.

Section 12.10 Assignability; Binding Effect . This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties and their successors and permitted assigns; provided , however , that the rights and obligations of each Party under this Agreement shall not be assignable, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, whether by operation of law or

 

42


otherwise, by such Party without the prior written consent of the other Party and any attempt to assign any rights or obligations under this Agreement without such consent shall be null and void. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no consent shall be required for the assignment of a Party’s rights and obligations under this Agreement in whole in connection with a change of control of a Party so long as the resulting, surviving or transferee Person assumes all of the obligations of the relevant Party thereto by operation of Law or pursuant to an agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the other Party.

Section 12.11 Governing Law; Disputes . This Agreement, and the legal relations between the Parties hereto, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland, without regard to the conflict of laws rules thereof, to the extent such rules would require the application of the law of another jurisdiction. Except as provided in and subject to Article X , each Party (a) irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that it will not commence any action, litigation or proceeding of any kind whatsoever against any other Party in any way arising from or relating to an Agreement Dispute, in any forum other than the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, or, if that Court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division, and any appellate court from any thereof, (b) irrevocably and unconditionally submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts and (c) waives and agrees not to assert any defense challenging the personal jurisdiction of such courts, the venue of such courts, or the convenience of such forum.

Section 12.12 Force Majeure . Neither Party (nor any Person acting on its behalf) shall have any liability or responsibility for failure to fulfill any obligation (other than a payment obligation) under this Agreement so long as, and to the extent to which, the fulfillment of such obligation is prevented, frustrated, hindered or delayed as a consequence of circumstances of Force Majeure; provided that such Party (or such Person) shall have exercised commercially reasonable efforts to minimize the effect of Force Majeure on its obligations. In the event of an occurrence of a Force Majeure, the Party whose performance is affected thereby shall give notice of suspension as soon as reasonably practicable to the other stating the date and extent of such suspension and the cause thereof, and such Party shall resume the performance of such obligations as soon as reasonably practicable after the removal of such cause. For purposes of this Agreement “ Force Majeure ” means with respect to a Party, an event beyond the control of such Party (or any Person acting on its behalf), which by its nature could not have been reasonably foreseen by such Party (or such Person), or, if it could have been reasonably foreseen, was unavoidable, and includes acts of God, storms, floods, riots, fires, sabotage, civil commotion or civil unrest, interference by civil or military authorities, acts of war (declared or undeclared) or armed hostilities or other national or international calamity or one or more acts of terrorism or failure of energy sources or distribution facilities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the receipt by a Party of an unsolicited takeover offer or other acquisition proposal, even if unforeseen or unavoidable, and such Party’s response thereto shall not be deemed an event of Force Majeure.

Section 12.13 Construction . This Agreement shall be construed as if jointly drafted by the Parties and no rule of construction strict interpretation shall be applied against either Party. The Parties represent that this Agreement is entered into with full consideration of any and all rights which the Parties may have. The Parties have conducted such investigations they thought appropriate, and have consulted with such advisors as they deemed appropriate regarding this Agreement and their rights and asserted rights in connection therewith. The Parties are not relying upon any representations or statements made by the other Party, or

 

43


such other Party’s employees, agents, representatives or attorneys, regarding this Agreement, except to the extent such representations are expressly set forth or incorporated in this Agreement. The Parties are not relying upon a legal duty, if one exists, on the part of the other Party (or such other Party’s employees, agents, representatives or attorneys) to disclose any information in connection with the execution of this Agreement or their preparation, it being expressly understood that neither Party shall ever assert any failure to disclose information on the part of the other Party as a ground for challenging this Agreement.

Section 12.14 Performance . Each Party shall cause to be performed, and hereby guarantees the performance of, all actions, agreements and obligations set forth herein to be performed by any Subsidiary or Affiliate of such Party.

Section 12.15 Title and Headings . Titles and headings to Sections and Articles are inserted for the convenience of reference only and are not intended to be a part of or to affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

Section 12.16 Exhibits and Schedules . The Exhibits and Schedules attached hereto are incorporated herein by reference and shall be construed with and as an integral part of this Agreement to the same extent as if the same had been set forth verbatim herein. References to the terms Article, Section, paragraph, clause, Exhibit and Schedule in this Agreement are references to the Articles, Sections, paragraphs, clauses, Exhibits and Schedules of this Agreement unless otherwise specified.

Section 12.17 Specific Performance . Subject to the provisions of Article X , from and after the Distribution, in the event of any actual or threatened default in, or breach of, any of the terms, conditions and provisions of this Agreement, the Parties agree that the Party to this Agreement who is or is to be thereby aggrieved shall have the right to seek specific performance and injunctive or other equitable relief of its rights under this Agreement, in addition to any and all other rights and remedies at Law or in equity, and all such rights and remedies shall be cumulative. The Parties agree that, from and after the Distribution, the remedies at Law for any breach or threatened breach of this Agreement, including monetary damages, may be inadequate compensation for any loss, that any defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at Law would be adequate is hereby waived, and that any requirements for the securing or posting of any bond with such remedy are hereby waived.

Section 12.18 Limited Liability . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, no individual who is a shareholder, director, employee, officer, agent or representative of InvenTrust or Highlands, in such individual’s capacity as such, shall have any liability in respect of or relating to the covenants or obligations of InvenTrust or Highlands, as applicable, under this Agreement or any Ancillary Agreement or in respect of any certificate delivered with respect hereto or thereto and, to the fullest extent legally permissible, each of InvenTrust or Highlands, for itself and its respective Subsidiaries and its and their respective shareholders, directors, employees and officers, waives and agrees not to seek to assert or enforce any such liability that any such Person otherwise might have pursuant to applicable law.

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respective officers as of the date first set forth above.

 

INVENTRUST PROPERTIES CORP.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
HIGHLANDS REIT, INC.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

 

Signature Page to Separation and Distribution Agreement


Exhibit A

Highlands Properties

 

Property Name    Location
AT&T—Cleveland    Cleveland, OH
AT&T—Hoffman Estates    Hoffman Estates, IL
AT&T—St. Louis    St. Louis, MO
Bridgeside Point    Pittsburgh, PA
Buckhorn Plaza    Bloomsburg, PA
Citizens—Providence    Providence, RI
Denver Highlands Holding, LLC    Highlands Ranch, CO
Dulles Executive Plaza    Herndon, VA
Hudson Correctional Facility    Hudson, CO
Lincoln Mall    Lincoln, RI
Market at Hilliard    Hilliard, OH
North Pointe Land    Hanahan, SC
Palazzo Land    Orlando, FL
RDU Land    Raleigh, NC
Rolling Plains Detention Facility    Haskell, TX
Sand Lake Land    Orlando, FL
Shops at Sherman Plaza    Evanston, IL
State Street Market    Rockford, IL
Triangle Center    Longview, WA
Trimble    San Jose, CA
Versacold USA—New Ulm    New Ulm, MN
Versacold USA—St. Paul    St. Paul, MN


Exhibit B

Highlands Subsidiaries

 

Entity Name

  

Jurisdiction of

Incorporation

or Formation

Highlands Property Management, LLC

   Delaware

IA New Ulm Atlas, L.L.C.

   Delaware

IA CFG Portfolio, L.L.C.

   Delaware

IA Orlando Palazzo, L.L.C.

   Delaware

IA Orlando Sand, L.L.C.

   Delaware

IA RDU Center Drive, L.L.C.

   Delaware

IA St. Paul Atlas, L.L.C.

   Delaware

IA/Stephens (Trimble) Ventures, LLC

   Delaware

IVT PPD Haskell Associates GP, L.L.C.

   Delaware

IVT PPD Haskell Associates Limited Partnership

   Delaware

IVT PPD Haskell Associates LP, L.L.C.

   Delaware

IVT PPD Hudson Associates, L.L.C.

   Delaware

MB Bloomsburg Buckhorn DST

   Delaware

MB Cleveland Erieview, L.L.C.

   Delaware

MB Columbus Hilliard, L.L.C.

   Delaware

MB Evanston Sherman, L.L.C.

   Delaware

MB Herndon, L.L.C.

   Delaware

MB Highlands Ranch Ridgeline, L.L.C.

   Delaware

MB Hoffman Estates, L.L.C.

   Delaware

MB Lincoln Mall, L.L.C.

   Delaware

MB Longview Triangle, L.L.C

   Delaware

MB Pittsburgh Bridgeside DST

   Delaware

MB REIT (Florida), Inc.

   Florida

MB Rockford State, L.L.C.

   Delaware

MB St. Louis Chestnut, L.L.C.

   Delaware

North Pointe Park Partners, LLC

   Indiana

Exhibit 10.1

 

 

 

 

TRANSITION SERVICES AGREEMENT

BY AND BETWEEN

INVENTRUST PROPERTIES CORP.

AND

HIGHLANDS REIT, INC.

DATED AS OF                         , 2016

 

 

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page  
ARTICLE I SERVICES      1   

Section 1.01

   General      1   

Section 1.02

   Quality of Services      1   

Section 1.03

   Duration of Services      2   

Section 1.04

   Third Party Services      2   

Section 1.05

   Responsible Personnel      3   

Section 1.06

   Changes to Services      3   

Section 1.07

   Amendments to Schedule A      3   
ARTICLE II COMPENSATION; BILLING      3   

Section 2.01

   Service Fees      3   

Section 2.02

   Expenses      3   

Section 2.03

   Taxes      4   

Section 2.04

   [Reserved]      4   

Section 2.05

   Payment of Fees and Expenses      4   

Section 2.06

   Payment Delay; Finance Charges      4   

Section 2.07

   No Right to Set-Off      4   
ARTICLE III COOPERATION AND CONSENTS      4   

Section 3.01

   General      4   

Section 3.02

   Transition      5   

Section 3.03

   Consents      5   
ARTICLE IV CONFIDENTIALITY      5   

Section 4.01

   Recipient Confidential Information      5   

Section 4.02

   Provider Confidential Information      6   

Section 4.03

   Required Disclosure      7   

Section 4.04

   Return or Destruction of Confidential Information      7   
ARTICLE V INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY      8   

Section 5.01

   Recipient Intellectual Property      8   

Section 5.02

   Provider Intellectual Property      8   
ARTICLE VI LIMITED LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION      8   

Section 6.01

   Consequential and Other Damages      8   

Section 6.02

   Limitation of Liability      8   

Section 6.03

   Obligation To Reperform; Liabilities      8   

Section 6.04

   Release and Recipient Indemnity      9   

Section 6.05

   Provider Indemnity      9   

Section 6.06

   Indemnification Procedures      9   

Section 6.07

   Liability for Payment Obligations      9   

Section 6.08

   Exclusion of Other Remedies      9   


          Page  
ARTICLE VII INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR      9   
ARTICLE VIII COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS      10   
ARTICLE IX TERM AND TERMINATION      10   

Section 9.01

   Term      10   

Section 9.02

   Termination of this Agreement      10   

Section 9.03

   Effect      11   
ARTICLE X DISPUTE RESOLUTION      11   

Section 10.01

   Dispute Resolution      11   

Section 10.02

   Waiver of Jury Trial      11   
ARTICLE XI MISCELLANEOUS      12   

Section 11.01

   Further Assurances      12   

Section 11.02

   Amendments and Waivers      12   

Section 11.03

   Entire Agreement      12   

Section 11.04

   Third Party Beneficiaries      12   

Section 11.05

   Notices      12   

Section 11.06

   Counterparts; Electronic Delivery      13   

Section 11.07

   Severability      13   

Section 11.08

   Assignability      13   

Section 11.09

   Governing Law; Disputes      14   

Section 11.10

   Disclaimer of Representations and Warranties      14   

Section 11.11

   Force Majeure      15   

Section 11.12

   Construction and Interpretation      16   

Section 11.13

   Titles and Headings      16   

Section 11.14

   Schedules      16   

Section 11.15

   Specific Performance      16   

Section 11.16

   Limited Liability      17   
SCHEDULE A      

 

 

2


TRANSITION SERVICES AGREEMENT

This Transition Services Agreement (this “ Agreement ”) is entered into and effective as of                     , 2016 (the “ Effective Date ”), by and between InvenTrust Properties Corp., a Maryland corporation (“ Provider ”), and Highlands REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“ Recipient ”). Provider and Recipient may each be referred to herein as a “ Party ,” and are collectively referred to as the “ Parties .” Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given them in the Separation Agreement (defined below).

RECITALS

WHEREAS, Provider has previously been engaged in the business of acquiring, owning and operating a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate and created Recipient hold its portfolio of “non-core” assets;

WHEREAS, the board of directors of Provider has determined that it is advisable and in the best interests of Provider to establish Recipient as an independent public reporting company, and in furtherance thereof, to distribute to the stockholders of Provider, on a pro rata basis, 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Recipient (the “ Separation ”);

WHEREAS, Provider and Recipient have entered into that certain Separation and Distribution Agreement, dated as of                     , 2016 (the “ Separation Agreement ”), to carry out, effect, and consummate the Separation; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Separation Agreement, the Parties have agreed that Provider shall provide (or cause to be provided) to Recipient and its Subsidiaries, and Recipient and its Subsidiaries shall receive, certain services and other assistance on a transitional basis following the Separation and in accordance with the terms of, and subject to, the conditions set forth in this Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and mutual promises, covenants, agreements, representations and warranties contained herein, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

SERVICES

Section 1.01 General . In accordance with the provisions hereof, Provider shall provide (or cause to be provided) to Recipient and its Subsidiaries, and Recipient and its Subsidiaries shall receive, the services described on Schedule A attached hereto (each such service, a “ Service ” and, collectively, the “ Services ”). Schedule A may be amended from time to time by written agreement of the Parties.

Section 1.02 Quality of Services . Provider shall perform (or cause to be performed) the Services (i) in a workmanlike and professional manner, (ii) with the same degree of care as it exercises in performing its own functions of a like or similar nature, and, where applicable, in a


manner substantially consistent with the quantity and scope of the Services provided by Provider to Recipient and its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course prior to the Effective Time (except to the extent otherwise provided herein) and (iii) in a timely manner in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement and consistent with historical practice (except to the extent otherwise provided herein), it being understood that nothing in this Agreement will require Provider to favor Recipient and its Subsidiaries over the other business operations of Provider and its Subsidiaries.

Section 1.03 Duration of Services . Subject to the terms of this Agreement, Provider will provide (or cause to be provided) the Services to Recipient and its Subsidiaries until the Termination Date (as defined below) or such other date determined pursuant to the following:

(a) each Service shall terminate on the Initial Expiration Date for such Service set forth on Schedule A (as to each Service, the “ Initial Expiration Date ”), unless extended or terminated pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of this Section 1.03 .

(b) Recipient may terminate any Service prior to the Initial Expiration Date by giving Provider not less than thirty (30) days’ prior written notice, or such less time as may be agreed upon by the Parties.

(c) Recipient may, to the extent set forth on Schedule A , extend each Service in monthly increments until the Final Expiration Date set forth on Schedule A (as to each Service, the “ Final Expiration Date ”). Each Service will automatically extend each month until the applicable Final Expiration Date unless Recipient has provided Provider a notice of termination not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the applicable expiration date for such Service at such time.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Recipient agrees that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts in good faith to transition itself to a stand-alone entity with respect to each Service as soon as reasonably practicable; and that, to the extent that Provider’s ability to provide a Service is dependent on the continuation of a related Service (and such dependence has been made known to the other Party), then Provider’s obligation to provide such dependent Service shall terminate automatically with the termination of such related Service.

Recipient may only terminate Services pursuant to Section 1.03(b) at month-end. To the extent there are any break-up costs (including commitments made to, or in respect of, personnel or third parties due to the requirement to provide the Services, prepaid expenses related to the Services or costs related to terminating such commitments) reasonably incurred by Provider as a result of any early termination of a Service by Recipient, Provider shall use its reasonable best efforts to mitigate such costs, and Recipient shall bear such costs and reimburse Provider in full for the same.

Section 1.04 Third Party Services . Each Party acknowledges and agrees that certain Services may be provided by third parties designated by Provider. To the extent so provided, Provider shall cause such third parties to provide such Services consistent with the manner contemplated by this Agreement; provided , however , if there is any change to the Services provided as a result, including the level or cost thereof, Provider and Recipient shall negotiate in good faith to amend Schedule A as appropriate.

 

2


Section 1.05 Responsible Personnel .

(a) [Reserved.]

(b) Provider will have the right, in its reasonable discretion, to (i) designate which of its personnel will be involved in providing Services to Recipient, and (ii) remove and replace any such personnel, so long as there is no resulting increase in costs, or decrease in the level of service for Recipient; provided , however , that Provider will use its commercially reasonable efforts to limit disruption of the provision of Services to Recipient in the transition of the Services to different personnel.

(c) In the event that the provision of any Service by Provider requires the cooperation and services of applicable personnel of Recipient, Recipient will make available to Provider such personnel as may be necessary for Provider to provide such Service. Recipient will have the right, in its reasonable discretion, to (i) designate which of its personnel it will make available to Provider in connection with the receipt of such Service, and (ii) remove and replace any such personnel, so long as there is no resulting increase in costs to Provider in providing such Service or adverse effect on Provider’s ability to provide such Service; provided , however , that Recipient will use its commercially reasonable efforts to limit disruption of the provision of services by Provider in the transition of such personnel.

Section 1.06 Changes to Services . It is understood and agreed that Provider may from time to time modify, change or enhance the manner, nature and quality of any Service provided to Recipient to the extent Provider is making a similar change in the performance of such Services for Provider and its Subsidiaries; provided , however , that any such modification, change or enhancement will not reasonably be expected to materially negatively affect such Services. Provider shall furnish to Recipient substantially the same notice (in content and timing), if any, as Provider furnishes to its own organization with respect to such modifications, changes or enhancements.

Section 1.07 Amendments to Schedule A . Each amendment to Schedule A , as agreed to in writing by the Parties, shall be deemed part of this Agreement and any changes to the Services or other amendments set forth therein shall be subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

ARTICLE II

COMPENSATION; BILLING

Section 2.01 Service Fees . In consideration for providing the Services, Provider will charge Recipient the fees indicated for each Service listed on Schedule A (each, a “ Service Fee ” and collectively, the “ Service Fees ”).

Section 2.02 Expenses . Except to the extent provided otherwise on Schedule A , in addition to the Service Fee, Provider shall also be entitled to charge Recipient for any reasonable, documented, out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by Provider in providing the Services (“ Expenses ”).

 

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Section 2.03 Taxes . In addition to any amounts otherwise payable by Recipient pursuant to this Agreement, Recipient shall pay, be responsible, and promptly reimburse Provider, for any sales, use, value added, goods and services, excise, transfer, recording or similar taxes, including any interest, penalties or additional amounts imposed with respect thereto, imposed with respect to, or in connection with, the provision of Services or payment of any Service Fees hereunder.

Section 2.04 [Reserved] .

Section 2.05 Payment of Fees and Expenses . Within thirty (30) days after the end of each calendar month, Provider shall send Recipient an invoice for the Service Fees and, in reasonable detail, the Expenses due in connection with the Services provided to Recipient during the immediately preceding calendar month. Payments of invoices shall be made by check or wire transfer of immediately available funds to one or more accounts specified in writing by Provider. Payment shall be made within thirty (30) days after the date of receipt of Provider’s invoice.

Section 2.06 Payment Delay; Finance Charges .

(a) If Recipient fails to make any material payment within thirty (30) days of the date such payment was due to Provider, Provider shall have the right, at its sole option, upon ten (10) days’ prior written notice (such notice, a “ Suspension Notice ”), to suspend performance of any Services until payment has been received.

(b) If Recipient fails to make any payment within sixty (60) days of the date such payment was due to Provider, a finance charge of two percent (2%) per month, payable from the date of the invoice to the date such payment is received and levied upon the balance of any such payment, shall be due and payable to Provider. In addition, Recipient shall indemnify Provider for its costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements, incurred to collect any unpaid amount.

(c) Recipient shall not be liable for the payment of any finance charges pursuant to this Section 2.06 , and Provider shall not be authorized to suspend performance pursuant to this Section 2.06 , to the extent, but only to the extent, that Recipient is in good faith disputing Service Fees or Expenses incurred under Sections 2.01 and 2.02 .

Section 2.07 No Right to Set-Off . Recipient shall pay the full amount of all Service Fees and Expenses and shall not set off, counterclaim or otherwise withhold any amount owed to Provider under this Agreement on account of any obligation owed by Provider to Recipient.

ARTICLE III

COOPERATION AND CONSENTS

Section 3.01 General . Each Party shall reasonably cooperate with and provide assistance to the other Party in carrying out the provisions of this Agreement. Such cooperation shall include, but not be limited to, exchanging information, responding to inquiries, making adjustments and, subject to Section 3.03 , obtaining all consents, licenses, sublicenses or approvals necessary to permit each Party to perform its obligations hereunder; provided , however , that neither Party shall be required to disclose privileged information to the other Party.

 

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Section 3.02 Transition . At the request of Recipient in contemplation of the termination of any Services hereunder, in whole or in part, Provider shall cooperate with Recipient, at Recipient’s expense, in transitioning such Services to Recipient or to any third party service provider designated by Recipient.

Section 3.03 Consents . Provider will take commercially reasonable efforts to obtain, and to keep and maintain in effect, any third party licenses and consents necessary to provide the Services (the “ Consents ”). The costs relating to obtaining any such licenses or Consents obtained solely for the benefit of Recipient shall be borne by Recipient; provided , however , that Provider shall not incur any such costs that are not contemplated by Schedule A or consistent with historical practice of the Parties without the prior written consent of Recipient. If any such Consent is not obtained or maintained despite using commercially reasonable efforts to do so, Provider shall promptly notify Recipient in writing, and (i) Provider shall not be obligated under this Agreement to provide Recipient access to or use of any third party software or services requiring such Consents or to provide any Services dependent upon such Consents until such Consents are obtained or maintained, and (ii) the Parties will reasonably cooperate with one another to achieve a reasonable alternative arrangement with respect thereto as necessary.

ARTICLE IV

CONFIDENTIALITY

Section 4.01 Recipient Confidential Information . From and after the Effective Date, subject to Section 4.03 , and except as contemplated by or otherwise provided for under this Agreement or the Separation Agreement, Provider shall not, and shall cause its Affiliates and its own and its Affiliates’ officers, directors, employees, and other agents and representatives, including attorneys, agents, customers, suppliers, contractors, consultants and other representatives or third parties providing Services pursuant to this Agreement (collectively, “ Representatives ”), to not, directly or indirectly, disclose, reveal, divulge or communicate to any Person, other than to Recipient and its Affiliates (collectively, the “ Recipient Group ”) and their respective Representatives, and to Provider and its Affiliates (collectively, the “ Provider Group ”) and their respective Representatives who reasonably need to know such information in connection with the provision of Services under this Agreement and who are informed of their obligation to hold such information confidential to the same extent as is applicable to the Parties and in respect of whose failure to comply with such obligations, Recipient will be responsible, or use or otherwise exploit for its own benefit or for the benefit of any third party (other than members of the Recipient Group), any Recipient Confidential Information (as defined below).

For the purposes of this Agreement, “ Group ” shall mean the Provider Group or the Recipient Group, as the context requires. If any disclosures are made by members of the Recipient Group to members of the Provider Group in connection with the provision of Services under this Agreement, then the Recipient Confidential Information so disclosed shall be used by the Provider Group only as required to perform the Services or, if applicable, to the extent permitted by the Separation Agreement. Provider shall use the same degree of care to prevent and restrain the unauthorized use or disclosure of the Recipient Confidential Information by any

 

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member of the Provider Group or its Representatives as it uses for its own confidential information of a like nature, but in no event less than a reasonable standard of care. For purposes of this Agreement, any information, material or documents relating to the businesses currently or formerly conducted, or proposed to be conducted, by the Recipient Group that is furnished to, or in possession of, any member of the Provider Group, in each case in connection with the Services provided under this Agreement and irrespective of the form of communication, and all notes, analyses, compilations, forecasts, data, translations, studies, memoranda or other documents prepared by members of the Provider Group, that contain, or otherwise reflect, such information, material or documents is hereinafter referred to as “ Recipient Confidential Information .” Recipient Confidential Information does not include, and there shall be no obligation hereunder, with respect to information that (i) is or becomes generally available to the public, other than as a result of a disclosure by a member of the Provider Group or its Representatives not otherwise permissible hereunder, (ii) Provider can demonstrate was or became available to the Provider Group from a source other than the Recipient Group or its Representatives, or (iii) is developed independently by the Provider Group without reference to the Recipient Confidential Information; provided , however , that, in the case of clause (ii), the source of such information was not known by Provider to be bound by a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement with, or other contractual, legal or fiduciary obligation of confidentiality to, any member of the Recipient Group with respect to such information.

Section 4.02 Provider Confidential Information . From and after the Effective Date, subject to Section 4.03 , and except as contemplated by or otherwise provided for under this Agreement or the Separation Agreement, Recipient shall not, and shall cause the members of the Recipient Group and their respective Representatives to not, directly or indirectly, disclose, reveal, divulge or communicate to any Person other than members of the Provider Group and its Representatives, or members of the Recipient Group and its Representatives, who reasonably need to know such information in connection with the receipt of Services under this Agreement and who are informed of their obligation to hold such information confidential to the same extent as is applicable to the Parties and in respect of whose failure to comply with such obligations, Provider will be responsible, or use or otherwise exploit for its own benefit or for the benefit of any third party (other than members of the Provider Group), any Provider Confidential Information (as defined below). If any disclosures are made by members of the Provider Group to members of the Recipient Group in connection with the provision of Services under this Agreement, then the Provider Confidential Information (as defined below) so disclosed shall be used by the Recipient Group only as required to receive the Services or, if applicable, to the extent permitted by the Separation Agreement. Recipient shall use the same degree of care to prevent and restrain the unauthorized use or disclosure of the Provider Confidential Information by any member of the Recipient Group or its Representatives as it uses for its own confidential information of a like nature, but in no event less than a reasonable standard of care.

For purposes of this Agreement, any information, material or documents relating to the businesses currently or formerly conducted, or proposed to be conducted, by the Provider Group that is furnished to, or in possession of, any member of the Recipient Group, in each case in connection with the Services provided under this Agreement and irrespective of the form of communication, and all notes, analyses, compilations, forecasts, data, translations, studies, memoranda or other documents prepared by members of the Recipient Group, that contain, or otherwise reflect, such information, material or documents, is hereinafter referred to as “ Provider

 

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Confidential Information ,” and, together with the Recipient Confidential Information, “ Confidential Information .” Provider Confidential Information does not include, and there shall be no obligation hereunder with respect to, information that (i) is or becomes generally available to the public, other than as a result of a disclosure by any member of the Recipient Group or its Representatives not otherwise permissible hereunder, (ii) Recipient can demonstrate was or became available to the Recipient Group from a source other than the Provider Group or its Representatives, or (iii) is developed independently by the Recipient Group without reference to the Provider Confidential Information; provided , however , that, in the case of clause (ii), the source of such information was not known by Recipient to be bound by a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement with, or other contractual, legal or fiduciary obligation of confidentiality to, any member of the Provider Group with respect to such information.

Section 4.03 Required Disclosure . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Sections 4.01 and 4.02 , in the event that any demand or request for disclosure of Confidential Information is made by judicial or administrative process or by other requirements of Law, the Party requested to disclose Confidential Information concerning a member of the other Group shall (to the extent not prohibited by judicial or administrative process or by other requirements of Law) promptly notify such member of the other Group of the existence of such request or demand and, to the extent commercially practicable, shall provide such member of the other Group thirty (30) days (or such lesser period as is commercially practicable) to seek an appropriate protective order or other remedy, which the Parties will, at the expense of the requesting Party, cooperate in obtaining. In the event that such appropriate protective order or other remedy is not obtained, the Party that is required to disclose Confidential Information about a member of the Group shall furnish, or cause to be furnished, only that portion of the Confidential Information that is legally required to be disclosed and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that confidential treatment is accorded such information.

Section 4.04 Return or Destruction of Confidential Information . Upon the written request of a Party or a member of its Group, except as contemplated by or otherwise provided for under the Separation Agreement, the other Party shall take, and shall cause the applicable members of its Group to take, reasonable steps to promptly (a) deliver to the requesting Person all original copies of Confidential Information (whether written or electronic) concerning the requesting Person or any member of its Group that is in the possession of the other Party or any member of its Group and (b) if specifically requested by the requesting Person, destroy any copies of such Confidential Information (including any extracts therefrom), unless such delivery or destruction would violate any Law; provided , however , that if Recipient requests that Provider return or destroy Confidential Information concerning Recipient or any member of the Recipient Group, then Provider shall not be required to continue providing any Services to the extent Provider’s ability to provide such Services is negatively impacted by its failure to no longer have possession of such Confidential Information. Upon the written request of the requesting Person, the other Party shall, or shall cause another member of its Group to cause, its duly authorized officers to certify in writing to the requesting party that the requirements of the preceding sentence have been satisfied in full.

 

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ARTICLE V

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Section 5.01 Recipient Intellectual Property . Except as otherwise agreed by the Parties, all data, software, or other property or assets owned or created by Recipient, including, without limitation, derivative works thereof, and new data or software created by Recipient at Recipient’s expense, in connection with its receipt of Services and all intellectual property rights therein (the “ Recipient Property ”), shall remain the sole and exclusive property and responsibility of Recipient. Provider shall not acquire any rights in any Recipient Property pursuant to this Agreement.

Section 5.02 Provider Intellectual Property . Except as otherwise agreed by the Parties, all data, software or other property or assets owned or created by Provider, including, without limitation, derivative works thereof, and new data or software created by Provider at Provider’s expense, in connection with the provision of Services and all intellectual property rights therein (the “ Provider Property ”), shall be the sole and exclusive property and responsibility of Provider. Recipient shall not acquire any rights in any Provider Property pursuant to this Agreement.

ARTICLE VI

LIMITED LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION

Section 6.01 Consequential and Other Damages . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Separation Agreement or this Agreement, no member of either Group or their Representatives shall be liable to any member of the other Group or its Representatives, whether in contract, tort (including negligence and strict liability) or otherwise, at law or equity, for any special, indirect, incidental, punitive or consequential damages whatsoever (including lost profits or damages calculated on multiples of earnings approaches), which in any way arise out of, relate to or are a consequence of, the performance or nonperformance of any Services under this Agreement, including with respect to business interruptions or claims of customers.

Section 6.02 Limitation of Liability . Subject to any obligations to reperform any Services as set forth in Section 6.03 , the maximum amount of the Losses of each member of the Provider Group and its Representatives, collectively, under this Agreement for any act or failure to act in connection herewith (including the performance or breach of this Agreement), or from the sale, delivery, provision or use of any Services provided under or contemplated by this Agreement, whether in contract, tort (including negligence and strict liability) or otherwise, shall not exceed the total aggregate Service Fees (excluding any Expenses or other third-party costs) actually paid to Provider by Recipient pursuant to this Agreement.

Section 6.03 Obligation To Reperform ; Liabilities . In the event of any breach of this Agreement by any member of the Provider Group (or any third parties providing Services under this Agreement) with respect to the provision of any Services (with respect to which the Provider can reasonably be expected to reperform in a commercially reasonable manner), the Provider shall (a) promptly correct or cause to be corrected in all material respects such error, defect or breach or reperform in all material respects such Services at the request of Recipient and at the sole cost and expense of the Provider and (b) subject to the limitations set forth in Sections 6.01 and 6.02 , reimburse Recipient for Liabilities attributable to such breach by such member of the

 

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Provider Group (or any third parties providing Services under this Agreement). The remedy set forth in this Section 6.03 shall be the sole and exclusive remedy of Recipient for any such breach of this Agreement. Any request for reperformance in accordance with this Section 6.03 by Recipient must be in writing and specify in reasonable detail the particular breach, and such request must be made no more than one (1) month from the date such breach occurred.

Section 6.04 Release and Recipient Indemnity . Subject to Section 6.01 , Recipient, on behalf of itself and its Affiliates, Representatives or other Persons using such Services, hereby releases each member of the Provider Group and its Representatives (each, a “ Provider Indemnified Party ”), and Recipient hereby agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless each such Provider Indemnified Party from and against any and all Losses arising from, relating to or in connection with the use of any Services by Recipient or any of its Affiliates, Representatives or other Persons using such Services, except to the extent such Losses arise out of, relate to or are a consequence of Provider’s recklessness or willful misconduct.

Section 6.05 Provider Indemnity . Subject to Section 6.01 , Provider hereby agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless each member of the Recipient Group and its Representatives (each a “ Recipient Indemnified Party ”), from and against any and all Losses arising from, relating to or in connection with the sale, delivery, provision or use of any Services provided under or contemplated by this Agreement to the extent that such Losses arise out of, relate to or are a consequence of Provider’s recklessness or willful misconduct.

Section 6.06 Indemnification Procedures . The provisions of Section 9.4 of the Separation Agreement shall govern claims for indemnification under this Agreement.

Section 6.07 Liability for Payment Obligations . Nothing in this Article VI shall be deemed to eliminate or limit, in any respect, Recipient’s express obligation to pay the Service Fees, Expenses and other amounts in accordance with this Agreement.

Section 6.08 Exclusion of Other Remedies . Except for the provisions of Section 2.06(b) , Sections 6.03 , 6.04 , 6.05 and 6.06 of this Agreement shall be the sole and exclusive remedies of the Provider Indemnified Parties and the Recipient Indemnified Parties, as applicable, for any Losses arising pursuant to this Agreement.

ARTICLE VII

INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR

In performing the Services hereunder, each Group shall operate as, and have the status of, an independent contractor. No Party’s employees shall be considered employees or agents of the other Party, nor shall the employees of either Party be eligible or entitled to any benefits, perquisites, or privileges given or extended to any of the other Party’s employees. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be deemed or construed to create a joint venture or partnership between the Parties. No Party shall have any power or authority to bind or commit any other Party.

 

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ARTICLE VIII

COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS

In the performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement, each Party shall comply with all applicable laws. The Parties shall cooperate fully in obtaining and maintaining in effect all permits and licenses that may be required for the performance of the Services.

ARTICLE IX

TERM AND TERMINATION

Section 9.01 Term .

(a) The term of this Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and end on December 31, 2016 (the “ Termination Date ”), or such earlier date, if any, upon which this Agreement is terminated in accordance with Section   9.02 .

Section 9.02 Termination of this Agreement . This Agreement may be terminated:

(a) by the written agreement of the Parties;

(b) by Provider in the event that it delivers a Suspension Notice to Recipient and suspends delivery of a Service in accordance with Section   2.06(a) , and such Suspension Notice is not satisfied within thirty (30) days of the date of delivery of such Suspension Notice;

(c) by either Party upon a material breach (other than non-payment of Service Fees or Expenses) by the other Party that is not cured (or reperformed in accordance with Section 6.03 ) within thirty (30) days after delivery of written notice of such breach from the non-breaching Party;

(d) by either Party in the event that the other Party shall (i) file a petition in bankruptcy, (ii) become or be declared insolvent, or become the subject of any proceedings (not dismissed within sixty (60) calendar days) related to its liquidation, insolvency or the appointment of a receiver, (iii) make an assignment on behalf of all or substantially all of its creditors, (iv) take any corporate action for its winding up or dissolution;

(e) by either Party, upon a Change in Control (as defined below) of the other Party. For the purposes of this Agreement, “ Change in Control ” shall mean, with respect to a Party, the occurrence after the Effective Time of any of the following: (i) the sale, conveyance or disposition, in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the assets of such Party and its Group (taken as a whole) to a third party that is not a member of such Party’s Group prior to such transaction or the first of such related transactions; (ii) the consolidation, merger or other business combination of a Party with or into any other Person, immediately following which the then-current shareholders of the Party, as such, fail to own, in the aggregate, at least majority voting power of the surviving Party in such consolidation, merger or business combination, or of its ultimate publicly held parent; (iii) a transaction or series of transactions in which any Person or “group” (as the term “group” is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, together with the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder) acquires majority voting power of such Party (other than a

 

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reincorporation or similar corporate transaction in which each of such Party’s shareholders owns, immediately thereafter, interests in the new parent company in substantially the same percentage as such shareholder owned in such Party immediately prior to such transaction); or (iv) a majority of the board of directors of such Party ceases to consist of individuals who have become directors as a result of being nominated or elected by a majority of such Party’s directors;

(f) by either Party if all of the Services have been terminated early in accordance with Section   1.03(b) ; or

(g) by Recipient by giving Provider not less than thirty (30) days’ prior written notice.

Section 9.03 Effect . In the event of termination of this Agreement in its entirety pursuant to this Article   IX , or upon the Termination Date, this Agreement shall cease to have further force or effect, and neither Party shall have any liability to the other Party with respect to this Agreement; provided that:

(a) termination or expiration of this Agreement for any reason shall not release a Party from any liability or obligation, including the requirement to pay Service Fees or Expenses, that already has accrued as of the effective date of such termination or expiration, and shall not constitute a waiver or release of, or otherwise be deemed to adversely affect, any rights, remedies or claims which a Party may have hereunder at law, equity or otherwise or which may arise out of or in connection with such termination or expiration;

(b) as promptly as practicable, following termination of this Agreement in its entirety or with respect to any Service to the extent applicable, and the payment by Recipient of all amounts owing hereunder, Provider shall return all reasonably available material, inventory and other property of Recipient held by Provider, and shall deliver copies of all of Recipient’s records maintained by Provider with regard to the Services in Provider’s standard format and media. Provider shall deliver such property and records to such location or locations, as reasonably requested by Recipient. Arrangements for shipping, including the cost of freight and insurance, and the reasonable cost of packing incurred by Provider shall be borne by Recipient; and

(c) Articles IV, V , VI , VII , X and XI , and this Section   9.03 , shall survive any termination or expiration of this Agreement and remain in full force and effect.

ARTICLE X

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Section 10.01 Dispute Resolution . The provisions of Sections 10.1 – 10.3 of the Separation Agreement shall apply , mutatis mutandis , to all disputes, controversies or claims (whether arising in contract, tort or otherwise) that may arise out of or relate to, or arise under or in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

Section 10.02 Waiver of Jury Trial . EACH PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND ABSOLUTELY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING BROUGHT BY A PARTY TO COMPEL THE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

 

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PROCEDURES PROVIDED IN THIS ARTICLE X AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF ANY AWARDS OR DECISION OBTAINED FROM SUCH ARBITRATION PROCEEDING, AND AGREES TO TAKE ANY AND ALL ACTION NECESSARY OR APPROPRIATE TO EFFECT SUCH WAIVER.

ARTICLE XI

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 11.01 Further Assurances . From time to time, each Party agrees to execute and deliver such additional documents, and will provide such additional information and assistance as either Party may reasonably require to carry out the terms of this Agreement.

Section 11.02 Amendments and Waivers .

(a) No provision of this Agreement, including Schedule A , may be amended except by an agreement in writing signed by both Parties.

(b) Any term or provision of this Agreement may be waived, or the time for its performance may be extended, by the Party or the Parties entitled to the benefit thereof. Any such waiver shall be validly and sufficiently given for the purposes of this Agreement if, as to any Party, it is executed by a writing signed by an authorized representative of such Party. Waiver by any Party of any default by the other Party of any provision of this Agreement shall not be construed to be a waiver by the waiving Party of any subsequent or other default, nor shall it in any way affect the validity of this Agreement or prejudice the rights of the other Party, thereafter, to enforce each and every such provision. No failure or delay by any Party in exercising any right, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof, or the exercise of any other right, power or privilege. The rights and remedies hereunder are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights or remedies that either Party would otherwise have.

Section 11.03 Entire Agreement . This Agreement and Schedule A hereto, as well as any other agreements and documents referred to herein (including the Separation Agreement and the agreements contemplated thereby, to the extent applicable), constitute the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersede all previous agreements, negotiations, discussions, understandings, writings, commitments and conversations between the Parties with respect to such subject matter. No agreements or understandings exist between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof other than those set forth or referred to herein.

Section 11.04 Third Party Beneficiaries . Except for the indemnification provisions in Article   VI , this Agreement is for the sole benefit of the Parties and their successors and assigns, and nothing herein, express or implied, is intended to or shall confer upon any other Person or entity any legal or equitable right, benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever, under or by reason of this Agreement.

Section 11.05 Notices . All notices, demands and other communications required to be given to a Party hereunder shall be in writing and shall be personally delivered, sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier, or mailed by registered or certified mail (postage

 

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prepaid, return receipt requested) to such Party at the relevant street address set forth below (or at such other street address as such Party may designate from time to time by written notice in accordance with this provision):

If to Provider, to:

InvenTrust Properties Corp.

2809 Butterfield Road

Oak Brook, Illinois 60523

Attention: Secretary and General Counsel

If to Recipient, to:

Highlands REIT, Inc.

332 S Michigan Ave, Ninth Floor

Chicago, Illinois 60604

Attention: President and Chief Executive Officer

Notice by courier or certified or registered mail shall be effective on the date it is officially recorded as delivered to the intended recipient by return receipt or similar acknowledgment. All notices and communications delivered in person shall be deemed to have been delivered to and received by the addressee, and shall be effective, on the date of personal delivery.

Section 11.06 Counterparts; Electronic Delivery . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which, when so executed and delivered or transmitted by facsimile, e-mail or other electronic means, shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which taken together shall constitute but one and the same instrument. Execution and delivery of this Agreement or any other documents pursuant to this Agreement by facsimile or other electronic means shall be deemed to be, and shall have the same legal effect as, execution by an original signature and delivery in person.

Section 11.07 Severability . If any term or other provision of this Agreement or the Schedules attached hereto or thereto is determined by a nonappealable decision by a court, administrative agency or arbitrator to be invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to either Party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the court, administrative agency or arbitrator shall interpret this Agreement so as to affect the original intent of the Parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner to the end that the transactions contemplated hereby are fulfilled to the fullest extent possible. If any sentence in this Agreement is so broad as to be unenforceable, the provision shall be interpreted to be only as broad as is enforceable.

Section 11.08 Assignability . This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties, and their respective successors and permitted assigns; provided , however ,

 

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that, except as provided in Section 1.04 and other provisions herein allowing Provider to delegate its obligations hereunder to third parties, no Party may assign, delegate or transfer (by operation of law or otherwise) its respective rights, or delegate its respective obligations, under this Agreement without the express prior written consent of the other Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, either Party may assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to (i) any member of such Party’s Group; provided , however , that each Party shall at all times remain liable for the performance of its obligations under this Agreement by any such Group member, or (ii), subject to Provider’s right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 9.01(e) hereof, any successor by merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, acquisition or person acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of such Party pursuant to a Change of Control, provided , however , that such successor shall assume all obligations of such under this Agreement. Any attempted assignment or delegation in violation of this Section   11.08 shall be null and void.

Section 11.09 Governing Law; Disputes . This Agreement, and the legal relations between the Parties hereto, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland, without regard to the conflict of laws rules thereof, to the extent such rules would require the application of the law of another jurisdiction. Except as provided in and subject to Article X , each Party (a) irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that it will not commence any action, litigation or proceeding of any kind whatsoever against any other Party in any way arising from or relating to an Agreement Dispute, in any forum other than the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, or, if that Court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division, and any appellate court from any thereof, (b) irrevocably and unconditionally submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts and (c) waives and agrees not to assert any defense challenging the personal jurisdiction of such courts, the venue of such courts, or the convenience of such forum.

Section 11.10 Disclaimer of Representations and Warranties .

(a) It is understood and agreed that the employees of Provider and the other members of the Provider Group performing the Services are not professional providers to third parties of the types of services included in the Services and that some or all of the Provider Group employees performing Services may have other responsibilities and may not be dedicated full-time to performing Services hereunder. EXCEPT FOR THE REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS EXPRESSLY MADE IN THIS AGREEMENT, PROVIDER HAS NOT MADE, AND DOES NOT HEREBY MAKE, ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES OR COVENANTS, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, OF ANY NATURE, INCLUDING WITH RESPECT TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT, QUALITY, QUANTITY, SUITABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. ALL OTHER REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, AND COVENANTS, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY, COMMON LAW OR OTHERWISE, OF ANY NATURE, INCLUDING WITH RESPECT TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, QUALITY, QUANTITY, SUITABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED.

(b) Without limiting the generality of any other provision hereof, it is not the intent of any member of the Provider Group (or their Affiliates) to render professional advice or

 

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opinions, whether with regard to tax, legal, treasury, finance, intellectual property, employment or other matters; Recipient shall not rely on any Service provided by (or caused to be provided by) Provider for such professional advice or opinions; and notwithstanding Recipient’s receipt of any proposal, recommendation or suggestion in any way relating to tax, legal, treasury, finance, intellectual property, employment or any other subject matter, Recipient shall seek all third-party professional advice and opinions as it may desire or need; and, with respect to any software or documentation provided in connection with the Services, Recipient shall use such software and documentation internally and for their intended purpose only, shall not distribute, publish, transfer, sublicense or in any manner make such software or documentation available to other organizations or persons, and shall not act as a service bureau or consultant in connection with such software.

(c) A material inducement to the provision of Services is the limitation of liability, damages and recourse set forth herein and the release and indemnity provided by Recipient.

Section 11.11 Force Majeure .

(a) Neither Party (nor any Person acting on its behalf) shall have any liability or responsibility for failure to fulfill any obligation (other than a payment obligation) under this Agreement so long as, and to the extent to which, the fulfillment of such obligation is prevented, frustrated, hindered or delayed as a consequence of circumstances of Force Majeure; provided that (i) such Party (or such Person) shall have exercised commercially reasonable efforts to minimize the effect of Force Majeure on its obligations, and (ii) the nature, quality and standard of care that Provider shall provide in delivering a Service after a Force Majeure shall again comply with Section   1.02 . In the event of an occurrence of a Force Majeure, the Party whose performance is affected thereby shall give notice of suspension as soon as reasonably practicable to the other stating the date and extent of such suspension and the cause thereof, and such Party shall resume the performance of such obligations as soon as reasonably practicable after the removal of such cause.

(b) During the period of a Force Majeure impacting Provider, Recipient shall be entitled to seek an alternative service provider with respect to such Service(s) (and shall be relieved of the obligation to pay Service Fees for such Service(s) throughout the duration of such Force Majeure) and shall be entitled to permanently terminate such Service(s) if a Force Majeure shall continue to exist for more than sixty (60) consecutive days, it being understood that Recipient shall provide advance notice of such termination to Provider.

(c) For purposes of this Agreement “ Force Majeure ” means with respect to a Party, an event beyond the control of such Party (or any Person acting on its behalf), which by its nature could not have been reasonably foreseen by such Party (or such Person), or, if it could have been reasonably foreseen, was unavoidable, and includes acts of God, storms, floods, riots, fires, sabotage, civil commotion or civil unrest, interference by civil or military authorities, acts of war (declared or undeclared) or armed hostilities or other national or international calamity or one or more acts of terrorism or failure of energy sources or distribution facilities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the receipt by a Party of an unsolicited takeover offer or other acquisition proposal, even if unforeseen or unavoidable, and such Party’s response thereto shall not be deemed an event of Force Majeure.

 

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Section 11.12 Construction and Interpretation .

(a) This Agreement shall be construed as if jointly drafted by the Parties and no rule of construction or strict interpretation shall be applied against either Party. The Parties represent that this Agreement is entered into with full consideration of any and all rights which the Parties may have. The Parties have relied upon their own knowledge and judgment. The Parties have conducted such investigations they thought appropriate, and have consulted with such advisors as they deemed appropriate regarding this Agreement and their rights and asserted rights in connection therewith. The Parties are not relying upon any representations or statements made by the other Party, or such other Party’s employees, agents, representatives or attorneys, regarding this Agreement, except to the extent such representations are expressly set forth or incorporated in this Agreement. The Parties are not relying upon a legal duty, if one exists, on the part of the other Party (or such other Party’s employees, agents, representatives or attorneys) to disclose any information in connection with the execution of this Agreement or their preparation, it being expressly understood that neither Party shall ever assert any failure to disclose information on the part of the other Party as a ground for challenging this Agreement.

(b) If there is any conflict between the provisions of this Agreement and the Separation Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement shall control (but only with respect to the subject matter hereof) unless explicitly stated otherwise herein. If there is any conflict between the provisions of the main body of this Agreement and any Schedule to this Agreement, the provisions of the main body of this Agreement shall control unless explicitly stated otherwise herein.

(c) References in this Agreement to any gender include references to all genders, and references to the singular include references to the plural and vice versa. Unless the context otherwise requires, the words “include,” “includes” and “including” when used in this Agreement shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation.” Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Agreement to Articles and Sections shall be deemed references to Articles and Sections of this Agreement. Unless the context otherwise requires, the words “hereof,” “hereby” and “herein” and words of similar meaning when used in this Agreement refer to this Agreement in its entirety and not to any particular Article, Section or provision of this Agreement.

Section 11.13 Titles and Headings . Titles and headings to Sections and Articles are inserted for the convenience of reference only and are not intended to be a part of or to affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

Section 11.14 Schedules . The Schedules attached hereto are incorporated herein by reference and shall be construed with and as an integral part of this Agreement to the same extent as if the same had been set forth verbatim herein.

Section 11.15 Specific Performance . Subject to the provisions of Article X , from and after the Distribution, in the event of any actual or threatened default in, or breach of, any of the

 

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terms, conditions and provisions of this Agreement, the Parties agree that the Party to this Agreement who is or is to be thereby aggrieved shall have the right to seek specific performance and injunctive or other equitable relief of its rights under this Agreement, in addition to any and all other rights and remedies at Law or in equity, and all such rights and remedies shall be cumulative. The Parties agree that, from and after the Distribution, the remedies at Law for any breach or threatened breach of this Agreement, including monetary damages, may be inadequate compensation for any loss, that any defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at Law would be adequate is hereby waived, and that any requirements for the securing or posting of any bond with such remedy are hereby waived.

Section 11.16 Limited Liability . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, no individual person performing the Services or other individual who is a shareholder, director, employee, officer, agent or representative of Provider or Recipient, in such individual’s capacity as such, shall have any liability in respect of or relating to the covenants or obligations of Provider or Recipient, as applicable, under this Agreement or in respect of any certificate delivered with respect hereto or thereto and, to the fullest extent legally permissible, each of Provider or Recipient, for itself and its respective Subsidiaries and its and their respective shareholders, directors, employees and officers, waives and agrees not to seek to assert or enforce any such liability that any such Person otherwise might have pursuant to applicable law.

[SIGNATURES APPEAR ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized officers or representatives as of the date first written above.

 

INVENTRUST PROPERTIES CORP.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
HIGHLANDS REIT, INC.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:


Schedule A

(See Attached)

Exhibit 10.2

EMPLOYEE MATTERS AGREEMENT

BY AND BETWEEN

INVENTRUST PROPERTIES CORP.

AND

HIGHLANDS REIT, INC.

DATED AS OF [ ● ], 2016


EMPLOYEE MATTERS AGREEMENT

This Employee Matters Agreement (the “ Agreement ”) is entered into as of [ ● ], 2016, by and between InvenTrust Properties Corp., a Maryland corporation (“ InvenTrust ”), and Highlands REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“ Highlands ”), each a “Party” and together, the “Parties.”

RECITALS:

WHEREAS, Highlands is and prior to the Distribution will be a wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust;

WHEREAS, the board of directors of InvenTrust has determined that it is advisable and in the best interests of InvenTrust to establish Highlands as an independent company;

WHEREAS, to effect this separation, the Parties have entered into that certain Separation and Distribution Agreement dated as of [ ● ], 2016 (as amended or otherwise modified from time to time, the “ Separation Agreement ”); and

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Separation Agreement, InvenTrust and Highlands are entering into this Agreement for the purpose of allocating between and among them certain assets, Liabilities and responsibilities with respect to certain (i) employees, (ii) compensation and benefit plans, programs and arrangements, and (iii) other employee-related matters.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing premises, the mutual promises and covenants hereinafter set forth, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties, intending to be legally bound, agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION

Section 1.1 Definitions . The following capitalized terms shall have the meanings set forth below when used in this Agreement:

Accrued PTO ” means, with respect to an InvenTrust Employee or a Highlands Employee, such individual’s accrued vacation, paid-time-off and sick time, if any.

Affiliate ” shall mean, with respect to any specified Person, any other Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the specified Person. For this purpose “ control ” of a Person means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of such Person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise. Unless explicitly provided herein to the contrary, for purposes of this Agreement, InvenTrust shall be deemed not to be an Affiliate of Highlands or any of its Subsidiaries, and Highlands shall be deemed not to be an Affiliate of InvenTrust or any of its Subsidiaries (other than Highlands and the Highlands Subsidiaries).

 

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Agreement ” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble to this Agreement and includes all Exhibits attached hereto or delivered pursuant hereto.

Ancillary Agreements ” shall have the meaning provided in the Separation Agreement.

Benefit Plan ” shall mean any compensation and/or benefit plan, program, arrangement, agreement or other commitment that is sponsored, maintained, entered into or contributed to by an entity or with respect to which such entity otherwise has any liability or obligation, whether fixed or contingent, including each such (i) employment, consulting, noncompetition, nondisclosure, nonsolicitation, severance, termination, pension, retirement, supplemental retirement, excess benefit, profit sharing, bonus, incentive, sales incentive, commission, deferred compensation, retention, transaction, change in control and similar plan, program, arrangement, agreement or other commitment, (ii) stock option, restricted stock, restricted stock unit, share unit, performance stock, stock appreciation, stock purchase, deferred stock or other compensatory equity or equity-based plan, program, arrangement, agreement or other commitment, (iii) savings, life, health, disability, accident, medical, dental, vision, cafeteria, insurance, flexible spending, adoption/dependent/employee assistance, tuition, vacation, relocation, paid-time-off, other fringe benefit and other employee compensation plan, program, arrangement, agreement or other commitment, including in each case, each “employee benefit plan” as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA and any trust, escrow, funding, insurance or other agreement related to any of the foregoing.

COBRA ” shall mean the continuation coverage requirements for “group health plans” under Title X of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended, and as codified in Code Section 4980B and Sections 601 through 608 of ERISA, together with all regulations promulgated thereunder.

Code ” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Distribution ” shall have the meaning provided in the Separation Agreement.

Distribution Date ” shall mean the date on which the Distribution occurs, such date to be determined by, or under the authority of, the board of directors of InvenTrust, in its sole and absolute discretion.

DOL ” shall mean the U.S. Department of Labor.

Effective Time ” shall have the meaning provided in the Separation Agreement.

ERISA ” shall mean the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.

Exchange Act ” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Force Majeure ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.19 .

Former InvenTrust Employee ” shall mean any employee, consultant, director or other service provider who provides or provided services primarily for the benefit of any InvenTrust Entity and who (A) terminates or has terminated his or her employment or other service

 

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relationship with any InvenTrust Entity at any time, including any such individual who terminated employment or service prior to the Effective Time, and (B) the Parties determine to be a Former InvenTrust Employee. For the avoidance of doubt, any transfer of employment or other service relationship between the InvenTrust Entities and/or the Highlands Entities in connection with the Distribution shall not constitute a termination of employment or other service relationship for purposes of this definition. To the extent such designation is not readily made, the Parties agree to negotiate in good faith to agree upon a designation as a Former InvenTrust Employee or a Former Highlands Employee.

Former Highlands Employee ” shall mean any employee, consultant, director or other service provider who provides or provided services primarily for the benefit of any Highlands Entity and who (A) terminates or has terminated his or her employment or other service relationship with any Highlands Entity or any InvenTrust Entity at any time, including any such individual who terminated employment or service prior to the Effective Time, and (B) whom the Parties determine to be a Former Highlands Employee. For the avoidance of doubt, any transfer of employment or other service relationship between InvenTrust Entities and/or Highlands Entities in connection with the Distribution shall not constitute a termination of employment or other service relationship for purposes of this definition. To the extent such designation is not readily made, the Parties agree to negotiate in good faith to agree upon a designation as a Former InvenTrust Employee or a Former Highlands Employee.

Governmental Authority ” shall mean any U.S. federal, state, local or non-U.S. court, government, department, commission, board, bureau, agency, official or other regulatory, administrative or governmental authority.

Highlands ” shall have the meaning provided in the preamble to this Agreement.

Highlands 401(k) Plan ” shall have the meaning provided in Section 4.1 .

Highlands Benefit Plan ” shall mean (A) each Benefit Plan (i) that is not an InvenTrust Benefit Plan, (ii) which is sponsored, maintained, entered into or contributed to by any Highlands Entity, and (iii) under which more than one service provider is eligible to receive compensation and/or benefits, including the Highlands 401(k) Plan, the Highlands Equity Plan, the Highlands Cafeteria Plan and the Highlands Health and Welfare Plans, and (B) each Benefit Plan set forth on Exhibit A hereto.

Highlands Cafeteria Plan ” shall mean a “cafeteria plan” (within the meaning of Section 125 of the Code), including any health flexible spending account or dependent care plan, maintained by any Highlands Entity.

Highlands Employee ” shall mean each employee, consultant, director and other service provider who provides services primarily for the benefit of any Highlands Entity and who, following the Effective Time, remains employed by or in service with any Highlands Entity, including any such active employees and any such employees on approved leaves of absence.

Highlands Entities ” means Highlands and each Highlands Subsidiary (each, a “ Highlands Entity ”).

 

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Highlands Equity Plans ” means the Highlands REIT, Inc. 2016 Incentive Award Plan and any other stock option or equity incentive compensation plan or arrangement maintained by any Highlands Entity on or after the Distribution for the benefit of employees, consultants, directors and/or other service providers of any Highlands Entity.

Highlands Health and Welfare Plans ” shall have the meaning provided in Section 5.1 .

Highlands Individual Agreement ” shall mean each Benefit Plan sponsored, maintained entered into or contributed to by any Highlands Entity, in any case, under which no more than one service provider is eligible to receive compensation and/or benefits.

Highlands Participant ” shall mean any individual who is or becomes (i) a Highlands Employee who is eligible to participate in one or more Highlands Benefit Plan, (ii) a Former Highlands Employee who remains entitled to payments, benefits and/or participation under any Highlands Benefit Plan, or (iii) a beneficiary, dependent or alternate payee of any of the foregoing, in each case, beginning on the first date that such individual qualifies as a Highlands Participant in accordance with any of the foregoing.

Highlands Subsidiaries ” shall have such meaning as provided in the Separation Agreement.

HIPAA ” shall mean the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended.

InvenTrust ” shall have the meaning provided in the preamble to this Agreement.

InvenTrust 401(k) Plan ” shall mean the InvenTrust Properties Corp. Savings Plan.

InvenTrust Benefit Plan ” shall mean each Benefit Plan sponsored, maintained entered into or contributed to by any InvenTrust Entity, in any case, under which more than one service provider is eligible to receive compensation and/or benefits.

InvenTrust Cash Incentive Plans ” shall have the meaning provided in Section 6.1 .

InvenTrust Cafeteria Plan ” shall mean a “cafeteria plan” (within the meaning of Section 125 of the Code), including any health flexible spending account or dependent care plan, maintained by InvenTrust.

InvenTrust Employee ” shall mean each employee, consultant, director and other service provider who provides services primarily for the benefit of any InvenTrust Entity and who, following the Effective Time, remains employed by or in service with any InvenTrust Entity, including any such active employees and any such employees on approved leaves of absence.

InvenTrust Entities ” means InvenTrust and the Subsidiaries of InvenTrust other than Highlands and the Highlands Subsidiaries (each, an “ InvenTrust Entity ”).

InvenTrust Equity Plans ” shall mean the Inland American Real Estate Trust, Inc. 2014 Share Unit Plan, the InvenTrust Properties Corp. 2015 Incentive Award Plan and any other stock

 

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option or equity incentive compensation plan or arrangement maintained by any InvenTrust Entity on or prior to the Distribution Date for the benefit of employees, consultants, directors and/or other service providers of any InvenTrust Entity.

InvenTrust Health and Welfare Plans ” shall mean, collectively, the plans listed on Exhibit B hereto.

InvenTrust Individual Agreement ” shall mean each Benefit Plan sponsored, maintained entered into or contributed to by any InvenTrust Entity, in any case, under which no more than one service provider is eligible to receive compensation and/or benefits.

InvenTrust Participant ” shall mean any individual who, (i) prior to the Distribution Date, is eligible to participate in one or more InvenTrust Benefit Plan and has not become a Highlands Participant, and (ii) following the Distribution Date, is (A) an InvenTrust Employee who is eligible to participate in one or more InvenTrust Benefit Plan, (B) a Former InvenTrust Employee who remains entitled to payments, benefits and/or participation under any InvenTrust Benefit Plan, (C) a Former Highlands Employee who terminated employment or other service on or prior to the Distribution Date, to the extent such individual remains entitled to payments, benefits and/or participation under any InvenTrust Benefit Plan, or (D) a beneficiary, dependent or alternate payee of any of the foregoing. For the avoidance of doubt, “InvenTrust Participant” shall not include any individual who becomes a Highlands Participant (or any beneficiary, dependent or alternate payee thereof) once such individual becomes a Highlands Participant.

IRS ” shall mean the Internal Revenue Service.

Law ” shall mean any law, statute, ordinance, code, rule, regulation, order, writ, proclamation, judgment, injunction or decree of any Governmental Authority.

Liability ” and “ Liabilities ” shall have such meanings as provided in the Separation Agreement.

Participating Company ” shall mean, with respect to an InvenTrust Benefit Plan, any InvenTrust Entity and, prior to the Distribution, each Highlands Entity, in each case, that is a participating employer in such InvenTrust Benefit Plan.

Party ” or “ Parties ” shall have the meaning provided in the preamble to this Agreement.

PEO ” shall have the meaning provided in Section 10.8 .

Person ” shall mean an individual, a partnership, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, a joint venture, a union, an unincorporated organization or a governmental entity or any department, agency or political subdivision thereof.

RSU Award ” shall mean any award of restricted stock units granted under the InvenTrust Properties Corp. 2015 Incentive Award Plan.

Separation Agreement ” shall have the meaning provided in the recitals to this Agreement.

 

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Share Unit Award ” shall mean any award of share units granted under the Inland American Real Estate Trust, Inc. 2014 Share Unit Plan.

Subsidiary ” shall mean, with respect to any specified Person, any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture or other organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated, of which at least a majority of the securities or interests having by the terms thereof ordinary voting power to elect at least a majority of the board of directors or others performing similar functions with respect to such corporation or other organization is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by such specified Person or by any one or more of its subsidiaries, or by such specified Person and one or more of its subsidiaries.

Transactions ” shall have such meaning as provided in the Separation Agreement.

Workers’ Comp Liabilities ” shall have the meaning provided in Section 5.6 .

Section 1.2 References; Interpretation . References in this Agreement to any gender include references to all genders, and references to the singular include references to the plural and vice versa. Unless the context otherwise requires, the words “include,” “includes” and “including” when used in this Agreement shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation.” Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Agreement to Articles, Sections and Exhibits shall be deemed references to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits to, this Agreement. Unless the context otherwise requires, the words “hereof,” “hereby” and “herein” and words of similar meaning when used in this Agreement refer to this Agreement in its entirety and not to any particular Article, Section or provision of this Agreement.

ARTICLE II

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Section 2.1 Post-Distribution Employment . Immediately after the Effective Time, by virtue of this Agreement and without further action by any Person, (a) each InvenTrust Employee shall continue to be employed or engaged at InvenTrust or such other InvenTrust Entity as employs or engages such InvenTrust Employee as of immediately prior to the Effective Time, and (b) each Highlands Employee shall continue to be employed or engaged at Highlands or such other Highlands Entity as employs or engages such Highlands Employee as of immediately prior to the Effective Time. The Parties shall cooperate to effectuate any transfers of employment contemplated by this Agreement, including transfers necessary to ensure that all InvenTrust Employees are employed or engaged at an InvenTrust Entity and all Highlands Employees are employed or engaged at a Highlands Entity, in each case, as of immediately prior to the Effective Time.

Section 2.2 No Termination/Severance; No Change in Control . No InvenTrust Employee or Highlands Employee shall (a) terminate employment or service or be deemed to terminate employment or service solely by virtue of the consummation of the Distribution, any transfer of employment or other service relationship contemplated hereby, or any related transactions or events contemplated by the Separation Agreement, this Agreement or any other Ancillary Agreement, or (b) become entitled to any severance, termination, separation or similar rights, payments or benefits, whether under any Benefit Plan or otherwise, in connection with any of the

 

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foregoing. Except as otherwise expressly provided for in this Agreement, or in an InvenTrust Benefit Plan or Highlands Benefit Plan, neither the Distribution nor any other transaction(s) contemplated by the Separation Agreement, this Agreement or any other Ancillary Agreement shall constitute or be deemed to constitute a “change in/of control” or any similar corporate transaction impacting the vesting or payment of any amounts or benefits for purposes of any InvenTrust Benefit Plan or Highlands Benefit Plan.

Section 2.3 Termination of Highlands Participation in InvenTrust Benefit Plans; Liability for Benefit Plans and Individual Agreements .

(a) Except as otherwise expressly provided for in this Agreement or as otherwise expressly agreed to in writing between the Parties, effective as of the Effective Time, (i) Highlands and each other Highlands Entity shall cease to be a Participating Company in each InvenTrust Benefit Plan (to the extent any such Highlands Entity was such a Participating Company as of immediately prior to the Distribution), and (ii) each Highlands Participant shall cease to participate in, be covered by, accrue benefits under or be eligible to contribute to any InvenTrust Benefit Plan (to the extent any such Highlands Participant so participated in any InvenTrust Benefit Plan as of immediately prior to the Distribution), and, in each case, InvenTrust and Highlands shall take all necessary action prior to the Effective Time to effectuate each such cessation.

(b) Effective as of the Effective Time, (A) InvenTrust and/or the other InvenTrust Entities shall be solely liable for, and no Highlands Entity shall have any obligation or Liability under, any InvenTrust Benefit Plan or InvenTrust Individual Agreement, and (B) Highlands and/or the other Highlands Entities shall be solely liable for, and no InvenTrust Entity shall have any obligation or Liability under, any Highlands Benefit Plan or any Highlands Individual Agreement.

Section 2.4 Employment Law Liabilities .

(a) Separate Employers . Subject to the provisions of ERISA and the Code, on and after the Distribution Date, each InvenTrust Entity shall be a separate and independent employer from each Highlands Entity.

(b) Employment Litigation . Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, (i) Highlands and/or the other Highlands Entities shall be solely liable for, and no InvenTrust Entity shall have any obligation or Liability with respect to, any employment-related claims and Liabilities regarding Highlands Employees, prospective Highlands Employees and/or Former Highlands Employees relating to, arising out of, or resulting from the prospective employment or service, actual employment or service and/or termination of employment or service, in any case, of such individual(s) with any InvenTrust Entity or Highlands Entity, whether the basis for such claims arose before, as of, or after the Effective Time, and (ii) InvenTrust and/or the other InvenTrust Entities shall be solely liable for, and no Highlands Entity shall have any obligation or Liability with respect to, any employment-related claims and Liabilities regarding InvenTrust Employees, prospective InvenTrust Employees and/or Former InvenTrust Employees relating to, arising out of, or resulting from the prospective employment or service, actual employment or service and/or termination of employment or service, in any case, of such individual(s) with any InvenTrust Entity or Highlands Entity, whether the basis for such claims arose before, as of, or after the Effective Time.

 

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Section 2.5 Service Recognition .

(a) Pre-Distribution Service Credit . With respect to Highlands Participants, each Highlands Benefit Plan shall provide that all service, all compensation and all other benefit-affecting determinations (including with respect to vesting) that, as of immediately prior to the Effective Time, were recognized under a corresponding InvenTrust Benefit Plan (or would have been recognized under a corresponding InvenTrust Benefit Plan in which such Highlands Participant was eligible to participate immediately prior to the Effective Time, had such Highlands Participant actually participated in such corresponding InvenTrust Benefit Plan) shall, as of immediately after the Effective Time or any subsequent effective date for such Highlands Benefit Plan, receive full recognition, credit and validity and be taken into account under such Highlands Benefit Plan to the same extent as credit was (or would have been) recognized under such InvenTrust Benefit Plan, except (i) to the extent that duplication of benefits would result or (ii) for benefit accrual under any defined benefit pension plan.

(b) Post-Distribution Service Credit . Except to the extent required by applicable Law, (i) no InvenTrust Entity shall be obligated to recognize any service of a Highlands Employee after the Effective Time for any purpose under any InvenTrust Benefit Plan, and (ii) no Highlands Entity shall be obligated to recognize any service of an InvenTrust Employee after the Effective Time for any purpose under any Highlands Benefit Plan; provided , however , that nothing herein shall prohibit any InvenTrust Entity or any Highlands Entity from recognizing such service.

ARTICLE III

EQUITY PLANS

Section 3.1 Miscellaneous Terms . Neither the Distribution nor any transfer of employment between the InvenTrust Entities and the Highlands Entities in connection with the Distribution shall, in and of itself, constitute a termination of employment or service for any InvenTrust Employee or any Highlands Employee for purposes of any Share Unit Award or RSU Award, as applicable, held by such individual.

Section 3.2 No Accelerated Vesting . The Parties hereto acknowledge and agree that in no event shall the vesting of any Share Unit Award or RSU Award, in any case, accelerate solely by reason of the transactions or events contemplated by the Separation Agreement, this Agreement or an Ancillary Agreement or any transfer of employment between the InvenTrust Entities and the Highlands Entities.

Section 3.3 Liabilities under Equity Plans . InvenTrust (acting directly or through any InvenTrust Entity) shall be responsible for any and all Liabilities and other obligations with respect to the InvenTrust Equity Plans and all awards granted thereunder, and neither Highlands nor any Highlands Entity shall have any Liability with respect thereto. Highlands (acting directly or through any Highlands Entity) shall be responsible for any and all Liabilities and other obligations with respect to the Highlands Equity Plans and all awards granted thereunder, and neither InvenTrust nor any InvenTrust Entity shall have any Liability with respect thereto.

 

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ARTICLE IV

TAX-QUALIFIED DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLAN

Section 4.1 InvenTrust 401(k) Plan; Highlands 401(k) Plan . The Parties acknowledge and agree that, as of the Distribution Date, Highlands or another Highlands Entity has established or will establish a defined contribution plan and trust for the benefit of eligible Highlands Participants (the “ Highlands 401(k) Plan ”). Highlands shall be responsible for taking all necessary, reasonable and appropriate action to maintain and administer the Highlands 401(k) Plan so that it is qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code and the related trust thereunder is exempt under Section 501(a) of the Code. Following the Effective Time, Highlands (acting directly or through any Highlands Entity) shall be responsible for any and all Liabilities and other obligations with respect to the Highlands 401(k) Plan, and InvenTrust (acting directly or through any InvenTrust Entity) shall be responsible for any and all Liabilities and other obligations with respect to the InvenTrust 401(k) Plan.

Section 4.2 Direct Rollovers to Highlands 401(k) Plan . Highlands shall cause the Highlands 401(k) Plan to accept, if properly elected by a Highlands Employee or eligible Former Highlands Employee, a direct rollover of all or a portion of such individual’s distribution from the InvenTrust 401(k) Plan (including plan loans) that constitutes an eligible rollover distribution pursuant to Code Section 402(c)(4), and InvenTrust shall make distributions (including plan loans) under the InvenTrust 401(k) Plan to Highlands Employees and eligible Former Highlands Employees in accordance with the terms of such plan and the applicable provisions of the Code.

Section 4.3 Cooperation . In connection with any plan distribution or direct rollover contemplated by this Article IV , InvenTrust and Highlands (each acting directly or through any InvenTrust Entity or the Highlands Entity, as applicable) shall cooperate in taking all such actions as may be necessary and appropriate to cause such distribution or direct rollover to take place as soon as practicable following the Distribution Date, subject to the terms and conditions of the Highlands 401(k) Plan and the InvenTrust 401(k) Plan and applicable law.

ARTICLE V

HEALTH AND WELFARE PLANS; WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Section 5.1 Highlands Health and Welfare Plans . As of the Distribution Date, Highlands or one or more Highlands Subsidiaries maintains or will establish, or is a participating employer in or will become a participating employer in, certain health and welfare plans for the benefit of eligible employees of the Highlands Entities and their dependents and beneficiaries (the “ Highlands Health and Welfare Plans ”), each of which is anticipated to be in effect immediately following the Distribution. In addition, as of the Distribution Date, InvenTrust or one or more of the InvenTrust Entities maintains each of the health and welfare plans set forth on Exhibit B hereto (the “ InvenTrust Health and Welfare Plans ”).

Section 5.2 Cafeteria Plan . As soon as practicable following the Distribution Date and if and to the extent not effected prior to the Distribution Date, InvenTrust (acting directly or through any other InvenTrust Entity) shall, in accordance with Revenue Ruling 2002-32, cause the portion of the InvenTrust Cafeteria Plan applicable to the Highlands Participants to be segregated into a separate component and the account balances in such component to be transferred to the Highlands

 

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Cafeteria Plan, which will include any health flexible spending account and dependent care plan. The Highlands Cafeteria Plan shall reimburse InvenTrust or the InvenTrust Cafeteria Plan to the extent amounts were paid by the InvenTrust Cafeteria Plan and not collected from the Highlands Cafeteria Plan and such amounts are subsequently collected by the Highlands Cafeteria Plan with respect to such Highlands Participant.

Section 5.3 COBRA and HIPAA .

(a) Highlands (acting directly or through any other Highlands Entity) and the Highlands Health and Welfare Plans shall be solely responsible for compliance with the health care continuation coverage requirements of COBRA with respect to all Highlands Participants (and their respective dependents and beneficiaries), in each case, who experience a COBRA qualifying event on or after the first date on which such individual qualifies as a Highlands Participant. InvenTrust (acting directly or through any other InvenTrust Entity) and the InvenTrust Health and Welfare Plans shall be solely responsible for compliance with the health care continuation coverage requirements of COBRA with respect to each individual who is an InvenTrust Participant (or a dependent or beneficiary thereof) at the time such individual experiences a COBRA qualifying event, provided that Highlands shall reimburse InvenTrust to the extent of any Liability actually incurred by an InvenTrust Entity with respect thereto relating to an InvenTrust Participant who is a Former Highlands Employee. Neither the consummation of the Distribution, any transfer of employment contemplated hereby, or any related transactions or events contemplated by the Separation Agreement, this Agreement or any other Ancillary Agreement shall constitute a COBRA qualifying event for purposes of COBRA with respect to any InvenTrust Participant or any Highlands Participant (or any dependent or beneficiary thereof).

(b) Highlands (acting directly or through any other Highlands Entity) shall be responsible for compliance with any certificate of creditable coverage or other applicable requirements of HIPAA or Medicare applicable to the Highlands Health and Welfare Plans with respect to Highlands Participants. InvenTrust (acting directly or through any other InvenTrust Entity) shall be responsible for compliance with any certificate of creditable coverage or other applicable requirements of HIPAA or Medicare applicable to the InvenTrust Health and Welfare Plans with respect to InvenTrust Participants.

Section 5.4 InvenTrust to Provide Information . To the extent permitted by Law, InvenTrust or the relevant InvenTrust Health and Welfare Plan shall provide to Highlands or the relevant Highlands Health and Welfare Plan (to the extent that relevant information is in InvenTrust’s possession) such data as may be necessary for Highlands to comply with its obligations hereunder, which may include the names of Highlands Participants who were participants in or otherwise entitled to benefits under the InvenTrust Health and Welfare Plans prior to the Distribution, together with each such individual’s service credit under such plans, information concerning each such individual’s current plan-year expenses incurred towards deductibles, out-of-pocket limits and co-payments, maximum benefit payments, and any benefit usage towards plan limits thereunder. InvenTrust shall, as soon as practicable after requested, provide Highlands with such additional information that is in InvenTrust’s possession (and not already in the possession of a Highlands Entity) as may be reasonably requested by Highlands and necessary to administer effectively any Highlands Health and Welfare Plan. InvenTrust and each Highlands Entity shall enter into such other agreements as are necessary to comply with this Section 5.4 , including, but not limited to, any agreements required by HIPAA.

 

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Section 5.5 Liabilities .

(a) Insured Benefits . With respect to employee welfare and fringe benefits that are provided through the purchase of insurance, InvenTrust shall, with respect to Highlands Participants who participated in such InvenTrust Health and Welfare Plans, cause the InvenTrust Health and Welfare Plans to, through such insurance policies, pay and discharge all eligible claims of Highlands Participants that are incurred prior to the termination of such Highlands Participants’ participation in the applicable InvenTrust Health and Welfare Plan, and Highlands shall cause the Highlands Health and Welfare Plans to, through such insurance policies, pay and discharge all eligible claims of Highlands Participants that are incurred on or after enrollment of such Highlands Participants in the Highlands Health and Welfare Plans (it being understood that neither InvenTrust Health and Welfare Plans nor Highlands Health and Welfare Plans shall be responsible for any claims that arise following the claimant’s termination of participation in the applicable InvenTrust Health and Welfare Plan if the claimant does not validly enroll in an applicable Highlands Health and Welfare Plan).

(b) Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Benefits . For the avoidance of doubt, with respect to any Highlands Employee who becomes entitled to receive long-term or short-term disability benefits prior to the Effective Time, such Highlands Employee shall be transferred to, and shall receive any long-term or short-term disability benefits to which such Highlands Employee is entitled under, the Highlands Health and Welfare Plans as of the Effective Time in accordance with the terms of such plans.

(c) Incurred Claim Definition . For purposes of this Article V , a claim or Liability shall generally be deemed to be incurred (i) with respect to medical, dental, vision, and/or prescription drug benefits, on the date that the health services giving rise to such claim or Liability are rendered or performed and not when such claim is made; provided , however that with respect to a period of continuous hospitalization, a claim is incurred upon the first date of such hospitalization and not on the date that such services are performed and (ii) with respect to life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment and business travel accident insurance, upon the occurrence of the event giving rise to such claim or Liability.

(d) Accrued Paid-Time-Off . On the Distribution Date (or such later date as may be permitted by applicable law), InvenTrust shall (directly or through another InvenTrust Entity) pay to each Highlands Employee in a cash lump sum amount the full balance of such Highlands Employee’s Accrued PTO as of the Effective Time. Following the Effective Time, any paid-time-off accruals in respect of post-Distribution services (if any) shall be made in accordance with the terms and conditions of the post-Distribution employer’s applicable policies and programs (except to the extent otherwise provided in an applicable InvenTrust Individual Agreement or Highlands Individual Agreement).

Section 5.6 Workers’ Compensation Liabilities . All workers’ compensation Liabilities relating to, arising out of, or resulting from any claim by an InvenTrust Employee or Former InvenTrust Employee that results from an accident occurring, or from an occupational disease which becomes

 

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manifest (collectively, “ Workers’ Comp Liabilities ”) before, as of or after the Effective Time, shall be retained by and be obligations of InvenTrust or its insurers. All Workers’ Comp Liabilities relating to, arising out of, or resulting from any claim by a Highlands Employee or Former Highlands Employee that arises or manifests prior to the date on which such Highlands Employee or Former Highlands Employee was covered by an applicable workers’ compensation insurance program maintained by a Highlands Entity shall be obligations of InvenTrust and its insurers, provided that Highlands shall reimburse InvenTrust to the extent of any such Workers’ Comp Liability actually incurred by an InvenTrust Entity. All Workers’ Comp Liabilities relating to, arising out of, or resulting from any claim by a Highlands Employee or Former Highlands Employee that arises or manifests on or after the date on which such Highlands Employee or Former Highlands Employee was covered under a workers’ compensation insurance program maintained by a Highlands Entity shall be obligations of Highlands and its insurers. For purposes of this Agreement, a compensable injury giving rise to a Workers’ Comp Liability shall be deemed to be sustained upon the occurrence of the event giving rise to eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits or at the time that an occupational disease becomes manifest, as the case may be. Each InvenTrust Entity and each Highlands Entity shall cooperate with respect to any notification to appropriate Governmental Authorities of the effective time and the issuance of new, or the transfer of existing, workers’ compensation insurance policies and claims handling contracts.

ARTICLE VI

INCENTIVE COMPENSATION

Section 6.1 Highlands Cash Incentive Plans and Liabilities . Following the Effective Time, Highlands shall assume or retain, as applicable, responsibility for any and all payments, obligations and other Liabilities relating to any amounts that any Highlands Employee has either earned (if not payable by its terms prior to the Effective Time) or become eligible to earn, in either case, as of the Effective Time under any cash incentive, annual performance bonus, commission and similar cash plan or program maintained by InvenTrust in which one or more Highlands Employees is eligible to participate as of immediately prior to the Effective Time (the “ InvenTrust Cash Incentive Plans ”), and shall fully perform, pay and discharge the foregoing if and when such payments, obligations and/or other Liabilities become due. InvenTrust shall have no Liability for any payments, obligations or other Liabilities relating to any Highlands Employee with respect to any InvenTrust Cash Incentive Plan after the Effective Time. Following the Effective Time, the Highlands Entities shall be solely responsible for, and no InvenTrust Entities shall have any obligation or Liability with respect to, any and all payments, obligations and other Liabilities under any cash incentive, annual performance bonus, commission and similar cash plan or program maintained by Highlands, and shall fully perform, pay and discharge the forgoing if and when such payments, obligations and/or other Liabilities become due.

Section 6.2 InvenTrust Retention of Cash Incentive Liabilities . Following the Effective Time, the InvenTrust Entities shall be solely liable for, and no Highlands Entity shall have any obligation or Liability with respect to, any and all payments, obligations and other Liabilities relating to any awards that any InvenTrust Employee has earned or is eligible to earn under the InvenTrust Cash Incentive Plans and shall fully perform, pay and discharge the foregoing if and when such payments, obligations and/or other Liabilities become due.

 

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ARTICLE VII

SEVERANCE AND RETENTION PLANS

Section 7.1 Highlands Severance and Retention Plans . As of the Effective Time, Highlands shall assume each of the InvenTrust Properties Corp. Non-Core Business Change in Control Severance Plan and the InvenTrust Properties Corp. Non-Core Business Retention Bonus Plan (the “ Severance and Retention Plans ”), shall assume responsibility for any and all payments, obligations and other Liabilities relating to any amounts payable thereunder, and shall fully perform, pay and discharge the foregoing if and when such payments, obligations and/or other Liabilities become due. As of the Effective Time, InvenTrust shall have no Liability for any payments, obligations or other Liabilities with respect to the Severance and Retention Plans.

Section 7.2 InvenTrust Severance and Retention Plans . Following the Effective Time, the InvenTrust Entities shall be solely liable for, and no Highlands Entity shall have any obligation or Liability with respect to, any and all payments, obligations and other Liabilities relating to amounts payable to any InvenTrust Employee under any severance or retention plan that constitutes an InvenTrust Benefit Plan, and the InvenTrust Entities shall fully perform, pay and discharge the foregoing if and when such payments, obligations and/or other Liabilities become due.

ARTICLE VIII

PAYROLL REPORTING AND WITHHOLDING

Section 8.1 Form W-2 Reporting . InvenTrust and Highlands shall, and shall cause the other InvenTrust Entities and the other Highlands Entities, respectively, to take such action as may be reasonably necessary or appropriate in order to minimize Liabilities related to payroll taxes after the Effective Time. InvenTrust and Highlands shall, and shall cause the other InvenTrust Entities and the other Highlands Entities to, respectively, each bear its responsibility for payroll tax obligations and for the proper reporting to the appropriate governmental authorities of compensation earned by their respective employees after the Effective Time.

Section 8.2 Garnishments, Tax Levies, Child Support Orders, and Wage Assignments . With respect to garnishments, tax levies, child support orders, and wage assignments in effect with InvenTrust (or any other InvenTrust Entity) as of the Distribution Date for any Highlands Employee or Former Highlands Employee, Highlands (and any other employing Highlands Entity), as appropriate, shall honor such payroll deduction authorizations and shall continue to make payroll deductions and payments to the authorized payee, as specified by the court or governmental order which was on file with InvenTrust as of immediately prior to the Distribution Date. InvenTrust shall, as soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, provide Highlands (and any other employing Highlands Entity), as appropriate, with such information in InvenTrust’s possession (and not already in the possession of a Highlands Entity) as may be reasonably requested by the Highlands Entities and necessary for the Highlands Entities to make the payroll deductions and payments to the authorized payee as required by this Section 8.2 .

Section 8.3 Authorizations for Payroll Deductions . Unless otherwise prohibited by a Benefit Plan or by this Agreement or another Ancillary Agreement or by applicable Law, Highlands and

 

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the other Highlands Entities, as appropriate, shall honor payroll deduction authorizations attributable to any Highlands Employee that are in effect with any InvenTrust Entity on the Distribution Date relating to such Highlands Employee, and shall not require that such Highlands Employee submit a new authorization to the extent that the type of deduction by Highlands or any other Highlands Entity, as appropriate, does not differ from that made by the InvenTrust Entity. Such deduction types include: pre-tax (in accordance with Section 125 of the Code) contributions to any Highlands Benefit Plan, including any voluntary benefit plan; scheduled loan repayments to any Highlands Benefit Plan; and direct deposit of payroll, employee relocation loans, and other types of authorized company receivables usually collectible through payroll deductions. Each Party shall, as soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, provide the other Party with such information in its possession as may be reasonably requested by the other Party and as necessary for that Party to honor the payroll deduction authorizations contemplated by this Section 8.3 .

ARTICLE IX

INDEMNIFICATION

Section 9.1 General Indemnification . The indemnification rights and obligations of the Parties under this Agreement shall be governed by, and be subject to, the provisions of Article IX of the Separation Agreement, which provisions are hereby incorporated by reference into this Agreement.

ARTICLE X

GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE

Section 10.1 Business Associate Agreements . The Parties hereby agree to enter into any business associate agreements that may be required for the sharing of any information pursuant to this Agreement to comply with the requirements of HIPAA.

Section 10.2 Reasonable Efforts/Cooperation . Each Party shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to promptly take, or cause to be taken, all actions and to do, or cause to be done, all things necessary, proper or advisable under applicable Laws to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including adopting Benefit Plans and/or Benefit Plan amendments. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each of the Parties shall reasonably cooperate in all respects with regard to all matters relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement for which the other Party seeks a determination letter or private letter ruling from the IRS, an advisory opinion from the DOL or any other filing, consent or approval with respect to or by a Governmental Authority.

Section 10.3 Employer Rights . Except as expressly provided for in Article V , nothing in this Agreement shall (a) prohibit any Highlands Entity from amending, modifying or terminating any Highlands Benefit Plan or Highlands Individual Agreement at any time, subject to the terms and conditions thereof, or (b) prohibit any InvenTrust Entity from amending, modifying or terminating any InvenTrust Benefit Plan or any InvenTrust Individual Agreement at any time, subject to the terms and conditions thereof. In addition, nothing in this Agreement shall be interpreted as an amendment or other modification of any Benefit Plan.

 

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Section 10.4 Effect on Employment . Without limiting any other provision of this Agreement, none of the Distribution or any actions taken in furtherance of the Distribution, whether under the Separation Agreement, this Agreement, any other Ancillary Agreement or otherwise, in any case, shall in and of itself cause any employee to be deemed to have incurred a termination of employment or service or, except as expressly provided in this Agreement, to entitle such individual to any payments or benefits under any Benefit Plan or otherwise. Furthermore, nothing in this Agreement is intended to or shall confer upon any InvenTrust Employee, Former InvenTrust Employee, Highlands Employee or Former Highlands Employee any right to continued employment or service, or any recall or similar rights to an individual on layoff or any type of approved leave.

Section 10.5 Consent Of Third Parties . If any provision of this Agreement is dependent on the consent or action of any third party, the Parties hereto shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to obtain such consent or cause such action. If such consent is withheld or such action is not taken, the Parties hereto shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to implement the applicable provisions of this Agreement to the fullest extent practicable. If any provision of this Agreement cannot be implemented due to the failure of such third party to consent or take action, the Parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to implement the provision in a mutually satisfactory alternative manner.

Section 10.6 Beneficiary Designation/Release Of Information/Right To Reimbursement . Without limiting any other provision hereof, to the extent permitted by applicable Law and except as otherwise provided for in this Agreement, all beneficiary designations, authorizations for the release of information and rights to reimbursement made by or relating to Highlands Participants under InvenTrust Benefit Plans and in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be transferred to and be in full force and effect under the corresponding Highlands Benefit Plans until such beneficiary designations, authorizations or rights are replaced or revoked by, or no longer apply to, the relevant Highlands Participant.

Section 10.7 Compliance . As of the Distribution Date, Highlands (acting directly or through any Highlands Entity) shall be solely responsible for compliance under ERISA with respect to each Highlands Benefit Plan.

Section 10.8 Engagement of Professional Employer Organization . The Parties agree that for purposes of satisfying Highlands’ responsibilities and obligations with respect to any Highlands Benefit Plan under the Separation Agreement, this Agreement, any other Ancillary Agreement or otherwise, Highlands may, in its sole discretion, engage a professional employer organization or similar organization (a “ PEO ”). In the event that Highlands engages a PEO, Highlands may be in a co-employment relationship with the PEO, and to that extent some or all of the Highlands Employees may be in a separate employment relationship with each of Highlands and the PEO (which may be considered such Highland Employee’s employer of record for such purposes). Accordingly, the Parties acknowledge and agree that certain of Highlands’ responsibilities or obligations under the Separation Agreement, this Agreement, any other Ancillary Agreement or otherwise may be satisfied by the provision of services, employee benefit plans or benefits by the PEO and its affiliates; provided , however , that all obligations and Liabilities with respect thereto shall ultimately be obligations and Liabilities of Highlands, and not of InvenTrust or any other InvenTrust Entity.

 

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ARTICLE XI

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 11.1 Non-Occurrence of Distribution . Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if the Separation Agreement is terminated prior to the Effective Time, all actions and events that are, under this Agreement, to be taken or occur effective prior to, as of or following the Effective Time, or otherwise in connection with the Separation, shall not be taken or occur, except to the extent otherwise determined by InvenTrust.

Section 11.2 Section 409A . Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, with respect to any compensation or benefits that may be subject to Section 409A of the Code and related Department of Treasury guidance thereunder, the Parties agree to negotiate in good faith regarding any treatment that differs from that otherwise provided herein to the extent necessary or appropriate to (a) exempt such compensation and benefits from Section 409A of the Code, (b) comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, and/or (c) otherwise avoid the imposition of tax under Section 409A of the Code; provided , however , that this Section 11.2 does not create an obligation on the part of either Party to adopt any amendment, policy or procedure, to take any other action or to indemnify any Person for any failure to do any of the foregoing.

Section 11.3 Entire Agreement . This Agreement and the Exhibits referenced herein and attached hereto, as well as the Separation Agreement and any other agreements and documents referred to herein or therein, constitute the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersede all previous agreements, negotiations, discussions, understandings, writings, commitments and conversations between the Parties with respect to such subject matter. No agreements or understandings exist between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof other than those set forth or referred to herein.

Section 11.4 Counterparts; Electronic Delivery . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which, when so executed and delivered or transmitted by facsimile, e-mail or other electronic means, shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which taken together shall constitute but one and the same instrument. Execution and delivery of this Agreement or any other documents pursuant to this Agreement by facsimile or other electronic means shall be deemed to be, and shall have the same legal effect as, execution by an original signature and delivery in person.

Section 11.5 Survival of Agreements . Except as otherwise expressly contemplated by this Agreement, all covenants and agreements of the Parties contained in this Agreement shall survive the Effective Time and remain in full force and effect in accordance with their applicable terms.

Section 11.6 Notices . All notices, demands and other communications required to be given to a Party hereunder shall be in writing and shall be personally delivered, sent by a nationally recognized overnight courier, or mailed by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested) to such Party at the relevant street address set forth below (or at such other street address as such Party may designate from time to time by written notice in accordance with this provision):

To InvenTrust:

 

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InvenTrust Properties Corp.

2809 Butterfield Road

Oak Brook, Illinois 60523

Attention: Chief Executive Officer

To Highlands:

Highlands REIT, Inc.

332 S. Michigan Avenue, Ninth Floor

Chicago, Illinois 60604

Attention: Chief Executive Officer

Notice by courier or certified or registered mail shall be effective on the date it is officially recorded as delivered to the intended recipient by return receipt or similar acknowledgment. All notices and communications delivered in person shall be deemed to have been delivered to and received by the addressee, and shall be effective, on the date of personal delivery.

(a) Waivers . Any term or provision of this Agreement may be waived, or the time for its performance may be extended, by the Party or the Parties entitled to the benefit thereof. Any such waiver shall be validly and sufficiently given for the purposes of this Agreement if, as to any Party, it is executed by a writing signed by an authorized representative of such Party. Waiver by any Party of any default by the other Party of any provision of this Agreement shall not be construed to be a waiver by the waiving Party of any subsequent or other default, nor shall it in any way affect the validity of this Agreement or prejudice the rights of the other Party, thereafter, to enforce each and every such provision. No failure or delay by any Party in exercising any right, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof, or the exercise of any other right, power or privilege. The rights and remedies hereunder are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights or remedies that either Party would otherwise have.

Section 11.7 Amendments . Subject to the terms of Sections 11.9 , this Agreement may not be amended except by an agreement in writing signed by both Parties.

Section 11.8 Assignment; Binding Effect . This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties and their successors and permitted assigns; provided , however , that the rights and obligations of each Party under this Agreement shall not be assignable, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, whether by operation of law or otherwise, by such Party without the prior written consent of the other Party and any attempt to assign any rights or obligations under this Agreement without such consent shall be null and void. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no consent shall be required for the assignment of a Party’s rights and obligations under this Agreement in whole in connection with a change of control of a Party so long as the resulting, surviving or transferee Person assumes all of the obligations of the relevant Party thereto by operation of Law or pursuant to an agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the other Party.

Section 11.9 Termination . Upon written notice, this Agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the Effective Time by and in the sole discretion of InvenTrust without the approval of any other Party. In the event of such termination, neither Party shall have any Liability any kind to the other Party.

 

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Section 11.10 Performance . Each of InvenTrust with respect to the InvenTrust Entities and Highlands with respect to the Highlands Entities shall cause to be performed, and hereby guarantees the performance of, and all actions, agreements and obligations set forth in this Agreement by such Persons.

Section 11.11 No Third-Party Beneficiaries . Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, this Agreement is for the sole benefit of the Parties and their successors and assigns, and nothing herein, express or implied, is intended to or shall confer upon any other Person or entity any legal or equitable right, benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever, under or by reason of this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in no event shall any InvenTrust Employee, Former InvenTrust Employee, InvenTrust Participant, Highlands Employee, Former Highlands Employee or Highlands Participant (or any dependent, beneficiary or alternate payee of any of the foregoing) have any third-party rights under this Agreement.

Section 11.12 Title and Headings . Titles and headings to Sections and Articles are inserted for the convenience of reference only and are not intended to be a part of or to affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

Section 11.13 Exhibits . The Exhibits attached hereto are incorporated herein by reference and shall be construed with and as an integral part of this Agreement to the same extent as if the same had been set forth verbatim herein.

Section 11.14 Governing Law . This Agreement, and the legal relations between the Parties hereto, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the conflict of laws rules thereof, to the extent such rules would require the application of the law of another jurisdiction.

Section 11.15 Dispute Resolution . The provisions of Sections 10.1 10.5 of the Separation Agreement shall apply , mutatis mutandis , to all disputes, controversies or claims (whether arising in contract, tort or otherwise) that may arise out of or relate to, or arise under or in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

Section 11.16 Waiver of Jury Trial . EACH PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND ABSOLUTELY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING BROUGHT BY A PARTY TO COMPEL THE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEDURES PROVIDED IN SECTION 11.15 OF THIS AGREEMENT AND ARTICLE X OF THE SEPARATION AGREEMENT AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF ANY AWARDS OR DECISION OBTAINED FROM SUCH ARBITRATION PROCEEDING, AND AGREES TO TAKE ANY AND ALL ACTION NECESSARY OR APPROPRIATE TO EFFECT SUCH WAIVER.

Section 11.17 Specific Performance . Subject to the provisions of Sections 10.1 10.5 of the Separation Agreement, from and after the Distribution, in the event of any actual or threatened default in, or breach of, any of the terms, conditions and provisions of this Agreement, the Parties agree that the Party to this Agreement who is or is to be thereby aggrieved shall have the right to

 

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seek specific performance and injunctive or other equitable relief of its rights under this Agreement, in addition to any and all other rights and remedies at Law or in equity, and all such rights and remedies shall be cumulative. The Parties agree that, from and after the Distribution, the remedies at Law for any breach or threatened breach of this Agreement, including monetary damages, may be inadequate compensation for any loss, that any defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at Law would be adequate is hereby waived, and that any requirements for the securing or posting of any bond with such remedy are hereby waived.

Section 11.18 Severability . If any term or other provision of this Agreement or the Exhibits attached hereto or thereto is determined by a nonappealable decision by a court, administrative agency or arbitrator to be invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the Transactions is not affected in any manner materially adverse to either Party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the court, administrative agency or arbitrator shall interpret this Agreement so as to affect the original intent of the Parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner to the end that the Transactions are fulfilled to the fullest extent possible. If any sentence in this Agreement is so broad as to be unenforceable, the provision shall be interpreted to be only as broad as is enforceable.

Section 11.19 Force Majeure . Neither Party (nor any Person acting on its behalf) shall have any liability or responsibility for failure to fulfill any obligation (other than a payment obligation) under this Agreement so long as, and to the extent to which, the fulfillment of such obligation is prevented, frustrated, hindered or delayed as a consequence of circumstances of Force Majeure; provided that such Party (or such Person) shall have exercised commercially reasonable efforts to minimize the effect of Force Majeure on its obligations. In the event of an occurrence of a Force Majeure, the Party whose performance is affected thereby shall give notice of suspension as soon as reasonably practicable to the other stating the date and extent of such suspension and the cause thereof, and such Party shall resume the performance of such obligations as soon as reasonably practicable after the removal of such cause. For purposes of this Agreement “ Force Majeure ” means with respect to a Party, an event beyond the control of such Party (or any Person acting on its behalf), which by its nature could not have been reasonably foreseen by such Party (or such Person), or, if it could have been reasonably foreseen, was unavoidable, and includes acts of God, storms, floods, riots, fires, sabotage, civil commotion or civil unrest, interference by civil or military authorities, acts of war (declared or undeclared) or armed hostilities or other national or international calamity or one or more acts of terrorism or failure of energy sources or distribution facilities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the receipt by a Party of an unsolicited takeover offer or other acquisition proposal, even if unforeseen or unavoidable, and such Party’s response thereto shall not be deemed an event of Force Majeure.

Section 11.20 Construction . This Agreement shall be construed as if jointly drafted by the Parties and no rule of construction strict interpretation shall be applied against either Party. The Parties represent that this Agreement is entered into with full consideration of any and all rights which the Parties may have. The Parties have conducted such investigations they thought appropriate, and have consulted with such advisors as they deemed appropriate regarding this Agreement and their rights and asserted rights in connection therewith. The Parties are not relying upon any representations or statements made by the other Party, or such other Party’s employees, agents,

 

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representatives or attorneys, regarding this Agreement, except to the extent such representations are expressly set forth or incorporated in this Agreement. The Parties are not relying upon a legal duty, if one exists, on the part of the other Party (or such other Party’s employees, agents, representatives or attorneys) to disclose any information in connection with the execution of this Agreement or their preparation, it being expressly understood that neither Party shall ever assert any failure to disclose information on the part of the other Party as a ground for challenging this Agreement.

Section 11.21 Limited Liability . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, no individual who is a shareholder, director, employee, officer, agent or representative of InvenTrust or Highlands, in such individual’s capacity as such, shall have any liability in respect of or relating to the covenants or obligations of InvenTrust or Highlands, as applicable, under this Agreement and, to the fullest extent legally permissible, each of InvenTrust, for itself and the InvenTrust Entities, and Highlands for itself and the Highlands Entities, and in each case, for their respective shareholders, directors, employees and officers, waives and agrees not to seek to assert or enforce any such liability that any such Person otherwise might have pursuant to applicable law.

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respective officers as of the date first set forth above.

 

INVENTRUST PROPERTIES CORP.
By:   

 

  Name:
  Title:
HIGHLANDS REIT, INC.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

Exhibit 10.3

EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

This Executive Employment Agreement (this “ Agreement ”), dated as of             , 2016, is entered into by and among Highlands REIT, Inc. (“ Highlands ” or the “ Company ”) and Richard Vance (“ Executive ”).

RECITALS:

WHEREAS , the Company is, and prior to the Distribution (as defined below) will be, a wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust Properties Corp. (“ InvenTrust ”);

WHEREAS , to effect the separation of the Company from InvenTrust, on or about the date hereof, the Company and InvenTrust are entering into that certain Separation and Distribution Agreement (as amended or otherwise modified from time to time, the “ Separation Agreement ”);

WHEREAS , effective as of the date of the Distribution, the Company desires to employ Executive in the position of President and Chief Executive Officer;

WHEREAS , this Agreement sets forth the terms and conditions of the employment relationship between the Company and Executive; and

WHEREAS , this Agreement shall become effective only if the Distribution occurs.

NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the covenants herein contained and the employment of Executive and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:

1. Effectiveness . This Agreement shall become effective on the date on which the Distribution is completed (the “ Effective Date ”). Notwithstanding anything contained herein, in the event that the Separation Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms or the Distribution does not occur for any reason, this Agreement shall not become effective, and, in the event that the Separation Agreement is terminated, shall automatically, and without notice, terminate without any obligation due to the other party and the provisions of this Agreement shall be of no force or effect. For purposes of this agreement, “Distribution” shall mean the pro rata distribution by InvenTrust of 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Highlands to the stockholders of InvenTrust.

2. Position . The Company will employ Executive as its President and Chief Executive Officer. The principal location of Executive’s employment shall be at the Company’s principal executive office located in the greater Chicago metropolitan area, although Executive understands and agrees that Executive will be required to travel from time to time for business reasons. Executive agrees to devote Executive’s full working time and attention to the Company and to act at all times in the best interests of the Company. Executive will have such duties, responsibilities and authority as are consistent with Executive’s position. Executive shall report to the Board. Executive agrees to perform Executive’s duties and responsibilities to the Company faithfully, competently, diligently and to the best of Executive’s ability, and subject to,

 

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and in accordance with, all of the policies, rules and regulations from time to time applicable to employees of the Company. Executive further agrees to execute any additional documents as the Company may from time to time request Executive and other similarly situated executives to sign regarding such policies, rules and regulations of the Company, provided that any such additional documents shall not be inconsistent with the terms of this Agreement.

3. Compensation and Benefits .

(a) Base Salary . During the “Term” (as defined in Section 4 below), the Company will pay to Executive a base salary at a rate of $385,000 per annum, which may be reviewed and increased (but not decreased) from time to time in the normal course of business (such annual salary, as in effect from time to time, to be referred to herein as “ Base Salary ”). Executive’s Base Salary will be payable in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices.

(b) Annual Performance Bonus . For each fiscal year of the Company during Executive’s employment with the Company hereunder (each, a “ Performance Period ”), Executive will be eligible to receive an annual performance bonus award payable in cash in an amount determined by the Board, or a committee thereof, based upon the achievement of performance criteria established by the Board or the Compensation Committee of the Board with respect to such period (the “ Annual Bonus ”). The bonus program to be established by the Board will include threshold, target and maximum levels. Executive will be eligible to receive an annual target bonus of no less than eighty percent (80%) of Executive’s Base Salary (“ Target Bonus ”) with threshold and maximum bonus levels to be determined on an annual basis, with the actual bonus that becomes payable to be based on the actual achievement of the applicable performance criteria as determined by the Board or a committee thereof. In the event of the occurrence of a Change in Control during a Performance Period, in addition to any other payments or benefits to which Executive is or may become entitled to pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or any plan or agreement in which Executive participates or is a party to, Executive will be entitled to receive an Annual Bonus equal to the target Annual Bonus for the year in which the Change in Control occurs, pro-rated for the portion of the Performance Period that elapsed prior to the occurrence of the Change in Control. Any Annual Bonus shall be paid to Executive in a lump sum as soon as reasonably practicable, but in no event later than March 15, following the end of the applicable fiscal year.

(c) Stock Awards . Within thirty (30) days following the Effective Date, Executive will be granted an award of fully-vested Shares having an aggregate value equal to $1,000,000. In addition, not later than March 15, 2017, and subject to Executive’s continued employment with the Company until such date, Executive will be granted an award of fully-vested Shares having an aggregate value equal to $600,000. The number of Shares subject to each such award shall be determined by dividing such dollar amount by the fair market value of a Share on the grant date, as determined by the Company in good faith.

(d) Employee Benefits . Executive is also eligible for the benefit plans and employment policies offered by the Company to other senior level executives under the same terms and conditions offered to senior level executives, subject to and on a basis consistent with the terms, conditions, and overall administration of such benefit plans. During the Term, Executive will accrue vacation with pay at an annual accrual rate consistent with the Company’s policy in effect from time to time.

 

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(e) Reservation of Rights . Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may change, amend, or discontinue any employee benefit plans and policies at any time in its sole discretion.

(f) Business Expenses . The Company shall reimburse Executive for reasonable business expenses incurred by Executive on Company business, pursuant to the Company’s standard expense reimbursement policy as in effect from time to time.

4. Term; Termination of Employment . The term of this Agreement (the “ Term ”) begins on the Effective Date and will end, along with Executive’s employment with the Company, on the earliest to occur of the following events.

(a) Notice by Executive . Executive can terminate Executive’s employment and the Term with Good Reason in accordance with the notice requirement under the definition of Good Reason under Section 12(g) of this Agreement or without Good Reason by providing 60 days advance written notice to the Company of such intent, with the last day of Executive’s employment being the end of such 60-day notice period. The Company can elect, in its sole discretion, to have Executive continue to provide services to the Company during some, all or none of such notice period and can elect, in its sole discretion, whether such services will be performed on or off Company premises.

(b) Notice by the Company without Cause . The Company can terminate Executive’s employment and the Term without Cause by providing 60 days’ advance written notice to Executive of such intent, with the last day of Executive’s employment being the end of such 60-day notice period. At the Company’s option, it may place Executive on a paid leave of absence for all or part of such notice period.

(c) Termination For Cause . The Company can terminate Executive’s employment and the Term immediately upon notice to Executive if such termination of employment is for Cause.

(d) Other Reasons . Executive’s employment and the Term will be terminated upon Executive’s death or Executive becoming Disabled.

(e) Certain Payments . Upon Executive’s termination of employment for any reason, the Company will pay to Executive (a) Executive’s earned but unpaid Base Salary through the effective date of the termination and (b) any other amounts due to Executive from the Company or any of its Affiliates thereof as of the effective date of the termination, such as approved, unreimbursed business expenses and accrued and unused vacation. Executive’s participation in and payouts under employee benefit plans of the Company will be governed by the terms of those plans then in effect.

 

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5. Severance .

(a) Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason other than within 24 months Following a Change in Control . If Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or if Executive resigns for Good Reason, and such termination is not a CIC Termination (as defined below), then, subject to Section 6 and Section 9, Executive will receive a lump-sum payment in an amount equal to 1.5 times the sum of (i) Executive’s Base Salary and (ii) Executive’s Target Bonus for the year in which the termination occurs. Such lump-sum amount will be payable within sixty (60) calendar days following Executive’s separation from service.

(b) Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason Following a Change in Control . If Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or if Executive resigns for Good Reason, and such termination is on the date of, or during the twenty-four- (24-) month period following, a Change in Control (a “ CIC Termination ”), then, subject to Section 6 and Section 9, Executive will receive a lump sum payment equal to the CIC Severance Multiple times the sum of (i) Executive’s Base Salary and (ii) Executive’s Target Bonus for the year in which the termination occurs. Such lump sum amount will be payable within 60 calendar days following Executive’s separation from service. In the event that Executive’s employment with the Company is terminated (other than by the Company for Cause, by the Executive’s voluntary resignation other than for Good Reason or due to the Executive’s death or Executive becoming Disabled) in connection with or by reason of a liquidation of the Company or a sale, liquidation or other disposition or exit (including any trustee sale, foreclosure, default, or placement into receivership) of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (in each case, in a single transaction or series of transactions) (a “ Disposition of Assets ”), such termination shall constitute a CIC Termination for purposes of this Agreement, any other agreement between the Executive and the Company, and any plan maintained by the Company.

(c) Benefit Continuation . If Executive is entitled to severance payments under either Section 5(a) or 5(b) hereof, the Company shall, at the Company’s expense, for the period ending on the earliest of (A) 18 months following the termination of Executive’s employment with the Company, or (B) the date Executive becomes eligible to be covered under any other group health plan (as an employee or otherwise) that does not contain any exclusion or limitation with respect to any preexisting condition which would actually limit Executive’s coverage under such plan (the “ Benefit Continuation Period ”), provide medical insurance benefit coverage in coordination with the provisions of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (“ COBRA ”) by paying directly or reimbursing Executive for the applicable coverage premiums, provided that (i) Executive completes and timely files all necessary COBRA election documentation, which will be sent to Executive after the last day of employment and (ii) Executive continues to make all required premium payments required by COBRA. In the event such premium payments or reimbursements by the Company, by reason of change in the applicable law, may, in the reasonable view of the Company, result in tax or other penalties on the Company or in the event that the Company is otherwise unable to continue to cover Executive under its group health plan or ceases to maintain or participate in a group health plan, this provision shall terminate and Executive and the Company shall, in good faith, negotiate for a substitute provision that would not result in such tax or other penalties or would provide Executive with a comparable benefit or value, as applicable.

 

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6. Conditions to Receiving Severance . The receipt of any severance or other benefits pursuant to Section 5 will be subject to Executive signing, returning to the Company and not revoking, a general release agreement, in a form of agreement generally used by the Company for such purposes, releasing the Company and its Affiliates from any and all claims Executive may have arising out of Executive’s employment, or termination thereof (the “ Release Agreement ”) and such Release Agreement becoming effective no later than fifty-five (55) days following Executive’s termination of employment; provided, however, that in the event such fifty-five (55) day period straddles two taxable years, the payments described in Section 5 shall not commence until the later of the two taxable years; and provided further that the general release agreement and any accompanying separation agreement shall have no greater obligations or more limiting post-employment restrictions than are expressly set forth in this Agreement.

7. Executive Covenants . Executive acknowledges that the covenants contained in Section 7 of this Agreement shall survive the termination of the Term and that the consideration noted in Section 3, as well as Executive’s employment, is sufficient compensation for such covenants. For purposes of this Section 7, “Company” means the Company and its subsidiaries, parent companies and affiliated companies other than InvenTrust.

(a) Nondisclosure of Confidential Information . “ Confidential Information ” means data and information relating to the business of the Company, which is disclosed to or created by Executive, or of which Executive becomes aware as a consequence of Executive’s relationship with the Company, that has value to the Company and is not generally known to competitors of the Company. Subject to the foregoing, Confidential Information includes, but is not limited to, business development, marketing and sales programs, customer, potential customer and supplier/vendor information, customer lists, employee information, marketing strategies, Company financial results, information related to mergers and acquisitions, pricing information, personnel information, financial data, regulatory approval strategies, investigative records, research, marketing strategy, testing methodologies and results, computer programs, programs and protocols, and related items used by the Company in its business, whether contained in written form, computerized records, models, prototypes or any other format, and any and all information obtained in writing, orally or visually during visits to offices of the Company. Confidential Information shall not include any information that (A) is or becomes generally available to the public other than as a result of an unauthorized disclosure, (B) has been independently developed and disclosed by others without violating this Agreement, or (C) otherwise enters the public domain through lawful means. Executive acknowledges that Executive will continue to receive and develop Confidential Information of the Company as a necessary part of Executive’s job. Executive agrees that while employed by the Company, Executive will continue to benefit and add to the Company goodwill with its clients and in the marketplace generally. Executive further agrees that the loss of such clients will cause the Company significant and irreparable harm and that the restrictions on Executive’s use of such Confidential Information are reasonable and necessary to protect the Company’s legitimate business interests in its Confidential Information. Accordingly, Executive will not at any time during Executive’s employment by the Company, and for so long thereafter as the pertinent information or documentation constitutes Confidential Information as defined above, use or disclose to others any Confidential Information, except as specifically authorized in a signed writing by the Company or in the performance of work assigned to Executive by the Company.

 

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The covenants made by Executive herein are in addition to, and not exclusive of, any and all other rights to which the Company is entitled under federal and state law, including, but not limited to, rights provided under copyright and trade secret laws, and laws concerning fiduciary duties. Executive hereby agrees not to disclose, copy, or remove from the premises of the Company any documents, records, tapes or other media or format that contain or may contain Confidential Information, except as required by the nature of Executive’s duties for the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein prohibits Executive from reporting possible violations of federal law or regulation to any governmental agency or entity including but not limited to the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Congress, and any Inspector General, or making other disclosures that are protected under the whistleblower provisions of federal law or regulation. Executive does not need the prior authorization of the Company to make any such reports or disclosures and will not be required to notify the Company of any such reports or disclosures.

(b) Return of Company Property . Promptly following the end of the Term, or at any time at the request of the Company, Executive will return to the Company all Confidential Information, physical property of the Company and any information relating to the clients or customers of the Company that Executive may possess or have under Executive’s control, together with all copies thereof, including but not limited to company hardware, records, memoranda, notes, plans, reports, computer tapes, software and other documents and data containing confidential information.

(c) Employee and Independent Contractor Nonsolicitation and Noninterference . During the Term and for one year following the termination of Executive’s employment for any reason or no reason by either the Company or Executive, Executive will not, directly or indirectly (i) recruit, hire, retain or attempt to recruit, hire or retain, any then-current employee or independent contractor of the Company or any former employee who was employed by the Company within the prior six (6) months, for employment or engagement with an entity other than the Company, or (ii) entice or attempt to persuade the Company’s then-current employee or independent contractor to leave employment or engagement with the Company.

(d) Nondisparagement . Executive shall not make, and the Company shall instruct each member of the Board and each executive officer of the Company not to make, or cause to be made, during the Term and at all times thereafter, any statement or communicate any information (whether oral or written) that disparages the Company or Executive, respectively, including, with respect to Executive’s obligations, the Company’s subsidiaries or parent companies or any of their respective officers, directors, board members, investors, shareholders, agents or employees.

(e) Reasonableness . Executive acknowledges that the provisions contained in this Section 7 are reasonable and necessary to protect the Company’s interests in its good will, business relationships, and confidential information and that the Company will suffer substantial harm if Executive engages in any of the prohibited activities. Executive warrants that no provision of this Section 7 will work to prevent Executive from earning a living.

(f) Enforcement . It is the desire and intent of the parties hereto that the provisions of Section 7 of this Agreement be construed independently of one another to the

 

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fullest extent permissible under the laws and public policies applied in each jurisdiction in which enforcement is sought. Each restriction contained in this Section 7 is intended to be severable, and the unenforceability of any such provision shall not affect the enforceability of any other provision of Section 7. The Company shall be entitled to all rights and remedies as set forth in this Section 7 until the expiration of the covenants contained herein in accordance with their terms. The parties agree and acknowledge that damages will be difficult, if not impossible, to calculate in the event of a breach, or threatened breach, of any of the provisions of this Section 7 and, in any event, damages will be an insufficient remedy in the event of such breach. Accordingly, the parties agree that the Company shall, in addition to all other remedies, be entitled to injunctive relief in the event of any breach of the provisions of this Section 7.

8. Parachute Payment Limitations . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein (or any other agreement entered into by and between Executive and the Company or any incentive arrangement or plan offered by the Company), in the event that any amount or benefit paid or distributed to Executive pursuant to this Agreement, taken together with any amounts or benefits otherwise paid to Executive by the Company (collectively, the “ Covered Payments ”), would constitute an “excess parachute payment” as defined in Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code ”), and would thereby subject Executive to an excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code (an “ Excise Tax ”), the provisions of this Section 8 shall apply. If the aggregate present value (as determined for purposes of Section 280G of the Code) of the Covered Payments exceeds the amount which can be paid to Executive without Executive incurring an Excise Tax, then, solely to the extent that Executive would be better off on an after tax basis by receiving the maximum amount which may be paid hereunder without Executive becoming subject to the Excise Tax, the amounts payable to Executive under this Agreement (or any other agreement by and between Executive and the Company or pursuant to any incentive arrangement or plan offered by the Company) shall be reduced (but not below zero) to the maximum amount which may be paid hereunder without Executive becoming subject to the Excise Tax (such reduced payments to be referred to as the “ Payment Cap ”). The determination of whether Covered Payments would result in the application of the Excise Tax, and the amount of reduction that is necessary so that no such Excise Tax would be applied, shall be made, at the Company’s expense, by the independent accounting firm employed by the Company immediately prior to the occurrence of the Change in Control. In the event Executive receives reduced payments and benefits as a result of application of this Section 8, Executive shall have the right to designate which of the payments and benefits otherwise set forth herein (or any other agreement between the Company and Executive or any incentive arrangement or plan offered by the Company) shall be received in connection with the application of the Payment Cap, subject to the following sentence. Reduction shall first be made from payments and benefits which are determined not to be nonqualified deferred compensation for purposes of Section 409A of the Code, and then shall be made (to the extent necessary) out of payments and benefits that are subject to Section 409A of the Code and that are due at the latest future date.

9. Recoupment . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary, Executive acknowledges that Executive will be subject to recoupment policies adopted by the Company, including any policy adopted pursuant to the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or other law or the listing requirements of any national securities exchange on which the securities of the Company may be listed.

 

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10. Tax Withholding . Executive shall be liable for all income taxes incurred with respect to all benefits provided under this Agreement. All payments required to be made to Executive under this Agreement shall be subject to withholding of amounts relating to income tax, excise tax, employment tax and other payroll taxes to the extent the Company determines is required to be withheld pursuant to applicable law or regulation.

11. Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code . It is the intent of the parties that payments and benefits under this Agreement comply with, or be exempt from, Section 409A of the Code and, accordingly, to the maximum extent permitted, this Agreement shall be interpreted and administered consistent with such intent. With respect to expenses eligible for reimbursement under the terms of this Agreement: (i) the amount of such expenses eligible for reimbursement in any taxable year shall not affect the expenses eligible for reimbursement in another taxable year; and (ii) any reimbursements of such expenses shall be made no later than the end of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the related expenses were incurred, except, in each case, to the extent that the right to reimbursement does not provide for a “deferral of compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code. In addition, Executive’s right to reimbursement (or in-kind benefits) cannot be liquidated or exchanged for any other benefit or payment. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, to the extent required to avoid accelerated taxation or tax penalties under Section 409A of the Code, Executive shall not be considered to have terminated employment for purposes of this Agreement and no payments shall be due to Executive under this Agreement that are payable upon Executive’s termination of employment until Executive would be considered to have incurred a “separation from service” from the Company within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code. In addition, for purposes of this Agreement, each amount to be paid or benefit to be provided to Executive pursuant to this Agreement shall be construed as a separate identified payment for purposes of Section 409A of the Code and any payments described herein that are due within the “short term deferral period” as defined in Section 409A of the Code shall not be treated as deferred compensation unless applicable law requires otherwise. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, if Executive is a “specified employee,” as defined in Section 409A of the Code, as of the date of Executive’s separation from service, then to the extent any amount payable under this Agreement (i) constitutes the payment of nonqualified deferred compensation, within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, (ii) is payable upon Executive’s separation from service and (iii) under the terms of this Agreement would be payable prior to the six-month anniversary of Executive’s separation from service, such payment shall be delayed until the earlier to occur of (A) the first business day following the six-month anniversary of the separation from service or (B) the date of Executive’s death.

12. Definitions . For the purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall be defined as set forth below:

(a) “ Affiliate ” means any domestic or foreign individual, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, association, joint stock company, trust, joint venture, unincorporated organization or governmental entity that, directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Company.

 

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(b) “ Board ” means the board of directors of Highlands or its successor.

(c) “ Cause ” means any of the following:

(i) the willful fraud or material dishonesty of Executive in connection with the performance of Executive’s duties to the Company;

(ii) the deliberate or intentional failure by Executive to substantially perform Executive’s duties to the Company (other than Executive’s failure resulting from Executive’s incapacity due to physical or mental illness or any such actual or anticipated failure after Executive’s issuance of a Notice of Termination for Good Reason) which (if capable of cure) remains uncured after written notice is delivered to Executive by the Board, which notice specifically identifies the manner in which the Board believes Executive has not substantially performed Executive’s duties;

(iii) willful misconduct by Executive that is materially detrimental to the reputation, goodwill or business operations of the Company or any Affiliate;

(iv) willful disclosure of the Company’s Confidential Information or trade secrets;

(v) a breach of Section 7(a), (b) or (c) or Section 19 of this Agreement; or

(vi) the conviction of, or plea of nolo contendere to a charge of commission of a felony or crime of moral turpitude by Executive.

For purposes of this Section, no act or failure to act will be considered “willful,” unless it is done or omitted to be done, by Executive in bad faith or without reasonable belief that Executive’s action or omission was in the best interests of the Company. Any act, or failure to act, based upon authority given pursuant to a resolution duly adopted by the Board or based upon the advice of counsel for the Company will be presumed to be done, or omitted to be done, by Executive in good faith and in the best interests of the Company.

(d) “ Change in Control ” means the first to occur of any of the events set forth in the following paragraphs:

(i) any “person,” as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “ Exchange Act ”), other than the Company or an Affiliate or a Company employee benefit plan, including any trustee of such plan acting as trustee, is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing thirty percent (30%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors;

(ii) a merger, reverse merger or other business combination or consolidation of the Company or any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company with any other

 

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corporation other than an Affiliate, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity) at least fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power represented by the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger, reverse merger, business combination or consolidation;

(iii) a majority of the members of the Board is replaced during any 12 month period by directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the Board prior to the date of the appointment or election; or

(iv) a sale or disposition (other than to an Affiliate) of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets in any single transaction or series of related transactions; or

(v) the shareholders of the Company or the Board adopts a plan of liquidation.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a Change in Control constitutes a payment event with respect to an amount that provides for a the deferral of compensation that is subject to Section 409A of the Code, then, to the extent required to avoid the imposition of additional taxes under Section 409A of the Code, the transaction or event described in subsection (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) above shall only constitute a Change in Control if such transaction also constitutes a “change in control event” (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code).

(e) “ CIC Severance Multiple ” shall be determined based on the date of Executive’s termination of employment with the Company, as follows:

 

Termination of Employment (All Dates Inclusive)

  

CIC Severance Multiple

Between the Effective Date and June 30, 2018

   Three (3)

Between July 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018

   Two and one-half (2.5)

Between January 1, 2019 and June 30, 2019

   Two (2)

On or after July 1, 2019

   One and one-half (1.5)

(f) “ Disabled ” has the same meaning as provided in the long-term disability plan or policy maintained by the Company or in which the Company participates. If no such disability plan or policy is maintained or participated in by the Company, Disabled means Executive is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment, which can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve (12) months. If Executive disputes the Company’s determination of Disability, Executive (or Executive’s designated physician) and the Company (or its designated physician) shall jointly appoint a third party physician to examine Executive and determine whether Executive is Disabled.

 

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(g) “ Good Reason ” means, without Executive’s written consent, (i) a material diminution of Executive’s annual Base Salary or Target Bonus as in effect on the Effective Date and as may be increased from time to time; (ii) a material reduction in Executive’s authority, duties or responsibilities (including any such diminution resulting from a Disposition of Assets); (iii) a requirement that Executive report to anyone other than the Board; (iv) Executive being required to relocate Executive’s principal place of employment with the Company more than 50 miles from Executive’s principal place of employment as of the Effective Date, it being understood that Executive may be required to travel frequently in connection with Executive’s position as set forth herein and that prolonged periods away from Executive’s principal residence shall not constitute Good Reason; or (v) failure of any successor to the Company following a Change in Control to assume this Agreement and the obligations hereunder. A termination of employment by Executive shall not be deemed to be for Good Reason unless (A) Executive gives the Company written notice describing the event or events which are the basis for such termination within sixty (60) days after the event or events occur, (B) such grounds for termination (if susceptible to correction) are not corrected by the Company within thirty (30) days of the Company’s receipt of such notice (“ Correction Period ”), and (C) Executive terminates Executive’s employment no later than thirty (30) days following the Correction Period.

(h) “ Shares ” means shares of the common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company.

13. Engagement of Professional Employer Organization . Executive hereby acknowledges and agrees that for purposes of providing certain human resource services, including payroll and certain employee benefits, the Company may, in its sole discretion, engage a professional employer organization or similar organization (a “ PEO ”). In the event that the Company engages a PEO, the Company may be in a co-employment relationship with the PEO, and to that extent Executive will be in a separate employment relationship with each of the Company and the PEO (which may be considered Executive’s employer of record for such purposes). Accordingly, Executive acknowledges and agrees that certain obligations of the Company under this Agreement may be satisfied by the provision of services or benefits by the PEO and its affiliates; provided, however, that all obligations and liabilities with respect thereto shall ultimately be obligations and liabilities of the Company, and not of the PEO or InvenTrust or its subsidiaries (other than the Company and its subsidiaries). Executive agrees to execute such additional documents in this connection as the Company may from time to time request. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall have the sole authority to direct and control Executive with respect to the services provided by Executive to the Company.

14. Successors and Assigns . This Agreement and all rights hereunder are personal to Executive and shall not be assignable by Executive; provided, however, that any amounts that shall have become payable under this Agreement prior to Executive’s death shall inure to the benefit of Executive’s heirs or other legal representatives, as the case may be. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Company’s successors, including any entity that succeeds to the business and interests of the Company whether by merger, consolidation, purchase of assets or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets and business.

 

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15. Blue-Penciling; Severability . In the event that any provision of this Agreement is determined to be partially or wholly invalid, illegal, unenforceable, or unreasonable or excessive as to duration, geographic scope, or activity, then such provision shall be modified or restricted to the extent necessary to make such provision valid, binding and enforceable. Any provision that is modified shall be construed by limiting and reducing it to the maximum time, geographic or scope limitations, as the case may be, so as to be reasonable and enforceable to the extent compatible with the applicable law. If such provision cannot be modified or restricted, then such provision shall be deemed to be excised from this Agreement, provided that the binding effect and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or impaired in any manner.

16. Amendment . This Agreement may not be amended orally; it may only be amended in a writing signed by Executive and a duly authorized representative of the Company.

17. Notices . Any notices to be given under this Agreement may be made by personal delivery, e-mail, or recognized overnight courier. Notice by personal delivery or courier will be deemed made on the date of actual receipt.

Notice to the Company shall be addressed to:

Chairman of the Board

Highlands REIT, Inc.

332 S. Michigan Avenue, Ninth Floor

Chicago, IL 60604

Notice to Executive shall be addressed to Executive at the home address most recently provided to the Company.

18. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by and enforceable in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland as applicable to contracts executed and performed within such state, without regard to the application of any choice-of-law rules that would result in the application of another state’s laws.

19. Arbitration .

(a) The Company and Executive mutually consent to the resolution by final and binding arbitration of any and all disputes, controversies or claims related in any way to Executive’s relationship with the Company or any Affiliate, including, but not limited to, any dispute, controversy or claim of alleged discrimination, harassment or retaliation (including, but not limited to, claims based on race, sex, sexual preference, religion, national origin, age, marital or family status, medical condition, handicap or disability); any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the breach of this Agreement; and any dispute as to the arbitrability of a matter under this Agreement (collectively, “ Claims ”); provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall require arbitration of any Claims which, by law, cannot be the subject of a compulsory arbitration agreement.

(b) All Claims shall be resolved exclusively by arbitration administered by JAMS under its Employment Arbitration Rules and Procedures then in effect

 

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(the “ JAMS Rules ”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company and Executive shall have the right to (i) seek a restraining order or other injunctive or equitable relief or order in aid of arbitration or to compel arbitration, from a court of competent jurisdiction, or (ii) interim injunctive or equitable relief from the arbitrator pursuant to the JAMS Rules, in each case to prevent any violation of this Agreement. The Company and Executive must notify the other party in writing of a request to arbitrate any Claims within the same statute of limitations period applicable to such Claims.

(c) Any arbitration proceeding brought under this Agreement shall be conducted before one arbitrator in the greater Chicago metropolitan area, or such other location to which the parties mutually agree. The arbitrator shall be selected in accordance with the JAMS Rules, provided that the arbitrator shall be an attorney with significant experience in employment matters. Each party to any dispute shall pay its own expenses, including attorneys’ fees; provided, however, that the Company shall pay all costs and fees that Executive would not otherwise have been subject to paying if the claim had been resolved in a court of law and, to the extent required by applicable law for this arbitration provision to be enforceable, the Company shall reimburse Executive for any reasonable travel expenses incurred by Executive in connection with Executive’s travel to Illinois for any arbitration proceedings. The arbitrator will be empowered to award either party any remedy at law or in equity that the party would otherwise have been entitled to had the matter been litigated in court, including, but not limited to, general, special and punitive damages, injunctive relief, costs and attorney fees; provided, however, that the authority to award any remedy is subject to whatever limitations, if any, exist in the applicable law on such remedies. The arbitrator shall issue a decision or award in writing, stating the essential findings of fact and conclusions of law, and the arbitrators shall be required to follow the laws of the State of Maryland consistent with Section 18 of this Agreement.

(d) Any judgment on or enforcement of any award, including an award providing for interim or permanent injunctive relief, rendered by the arbitrator may be entered, enforced or appealed in any court having jurisdiction thereof. Any arbitration proceedings, decision or award rendered hereunder, and the validity, effect and interpretation of this arbitration provision, shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.

(e) It is part of the essence of this Agreement that any Claims hereunder shall be resolved expeditiously and as confidentially as possible. Accordingly, the Company and Executive agree that all proceedings in any arbitration shall be conducted under seal and kept strictly confidential. In that regard, no party shall use, disclose or permit the disclosure of any information, evidence or documents produced by any other party in the arbitration proceedings or about the existence, contents or results of the proceedings except as necessary and appropriate for the preparation and conduct of the arbitration proceedings, or as may be required by any legal process, or as required in an action in aid of arbitration or for enforcement of or appeal from an arbitral award. Before making any disclosure permitted by the preceding sentence, the party intending to make such disclosure shall give the other party reasonable written notice of the intended disclosure and afford such other party a reasonable opportunity to protect its interests.

 

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20. Captions and Headings . Captions and paragraph headings are for convenience only, are not a part of this Agreement, and shall not be used to construe any provision of this Agreement.

21. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original, but both of which when taken together shall constitute one Agreement. Signatures may be exchanged by facsimile or email.

22. Survival . The respective obligations of, and benefits accorded to, the Company and Executive as provided in Section 3(b) and 3(c), 4(e), 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 19 of this Agreement shall survive the expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, Executive acknowledges and agrees that Executive’s obligations under Section 7 of this Agreement shall survive the cessation of Executive’s employment with the Company for whatever reason.

23. Entire Agreement . This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement between the Company (or any Affiliate) and Executive with respect to its subject matter, and merges and supersedes all prior discussions, negotiations, representations, proposals, agreements and understandings of every kind and nature between the Company (or any Affiliate) and Executive. Executive and the Company represent that, in executing this Agreement, each party has not relied upon any representation or statement made by the other party, other than those set forth herein, with regard to the subject matter, basis or effect of this Agreement.

[Signature page follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the Company and Executive have executed this Agreement on the date first written above.

 

Highlands REIT, Inc.

 

By: InvenTrust Properties Corp., as the sole stockholder of Highlands REIT, Inc.

     Executive

 

    

 

     Richard Vance
By: Thomas P. McGuinness     
Its:  President and Chief Executive Officer     

Exhibit 10.4

HIGHLANDS REIT, INC.

2016 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN

ARTICLE 1.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Highlands REIT, Inc. 2016 Incentive Award Plan (the “ Plan ”) is to promote the success and enhance the value of Highlands REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “ Company ”) by linking the individual interests of Employees, Consultants and members of the Board to those of the Company’s stockholders and by providing such individuals with an incentive for outstanding performance to generate superior returns to the Company’s stockholders. The Plan is further intended to provide flexibility to the Company and its subsidiaries in their ability to motivate, attract, and retain the services of those individuals upon whose judgment, interest, and special effort the successful conduct of the Company’s operations is largely dependent.

ARTICLE 2.

DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION

Wherever the following terms are used in the Plan they shall have the meanings specified below, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The singular pronoun shall include the plural where the context so indicates.

2.1 “ Administrator ” shall mean the entity that conducts the general administration of the Plan as provided in Article 10 hereof. With reference to the duties of the Administrator under the Plan which have been delegated to one or more persons pursuant to Section 10.6 hereof, or which the Board has assumed, the term “Administrator” shall refer to such person(s) unless the Committee or the Board has revoked such delegation or the Board has terminated the assumption of such duties.

2.2 “ Affiliate ” shall mean any Parent or any Subsidiary.

2.3 “ Applicable Accounting Standards ” shall mean Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States, International Financial Reporting Standards or such other accounting principles or standards as may apply to the Company’s financial statements under United States federal securities laws from time to time.

2.4 “ Applicable Law ” shall mean any applicable law, including without limitation, (a) provisions of the Code, the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and any rules or regulations thereunder; (b) corporate, securities, tax or other laws, statutes, rules, requirements or regulations, whether federal, state, local or foreign; and (c) rules of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which the Shares are listed, quoted or traded.

2.5 “ Award ” shall mean an Option, a Restricted Stock award, a Performance Bonus Award, a Dividend Equivalent award, a Stock Payment award, a Restricted Stock Unit award, a Performance Share award, an Other Incentive Award or a Stock Appreciation Right, which may be awarded or granted under the Plan.


2.6 “ Award Agreement ” shall mean any written notice, agreement, contract or other instrument or document evidencing an Award, including through electronic medium, which shall contain such terms and conditions with respect to an Award as the Administrator shall determine, consistent with the Plan.

2.7 “ Board ” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.

2.8 “ Change in Control ” shall mean the first to occur of any of the events set forth in the following paragraphs: (i) any “person,” as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act, other than the Company or an Affiliate or a Company employee benefit plan, including any trustee of such plan acting as trustee, is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing thirty percent (30%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors; (ii) a merger, reverse merger or other business combination or consolidation of the Company or any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company with any other corporation other than an Affiliate of the Company, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity) at least fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power represented by the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger, reverse merger, business combination or consolidation; (iii) a majority of the members of the Board in effect on the Effective Date are replaced during any 12 month period after the Effective Date by directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the Board prior to the date of the appointment or election; or (iv) a sale or other disposition (other than to an Affiliate) of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets in any single transaction or series of related transactions; or (v) the shareholders of the Company or the Board adopts a plan of liquidation.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a Change in Control constitutes a payment event with respect to any Award (or any portion of an Award) that provides for the deferral of compensation that is subject to Section 409A of the Code, then, to the extent required to avoid the imposition of additional taxes under Section 409A of the Code, the transaction or event described in subsection (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) above with respect to such Award (or portion thereof) shall only constitute a Change in Control for purposes of the payment timing of such Award if such transaction also constitutes a “change in control event” (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code). Consistent with the terms of this Section 2.8, the Administrator shall have full and final authority to determine conclusively whether a Change in Control of the Company has occurred pursuant to the above definition, the date of the occurrence of such Change in Control and any incidental matters relating thereto.

2.9 “ Code ” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, together with the regulations and official guidance promulgated thereunder, whether issued prior or subsequent to the grant of any Award.

 

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2.10 “ Committee ” shall mean the Compensation Committee of the Board, or another committee or subcommittee of the Board described in Article 10 hereof.

2.11 “ Common Stock ” shall mean the common stock of the Company, par value $0.01 per share.

2.12 “ Company ” shall mean Highlands REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation.

2.13 “ Consultant ” shall mean any consultant or advisor of the Company or any Subsidiary who qualifies as a consultant or advisor under the applicable rules of Form S-8 Registration Statement.

2.14 “ Director ” shall mean a member of the Board, as constituted from time to time.

2.15 “ Distribution Date ” shall have the meaning set forth in that certain Separation and Distribution Agreement, by and between InvenTrust Properties Corp. (“ InvenTrust ”) and the Company, which provides for the distribution of the Common Stock by InvenTrust to its stockholders.

2.16 “ Dividend Equivalent ” shall mean a right to receive the equivalent value (in cash or Shares) of dividends paid on Shares, awarded under Section 8.2 hereof.

2.17 “ DRO ” shall mean a “domestic relations order” as defined by the Code or Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time, or the rules thereunder.

2.18 “ Effective Date ” shall mean the date immediately prior to the Distribution Date.

2.19 “ Eligible Individual ” shall mean any person who is an Employee, a Consultant or a Non-Employee Director, as determined by the Administrator.

2.20 “ Employee ” shall mean any officer or other employee (within the meaning of Section 3401(c) of the Code) of the Company or any Subsidiary.

2.21 “ Equity Restructuring ” shall mean a nonreciprocal transaction between the Company and its stockholders, such as a stock dividend, stock split, spin-off, rights offering or recapitalization through a large, nonrecurring cash dividend, that affects the number or kind of Shares (or other securities of the Company) or the share price of Common Stock (or other securities) and causes a change in the per share value of the Common Stock underlying outstanding stock-based Awards.

2.22 “ Exchange Act ” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.

2.23 “ Fair Market Value ” shall mean, as of any given date, the value of a Share determined as follows:

 

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(a) If the Common Stock is (i) listed on any established securities exchange (such as the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ Global Market and the NASDAQ Global Select Market), (ii) listed on any national market system or (iii) listed, quoted or traded on any automated quotation system, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for a Share as quoted on such exchange or system for such date or, if there is no closing sales price for a Share on the date in question, the closing sales price for a Share on the last preceding date for which such quotation exists, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable; or

(b) If the Common Stock is not listed on an established securities exchange, national market system or automated quotation system, its Fair Market Value shall be established by the Administrator in good faith.

2.24 “ Greater Than 10% Stockholder” shall mean an individual then-owning (within the meaning of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any “parent corporation” or “subsidiary corporation” (as defined in Sections 424(e) and 424(f) of the Code, respectively).

2.25 “ Incentive Stock Option ” shall mean an Option that is intended to qualify as an incentive stock option and conforms to the applicable provisions of Section 422 of the Code.

2.26 “ Individual Award Limit ” shall mean the cash and share limits applicable to Awards granted under the Plan, as set forth in Section 3.3 hereof.

2.27 “ Non-Employee Director ” shall mean a Director of the Company who is not an Employee.

2.28 “ Non-Qualified Stock Option ” shall mean an Option that is not an Incentive Stock Option or which is designated as an Incentive Stock Option but does not meet the applicable requirements of Section 422 of the Code.

2.29 “ Option ” shall mean a right to purchase Shares at a specified exercise price, granted under Article 5 hereof. An Option shall be either a Non-Qualified Stock Option or an Incentive Stock Option; provided , however , that Options granted to Non-Employee Directors and Consultants shall only be Non-Qualified Stock Options.

2.30 “ Organizational Documents ” shall mean, collectively, (a) the Company’s articles of incorporation, certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other similar organizational documents relating to the creation and governance of the Company, and (b) the Committee’s charter or other similar organizational documentation relating to the creation and governance of the Committee.

2.31 “ Other Incentive Award ” shall mean an Award denominated in, linked to or derived from Shares or value metrics related to Shares, granted pursuant to Section 8.6 hereof.

2.32 “ Parent ” shall mean any entity (other than the Company), whether domestic or foreign, in an unbroken chain of entities ending with the Company if each of the entities other than the Company beneficially owns, at the time of the determination, securities or interests representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of securities or interests in one of the other entities in such chain.

 

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2.33 “ Participant ” shall mean a person who has been granted an Award pursuant to the Plan.

2.34 “ Performance Bonus Award ” shall mean an Award that is granted under Section 8.1 hereof.

2.35 “ Performance Share ” shall mean a contractual right awarded under Section 8.5 hereof to receive a number of Shares or the Fair Market Value of such number of Shares in cash based on the attainment of specified performance criteria determined by the Administrator.

2.36 “ Permitted Transferee ” shall mean, with respect to a Participant, any “family member” of the Participant, as defined under the General Instructions to Form S-8 Registration Statement under the Securities Act or any successor Form thereto, or any other transferee specifically approved by the Administrator, after taking into account Applicable Law.

2.37 “ Plan ” shall mean this Highlands REIT, Inc. 2016 Incentive Award Plan, as it may be amended from time to time.

2.38 “ Program ” shall mean any program adopted by the Administrator pursuant to the Plan containing the terms and conditions intended to govern a specified type of Award granted under the Plan and pursuant to which such type of Award may be granted under the Plan.

2.39 “ REIT ” shall mean a real estate investment trust within the meaning of Sections 856 through 860 of the Code.

2.40 “ Restricted Stock ” shall mean an award of Shares made under Article 7 hereof that is subject to certain restrictions and may be subject to risk of forfeiture.

2.41 “ Restricted Stock Unit ” shall mean a contractual right awarded under Section 8.4 hereof to receive in the future a Share or the Fair Market Value of a Share in cash.

2.42 “ Securities Act ” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

2.43 “ Share Limit ” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.1(a) hereof.

2.44 “ Shares ” shall mean shares of Common Stock.

2.45 “ Stock Appreciation Right ” shall mean an Award entitling the Participant (or other person entitled to exercise pursuant to the Plan) to exercise all or a specified portion thereof (to the extent then exercisable pursuant to its terms) and to receive from the Company an amount determined by multiplying the difference obtained by subtracting the exercise price per share of such Award from the Fair Market Value on the date of exercise of such Award by the number of Shares with respect to which such Award shall have been exercised, subject to any limitations the Administrator may impose.

 

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2.46 “ Stock Payment ” shall mean a payment in the form of Shares awarded under Section 8.3 hereof.

2.47 “ Subsidiary ” shall mean (a) a corporation, association or other business entity of which fifty percent (50%) or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of capital stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company and/or by one or more Subsidiaries, (b) any partnership or limited liability company of which fifty percent (50%) or more of the equity interests are owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company and/or by one or more Subsidiaries, and (c) any other entity not described in clauses (a) or (b) above of which fifty percent (50%) or more of the ownership and the power (whether voting interests or otherwise), pursuant to a written contract or agreement, to direct the policies and management or the financial and the other affairs thereof, are owned or controlled by the Company and/or by one or more Subsidiaries.

2.48 “ Substitute Award ” shall mean an Award granted under the Plan in connection with a corporate transaction, such as a merger, combination, consolidation or acquisition of property or stock, in any case, upon the assumption of, or in substitution for, an outstanding equity award previously granted by a company or other entity that is a party to such transaction; provided , however , that in no event shall the term “Substitute Award” be construed to refer to an award made in connection with the cancellation and repricing of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right.

2.49 “ Termination of Service ” shall mean, unless otherwise determined by the Administrator:

(a) As to a Consultant, the time when the engagement of a Participant as a Consultant to the Company and its Affiliates is terminated for any reason, with or without cause, including, without limitation, by resignation, discharge, death or retirement, but excluding terminations where the Consultant simultaneously commences or remains in employment and/or service as an Employee and/or Director with the Company or any Affiliate.

(b) As to a Non-Employee Director, the time when a Participant who is a Non-Employee Director ceases to be a Director for any reason, including, without limitation, a termination by resignation, failure to be elected, death or retirement, but excluding terminations where the Participant simultaneously commences or remains in employment and/or service as an Employee and/or Consultant with the Company or any Affiliate.

(c) As to an Employee, the time when the employee-employer relationship between a Participant and the Company and its Affiliates is terminated for any reason, including, without limitation, a termination by resignation, discharge, death, disability or retirement, but excluding terminations where the Participant simultaneously commences or remains in service as a Consultant and/or Director with the Company or any Affiliate.

The Administrator, in its sole discretion, shall determine the effect of all matters and questions relating to any Termination of Service, including, without limitation, whether a Termination of Service has occurred, whether any Termination of Service resulted from a discharge for cause and whether any particular leave of absence constitutes a Termination of

 

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Service; provided , however , that, with respect to Incentive Stock Options, unless the Administrator otherwise provides in the terms of any Program, Award Agreement or otherwise, or as otherwise required by Applicable Law, a leave of absence, change in status from an employee to an independent contractor or other change in the employee-employer relationship shall constitute a Termination of Service only if, and to the extent that, such leave of absence, change in status or other change interrupts employment for the purposes of Section 422(a)(2) of the Code. For purposes of the Plan, a Participant’s employee-employer relationship or consultancy relationship shall be deemed to be terminated in the event that the Affiliate employing or contracting with such Participant ceases to remain an Affiliate following any merger, sale of stock or other corporate transaction or event (including, without limitation, a spin-off).

ARTICLE 3.

SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN

3.1 Number of Shares .

(a) Subject to Section 3.1(b) and Section 11.2 hereof, the aggregate number of Shares which may be issued or transferred pursuant to Awards under the Plan is 43,000,000 Shares (the “ Share Limit ”). In order that the applicable regulations under the Code relating to Incentive Stock Options be satisfied, the maximum number of Shares that may be issued under the Plan upon the exercise of Incentive Stock Options shall be 43,000,000 Shares.

(b) If any Shares subject to an Award are forfeited or expire or such Award is settled for cash (in whole or in part), the Shares subject to such Award shall, to the extent of such forfeiture, expiration or cash settlement, again be available for future grants of Awards under the Plan and shall be added back to the Share Limit in the same number of Shares as were debited from the Share Limit in respect of the grant of such Award (as may be adjusted in accordance with Section 11.2 hereof). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the following Shares shall not be added back to the Share Limit and will not be available for future grants of Awards: (i) Shares tendered by a Participant or withheld by the Company in payment of the exercise price of an Option; (ii) Shares tendered by the Participant or withheld by the Company to satisfy any tax withholding obligation with respect to an Award; (iii) Shares subject to a Stock Appreciation Right that are not issued in connection with the stock settlement of the Stock Appreciation Right on exercise thereof; and (iv) Shares purchased on the open market with the cash proceeds from the exercise of Options. Any Shares repurchased by the Company under Section 7.4 hereof at the same price paid by the Participant so that such Shares are returned to the Company will again be available for Awards. The payment of Dividend Equivalents in cash in conjunction with any outstanding Awards shall not be counted against the Shares available for issuance under the Plan. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 3.1(b), no Shares may again be optioned, granted or awarded if such action would cause an Incentive Stock Option to fail to qualify as an incentive stock option under Section 422 of the Code.

(c) Substitute Awards shall not reduce the Shares authorized for grant under the Plan, except to the extent required by reason of Section 422 of the Code. Additionally, in the event that a company acquired by the Company or any Affiliate, or with which the Company or

 

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any Affiliate combines, has shares available under a pre-existing plan approved by its stockholders and not adopted in contemplation of such acquisition or combination, the shares available for grant pursuant to the terms of such pre-existing plan (as adjusted, to the extent appropriate, using the exchange ratio or other adjustment or valuation ratio or formula used in such acquisition or combination to determine the consideration payable to the holders of common stock of the entities party to such acquisition or combination) may be used for Awards under the Plan and shall not reduce the Shares authorized for grant under the Plan; provided that, in the event that the Common Stock is then listed on a national securities exchange, such shares may only be used for Awards under the Plan and shall not reduce the Shares authorized for grant under the Plan to the extent that grants of Awards using such available shares are (i) permitted without stockholder approval under the rules of the principal securities exchange on which the Common Stock is then listed and (ii) made only to individuals who were not employed by or providing services to the Company or its Affiliates immediately prior to such acquisition or combination.

3.2 Stock Distributed . Any Shares distributed pursuant to an Award may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued Common Stock or Common Stock purchased on the open market.

3.3 Limitation on Number of Shares Subject to Awards . Notwithstanding any provision in the Plan to the contrary, and subject to Section 11.2 hereof, (a) the maximum aggregate number of Shares with respect to one or more Awards that may be granted to any one person during any calendar year shall be 6,000,000 Shares, (b) the maximum aggregate amount of cash that may be paid in cash during any calendar year with respect to one or more Awards payable in cash shall be $10,000,000, and (c) the maximum aggregate value (determined as of the date of grant under Applicable Accounting Standards), determined as of the date of grant, of Awards that may be granted to any Non-Employee Director during any calendar year shall be $500,000 (together, the “ Individual Award Limits ”).

ARTICLE 4.

GRANTING OF AWARDS

4.1 Participation. The Administrator may, from time to time, select from among all Eligible Individuals, those to whom one or more Awards shall be granted and shall determine the nature and amount of each Award, which shall not be inconsistent with the requirements of the Plan. No Eligible Individual or other Person shall have any right to be granted an Award pursuant to the Plan.

4.2 Award Agreement . Each Award shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement stating the terms and conditions applicable to such Award, consistent with the requirements of the Plan and any applicable Program. Award Agreements evidencing Incentive Stock Options shall contain such terms and conditions as may be necessary to meet the applicable provisions of Section 422 of the Code.

4.3 Limitations Applicable to Section 16 Persons . Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, with respect to any Award granted or awarded to any individual

 

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who is then subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, the Plan, any applicable Program and the applicable Award Agreement shall be subject to any additional limitations set forth in any applicable exemptive rule under Section 16 of the Exchange Act (including Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act and any amendments thereto) that are requirements for the application of such exemptive rule, and such additional limitations shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into such Award to the extent permitted by Applicable Law.

4.4 At-Will Service . Nothing in the Plan or in any Program or Award Agreement hereunder shall confer upon any Participant any right to continue as an Employee, Director or Consultant of the Company or any Affiliate, or shall interfere with or restrict in any way the rights of the Company or any Affiliate, which rights are hereby expressly reserved, to discharge any Participant at any time for any reason whatsoever, with or without cause, and with or without notice, or to terminate or change all other terms and conditions of any Participant’s employment or engagement, except to the extent expressly provided otherwise in a written agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Affiliate.

4.5 Stand-Alone and Tandem Awards . Awards granted pursuant to the Plan may, in the sole discretion of the Administrator, be granted either alone, in addition to, or in tandem with, any other Award granted pursuant to the Plan. Awards granted in addition to or in tandem with other Awards may be granted either at the same time as or at a different time from the grant of such other Awards.

ARTICLE 5.

GRANTING OF OPTIONS AND STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS

5.1 Granting of Options and Stock Appreciation Rights to Eligible Individuals . The Administrator is authorized to grant Options and Stock Appreciation Rights to Eligible Individuals from time to time, in its sole discretion, on such terms and conditions as it may determine which shall not be inconsistent with the Plan.

5.2 Qualification of Incentive Stock Options . No Incentive Stock Option shall be granted to any person who is not an Employee of the Company or any “parent corporation” or “subsidiary corporation” of the Company (as defined in Sections 424(e) and 424(f) of the Code, respectively). No person who qualifies as a Greater Than 10% Stockholder may be granted an Incentive Stock Option unless such Incentive Stock Option conforms to the applicable provisions of Section 422 of the Code. Any Incentive Stock Option granted under the Plan may be modified by the Administrator, with the consent of the Participant, to disqualify such Option from treatment as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Code. To the extent that the aggregate fair market value of stock with respect to which “incentive stock options” (within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code, but without regard to Section 422(d) of the Code) are exercisable for the first time by a Participant during any calendar year under the Plan and all other plans of the Company or any “parent corporation” or “subsidiary corporation” of the Company (as defined in Section 424(e) and 424(f) of the Code, respectively) exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), the Options shall be treated as Non-Qualified Stock Options to the extent required by Section 422 of the Code. The rule set forth in the preceding sentence shall be applied by taking Options and other “incentive stock options” into account in

 

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the order in which they were granted and the fair market value of stock shall be determined as of the time the respective options were granted. In addition, to the extent that any Options otherwise fail to qualify as Incentive Stock Options, such Options shall be treated as Nonqualified Stock Options. Any interpretations and rules under the Plan with respect to Incentive Stock Options shall be consistent with the provisions of Section 422 of the Code.

5.3 Option and Stock Appreciation Right Exercise Price . The exercise price per Share subject to each Option and Stock Appreciation Right shall be set by the Administrator, but shall not be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date the Option or Stock Appreciation Right, as applicable, is granted (or, as to Incentive Stock Options, on the date the Option is modified, extended or renewed for purposes of Section 424(h) of the Code). In addition, in the case of Incentive Stock Options granted to a Greater Than 10% Stockholder, such price shall not be less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date the Option is granted (or the date the Option is modified, extended or renewed for purposes of Section 424(h) of the Code). Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right that is a Substitute Award, the exercise price per share of the Shares subject to such Option or Stock Appreciation Right, as applicable, may be less than the Fair Market Value per share on the date of grant; provided that the exercise price of any Substitute Award shall be determined in accordance with the applicable requirements of Section 424 and 409A of the Code.

5.4 Option and SAR Term . The term of each Option and the term of each Stock Appreciation Right shall be set by the Administrator in its sole discretion; provided , however , that the term shall not be more than ten (10) years from the date the Option or Stock Appreciation Rights, as applicable, is granted, or five (5) years from the date an Incentive Stock Option is granted to a Greater Than 10% Stockholder. The Administrator shall determine the time period, including the time period following a Termination of Service, during which the Participant has the right to exercise the vested Options or Stock Appreciation Rights, which time period may not extend beyond the stated term of the Option or Stock Appreciation Right. Except as limited by the requirements of Section 409A or Section 422 of the Code, subject to the limitations set forth in the first sentence of this Section 5.4, the Administrator may extend the term of any outstanding Option or Stock Appreciation Right, and may extend the time period during which vested Options or Stock Appreciation Rights may be exercised, in connection with any Termination of Service of the Participant or otherwise, and may amend any other term or condition of such Option or Stock Appreciation Right relating to such a Termination of Service or otherwise.

5.5 Option and SAR Vesting .

(a) The terms and conditions pursuant to which an Option or Stock Appreciation Right vests in the Participant and becomes exercisable shall be determined by the Administrator and set forth in the applicable Award Agreement. Such vesting may be based on service with the Company or any Affiliate, or any other criteria selected by the Administrator. At any time after the grant of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right, the Administrator may, in its sole discretion and subject to whatever terms and conditions it selects, accelerate the vesting of the Option or Stock Appreciation Right.

 

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(b) Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator in the Award Agreement, the applicable Program or by action of the Administrator following the grant of the Option or Stock Appreciation Right, no portion of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right which is unexercisable at a Participant’s Termination of Service shall thereafter become exercisable.

5.6 Substitution of Stock Appreciation Rights . The Administrator may, in its sole discretion, substitute an Award of Stock Appreciation Rights for an outstanding Option at any time prior to or upon exercise of such Option; provided , however , that such Stock Appreciation Rights shall be exercisable with respect to the same number of Shares for which such substituted Option would have been exercisable, and shall also have the same exercise price and remaining term as the substituted Option.

ARTICLE 6.

EXERCISE OF OPTIONS AND STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS

6.1 Exercise and Payment . An exercisable Option or Stock Appreciation Right may be exercised in whole or in part. However, an Option or Stock Appreciation Right shall not be exercisable with respect to fractional shares and the Administrator may require that, by the terms of the Option or Stock Appreciation Right, a partial exercise must be with respect to a minimum number of Shares. Payment of the amounts payable with respect to Stock Appreciation Rights pursuant to this Article 6 shall be in cash, Shares (based on its Fair Market Value as of the date the Stock Appreciation Right is exercised), or a combination of both, as determined by the Administrator.

6.2 Manner of Exercise . All or a portion of an exercisable Option or Stock Appreciation Right shall be deemed exercised upon delivery of all of the following to the Secretary of the Company, the stock plan administrator of the Company or such other person or entity designated by the Administrator, or his or its office, as applicable:

(a) A written or electronic notice complying with the applicable rules established by the Administrator stating that the Option or Stock Appreciation Right, or a portion thereof, is exercised. The notice shall be signed by the Participant or other person then entitled to exercise the Option or Stock Appreciation Right or such portion thereof;

(b) Such representations and documents as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, deems necessary or advisable to effect compliance with Applicable Law. The Administrator may, in its sole discretion, also take such additional actions as it deems appropriate to effect such compliance including, without limitation, placing legends on share certificates and issuing stop-transfer notices to agents and registrars;

(c) In the event that the Option or Stock Appreciation Right shall be exercised pursuant to Section 9.3 hereof by any person or persons other than the Participant, appropriate proof of the right of such person or persons to exercise the Option or Stock Appreciation Right, as determined in the sole discretion of the Administrator; and

(d) Full payment of the exercise price and applicable withholding taxes for the Shares with respect to which the Option or Stock Appreciation Right, or portion thereof, is exercised, in a manner permitted by the Administrator in accordance with Sections 9.1 and 9.2 hereof.

 

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6.3 Notification Regarding Disposition . The Participant shall give the Company prompt written or electronic notice of any disposition of Shares acquired by exercise of an Incentive Stock Option which occurs within (a) two (2) years after the date of granting (including the date the Option is modified, extended or renewed for purposes of Section 424(h) of the Code) of such Option to such Participant, or (b) one (1) year after the date of transfer of such Shares to such Participant.

ARTICLE 7.

RESTRICTED STOCK

7.1 Award of Restricted Stock .

(a) The Administrator is authorized to grant Restricted Stock to Eligible Individuals, and shall determine the terms and conditions, including the restrictions applicable to each award of Restricted Stock, which terms and conditions shall not be inconsistent with the Plan or any applicable Program, and may impose such conditions on the issuance of such Restricted Stock as it deems appropriate.

(b) The Administrator shall establish the purchase price, if any, and form of payment for Restricted Stock; provided , however , that if a purchase price is charged, such purchase price shall be no less than the par value of the Shares to be purchased, unless otherwise permitted by Applicable Law. In all cases, legal consideration shall be required for each issuance of Restricted Stock to the extent required by Applicable Law.

7.2 Rights as Stockholders . Subject to Section 7.4 hereof, upon issuance of Restricted Stock, the Participant shall have, unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, all the rights of a stockholder with respect to said shares, subject to the restrictions in the Plan, an applicable Program or in the applicable Award Agreement, including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions paid or made with respect to the shares; provided , however , that, in the sole discretion of the Administrator, any extraordinary distributions with respect to the shares may be subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 7.3 hereof. In addition, with respect to Restricted Stock that is subject to performance-based vesting, dividends which are paid prior to vesting shall only be paid out to the Participant to the extent that the performance-based vesting conditions are subsequently satisfied and the share of Restricted Stock vests.

7.3 Restrictions . All shares of Restricted Stock (including any shares received by Participants thereof with respect to shares of Restricted Stock as a result of stock dividends, stock splits or any other form of recapitalization) shall be subject to such restrictions and vesting requirements as the Administrator shall provide in the applicable Program or Award Agreement. By action taken after the Restricted Stock is issued, the Administrator may, on such terms and conditions as it may determine to be appropriate, accelerate the vesting of such Restricted Stock by removing any or all of the restrictions imposed by the terms of any Program or by the applicable Award Agreement.

 

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7.4 Repurchase or Forfeiture of Restricted Stock . Except as otherwise determined by the Administrator, if no purchase price was paid by the Participant for the Restricted Stock, upon a Termination of Service, the Participant’s rights in unvested Restricted Stock then subject to restrictions shall lapse and be forfeited, and such Restricted Stock shall be surrendered to the Company and cancelled without consideration on the date of such Termination of Service. If a purchase price was paid by the Participant for the Restricted Stock, upon a Termination of Service the Company shall have the right to repurchase from the Participant the unvested Restricted Stock then-subject to restrictions at a cash price per share equal to the price paid by the Participant for such Restricted Stock or such other amount as may be specified in an applicable Program or the applicable Award Agreement. The Administrator in its sole discretion may provide that, upon certain events, including without limitation a Change in Control, the Participant’s death, retirement or disability, any other specified Termination of Service or any other event, the Participant’s rights in unvested Restricted Stock shall not terminate, such Restricted Stock shall vest and cease to be forfeitable and, if applicable, the Company shall cease to have a right of repurchase.

7.5 Certificates/Book Entries for Restricted Stock . Restricted Stock granted pursuant to the Plan may be evidenced in such manner as the Administrator shall determine. Certificates or book entries evidencing shares of Restricted Stock must include an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such Restricted Stock, and the Company may, in its sole discretion, retain physical possession of any stock certificate until such time as all applicable restrictions lapse.

ARTICLE 8.

PERFORMANCE BONUS AWARDS; DIVIDEND EQUIVALENTS; STOCK

PAYMENTS; RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS; PERFORMANCE SHARES; OTHER

INCENTIVE AWARDS

8.1 Performance Bonus Awards . The Administrator may grant Awards in the form of a cash bonus (a “Performance Bonus Award”) payable upon the attainment of performance goals, or such other criteria which are established by the Administrator, in each case on a specified date or dates or over any period or periods determined by the Administrator.

8.2 Dividend Equivalents .

(a) Subject to Section 8.2(b) hereof, Dividend Equivalents may be granted by the Administrator, either alone or in tandem with another Award, based on dividends declared on the Common Stock, to be credited as of dividend payment dates during the period between the date the Dividend Equivalents are granted to a Participant (or such other date as may be determined by the Administrator) and the date such Dividend Equivalents terminate or expire, as determined by the Administrator. Such Dividend Equivalents shall be converted to cash or additional Shares by such formula and at such time and subject to such limitations as may be determined by the Administrator. In addition, Dividend Equivalents with respect to an Award that is subject to performance-based vesting that are based on dividends paid prior to the vesting of such Award shall only be paid out to the Participant to the extent that the performance-based vesting conditions are subsequently satisfied and the Award vests.

 

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(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Dividend Equivalents shall be payable with respect to Options or Stock Appreciation Rights.

8.3 Stock Payments . The Administrator is authorized to make one or more Stock Payments to any Eligible Individual. The number or value of Shares of any Stock Payment shall be determined by the Administrator and may be based upon such criteria, including service to the Company or any Affiliate, determined by the Administrator. Stock Payments may, but are not required to be made in lieu of base salary, bonus, fees or other cash compensation otherwise payable to such Eligible Individual.

8.4 Restricted Stock Units . The Administrator is authorized to grant Restricted Stock Units to any Eligible Individual. The number and terms and conditions of Restricted Stock Units shall be determined by the Administrator. The Administrator shall specify the date or dates on which the Restricted Stock Units shall become fully vested and nonforfeitable, and may specify such conditions to vesting as it deems appropriate, including conditions based on such criteria, including service to the Company or any Affiliate, in each case, on a specified date or dates or over any period or periods, as determined by the Administrator. The Administrator shall specify, or may permit the Participant to elect, the conditions and dates upon which the Shares underlying the Restricted Stock Units shall be issued, which dates shall not be earlier than the date as of which the Restricted Stock Units vest and become nonforfeitable and which conditions and dates shall be consistent with the applicable provisions of Section 409A of the Code or an exemption therefrom. On the distribution dates, the Company shall issue to the Participant one unrestricted, fully transferable Share (or the Fair Market Value of one such Share in cash) for each vested and nonforfeitable Restricted Stock Unit.

8.5 Performance Share Awards . Any Eligible Individual selected by the Administrator may be granted one or more Performance Share awards which shall be denominated in a number or range of Shares and the vesting of which may be linked to performance criteria (in each case on a specified date or dates or over any period or periods determined by the Administrator) and/or time-vesting or other criteria, as determined by the Administrator.

8.6 Other Incentive Awards . The Administrator is authorized to grant Other Incentive Awards to any Eligible Individual, which Awards may cover Shares or the right to purchase Shares or have a value derived from the value of, or an exercise or conversion privilege at a price related to, or that are otherwise payable in or based on, Shares, shareholder value or shareholder return, in each case, on a specified date or dates or over any period or periods determined by the Administrator. Other Incentive Awards may be linked to any one or more performance criteria determined appropriate by the Administrator. Other Incentive Awards may be paid in cash, Shares, or a combination of cash and Shares, as determined by the Administrator.

8.7 Other Terms and Conditions . All applicable terms and conditions of each Award described in this Article 8, including without limitation, as applicable, the term, vesting conditions and exercise/purchase price applicable to the Award, shall be set by the Administrator in its sole discretion, provided , however , that the value of the consideration paid by a Participant for an Award shall not be less than the par value of a Share, unless otherwise permitted by Applicable Law.

 

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8.8 Exercise upon Termination of Service . Awards described in this Article 8 are exercisable or distributable, as applicable, only while the Participant is an Employee, Director or Consultant, as applicable. The Administrator, however, in its sole discretion may provide that such Award may be exercised or distributed subsequent to a Termination of Service as provided under an applicable Program, Award Agreement, payment deferral election and/or in certain events, including without limitation, a Change in Control, the Participant’s death, retirement or disability or any other specified Termination of Service.

ARTICLE 9.

ADDITIONAL TERMS OF AWARDS

9.1 Payment . The Administrator shall determine the method or methods by which payments by any Participant with respect to any Awards granted under the Plan shall be made, including, without limitation: (a) cash or check, (b) Shares (including, in the case of payment of the exercise price of an Award, Shares issuable pursuant to the exercise of the Award) held for such minimum period of time as may be established by the Administrator, in each case, having a Fair Market Value on the date of delivery equal to the aggregate payments required, (c) delivery of a written or electronic notice that the Participant has placed a market sell order with a broker with respect to Shares then-issuable upon exercise or vesting of an Award, and that the broker has been directed to pay a sufficient portion of the net proceeds of the sale to the Company in satisfaction of the aggregate payments required; provided , however , that payment of such proceeds is then made to the Company upon settlement of such sale, (d) other form of legal consideration acceptable to the Administrator, or (e) any combination of the foregoing. The Administrator shall also determine the methods by which Shares shall be delivered or deemed to be delivered to Participants. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, no Participant who is a Director or an “executive officer” of the Company within the meaning of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act shall be permitted to make payment with respect to any Awards granted under the Plan, or continue any extension of credit with respect to such payment with a loan from the Company or a loan arranged by the Company in violation of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act.

9.2 Tax Withholding . The Company and its Affiliates shall have the authority and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company or an Affiliate, an amount sufficient to satisfy federal, state, local and foreign taxes (including the Participant’s social security, Medicare and any other employment tax obligation) required by law to be withheld with respect to any taxable event concerning a Participant arising in connection with any Award. The Administrator may in its sole discretion and in satisfaction of the foregoing requirement allow a Participant to satisfy such obligations by any payment means described in Section 9.1 hereof, including without limitation, by allowing such Participant to elect to have the Company or an Affiliate withhold Shares otherwise issuable under an Award (or allow the surrender of Shares). The number of Shares which may be so withheld or surrendered shall be limited to the number of Shares which have a fair market value on the date of withholding or repurchase no greater than the aggregate amount of such liabilities based on the minimum

 

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statutory withholding rates for federal, state, local and foreign income tax and payroll tax purposes that are applicable to such supplemental taxable income (or such other number as may be determined by the Company or would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences for the Company or any of its Subsidiaries). The Administrator shall determine the fair market value of the Shares, consistent with applicable provisions of the Code, for tax withholding obligations due in connection with a broker-assisted cashless Option or Stock Appreciation Right exercise involving the sale of Shares to pay the Option or Stock Appreciation Right exercise price or any tax withholding obligation.

9.3 Transferability of Awards .

(a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 9.3(b) or (c) hereof:

(i) No Award under the Plan may be sold, pledged, assigned or transferred in any manner other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution or, subject to the consent of the Administrator, pursuant to a DRO, unless and until such Award has been exercised, or the Shares underlying such Award have been issued, and all restrictions applicable to such Shares have lapsed;

(ii) No Award or interest or right therein shall be liable for or otherwise subject to the debts, contracts or engagements of the Participant or his successors in interest or shall be subject to disposition by transfer, alienation, anticipation, pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance, assignment or any other means whether such disposition be voluntary or involuntary or by operation of law by judgment, levy, attachment, garnishment or any other legal or equitable proceedings (including bankruptcy) unless and until such Award has been exercised, or the Shares underlying such Award have been issued, and all restrictions applicable to such Shares have lapsed, and any attempted disposition of an Award prior to the satisfaction of these conditions shall be null and void and of no effect, except to the extent that such disposition is permitted by clause (i) of this provision; and

(iii) During the lifetime of the Participant, only the Participant may exercise any exercisable portion of an Award granted to him under the Plan, unless it has been disposed of pursuant to a DRO. After the death of the Participant, any exercisable portion of an Award may, prior to the time when such portion becomes unexercisable under the Plan or the applicable Program or Award Agreement, be exercised by his personal representative or by any person empowered to do so under the deceased Participant’s will or under the then-applicable laws of descent and distribution.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 9.3(a) hereof, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may determine to permit a Participant or a Permitted Transferee of such Participant to transfer an Award other than an Incentive Stock Option (unless such Incentive Stock Option is to become a Non-Qualified Stock Option) to any one or more Permitted Transferees of such Participant, subject to the following terms and conditions: (i) an Award transferred to a Permitted Transferee shall not be assignable or transferable by the Permitted Transferee (other than to another Permitted Transferee of the applicable Participant) other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution; (ii) an Award transferred to a Permitted Transferee shall continue to be subject to all the terms and conditions of the Award as applicable to the original Participant (other than the ability to further transfer the Award); and (iii) the Participant (or transferring Permitted Transferee) and the Permitted Transferee shall execute any and all documents

 

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requested by the Administrator, including without limitation, documents to (A) confirm the status of the transferee as a Permitted Transferee, (B) satisfy any requirements for an exemption for the transfer under applicable federal, state and foreign securities laws and (C) evidence the transfer. In addition, and further notwithstanding Section 9.3(a) hereof, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may determine to permit a Participant to transfer Incentive Stock Options to a trust that constitutes a Permitted Transferee if, under Section 671 of the Code and applicable state law, the Participant is considered the sole beneficial owner of the Incentive Stock Option while it is held in the trust.

(c) Notwithstanding Section 9.3(a) hereof, a Participant may, in the manner determined by the Administrator, designate a beneficiary to exercise the rights of the Participant and to receive any distribution with respect to any Award upon the Participant’s death. A beneficiary, legal guardian, legal representative, or other person claiming any rights pursuant to the Plan is subject to all terms and conditions of the Plan and any Program or Award Agreement applicable to the Participant, and to any additional restrictions deemed necessary or appropriate by the Administrator. If the Participant is married or a domestic partner in a domestic partnership qualified under Applicable Law and resides in a “community property” state, a designation of a person other than the Participant’s spouse or domestic partner, as applicable, as his beneficiary with respect to more than fifty percent (50%) of the Participant’s interest in the Award shall not be effective without the prior written or electronic consent of the Participant’s spouse or domestic partner. If no beneficiary has been designated or survives the Participant, payment shall be made to the person entitled thereto pursuant to the Participant’s will or the laws of descent and distribution. Subject to the foregoing, a beneficiary designation may be changed or revoked by a Participant at any time provided the change or revocation is delivered to the Administrator in writing prior to the Participant’s death.

9.4 Conditions to Issuance of Shares .

(a) The Administrator shall determine the methods by which Shares shall be delivered or deemed to be delivered to Participants. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, neither the Company nor its Affiliates shall be required to issue or deliver any certificates or make any book entries evidencing Shares pursuant to the exercise of any Award, unless and until the Administrator has determined, with advice of counsel, that the issuance of such Shares is in compliance with Applicable Law, and the Shares are covered by an effective registration statement or applicable exemption from registration. In addition to the terms and conditions provided herein, the Administrator may require that a Participant make such reasonable covenants, agreements, and representations as the Administrator, in its discretion, deems advisable in order to comply with any such Applicable Law.

(b) All Share certificates delivered pursuant to the Plan and all Shares issued pursuant to book entry procedures are subject to any stop-transfer orders and other restrictions as the Administrator deems necessary or advisable to comply with Applicable Law. The Administrator may place legends on any Share certificate or book entry to reference restrictions applicable to the Shares.

(c) The Administrator shall have the right to require any Participant to comply with any timing or other restrictions with respect to the settlement, distribution or exercise of any Award, including a window-period limitation, as may be imposed in the sole discretion of the Administrator.

 

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(d) No fractional Shares shall be issued and the Administrator shall determine, in its sole discretion, whether cash shall be given in lieu of fractional Shares or whether such fractional Shares shall be eliminated by rounding up or down.

(e) The Company, in its sole discretion, may (i) retain physical possession of any stock certificate evidencing Shares until any restrictions thereon shall have lapsed and/or (ii) require that the stock certificates evidencing such Shares be held in custody by a designated escrow agent (which may but need not be the Company) until the restrictions thereon shall have lapsed, and that the Participant deliver a stock power, endorsed in blank, relating to such Shares.

(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, unless otherwise determined by the Administrator or required by Applicable Law, the Company and/or its Affiliates may, in lieu of delivering to any Participant certificates evidencing Shares issued in connection with any Award, record the issuance of Shares in the books of the Company (or, as applicable, its transfer agent or stock plan administrator).

9.5 Forfeiture and Claw-Back Provisions .

(a) Pursuant to its general authority to determine the terms and conditions applicable to Awards under the Plan, the Administrator shall have the right to provide, in the terms of Awards made under the Plan, or to require a Participant to agree by separate written or electronic instrument, that: (i) any proceeds, gains or other economic benefit actually or constructively received by the Participant upon any receipt or exercise of the Award, or upon the receipt or resale of any Shares underlying the Award, must be paid to the Company, and (ii) the Award shall terminate and any unexercised portion of the Award (whether or not vested) shall be forfeited, if (x) a Termination of Service occurs prior to a specified date, or within a specified time period following receipt or exercise of the Award, (y) the Participant at any time, or during a specified time period, engages in any activity in competition with the Company, or which is inimical, contrary or harmful to the interests of the Company, as further defined by the Administrator or (z) the Participant incurs a Termination of Service for cause; and

(b) All Awards (including any proceeds, gains or other economic benefit actually or constructively received by a Participant upon any receipt or exercise of any Award or upon the receipt or resale of any Shares underlying the Award) shall be subject to the applicable provisions of any claw-back policy implemented by the Company, whether implemented prior to or after the grant of such Award, including without limitation, any claw-back policy adopted to comply with the requirements of Applicable Law, including without limitation, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder, to the extent set forth in such claw-back policy and/or in the applicable Award Agreement.

9.6 Prohibition on Repricing . Subject to Section 11.2 hereof, the Administrator shall not, without the approval of the stockholders of the Company, (a) authorize the amendment of any outstanding Option or Stock Appreciation Right to reduce its price per share, or (b) cancel

 

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any Option or Stock Appreciation Right in exchange for cash or another Award when the Option or Stock Appreciation Right price per share exceeds the Fair Market Value of the underlying Shares. Subject to Section 11.2 hereof, the Administrator shall have the authority, without the approval of the stockholders of the Company, to amend any outstanding Award to increase the price per share or to cancel and replace an Award with the grant of an Award having a price per share that is greater than or equal to the price per share of the original Award.

9.7 Leave of Absence . Unless the Administrator provides otherwise, vesting of Awards granted hereunder shall not be suspended during any unpaid leave of absence.

ARTICLE 10.

ADMINISTRATION

10.1 Administrator . The Committee (or another committee or a subcommittee of the Board assuming the functions of the Committee under the Plan) shall administer the Plan (except as otherwise permitted herein) and, unless otherwise determined by the Board, shall consist solely of two or more Non-Employee Directors of the Company appointed by and holding office at the pleasure of the Board, each of whom is intended to qualify as a “non-employee director” as defined by Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act and an “independent director” under the rules of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which the Shares are listed, quoted or traded, in each case, to the extent required under such provision; provided , however , that any action taken by the Committee shall be valid and effective, whether or not members of the Committee at the time of such action are later determined not to have satisfied the requirements for membership set forth in this Section 10.l or otherwise provided in the Organizational Documents. Except as may otherwise be provided in the Organizational Documents, appointment of Committee members shall be effective upon acceptance of appointment, Committee members may resign at any time by delivering written or electronic notice to the Board, and vacancies in the Committee may only be filled by the Board. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (a) the full Board, acting by a majority of its members in office, shall conduct the general administration of the Plan with respect to Awards granted to Non-Employee Directors of the Company and (b) the Board or Committee may delegate its authority hereunder to the extent permitted by Section 10.6 hereof.

10.2 Duties and Powers of Administrator . It shall be the duty of the Administrator to conduct the general administration of the Plan in accordance with its provisions. The Administrator shall have the power to interpret the Plan and all Programs and Award Agreements, and to adopt such rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan and any Program as are not inconsistent with the Plan, to interpret, amend or revoke any such rules and to amend any Program or Award Agreement provided that the rights or obligations of the holder of the Award that is the subject of any such Program or Award Agreement are not materially adversely affected by such amendment, unless the consent of the Participant is obtained or such amendment is otherwise permitted under Section 11.13 hereof. Any such interpretations and rules with respect to Incentive Stock Options shall be consistent with the provisions of Section 422 of the Code. In its sole discretion, the Board may at any time and from time to time exercise any and all rights and duties of the Committee in its capacity as the Administrator under the Plan except with respect to matters which under Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act or the rules of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which the Shares are listed, quoted or traded are required to be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee.

 

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10.3 Action by the Committee . Unless otherwise established by the Board or in the Organizational Documents or as required by Applicable Law, a majority of the Administrator shall constitute a quorum and the acts of a majority of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum is present, and acts approved in writing by all members of the Administrator in lieu of a meeting, shall be deemed the acts of the Administrator. Each member of the Administrator is entitled to, in good faith, rely or act upon any report or other information furnished to that member by any officer or other employee of the Company or any Affiliate, the Company’s independent certified public accountants, or any executive compensation consultant or other professional retained by the Company to assist in the administration of the Plan.

10.4 Authority of Administrator . Subject to any specific designation in the Plan and Applicable Law, the Administrator has the exclusive power, authority and sole discretion to:

(a) Designate Eligible Individuals to receive Awards;

(b) Determine the type or types of Awards to be granted to each Eligible Individual;

(c) Determine the number of Awards to be granted and the number of Shares to which an Award will relate;

(d) Determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted pursuant to the Plan, including, but not limited to, the exercise price, grant price, or purchase price, any performance criteria, any reload provision, any restrictions or limitations on the Award, any schedule for vesting, lapse of forfeiture restrictions or restrictions on the exercisability of an Award, and accelerations or waivers thereof, and any provisions related to non-competition and recapture of gain on an Award, based in each case on such considerations as the Administrator in its sole discretion determines;

(e) Determine whether, to what extent, and under what circumstances an Award may be settled in, or the exercise price of an Award may be paid in cash, Shares, other Awards, or other property, or an Award may be canceled, forfeited, or surrendered;

(f) Prescribe the form of each Award Agreement, which need not be identical for each Participant;

(g) Determine as between the Company and any Subsidiary which entity will make payments with respect to an Award, consistent with applicable securities laws and other Applicable Law;

(h) Decide all other matters that must be determined in connection with an Award;

(i) Establish, adopt, or revise any Programs, rules and regulations as it may deem necessary or advisable to administer the Plan;

 

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(j) Interpret the terms of, and any matter arising pursuant to, the Plan, any Program or any Award Agreement; and

(k) Make all other decisions and determinations that may be required pursuant to the Plan or as the Administrator deems necessary or advisable to administer the Plan.

10.5 Decisions Binding . The Administrator’s interpretation of the Plan, any Awards granted pursuant to the Plan, any Program, any Award Agreement and all decisions and determinations by the Administrator with respect to the Plan are final, binding, and conclusive on all parties.

10.6 Delegation of Authority . To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Board or Committee may from time to time delegate to a committee of one or more members of the Board or one or more officers of the Company the authority to grant or amend Awards or to take other administrative actions pursuant to this Article 10; provided , however , that in no event shall an officer of the Company be delegated the authority to grant Awards to, or amend Awards held by, the following individuals: (a) individuals who are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, or (b) officers of the Company (or Directors) to whom authority to grant or amend Awards has been delegated hereunder; provided , further , that any delegation of administrative authority shall only be permitted to the extent it is permissible under the Organizational Documents and other Applicable Law. Any delegation hereunder shall be subject to the restrictions and limits that the Board or Committee specifies at the time of such delegation or that are otherwise included in the applicable Organizational Documents, and the Board or Committee, as applicable, may at any time rescind the authority so delegated or appoint a new delegatee. At all times, the delegatee appointed under this Section 10.6 shall serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the Board or the Committee, as applicable, and the Board or the Committee may abolish any committee at any time and re-vest in itself any previously delegated authority.

ARTICLE 11.

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

11.1 Amendment, Suspension or Termination of the Plan .

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Section 11.1, the Plan may be wholly or partially amended or otherwise modified, suspended or terminated at any time or from time to time by the Board; provided that, except as provided in Section 11.13 hereof, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan shall, without the consent of the Participant, impair any rights or obligations under any Award theretofore granted or awarded, unless the Award itself otherwise expressly so provides.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 11.1(a), the Administrator may not, except as provided in Section 11.2, take any of the following actions without the approval of the Company’s stockholders given within twelve (12) months before or after the action by the Administrator: (i) reduce the price per share of any outstanding Option or Stock Appreciation Right granted under the Plan, or (ii) cancel any Option or Stock Appreciation Right in exchange for cash or another Award in violation of Section 9.6 hereof. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no Incentive Stock Option shall be granted under the Plan after the tenth (10 th ) anniversary of the date on which the Plan is adopted by the Board.

 

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11.2 Changes in Common Stock or Assets of the Company, Acquisition or Liquidation of the Company and Other Corporate Events .

(a) In the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or exchange of shares, merger, consolidation or other distribution (other than normal cash dividends) of Company assets to stockholders, or any other change affecting the shares of the Company’s stock or the share price of the Company’s stock other than an Equity Restructuring, the Administrator may make equitable adjustments, if any, to reflect such change with respect to (i) the aggregate number and kind of shares that may be issued under the Plan (including, but not limited to, adjustments of the Share Limit and Individual Award Limits); (ii) the number and kind of Shares (or other securities or property) subject to outstanding Awards; (iii) the terms and conditions of any outstanding Awards (including, without limitation, any applicable performance targets or criteria with respect thereto); and/or (iv) the grant or exercise price per share for any outstanding Awards under the Plan.

(b) In the event of any transaction or event described in Section 11.2(a) hereof or any unusual or nonrecurring transactions or events affecting the Company, any Affiliate, or the financial statements of the Company or any Affiliate, or of changes in Applicable Law or Applicable Accounting Standards, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, and on such terms and conditions as it deems appropriate, either by the terms of the Award or by action taken prior to the occurrence of such transaction or event, is hereby authorized to take any one or more of the following actions whenever the Administrator determines that such action is appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan or with respect to any Award under the Plan, to facilitate such transactions or events or to give effect to such changes in Applicable Law or Applicable Accounting Standards:

(i) To provide for the termination of any such Award in exchange for an amount of cash and/or other property, if any, equal to the amount that would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if as of the date of the occurrence of the transaction or event described in this Section 11.2, the Administrator determines in good faith that no amount would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without payment);

(ii) To provide that such Award be assumed by the successor or survivor corporation, or a parent or subsidiary thereof, or shall be substituted for by similar options, rights or awards covering the stock of the successor or survivor corporation, or a parent or subsidiary thereof, with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of shares and applicable exercise or purchase price;

(iii) To make adjustments in the number and type of securities subject to outstanding Awards and Awards which may be granted in the future and/or in the terms, conditions and criteria included in such Awards (including the grant or exercise price, as applicable);

 

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(iv) To provide that such Award shall be exercisable or payable or fully vested with respect to all securities covered thereby, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan or an applicable Program or Award Agreement;

(v) To replace such Award with other rights or property selected by the Administrator in its sole discretion; and/or

(vi) To provide that the Award cannot vest, be exercised or become payable after such event.

(c) In connection with the occurrence of any Equity Restructuring, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Sections 11.2(a) and 11.2(b) hereof:

(i) The number and type of securities subject to each outstanding Award and the exercise price or grant price thereof, if applicable, shall be equitably adjusted; and/or

(ii) The Administrator shall make such equitable adjustments, if any, as the Administrator in its discretion may deem appropriate to reflect such Equity Restructuring with respect to the aggregate number and kind of shares that may be issued under the Plan (including, but not limited to, adjustments to the Share Limit and the Individual Award Limits).

The adjustments provided under this Section 11.2(c) shall be nondiscretionary and shall be final and binding on the affected Participant and the Company.

(d) Except as may otherwise be provided in any applicable Award Agreement or other written agreement entered into between the Company (or an Affiliate) and a Participant, if a Change in Control occurs and a Participant’s outstanding Awards are not continued, converted, assumed, or replaced by the surviving or successor entity in such Change in Control, then, immediately prior to the Change in Control, such outstanding Awards, to the extent not continued, converted, assumed, or replaced, shall become fully vested and, as applicable, exercisable, and all forfeiture, repurchase and other restrictions on such Awards shall lapse. Upon, or in anticipation of, a Change in Control, the Administrator may cause any and all Awards outstanding hereunder to terminate at a specific time in the future, including but not limited to the date of such Change in Control, and shall give each Participant the right to exercise such Awards during a period of time as the Administrator, in its sole and absolute discretion, shall determine. For the avoidance of doubt, if the value of an Award that is terminated in connection with this Section 11.2(d) is zero or negative at the time of such Change in Control, such Award shall be terminated upon the Change in Control without payment of consideration therefor.

(e) The Administrator may, in its sole discretion, include such further provisions and limitations in any Award, agreement or certificate, as it may deem equitable and in the best interests of the Company that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan.

 

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(f) Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, no adjustment or action described in this Section 11.2 or in any other provision of the Plan shall be authorized to the extent it would (i) cause the Plan to violate Section 422(b)(1) of the Code, (ii) result in short-swing profits liability under Section 16 of the Exchange Act or violate the exemptive conditions of Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act, or (iii) cause an Award to fail to be exempt from or comply with Section 409A of the Code.

(g) The existence of the Plan, any Program, any Award Agreement and/or any Award granted hereunder shall not affect or restrict in any way the right or power of the Company, the stockholders of the Company or any Affiliate to make or authorize any adjustment, recapitalization, reorganization or other change in the Company’s or such Affiliate’s capital structure or its business, any merger or consolidation of the Company or any Affiliate, any issue of stock or of options, warrants or rights to purchase stock or of bonds, debentures, preferred or prior preference stocks whose rights are superior to or affect the Common Stock, the securities of any Affiliate or the rights thereof or which are convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock or securities of any Affiliate, or the dissolution or liquidation of the Company or any Affiliate, or any sale or transfer of all or any part of its assets or business, or any other corporate act or proceeding, whether of a similar character or otherwise.

(h) In the event of any pending stock dividend, stock split, combination or exchange of shares, merger, consolidation or other distribution (other than normal cash dividends) of Company assets to stockholders, or any other change affecting the Shares or the share price of the Common Stock including any Equity Restructuring, for reasons of administrative convenience, the Company in its sole discretion may refuse to permit the exercise of any Award during a period of thirty (30) days prior to the consummation of any such transaction.

11.3 Approval of Plan by Stockholders . The Plan shall be submitted for the approval of the Company’s stockholders within twelve (12) months after the date of the Board’s initial adoption of the Plan. Awards may be granted or awarded prior to such stockholder approval, provided, however, that such Awards shall not be exercisable, shall not vest and the restrictions thereon shall not lapse and no Shares shall be issued pursuant thereto prior to the time when the Plan is approved by the Company’s stockholders, and provided, further, that if such approval has not been obtained at the end of such twelve (12)-month period, all such Awards previously granted or awarded under the Plan shall thereupon be canceled and become null and void.

11.4 No Stockholders Rights . Except as otherwise provided herein or in an applicable Program or Award Agreement, a Participant shall have none of the rights of a stockholder with respect to Shares covered by any Award until the Participant becomes the record owner of such Shares.

11.5 Paperless Administration . In the event that the Company establishes, for itself or using the services of a third party, an automated system for the documentation, granting or exercise of Awards, such as a system using an internet website or interactive voice response, then the paperless documentation, granting or exercise of Awards by a Participant may be permitted through the use of such an automated system.

 

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11.6 Section 83(b) Election . No Participant may make an election under Section 83(b) of the Code with respect to any Award under the Plan without the consent of the Administrator, which the Administrator may grant or withhold in its sole discretion. If, with the consent of the Administrator, a Participant makes an election under Section 83(b) of the Code to be taxed with respect to the Award as of the date of transfer of the Award rather than as of the date or dates upon which the Participant would otherwise be taxable under Section 83(a) of the Code, the Participant shall be required to deliver a copy of such election to the Company promptly after filing such election with the Internal Revenue Service.

11.7 Grant of Awards to Certain Employees or Consultants . The Company or any Subsidiary may provide through the establishment of a formal written policy or otherwise for the method by which Shares or other securities of the Company may be issued and by which such Shares or other securities and/or payment therefor may be exchanged or contributed among such entities, or may be returned upon any forfeiture of Shares or other securities by the Participant.

11.8 REIT Status . The Plan shall be interpreted and construed in a manner consistent with the Company’s status as a REIT. No Award shall be granted or awarded, and with respect to any Award granted under the Plan, such Award shall not vest, be exercisable or be settled:

(a) to the extent that the grant, vesting, exercise or settlement of such Award could cause the Participant or any other person to be in violation of the Stock Ownership Limit (as defined in the Company’s charter, as amended from time to time) or any other provision of Section 7.2 of the Company’s charter; or

(b) if, in the discretion of the Administrator, the grant, vesting, exercise or settlement of such Award could impair the Company’s status as a REIT.

11.9 Effect of Plan upon Other Compensation Plans . The adoption of the Plan shall not affect any other compensation or incentive plans in effect for the Company or any Affiliate. Nothing in the Plan shall be construed to limit the right of the Company or any Affiliate: (a) to establish any other forms of incentives or compensation for Employees, Directors or Consultants of the Company or any Affiliate or (b) to grant or assume options or other rights or awards otherwise than under the Plan in connection with any proper corporate purpose including without limitation, the grant or assumption of options in connection with the acquisition by purchase, lease, merger, consolidation or otherwise, of the business, stock or assets of any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, firm or association.

11.10 Compliance with Laws . The Plan, the granting and vesting of Awards under the Plan, the issuance and delivery of Shares and the payment of money under the Plan or under Awards granted or awarded hereunder are subject to compliance with all Applicable Law and to such approvals by any listing, regulatory or governmental authority as may, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, be necessary or advisable in connection therewith. Any securities delivered under the Plan shall be subject to such restrictions, and the person acquiring such securities shall, if requested by the Company, provide such assurances and representations to the Company as the Company may deem necessary or desirable to assure compliance with all Applicable Law. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may take whatever actions it deems necessary or appropriate to effect compliance with Applicable Law, including, without

 

25


limitation, placing legends on share certificates and issuing stop-transfer notices to agents and registrars. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Administrator may not take any actions hereunder, and no Awards shall be granted, that would violate Applicable Law. To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Plan and Awards granted or awarded hereunder shall be deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to such Applicable Law.

11.11 Titles and Headings, References to Sections of the Code or Exchange Act . The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for convenience of reference only and, in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control. References to sections of the Code or the Exchange Act shall include any amendment or successor thereto.

11.12 Governing Law . The Plan and any Programs or Award Agreements hereunder shall be administered, interpreted and enforced under the internal laws of the State of Maryland without regard to conflicts of laws thereof.

11.13 Section 409A . To the extent that the Administrator determines that any Award granted under the Plan is subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Plan, any applicable Program and the Award Agreement covering such Award shall be interpreted in accordance with Section 409A of the Code. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in the event that, following the Effective Date, the Administrator determines that any Award may be subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Administrator may adopt such amendments to the Plan, any applicable Program and the Award Agreement or adopt other policies and procedures (including amendments, policies and procedures with retroactive effect), or take any other actions, that the Administrator determines are necessary or appropriate to avoid the imposition of taxes on the Award under Section 409A of the Code, either through compliance with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code or with an available exemption therefrom. The Company makes no representations or warranties as to the tax treatment of any Award under Section 409A or otherwise. The Company shall have no obligation under this Section 11.13 or otherwise to take any action (whether or not described herein) to avoid the imposition of taxes, penalties or interest under Section 409A with respect to any Award and shall have no liability to any Participant or any other person if any Award, compensation or other benefits under the Plan are determined to constitute non-compliant, “nonqualified deferred compensation” subject to the imposition of taxes, penalties and/or interest under Section 409A.

11.14 No Rights to Awards . No Eligible Individual or other person shall have any claim to be granted any Award pursuant to the Plan, and neither the Company nor the Administrator is obligated to treat Eligible Individuals, Participants or any other persons uniformly.

11.15 Unfunded Status of Awards . The Plan is intended to be an “unfunded” plan for incentive compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Participant pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Program or Award Agreement shall give the Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company or any Affiliate.

 

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11.16 Indemnification . To the extent allowable pursuant to Applicable Law and the Company’s charter and bylaws, each member of the Board and any officer or other employee to whom authority to administer any component of the Plan is delegated shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company from any loss, cost, liability, or expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by such member in connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to which he may be a party or in which he may be involved by reason of any action or failure to act pursuant to the Plan and against and from any and all amounts paid by him in satisfaction of judgment in such action, suit, or proceeding against him or her; provided , however , that he gives the Company an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before he undertakes to handle and defend it on his own behalf. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other rights of indemnification to which such persons may be entitled pursuant to the Organizational Documents, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or any power that the Company may have to indemnify them or hold them harmless.

11.17 Relationship to other Benefits . No payment pursuant to the Plan shall be taken into account in determining any benefits under any pension, retirement, savings, profit sharing, group insurance, welfare or other benefit plan of the Company or any Affiliate except to the extent otherwise expressly provided in writing in such other plan or an agreement thereunder.

11.18 Expenses . The expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company and its Affiliates.

* * * * *

I hereby certify that the foregoing Plan was duly adopted by the Board of Directors of Highlands REIT, Inc. effective                      , 2016.

* * * * *

I hereby certify that the foregoing Plan was approved by the stockholders of Highlands REIT, Inc. effective                      , 2016.

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

 

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Executed on this      day of                      , 2016.

 

 

[Name]
[Title]

[Signature Page to 2016 Incentive Award Plan]

 

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Exhibit 10.9

HIGHLANDS REIT, INC.

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION PROGRAM

This Highlands REIT, Inc. (the “ Company ”) Director Compensation Program (this “ Program ”) for non-employee directors of the Company (the “ Directors ”) shall be effective as of the effectiveness of the distribution by InvenTrust Properties Corp. to its stockholders of all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company (the “ Effective Date ”).

Cash Compensation

Effective as of the Effective Date, each Director shall receive the following annual retainers:

 

Director:

   $ 150,000   

Chairman of the Board (additional retainer):

   $ 10,000   

All annual retainers will be paid in cash quarterly in arrears promptly following the end of the applicable calendar quarter, but in no event more than 30 days after the end of such quarter.

Equity Compensation

 

Initial Grant:      Each Director who is serving at the Effective Date shall, on the Effective Date, automatically be granted shares of common stock of the Company (“ Common Stock ”) in an amount equal to $50,000 (the “ Initial Grant ”).
Annual Grant:      Each individual who is initially elected as a Director on the date of an annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders and each Director who is serving on the board of directors of the Company (the “ Board ”) as of the date of each annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders and who continues to serve as a Director immediately following such annual meeting shall, on the date of such annual meeting, automatically be granted shares of Common Stock an amount equal to $50,000 (the “ Annual Grant ”).

Each Initial Grant and each Annual Grant shall be fully vested as of the applicable date of grant.

Miscellaneous

For purposes of determining the number of shares of Common Stock subject to each Initial Grant and each Annual Grant, the dollar value of such grant shall be divided by the fair market value of a share of Common Stock on the date of such grant, as determined by the Board in good faith, in each case rounded up to the nearest whole share of Common Stock.

The terms of each award of shares of Common Stock under this Program shall be subject to the applicable Company equity incentive plan under which the grant is made and, to the extent determined by the Company, the terms set forth in a written award agreement in a form prescribed by the Board or a committee designated by the Board.


Effectiveness, Amendment, Modification and Termination

This Program shall become effective as of the Effective Date. This Program may be amended, modified or terminated by the Board at any time and from time to time in its sole discretion.

 

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Exhibit 10.10

HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. 2016 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN

STOCK PAYMENT AWARD GRANT NOTICE

Highlands REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation, (the “ Company ”), pursuant to the Highlands REIT, Inc. 2016 Incentive Award Plan, as amended from time to time (the “ Plan ”), hereby grants to the individual listed below (the “ Participant ”), in consideration of the mutual agreements set forth herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock set forth below (the “ Shares ”). This Stock Payment award is subject to all of the terms and conditions as set forth herein and in the Stock Payment Award Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “ Stock Payment Agreement ”) and the Plan, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms defined in the Plan shall have the same defined meanings in this Stock Payment Award Grant Notice (the “ Grant Notice ”) and the Stock Payment Agreement.

Participant:

Grant Date:

Total Number of Shares of Common Stock:

By his or her signature and the Company’s signature below, the Participant agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions of the Plan, the Stock Payment Agreement and this Grant Notice. The Participant has reviewed the Stock Payment Agreement, the Plan and this Grant Notice in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Grant Notice and fully understands all provisions of this Grant Notice, the Stock Payment Agreement and the Plan. The Participant hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator of the Plan upon any questions arising under the Plan, this Grant Notice and/or the Stock Payment Agreement. In addition, by signing below, the Participant also agrees that the Company or any Affiliate, in its sole discretion, may satisfy any withholding obligations in accordance with Section 2.2 of the Stock Payment Agreement by (i) withholding shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable to the Participant, (ii) instructing a broker on the Participant’s behalf to sell shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable to the Participant and remit the proceeds of such sale to the Company, or (iii) using any other method permitted by Section 2.2 of the Stock Payment Agreement or the Plan.

 

HIGHLANDS REIT, INC.:    PARTICIPANT:
By:   

 

   By:   

 

Print Name:   

 

   Print Name:   

 

Title:   

 

     
Address:   

332 S. Michigan Avenue

   Address:   

 

  

Ninth Floor

     

 

  

Chicago, Illinois 60604

     

 

 

1


EXHIBIT A

TO STOCK PAYMENT AWARD GRANT NOTICE

STOCK PAYMENT AWARD AGREEMENT

Pursuant to the Stock Payment Award Grant Notice (the “ Grant Notice ”) to which this Stock Payment Award Agreement (the “ Agreement ”) is attached, Highlands REIT, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “ Company ”) has granted to the Participant the number of shares of Common Stock (the “ Shares ”) under the Highlands REIT, Inc. 2016 Incentive Award Plan, as amended from time to time (the “ Plan ”), as set forth in the Grant Notice. Capitalized terms not specifically defined herein shall have the meanings specified in the Plan and the Grant Notice.

ARTICLE I.

GENERAL

1.1 Incorporation of Terms of Plan . The Award (as defined below) is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, which are incorporated herein by reference. In the event of any inconsistency between the Plan and this Agreement, the terms of the Plan shall control.

ARTICLE II.

AWARD OF COMMON STOCK

2.1 Award of Common Stock .

(a) Award . Pursuant to the Grant Notice and upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Plan and this Agreement, effective as of the Grant Date set forth in the Grant Notice, the Company has granted to the Participant an award of Common Stock (the “ Award ”) under the Plan in consideration of the Participant’s past and/or continued employment with or service to the Company or its Affiliates, and/or for other good and valuable consideration which the Administrator has determined exceeds the aggregate par value of the Common Stock subject to the Award as of the Grant Date. The number of Shares subject to the Award is set forth in the Grant Notice. The Participant is an Employee, Non-Employee Director or Consultant of the Company or one of its Affiliates.

(b) Book Entry Form; Certificates . At the sole discretion of the Administrator, the Shares will be issued in either (i) uncertificated form, with the Shares recorded in the name of the Participant in the books and records of the Company’s transfer agent; or (ii) certificated form.

2.2 Tax Withholding . The Company or its Affiliates shall be entitled to require a cash payment (or to elect, or permit the Participant to elect, such other form of payment determined in accordance with Section 9.2 of the Plan) by or on behalf of the Participant and/or to deduct from other compensation payable to the Participant any sums required by federal, state or local tax law to be withheld with respect to the grant of the Award. In satisfaction of the foregoing requirement with respect to the grant of the Award, unless otherwise determined by the Company, the Company or its Affiliates shall withhold Shares otherwise issuable under the Award having a fair market value equal to the sums required to be withheld by federal, state and/or local tax law. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement (including without limitation Section 2.1(b) hereof), the Company shall not be obligated to deliver any new certificate representing Shares to the Participant or the Participant’s legal representative or to enter any such Shares in book entry form unless and until the Participant or the Participant’s legal representative, as applicable, shall have paid or otherwise satisfied in full the amount of all federal, state and local taxes applicable to the taxable income of the Participant resulting from the grant or vesting of the Award or the issuance of Shares hereunder.

 

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2.3 Conditions to Delivery of Shares . Subject to Section 2.1 above, the Shares deliverable under this Award may be either previously authorized but unissued Shares or Shares purchased on the open market. Such Shares shall be fully paid and nonassessable. The Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any Shares under this Award prior to fulfillment of the conditions set forth in Section 9.4 of the Plan.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the issuance of such Shares shall not be delayed if and to the extent that such delay would result in a violation of Section 409A of the Code. In the event that the Company delays the issuance of such Shares because it reasonably determines that the issuance of such Shares will violate Applicable Law, such issuance shall be made at the earliest date at which the Company reasonably determines that issuing such Shares will not cause such violation, as required by Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-2(b)(7)(ii).

2.4 Ownership Limits . To ensure compliance with the Stock Ownership Limit (as defined in the Company’s charter, as amended from time to time), any other provision of Section 7.2.1(a) of the Company’s charter, and/or Applicable Law and for other proper purposes, the Company may issue appropriate “stop transfer” and other instructions to its transfer agent with respect to the Shares.

2.5 Consideration to the Company . In consideration of the grant of the Award pursuant hereto, the Participant agrees to render faithful and efficient services to the Company or any Affiliate.

ARTICLE III.

OTHER PROVISIONS

3.1 Rights as Stockholder . Except as otherwise provided herein, upon the Grant Date, the Participant shall have all the rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to the Shares, subject to Sections 2.2 and 2.3 above, including, without limitation, voting rights and rights to receive any cash or stock dividends, in respect of the Shares subject to the Award and deliverable hereunder.

3.2 Not a Contract of Service Relationship . Nothing in this Agreement or in the Plan shall confer upon the Participant any right to continue to serve as an Employee, Director or other service provider of the Company or any of its Affiliates or shall interfere with or restrict in any way the rights of the Company and its Affiliates, which rights are hereby expressly reserved, to discharge or terminate the services of the Participant at any time for any reason whatsoever, with or without cause, except to the extent expressly provided otherwise in a written agreement between the Company or an Affiliate and the Participant.

3.3 Governing Law . The laws of the State of Maryland shall govern the interpretation, validity, administration, enforcement and performance of the terms of this Agreement regardless of the law that might be applied under principles of conflicts of laws.

3.4 Conformity to Securities Laws . The Participant acknowledges that the Plan and this Agreement are intended to conform to the extent necessary with all provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, and any and all Applicable Law. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Plan shall be administered, and the Award is granted, only in such a manner as to conform to such laws, rules and regulations. To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Plan and this Agreement shall be deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to such laws, rules and regulations.

 

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3.5 Amendment, Suspension and Termination . To the extent permitted by the Plan, this Agreement may be wholly or partially amended or otherwise modified, suspended or terminated at any time or from time to time by the Administrator or the Board; provided, however , that, except as may otherwise be provided by the Plan, no amendment, modification, suspension or termination of this Agreement shall adversely affect the Award in any material way without the prior written consent of the Participant.

3.6 Notices . Any notice to be given under the terms of this Agreement shall be addressed to the Company in care of the Secretary of the Company at the Company’s principal office, and any notice to be given to the Participant shall be addressed to the Participant at the Participant’s last address reflected on the Company’s records. Any notice shall be deemed duly given when sent via email or when sent by reputable overnight courier or by certified mail (return receipt requested) through the United States Postal Service.

3.7 Successors and Assigns . The Company or any Affiliate may assign any of its rights under this Agreement to single or multiple assignees, and this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company and its Affiliates. This Agreement shall be binding upon the Participant and his or her heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns.

3.8 Limitations Applicable to Section 16 Persons . Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or this Agreement, if the Participant is subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, then the Plan, the Award and this Agreement shall be subject to any additional limitations set forth in any applicable exemptive rule under Section 16 of the Exchange Act (including any amendment to Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act) that are requirements for the application of such exemptive rule. To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, this Agreement shall be deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to such applicable exemptive rule.

3.9 Entire Agreement . The Plan, the Grant Notice and this Agreement (including all Exhibits thereto, if any) constitute the entire agreement of the parties and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and its Affiliates and the Participant with respect to the subject matter hereof.

3.10 Limitation on the Participant’s Rights . Participation in the Plan confers no rights or interests other than as herein provided. This Agreement creates only a contractual obligation on the part of the Company as to amounts payable and shall not be construed as creating a trust. The Plan, in and of itself, has no assets. The Participant shall have only the rights of a general unsecured creditor of the Company and its Affiliates with respect to amounts credited and benefits payable, if any, with respect to the Shares issuable hereunder.

 

A-3

Table of Contents

Exhibit 99.1

 

LOGO

                    ,         

Dear InvenTrust Properties Corp. Stockholder:

In only a few years, InvenTrust Properties Corp. (“InvenTrust,” the “Company,” “we” or “our”) has completed several significant and complex transactions in an effort to execute on its strategy and provide liquidity events for stockholders, including:

 

    Since 2012, we have completed a series of acquisitions and dispositions totaling approximately $4.6 billion (excluding the spin-off of Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (“Xenia”)) to reposition our portfolio;

 

    Since 2012, we have paid down approximately $4.7 billion in debt;

 

    In 2013, we sold the majority of our net lease assets and conventional multi-family assets for approximately $2.5 billion;

 

    In 2014, through a series of transactions we became a self-managed REIT and paid no internalization fee to our former sponsor;

 

    In 2014, we completed a $395 million modified “Dutch Auction” tender offer for shares of our common stock;

 

    In November 2014, we completed the sale of our $1.1 billion suburban select service lodging portfolio;

 

    In February 2015, we completed the spin-off and listing of our lodging platform, Xenia, representing a significant liquidity event for our stockholders;

 

    In April 2015, the Company changed its name to InvenTrust in order to highlight and develop a brand that was independent from our former sponsor and distinguish ourselves in our core retail business; and

 

    In January 2016, we announced an agreement to sell our student housing platform, University House Communities Group, Inc., for approximately $1.4 billion.

We are now pleased to announce that we are completing the execution of our previously disclosed strategy to dispose of our remaining “non-core” assets through the pro rata distribution of 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Highlands REIT, Inc. (“Highlands”). Highlands is a wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust that was formed to hold our remaining “non-core” assets. Highlands’ portfolio is expected to consist of seven single- and multi-tenant office assets, two industrial assets, six retail assets, two correctional facilities, four parcels of unimproved land and one bank branch. Upon completion of the separation and distribution from InvenTrust, Highlands will be an independent, self-managed, non-traded REIT. Highlands will have a dedicated management team focused on preserving, protecting and maximizing the total value of its portfolio. As a stand-alone company, we believe that Highlands will be better positioned to provide stockholders with a return of their investment by liquidating and distributing net sale proceeds from the “non-core” portfolio in a value-maximizing manner.

Following the sale of University House Communities Group, our student housing platform, and the completion of this spin-off, InvenTrust will take the next step in its evolution to become a pure-play retail REIT with a dedicated management team solely focused on executing InvenTrust’s retail strategy. Moving forward, our strategy will be to refine and tailor our retail portfolio into key growth markets with favorable demographics and expected above-average net operating income growth.


Table of Contents

The pro rata distribution by InvenTrust of 100% of the outstanding shares of Highlands common stock will occur on                     , 2016 by way of a taxable pro rata special distribution to InvenTrust stockholders of record on the record date of the distribution. Each InvenTrust stockholder will be entitled to receive one share of Highlands common stock for every one share of InvenTrust common stock held by such stockholder at the close of business on                     , 2016, the record date of the distribution. The Highlands common stock will be issued in book-entry form only, which means that no physical share certificates will be issued. Following the distribution, you will own shares in both InvenTrust and Highlands. The number of InvenTrust shares you own will not change as a result of this distribution. Stockholder approval of the distribution is not required, and you will not be required to make any payment, surrender or exchange your shares of InvenTrust common stock or take any other action to receive your shares of Highlands common stock on the distribution date. Following the completion of the distribution, InvenTrust will not continue to own any shares of common stock of Highlands.

Highlands’ portfolio and the student housing portfolio produce significant cash flow for InvenTrust. If the dispositions of these properties occur, InvenTrust’s distribution payments will decrease. Additionally, immediately following the spin-off, the value of InvenTrust common stock will be lower than the value of such stock immediately prior to the spin-off because the value of InvenTrust stock will no longer reflect the value of the Highlands assets. The new InvenTrust estimated share value will be published shortly after the Highlands spin-off date. The board of directors of InvenTrust has engaged Real Globe Advisors, which is the same third-party valuation firm retained by our board last year, to value InvenTrust’s and Highlands’ assets and calculate both companies’ new estimated share values. Once the new estimated share values are determined, we will communicate it and how it was calculated to the stockholders.

Although the distribution of the outstanding shares of Highlands common stock will be in the form of a taxable distribution to InvenTrust stockholders, InvenTrust does not anticipate recognizing taxable gain as a result of the distribution. As a result, so long as you own your InvenTrust common stock for the entire year in which the distribution occurs, InvenTrust anticipates that the spin-off and distribution of Highlands common stock will not increase the amount of dividend income you would have recognized if the distribution had not occurred. For a more detailed discussion of the tax consequences of the distribution, please refer to the section titled “Our Separation From InvenTrust—Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Separation” and “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” of the Information Statement.

The Information Statement, which is being mailed to all holders of InvenTrust common stock on the record date for the distribution, describes the distribution in detail and contains important information about Highlands, its business, financial condition and operations and risks related to its business. The Information Statement also explains how you will receive your shares of Highlands common stock. We urge you to read the entire Information Statement carefully. If you have any questions, please contact 855-377-0510.

On behalf of the board of directors, the senior management team and the employees of InvenTrust, I want to thank you for your continued support of InvenTrust. We look forward to this next chapter in InvenTrust’s history.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Thomas P. McGuinness

President and Chief Executive Officer of InvenTrust

Properties Corp.

 

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Information contained herein is subject to completion or amendment. A registration statement on Form 10 relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED APRIL 8, 2016

INFORMATION STATEMENT

Common Stock

HIGHLANDS REIT, INC.

 

 

This Information Statement is being furnished in connection with the taxable distribution by InvenTrust Properties Corp. (“InvenTrust”), a Maryland corporation that has elected to be taxed, and currently qualifies, as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to its stockholders of 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Highlands REIT, Inc. (“Highlands,” “we” or “us”), a Maryland corporation. InvenTrust currently owns 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Highlands. Highlands holds, or will hold, directly or indirectly, a portfolio of office assets, industrial assets, retail assets, correctional facilities, parcels of unimproved land and a bank branch. To implement the distribution, InvenTrust will distribute 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Highlands on a pro rata basis to existing stockholders of InvenTrust.

For every one share of common stock of InvenTrust held of record by you as of the close of business on                 , 2016, or the distribution record date, you will receive one share of our common stock. We expect our common stock will be distributed by InvenTrust to you on or about                 , 2016, referred to herein as the distribution date.

No vote of InvenTrust’s stockholders is required in connection with the distribution. Therefore, you are not being asked for a proxy, and you are requested not to send us a proxy, in connection with the distribution. You will not be required to pay any consideration, exchange or surrender your existing shares of common stock of InvenTrust or take any other action to receive our common stock to which you are entitled on the distribution date.

There is no current trading market for our common stock, and we do not intend to list any shares of our common stock on any securities exchange or other market in connection with the distribution.

We intend to elect to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our short taxable year commencing immediately prior to the separation and ending on December 31, 2016. To assist us in qualifying as a REIT, among other purposes, stockholders are generally restricted from owning more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock. See “Description of Capital Stock—Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined under the federal securities laws and, as such, may elect to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements.

In reviewing the Information Statement, you should carefully consider the matters described under the caption “ Risk Factors ” beginning on page 21.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this Information Statement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

This Information Statement was first mailed to InvenTrust stockholders on or about                , 2016.                                         , 2016.


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

     i   

SUMMARY

     1   

RISK FACTORS

     21   

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     46   

OUR SEPARATION FROM INVENTRUST

     48   

DISTRIBUTION POLICY

     56   

CAPITALIZATION

     57   

SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA

     58   

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     62   

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

     67   

BUSINESS AND PROPERTIES

     95   

MANAGEMENT

     106   

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

     117   

PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

     121   

DESCRIPTION OF INDEBTEDNESS

     122   

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

     124   

CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW AND OUR CHARTER AND BYLAWS

     129   

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

     135   

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     156   

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     F-1   

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Prior to and in connection with our separation from InvenTrust, we will effect the transactions (the “Reorganization Transactions”) described under “Summary—Our Structure and Reorganization Transactions—Our Corporate Reorganization.” We refer in this Information Statement to the assets owned by MB REIT (Florida), Inc. (“MB REIT”) and assets owned by certain subsidiaries of InvenTrust from time to time since January 1, 2013, as well as the Non-Core Contributed Assets (as defined under “Summary—Our Structure and Reorganization Transactions—Our Corporate Reorganization”), as the “Prior Combined Portfolio.” We refer in this Information Statement to all of the assets owned by Highlands following the Reorganization Transactions as the “Highlands Portfolio.” At the time of our separation from InvenTrust, we expect the Highlands Portfolio to consist of seven office assets, two industrial assets, six retail assets, two correctional facilities, four parcels of unimproved land and one bank branch.

Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all information herein reflects the consummation of the Reorganization Transactions and the completion of our separation from InvenTrust, which will occur on the distribution date. References herein to “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” refer to Highlands and its consolidated subsidiaries, and references to “Highlands REIT, Inc.” refer only to Highlands REIT, Inc., exclusive of its subsidiaries.

Additionally, unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all information in this Information Statement gives effect to the filing of our Articles of Amendment and Restatement and the effectiveness of our Amended and Restated Bylaws, which will occur prior to the completion of our separation from InvenTrust.

 

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Presentation of Historical Operating and Non-Financial Data and Pro Forma Financial Information

Unless otherwise indicated below or the context otherwise requires, (i) operating and non-financial data disclosed in the sections of this Information Statement other than the Financial Statement Sections (as defined below) and (ii) pro forma financial information in this Information Statement:

 

    reflect the business and operations of the Company after the consummation of the Retail Asset Disposition (as defined under Summary—Our Structure and Reorganization Transactions—Our Corporate Reorganization) and immediately following the completion of the separation of the Company from InvenTrust;

 

    exclude (i) 14 assets sold during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 and reflected as discontinued operations in the historical financial statements and (ii) 27 assets sold during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 and reflected as discontinued operations in the historical financial statements (collectively, the “Discontinued Operations Disposed Assets”);

 

    exclude four assets sold during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 and one asset sold during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 reflected as continuing operations in the historical financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015, as applicable (collectively, the “Continuing Operations Disposed Assets” and, together with the Discontinued Operations Disposed Assets, the “Disposed Assets”);

 

    reflect a capital contribution from InvenTrust prior to the completion of our separation from InvenTrust such that following the contribution, Highlands will hold approximately $20.0 million in cash (the “Capital Contribution”);

 

    reflect the issuance of 862,205,572.183 shares of our common stock to InvenTrust pursuant to a stock dividend effectuated prior to the distribution;

 

    reflect the distribution of 862,205,672.183 shares of our common stock to holders of InvenTrust common stock based upon the number of InvenTrust shares outstanding on                 , 2016; and

 

    reflect certain other adjustments as described in “Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements.

Presentation of Combined Consolidated Financial Information And Certain Operating And Non-Financial Data

Unless otherwise indicated below or the context otherwise requires, (i) the historical financial data (excluding all pro forma financial data) in this Information Statement and (ii) the operating and non-financial data (but excluding all related data prepared on a pro forma basis) disclosed in “Summary—Summary Historical and Pro Forma Financial and Operating Data,” “Selected Historical Financial and Operating Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” (excluding all pro forma financial data) (collectively, the “Financial Statement Sections”) reflect the combined and consolidated business and operations of the Company prior to the Retail Asset Disposition and the completion of the Company’s separation from InvenTrust, but after giving effect to the Non-Core Asset Contributions (as defined under Summary—Our Structure and Reorganization Transactions—Our Corporate Reorganization), reflecting ownership of the Prior Combined Portfolio.

 

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SUMMARY

This summary highlights some of the information in this Information Statement relating to our Company, our separation from InvenTrust and the distribution of our common stock by InvenTrust to its stockholders. For a more complete understanding of our business and the separation and distribution, you should read carefully the more detailed information set forth under the sections entitled “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Our Separation from InvenTrust” and the other information included in this Information Statement.

 

 

Overview

We are a self-advised and self-administered REIT with a portfolio of single- and multi-tenant office assets, industrial assets, retail assets, correctional facilities, unimproved land and a bank branch, which represent InvenTrust’s remaining “non-core” assets. InvenTrust historically focused on acquiring, owning and operating a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate, including retail, multi-family, student housing, industrial, correctional, lodging and office assets located in the United States. InvenTrust’s “non-core” assets were originally part of this diversified investment strategy. Beginning in 2012, InvenTrust began to implement its strategy of focusing its diverse portfolio of real estate into three platforms – retail, lodging and student housing – with the goal of enhancing long-term stockholder value and positioning InvenTrust to explore various strategic transactions. As part of this strategy, InvenTrust executed a series of transactions, including the sale of its conventional apartment assets in 2013, the sale of certain of its net lease assets consummated through multiple closings throughout 2013 and 2014, and disposition of other “non-core” assets in individual and portfolio transactions. Also in furtherance of this strategy, beginning in 2014, InvenTrust executed a series of strategic transactions, including a modified Dutch tender offer for its common stock and the disposition of its lodging platform through the sale of its suburban select service lodging portfolio and the spin-off of Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (“Xenia”). In January 2016, InvenTrust announced an agreement to sell its student housing portfolio. Following the sale of its student housing portfolio, InvenTrust’s go-forward strategy is to focus its business on retail assets in strategic markets. In order to maximize the value of InvenTrust’s retail platform and the “non-strategic” retail assets, and as part of its previously announced plan to dispose of its “non-core” assets, InvenTrust is now planning to spin-off its remaining “non-core” assets” by distributing 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Highlands on a pro rata basis to existing stockholders of InvenTrust.

As of December 31, 2015, the Highlands Portfolio consisted of seven office assets, two industrial assets, six retail assets, two correctional facilities, four parcels of unimproved land and one bank branch.

Reasons for the Separation

Upon careful review and consideration, InvenTrust’s board of directors determined that our separation from InvenTrust is in the best interests of InvenTrust. The board’s determination was based on a number of factors, including those set forth below.

 

    Enabling our dedicated management to focus solely on maximizing the total value of our portfolio in connection with our evaluation of various strategic opportunities. The separation of the Highlands Portfolio from InvenTrust will enable our dedicated management team to focus on preserving, protecting and maximizing the total value of our portfolio until such time as we determine that a sale or other disposition of all or a portion of our portfolio achieves our investment objectives or until it appears such objectives will not be met.

 

    Allow InvenTrust’s management to focus on its retail platform. Following the announced agreement to sell InvenTrust’s student housing platform, as part of its overall strategic plan and long-term goal of maximizing shareholder value, InvenTrust intends to dispose of its “non-core” assets in order to create a pure-play retail platform.

 



 

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The anticipated benefits of the separation are based on a number of assumptions, and there can be no assurance that such benefits will materialize to the extent anticipated, or at all. In the event that the separation does not result in such benefits, the costs associated with the separation could have a material adverse effect on our business and are not quantifiable. Following our separation from InvenTrust, we will be a smaller company than InvenTrust, and we will not have access to the financial and other resources of InvenTrust or to resources comparable to those of InvenTrust. As a separate, standalone company, we may be unable to obtain debt or goods, technology and services at prices and on terms as favorable as those available to us prior to the separation. For more information about the risks associated with the separation, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Relationship with InvenTrust and the Separation.”

Business Strategy

Our investment objectives are to preserve, protect and maximize the total value of our portfolio in connection with our evaluation of various strategic opportunities while seeking to provide stockholders with a return of their investment by liquidating and distributing net sales proceeds. We may seek to sustain and enhance the values of our assets through additional leasing or capital expenditures, where necessary, while identifying and implementing disposition strategies for the assets in our portfolio. We intend to hold our assets until such time as we determine that a sale or other disposition achieves our investment objectives or until it appears such objectives will not be met.

Investment Risks

An investment in shares of our common stock involves substantial risks and uncertainties that may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. You should carefully consider the matters discussed in “Risk Factors” beginning on page 21 of this Information Statement when making investment decisions with respect to our common stock. Some of the risks relating to an investment in Highlands include the following:

 

    we may be unable to renew leases, lease vacant space or re-let space as leases expire, thereby increasing or prolonging vacancies, which could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations;

 

    one of our tenants, AT&T, is party to three leases with us and generates a significant portion of our revenue. The original terms of such leases expire in 2016, 2017 and 2019. AT&T did not renew its lease expiring in 2016 during the contractual renewal option period, and there is a strong possibility that AT&T will not renew any or all of its leases. If AT&T elects not to renew any one or more of such leases, and if we are unable to re-let the space as leases expire, or if we are required to make significant capital expenditures for such assets, our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations would be adversely affected;

 

    we depend on tenants for our revenue, and accordingly, lease terminations, vacancies, tenant defaults and bankruptcies could adversely affect the income produced by our assets;

 

    our portfolio includes assets that are special use, single-tenant and/or build-to-suit that may be difficult to lease, finance or sell;

 

    many of our properties are located in weak markets or submarkets, which may adversely affect our ability to rent such properties, increase rental rates and/or sell such properties;

 

    economic and market conditions could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition;

 

    our ongoing business strategy involves the selling of assets; however, we may be unable to sell an asset at acceptable terms and conditions, if at all;

 



 

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    we may not successfully implement our disposition strategy, in which case you may have to hold your investment for an indefinite period;

 

    real estate is a competitive business;

 

    if we are unable to repay or refinance our existing debt as it comes due, we may need to sell the underlying asset sooner than anticipated or the lender may foreclose, in which case our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations could be materially adversely affected;

 

    our special purpose property-owning subsidiaries may default under non-recourse mortgage loans;

 

    MB REIT is subject to obligations under certain “non-recourse carve out” indemnity agreements and guarantees that may be deemed to be triggered in the future;

 

    our failure to comply with all covenants in our existing or future debt agreements could materially and adversely affect us;

 

    we may be unable to achieve some or all of the benefits that we expect to achieve from our separation from InvenTrust, and we may no longer enjoy certain benefits from InvenTrust;

 

    our ability to operate our business effectively may suffer if we do not, quickly and cost-effectively, establish our own financial, administrative and other support functions in order to operate as a standalone company or our own internal controls and procedures, and we cannot assure you that the transitional services InvenTrust has agreed to provide us will be sufficient for our needs;

 

    failure to qualify as a REIT, or failure to remain qualified as a REIT, would cause us to be taxed as a regular corporation, which would substantially reduce funds available for distributions to our stockholders;

 

    if either InvenTrust or MB REIT failed to qualify as a REIT, we would be prevented from electing to qualify as a REIT;

 

    REIT distribution requirements could adversely affect our liquidity and may force us to borrow funds or sell assets during unfavorable market conditions;

 

    since our shares will not be traded on any securities exchange after our separation from InvenTrust, there is no established public market for our shares and you may not be able to sell your shares; and

 

    our cash available for distribution to stockholders may not be sufficient to pay distributions at expected or required levels, and we may need external sources in order to make such distributions, or we may not be able to make such distributions at all.

Our Structure and Reorganization Transactions

Our History

Highlands was formed as a Maryland corporation on December 16, 2015 as a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust.

Since 2011, InvenTrust or its wholly owned subsidiaries have owned all of the outstanding capital stock of MB REIT, a Florida corporation, other than 125 shares of Series B Preferred Stock issued to 125 individual accredited investors for the purpose of facilitating MB REIT’s qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. On December 15, 2015, MB REIT redeemed all of the outstanding shares of its Series B Preferred Stock and became a wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust. At that time, MB REIT became a “qualified REIT subsidiary” (“QRS”) of InvenTrust and ceased to be treated as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 



 

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Prior to the internal reorganization transactions described below, MB REIT owned the assets included in the Retail Asset Disposition (as defined below) and all of the assets in the Highlands Portfolio other than the Non-Core Contributed Assets (as defined below). Prior to the internal reorganization transactions described below, the Non-Core Contributed Assets are owned by subsidiaries of InvenTrust other than Highlands or MB REIT.

At all times prior to InvenTrust’s self-management in March 2014, our management team and other employees were employees of InvenTrust’s sponsor or its affiliates. Following the self-management transactions, our management team and our other employees became employed by InvenTrust or a subsidiary of InvenTrust, and employees hired since the self-management transactions were employed by InvenTrust. In connection with the separation, we will be the employer of our management team and other employees.

Our Corporate Reorganization

Prior to or concurrently with the completion of the separation and distribution, we have engaged or will engage in certain reorganization transactions, through a series of contributions, distributions and exchanges, which are designed to consolidate the ownership of the Highlands Portfolio into Highlands, transfer certain retail assets currently owned directly or indirectly by MB REIT to InvenTrust, facilitate our separation from InvenTrust and the distribution and enable us to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our short taxable year ending December 31, 2016.

The significant elements of the Reorganization Transactions include:

 

    MB REIT will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Highlands;

 

    The direct and indirect subsidiaries of MB REIT owning the following assets were transferred to InvenTrust:

 

    Lakeport Commons, a multi-tenant retail asset in Sioux City, IA

 

    Fabyan Randall Plaza, a multi-tenant retail asset in Batavia, IL

 

    New Forest Crossing Phase II, a multi-tenant retail asset in Houston, TX

 

    Spring Town Center Phase I & II, a multi-tenant retail asset in Spring, TX

 

    Spring Town Shopping Center Phase III, a multi-tenant retail asset in Spring, TX

We refer in this Information Statement to these transfers as the “Retail Asset Disposition.”

 

    The direct and indirect subsidiaries of InvenTrust owning the following assets were transferred to Highlands or its subsidiaries:

 

    Versacold USA—St. Paul, an industrial asset in St. Paul, MN

 

    Versacold USA—New Ulm, an industrial asset in New Ulm, MN

 

    Trimble, an R&D office asset in San Jose, CA

 

    Rolling Plains Detention Facility, a correctional facility in Haskell, TX

 

    Hudson Correctional Facility, a correctional facility in Hudson, CO

 

    Bridgeside Point, a single-tenant office building in Pittsburgh, PA

 

    Citizens—Providence, a bank branch in Providence, RI

 

    Sand Lake Land, a parcel of unimproved land in Orlando, FL

 



 

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    Palazzo Land, a parcel of unimproved land in Orlando, FL

 

    North Pointe Land, a parcel of unimproved land in Hanahan, SC

 

    RDU Land, a parcel of unimproved land in Raleigh, NC

We refer in this Information Statement to these assets as the “Non-Core Contributed Assets” and to these transfers as the “Non-Core Asset Contributions.”

 

    We will issue 862,205,572.183 shares of our common stock to InvenTrust pursuant to a stock dividend effectuated prior to the distribution.

Our Post-Separation Relationship with InvenTrust

We will enter into a Separation and Distribution Agreement with InvenTrust to effect the separation and distribution. In addition, we will enter into various other agreements with InvenTrust to effect the separation and provide a framework for our relationship with InvenTrust after the separation, such as a Transition Services Agreement and an Employee Matters Agreement. These agreements will provide for the allocation between us and InvenTrust of InvenTrust’s assets, liabilities and obligations attributable to periods prior to, at and after our separation from InvenTrust and will govern certain relationships between us and InvenTrust after the separation.

For additional information regarding the Separation and Distribution Agreement, the Transition Services Agreement and the Employee Matters Agreement, please refer to “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Relationship with InvenTrust and the Separation” and “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

Our Financing Strategy

Certain of our existing assets are currently encumbered by debt, and debt financing may be used from time to time for property improvements, tenant improvements, leasing commissions and other working capital needs. The form of our indebtedness may vary and could be long-term or short-term, secured or unsecured, or fixed-rate or floating rate. We will not enter into interest rate swaps or caps or similar hedging transactions or derivative arrangements for speculative purposes, but may do so in order to manage or mitigate our interest rate risks on variable rate debt. For additional information regarding our existing debt, please refer to “Description of Indebtedness.”

Distribution Policy

We generally intend over time to make annual distributions in an amount at least equal to the amount that will allow us to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes and to avoid current entity level U.S. federal income taxes. To qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we must distribute to our stockholders an amount at least equal to:

 

  i. 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined before the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain (which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”)); plus

 

  ii. 90% of the excess of our net income from foreclosure property over the tax imposed on such income by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”); less

 

  iii. any excess non-cash income (as determined under the Code). Please refer to “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

 



 

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Distributions made by us will be authorized and determined by our board of directors, in its sole discretion, out of legally available funds, and will be dependent upon a number of factors, including restrictions under applicable law and other factors described under “Distribution Policy.” We cannot assure you that our distribution policy will remain the same in the future, or that any estimated distributions will be made or sustained. Our ability to make distributions to our stockholders will depend upon the performance of our asset portfolio and our ability to successfully execute on our disposition strategy. Distributions will be made in cash to the extent cash is available for distribution. We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to pay distributions to our stockholders. To the extent that our cash available for distribution is less than the amount required to be distributed under the REIT provisions of the Code, we may consider funding sources other than cash flow from operations or funds from operations, which may reduce the amount of capital available for operations, may have negative tax implications, and may have a negative effect on the value of your shares under certain conditions. In addition, our board of directors could change our distribution policy in the future. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock and our Corporate Structure—Our cash available for distribution to stockholders may not be sufficient to pay distributions at expected or required levels, and we may need external sources in order to make such distributions, or we may not be able to make such distributions at all.” For a discussion of the tax treatment of distributions to holders of our common stock, please refer to “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

Our Tax Status

We intend to elect to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes beginning with our short taxable year commencing immediately prior to the separation and ending on December 31, 2016. We believe that we have been organized and will operate in a manner that will allow us to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with such short taxable year. To qualify for REIT status, we must meet a number of organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that we annually distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding any net capital gains. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer of Our Stock

Our charter, subject to certain exceptions, authorizes our directors to take such actions as are necessary or appropriate to enable us to qualify as a REIT. Furthermore, our charter prohibits any person from actually or constructively owning more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock. Our board of directors, in its sole discretion, may exempt (prospectively or retroactively) a person from the ownership limits if certain conditions are satisfied. However, our board of directors may not grant an exemption from the ownership limits to any person if that exemption would result in our failing to qualify as a REIT. These restrictions on transferability and ownership will not apply if our board of directors determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to or to continue to qualify as a REIT. The ownership limits may delay or impede a transaction or a change of control that might be in your best interest. See “Description of Capital Stock—Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”

JOBS Act

As a company with less than $1.0 billion in revenue during our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”). Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for complying with new or revised accounting standards. Thus, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the extended transition period.

 



 

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An emerging growth company may also take advantage of reduced reporting requirements that are otherwise applicable to public reporting companies. These provisions include, but are not limited to:

 

    not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”);

 

    reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports, proxy statements and registration statements; and

 

    exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

We may take advantage of these provisions until we cease to be an emerging growth company. We will, in general, qualify as an emerging growth company until the earliest of (a) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our equity securities pursuant to an effective Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933; (b) the last day of our fiscal year in which we have an annual gross revenue of $1.0 billion or more; (c) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; and (d) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which would occur at such time as we (1) have an aggregate worldwide market value of common equity securities held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, (2) have been required to file annual and quarterly reports under the Exchange Act for a period of at least 12 months and (3) have filed at least one annual report pursuant to the Exchange Act.

As a result of our status as an emerging growth company, the information that we provide to our stockholders may be different than you might receive from other public reporting companies in which you hold equity interests.

Our Principal Office

Our principal executive offices are located at 332 S Michigan Avenue, Ninth Floor, Chicago, Illinois, 60604, and our telephone number is                 . We maintain a website at www.highlandsreit.com. The information contained on our website or that can be accessed through our website neither constitutes part of this prospectus nor is incorporated herein by reference.

 



 

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Questions and Answers about Us and the Separation

 

Why is the separation structured as a distribution?

InvenTrust believes that a distribution of our shares is an efficient way to separate our assets and that the separation will create benefits and value for us and InvenTrust and our stockholders.

 

Why am I receiving this document?

InvenTrust is delivering this document to you because you are a holder of common stock of InvenTrust. If you are a holder of InvenTrust common stock as of the close of business on             , 2016, you are entitled to receive one share of Highlands common stock for every one share of InvenTrust common stock that you held at the close of business on such date. The number of shares of InvenTrust common stock you own will not change as a result of the distribution. This document will help you understand how the separation and distribution will affect your investment in InvenTrust, and your investment in Highlands following the separation.

 

How will the separation work?

At the time of the separation and distribution, Highlands will own, directly or indirectly, a portfolio of commercial real estate assets. InvenTrust will distribute 100% of the outstanding shares of Highlands’ common stock to InvenTrust’s stockholders on a pro rata basis. Following the separation, we will be an independent public company, but we do not intend to list any shares of our common stock on any securities exchange or other market in connection with the distribution.

 

When will the distribution occur?

We expect that InvenTrust will distribute the shares of our common stock on                 , 2016 to holders of record of shares of InvenTrust common stock as of the close of business on                 , 2016, subject to certain conditions described under “Our Separation from InvenTrust—Conditions to the Distribution.” No assurance can be provided as to the timing of the separation or that all conditions to the separation will be met.

 

What do stockholders of InvenTrust need to do to participate in the distribution?

Nothing, but we urge you to read this entire Information Statement carefully. Holders of shares of InvenTrust common stock as of the distribution record date will not be required to take any action to receive Highlands common stock on the distribution date. No stockholder approval of the distribution is required or sought. We are not asking you for a proxy, and you are requested not to send us a proxy. You will not be required to make any payment, or to surrender or exchange your shares of InvenTrust common stock or take any other action to receive your shares of our common stock on the distribution date. If you own shares of InvenTrust common stock as of the close of business on the distribution record date, InvenTrust, with the assistance of DST Systems, Inc., the distribution agent, will electronically issue shares of our common stock to you or to your brokerage firm on your behalf by way of direct registration in book-entry form. The distribution agent will mail you a book-entry account

 



 

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statement that reflects your shares of our common stock, or your bank or brokerage firm will credit your account for the shares.

 

How many shares of Highlands common stock will I receive in the distribution?

InvenTrust will distribute to you one share of Highlands common stock for every one share of InvenTrust common stock held by you as of the distribution record date. An aggregate of 862,205,672.183 shares of Highlands common stock will be distributed to stockholders of InvenTrust. For additional information on the distribution, please refer to “Our Separation from InvenTrust.”

 

Will I be taxed on the shares of Highlands common stock that I receive in the distribution?

Yes. The distribution will be in the form of a taxable distribution to InvenTrust stockholders. An amount equal to the fair market value of our common stock received by you will be treated as a taxable dividend to the extent of your ratable share of any current or accumulated earnings and profits of InvenTrust allocable to the distribution, with the excess treated as a nontaxable return of capital to the extent of your tax basis in your shares of InvenTrust common stock and any remaining excess treated as capital gain. Although the distribution will be taxable to InvenTrust and InvenTrust stockholders, InvenTrust does not anticipate recognizing taxable gain as a result of the distribution. As a result, InvenTrust anticipates that the distribution will not increase its earnings and profits for the year in which the distribution occurs, which is anticipated to be 2016. Thus, if you own your InvenTrust common stock for the entire year in which the distribution occurs, InvenTrust anticipates that the distribution will not increase the amount of dividend income you will recognize for that year compared to the amount of dividend income you would have recognized if the distribution had not occurred. InvenTrust or other applicable withholding agents may be required to withhold on all or a portion of the distribution payable to non-U.S. stockholders. For a more detailed discussion, see “Our Separation From InvenTrust—Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Separation” and “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

 

Can InvenTrust decide to cancel the distribution of our common stock even if all the conditions have been met?

Yes. The distribution is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions. See “Our Separation from InvenTrust—Conditions to the distribution.” Even if all conditions to the distribution are satisfied, InvenTrust may terminate and abandon the distribution at any time prior to the effectiveness of the distribution in its sole discretion.

 

When will I receive liquidity related to my Highlands common stock?

We intend to evaluate each of our assets on a rigorous and ongoing basis in an effort to optimize and enhance the value of our assets. As each of our assets reaches what we believe to be the asset’s optimum value, we will consider disposing of the asset for the purpose of either distributing the net sales proceeds to our stockholders or retaining the proceeds as part of a plan to achieve an optimal exit value. The timing of any liquidity event or events will depend upon then-prevailing economic and market conditions, which could result in different holding periods among the assets. We expect we will need to retain a portion of the net proceeds obtained from dispositions in order to achieve a final liquidity event.

 



 

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Does Highlands plan to pay dividends?

We generally intend over time to make annual distributions in an amount at least equal to the amount that will allow us to qualify as a REIT and to avoid entity level U.S. federal income taxes. To qualify as a REIT, we must distribute to our stockholders an amount at least equal to:

 

  i. 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined before the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain (which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP); plus

 

  ii. 90% of the excess of our net income from foreclosure property over the tax imposed on such income by the Code; less

 

  iii. any excess non-cash income (as determined under the Code). Please refer to “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

 

  Distributions made by us will be authorized and determined by our board of directors, in its sole discretion, out of legally available funds, and will be dependent upon a number of factors, including restrictions under applicable law and other factors described under “Distribution Policy.” We may pay distributions from sources other than cash flow from operations or funds from operations, which may reduce the amount of capital available for operations, may have negative tax implications, and may have a negative effect on the value of your shares under certain conditions. We cannot assure you that our distribution policy will remain the same in the future, or that any estimated distributions will be made or sustained.

 

Will Highlands have a dividend reinvestment plan?

Highlands does not intend to have a dividend reinvestment plan in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to adopt a dividend reinvestment plan will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on such factors as our board of directors deems relevant.

 

Will Highlands have any debt?

Certain of our existing assets are currently encumbered by debt, and debt financing may be used from time to time for property improvements, tenant improvements, leasing commissions and other working capital needs.

 

  For additional information relating to our planned financing arrangements, see “Business and Properties—Financing Strategy,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” and “Description of Indebtedness.”

 



 

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What will the separation cost?

Pursuant to the Separation and Distribution Agreement, InvenTrust shall be responsible for paying all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the separation and distribution and all transactions related thereto, whether incurred prior to or after the distribution date, other than certain expenses related to insurance.

 

How will the separation affect my tax basis and holding period in shares of InvenTrust common stock?

Your tax basis in shares of InvenTrust held at the time of the distribution will be reduced (but not below zero) to the extent the fair market value of our shares distributed by InvenTrust in the distribution exceeds InvenTrust’s current and accumulated earnings and profits allocable to the distribution. Your holding period for such InvenTrust shares will not be affected by the distribution. See “Our Separation from InvenTrust—Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Separation.” You should consult your tax advisor as to the particular tax consequences of the distribution to you, including the applicability of any U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax laws.

 

What will my tax basis and holding period be for shares of Highlands common stock that I receive in the distribution?

Your tax basis in shares of our common stock received will equal the fair market value of such shares on the distribution date. Your holding period for such shares will begin the day after the distribution date. See “Our Separation from InvenTrust—Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Separation.”

 

  You should consult your tax advisor as to the particular tax consequences of the distribution to you, including the applicability of any U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax laws.

 

What will be the relationships between InvenTrust and Highlands following the separation?

Following the distribution, we and InvenTrust will be separate companies. We will enter into a Separation and Distribution Agreement to effect the separation and distribution. In addition, we will enter into various other agreements with InvenTrust to effect the separation and provide a framework for our relationship with InvenTrust after the separation, such as a Transition Services Agreement and an Employee Matters Agreement. These agreements will provide for the allocation between us and InvenTrust of InvenTrust’s assets, liabilities and obligations attributable to periods prior to, at and after our separation from InvenTrust and will govern certain relationships between us and InvenTrust after the separation. We cannot assure you that these agreements are on terms as favorable to us as agreements with independent third parties. Following the completion of the distribution, InvenTrust will not continue to own any shares of our common stock. See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

 

Will I receive physical certificates representing shares of Highlands common stock following the separation?

No. Following the separation, neither InvenTrust nor we will be issuing physical certificates representing shares of our common stock. Instead, InvenTrust, with the assistance of DST Systems, Inc., the distribution agent, will electronically issue shares of our common stock to you or to your bank or brokerage firm on your behalf by way of direct registration in book-entry form. The distribution agent will

 



 

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mail you a book-entry account statement that reflects your shares of Highlands common stock, or your bank or brokerage firm will credit your account for the shares. A benefit of issuing stock electronically in book-entry form is that there will be none of the physical handling and safekeeping responsibilities that are inherent in owning shares represented by physical share certificates.

 

Might I receive a fractional number of shares of Highlands common stock?

Yes. InvenTrust will distribute to you one share of Highlands common stock for every one share of InvenTrust common stock held by you as of the record date, which will result in your receiving a fractional number of shares if you hold a fractional number of shares of InvenTrust common stock.

 

Will I be able to trade shares of Highlands common stock on a public market?

No. There is not currently a public market for our common stock, and we do not intend to list any shares of our common stock on any securities exchange or other market in connection with the distribution.

 

Will the number of InvenTrust shares I own change as a result of the distribution?

No. The number of shares of InvenTrust common stock you own will not change as a result of the distribution.

 

Will the separation and distribution affect the value of my InvenTrust shares?

Yes. As a result of the distribution, InvenTrust expects the value of the shares of InvenTrust stock immediately following the distribution to be lower than the value of such shares immediately prior to the distribution because the value of the InvenTrust stock will no longer reflect the value of the Highlands Portfolio.

 

Will the separation and distribution affect the dividend I receive on my InvenTrust shares?

Yes. If the separation and distribution are completed, InvenTrust will review and announce a revised dividend and distribution policy. InvenTrust’s distribution payments will decrease after the separation and distribution because Highlands will own a portion of InvenTrust’s current portfolio. After giving effect to the separation and distribution, the aggregate distributions paid by InvenTrust and Highlands, on a combined basis, will be less than the current level of distributions paid by InvenTrust.

 

Are there risks to owning shares of Highlands common stock?

Yes. Our business is subject to various risks including risks relating to the separation. These risks are described in the “Risk Factors” section of this Information Statement beginning on page 21. We encourage you to read that section carefully.

 

Where can InvenTrust stockholders get more information?

Before the separation, if you have any questions relating to the separation, you should contact:

InvenTrust Investor Services

Tel: 855-377-0510

www.inventrustpropertiescorp.com

 



 

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  After the separation, if you have any questions relating to our common stock, you should contact:

Highlands REIT Investor Services

Tel:                         

www.highlandsreit.com

 

  After the separation, if you have any questions relating to InvenTrust’s common stock, you should contact:

InvenTrust Investor Services

Tel: 855-377-0510

www.inventrustpropertiescorp.com

 



 

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The Separation and Distribution

 

Distributing company

InvenTrust Properties Corp.

 

Distributed company

Highlands REIT, Inc.

 

  We are a Maryland corporation and, prior to the separation, InvenTrust owned 100% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. After the separation, we will be an independent public company, but we do not intend to list any shares of our common stock on any security exchange or other market, and intend to conduct our business so as to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

Distribution ratio

Each holder of shares of InvenTrust common stock will receive one share of our common stock for every one share of InvenTrust common stock held as of the close of business on                 , 2016.

 

Distributed securities

InvenTrust will distribute 100% of the shares of Highlands common stock outstanding immediately before the distribution. Based on the approximately 862,205,672.183 shares of InvenTrust common stock outstanding as of April 4, 2016, assuming distribution of 100% of the outstanding shares of our common stock and applying the distribution ratio, we expect that approximately 862,205,672.183 shares of Highlands common stock will be distributed to InvenTrust stockholders.

 

Record date

The record date is the close of business on                 , 2016.

 

Distribution date

The distribution date is on or about                 , 2016.

 

Distribution

On the distribution date, InvenTrust, with the assistance of DST Systems, Inc., the distribution agent, will electronically issue shares of our common stock to you or to your bank or brokerage firm on your behalf by way of direct registration in book-entry form. You will not be required to make any payment or surrender or exchange your shares of InvenTrust common stock or take any other action to receive your shares of our common stock on the distribution date. The distribution agent will mail you a book-entry account statement that reflects your shares of our common stock, or your bank or brokerage firm will credit your account for the shares. Beneficial stockholders that hold shares through brokerage firms will receive additional information from their brokerage firms shortly after the distribution date.

 



 

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Conditions to the distribution

The distribution of shares of our common stock by InvenTrust is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including the following:

 

    the board of directors of InvenTrust shall have authorized the distribution, which authorization may be made or withheld in the InvenTrust board of directors’ sole and absolute discretion;

 

    our registration statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, shall have become effective under the Exchange Act, and no stop order relating to the registration statement shall be in effect and no proceedings for such purpose shall be pending before, or threatened by, the SEC;

 

    no preliminary or permanent injunction or other order, decree, or ruling issued by a governmental authority, and no statute (as interpreted through orders or rules of any governmental authority duly authorized to effectuate the statute), rule, regulation or executive order promulgated or enacted by any governmental authority shall be in effect preventing the consummation of, or materially limiting the benefits of, the separation and distribution and other transaction contemplated thereby;

 

    any required actions and filings necessary or appropriate under federal or state securities and blue sky laws of the U.S. will have been taken;

 

    the Transition Services Agreement and the Employee Matters Agreement shall have been executed and delivered by each of the parties thereto and no party to any of such agreements shall be in material breach of any such agreement;

 

    no event or development shall have occurred or failed to occur that, in the judgment of the board of directors of InvenTrust, in its sole discretion, prevents the consummation of the separation and distribution and related transactions or any portion thereof or makes the consummation of such transactions inadvisable;

 

    any government approvals and other material consents necessary to consummate the distribution will have been obtained and be in full force and effect; and

 

    the Separation and Distribution Agreement will not have been terminated.

 

  Even if all conditions to the distribution are satisfied, InvenTrust may terminate and abandon the distribution at any time prior to the effectiveness of the distribution.

 

Distribution agent, transfer agent and registrar for Highlands Common Stock

DST Systems, Inc.
333 West 11th Street
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 435-1000

 



 

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Tax considerations

The distribution of our common stock will not qualify for tax-deferred treatment, and an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares received by you on the distribution date will be treated as a taxable dividend to the extent of your ratable share of any current or accumulated earnings and profits of InvenTrust allocable to the distribution. The excess will be treated as a non-taxable return of capital to the extent of your tax basis in shares of InvenTrust common stock and any remaining excess will be treated as capital gain. Although the distribution will be taxable to InvenTrust and InvenTrust stockholders, InvenTrust does not anticipate recognizing taxable gain as a result of the distribution. As a result, InvenTrust anticipates that the distribution will not increase its earnings and profits for the year in which the distribution occurs, which is anticipated to be 2016. Thus, if you own your InvenTrust common stock for the entire year in which the distribution occurs, InvenTrust anticipates that the distribution will not increase the amount of dividend income you will recognize for that year compared to the amount of dividend income you would have recognized if the distribution had not occurred. Your tax basis in shares of InvenTrust held at the time of the distribution will be reduced (but not below zero) to the extent the fair market value of our shares distributed by InvenTrust in the distribution exceeds InvenTrust’s current and accumulated earnings and profits allocable to the distribution. Your holding period for such InvenTrust shares will not be affected by the distribution. Your tax basis in shares of our common stock received will equal the fair market value of the shares received by you on the distribution date. Your holding period for such shares will begin the day following the distribution of our common stock. InvenTrust will not be able to advise stockholders of the amount of earnings and profits of InvenTrust until after the end of the 2016 calendar year. InvenTrust or other applicable withholding agents may be required to withhold on all or a portion of the distribution payable to non-U.S. stockholders. For a more detailed discussion, see “Our Separation From InvenTrust—Certain U.S. Material Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Separation” and “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

 

Relationship between InvenTrust and Highlands following the separation and distribution

We will enter into a Separation and Distribution Agreement to effect the separation and distribution. In addition, we will enter into various other agreements with InvenTrust to effect the separation and provide a framework for our relationship with InvenTrust after the separation, such as a Transition Services Agreement and an Employee Matters Agreement. These agreements will provide for the allocation between us and InvenTrust of InvenTrust’s assets, liabilities and obligations attributable to periods prior to, at and after our separation from InvenTrust and will govern certain relationships between us and InvenTrust after the separation. See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.” InvenTrust will not own any shares of our common stock following the separation and distribution.

 



 

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Summary Historical and Pro Forma Financial and Operating Data

You should read the following summary historical and pro forma combined consolidated financial and operating data together with “Selected Historical Financial and Operating Data,” “Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business and Properties” and the combined consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Information Statement.

The following table sets forth our summary historical and pro forma combined consolidated financial and operating data. Our summary historical combined consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 and for the years then ended have been derived from our audited combined consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Information Statement.

Our financial statements reflect the operations of the Prior Combined Portfolio, which, among other things, includes allocations of costs from certain corporate and shared functions provided to us by InvenTrust. The allocation methods for corporate and shared services costs vary by function but were generally based on historical costs of assets.

Because the historical combined consolidated financial statements represent the financial and operating data of the Prior Combined Portfolio, and the Company will own the Highlands Portfolio following the separation from InvenTrust, the historical combined consolidated financial statements included in this Information Statement do not reflect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows as if we had operated as a stand-alone public reporting company during the period presented owning solely the Highlands Portfolio. Accordingly, our historical results should not be relied upon as an indicator of future performance.

The summary pro forma combined consolidated financial and operating data is derived from our unaudited pro forma combined consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2015 as well as our unaudited pro forma combined consolidated statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2015, included elsewhere in this Information Statement. We derived our unaudited pro forma combined consolidated financial statements by applying pro forma adjustments to our historical combined consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Information Statement. The pro forma combined consolidated financial and operating data give effect to:

 

    the business and operations of the Company after the consummation of the Retail Asset Disposition and immediately following the completion of the separation of the Company from InvenTrust, after which we will own solely the Highlands Portfolio;

 

    the exclusion of the Disposed Assets;

 

    the Capital Contribution;

 

    the issuance of 862,205,572.183 shares of our common stock to InvenTrust pursuant to a stock dividend prior to the distribution;

 

    the distribution of 862,205,672.183 shares of our common stock to holders of InvenTrust common stock based upon the number of InvenTrust shares outstanding on                 , 2016; and

 

    certain other adjustments as described in “Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements.”

 



 

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The pro forma adjustments are based on preliminary estimates, accounting judgments and currently available information and assumptions that management believes are reasonable. The notes to the pro forma combined consolidated financial statements provide a detailed discussion of how such adjustments were derived and presented in the pro forma combined consolidated financial and operating data. See “Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements—Notes to Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements.” The pro forma combined consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with “Summary—Our Structure and Reorganization Transactions—Our Corporate Reorganization,” “Capitalization,” “Selected Historical Financial and Operating Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions,” “Description of Indebtedness” and our combined consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Information Statement.

 



 

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     Highlands Portfolio     Prior Combined Portfolio  
     Pro Forma
Combined
Consolidated
    Combined Consolidated  
     For the year
ended
December 31,
2015
    For the year
ended
December 31,
2015
    For the year
ended
December 31,
2014
    For the year
ended
December 31,
2013
 

Selected Statement of Operations Data:

        

Revenues:

        

Rental income

   $ 88,790      $ 96,960      $ 104,218      $ 108,841   

Tenant recovery income

     11,296        14,447        17,190        18,611   

Other property income

     361        430        739        743   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

   $ 100,447      $ 111,837      $ 122,147      $ 128,195   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Expenses:

        

Property operating expenses

     8,633        10,721        15,443        15,888   

Real estate taxes

     7,877        10,303        12,379        13,312   

Depreciation and amortization

     32,436        36,212        37,235        47,113   

General and administrative expense

     13,341        12,241        7,161        4,534   

Business management fee

     —          —          423        6,742   

Provision for asset impairment

     —          —          15,640        258,648   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total expenses

   $ 62,287      $ 69,477      $ 88,281      $ 346,237   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

   $ 38,160      $ 42,360      $ 33,866      $ (218,042
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Interest and dividend income

     1        1        5        1,006   

Loss on sale of investment properties

     —          (197     (1,018     —     

Gain on extinguishment of debt

     —          —          11,959        2,419   

Other (loss) income

     (21     (11     488        889   

Interest expense

     (26,238     (27,757     (32,681     (37,583

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entity

     —          —          —          628   

Gain on investment in unconsolidated entity

     —          —          —          2,930   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

   $ 11,902      $ 14,396      $ 12,619      $ (247,753
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income tax expense

     (32     (51     (64     (110
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) from continuing operations

   $ 11,870      $ 14,345      $ 12,555      $ (247,863
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income from discontinued operations

     —          —          4,632        48,469   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

   $ 11,870      $ 14,345      $ 17,187      $ (199,394
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

     —          (15     (16     (16
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) attributable to Company

   $ 11,870      $ 14,330      $ 17,171      $ (199,410
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Per Share Data:

        

Pro forma basic earnings per share

   $ 0.01        N/A        N/A        N/A   

Pro forma diluted earnings per share

     0.01        N/A        N/A        N/A   

Pro forma weighted average shares outstanding—basic

     862,205,672        N/A        N/A        N/A   

Pro forma weighted average shares outstanding—diluted

     865,079,691        N/A        N/A        N/A   

Other Financial Data:

        

Funds from operations (1)

   $ 44,306      $ 50,765      $ 65,522      $ 65,895   

Modified net operating income (2)

   $ 85,574      $ 92,534      $ 95,413      $ 99,001   

 



 

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     Highlands
Portfolio
     Prior Combined Portfolio  
     Pro Forma
Combined
Consolidated
     Combined Consolidated  
     As of
December 31,
2015
     As of December 31,  
Selected Balance Sheet Data:       2015      2014      2013  

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 20,000       $ 26,972       $ 10,291       $ 6,076   

Restricted cash & escrows

     3,647         3,647         5,044         11,389   

Total assets

     664,423         741,092         841,894         1,216,502   

Total debt

     405,994         438,970         487,825         468,970   

Total equity

     226,209         266,853         317,108         389,694   

 

(1) We calculate Funds From Operations (“FFO”) in accordance with standards established by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”), which defines FFO as net income or loss (calculated in accordance with GAAP), excluding real estate-related depreciation, amortization and impairment, gains (losses) from sales of real estate, the cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles, adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures, and items classified by GAAP as extraordinary. Historical cost accounting for real estate assets implicitly assumes that the value of real estate assets diminishes predictably over time. Since real estate values instead have historically risen or fallen with market conditions, most industry investors consider presentations of operating results for real estate companies that use historical cost accounting to be insufficient by themselves. We believe that the presentation of FFO provides useful supplemental information to investors regarding our operating performance by excluding the effect of real estate depreciation and amortization, gains (losses) from sales for real estate, impairments of real estate assets extraordinary items and the portion of items related to unconsolidated entities, all of which are based on historical cost accounting and which may be of lesser significance in evaluating current performance. We believe that the presentation of FFO can facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and between REITs, even though FFO does not represent an amount that accrues directly to common stockholders. Our calculation of FFO may not be comparable to measures calculated by other companies who do not use the NAREIT definition of FFO or do not calculate FFO per diluted share in accordance with NAREIT guidance. Additionally, FFO may not be helpful when comparing us to non-REITs.

 

(2) Modified net operating income reflects the income from operations excluding adjustments, such as lease termination income, and GAAP rent adjustments in order to provide a comparable presentation of operating activity across periods. Includes adjustments for items that affect the comparability of, and were excluded from, the same store results. Such adjustments include lease termination income, GAAP rent adjustments, such as straight-line rent, and above/below market lease amortization.

 



 

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RISK FACTORS

Owning our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the following risk factors and all other information contained in this Information Statement. If any of the following risks, as well as additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial, occur, our business, financial condition, cash flows, liquidity and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. If this were to happen, the value of our common stock could decline significantly, and you could lose all or a part of the value of your ownership in our common stock. Some statements in this Information Statement, including statements in the following risk factors, constitute forward-looking statements. Please refer to the section in this Information Statement entitled “Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We may be unable to renew leases, lease vacant space or re-let space as leases expire, thereby increasing or prolonging vacancies, which could adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

As of December 31, 2015, the current lease term for leases representing approximately 35% and 23% of the rentable square feet and approximately 36% and 19% of the annualized base rent of the assets in the Highlands portfolio will expire in 2016 and 2017, respectively (not taking into account any renewal options), and an additional 5% of the rentable square feet of the assets in portfolios was vacant. We cannot assure you that leases will be renewed or that our assets will be re-leased on terms equal to or better than the current terms, or at all. We also may not be able to lease space which is currently not occupied on acceptable terms and conditions, if at all. In addition, some of our tenants have leases that include early termination provisions that permit the lessee to terminate all or a portion of its lease with us after a specified date or upon the occurrence of certain events with little or no liability to us. We may be required to offer substantial rent abatements, tenant improvements, early termination rights or below-market renewal options to retain these tenants or attract new ones. It is possible that, in order to lease currently vacant space, or space that may become vacant, we will be required to make rent or other concessions to tenants, accommodate requests for renovations, make tenant improvements or and other improvements or provide additional services to our tenants. As a result, we may have to make significant capital or other expenditures in order to retain tenants whose leases expire or to attract new tenants. Portions of our assets may remain vacant for extended periods of time. If the rental rates for our assets decrease, our existing tenants do not renew their leases or we do not re-lease a significant portion of our available space and space for which leases will expire, our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations could be adversely affected.

One of our tenants, AT&T, is party to three leases with us and generates a significant portion of our revenue. The original terms of such leases expire in 2016, 2017 and 2019. AT&T did not renew its lease expiring in 2016 during the contractual renewal option period, and there is a strong possibility that AT&T will not renew any or all of its leases. If AT&T elects not to renew any one or more of such leases, and if we are unable to re-let the space as leases expire, or if we are required to make significant capital expenditures for such assets, our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations would be adversely affected.

For the year ended December 31, 2015, approximately 42% of our total annualized rental income was generated by three single-tenant assets leased to affiliates of AT&T, Inc. Our Hoffman Estates, Illinois lease represents 21% of our total annualized revenue. However, no value was attributed to this asset in calculating InvenTrust’s most recent net asset value (“NAV”). Similarly, we do not expect to attribute any value to this asset when calculating our NAV. The original term of the lease for this asset expires in August 2016. AT&T did not renew this lease during the contractual renewal option period. As of December 31, 2015, the principal amount of indebtedness on this asset is approximately $125 million. This asset is currently in hyper-amortization under the loan agreement and, as a result, rental payments less certain expenses are used to pay down the principal amount of the loan. As of December 31, 2015, there was approximately $16.8 million of accrued interest due to hyper-amortization. The characteristics of the property and market conditions are likely to make this asset difficult to re-lease and, consequently, difficult to sell. If AT&T does not renew, the potential difficulty of securing a new

 

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tenant is likely to make the loan difficult to refinance. Additionally, if AT&T does not renew and if we are unable to re-let the asset, we expect that we may be unable to make mortgage payments and may default under the loan agreement.

Our St. Louis, Missouri lease represents 15% of our total annualized revenue. However, no value was attributed to this asset in calculating InvenTrust’s NAV. Similarly, we do not expect to attribute any value to this asset when calculating our NAV. The original term of the lease for this asset expires in September 2017. AT&T may not exercise its renewal option for this asset, which expires in September 2016. As of December 31, 2015, the principal amount of indebtedness on this asset is approximately $113 million. If AT&T were to elect not to renew, market conditions are likely to make this asset difficult to re-lease and, consequently, difficult to sell. Additionally, if AT&T were to elect not to renew, this asset is likely to require significant capital expenditures. If AT&T does not renew, the potential difficulty of securing a new tenant is likely to make the loan difficult to refinance. Additionally, if AT&T were to elect not to renew and if we are unable to re-let the asset, we expect that we may be unable to make mortgage payments and may default under the loan agreement. Furthermore, if AT&T fails to renew, then one year prior to the expiration of the lease or upon notice by AT&T that they have elected not to renew, whichever is earlier, all rental payments, less certain expenses, will be “swept” and held by the lender pursuant to the loan agreement. Moreover, on January 1, 2017, the asset will go into hyper-amortization under the loan agreement.

Our Cleveland lease represents 6% of our total annualized revenue and the original term expires in September 2019. As of December 31, 2015, AT&T leased approximately 55% of the property, but is paying substantially all operating expenses for the full property. AT&T may not exercise its renewal option for all or any part of the asset. As of December 31, 2015, the principal amount of indebtedness on this asset is approximately $19 million. This asset is currently in hyper-amortization under the loan agreement. As of December 31, 2015, there was approximately $1.6 million of accrued interest due to hyper-amortization. Market conditions are likely to make this asset difficult to re-lease as office space. If AT&T does not renew, the potential difficulty of securing a new tenant, is likely to make the loan difficult to refinance.

If AT&T elects not to renew any one or more of these leases, and if we are unable to re-let the space as leases expire, or if we are required to make significant capital expenditures for such assets, our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations would be adversely affected.

We depend on tenants for our revenue, and accordingly, lease terminations, vacancies, tenant defaults and bankruptcies could adversely affect the income produced by our assets.

Our business and financial condition depends on the financial stability of our tenants. Certain economic conditions may adversely affect one or more of our tenants. For example, business failures and downsizings can affect the tenants of our office and industrial assets. As a result, our tenants may delay lease commencements, decline to extend or renew their leases upon expiration, fail to make rental payments, or declare bankruptcy. Individual tenants may lease more than one asset or space at more than one asset. As a result, the financial failure of one tenant could increase vacancy at more than one asset or cause more than one lease to become non-performing. Any of these actions could result in the termination of the tenants’ leases, the expiration of existing leases without renewal or the loss of rental income attributable to the terminated or expired leases, any of which could make our assets difficult to sell and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

In the event of a tenant default or bankruptcy, we may experience delays in enforcing our rights as a landlord and may incur substantial costs in protecting our investment and re-leasing our asset. Specifically, a bankruptcy filing by, or relating to, one of our tenants or a lease guarantor would bar efforts by us to collect pre-bankruptcy debts from that tenant or lease guarantor, or its asset, unless we receive an order permitting us to do so from the bankruptcy court. In addition, we cannot evict a tenant solely because of bankruptcy. The bankruptcy of a tenant or lease guarantor could delay our efforts to collect past-due balances under the relevant leases, and could ultimately preclude collection of these sums. If a lease is rejected by a tenant in bankruptcy, we would have only a general,

 

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unsecured claim for damages. An unsecured claim would only be paid to the extent that funds are available and only in the same percentage as is paid to all other holders of general, unsecured claims. Restrictions under the bankruptcy laws further limit the amount of any other claims that we can make if a lease is rejected. As a result, it is likely that we would recover substantially less than the full value of the remaining rent during the term.

Our portfolio includes assets that are special use, single-tenant and/or build-to-suit that may be difficult to lease, finance or sell.

Our portfolio includes assets that are special use, single-tenant and/or build-to-suit, which are relatively illiquid compared to other types of real estate assets. With these assets, if the current lease is terminated or not renewed, we may be required to make significant capital expenditures to reposition the asset or make rent concessions in order to lease the asset to another tenant, finance the asset or sell the asset.

Many of our properties are located in weak markets or submarkets, which may adversely affect our ability to rent such properties, increase rental rates and/or sell such properties.

Certain of our properties are located in weak markets or submarkets. These markets may be experiencing economic slowdowns, little or no job growth, and/or high numbers of vacancies. Additionally, demand for certain types of assets, such as office assets, may have shifted from suburban areas to city centers, or vice versa. The weakness of an asset’s market or submarket may adversely affect our ability to rent such properties, increase rental rates and/or sell such properties, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.

Economic and market conditions could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our business may be affected by market and economic challenges experienced by the U.S. or global economies or the real estate industry as a whole or by the local economic conditions in the markets in which our assets are located, including any dislocations in the credit markets. These conditions may materially affect our tenants, the value and performance of our assets and our ability to sell assets, as well as our ability to make principal and interest payments on, or refinance, any outstanding debt when due. Challenging economic conditions may also impact the ability of certain of our tenants to enter into new leasing transactions or satisfy rental payments under existing leases. Specifically, these conditions may have the following consequences:

 

    the financial condition of our tenants may be adversely affected, which may result in us having to increase concessions, reduce rental rates or make capital improvements in order to maintain occupancy levels or to negotiate for reduced space needs, which may result in a decrease in our occupancy levels;

 

    significant job loss may occur, which may decrease demand for space and result in lower occupancy levels, which will result in decreased revenues and which could diminish the value of assets, which depend, in part, upon the cash flow generated by our assets;

 

    an increase in the number of bankruptcies or insolvency proceedings of our tenants and lease guarantors, which could delay our efforts to collect rent and any past due balances under the relevant leases and ultimately could preclude collection of these sums;

 

    our ability to borrow on terms and conditions that we find acceptable may be limited;

 

    the amount of capital that is available to finance assets could diminish, which, in turn, could lead to a decline in asset values generally, slow asset transaction activity, and reduce the loan to value ratio upon which lenders are willing to lend; and

 

    the value of certain of our assets may decrease below the amounts we paid for them, which would limit our ability to dispose of assets at attractive prices or for potential buyers to obtain debt financing secured by these assets and could reduce our ability to finance our business.

 

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Our ongoing business strategy involves the selling of assets; however, we may be unable to sell an asset at acceptable terms and conditions, if at all.

We intend to hold our assets until such time as we determine that a sale or other disposition appears to be advantageous to achieve our investment objectives or until it appears such objectives will not be met. As we look to sell these assets, general economic conditions, market conditions, and asset-specific issues may negatively affect the value of our assets and therefore reduce our return on the investment or prevent us from selling the asset on acceptable terms or at all. Some of our leases contain provisions giving the tenant a right to purchase the asset, such as a right of first offer or right of first refusal, which may lessen our ability to freely control the sale of the asset. Debt levels currently exceed the value of certain assets and debt levels on other assets may exceed the value of those assets in the future, making it more difficult for us to rent, refinance or sell the assets. In addition, real estate investments are relatively illiquid and often cannot be sold quickly, limiting our ability to sell our assets when we decide to do so, or in response to such changing economic or asset-specific issues. Further, economic conditions may prevent potential purchasers from obtaining financing on acceptable terms, if at all, thereby delaying or preventing our ability to sell our assets.

We may not successfully implement our disposition strategy, in which case you may have to hold your investment for an indefinite period.

We are under no obligation to complete our disposition strategy within a specified time period, and market conditions and other factors beyond our control could delay our ability to liquidate our portfolio. We may not be able to control the timing of the sale of our assets, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to sell our assets so as to return any portion of our stockholders’ invested capital or fully satisfy our debt obligations. Our ability to sell our assets may also be limited by our need to avoid a 100% penalty tax that is imposed on gain recognized by a REIT from the sale of assets characterized as dealer property, which may cause us to forego or defer sales of assets that otherwise would be in our best interests.

If we are not successful in implementing our disposition strategy in a timely manner, your shares may continue to be illiquid and you may, for an indefinite period of time, be unable to convert your investment into cash easily, if at all, and could suffer losses on your investment.

Our ability to distribute all or a portion of the net proceeds from the sale of our assets to our stockholders may be limited.

When we sell any of our assets, we may not realize a gain on such sale or the amount of our taxable gain could exceed the cash proceeds we receive from such sale. We may determine to not distribute any proceeds from the sale of assets to our stockholders; for example, we may instead use such proceeds to repay debt or make repairs, maintenance, tenant improvements or other capital improvements or expenditures to our other assets. Alternatively, we may elect to create working capital reserves, especially in light of the fact that we may not be able to reduce our operating overhead expenses to the same extent or on the same time frame as the reduction of operating revenues resulting from a sale of assets, which could materially adversely affect our operating margins.

Real estate is a competitive business.

We compete with numerous developers, owners and operators of commercial real estate assets in the leasing market, many of which own assets similar to, and in the same market areas as, our assets. In addition, some of these competitors may be willing to accept lower returns on their investments than we are, and many have greater resources than we have and may enjoy significant competitive advantages that result from, among other things, a lower cost of capital and enhanced operating efficiencies. Principal factors of competition include rents charged, attractiveness of location, the quality of the asset and breadth and quality of services provided. Our success depends upon, among other factors, trends affecting national and local economies, the financial condition and operating results of current and prospective tenants and customers, availability and cost of capital, construction and renovation costs, taxes, governmental regulations, legislation, job creation and population trends.

 

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We also face competition from other real estate investment programs for buyers. We perceive there to be a smaller universe of potential buyers for many of the types of assets that comprise our portfolio in comparison to assets in more core real estate sectors, which may make it challenging for us to sell our assets.

Any difficulties in obtaining capital necessary to make tenant improvements, pay leasing commissions and make capital improvements at our assets could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Ownership of real estate is a capital intensive business that requires significant capital expenditures to operate, maintain and renovate assets. Access to the capital that we need to lease, maintain and renovate existing assets is critical to the success of our business. We may not be able to fund tenant improvements, pay leasing commissions or fund capital improvements at our existing assets solely from cash provided from our operating activities. As a result, our ability to fund tenant improvements, pay leasing commissions or fund capital improvements through retained earnings may be restricted. Consequently, we may have to rely upon the availability of debt, net proceeds from the dispositions of our assets or equity capital to fund tenant improvements, pay leasing commissions or fund capital improvements. The inability to do so could impair our ability to compete effectively and harm our business.

There are inherent risks with investments in real estate, including the relative illiquidity of such investments.

Investments in real estate are subject to varying degrees of risk. For example, an investment in real estate cannot generally be quickly sold, and we cannot predict whether we will be able to sell any asset we desire to on the terms set by us or acceptable to us, or the length of time needed to find a willing purchaser and to close the sale of such asset. Moreover, the Code imposes restrictions on a REIT’s ability to dispose of assets that are not applicable to other types of real estate companies. In particular, the tax laws applicable to REITs require that we hold our assets for investment, rather than primarily for sale in the ordinary course of business, which may cause us to forego or defer sales of assets that otherwise would be in our best interests. Therefore, we may not be able to vary our portfolio promptly in response to changing economic, financial and investment conditions and dispose of assets at opportune times or on favorable terms, which may adversely affect our cash flows and our ability to make distributions to stockholders.

Investments in real estate are also subject to adverse changes in general economic conditions. Among the factors that could impact our assets and the value of an investment in us are:

 

    risks associated with the possibility that cost increases will outpace revenue increases and that in the event of an economic slowdown, the high proportion of fixed costs will make it difficult to reduce costs to the extent required to offset declining revenues;

 

    changes in tax laws and property taxes, or an increase in the assessed valuation of an asset for real estate tax purposes;

 

    adverse changes in the federal, state or local laws and regulations applicable to us, including those affecting zoning, fuel and energy consumption, water and environmental restrictions, and the related costs of compliance;

 

    changing market demographics;

 

    an inability to finance real estate assets on favorable terms, if at all;

 

    the ongoing need for owner-funded capital improvements and expenditures to maintain or upgrade assets;

 

    fluctuations in real estate values or potential impairments in the value of our assets;

 

    natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods or other insured or uninsured losses; and

 

    changes in interest rates and availability, cost and terms of financing.

 

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Our assets may be subject to impairment charges that may materially affect our financial results.

Economic and other conditions may adversely impact the valuation of our assets, resulting in impairment charges that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and earnings. On a regular basis, we evaluate our assets for impairments based on various triggers, including changes in the projected cash flows of such assets and market conditions. If we determine that an impairment has occurred, then we would be required to make an adjustment to the net carrying value of the asset, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the accounting period in which the adjustment is made. Furthermore, changes in estimated future cash flows due to a change in our plans, policies, or views of market and economic conditions could result in the recognition of additional impairment losses for already impaired assets, which, under the applicable accounting guidance, could be substantial.

Many real estate costs and certain operating costs are fixed, even if revenue from our assets decreases.

Many real estate costs, such as real estate taxes, insurance premiums, maintenance costs and certain operating costs generally are more fixed than variable and, as a result, are not reduced even when an asset is not fully occupied, rents decrease or other circumstances cause a reduction in revenues. If we are unable to offset these fixed costs with sufficient revenues across our portfolio, it could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and profitability. This risk is particularly acute at our net lease assets.

Operating and other expenses may increase in the future, which may cause our cash flow and our operating results to decrease.

Certain operating expenses and certain general and administrative expenses are not fixed and may increase in the future. Any increases would cause our cash flow and our operating results to decrease. If we are unable to offset these decreases with sufficient revenues across our portfolio, our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our revenue from our retail assets will be impacted by the success and economic viability of our anchor retail tenants. Our reliance on single or significant tenants in certain buildings may decrease our ability to lease vacated space and adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

In the retail sector, a tenant occupying all or a large portion of the gross leasable area of a retail center, commonly referred to as an anchor tenant, may become insolvent, may suffer a downturn in business or may decide not to renew its lease. Any of these events would result in a reduction or cessation in rental payments to us and would adversely affect our financial condition. A lease termination by an anchor tenant also could result in lease terminations or reductions in rent by other tenants whose leases may permit cancellation or rent reduction if another tenant’s lease is terminated. Similarly, the leases of some anchor tenants may permit the anchor tenant to transfer its lease to another retailer. The transfer to a new anchor tenant could reduce customer traffic in the retail center and thereby reduce the income generated by that retail center. A transfer of a lease to a new anchor tenant could also allow other tenants to make reduced rental payments or to terminate their leases in accordance with lease terms. If we are unable to re-lease the vacated space to a new anchor tenant, we may incur additional expenses in order to remodel the space to be able to re-lease the space to more than one tenant.

Public resistance to privatization of correctional facilities could negatively impact our tenants at such facilities, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The management and operation of correctional facilities by private entities has not achieved complete acceptance by either government agencies or the public. Some governmental agencies have limitations on their ability to delegate their traditional management responsibilities for such facilities to private companies, and additional legislative changes or prohibitions could occur that further increase these limitations. In addition, the movement toward privatization of such facilities has encountered resistance from groups, such as labor unions, that believe that correctional facilities should only be operated by governmental agencies. In addition, negative

 

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publicity about poor conditions, an escape, riot or other disturbance at a privately-managed facility may result in adverse publicity to the private corrections industry. Any of these occurrences or continued trends may make it more difficult for the tenants of our correctional facilities to renew or maintain existing contracts or to obtain new contracts. Changes in governing political parties could also result in significant changes to previously established views of privatization. Increased public resistance to the privatization of correctional facilities could have a material adverse effect on our tenants who operate in this industry, which could adversely impact the value of our correctional facility assets and our results of operations.

The land underlying a portion of one of our assets is subject to a ground lease, which could limit our use of the asset, and a breach or termination of the ground lease could materially and adversely affect us.

We lease a portion of the land underlying one of our assets, Sherman Plaza, from a third party through a ground lease covering such land. As a lessee under a ground lease, we are exposed to the possibility of losing the right to use the portion of our asset covered by the ground lease upon termination, or an earlier breach by us, of the ground lease. The ground lease may also restrict our use of the asset, which may limit our flexibility in renting the asset and may impede our ability to sell the asset.

Uninsured and underinsured losses at our assets could materially and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.

We intend to maintain comprehensive insurance on each of our current assets, including liability, fire and extended coverage, of the type and amount we believe are customarily obtained for or by property owners. There are no assurances that coverage will be available at reasonable rates. Various types of catastrophic losses, like windstorms, earthquakes and floods, and losses from foreign terrorist activities may not be insurable or may not be economically insurable. Even when insurable, these policies may have high deductibles and/or high premiums. Lenders may require such insurance. Our failure to obtain such insurance could constitute a default under loan agreements, and/or our lenders may force us to obtain such insurance at unfavorable rates, which could materially and adversely affect our profitability and revenues.

In the event of a substantial loss, our insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover the full current market value or replacement cost of our lost investment. Should an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occur, we could lose all or a portion of the capital we have invested in an asset, as well as the anticipated future revenue from the asset. In that event, we might nevertheless remain obligated for any mortgage debt or other financial obligations related to the asset. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations and other factors might also keep us from using insurance proceeds to replace or renovate an asset after it has been damaged or destroyed. Under those circumstances, the insurance proceeds we receive might be inadequate to restore our economic position on the damaged or destroyed property, which could materially and adversely affect our profitability.

In addition, insurance risks associated with potential terrorist acts could sharply increase the premiums we pay for coverage against property and casualty claims. With the enactment of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007, United States insurers cannot exclude conventional, chemical, biological, nuclear and radiation terrorism losses. These insurers must make terrorism insurance available under their property and casualty insurance policies; however, this legislation does not regulate the pricing of such insurance. In many cases, mortgage lenders have begun to insist that commercial property owners purchase coverage against terrorism as a condition of providing mortgage loans. Such insurance policies may not be available at a reasonable cost, which could inhibit our ability to finance or refinance our assets. In such instances, we may be required to provide other financial support, either through financial assurances or self-insurance, to cover potential losses. We may not have adequate coverage for such losses, which could materially and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.

 

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We could incur significant, material costs related to government regulation and litigation with respect to environmental matters, which could materially and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.

Our assets are subject to various U.S. federal, state and local environmental laws that impose liability for contamination. Under these laws, governmental entities have the authority to require us, as the current owner of an asset, to perform or pay for the clean-up of contamination (including hazardous substances, asbestos and asbestos-containing materials, waste or petroleum products) at, on, under or emanating from the asset and to pay for natural resource damages arising from such contamination. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator or other responsible party knew of, or caused such contamination, and the liability may be joint and several. Because these laws also impose liability on persons who owned an asset at the time it became contaminated, it is possible we could incur cleanup costs or other environmental liabilities even after we sell assets. Contamination at, on, under or emanating from our assets also may expose us to liability to private parties for costs of remediation and/or personal injury or property damage. In addition, environmental laws may create liens on contaminated sites in favor of the government for damages and costs it incurs to address such contamination. If contamination is discovered on our assets, environmental laws also may impose restrictions on the manner in which the assets may be used or businesses may be operated, and these restrictions may require substantial expenditures. Moreover, environmental contamination can affect the value of an asset and, therefore, an owner’s ability to borrow funds using the asset as collateral or to sell the asset on favorable terms or at all. Furthermore, persons who sent waste to a waste disposal facility, such as a landfill or an incinerator, may be liable for costs associated with cleanup of that facility.

In addition, our assets are subject to various federal, state, and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations that address a wide variety of issues, including, but not limited to, storage tanks, air emissions from emergency generators, storm water and wastewater discharges, lead-based paint, mold and mildew, and waste management. Some of our assets may handle and use hazardous or regulated substances and wastes as part of their operations, which substances and wastes are subject to regulation. Our assets incur costs to comply with these environmental, health and safety laws and regulations and could be subject to fines and penalties for non-compliance with applicable requirements.

Environmental laws in the U.S. also require that owners or operators of buildings containing asbestos properly manage and maintain the asbestos, adequately inform or train those who may come into contact with asbestos and undertake special precautions, including removal or other abatement, if that asbestos is disturbed during building renovation or demolition. These laws may impose fines and penalties on building owners or operators who fail to comply with these requirements and may allow third parties to seek recovery from owners or operators for personal injury associated with exposure to asbestos. Some of our assets may contain asbestos-containing building materials.

When excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, mold growth may occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or is not addressed over a period of time. Some molds may produce airborne toxins or irritants. Indoor air quality issues can also stem from inadequate ventilation, chemical contamination from indoor or outdoor sources, and other biological contaminants such as pollen, viruses and bacteria. Indoor exposure to airborne toxins or irritants above certain levels can be alleged to cause a variety of adverse health effects and symptoms, including allergic or other reactions. As a result, the presence of significant mold or other airborne contaminants at any of our assets could require us to undertake a costly remediation program to contain or remove the mold or other airborne contaminants from the affected asset or increase indoor ventilation. In addition, the presence of significant mold or other airborne contaminants could expose us to liability to third parties if property damage or personal injury occurs.

Liabilities and costs associated with environmental contamination at, on, under or emanating from our assets, defending against claims related to alleged or actual environmental issues, or complying with environmental, health and safety laws could be material and could materially and adversely affect us. We can make no assurances that changes in current laws or regulations or future laws or regulations will not impose additional or new material environmental liabilities or that the current environmental condition of our assets will

 

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not be affected by our operations, the condition of the assets in the vicinity of our assets, or by third parties unrelated to us. The discovery of material environmental liabilities at our assets could subject us to unanticipated significant costs, which could significantly reduce or eliminate our profitability and the cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

Compliance or failure to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other safety regulations and requirements could result in substantial costs.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Accessibility Guidelines promulgated thereunder, which we refer to collectively as the ADA, all public accommodations must meet various federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Compliance with the ADA’s requirements could require removal of access barriers, and non-compliance could result in the U.S. government imposing fines or in private litigants winning damages.

Our assets are also subject to various federal, state and local regulatory requirements, such as state and local fire and life safety requirements. If we fail to comply with these requirements, we could incur fines or private damage awards. We do not know whether existing requirements will change or whether compliance with future requirements would require significant unanticipated expenditures that would affect our cash flow and results of operations. If we incur substantial costs to comply with the ADA or other safety regulations and requirements, it could materially and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.

Adverse judgments or settlements resulting from legal proceedings in which we may be involved in the normal course of our business could reduce our profits or limit our ability to operate our business.

In the normal course of our business, we are involved in various legal proceedings. The outcome of these proceedings cannot be predicted. If any of these proceedings were to be determined adversely to us or a settlement involving a payment of a material sum of money were to occur, it could materially and adversely affect our profits or ability to operate our business. Additionally, we could become the subject of future claims by third parties, including current or former tenants, our employees, our investors or regulators. Any significant adverse judgments or settlements would reduce our profits and could limit our ability to operate our business. Further, we may incur costs related to claims for which we have appropriate third-party indemnity, but such third parties fail to fulfill their contractual obligations.

If we fail to establish and maintain an effective system of integrated internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results.

In connection with operating as a public reporting company, we will be required to provide reliable financial statements and reports to our stockholders. To monitor the accuracy and reliability of our financial reporting, we will establish an internal audit function, some or all of which may be outsourced, that will oversee our internal controls. We can provide no assurances that our initial accounting policy framework and accounting procedures manual will be adequate to provide reasonable assurance to our stockholders regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements. In addition, we are developing and documenting current policies and procedures with respect to company-wide business processes and cycles in order to implement effective internal control over financial reporting. We will establish controls and procedures designed to ensure that revenues and expenses are properly recorded at our assets. While we intend to undertake substantial work to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we cannot be certain that we will be successful in implementing or maintaining effective internal control over our financial reporting and may determine in the future that our existing internal controls need improvement. If we fail to implement and comply with proper overall controls, we could be materially harmed or we could fail to meet our reporting obligations. In addition, the existence of a material weakness or significant deficiency could result in errors in our financial statements that could require a restatement, cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, result in increased costs to remediate any deficiencies, attract regulatory scrutiny or lawsuits and cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could lead to a substantial decline in the value of our common stock.

 

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As an “emerging growth company,” we are permitted to rely on exemptions from certain reporting and disclosure requirements, which may make our future public filings different than that of other public reporting companies.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting and disclosure requirements that are applicable to public reporting companies that are not emerging growth companies. We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years, or until the earliest of: (1) the last date of the fiscal year during which we had total annual gross revenues of $1 billion or more; (2) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt; or (3) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” as defined under Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act. For so long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to:

 

    have an auditor attestation report on our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;

 

    submit certain executive compensation matters to stockholder advisory votes pursuant to the “say on frequency” and “say on pay” provisions (requiring a non-binding stockholder vote to approve compensation of certain executive officers) and the “say on golden parachute” provisions (requiring a non-binding stockholder vote to approve golden parachute arrangements for certain executive officers in connection with mergers and certain other business combinations) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010; or

 

    disclose certain executive compensation related items.

If we choose to take advantage of any or all of these exemptions, the information that we provide you in our future public filings may be different than that of other public reporting companies. The exact implications of the JOBS Act for us are still subject to interpretations and guidance by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and other regulatory agencies. In addition, as our business grows, we may no longer satisfy the conditions of an emerging growth company. We continue to evaluate and monitor developments with respect to these new rules and we cannot assure you that we will be able to take advantage of all of the benefits of the JOBS Act.

In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company may take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public reporting and private companies. This means that an emerging growth company can delay adopting certain accounting standards until such standards are otherwise applicable to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the extended transition period.

We are increasingly dependent on information technology, and potential cyber-attacks, security problems, or other disruption present risks.

A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity or availability of our information resources. More specifically, a cyber incident is an intentional attack or an unintentional event that can include an intruder gaining unauthorized access to systems to disrupt operations, corrupt data or steal confidential information. As our reliance on technology has increased, so have the risks posed to our systems, both internal and those we have outsourced. Our three primary risks that could directly result from the occurrence of a cyber incident include operational interruption, damage to our relationships with our tenants and private data exposure. Our financial results and reputation may be negatively impacted by such an incident.

 

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Risks Related to Debt Financing

If we are unable to repay or refinance our existing debt as it comes due, we may need to sell the underlying asset sooner than anticipated or the lender may foreclose, in which case our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Mortgages with a current aggregate principal amount outstanding of approximately $89 million underlying three of our assets will mature in 2016 and mortgages with a current aggregate principal amount outstanding of approximately $30 million underlying two of our assets will mature in 2017. Adverse economic conditions could cause the terms on which we borrow or refinance to be unfavorable. With respect to the debt that matures in 2016, we may not have sufficient funds on hand to repay this debt at maturity, and we may not be able to refinance the debt on acceptable terms, or at all. Additionally, although the mortgages on certain of our properties do not mature in the near term, due to the near-term expiration of tenant leases at these properties, we may be unable to make mortgage payments and may default under the applicable loan agreement. This may force us to dispose of those assets on disadvantageous terms, or the lender under such mortgages may foreclose, resulting in losses materially adversely affecting our cash flow, results of operations and financial condition.

Our special purpose property-owning subsidiaries may default under non-recourse mortgage loans.

Many of our assets are or will be held in special-purpose property-owning subsidiaries. In the future, such special purpose property-owning subsidiaries may default and/or send notices of imminent default on non- recourse mortgage loans where the relevant asset is or will be suffering from cash shortfalls on operating expenses, leasing costs and/or debt service obligations. If tenants at certain of our properties, such as AT&T— Hoffman Estates or AT&T—St. Louis, fail to renew their leases and we are unable to find new tenants, we may be unable to make mortgage payments and may default under the loan agreement. Additionally, in connection with our separation from InvenTrust, certain lenders under such non-recourse mortgage loans may allege that a default has been deemed to occur under such loans.

Any default by our special purpose property-owning subsidiaries under non-recourse mortgage loans would give the special servicers the right to accelerate the payment on the loans and the right to foreclose on the asset underlying such loans. There are several potential outcomes on the default of a non-recourse mortgage loan, including foreclosure, a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, a cooperative short sale, or a negotiated modification to the terms of the loan. There is no assurance that we will be able to achieve a favorable outcome on a cooperative or timely basis on any defaulted mortgage loan.

MB REIT is subject to obligations under certain “non-recourse carve out” indemnity agreements and guarantees that may be deemed to be triggered in the future.

Nine of our assets, all of which were owned directly or indirectly by MB REIT prior to the consummation of the Reorganization Transactions, are encumbered by traditional non-recourse debt obligations. In connection with these loans, MB REIT entered into indemnity agreements and “non-recourse carve out” guarantees, which provide for these otherwise non-recourse loans to become partially or fully recourse against MB REIT if certain triggering events occur. Although these events differ from loan to loan, some of the common events include:

 

    The special purpose property-owning subsidiary’s or MB REIT’s filing of a voluntary petition for bankruptcy or commencing similar insolvency proceedings;

 

    Subject to certain conditions, the special purpose property-owning subsidiary’s failure to obtain the lender’s written consent prior to any subordinate financing or other voluntary lien encumbering the associated asset; and

 

    Subject to certain conditions, the special purpose property-owning subsidiary’s failure to obtain the lender’s written consent prior to a transfer or conveyance of the associated asset.

 

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In addition, other items that are customarily recourse to a non-recourse carve out guarantor include, but are not limited to, the payment of real property taxes, the breach of representations related to environmental issues or hazardous substances, physical waste of the property, liens which are senior to the mortgage loan and outstanding security deposits.

In the event that any of these triggering events occur and such loans become partially or fully recourse against MB REIT, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and the value of our common stock would be materially adversely affected, and we may be forced to sell other assets and/or our insolvency could result. Additionally, in connection with our separation from InvenTrust, certain lenders under such non-recourse mortgage loans may allege that a default has been deemed to occur under such loans and may seek to recover from Highlands and/or its subsidiaries the full extent of their losses with respect to such loans. Any such allegations may create a distraction for our management, result in significant liability, or subject us to litigation that could be costly or otherwise materially adversely affect us.

Our failure to comply with all covenants in our existing or future debt agreements could materially and adversely affect us.

The mortgages on our existing assets, and any future mortgages likely will, contain customary covenants such as those that limit our ability, without the prior consent of the lender, to further mortgage the applicable asset or to discontinue insurance coverage. In addition, such loans contain negative covenants that, among other things, preclude certain changes of control, inhibit our ability to incur additional indebtedness or, under certain circumstances, restrict cash flow necessary to make distributions to our stockholders. Any credit facility or secured loans that we may enter into likely will contain customary financial covenants, restrictions, requirements and other limitations with which we must comply. Our continued ability to borrow under any credit facility that we may obtain will be subject to compliance with our financial and other covenants, including covenants relating to debt service coverage ratios, leverage ratios, and liquidity and net worth requirements, and our ability to meet these covenants will be adversely affected if our financial condition and cash flows are materially adversely affected or if general economic conditions deteriorate. In addition, our failure to comply with these covenants, as well as our inability to make required payments, could cause a default under the applicable agreement, which could result in the acceleration of the debt and require us to repay such debt with capital obtained from other sources, which may not be available to us or may be available only on unattractive terms. Furthermore, if we default on secured debt, lenders can take possession of the asset or assets securing such debt. In addition, agreements may contain specific cross-default provisions with respect to specified other indebtedness, giving the lenders the right to declare a default on its debt and to enforce remedies, including acceleration of the maturity of such debt upon the occurrence of a default under such other indebtedness. If we default on any of our agreements, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.

In addition, in connection with our agreements we have entered, and in the future may enter, into lockbox and cash management agreements pursuant to which substantially all of the income generated by our assets will be deposited directly into lockbox accounts and then swept into cash management accounts for the benefit of our lenders and from which cash will be distributed to us only after funding of certain items, which may include payment of principal and interest on our debt, insurance and tax reserves or escrows and other expenses. Currently, AT&T—Hoffman Estates, AT&T—Cleveland, Dulles Executive Plaza and the Shops at Sherman Plaza are subject to such an arrangement. As a result, we may be forced to borrow additional funds in order to make distributions to our stockholders necessary to allow us to qualify as a REIT.

Volatility in the financial markets and challenging economic conditions could adversely affect our ability to secure debt financing on attractive terms and our ability to service any future indebtedness that we may incur.

The domestic and international commercial real estate debt markets could become very volatile as a result of, among other things, the tightening of underwriting standards by lenders and credit rating agencies. This could result in less availability of credit and increasing costs for what is available. If the overall cost of borrowing

 

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increases, either by increases in the index rates or by increases in lender spreads, the increased costs may result in lower overall economic returns and potentially reducing future cash flow available for distribution. If these disruptions in the debt markets were to persist, our ability to borrow funds to finance activities related to real estate assets could be negatively impacted. In addition, we may find it difficult, costly or impossible to refinance indebtedness that is maturing.

Further, economic conditions could negatively impact commercial real estate fundamentals and result in declining values in our real estate portfolio and in the collateral securing any loan investments we may make, which could have various negative impacts. Specifically, the value of collateral securing any loan we hold could decrease below the outstanding principal amounts of such loans.

Borrowings may reduce the funds available for distribution and increase the risk of loss since defaults may cause us to lose the assets securing the loans.

In some instances, InvenTrust acquired assets by assuming existing financing or borrowing new monies. We may borrow money for other purposes to, among other things, satisfy the requirement that we distribute at least 90% of our “REIT annual taxable income,” subject to certain adjustments, or as is otherwise necessary or advisable to assure that we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. Over the long term, however, payments required on any amounts we borrow reduce the funds available for, among other things, capital expenditures for existing assets or distributions to our stockholders because cash otherwise available for these purposes is used to pay principal and interest on this debt.

If there is a shortfall between the cash flow from an asset and the cash flow needed to service mortgage debt on an asset, then the amount of cash flow from operations available for distributions to stockholders may be reduced. In addition, incurring mortgage debt increases the risk of loss since defaults on indebtedness secured by an asset may result in lenders initiating foreclosure actions. In such a case, we could lose the asset securing the loan that is in default, thus reducing the value of your investment. For tax purposes, a foreclosure is treated as a sale of the asset or assets for a purchase price equal to the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the asset or assets. If the outstanding balance of the debt exceeds our tax basis in the asset or assets, we would recognize taxable gain on the foreclosure action and we would not receive any cash proceeds. We also may fully or partially guarantee any funds that subsidiaries borrow to operate assets. In these cases, we will likely be responsible to the lender for repaying the loans if the subsidiary is unable to do so. If any mortgage contains cross-collateralization or cross-default provisions, more than one asset may be affected by a default.

If we are unable to borrow at favorable rates, we may not be able to refinance existing loans at maturity.

If we are unable to borrow money at favorable rates, or at all, we may be unable to refinance existing loans at maturity. Further, we may enter into loan agreements or other credit arrangements that require us to pay interest on amounts we borrow at variable or “adjustable” rates. Increases in interest rates will increase our interest costs. If interest rates are higher when we refinance our loans, our expenses will increase, thereby reducing our cash flow. Further, during periods of rising interest rates, we may be forced to sell one or more of our assets earlier than anticipated in order to repay existing loans, which may not permit us to maximize the return on the particular assets being sold.

Interest-only indebtedness may increase our risk of default and ultimately may reduce our funds available for distribution to our stockholders.

We have obtained, and may continue to enter into mortgage indebtedness that does not require us to pay principal for all or a portion of the life of the debt instrument. During the period when no principal payments are required, the amount of each scheduled payment is less than that of a traditional amortizing mortgage loan. The principal balance of the mortgage loan is not reduced (except in the case of prepayments) because there are no scheduled monthly payments of principal required during this period. After the interest-only period, we may be

 

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required either to make scheduled payments of principal and interest or to make a lump-sum or “balloon” payment at or prior to maturity. These required principal or balloon payments will increase the amount of our scheduled payments and may increase our risk of default under the related mortgage loan if we do not have funds available or are unable to refinance the obligation.

Covenants applicable to current or future debt could restrict our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and, as a result, we may be unable to make distributions necessary to qualify as a REIT, which could materially and adversely affect us and the value of our common stock.

We intend to operate in a manner so as to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In order to qualify as a REIT, we generally are required to distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gain, each year to our stockholders. To the extent that we satisfy this distribution requirement, but distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, we will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our undistributed taxable income. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax if the actual amount that we distribute to our stockholders in a calendar year is less than a minimum amount specified under the Code. If, as a result of covenants applicable to our current or future debt, we are restricted from making distributions to our stockholders, we may be unable to make distributions necessary for us to avoid U.S. federal corporate income and excise taxes and maintain our qualification as a REIT, which could materially and adversely affect us.

Increases in interest rates could increase the amount of our debt payments and adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

We have borrowed money, which bears interest at variable rates, and therefore are exposed to increases in costs in a rising interest rate environment. Increases in interest rates would increase our interest expense on any variable rate debt, as well as any debt that must be refinanced at higher interest rates at the time of maturity. Our future earnings and cash flows could be adversely affected due to the increased requirement to service our debt and could reduce the amount we are able to distribute to our stockholders.

Our organizational documents have no limitation on the amount of indebtedness we may incur. As a result, we may become highly leveraged in the future, which could materially and adversely affect us.

Our organizational documents contain no limitations on the amount of debt that we may incur, and our board of directors may change our financing policy at any time without stockholder notice or approval. As a result, we may be able to incur substantial additional debt, including secured debt, in the future. Incurring debt could subject us to many risks, including the risks that:

 

    our cash flows from operations may be insufficient to make required payments of principal and interest;

 

    our debt and resulting maturities may increase our vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions;

 

    we may be required to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to payments on our debt, thereby reducing cash available for distribution to our stockholders, funds available for operations and capital expenditures, future business opportunities or other purposes;

 

    the terms of any refinancing may not be in the same amount or on terms as favorable as the terms of the existing debt being refinanced, or we may not be able to refinance our debt at all;

 

    we may be obligated to repay the debt pursuant to guarantee obligations; and

 

    the use of leverage could adversely affect our ability to raise capital from other sources or to make distributions to our stockholders and could adversely affect the value of our common stock.

 

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If we violate covenants in future agreements relating to indebtedness that we may incur, we could be required to repay all or a portion of our indebtedness before maturity at a time when we might be unable to arrange financing for such repayment on attractive terms, if at all. In addition, indebtedness agreements may require that we meet certain covenant tests in order to make distributions to our stockholders.

Risks Related to Our Relationship with InvenTrust and the Separation

Our historical financial results as a subsidiary of InvenTrust may not be representative of our results as a separate, stand-alone public reporting company.

The historical financial information we have included in this Information Statement has been derived from InvenTrust’s consolidated financial statements and does not necessarily reflect what our financial position, results of operations or cash flows would have been had we been a separate, stand-alone reporting public company during the periods presented. InvenTrust did not historically account for Highlands, and we were not operated as a separate, stand-alone company for the historical periods presented. The historical costs and expenses reflected in our combined financial statements include an allocation for certain corporate and shared functions historically provided to us by InvenTrust. These allocation methods varied by function, but were generally based on historical costs of assets. The historical information does not necessarily indicate what our results of operations, financial position, cash flows or costs and expenses will be in the future. Our pro forma adjustments reflect changes that may occur in our funding and operations as a result of the separation. However, there can be no assurances that these adjustments will reflect our costs as a stand-alone public reporting company. For additional information, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Selected Historical Financial and Operating Data,” “Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements” and the notes to those statements included elsewhere in this Information Statement.

We may be unable to achieve some or all of the benefits that we expect to achieve from our separation from InvenTrust, and we may no longer enjoy certain benefits from InvenTrust.

By separating from InvenTrust, we will be more susceptible to market fluctuations and other adverse events than we would have been if we were still a part of InvenTrust. Following our separation from InvenTrust, we will be a significantly smaller company than InvenTrust, and we will not have access to the financial and other resources of InvenTrust or to resources comparable to those of InvenTrust. As a separate, stand-alone company, we will likely be unable to obtain debt or goods, technology and services at prices and on terms as favorable as those available to us prior to the separation, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. Additionally, we may not be able to achieve the strategic benefits that we anticipate will result from our separation from InvenTrust or such benefits may be delayed or may not occur at all.

Our ability to operate our business effectively may suffer if we do not, quickly and cost-effectively, establish our own financial, administrative and other support functions in order to operate as a stand-alone company or our own internal controls and procedures, and we cannot assure you that the transitional services InvenTrust has agreed to provide us will be sufficient for our needs.

Historically, we have relied on financial, administrative and other resources of InvenTrust to operate our business. In conjunction with our separation from InvenTrust, we will need to create our own financial, administrative and other support systems or contract with third parties to replace InvenTrust’s systems. We have entered into an agreement with InvenTrust under which InvenTrust will provide certain transitional services to us. See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” for a description of these services. These services may not be sufficient to meet our needs, and, after our agreement with InvenTrust expires, we may not be able to replace these services at all or obtain these services at prices and on terms as favorable as we currently have. Any failure or significant downtime in our own financial or administrative systems or in InvenTrust’s financial or administrative systems during the transitional period could impact our results and/or prevent us from paying our employees, or performing other administrative services on a timely basis and could materially and adversely affect us.

 

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Additionally, upon completion of the separation, we will be required to develop and implement our own control systems and procedures to assist us in qualifying and maintaining our qualification as a public reporting REIT and satisfying our periodic and current reporting requirements under applicable SEC regulations. As a result, substantial work on our part will be required to implement and execute appropriate reporting and compliance processes and assess their design, remediate any deficiencies identified and test the operation of such processes.

We may have potential business conflicts of interest with InvenTrust with respect to our past and ongoing relationships.

Conflicts of interest may arise between InvenTrust and us in a number of areas relating to our past and ongoing relationships, including:

 

    labor, tax, employee benefit, indemnification and other matters arising from our separation from InvenTrust;

 

    intellectual property matters; and

 

    employee recruiting and retention.

We may not be able to resolve any potential conflicts, and, even if we do so, the resolution may be less favorable to us than if we were dealing with an unaffiliated third party.

Our agreements with InvenTrust may not reflect terms that would have resulted from arm’s-length negotiations among unaffiliated third parties.

The agreements related to our separation from InvenTrust, which consist of the Separation and Distribution Agreement, the Transition Services Agreement and the Employee Matters Agreement, were negotiated in the context of our separation from InvenTrust while we were still part of InvenTrust and, accordingly, may not reflect terms that would have resulted from arm’s-length negotiations among unaffiliated third parties. The terms of the agreements we negotiated in the context of our separation related to, among other things, allocations of assets, liabilities, rights, indemnifications and other obligations among InvenTrust and us. See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

The distribution of shares of our common stock will not qualify for tax-deferred treatment and may be taxable to you as a dividend.

The distribution of shares of our common stock will not qualify for tax-deferred treatment, and an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares received by you on the distribution date will be treated as a taxable dividend to the extent of your ratable share of any current or accumulated earnings and profits of InvenTrust allocable to the distribution. Although the distribution will be taxable to InvenTrust and InvenTrust stockholders, InvenTrust does not anticipate recognizing taxable gain as a result of the distribution. As a result, InvenTrust anticipates that the distribution will not increase its earnings and profits for the year in which the distribution occurs, which is anticipated to be 2016. Thus, if you own your InvenTrust common stock for the entire year in which the distribution occurs, InvenTrust anticipates that the distribution will not increase the amount of dividend income you will recognize for that year compared to the amount of dividend income you would have recognized if the distribution had not occurred. The amount in excess of earnings and profits allocable to the distribution will be treated as a non-taxable return of capital to the extent of your tax basis in shares of InvenTrust common stock and any remaining excess will be treated as capital gain. Your tax basis in shares of InvenTrust common stock held at the time of the distribution will be reduced (but not below zero) to the extent the fair market value of our shares distributed by InvenTrust in the distribution exceeds InvenTrust’s current and accumulated earnings and profits allocable to the distribution. Your holding period for such InvenTrust shares will not be affected by the distribution. Your holding period for your shares of our common stock will begin the

 

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day following the distribution of our common stock, and your basis in our common stock will equal the fair market value of the shares received by you on the distribution date. InvenTrust will not be able to advise stockholders of the amount of earnings and profits of InvenTrust until after the end of the 2016 calendar year. InvenTrust or other applicable withholding agents may be required or permitted to withhold at the applicable rate on all or a portion of the distribution payable to non-U.S. stockholders, and any such withholding could be satisfied by InvenTrust or such agent by withholding and selling a portion of our shares otherwise distributable to non-U.S. stockholders or by withholding on other distributions made to non-U.S. stockholders. For a more detailed discussion, see “Our Separation from InvenTrust—Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Separation” and “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

Although InvenTrust will be ascribing a value to our shares in the distribution for tax purposes, and will report that value to stockholders and the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, this valuation is not binding on the IRS or any other tax authority. These taxing authorities could ascribe a higher valuation to our shares. Such a higher valuation may cause a larger reduction in the tax basis of your InvenTrust shares or may cause you to recognize additional dividend or capital gain income. You should consult your own tax advisor as to the particular tax consequences of the distribution to you.

InvenTrust’s board of directors has reserved the right, in its sole discretion, to amend, modify or abandon the separation and distribution and the related transactions at any time prior to the distribution date. In addition, the separation and distribution and related transactions are subject to the satisfaction or waiver by InvenTrust’s board of directors in its sole discretion of a number of conditions. We cannot assure you that any or all of these conditions will be met.

The InvenTrust board of directors has reserved the right, in its sole discretion, to amend, modify or abandon the separation and distribution and the related transactions at any time prior to the distribution date. This means that InvenTrust may cancel or delay the planned separation and distribution if at any time the board of directors of InvenTrust determines that it is not in the best interests of InvenTrust and its stockholders. If InvenTrust’s board of directors makes a decision to cancel the separation and distribution, stockholders of InvenTrust will not receive any distribution of our common stock and InvenTrust will be under no obligation whatsoever to its stockholders to distribute such common shares. In addition, the separation and distribution and related transactions are subject to the satisfaction or waiver by InvenTrust’s board of directors in its sole discretion of a number of conditions. We cannot assure you that any or all of these conditions will be met.

Risks Related to Our Status as a REIT

Failure to qualify as a REIT, or failure to remain qualified as a REIT, would cause us to be taxed as a regular corporation, which would substantially reduce funds available for distributions to our stockholders.

We believe that our organization and proposed method of operation will enable us to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT beginning with our short taxable year commencing immediately prior to the separation and ending on December 31, 2016. However, we cannot assure you that we will qualify and remain qualified as a REIT. In connection with our separation from InvenTrust, we expect to receive an opinion from Hunton & Williams LLP that, beginning with our short taxable year commencing immediately prior to the separation and ending on December 31, 2016, we have been organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws and our proposed method of operations will enable us to satisfy the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws for our short taxable year ending December 31, 2016 and subsequent taxable years. You should be aware that Hunton & Williams LLP’s opinion is based upon customary assumptions, will be conditioned upon certain representations made by us, InvenTrust, Xenia and certain private REITs in which InvenTrust owns an interest (the “Private REITs”) as to factual matters, including representations regarding the nature of our, InvenTrust’s, Xenia’s and the Private REITs’ assets and the conduct of our, InvenTrust’s, Xenia’s and the Private REITs’ business, is not binding upon the IRS, or any court and speaks as of the date issued. In

 

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addition, Hunton & Williams LLP’s opinion will be based on existing U.S. federal income tax law governing qualification as a REIT, which is subject to change either prospectively or retroactively. Moreover, our qualification and taxation as a REIT depend upon our ability to meet on a continuing basis, through actual annual operating results, certain qualification tests set forth in the U.S. federal tax laws. Hunton & Williams LLP will not review our compliance with those tests on a continuing basis. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that our actual results of operations for any particular taxable year will satisfy such requirements.

If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will face serious tax consequences that will substantially reduce the funds available for distributions to our stockholders because:

 

    we would not be allowed a deduction for dividends paid to stockholders in computing our taxable income and would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates;

 

    we could be subject to the U.S. federal alternative minimum tax and possibly increased state and local taxes; and

 

    unless we are entitled to relief under certain U.S. federal income tax laws, we could not re-elect REIT status until the fifth calendar year after the year in which we failed to qualify as a REIT.

In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, we will no longer be required to make distributions. As a result of all these factors, our failure to qualify as a REIT could impair our ability to expand our business and raise capital, and it would adversely affect the value of our common stock. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” for a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to us and our common stock.

If either InvenTrust or MB REIT failed to qualify as a REIT, we would be prevented from electing to qualify as a REIT.

We believe that prior to the separation, we will be a “qualified REIT subsidiary” of InvenTrust. Under applicable Treasury regulations, if either (i) InvenTrust failed, or fails, to qualify as a REIT in its 2012 through 2016 taxable years or (ii) MB REIT failed to qualify as a REIT for its 2012 taxable year through its taxable year that ended on December 15, 2015 (when MB REIT became a “qualified REIT subsidiary” of InvenTrust), unless such failure was subject to relief under U.S. federal income tax laws, we would be prevented from electing to qualify as a REIT prior to the fifth calendar year following the year in which InvenTrust or MB REIT failed to qualify.

Even if we qualify as a REIT, we may face other tax liabilities that reduce our cash flows.

Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income and assets, including taxes on any undistributed income, tax on income from some activities conducted as a result of a foreclosure, and state or local income, property and transfer taxes. In addition, any taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) that we may form will be subject to regular corporate federal, state and local taxes. Any of these taxes would decrease cash available for distributions to stockholders.

Failure to make required distributions would subject us to federal corporate income tax.

We intend to operate in a manner so as to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In order to qualify as a REIT, we generally are required to distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding any net capital gain, each year to our stockholders. To the extent that we satisfy this distribution requirement, but distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, we will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our undistributed taxable income. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax if the actual amount that we pay out to our stockholders in a calendar year is less than a minimum amount specified under the Code.

 

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REIT distribution requirements could adversely affect our liquidity and may force us to borrow funds or sell assets during unfavorable market conditions.

To satisfy the REIT distribution requirements, we may need to borrow funds on a short-term basis or sell assets sooner than anticipated, even if the then-prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings or sales. Our cash flows from operations may be insufficient to fund required distributions as a result of differences in timing between the actual receipt of income and the recognition of income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or the effect of non-deductible capital expenditures, the creation of reserves or required debt service or amortization payments. In addition, we may recognize significant cancellation of indebtedness income or gain from the workout of our debt or the disposition of our assets in foreclosure or deed-in-lieu transactions, which will result in the receipt of taxable income in excess of the cash received, if any, from those transactions. The insufficiency of our cash flows to cover our distribution requirements could have an adverse impact on our ability to raise short- and long-term debt or sell equity securities in order to fund distributions required to maintain our qualification as a REIT.

The prohibited transactions tax may limit our ability to dispose of our assets, and we could incur a material tax liability if the IRS successfully asserts that the 100% prohibited transaction tax applies to some of or all our dispositions.

A REIT’s net income from prohibited transactions is subject to a 100% tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of asset, other than foreclosure property, held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. We may be subject to the prohibited transactions tax equal to 100% of net gain upon a disposition of an asset. As part of our plan to liquidate our portfolio, we intend to make dispositions of our assets in the future. Although a safe harbor to the characterization of the sale of property by a REIT as a prohibited transaction is available, some or all of our future dispositions may not qualify for that safe harbor. We intend to avoid disposing of property that may be characterized as held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. To avoid the prohibited transaction tax, we may choose not to engage in certain sales of our assets or may conduct such sales through a TRS, which would be subject to federal, state and local income taxation. Moreover, no assurance can be provided that the IRS will not assert that some or all of our future dispositions are subject to the 100% prohibited transactions tax. If the IRS successfully imposes the 100% prohibited transactions tax on some or all of our dispositions, the resulting tax liability could be material.

The stock ownership limit imposed by the Code for REITs and our charter may restrict our business combination opportunities and you may be restricted from acquiring or transferring certain amounts of our common stock.

The stock ownership restrictions of the Code for REITs and the 9.8% stock ownership limit in our charter may restrict our business combination opportunities and restrict your ability to acquire or transfer certain amounts of our common stock.

In order to qualify as a REIT for each taxable year after 2016, five or fewer individuals, as defined in the Code, may not own, beneficially or constructively, more than 50% in value of our issued and outstanding stock at any time during the last half of a taxable year. Attribution rules in the Code determine if any individual or entity beneficially or constructively owns our capital stock under this requirement. Additionally, at least 100 persons must beneficially own our capital stock during at least 335 days of a taxable year for each taxable year after 2016. To help ensure that we meet these tests, our charter restricts the acquisition and ownership of shares of our capital stock. However, these ownership limits might delay or prevent a transaction or a change in our control or other business combination opportunities.

Our charter authorizes our directors to take such actions as are necessary and desirable to preserve our qualification as a REIT. Unless exempted by our board of directors (prospectively or retroactively), our charter prohibits any person from beneficially or constructively owning more than 9.8% in value or number of shares,

 

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whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock. Our board of directors may not grant an exemption from these restrictions to any proposed transferee whose ownership in excess of 9.8% of the value of our outstanding shares would result in our failing to qualify as a REIT. These restrictions on transferability and ownership will not apply, however, if our board of directors determines that it is no longer in our best interest to attempt to, or continue to, qualify as a REIT or that compliance is no longer required in order for us to qualify as a REIT.

Dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for the reduced tax rates available for some dividends.

The maximum tax rate applicable to “qualified dividend income” payable to U.S. stockholders that are taxed at individual rates is 20%. Dividends payable by REITs, however, are generally not eligible for the reduced rates on qualified dividend income. The more favorable rates applicable to regular corporate qualified dividends could cause investors who are taxed at individual rates to perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends treated as qualified dividend income, which could adversely affect the value of the shares of REITs, including our common stock.

Complying with REIT requirements may limit our ability to hedge effectively.

The REIT provisions of the Code may limit our ability to hedge the risks inherent to our operations. Under current law, any income that we generate from derivatives or other transactions intended to hedge our interest rate risk with respect to borrowings made, or to be made, to acquire or carry real estate assets generally will not constitute gross income for purposes of the 75% and 95% income requirements applicable to REITs. In addition, any income from certain other qualified hedging transactions would generally not constitute gross income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% income tests. However, we may be required to limit the use of hedging techniques that might otherwise be advantageous, which could result in greater risks associated with interest rate or other changes than we would otherwise incur.

The ability of our board of directors to revoke our REIT qualification without stockholder approval may cause adverse consequences to our stockholders.

Our charter provides that our board of directors may revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without the approval of our stockholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interest to attempt to, or continue to qualify as a REIT. If we cease to be a REIT, we would become subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income and would no longer be required to distribute most of our taxable income to our stockholders, which may have adverse consequences on our total return to our stockholders.

We may be subject to adverse legislative or regulatory tax changes that could reduce the value of our common stock.

At any time, the U.S. federal income tax laws governing REITs or the administrative interpretations of those laws may be amended. We cannot predict when or if any new U.S. federal income tax law, regulation, or administrative interpretation, or any amendment to any existing federal income tax law, regulation or administrative interpretation, will be adopted, promulgated or become effective and any such law, regulation, or interpretation may take effect retroactively. We and our stockholders could be adversely affected by any such change in, or any new, U.S. federal income tax law, regulation or administrative interpretation.

 

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Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock and Our Corporate Structure

Since our shares will not be traded on any securities exchange after our separation from InvenTrust, there is no established public market for our shares and you may not be able to sell your shares.

We do not intend to list our shares of common stock on any securities exchange or other market, and so there will be no established public trading market for our shares subsequent to our separation from InvenTrust, nor is there any assurance that one may develop. Our charter also prohibits the ownership of more than 9.8% (in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the aggregate of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock by any person unless exempted prospectively or retrospectively by our board. This may inhibit investors from purchasing a large portion of our shares. Our charter also does not require our directors to seek stockholder approval to liquidate our assets by a specified date, nor does our charter require our directors to list our shares for trading on a securities exchange or other market by a specified date or provide any other type of liquidity to our stockholders. Additionally, we do not intend to adopt a stock redemption plan subsequent to our separation from InvenTrust. Therefore, it will be difficult for you to sell your shares promptly or at all, including in the event of an emergency, and if you are able to sell your shares, you may have to sell them at a substantial discount from the estimated value per share.

Our cash available for distribution to stockholders may not be sufficient to pay distributions at expected or required levels, and we may need external sources in order to make such distributions, or we may not be able to make such distributions at all.

We generally intend over time to make annual distributions in an amount at least equal to the amount that will allow us to qualify as a REIT and to avoid current entity level U.S. federal income taxes, however, we may not have sufficient cash from operations to make a distribution required to qualify for or maintain our qualification as a REIT. All distributions will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our historical and projected results of operations, liquidity and financial condition, REIT qualification, debt service requirements, capital expenditures and operating expenses, prohibitions and other restrictions under financing arrangements and applicable law and other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time. No assurance can be given that our projections will prove accurate or that any level of distributions will be made or sustained or achieve a market yield.

We may pay distributions from sources other than cash flow from operations or funds from operations, including funding such distributions from external financing sources, which may be available only at commercially unattractive terms, if at all. To the extent that the aggregate amount of cash distributed in any given year exceeds the amount of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for the same period, the excess amount will be deemed a return of capital for federal income tax purposes, rather than a return on capital. Furthermore, in the event that we are unable to fund future distributions from our cash flows from operating activities, the value of your shares, the sale of our assets or any other liquidity event may be materially adversely affected.

At any time that we are not generating cash flow from operations sufficient to cover the current distribution rate, we may determine to pay lower distributions, or to fund all or a portion of our future distributions from other sources. If we utilize borrowings for the purpose of funding all or a portion of our distributions, we will incur additional interest expense. We have not established any limit on the extent to which we may use alternate sources of cash for distributions, except that, in accordance with the law of the State of Maryland and our organizational documents, generally, we may not make distributions that would: (i) cause us to be unable to pay our debts as they become due in the usual course of business, (ii) cause our total assets to be less than the sum of our total liabilities, or (iii) jeopardize our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT for so long as the board of directors determines that it is in our best interests to continue to qualify as a REIT. Distributions that exceed cash flow from operations may not be sustainable at current levels, or at all.

 

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Future issuances of debt securities, which would rank senior to our common stock upon our liquidation, and future issuances of equity securities, which would dilute the holdings of our existing common stockholders and may be senior to our common stock for the purposes of making distributions, periodically or upon liquidation, may negatively affect the value of our common stock.

In the future, we may issue debt or equity securities or incur other borrowings. Upon our liquidation, holders of our debt securities and other loans and preferred stock will receive a distribution of our available assets before common stockholders. If we incur debt in the future, our future interest costs could increase, and adversely affect our liquidity and results of operations. We are not required to offer any additional equity securities to existing common stockholders on a preemptive basis. Therefore, additional common stock issuances, directly or through convertible or exchangeable securities, warrants or options, will dilute the holdings of our existing common stockholders and such issuances, or the perception of such issuances, may reduce the value of our common stock. Our preferred stock, if issued, would likely have a preference on distribution payments, periodically or upon liquidation, which could eliminate or otherwise limit our ability to make distributions to common stockholders. Because our decision to issue debt or equity securities or incur other borrowings in the future will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, nature or success of our future capital raising efforts. Thus, common stockholders bear the risk that our future issuances of debt or equity securities or our incurrence of other borrowings will negatively affect the value of our common stock.

Your percentage ownership in us may be diluted in the future.

Your percentage ownership in us may be diluted in the future because of new equity issuances, capital market transactions or otherwise, including, without limitation, equity awards that may be granted to our directors, officers and employees.

Increases in market interest rates may reduce demand for our common stock and result in a decline in the value of our common stock.

The value of our common stock may be influenced by the distribution yield on our common stock (i.e., the amount of our annual distributions as a percentage of the fair market value of our common stock) relative to market interest rates. An increase in market interest rates, which are currently low compared to historical levels, may lead prospective purchasers of our common stock to expect a higher distribution yield, which we may not be able, or may choose not, to provide. Higher interest rates would also likely increase our borrowing costs and decrease our operating results and cash available for distribution. Thus, higher market interest rates could cause the value of our common stock to decline.

Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to take action against our directors and officers are limited.

Under Maryland law generally, a director is required to perform his or her duties in good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in our best interests and with the care that an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. Under Maryland law, directors are presumed to have acted in accordance with this standard of conduct. In addition, our charter eliminates the liability of our directors and officers to us and our stockholders for money damages, except for liability resulting from:

 

    actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services; or

 

    active and deliberate dishonesty by the director or officer that was established by a final judgment as being material to the cause of action adjudicated.

Our charter authorizes us to obligate ourselves and our bylaws obligate us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, to indemnify and to pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to any present or former director or officer who is made or

 

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threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service to us in that capacity. As a result, we and our stockholders may have more limited rights against our directors and officers than might otherwise exist absent the current provisions in our charter and bylaws.

Certain provisions of Maryland law could inhibit changes in control.

Certain provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law (“MGCL”), may have the effect of deterring a third party from making a proposal to acquire us or of impeding a change in our control under circumstances that otherwise could provide the holders of our common stock with the opportunity to benefit from a sale of our common stock, including:

 

    “business combination” provisions that, subject to limitations, prohibit certain business combinations between us and an “interested stockholder” (defined generally as any person who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the voting power of our outstanding voting stock or an affiliate or associate of ours who was the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of the voting power of our then outstanding voting stock at any time within the two-year period immediately prior to the date in question) for five years after the most recent date on which the stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, and thereafter impose fair price and/or supermajority stockholder voting requirements on these combinations; and

 

    “control share” provisions that provide that “control shares” of our company (defined as voting shares that, when aggregated with other shares controlled by the stockholder, entitle the stockholder to exercise one of three increasing ranges of voting power in electing directors) acquired in a “control share acquisition” (defined as the direct or indirect acquisition of ownership or control of issued and outstanding control shares) have no voting rights except to the extent approved by our stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding all interested shares.

As permitted by Maryland law, we have elected, by resolution of our board of directors, to opt out of the business combination provisions of the MGCL, provided that such business combination has been approved by our board of directors (including a majority of directors who are not affiliated with the interested stockholder), and, pursuant to a provision in our bylaws, to exempt any acquisition of our stock from the control share provisions of the MGCL. However, our board of directors may by resolution elect to repeal the exemption from the business combination provisions of the MGCL and may by amendment to our bylaws opt into the control share provisions of the MGCL at any time in the future.

If we have a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent directors, certain provisions of the MGCL permit our board of directors, without stockholder approval and regardless of what is currently provided in our charter or bylaws, to adopt certain mechanisms, some of which (for example, a classified board) we do not have. These provisions may have the effect of limiting or precluding a third party from making an acquisition proposal for us or of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in our control under circumstances that otherwise could provide the holders of our common stock with the opportunity to benefit from a sale of our common stock. Our charter contains a provision whereby we will elect, at such time as we become eligible to do so, to be subject to the provisions of Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL relating to the filling of vacancies on our board of directors. See “Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and Our Charter and Bylaws.”

If our board of directors were to elect to be subject to the provision of Subtitle 8 providing for a classified board or the business combination provisions of the MGCL or if the provisions of our bylaws opting out of the control share acquisition provisions of the MGCL were amended or rescinded, these provisions of the MGCL could have anti-takeover effects.

 

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All of our assets will be owned by subsidiaries. We depend on dividends and distributions from these subsidiaries. The creditors of these subsidiaries are entitled to amounts payable to them by the subsidiaries before the subsidiaries may pay any dividends or other distributions to us.

All of our assets and assets are held through wholly owned subsidiaries. We depend on cash distributions from our subsidiaries for substantially all of our cash flow. The creditors of each of our subsidiaries are entitled to payment of that subsidiary’s obligations to them when due and payable before that subsidiary may make distributions or dividends to us. Thus, our ability to pay dividends, if any, to our stockholders depends on our subsidiaries’ ability to first satisfy their obligations to their creditors and our ability to satisfy our obligations, if any, to our creditors.

In addition, our participation in any distribution of the assets of any of our subsidiaries upon the liquidation, reorganization or insolvency of the subsidiary, is only after the claims of the creditors, including trade creditors and preferred stockholders, if any, of the applicable direct or indirect subsidiaries are satisfied.

Our charter places limits on the amount of common stock that any person may own.

In order for us to qualify as a REIT under the Code, no more than 50% of the outstanding shares of our common stock may be beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals at any time during the last half of each taxable year (other than the first taxable year for which an election to be a REIT has been made). Unless exempted by our board of directors, prospectively or retroactively, our charter prohibits any person or group from owning more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock. These provisions may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us, including an extraordinary transaction such as a merger, tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets that might involve a premium price for holders of our common stock.

If anyone transfers shares in a way that would violate the ownership limit, or prevent us from qualifying as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws, those shares instead will be transferred to a trust for the benefit of a charitable beneficiary and will be either purchased by us or sold to a person whose ownership of the shares will not violate the ownership limit. If this transfer to a trust fails to prevent such a violation or our continued qualification as a REIT, then the initial intended transfer shall be null and void from the outset. The intended transferee of those shares will be deemed never to have owned the shares. Anyone who acquires shares in violation of the ownership limit or the other restrictions on transfer in our charter bears the risk of suffering a financial loss when the shares are sold if the value of our shares falls between the date of purchase and the date of redemption or sale.

Our charter permits our board of directors to issue preferred stock on terms that may subordinate the rights of the holders of our current common stock or discourage a third party from acquiring us.

Our board may classify or reclassify any unissued shares of common or preferred stock into other classes or series of stock and establish the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications, and terms or conditions of redemption of the stock and may amend our charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares or the number of shares of any class or series that we have authority to issue without stockholder approval. Thus, our board of directors could authorize us to issue shares of preferred stock with terms and conditions that could subordinate the rights of the holders of our common stock or shares of preferred stock or common stock that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us, including an extraordinary transaction such as a merger, tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, that might provide a premium price for holders of our common stock.

 

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Our conflict of interest policy may not be successful in eliminating the influence of future conflicts of interest that may arise between us and our directors, officers and employees.

Effective upon completion of the separation, we intend to adopt a policy that any transaction, agreement or relationship in which any of our directors, officers or employees has a material direct or indirect pecuniary interest must be approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Other than this policy, however, we may not adopt additional formal procedures for the review and approval of conflict of interest transactions generally. As such, our policies and procedures may not be successful in eliminating the influence of conflicts of interest. See “Business and Properties—Conflict of Interest Policy.”

Our board of directors may change our investment policies without stockholder approval, which could alter the nature of your investment.

Our investment policies may change over time. The methods of implementing our investment policies may also vary, as new investment techniques are developed. Our investment policies, the methods for implementing them, and our other objectives, policies and procedures may be altered by a majority of the directors without the approval of our stockholders. As a result, the nature of your investment could change without your consent. A change in our investment strategy may, among other things, increase our exposure to interest rate risk, default risk and commercial real property market fluctuations, all of which could materially and adversely affect our ability to achieve our investment objectives.

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Information Statement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts included in this Information Statement, including statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, beliefs, business strategies, future events, business conditions, our results of operations, financial position and our business outlook, business trends and other information referred to under “Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Distribution Policy,” “Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business and Properties” and “Description of Indebtedness” are forward-looking statements. When used in this Information Statement, the words “estimate,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seek,” “approximately” or “plan,” or the negative of these words and phrases, or similar words or phrases that are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and that do not relate solely to historical matters are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You can also identify forward-looking statements by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions of management.

Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based upon our current expectations, beliefs, estimates and projections, and various assumptions, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. Our expectations, beliefs, estimates and projections are expressed in good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, there can be no assurance that management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates and projections will result or be achieved and actual results may vary materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. There are a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors, many of which are beyond our control, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this Information Statement. Such risks, uncertainties and other important factors include, among others, the risks, uncertainties and factors set forth above under “Risk Factors” and the risks and uncertainties related to the following:

 

    our ability to renew leases, lease vacant space, or re-let space as leases expire;

 

    our ability to repay or refinance our debt as it comes due;

 

    business, financial and operating risks inherent to real estate investments;

 

    contraction in the global economy or low levels of economic growth;

 

    our ability to sell our assets at a price and on a timeline consistent with our investment objectives, or at all;

 

    our ability to service our debt;

 

    changes in interest rates and operating costs;

 

    compliance with regulatory regimes and local laws;

 

    uninsured or underinsured losses, including those relating to natural disasters or terrorism;

 

    our status as an emerging growth company;

 

    the amount of debt that we currently have or may incur in the future;

 

    provisions in our debt agreements that may restrict the operation of our business;

 

    our separation from InvenTrust and our ability to operate as a stand-alone public reporting company;

 

    our organizational and governance structure;

 

    our status as a REIT;

 

    the cost of compliance with and liabilities under environmental, health and safety laws;

 

    adverse litigation judgments or settlements;

 

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    changes in real estate and zoning laws and increase in real property tax rates;

 

    changes in federal, state or local tax law, including legislative, administrative, regulatory or other actions affecting REITs;

 

    changes in governmental regulations or interpretations thereof; and

 

    estimates relating to our ability to make distributions to our stockholders in the future.

 

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OUR SEPARATION FROM INVENTRUST

General

The board of directors of InvenTrust determined upon careful review and consideration that the separation of our assets from the rest of InvenTrust and the establishment of us as a separate public reporting company was in the best interest of InvenTrust and its stockholders.

In furtherance of this plan, InvenTrust will distribute 100% of the outstanding shares of our common stock held by InvenTrust to holders of InvenTrust common stock, subject to certain conditions. The distribution of our common stock is expected to take place on                      , 2016. On the distribution date, each holder of InvenTrust common stock will receive one share for every one share of InvenTrust common stock held at the close of business on the distribution record date, as described below. You will not be required to make any payment, surrender or exchange your shares of InvenTrust common stock or take any other action to receive your shares of our common stock to which you are entitled on the distribution date.

The distribution of our common stock as described in this Information Statement is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions. We cannot provide any assurances that the distribution will be completed. For a more detailed description of these conditions, see the section entitled “—Conditions to the Distribution.”

The Number of Shares You Will Receive

For every one share of InvenTrust common stock that you owned at the close of business on or about                 , 2016, the distribution record date, you will receive one share of our common stock on the distribution date.

Transferability of Shares You Receive

The shares of Highlands common stock distributed to InvenTrust stockholders will be freely transferable (subject to the restrictions in our charter on the ownership and transfer of stock intended to assist us in maintaining REIT status), except for shares received by persons who may be deemed to be our “affiliates” under the Securities Act. Persons who may be deemed to be our affiliates after the separation generally include individuals or entities that control, are controlled by or are under common control with us and may include directors and certain officers or principal stockholders of us. Our affiliates will be permitted to sell their shares of Highlands common stock only pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, such as the exemptions afforded by Rule 144.

When and How You Will Receive the Distributed Shares

InvenTrust will distribute the shares of our common stock on                      , 2016, the distribution date. DST Systems, Inc. will serve as distribution agent, transfer agent and registrar for our common stock and as distribution agent in connection with the distribution.

If you own InvenTrust common stock as of the close of business on the distribution record date, the shares of Highlands common stock that you are entitled to receive in the distribution will be issued electronically, as of the distribution date, to you or to your bank or brokerage firm on your behalf by way of direct registration in book-entry form. Registration in book-entry form refers to a method of recording share ownership when no physical share certificates are issued to stockholders, as is the case in the distribution.

Commencing on or shortly after the distribution date, if you hold your shares in book-entry form and you are the registered holder of such shares, the distribution agent will mail to you an account statement that indicates the number of shares of our common stock that have been registered in book-entry form in your name, or your bank or brokerage firm will credit your account for the shares.

 

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Treatment of Fractional Shares

InvenTrust will distribute to you one share of Highlands common stock for every one share of InvenTrust common stock held by you as of the record date, which will result in your receiving a fractional number shares if you hold a fractional number of shares of InvenTrust common stock.

Results of the Separation

After the separation, we will be a separate public company, but we do not intend to list any shares of our common stock on any securities exchange or other market. Immediately following the distribution, we expect to have approximately 171,844 stockholders of record, based on the number of registered stockholders of InvenTrust common stock on April 4, 2016, and 862,205,672.183 shares of our common stock outstanding. The actual number of shares to be distributed will be determined on the distribution record date and will reflect any changes in the number of shares of InvenTrust common stock between April 4, 2016 and the distribution record date.

We will enter into a Separation and Distribution Agreement to effect the separation and distribution. In addition, we will enter into various other agreements with InvenTrust to effect the separation and provide a framework for our relationship with InvenTrust after the separation, such as a Transition Services Agreement and an Employee Matters Agreement. These agreements will provide for the allocation between us and InvenTrust of InvenTrust’s assets, liabilities and obligations attributable to periods prior to, at and after our separation from InvenTrust and will govern certain relationships between us and InvenTrust after the separation. For a more detailed description of these agreements, see the section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

The distribution will not affect the number of outstanding shares of InvenTrust common stock or any rights of InvenTrust stockholders.

Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Separation

The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the separation, and in particular the distribution by InvenTrust of shares of our common stock to stockholders of InvenTrust. For purposes of this section under the heading “Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Separation”: (1) any references to the “separation” shall mean only the distribution of our common stock by InvenTrust to stockholders of InvenTrust; (2) references to “Highlands,” “we,” “our” and “us” mean only Highlands and not its subsidiaries or other lower-tier entities, except as otherwise indicated; and (3) references to InvenTrust refer to InvenTrust Properties Corp. This summary is based upon the Code, the regulations promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department, 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 intend to seek an advance ruling from the IRS regarding any matter discussed herein. The summary is also based upon the assumption that InvenTrust, Highlands and their respective subsidiaries and affiliated entities will operate in accordance with their applicable organizational documents and the agreements and other documents applicable to the separation. This summary is for general information only and is not tax advice. The Code provisions governing the U.S. federal income tax treatment of REITs (such as InvenTrust and Highlands) and their stockholders are highly technical and complex, and this summary is qualified in its entirety by the express language of applicable Code provisions, Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof. This summary does not address all possible tax considerations that may be material to a stockholder and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Moreover, this summary does not purport to discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to a particular stockholder in light of its investment or tax circumstances, or to stockholders subject to special tax rules, such as:

 

    financial institutions;

 

    insurance companies;

 

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    broker-dealers;

 

    regulated investment companies;

 

    foreign sovereigns and their controlled entities;

 

    partnerships and trusts;

 

    persons who will hold InvenTrust common stock on behalf of other persons as nominees;

 

    persons who received InvenTrust common stock through the exercise of employee stock options or otherwise as compensation;

 

    persons who will hold InvenTrust common stock as part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “conversion transaction,” “synthetic security” or other integrated investment; and

 

    except to the extent discussed below, tax-exempt organizations and foreign investors.

This summary assumes that stockholders will hold their InvenTrust common stock as a capital asset for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which generally means as property held for investment.

For purposes of this discussion under the heading “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Separation,” a “U.S. stockholder” is a beneficial owner of InvenTrust common stock that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

    a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

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

 

    an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

 

    a trust if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) it has a valid election in place to be treated as a U.S. person.

A “non-U.S. stockholder” is a beneficial owner of InvenTrust common stock that is neither a U.S. stockholder nor a partnership (or other entity treated as a partnership) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If a partnership, including for this purpose any entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, holds InvenTrust 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. A stockholder 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 separation.

THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX TREATMENT OF THE SEPARATION TO STOCKHOLDERS OF INVENTRUST 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 TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE SEPARATION TO ANY PARTICULAR STOCKHOLDER OF INVENTRUST WILL DEPEND ON THE STOCKHOLDER’S PARTICULAR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES. YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND FOREIGN INCOME AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU OF THE SEPARATION IN LIGHT OF YOUR PARTICULAR INVESTMENT OR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES.

Tax Classification of the Separation in General

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the separation will not be eligible for treatment as a tax-deferred distribution by InvenTrust with respect to its stock. Accordingly, the separation will be treated as if InvenTrust

 

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had distributed to each InvenTrust stockholder an amount equal to the fair market value of the Highlands common stock received by such stockholder, determined as of the date of the separation. We refer to such amount as the “separation distribution amount.” The tax consequences of the separation to InvenTrust’s stockholders are thus generally the same as the tax consequences of InvenTrust’s cash distributions. The discussion below describes the U.S. federal income tax consequences to a U.S. stockholder, a non-U.S. stockholder, and a tax-exempt stockholder of InvenTrust common stock upon the receipt of Highlands common stock in the separation.

The separation will also be a taxable transaction for InvenTrust in which InvenTrust will recognize gain, but not loss, based on the difference between its tax basis in the Highlands common stock and its fair market value as of the separation. InvenTrust anticipates that its tax basis in the Highlands common stock will equal or exceed the fair market value of that stock as of the separation. Accordingly, InvenTrust does not anticipate recognizing taxable gain as a result of the separation. As a result, InvenTrust anticipates that the separation will not increase its earnings and profits for the year in which the separation occurs, which is anticipated to be 2016. Thus, if a stockholder owns its InvenTrust common stock for the entire year in which the separation occurs, InvenTrust anticipates that the separation will not increase the amount of dividend income the stockholder will recognize for that year compared to the amount of dividend income the stockholder would have recognized if the special distribution had not occurred.

Although InvenTrust will ascribe a value to the Highlands common stock distributed in the separation, this valuation is not binding on the IRS or any other tax authority. These taxing authorities could ascribe a higher valuation to the distributed Highlands common stock. Such a higher valuation may affect the distribution amount and thus the tax consequences of the separation to InvenTrust’s stockholders.

Tax Basis and Holding Period of Highlands Common Stock Received by Holders of InvenTrust Common Stock

An InvenTrust stockholder’s tax basis in shares of Highlands common stock received in the separation generally will equal the fair market value of such shares on the date of the separation, and the holding period for such shares will begin the day after the date of the separation.

Tax Treatment of the Separation to U.S. Stockholders

The following discussion describes the U.S. federal income tax consequences to a U.S. stockholder upon the receipt of shares of Highlands common stock in the separation.

Ordinary Dividend Distributions

The portion of the separation distribution amount received by a U.S. stockholder that is payable out of InvenTrust’s current or accumulated earnings and profits allocable to the distribution and that is not designated by InvenTrust as a capital gain dividend will generally be taken into account by such U.S. stockholder as ordinary income and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporations. With limited exceptions, dividends paid by InvenTrust are not eligible for taxation at the preferential income tax rates for qualified dividend income received by U.S. stockholders taxed at individual rates from taxable C corporations. Such U.S. stockholders, however, are taxed at the preferential rates on dividends designated by and received from a REIT, such as InvenTrust, to the extent that the dividends are attributable to dividends received by the REIT from TRSs or other taxable C corporations.

As noted above, InvenTrust does not anticipate recognizing taxable gain as a result of the separation. As a result, InvenTrust anticipates that the separation will not increase its earnings and profits for the year in which the separation occurs. Thus, if a U.S. stockholder owns its InvenTrust common stock for the entire year in which the separation occurs, InvenTrust anticipates that the separation will not increase the amount of dividend income

 

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the U.S. stockholder will recognize for that year compared to the amount of dividend income the U.S. stockholder would have recognized if the separation had not occurred.

Capital Gain Dividend Distributions

A distribution that InvenTrust designates as a capital gain dividend will generally be taxed to U.S. stockholders as long-term capital gain, to the extent that such distribution does not exceed InvenTrust’s actual net capital gain for the taxable year, without regard to the period for which the holder that receives such distribution has held its InvenTrust common stock. Corporate U.S. stockholders may be required to treat up to 20% of some capital gain dividends as ordinary income. Long-term capital gains are generally taxable at reduced maximum federal rates in the case of U.S. stockholders that are taxed at individual rates, and ordinary income rates in the case of stockholders that are corporations.

Non-Dividend Distributions

A distribution to U.S. stockholders in excess of InvenTrust’s current and accumulated earnings and profits allocable to the distribution will generally represent a return of capital and will not be taxable to a U.S. stockholder to the extent that the amount of such distribution does not exceed the adjusted basis of the holder’s InvenTrust common stock in respect of which the distribution was made. Rather, the distribution will reduce the U.S. stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in its InvenTrust common stock. To the extent that such distribution exceeds a U.S. stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in its InvenTrust common stock, the holder generally must include such distribution in income as long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the holder’s InvenTrust common stock has been held for one year or less.

Tax Treatment of the Separation to Non-U.S. Stockholders

The following discussion describes the U.S. federal income tax consequences to a non-U.S. stockholder upon the receipt of shares of Highlands common stock in the separation.

Ordinary Dividend Distributions

The portion of the separation distribution amount received by a non-U.S. stockholder that is (1) payable out of InvenTrust’s earnings and profits, (2) not attributable to InvenTrust’s capital gains, and (3) not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. stockholder, will be treated as a dividend that is subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless reduced or eliminated by treaty.

Except as described below, non-U.S. stockholders will not be considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business solely as a result of their ownership of InvenTrust common stock. In cases where the dividend income from a non-U.S. stockholder’s investment in InvenTrust common stock is, or is treated as, effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, the non-U.S. stockholder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at graduated rates, in the same manner as U.S. stockholders are taxed with respect to such dividends. Such income must generally be reported on a U.S. income tax return filed by or on behalf of the non-U.S. stockholder. The income may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax in the case of a non-U.S. stockholder that is a corporation.

Capital Gain Distributions

Under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (“FIRPTA”), distributions that are attributable to gain from InvenTrust’s sales or exchanges of United States real property interests (“USRPIs”), will be taxed to a non-U.S. stockholder as if such gain were effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, and non-U.S. stockholders will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the distributions at the rates applicable to U.S. individuals or corporations. InvenTrust will be required to withhold a 35% tax on such distributions.

 

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Distributions subject to FIRPTA may also be subject to a 30% branch profits tax in the hands of a corporate non-U.S. stockholder. It is anticipated that a portion of the separation distribution amount will be capital gain from the disposition of USRPIs.

Distributions received by a non-U.S. stockholder that are attributable to dispositions of InvenTrust’s assets other than USRPIs are not subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless (1) the gain is effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s U.S. trade or business, in which case the non-U.S. stockholder would be subject to the same treatment as U.S. stockholders with respect to such gain, or (2) the non-U.S. stockholder 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. stockholder will incur a 30% tax on his net capital gains.

Non-Dividend Distributions

Unless InvenTrust’s common stock constitutes a USRPI, the separation distribution amount, to the extent not made out of InvenTrust’s earnings and profits, and not attributable to gain from the disposition of USRPIs (including gain realized in the separation distribution), generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. If InvenTrust cannot determine at the time of the separation whether the separation distribution amount will exceed its current and accumulated earnings and profits allocable to the distribution, the separation distribution will be subject to withholding at the rate applicable to ordinary dividends, as described above.

If InvenTrust’s stock constitutes a USRPI, a determination made as described below, distributions that it makes in excess of the sum of (1) the non-U.S. stockholder’s proportionate share of InvenTrust’s earnings and profits, plus (2) the non-U.S. stockholder’s basis in its InvenTrust common stock, will be taxed under FIRPTA in the same manner as if the InvenTrust stock had been sold. In such situations, InvenTrust would be required to withhold 15% of such excess, the non-U.S. stockholder would be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return, and the non-U.S. stockholder would be subject to the same treatment and same tax rates as a U.S. stockholder with respect to such excess, subject to applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of non-resident alien individuals.

InvenTrust’s common stock will not be treated as a USRPI if less than 50% of InvenTrust’s 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. More than 50% of the value of InvenTrust’s assets consisted of USRPI during the relevant period.

InvenTrust’s common stock nonetheless will not constitute a USRPI if InvenTrust is a “domestically controlled qualified investment entity.” A domestically controlled qualified investment entity includes a REIT, less than 50% of value of which is held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. stockholders at all times during a specified testing period. It is anticipated that InvenTrust will be a domestically controlled qualified investment entity at the time of the separation distribution, and that a distribution with respect to InvenTrust’s stock in excess of InvenTrust’s earnings and profits will not be subject to withholding taxation under FIRPTA. No complete assurance can be given that InvenTrust will qualify as a domestically controlled qualified investment entity at the time of the separation distribution.

Exemptions from FIRPTA also apply to (1) certain foreign pension trusts and (2) certain non-U.S. stockholders that qualify for benefits under a comprehensive U.S. income tax treaty and are publicly traded entities or certain partnerships and other fiscally transparent entities. Non-U.S. stockholders should consult their tax advisors to determine whether they are entitled to an exemption under FIRPTA as a “qualified foreign pension fund,” a “qualified shareholder,” or “qualified collective investment vehicle.”

Gain in respect of a non-dividend distribution that would not otherwise be subject to FIRPTA will nonetheless be taxable in the United States to a non-U.S. stockholder in two cases: (1) if the non-U.S. stockholder’s investment in InvenTrust common stock is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business

 

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conducted by such non-U.S. stockholder, the non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to the same treatment as a U.S. stockholder with respect to such gain; or (2) if the non-U.S. stockholder 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.

Withholding of Amounts Distributable to Non-U.S. Stockholders in the Separation

If InvenTrust is required to withhold any amounts otherwise distributable to a non-U.S. stockholder in the separation, InvenTrust or other applicable withholding agents could collect the amount required to be withheld by (1) reducing to cash for remittance to the IRS a sufficient portion of shares of Highlands common stock that such non-U.S. stockholder would otherwise receive, and such holder may bear brokerage or other costs for this withholding procedure or (2) withholding from other distributions made to the non-U.S. stockholder. A non-U.S. stockholder may seek a refund from the IRS of any amounts withheld if it is subsequently determined that the amounts withheld exceeded the non-U.S. stockholder’s U.S. tax liability for the year in which the separation occurred.

Time for Determination of the Tax Impact of the Separation

The tax consequences of the separation will be affected by a number of facts that are yet to be determined, including InvenTrust’s final earnings and profits for 2016 (including as a result of the income and gain, if any, InvenTrust recognizes in connection with the separation), the fair market value of shares of Highlands common stock on the date of the separation and the extent to which InvenTrust recognizes gain on the sales of USRPIs or other capital assets. However, as noted above, if a stockholder owns its InvenTrust common stock for the entire year in which the separation occurs, InvenTrust anticipates that the separation will not increase the amount of dividend income the stockholder will recognize for that year compared to the amount of dividend income the stockholder would have recognized if the special distribution had not occurred. See “—Tax Classification of the Separation in General.” Thus, a definitive calculation of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the separation will not be possible until after the end of the 2016 calendar year. InvenTrust will provide its stockholders with tax information on an IRS Form 1099-DIV, informing them of the character of distributions made during the taxable year, including the separation.

Market for Common Stock

There is currently no public market for our common stock, and we do not intend to list any shares of our common stock on any securities exchange or other market in connection with the distribution.

Conditions to the Distribution

The distribution of our common stock by InvenTrust is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:

 

    the board of directors of InvenTrust shall have authorized the distribution, which authorization may be made or withheld in the InvenTrust board’s sole and absolute discretion;

 

    our registration statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, shall have become effective under the Exchange Act, and no stop order relating to the registration statement shall be in effect and no proceedings for such purpose shall be pending before, or threatened by, the SEC;

 

    no preliminary or permanent injunction or other order, decree, or ruling issued by a governmental authority, and no statute (as interpreted through orders or rules of any governmental authority duly authorized to effectuate the statute), rule, regulation or executive order promulgated or enacted by any governmental authority shall be in effect preventing the consummation of, or materially limiting the benefits of, the separation and distribution and other transaction contemplated thereby;

 

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    any required actions and filings necessary or appropriate under federal or state securities and blue sky laws of the U.S. will have been taken;

 

    the Transition Services Agreement and the Employee Matters Agreement shall have been executed and delivered by each of the parties thereto and no party to any of such agreements shall be in material breach of any such agreement;

 

    no event or development shall have occurred or failed to occur that, in the judgment of the board of directors of InvenTrust, in its sole discretion, prevents the consummation of the separation and distribution and related transactions or any portion thereof or makes the consummation of such transactions inadvisable;

 

    any government approvals and other material consents necessary to consummate the distribution will have been obtained and be in full force and effect; and

 

    the Separation and Distribution Agreement will not have been terminated.

Even if all conditions to the distribution are satisfied, InvenTrust may terminate and abandon the distribution at any time prior to the effectiveness of the distribution.

Reasons for the Separation

Upon careful review and consideration, InvenTrust’s board of directors determined that our separation from InvenTrust is in the best interests of InvenTrust. The board’s determination was based on a number of factors, including those set forth below.

 

    Enabling our dedicated management to focus solely on maximizing the total value of our portfolio in connection with our evaluation of various strategic opportunities. The separation of the Highlands Portfolio from InvenTrust will enable our dedicated management team to focus on preserving, protecting and maximizing the total value of our portfolio until such time as we determine that a sale or other disposition of all or a portion of our portfolio achieves our investment objectives or until it appears such objectives will not be met.

 

    Allow InvenTrust’s management to focus on its retail platform. Following the announced agreement to sell InvenTrust’s student housing platform, as part of its overall strategic plan and long-term goal of maximizing shareholder value, InvenTrust intends to dispose of its “non-core” assets in order to create a pure-play retail platform.

The anticipated benefits of the separation are based on a number of assumptions, and there can be no assurance that such benefits will materialize to the extent anticipated, or at all. In the event that the separation does not result in such benefits, the costs associated with the separation could have a material adverse effect on each company individually and in the aggregate. For more information about the risks associated with the separation, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Relationship with InvenTrust and the Separation.”

Reasons for Furnishing this Information Statement

This Information Statement is being furnished solely to provide information to InvenTrust stockholders who are entitled to receive shares of our common stock in the distribution. The Information Statement is not, and is not to be construed as, an inducement or encouragement to buy, hold or sell any of our securities or securities of InvenTrust. We believe that the information in this Information Statement is accurate as of the date set forth on the cover. Changes may occur after that date and neither InvenTrust nor we undertake any obligation to update such information.

 

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DISTR IBUTION POLICY

We generally intend over time to make annual distributions in an amount at least equal to the amount that will allow us to qualify as a REIT and to avoid current entity level U.S. federal income taxes. To qualify as a REIT, we must distribute to our stockholders an amount at least equal to:

 

  i. 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined before the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain (which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP); plus

 

  ii. 90% of the excess of our net income from foreclosure property over the tax imposed on such income by the Code; less

 

  iii. any excess non-cash income (as determined under the Code). Please refer to “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

Distributions made by us will be authorized and determined by our board of directors, in its sole discretion, out of legally available funds, and will be dependent upon a number of factors, including our actual and projected results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and liquidity, our qualification as a REIT and other tax considerations, capital expenditures and other obligations, debt covenants, contractual prohibitions or other limitations under applicable law and other such matters as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time. We cannot assure you that our distribution policy will remain the same in the future, or that any estimated distributions will be made or sustained.

Our ability to make distributions to our stockholders will depend upon the performance of our portfolio and our ability to successfully execute on our disposition strategy. Distributions will be made in cash to the extent cash is available for distribution. We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to pay distributions to our stockholders. To the extent that our cash available for distribution is less than the amount required to be distributed under the REIT provisions of the Code, we may consider funding sources other than cash flow from operations or funds from operations, which may reduce the amount of capital available for operations, may have negative tax implications, and may have a negative effect on the value of your shares under certain conditions. In addition, our board of directors could change our distribution policy in the future. See “Risk Factors.”

Distributions to our stockholders will be generally taxable to them as ordinary income, although a portion of our distributions may be designated by us as capital gain or qualified dividend income or may constitute a return of capital. We will furnish annually to each of our stockholders a statement setting forth distributions paid during the preceding year and their characterization as ordinary income, return of capital, qualified dividend income or capital gain. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

 

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CAPI TALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of December 31, 2015 on a pro forma basis, adjusted to reflect:

 

    the business and operations of the Company after the consummation of the Retail Asset Disposition and immediately following the completion of the separation of the Company from InvenTrust, when we will own solely the Highlands Portfolio;

 

    the exclusion of the Disposed Assets;

 

    the Capital Contribution;

 

    the issuance of 862,205,572.183 shares of our common stock to InvenTrust pursuant to a stock dividend effectuated prior to the distribution; and

 

    the distribution of 862,205,672.183 shares of our common stock to holders of InvenTrust common stock based upon the number of InvenTrust shares outstanding on                 , 2016.

The information below is not necessarily indicative of what our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization would have been had the separation, distribution, capital contribution and related transactions been completed as of December 31, 2015. In addition, it is not indicative of our future cash and cash equivalents and capitalization. This table is derived from and is qualified entirely by reference to, our historical and pro forma financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Information Statement, and should be read in conjunction with the sections entitled “Selected Historical Financial and Operating Data,” “Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our combined consolidated historical and pro forma financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Information Statement.

 

    As of
December 31, 2015
 
    (amounts in thousands,
except shares and per
share data)
 

Cash and cash equivalents

  $ 20,000   

Restricted cash and escrows

    3,647   

Total

  $ 23,647   
 

 

 

 

Total Debt:

    405,994   

Stockholders’ equity:

 

Common stock, par value $0.01 per share; 1,000,000,000 shares authorized; 862,205,672.183 shares issued and outstanding

    8,622   

Preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding

    —     

Additional paid-in capital

    1,455,228   

Retained earnings

    (1,237,641

Total stockholders’ equity

    226,209   

Total capitalization

  $ 632,203   
 

 

 

 

 

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SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCI AL AND OPERATING DATA

The following historical combined consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 and for the years then ended have been derived from our audited combined consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this Information Statement.

Our financial statements reflect the operations of the Prior Combined Portfolio, which, among other things, includes allocations of costs from certain corporate and shared functions provided to us by InvenTrust. The allocation methods for corporate and shared services costs vary by function but were generally based on historical costs of assets.

Because the historical combined consolidated financial statements represent the financial and operating data of the Prior Combined Portfolio, and the Company will own the Highlands Portfolio following the separation from InvenTrust, the historical combined consolidated financial statements included in this Information Statement do not reflect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows as if we had operated as a stand-alone public reporting company during the period presented owning solely the Highlands Portfolio. Accordingly, our historical results should not be relied upon as an indicator of future performance.

The selected pro forma combined consolidated financial and operating data for the Highlands Portfolio is derived from our unaudited pro forma combined consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2015 as well as our unaudited pro forma combined consolidated statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2015, included elsewhere in this Information Statement. We derived our unaudited pro forma combined consolidated financial statements by applying pro forma adjustments to our historical combined consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Information Statement. The pro forma combined consolidated financial and operating data give effect to:

 

    the business and operations of the Company after the consummation of the Retail Asset Disposition and immediately following the completion of the separation of the Company from InvenTrust, after which we will own solely the Highlands Portfolio;

 

    the exclusion of the Disposed Assets;

 

    the Capital Contribution;

 

    the issuance of 862,205,572.183 shares of our common stock to InvenTrust pursuant to a stock dividend prior to the distribution;

 

    the distribution of 862,205,672.183 shares of our common stock to holders of InvenTrust common stock based upon the number of InvenTrust shares outstanding on                 , 2016; and

 

    certain other adjustments as described in “Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements.”

The pro forma adjustments are based on preliminary estimates, accounting judgments and currently available information and assumptions that management believes are reasonable. The notes to the pro forma combined consolidated financial statements provide a detailed discussion of how such adjustments were derived and presented in the pro forma combined consolidated financial and operating data. See “Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements—Notes to Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements.” The pro forma combined consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with “Summary—Structure and Reorganization Transactions—Our Corporate Reorganization,” “Capitalization,” “Selected Historical Financial and Operating Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions,” “Description of Indebtedness” and our combined consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Information Statement.

 

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The pro forma combined consolidated financial and operating data has been prepared for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of our financial position or results of operations had the transactions described above for which we are giving pro forma effect actually occurred on the dates or for the periods indicated, nor is such pro forma combined consolidated financial and operating data necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period. A number of factors may affect our results. See “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements.”

The information below should be read in connection with “Capitalization,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business and Properties” and the combined consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Information Statement.

 

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     Highlands Portfolio     Prior Combined Portfolio  
     Pro Forma
Combined
Consolidated
    Combined Consolidated  
     For the year
ended
December 31,
2015
    For the year
ended
December 31,
2015
    For the year
ended
December 31,
2014
    For the year
ended
December 31,
2013
 

Selected Statement of Operations Data:

        

Revenues:

        

Rental income

   $ 88,790      $ 96,960      $ 104,218      $ 108,841   

Tenant recovery income

     11,296        14,447        17,190        18,611   

Other property income

     361        430        739        743   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

   $ 100,447      $ 111,837      $ 122,147      $ 128,195   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Expenses:

        

Property operating expenses

     8,633        10,721        15,443        15,888   

Real estate taxes

     7,877        10,303        12,379        13,312   

Depreciation and amortization

     32,436        36,212        37,235        47,113   

General and administrative expense

     13,341        12,241        7,161        4,534   

Business management fee

     —          —          423        6,742   

Provision for asset impairment

     —          —          15,640        258,648   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total expenses

   $ 62,287      $ 69,477      $ 88,281      $ 346,237   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

   $ 38,160      $ 42,360      $ 33,866      $ (218,042
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Interest and dividend income

     1        1        5        1,006   

Loss on sale of investment properties

     —          (197     (1,018     —     

Gain on extinguishment of debt

     —          —          11,959        2,419   

Other (loss) income

     (21     (11     488        889   

Interest expense

     (26,238     (27,757     (32,681     (37,583

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entity

     —          —          —          628   

Gain on investment in unconsolidated entity

     —          —          —          2,930   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

   $ 11,902      $ 14,396      $ 12,619      $ (247,753
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income tax expense

     (32     (51     (64     (110
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) from continuing operations

   $ 11,870      $ 14,345      $ 12,555      $ (247,863
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income from discontinued operations

     —          —          4,632        48,469   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

   $ 11,870      $ 14,345      $ 17,187      $ (199,394
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

     —          (15     (16     (16
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) attributable to Company

   $ 11,870      $ 14,330      $ 17,171      $ (199,410
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Per Share Data:

        

Pro forma basic earnings per share

   $ 0.01        N/A        N/A        N/A   

Pro forma diluted earnings per share

     0.01        N/A        N/A        N/A   

Pro forma weighted average shares outstanding—basic

     862,205,672        N/A        N/A        N/A   

Pro forma weighted average shares outstanding—diluted

     865,079,691        N/A        N/A        N/A   

Other Financial Data:

        

Funds from operations (1)

   $ 44,306      $ 50,765      $ 65,522      $ 65,895   

Modified net operating income (2)

   $ 85,574      $ 92,534      $ 95,413      $ 99,001   

 

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     Highlands
Portfolio
     Prior Combined Portfolio  
     Pro Forma
Combined
Consolidated
     Combined Consolidated  
     As of
December 31,
2015
     As of December 31,  
Selected Balance Sheet Data:       2015      2014      2013  

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 20,000       $ 26,972       $ 10,291       $ 6,076   

Restricted cash & escrows

     3,647         3,647         5,044         11,389   

Total assets

     664,423         741,092         841,894         1,216,502   

Total debt

     405,994         438,970         487,825         468,970   

Total equity

     226,209         266,853         317,108         389,694   

 

(1) We calculate FFO in accordance with standards established by NAREIT, which defines FFO as net income or loss (calculated in accordance with GAAP), excluding real estate-related depreciation, amortization and impairment, gains (losses) from sales of real estate, the cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles, adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures, and items classified by GAAP as extraordinary. Historical cost accounting for real estate assets implicitly assumes that the value of real estate assets diminishes predictably over time. Since real estate values instead have historically risen or fallen with market conditions, most industry investors consider presentations of operating results for real estate companies that use historical cost accounting to be insufficient by themselves. We believe that the presentation of FFO provides useful supplemental information to investors regarding our operating performance by excluding the effect of real estate depreciation and amortization, gains (losses) from sales for real estate, impairments of real estate assets extraordinary items and the portion of items related to unconsolidated entities, all of which are based on historical cost accounting and which may be of lesser significance in evaluating current performance. We believe that the presentation of FFO can facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and between REITs, even though FFO does not represent an amount that accrues directly to common stockholders. Our calculation of FFO may not be comparable to measures calculated by other companies who do not use the NAREIT definition of FFO or do not calculate FFO per diluted share in accordance with NAREIT guidance. Additionally, FFO may not be helpful when comparing us to non-REITs.

 

(2) Modified net operating income reflects the income from operations excluding adjustments, such as lease termination income, and GAAP rent adjustments in order to provide a comparable presentation of operating activity across periods. Includes adjustments for items that affect the comparability of, and were excluded from, the same store results. Such adjustments include lease termination income, GAAP rent adjustments, such as straight-line rent, and above/below market lease amortization.

 

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UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED CO NSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The following unaudited pro forma combined consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015 and unaudited pro forma combined consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2015 have been prepared to reflect the following transactions as if they had occurred on December 31, 2015 for the unaudited pro forma combined consolidated balance sheet and January 1, 2015 for the unaudited pro forma combined consolidated statement of operations:

 

    the business and operations of the Company after the consummation of the Retail Asset Disposition and immediately following the completion of the separation of the Company from InvenTrust, after which we will own solely the Highlands Portfolio;

 

    the exclusion of the Disposed Assets;

 

    the Capital Contribution;

 

    the issuance of 862,205,572.183 shares of our common stock to InvenTrust pursuant to a stock dividend prior to the distribution; and

 

    the distribution of 862,205,672.183 shares of our common stock to holders of InvenTrust common stock based upon the number of InvenTrust shares outstanding on             , 2016.

The unaudited pro forma adjustments are based on preliminary estimates, accounting judgments and currently available information and assumptions that management believes are reasonable. The notes to the unaudited pro forma combined consolidated financial statements provide a detailed discussion of how such adjustments were derived and presented in the unaudited pro forma combined consolidated financial and operating data. The unaudited pro forma combined consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with “Summary—Our Structure and Reorganization Transactions—Our Corporate Reorganization,” “Capitalization,” “Selected Historical Financial and Operating Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions,” “Description of Indebtedness” and our combined consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto.

The unaudited pro forma combined consolidated financial statements have been prepared for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of our financial position or results of operations had the transactions described above for which we are giving pro forma effect actually occurred on the dates or for the periods indicated, nor is such unaudited combined consolidated pro forma financial information necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period. A number of factors may affect our results. See “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements.”

 

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Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Balance Sheet

As of December 31, 2015

(in thousands)

 

     Historical     Retail
Asset
Disposition
(1)
    Capital
Contribution/
Financing
Transactions
(3)
    Pro
Forma
 

Assets

        

Land

   $ 153,646      $ (14,981     —        $ 138,665   

Building and other improvements

     711,262        (73,310     —          637,952   

Construction in progress

     —          —          —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     864,908        (88,291     —          776,617   

Less accumulated depreciation

     (185,100     20,063        —          (165,037
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment properties

     679,808        (68,228     —          611,580   

Cash and cash equivalents

     26,972        —          (6,972     20,000   

Restricted cash and escrows

     3,647        —          —          3,647   

Accounts and rents receivable

     12,554        (552     —          12,002   

Intangible assets, net

     12,547        (457     —          12,090   

Deferred cost and other assets

     5,564        (460     —          5,104   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 741,092      $ (69,697   $ (6,972   $ 664,423   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

        

Debt

   $ 438,970      $ —        $ (32,976   $ 405,994   

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

     28,298        (2,223     —          26,075   

Intangible liabilities, net

     5,074        (406     —          4,668   

Other liabilities

     1,897        (420     —          1,477   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities

   $ 474,239      $ (3,049   $ (32,976   $ 438,214   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Stockholders’ Equity

        

Capital

     1,534,018        (96,172     26,004        1,463,850   

Accumulated distributions in excess of net income (loss)

     (1,267,165     29,524        —          (1,237,641
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

   $ 266,853      $ (66,648     26,004      $ 226,209   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities and equity

   $ 741,092      $ (69,697   $ (6,972   $ 664,423   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

See notes to unaudited pro forma combined consolidated financial statements.

 

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Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Statement of Operations

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2015

(in thousands)

 

    Historical     Retail
Asset
Disposition

(1)
    Disposition
Adjustments
(2)
    Capital
Contribution/

Financing
Transactions
(3)
    Other
Adjustments

(5)
    Pro Forma  

Revenues

           

Rental income

  $ 96,960      $ (7,337   $ (833   $ —        $ —        $ 88,790   

Tenant recovery income

    14,447        (2,754     (397     —          —          11,296   

Other property income

    430        (31     (38     —          —          361   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

  $ 111,837      $ (10,122   $ (1,268   $ —        $ —        $ 100,447   

Expenses

           

Property operating expenses

  $ 10,721      $ (1,414   $ (674   $ —        $ —        $ 8,633   

Real estate taxes

    10,303        (2,013     (413     —          —          7,877   

Depreciation and amortization

    36,212        (3,428     (348     —          —          32,436   

General and administrative expense (4)

    12,241        —          —          —          1,100        13,341   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total expenses

  $ 69,477      $ (6,855   $ (1,435     —        $ 1,100      $ 62,287   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

  $ 42,360      $ (3,267   $ 167        —        $ (1,100   $ 38,160   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Interest and dividend income

    1        —          —          —          —          1   

Loss (gain) on sale of investment properties

    (197     —          197        —          —          —     

Other loss

    (11     —          (10     —          —          (21

Interest expense

    (27,757     —          94        1,425        —          (26,238
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

  $ 14,396      $ (3,267   $ 448      $ 1,425      $ (1,100   $ 11,902   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income tax expense

    (51     19        —          —          —          (32
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) from continuing operations

  $ 14,345      $ (3,248   $ 448      $ 1,425      $ (1,100   $ 11,870   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Per Share Data:

           

Pro forma basic earnings per share

    N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A      $ 0.01   

Pro forma diluted earnings per share

    N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A        0.01   

Pro forma weighted average shares outstanding—basic

    N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A        862,205,672   

Pro forma weighted average shares outstanding—diluted

    N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A        865,079,691   

See notes to unaudited pro forma combined consolidated financial statements.

 

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Notes to Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

1. Retail Asset Disposition

The Retail Asset Disposition, which is part of the Reorganization Transactions, reflects five assets that were distributed to InvenTrust. The Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust, and as such, the entities are considered under common control. The transfer of these five assets will be accounted for as a non-cash distribution from the Company to InvenTrust at historical cost and the Company will not realize any gain or loss on disposal.

2. Disposition Adjustments

The Disposition Adjustments reflect the historical results of one asset sold in the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 that did not qualify as discontinued operations. In line with our adoption of the new accounting standard governing discontinued operations, ASU No. 2014-08, effective January 1, 2014, only dispositions representing a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on our results and operations would qualify as discontinued operations.

The Disposition Adjustments also reflect the historical results of three assets that were distributed to InvenTrust. The Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of InvenTrust, and as such, the entities were considered under common control. The transfer of these three assets was accounted for as a non-cash distribution from the Company to InvenTrust at historical cost and the Company did not realize any gain or loss on disposal.

With respect to these transactions, the adjustment gives effect to such transactions as if they had been consummated on January 1, 2015.

3. Capital Contribution and Financing Transactions

Prior to the completion of our separation from InvenTrust, we will receive a capital contribution such that following the contribution, the Company will hold approximately $20.0 million in cash. The Company will also settle our $17.9 million allocated portion of InvenTrust’s unsecured credit facility through a non-cash capital contribution from InvenTrust. In addition, the Company has paid off our note payable with InvenTrust in the amount of $15.1 million.

Interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2015 reflects an adjustment of $1.4 million. This adjustment reflects a decrease in interest expense related to the interest expense allocated in connection with the allocated unsecured credit facility of $0.1 million and interest expense of $1.3 million associated with note payable with InvenTrust.

4. General and Administrative Expenses and Business Management Fee

For the year ended December 31, 2015, pro forma general and administrative expenses totaled $13.2 million. This includes allocated general and administrative expenses from InvenTrust of $11.7 million and general and administrative expenses directly attributable to the Company of $1.5 million. The allocated general and administrative expenses are based upon the Company’s percentage share of the average invested assets of InvenTrust. The allocated general and administrative expenses relate to certain corporate and shared functions. Upon our separation from InvenTrust, the Company will no longer be allocated a portion of InvenTrust’s corporate overhead.

Effective with our separation from InvenTrust, we will assume responsibility for all corporate functions as a stand-alone entity. We expect to incur additional general and administrative expense as a result of becoming a stand-alone public reporting company, including but not limited to incremental salaries and equity incentives, board of directors’ fees and expenses, director and officer insurance, Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance costs, third-party costs for outsourced services, including certain accounting functions, including property accounting,

 

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investor relations, human resources, risk management, information technology, corporate taxes, incremental audit and tax fees, and legal costs. No pro forma adjustments have been made to our financial statements to reflect the additional costs and expenses described in this paragraph.

5. Other Adjustments

We have included in general and administrative expenses amortization of share-based compensation pursuant to the equity compensation described elsewhere in this Information Statement under the headings “Compensation of Directors – Equity Compensation” and “Elements of Executive Compensation – Equity Compensation” of $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2015. The amortization of share-based compensation assumes that the separation from InvenTrust has occurred, and the awards were made on January 1, 2015.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with “Risk Factors,” “Selected Historical Financial and Operating Data,” “Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements,” “Business and Properties” and historical combined consolidated financial statements, and related notes included elsewhere in this Information Statement. The following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements based upon our current expectations, estimates and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including but not limited to, factors discussed in “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements.”

Overview

Upon completion of the Reorganization Transactions and our separation from InvenTrust, we will be a self-advised and self-administered REIT with a portfolio of single- and multi-tenant office assets, industrial assets, retail assets, correctional facilities, unimproved land and a bank branch acquired by InvenTrust prior to our separation. As of December 31, 2015, the Highlands Portfolio consisted of seven office assets, two industrial assets, six retail assets, two correctional facilities, four parcels of unimproved land and one bank branch.

Our investment objectives are to preserve, protect and maximize the total value of our portfolio in connection with our evaluation of various strategic opportunities while seeking to provide stockholders with a return of their investment by liquidating and distributing net sales proceeds. We may seek to sustain and enhance the values of our assets through additional leasing or capital expenditures, where necessary, while identifying and implementing disposition strategies for the assets in our portfolio. We intend to hold our assets until such time as we determine that a sale or other disposition achieves our investment objectives or until it appears such objectives will not be met.

Prior to the Retail Asset Disposition and the completion of our separation from InvenTrust, but after giving effect to the Non-Core Asset Contributions, the Prior Combined Portfolio consisted of 22 assets and 4 parcels of unimproved land as of December 31, 2015. At December 31, 2015, one asset previously counted as a separate property was combined with the adjacent shopping center, resulting in a reduction to our retail asset count. The Company believes this provides a more accurate reflection of retail properties owned.

We currently have three business segments, consisting of (i) net lease, (ii) retail and (iii) multi-tenant office. Our unimproved land is presented in “other” within our segment disclosure. We may have additional or fewer segments in the future to the extent we enter into additional real property sectors, dispose of property sectors, or change the character of our assets. For the complete presentation of our reportable segments, see Note 11 to our Combined Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

For more information regarding the Reorganization Transactions, see “Summary—Our Structure and Reorganization Transactions—Our Corporate Reorganization.” This discussion and analysis reflects the results of operations for the Prior Combined Portfolio. Where indicated, we have supplemented our discussion and analysis of our results of operations to reflect solely the Highlands Portfolio that the Company will own following the completion of the separation of the Company from InvenTrust.

Basis of Presentation

We refer in this Information Statement to the assets owned by MB REIT (Florida), Inc. (“MB REIT”) and assets owned by certain subsidiaries of InvenTrust from time to time since January 1, 2012, as well the Non-Core Contributed Assets (as defined under “Summary—Our Structure and Reorganization Transactions—Our Corporate Reorganization”), as the “Prior Combined Portfolio.” We refer in this Information Statement to all of the assets owned by Highlands following the Reorganization Transactions as the “Highlands Portfolio.” At the

 

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time of our separation from InvenTrust, we expect the Highlands Portfolio to consist of seven office assets, two industrial assets, six retail assets, two correctional facilities, four parcels of unimproved land and one bank branch.

Our financial statements reflect the operations of the Prior Combined Portfolio, which, among other things, includes allocations of costs from certain corporate and shared functions provided to us by InvenTrust. The allocation methods for corporate and shared services costs vary by function but were generally based on historical costs of assets. InvenTrust allocated to us a portion of corporate overhead costs incurred by InvenTrust based upon our percentage share of the average invested assets of InvenTrust, which is reflected in general and administrative expense. As InvenTrust is managing various asset portfolios, the extent of services and benefits a portfolio receives is based on the size of its assets. We believe that using average invested assets to allocate costs is a reasonable reflection of the services and other benefits received by us and complies with applicable accounting guidance. InvenTrust also allocated to us a portion of InvenTrust’s unsecured credit facility and the related interest expense. The unsecured credit facility is subject to a borrowing base consisting of a pool of unencumbered assets. To the extent our assets were included within the pool of unencumbered assets, we were allocated a portion of the unsecured credit facility. However, actual costs may have differed from allocated costs if we had operated as a stand-alone entity during such period and those differences may have been material.

Our financial statements include transactions in which ordinary course cash transactions have been processed by InvenTrust due to InvenTrust’s centralized cash management process on our behalf, such as the repayment of debt, rental receipts and payables in the ordinary course of business, resulting in intercompany transactions between InvenTrust and us. These ordinary course intercompany transactions are considered to be effectively settled at the time of our separation from InvenTrust. Accordingly, these transactions are reflected as distributions to and contributions from InvenTrust in the combined consolidated financial statements.

Because the historical financial statements represent the financial and operating data of the Prior Combined Portfolio and the Company will own solely the Highlands Portfolio following the separation from InvenTrust, the historical financial statements included in this information statement do not reflect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows as if we had operated as a stand-alone public reporting company during the periods presented owning solely the Highlands Portfolio. Accordingly, our historical results should not be relied upon as an indicator of future performance.

Self-Management of InvenTrust

Prior to March 2014, our management team was employed by InvenTrust’s external manager, Inland American Business Manager and Advisor, Inc. (the “Business Manager”), or one of its affiliates. On March 12, 2014, InvenTrust entered into a series of agreements and amendments to existing agreements with affiliates of The Inland Group, Inc. pursuant to which InvenTrust began the process of becoming entirely self-managed (collectively, the “Self-Management Transactions”). After the Self-Management Transactions, our management team and our other employees ceased to be employed by the Business Manager or one of its affiliates and became employees of InvenTrust. In connection with the Self-Management Transactions, InvenTrust agreed with the Business Manager to terminate the management agreement with the Business Manager, hire all of the Business Manager’s employees, and acquire the assets or rights necessary to conduct the functions previously performed for InvenTrust by the Business Manager. Prior to the Self-Management Transactions, we were allocated a portion of the business management fee based upon our percentage share of the average invested assets of InvenTrust. The Self-Management Transactions resulted in a final business management fee incurred in January 2014. As a result, the Company was not allocated a business management fee after January 2014.

Separation from InvenTrust

On                     , 2016, InvenTrust declared the pro rata distribution of 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Highlands to InvenTrust stockholders. The pro rata distribution by InvenTrust of 100% of the outstanding shares of Highlands common stock will occur on                     , 2016 by way of a taxable pro rata

 

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special distribution to InvenTrust stockholders of record on the record date of the distribution. Each InvenTrust stockholder will be entitled to receive one share of Highlands common stock for every one share of InvenTrust common stock held by such stockholder at the close of business on                     , 2016, the record date of the distribution.

Following the separation, we and InvenTrust will operate separately, each as an independent company. We and InvenTrust will enter into a Separation and Distribution Agreement that will effectuate the separation and distribution. In addition, we will enter into various other agreements with InvenTrust to effect the separation and provide a framework for our relationship with InvenTrust after the separation, such as a Transition Services Agreement and an Employee Matters Agreement. These agreements will provide for the allocation between us and InvenTrust of InvenTrust’s assets, liabilities and obligations attributable to periods prior to, at and after our separation from InvenTrust and will govern certain relationships between us and InvenTrust after the separation. For more information regarding these agreements, see “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions—Agreements with InvenTrust.”

Market Outlook

Our financial and operating performance is dependent upon the demand for office assets, industrial assets, retail assets, correctional facilities and unimproved land in our markets. Many of the assets in our portfolio are currently net-leased. Nationally, commercial real estate fundamentals such as vacancy, rent and absorption levels have improved over recent years. However, our portfolio consists of a wide variety of product types that are geographically disbursed, and many of our assets have not benefited from this improvement due to location, market or submarket weakness, product type and physical characteristics.

Office

Our portfolio includes seven office assets, five of which are single-tenant and two of which are multi-tenant. Despite a nationally-improving office outlook, there are factors negatively impacting demand, including factors such as the allocation by companies of less square feet per employee, “address-less” work-spaces, where no employee has an assigned office or desk, and telecommuting.

Three of our single-tenant assets are currently leased to AT&T, a telecommunications company. The original term of the lease for our office property located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois will expire in August 2016. AT&T did not renew the lease for this property during the contractual renewal option period. If AT&T does not renew, we anticipate that it will be difficult to lease this property for several reasons, including weak demand for large corporate campuses, its location in a weak submarket, and a growing trend for companies to locate employees in downtown Chicago instead of the suburbs. Additionally, the design and physical characteristics of this property will make it difficult to multi-tenant. The original term of the lease for our AT&T property located in St. Louis expires in 2017 and the original term of the lease for our AT&T property located in Cleveland expires in 2019. Demand for office space in both downtown St. Louis and Cleveland is weak, and certain physical characteristics of each property may make them difficult to lease.

Our office assets located in suburban Denver and in Pittsburgh are currently single-tenant with leases that expire in 2016 and it is likely that these assets will be converted to multi-tenant assets. We currently anticipate adequate demand though rental rates may be lower than rates under the current leases.

Our multi-tenant office property located in Herndon, Virginia near Dulles airport is 83% leased to Lockheed Martin Corporation. Demand in this market is heavily dependent on government spending levels. We currently anticipate adequate demand in the San Jose, California market, where our Trimble asset is located. There are two tenants at the Trimble asset, each with a lease that expires in the near term.

 

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Industrial

Both of our industrial assets, Versacold St. Paul and Versacold New Ulm, are leased to an affiliate of Americold Realty Trust, a cold storage operator and logistics company. Both assets are under long-term leases expiring in 2027.

Retail

Generally, over the past several years, the demand for retail space has improved. However, there are significant challenges to brick-and-mortar retail, including competition from other shopping venues and other forms of retailing, such as e-commerce and catalogues. However, many of our “big box” retailers have adopted an omnichannel shopping/distribution model to effectively integrate online and physical store shopping and to provide a seamless shopping experience for their customers. Our portfolio of retail assets are located in six distinct markets, and are typically anchored or shadow-anchored by grocers or “big box” tenants. Our retail assets are generally located in secondary markets where our ability to raise rents, lease space and sell assets may be more limited than in high-growth, first-tier markets.

Correctional Facilities

Our correctional facility located in Hudson, Colorado is approximately 40 miles northeast of Denver, and our correctional facility located in Haskell, Texas is approximately 200 miles northwest of Dallas. Each of these facilities is leased to an experienced prison operator. The Hudson lease expires in January 2020 and the facility currently does not house any inmates. The Haskell lease expires in 2016. Given the niche market for these assets and the fact that management and operation of correctional facilities by private entities has not achieved complete acceptance by either governmental agencies or the public, demand for these assets by other tenants and buyers may be limited.

Vacant Land

We currently own four parcels of vacant land, two in Florida, one in North Carolina and one in South Carolina. We continue to evaluate options with respect to these assets.

Inflation

Most of our leases provide that real estate taxes and operating expenses are paid directly by the tenants or are recoverable in whole or in part from the tenants. We believe that inflationary increases in costs may be at least partially offset by contractual rent increases and the pass through or direct payment by the tenants of all or a portion of the real estate taxes and operating expenses.

Acquisition Activity

During the year ended December 31, 2013, InvenTrust entered into a definitive agreement with a joint venture partner which resulted in InvenTrust obtaining control of the venture, consisting of ten assets. InvenTrust consolidated the ten assets previously in the joint venture on December 31, 2013, recording the assets and liabilities of the joint venture at fair value. One asset, a multi-tenant office property, Trimble, is owned by Highlands.

 

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Disposition Activity

During the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, we disposed of 42 net lease, two retail, one multi-tenant office and one other asset:

 

Property

  Date     Gross Disposition
Price

(in thousands)
    Square Feet  

Citizens—Manchester

    7/9/2015      $ 8,200        148,000 Square Feet   

Property

  Date     Gross Disposition
Price

(in thousands)
    Square Feet  

Hunting Bayou

    2/19/2014      $ 10,300        133,269 Square feet   

Net lease portfolio—23 assets

    2/21/2014        219,400        3,685,390 Square feet   

Net lease portfolio—4 assets

    3/28/2014        58,500        1,118,096 Square feet   

Monadnock Marketplace

    4/9/2014        31,200        367,454 Square feet   

3801 S. Collins

    7/31/2014        10,500        239,905 Square feet   

Citizens—Plattsburgh

    11/7/2014        200        7,950 Square feet   
   

 

 

   
    $ 330,100     
   

 

 

   

Property

  Date     Gross Disposition
Price

(in thousands)
    Square Feet  

Citizens Bank—Chicago Heights

    1/24/2013      $ 2,000        6,276 Square feet   

Citizens Bank—Lewes

    2/22/2013        1,100        3,478 Square feet   

Citizens Bank—Westchester

    2/22/2013        1,400        3,410 Square feet   

Citizens Bank—3 assets

    3/19/2013        1,200        5,055 Square feet   

IDS Center

    4/25/2013        253,500        1,462,374 Square feet   

Citizens—Springfield

    5/10/2013        1,000        3,000 Square feet   

Citizens—Haddon Heights

    7/23/2013        1,400        4,810 Square feet   

Southgate Apartments

    8/1/2013        19,500        256 Units   

Net lease portfolio—3 assets

    9/24/2013        29,100        262,700 Square feet   

Citizens—Mellon Bank Building

    12/31/2013        3,300        14,567 Square feet   
   

 

 

   
    $ 313,500     
   

 

 

   

Our Revenues and Expenses

Revenues

Our revenues are primarily derived from rental income and expense recoveries we receive from our tenants under leases with us. Rental income primarily consists of monthly rent and other property income pursuant to tenant leases. Tenant recovery income primarily consists of reimbursements for real estate taxes, common area maintenance costs, management fees and insurance costs.

 

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Expenses

Our operating expenses consist primarily of the following:

 

    Property operating expenses —Property operating expenses primarily consist of repair and maintenance, management fees, utilities and insurance (in each case, some of which are recoverable from the tenant). In 2015, as a result of InvenTrust’s self-management transactions, the management fee paid to Inland American Holdco Management LLC was eliminated and was replaced by direct property costs related to payroll and overhead.

 

    Real estate taxes —These expenses consist of real estate taxes (some of which are recoverable from the tenant).

 

    Depreciation and amortization expense —These are non-cash expenses that primarily consist of depreciation of fixed assets such as buildings and capital equipment at our assets, as well as certain corporate assets. Amortization expense primarily consists of amortization of acquired above and below market leases and in-place leases, which are amortized over the life of the related lease or term.

 

    General and administrative expenses —General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation expense for our corporate staff and personnel supporting our business, transfer agent and investor relations expenses, office administrative and related expenses and transaction expenses. InvenTrust allocated to Highlands a portion of corporate overhead costs incurred by InvenTrust which is based upon Highlands’ percentage share of the average invested assets of InvenTrust and reflected in general and administrative expense. Upon our separation from InvenTrust, we will no longer be allocated a portion of InvenTrust’s corporate overhead. We will be party to a Transition Services Agreement with InvenTrust, pursuant to which we will be charged agreed-upon amounts for the corporate services we receive. We anticipate that we will have non-recurring and recurring expenses associated with establishing and maintaining our own information technology, financial reporting and other public reporting company infrastructure.

 

    Business management fee —During the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, InvenTrust paid an annual business management fee to the Business Manager based on the average invested assets. We were allocated a portion of the business management fee based upon our percentage share of the average invested assets of InvenTrust for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013. On March 12, 2014, InvenTrust entered into the Self-Management Transactions. After the Self-Management Transactions, our management team and our other employees ceased to be employed by the Business Manager or one of its affiliates and became employees of InvenTrust. In connection with the Self-Management Transactions, InvenTrust agreed with the Business Manager to terminate the management agreement with the Business Manager, hire all of the Business Manager’s employees and acquire the assets or rights necessary to conduct the functions previously performed for InvenTrust by the Business Manager. The Self-Management Transactions resulted in a final business management fee incurred in January 2014. As a result, we were not allocated a business management fee after January 2014.

 

    Provision for asset impairment —We hold amortizing intangible assets, intangible liabilities and long-lived asset investments. We assess the carrying values of our long-lived assets and equity method investment and evaluate these assets for impairment as discussed in “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates.” These evaluations have, in the past, resulted in impairment losses for certain of these assets based on the specific facts and circumstances surrounding those assets and our estimates of the fair value of those assets. Based on economic conditions or other factors applicable to a specific asset, we may be required to take additional impairment losses to reflect further declines in our asset and/or investment values.

 

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Factors that May Affect Results of Operations

Rental Income

The amount of net rental income generated by the assets in our portfolio depends principally on our ability to renew expiring leases or re-lease space upon the scheduled or unscheduled termination of leases, lease currently available space and maintain or increase rental rates at our assets. Local, regional or national economic conditions; changing tenant requirements; an oversupply of or a reduction in demand for the type of assets in our portfolio; changes in market rental rates; our ability to provide adequate services and maintenance at our assets; and fluctuations in interest rates could adversely affect our rental income in future periods. Future economic or regional downturns affecting our submarkets or downturns in our tenants’ industries that impair our ability to renew or re-lease space and the ability of our tenants to fulfill their lease commitments, as in the case of tenant bankruptcies, could adversely affect our ability to maintain or increase occupancy. Additionally, tenants may not renew such leases and we may be unable to re-lease such assets on comparably favorable terms or at all. This is a particular concern at our net lease assets.

Scheduled Lease Expirations

Our ability to re-lease expiring space at rental rates equal to or in excess of current rental rates will impact our results of operations. In addition to approximately 376,129 square feet of gross leasable area of vacant space in our portfolio as of December 31, 2015, during the years ending December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, leases representing approximately 34.8%, 22.8% and 3.2%, respectively, of the gross leasable area of our portfolio are scheduled to expire. These leases are expected to represent approximately 34.3%, 17.9% and 4.9%, respectively, of our annualized base rent for such periods.

Operating Expenses

Our property operating expenses generally consist of property taxes, regular repair and maintenance, management fees, utilities and insurance. Many of these expenses are recoverable from the tenant or directly paid by the tenant, particularly at our net lease assets. Other operating expenses consist of general and administrative expenses. As a public reporting company, our annual general and administrative expenses may increase compared to the amount historically allocated to us by InvenTrust.

Key Indicators of Operating Performance

Funds From Operations (“FFO”)

We calculate FFO in accordance with standards established by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”), which defines FFO as net income or loss (calculated in accordance with GAAP), excluding real estate-related depreciation, amortization and impairment, gains (losses) from sales of real estate, the cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles, adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures, and items classified by GAAP as extraordinary. Historical cost accounting for real estate assets implicitly assumes that the value of real estate assets diminishes predictably over time. Since real estate values instead have historically risen or fallen with market conditions, most industry investors consider presentations of operating results for real estate companies that use historical cost accounting to be insufficient by themselves. We believe that the presentation of FFO provides useful supplemental information to investors regarding our operating performance by excluding the effect of real estate depreciation and amortization, gains (losses) from sales for real estate, impairments of real estate assets extraordinary items and the portion of items related to unconsolidated entities, all of which are based on historical cost accounting and which may be of lesser significance in evaluating current performance. We believe that the presentation of FFO can facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and between REITs, even though FFO does not represent an amount that accrues directly to common stockholders. Our calculation of FFO may not be comparable to measures calculated by other companies who do not use the NAREIT definition of FFO or do not calculate FFO per diluted share in accordance with NAREIT guidance. Additionally, FFO may not be helpful when comparing us to non-REITs.

 

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Modified Same Store Net Operating Income

Management of the Company uses modified net operating income (“Modified NOI”) as a key indicator of operating performance metric for internal monitoring and planning purposes, including the preparation of its annual operating budget and monthly operating reviews, as well as to facilitate analysis of future business decisions. Modified NOI reflects the income from operations excluding adjustments for lease termination income and GAAP rent adjustments. Management believes these adjustments provide a comparable presentation of operating activities across periods. Thus, the Company believes that presentation of this non-GAAP financial measure is helpful to investors’ understanding of the Company’s operating and investment decisions. In addition, the Company believes that Modified NOI allows management, investors and analysts to evaluate the Company’s operating results and performance trends on a year-to-year basis because it is an indicator of the return on property investment, before corporate-level allocations and other expenses.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

General

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions in certain circumstances that affect amounts reported in the accompanying combined consolidated financial statements and related notes. This section discusses those critical accounting policies and estimates. These judgments often result from the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. GAAP requires information in financial statements about accounting principles, methods used and disclosures pertaining to significant estimates. This discussion addresses our judgment pertaining to known trends, events or uncertainties which were taken into consideration upon the application of those policies.

As a company with less than $1.0 billion in revenue during our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”). Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for complying with new or revised accounting standards. Thus, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the extended transition period.

Impairment

We assess the carrying values of the respective long-lived assets, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of these assets may not be fully recoverable, such as a reduction in the expected holding period of the asset. If it is determined that the carrying value is not recoverable because the undiscounted cash flows do not exceed carrying value, we are required to record an impairment loss to the extent that the carrying value exceeds fair value. The valuation and possible subsequent impairment of investment assets is a significant estimate that can and does change based on our continuous process of analyzing each asset and reviewing assumptions about uncertain inherent factors, as well as the economic condition of the asset at a particular point in time.

Cost Capitalization and Depreciation Policies

Our policy is to review all expenses paid and capitalize any items which are deemed to be an upgrade or a tenant improvement. These costs are capitalized and included in the investment properties classification as an addition to buildings and improvements.

Buildings and improvements are depreciated on a straight-line basis based upon estimated useful lives of 30 years for buildings and improvements, and 5-15 years for site improvements and furniture, fixtures and equipment. Tenant improvements are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the life of the related lease as a component of depreciation and amortization expense. The portion of the purchase price allocated to acquired

 

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above market leases and acquired below market leases is amortized on a straight-line basis over the life of the related lease as an adjustment to net rental income. Acquired in-place lease costs, customer relationship value and other leasing costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the life of the related lease as a component of amortization expense.

Cost capitalization and the estimate of useful lives requires our judgment and includes significant estimates that can and do change based on our process which periodically analyzes each asset and on our assumptions about uncertain inherent factors.

Dispositions

The Company accounts for dispositions in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 360-20, Real Estate Sales. The Company recognizes gain in full when real estate is sold, provided (a) the profit is determinable, that is, the collectability of the sales price is reasonably assured or the amount that will not be collectible can be estimated, and (b) the earnings process is virtually complete, that is, the seller is not obliged to perform significant activities after the sale to earn the profit.

In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-08, Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity , which includes amendments that change the requirements for reporting discontinued operations and require additional disclosures about discontinued operations. Under the new guidance, only disposals representing a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on the entity’s results and operations would qualify as discontinued operations. In addition, ASU 2014-08 expands the disclosure requirements for disposals that meet the definition of a discontinued operation and requires entities to disclose information about disposals of individually significant components that do not meet the definition of discontinued operations. ASU No. 2014-08 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods in fiscal years that begin after December 15, 2014. We have elected to early adopt ASU No. 2014-08, effective January 1, 2014. Beginning with the year ended December 31, 2014, all asset disposals have been included as a component of income from continuing operations unless they qualify as discontinued operations. The operations reflected in discontinued operations are related to the net lease assets that were classified as held for sale at December 31, 2013 and any asset dispositions reported as discontinued operations prior to our adoption of ASU No. 2014-08.

Revenue Recognition

We commence revenue recognition on our leases based on a number of factors. In most cases, revenue recognition under a lease begins when the lessee takes possession of or controls the physical use of the leased asset. Generally, this occurs on the lease commencement date. The determination of who is the owner, for accounting purposes, of the tenant improvements determines the nature of the leased asset and when revenue recognition under a lease begins. If we are the owner, for accounting purposes, of the tenant improvements, then the leased asset is the finished space and revenue recognition begins when the lessee takes possession of the finished space, typically when the improvements are substantially complete. If we conclude we are not the owner, for accounting purposes, of the tenant improvements (the lessee is the owner), then the leased asset is the unimproved space and any tenant improvement allowances funded under the lease are treated as lease incentives which reduces revenue recognized over the term of the lease. In these circumstances, we begin revenue recognition when the lessee takes possession of the unimproved space for the lessee to construct their own improvements. We consider a number of different factors to evaluate whether it or the lessee is the owner of the tenant improvements for accounting purposes. These factors include:

 

    whether the lease stipulates how and on what a tenant improvement allowance may be spent;

 

    whether the tenant or landlord retains legal title to the improvements;

 

    the uniqueness of the improvements;

 

    the expected economic life of the tenant improvements relative to the length of the lease; and

 

    who constructs or directs the construction of the improvements.

 

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The determination of who owns the tenant improvements, for accounting purposes, is subject to significant judgment. In making that determination, we consider all of the above factors. No one factor, however, necessarily establishes its determination.

We recognize rental income on a straight-line basis over the term of each lease. The difference between rental income earned on a straight-line basis and the cash rent due under the provisions of the lease agreements is recorded as deferred rent receivable and is included as a component of accounts and rents receivable in the accompanying combined consolidated balance sheets. Due to the impact of the straight-line basis, rental income generally is greater than the cash collected in the early years and decreases in the later years of a lease. We periodically review the collectability of outstanding receivables. Allowances are taken for those balances that we deem to be uncollectible, including any amounts relating to straight-line rent receivables.

Reimbursements from tenants for recoverable real estate tax and operating expenses are accrued as revenue in the period the applicable expenses are incurred. We make certain assumptions and judgments in estimating the reimbursements at the end of each reporting period. We do not expect the actual results to significantly differ from the estimated reimbursement.

We will recognize lease termination income if there is a signed termination letter agreement, all of the conditions of the agreement have been met, collectability is reasonably assured and the tenant is no longer occupying the asset. Upon early lease termination, we will provide for losses related to unrecovered intangibles and other assets.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers , which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The ASU will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in GAAP when it becomes effective, although it will not affect the accounting for rental related revenues. The new standard is effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. We are evaluating the effect that ASU No. 2014-09 will have on our combined consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. We have not yet selected a transition method nor have we determined the effect of the standard on our ongoing financial reporting.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases , amending the existing accounting standards for lease accounting, including requiring lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets and making targeted changes to lessor accounting. ASU 2016-02 will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and early adoption of is permitted as of the standard’s issuance date. The new standard requires a modified retrospective transition approach for all leases existing at, or entered into after, the date of initial application, with an option to use certain transition relief. We are assessing whether the new standard will have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations.

Income Taxes

The Company intends to elect to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes beginning with the Company’s short taxable year commencing immediately prior to the Company’s separation from InvenTrust and ending on December 31, 2016. So long as it qualifies as a REIT, the Company generally will not be subject to federal income tax on taxable income that is distributed currently to stockholders. A REIT is subject to a number of organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that it distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income (subject to certain adjustments) to its stockholders each year. If the Company fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, without the benefit of certain relief provisions, the Company will be subject to federal and state income tax on its taxable income at regular corporate tax rates and would not be able to re-elect REIT status during the four years following the year of the failure. Even if the Company qualifies for taxation as a REIT, the Company may be subject to certain state and local taxes on its income, property or net worth and federal income and excise taxes on its undistributed income.

 

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The Company is currently a qualified REIT subsidiary (“QRS”) of InvenTrust, which has elected to be taxed as a REIT and has operated in a manner intended to qualify as a REIT under the Code. As a QRS, the Company is currently disregarded as a separate entity from InvenTrust for federal income tax purposes. All assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the Company are currently treated for federal income tax purposes as those of InvenTrust.

The Company’s subsidiary, MB REIT, operated in a manner intended to qualify to be taxed as a REIT under the Code. On December 15, 2015, MB REIT redeemed all of the outstanding shares of its Series B Preferred Stock and became a wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust. At that time, MB REIT became a QRS of InvenTrust and ceased to be treated as a separate REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a QRS, MB REIT is currently disregarded as a separate entity from InvenTrust for federal income tax purposes. All assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of MB REIT are treated for federal income tax purposes as those of InvenTrust.

Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

Key performance indicators are as follows:

 

     As of December 31,  
     2015     2014     2013  

Economic occupancy (a)

     95     93     91

Rent per square foot (b)

   $ 14.19      $ 13.90      $ 13.94   

 

(a) Economic occupancy is defined as the percentage of total gross leasable area for which a tenant is obligated to pay rent under the terms of its lease agreement, regardless of the actual use or occupation by the tenant of the area being leased. Actual use may be less than economic square footage.
(b) Rent per square foot is computed as annualized rent divided by the total occupied square footage at the end of the period. Annualized rent is computed as revenue for the last month of the period multiplied by twelve months. Annualized rent includes the effect of rent abatements, lease inducements and straight-line rent GAAP adjustments.

Combined Consolidated Results of Operations

 

     (in thousands)  
     Year ended
December 31, 2015
     Year ended
December 31, 2014
     Year ended
December 31, 2013
 

Net income (loss) from continuing operations

   $ 14,345       $ 12,555       $ (247,863

Net income (loss) attributable to Company

     14,330         17,171         (199,410

Our net income from continuing operations increased to $14.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 from net income from continuing operations of $12.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. Our net income attributable to the Company decreased to $14.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 from net income attributable to the Company of $17.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. The increase in net income from continuing operations is primarily as a result of InvenTrust’s self-management transactions, which eliminated the property management fee paid to Inland American Holdco Management LLC and was replaced by direct property costs related to payroll and overhead. This was partially offset by three assets transferred to InvenTrust during the first quarter of 2015 and gains from extinguishment of debt of $12.0 million, primarily related to one asset, for the year ended December 31, 2014. The decrease in net income attributable to the Company was a result of net income from discontinued operations of $4.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

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Our net income from continuing operations increased to $12.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 from a net loss from continuing operations of $247.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. Our net income attributable to the Company increased to $17.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 from a net loss attributable to the Company of $199.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. These increases were primarily due to a decrease in impairment charges to $15.6 million, related to two assets, for the year ended December 31, 2014 from $258.6 million, related to nine assets, for the year ended December 31, 2013. These impairment charges were offset by gains from extinguishment of debt of $12.0 million, primarily related to one asset sold during 2014 and included in continuing operations, and $2.4 million, primarily related to one asset, for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Additionally, the net loss attributable to the Company for the year ended December 31, 2013 was offset by income from discontinued operations of $48.5 million due to the net lease asset portfolio sale. The income from of discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2014 was $4.6 million.

 

Operating Income and Expenses

 

     (in thousands)  
     Year ended
December 31,
2015
     Year ended
December 31,
2014
     Year ended
December 31,
2013
     2015 Increase
(decrease)
from 2014
    2014 Increase
(decrease)
from 2013
 

Income:

             

Rental income

   $ 96,960       $ 104,218       $ 108,841       $ (7,258   $ (4,623

Tenant recovery income

     14,447         17,190         18,611         (2,743     (1,421

Other property income

     430         739         743         (309     (4

Operating Expenses:

             

Property operating expenses

     10,721         15,443         15,888         (4,722     (445

Real estate taxes

     10,303         12,379         13,312         (2,076     (933

Depreciation and amortization

     36,212         37,235         47,113         (1,023     (9,878

Provision for asset impairment

             15,640         258,648         (15,640     (243,008

General and administrative expenses

     12,241         7,161         4,534         5,080        2,627   

Business management fee

             423         6,742         (423     (6,319

Property Income and Operating Expenses

Rental income consists of basic monthly rent, straight-line rent adjustments, amortization of acquired above and below market leases, other property income, and percentage rental income recorded pursuant to tenant leases. Tenant recovery income consists of reimbursements for real estate taxes, common area maintenance costs, management fees, and insurance costs. Other property income consists of lease termination fees and other miscellaneous property income. Property operating expenses include regular repair and maintenance, management fees, utilities, and insurance (some of which are recoverable from the tenant).

There was a decrease in property income for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to 2014. Total property income decreased by $10.3 million, or 8.4%, for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the same period in 2014 as a result of three assets transferred to InvenTrust during the first quarter of 2015.

Property operating expenses decreased $4.7 million, or 30.6%, for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to 2014. As a result of InvenTrust’s self-management transactions, which eliminated the property management fee paid to Inland American Holdco Management LLC and was replaced by direct property costs related to payroll and overhead, there was a decrease of approximately $3.7 million in property operating expenses. In addition, the decrease is a result of three assets transferred to InvenTrust during the first quarter of 2015.

 

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There was a decrease in property income for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to 2013. Total property income decreased by $6.0 million, or 4.7%, for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the same period in 2013 as a result of four assets sold during 2014 that were not classified as discontinued operations.

Property operating expenses decreased $0.4 million, or 2.8%, for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to 2013.

Real Estate Taxes

Real estate taxes decreased by $2.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the same period in 2014 as a result of three assets transferred to InvenTrust during the first quarter of 2015.

Real estate taxes decreased by $0.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the same period in 2013 as a result of four assets sold in 2014 that were not classified as discontinued operations.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization decreased by $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the same period in 2014 as a result of three assets transferred to InvenTrust during the first quarter of 2015.

Depreciation and amortization decreased by $9.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the same period in 2013 as a result of a decrease in the asset basis related to provision for asset impairment charges recorded on AT&T—Hoffman Estates and AT&T—St. Louis for the year ended December 31, 2013 as well as four assets sold in 2014 that were not classified as discontinued operations.

Provision for Asset Impairment

For the year ended December 31, 2015, we recorded no asset impairment charges.

For the year ended December 31, 2014, we identified certain assets which may have a reduction in the expected holding period and reviewed the probability that we would dispose of these assets. As a result of our analysis, we identified one asset during the year ended December 31, 2014, which was subsequently sold, that we determined was impaired and wrote down to fair value. Additionally, AT&T—St. Louis, which was previously classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2013, was re-classified as held and used and was re-measured at the lesser of the carrying value or fair value as of May 8, 2014, resulting in an impairment charge to this asset of $9.7 million. Overall, we recorded a provision for asset impairment of $15.6 million to reduce the carrying value of these two assets to their fair values for the year ended December 31, 2014.

For the year ended December 31, 2013, we identified certain assets which may have a reduction in the expected holding period and reviewed the probability that we would dispose of these assets. As part of our analysis, we identified one asset, AT&T—Hoffman Estates, in which we were exploring a potential disposition. After we began exploring a potential sale of the asset, we became aware of circumstances in which the tenant was considering vacating the space. Although the lease does not expire until September 2016, we analyzed various leasing and sale scenarios for AT&T—Hoffman Estates. Based on the probabilities assigned to such scenarios, it was determined the asset was impaired and therefore written down to its estimated fair value. As a result, we recorded an impairment charge of $147.5 million with respect to this asset for the year ended December 31, 2013.

Additionally, on August 8, 2013, InvenTrust entered into a purchase agreement to sell a portfolio of net lease assets. Thirty-one of the assets were part of the Highlands Portfolio. We evaluated the 31 assets as a disposal group and determined that the disposal group was in a net loss position. Based on the analysis, we attributed the impairment to one asset, AT&T—St. Louis, in which we recorded an impairment charge of $61.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2013.

 

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In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company recorded an additional $49.2 million impairment charge related to four net lease and three retail assets. Of these assets, six were reviewed for impairment based on the probability we would dispose of the assets and one was reviewed for impairment based on debt-related triggers. Of these assets, five were subsequently sold.

Overall, we recorded a provision for asset impairment of $258.6 million to reduce the carrying value of certain investment assets to their estimated fair values for the year ended December 31, 2013.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses increased to $12.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 from $7.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. The increase was the result of an increase in the allocation of costs by InvenTrust for certain corporate services and other expenses. For both periods, we were allocated a portion of such expenses based upon our percentage share of the average invested assets of InvenTrust. Due to InvenTrust’s spin-off of its subsidiary Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. in February 2015, InvenTrust’s total average invested assets decreased for the year ended December 31, 2015 and, therefore, our relative percentage share increased. The allocation includes costs related to corporate overhead expenses, such as payroll costs for certain of InvenTrust’s employees (accounting, finance, tax, treasury and legal) and outside professional services.

General and administrative expenses increased to $7.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 from $4.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. The increase was the result of an increase in expenses connected to payroll, legal, and other professional fees primarily related to the transition to self-management.

Business Management Fee

We incurred a business management fee of $0.4 million and $6.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, which was equal to 12.7% and 16.9% of average invested assets, respectively.

During the year ended December 31, 2013, InvenTrust paid an annual business management fee to the Business Manager based on the average invested assets. We were allocated a portion of the business management fee based upon our percentage share of the average invested assets of InvenTrust for the year ended December 31, 2013. On March 12, 2014, InvenTrust entered into the Self-Management Transactions. After the Self-Management Transactions, our management team and our other employees ceased to be employed by the Business Manager or one of its affiliates and became our employees. In connection with the Self-Management Transactions, InvenTrust agreed with the Business Manager to terminate the management agreement with the Business Manager, hire all of the Business Manager’s employees and acquire the assets or rights necessary to conduct the functions previously performed for InvenTrust by the Business Manager. The Self-Management Transactions resulted in a final business management fee incurred in January 2014. As a result, we were not allocated a business management fee after January 2014.

Non-Operating Income and Expenses

 

     (in thousands)  
     Year ended
December 31,
2015
    Year ended
December 31,
2014
    Year ended
December 31,
2013
    2015 Increase
(decrease)
from 2014
    2014 Increase
(decrease)
from 2013
 

Non-operating income and expenses:

          

Interest and dividend income

   $ 1      $ 5      $ 1,006      $ (4   $ (1,001

Loss on sale of investment properties

     (197     (1,018     —          821        (1,018

Gain on extinguishment of debt

     —          11,959        2,419        (11,959     9,540   

Other (loss) income

     (11     488        889        (499     (401

Interest expense

     (27,757     (32,681     (37,583     (4,924     (4,902

Income from discontinued operations, net

     —          4,632        48,469        (4,632     (43,837

 

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Loss on Sale of Investment Properties

In line with our early adoption of the new accounting standard governing discontinued operations, ASU No. 2014-08, effective January 1, 2014, only dispositions representing a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on our results and operations would qualify as discontinued operations. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, the operations reflected in discontinued operations include the net lease assets that were classified as held for sale at December 31, 2013. All other asset dispositions are now included as a component of income from continuing operations, except for those assets classified as discontinued operations prior to our adoption of the new accounting standard governing discontinued operations.

During the year ended December 31, 2015, the loss on sale of properties was $0.2 million, which was attributed to one asset sold during 2015 that did not qualify as discontinued operations.

During the year ended December 31, 2014, the loss on sale of properties was $1.0 million, which was attributed to four assets sold during 2014 that did not qualify as discontinued operations.

There was no gain or loss on sale of investment properties for the year end December 31, 2013.

Gain on Extinguishment of Debt

There was no gain on extinguishment of debt for the year ended December 31, 2015.

The gain on extinguishment of debt of $12.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 was primarily due to the gain on extinguishment of debt of $12.1 million for one asset sold during 2014, partially offset by the write-off of loan fees.

The gain on extinguishment of debt of $2.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 was primarily due to a discounted mortgage pay off for one asset.

Interest Expense

Interest expense from continuing operations decreased to $27.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 from $32.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. Additional interest expense of $0.0 million and $1.9 million was reflected in discontinued operations for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. In total, interest expense decreased to $27.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 from $34.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. This was primarily due to the decrease in the principal amount of our total debt (including mortgages, and the allocation of lines of credit from InvenTrust) to $439.0 million as of December 31, 2015 from $487.8 million as of December 31, 2014.

Interest expense from continuing operations decreased to $32.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 from $37.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. Additional interest expense of $1.9 million and $14.1 million was reflected in discontinued operations for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. In total, interest expense decreased to $34.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 from $51.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. This was primarily due to the decrease in the principal amount of our total debt (including mortgages, and the allocation of lines of credit from InvenTrust) to $487.8 million as of December 31, 2014 from $776.6 million, which includes debt related to assets classified as held for sale, as of December 31, 2013.

Our weighted average interest rate on total outstanding debt was 6.09%, 6.10% and 6.29% per annum for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

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Discontinued Operations

In line with our early adoption of the new accounting standard governing discontinued operations, for the year ended December 31, 2014, only dispositions representing a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on our results and operations would qualify as discontinued operations. The operations of the net lease assets classified as held for sale on the combined consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013 and other assets sold prior to our adoption of ASU No. 2014-08 are included in discontinued operations for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.

For the year ended December 31, 2015, there was no discontinued operation activity.

For the year ended December 31, 2014, as we completed the net lease portfolio sale, we recorded net income of $4.6 million from discontinued operations, which primarily included a gain on sale of properties of $5.6 million and a loss on extinguishment of debt of $2.1 million. Discontinued operations generated operating income of $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.

For the year ended December 31, 2013, we recorded net income of $48.5 million from discontinued operations, which primarily included a gain on sale of properties of $57.2 million and a loss on extinguishment of debt of $2.1 million. Discontinued operations generated operating income of $7.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, which includes a provision for asset impairment of $3.9 million.

Leasing Activity

Our primary source of funding for our property-level operating activities and debt payments is rent collected pursuant to our tenant leases. The following table represents lease expirations for the Prior Combined Portfolio as of December 31, 2015:

 

Lease Expiration Year

  Number of
Expiring Leases
    GLA of
Expiring Leases
(Sq. Ft.)
    Annualized
Rent of
Expiring Leases
    Percent of Total
GLA
    Percent of Total
Annualized
Rent
    Expiring
Rent/Square
Foot
 

2016

    27        2,351,310      $ 33,346        34.8     34.3   $ 14.18   

2017

    15        1,539,864        17,408        22.8     17.9     11.30   

2018

    24        219,484        4,735        3.2     4.9     21.57   

2019

    31        478,722        7,558        7.1     7.8     15.79   

2020

    50        679,133        15,416        10.0     15.8     22.70   

2021

    22        436,922        8,154        6.5     8.4     18.66   

2022

    8        173,198        2,520        2.6     2.6     14.55   

2023

    9        54,900        1,220        0.8     1.3     22.23   

2024

    4        72,643        646        1.1     0.7     8.90   

2025

    11        62,030        887        0.9     0.9     14.29   

Month to Month

    15        602,486        4,249        8.9     4.4     7.05   

Thereafter

    7        95,015        1,166        1.4     1.2     12.27   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
    223        6,765,707      $ 97,305        100     100   $ 14.38   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The lease for AT&T – Hoffman Estates represents a significant portion of the annualized rent scheduled to expire in 2016, as it accounts for almost 25% of the Prior Combined Portfolio’s total annualized rent. For additional information regarding this lease, see “Business and Properties—Properties—AT&T-Hoffman Estates.” The next three largest leases expiring in 2016 account for approximately 6% of our annualized rent in the aggregate and each relate to assets with a single tenant. For two of these assets, we believe that the current tenants may choose to renew for a portion of the space currently leased and that those assets will therefore become multi-tenant. We expect adequate demand for these assets from current sub-tenants or new tenants, though rental rates may be approximately 10% to 20% lower, when expenses are accounted for, due to the assets changing from single-tenant sale-leasebacks to multi-tenant assets. The third lease, which is a correctional

 

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facility located in Haskell, Texas, expires in May 2016. To date, we have not reached an agreement with the existing tenant to renew the lease and we do not currently anticipate that they will renew or extend the term of the lease. Additionally, we have not reached an agreement with other potential lessees of this facility. Due to the specialized nature of this asset and limited demand for such an asset, as well as the lack of market comparables, we are unable to estimate market rents and terms for such asset. Further, we may be unable to re-lease the facility on terms equal to or better than the current terms, or at all.

The following table represents new and renewed leases that commenced in the year ended December 31, 2015.

 

     # of Leases      Gross Leasable
Area
     Rent
per square foot
     Weighted
Average
Lease Term
     Tenant
Improvement
Allowances
     Commission  

New

     6         70,776       $ 20.88         9.42       $   38.34       $   10.12   

Renewal

     36         329,000         12.04         5.90         0.89           
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     45         399,776       $ 13.61         6.52       $ 7.52       $ 1.79   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

During the year ended December 31, 2015, 9 new leases and 36 renewals commenced with gross leasable area totaling 399,776 square feet. The weighted average term for new leases was 9.42 years, with tenant improvement allowances and commissions at $38.34 and $10.12, respectively. The weighted average lease term for renewal leases was 5.90 years, with tenant improvement allowances of $0.89 per square foot.

Tenant improvement allowances were primarily given for our new leases, two of which represent 11.5% of the total tenant improvement allowance. Of these two leases, one is a multi-tenant office lease and one is a retail lease.

As of December 31, 2014, we had gross leasable area totaling 328,333 square feet set to expire in 2015, of which 311,457 square feet, or 24 leases, were renewed. The remaining 16,876 square feet, or 6 leases, were not renewed during the year ended December 31, 2015.

Same-store

At December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Prior Combined Portfolio consisted of 22 wholly owned assets and four parcels of unimproved land, 27 wholly owned assets and four parcels of unimproved land and 58 wholly owned assets and four parcels of unimproved land, respectively, and the Highlands Portfolio, a subset of the Prior Combined Portfolio, consisted of 18 wholly owned assets and four parcels of unimproved land, 18 wholly owned assets and four parcels of unimproved land and 17 wholly owned assets and four parcels of unimproved land, respectively. The assets owned during these periods, which exclude discontinued operations, have been included in our results of operations during the respective periods since their dates of acquisition. Based on when an asset was acquired, operating results for certain assets are not comparable for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013. Same store assets are all assets within the Highlands Portfolio and Prior Combined Portfolio that we have owned and operated for the entirety of the periods being compared. This same store analysis allows management to monitor the operations of our existing assets for comparable periods to determine the effects of our acquisitions and dispositions on net income.

 

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The following are key performance indicators for comparable assets within Highlands Portfolio and the Prior Combined Portfolio at December 31, 2015 and 2014:

 

     Highlands Portfolio     Variance     Prior Combined Portfolio     Variance  
     As of December 31,     from 2014 to     As of December 31,     from 2014 to  
         2015             2014         2015         2015             2014         2015  

Economic occupancy (a)

     95     95         95     94     1.1

Rent per square foot (b)

   $ 14.00      $ 13.86        1.0   $ 14.19      $ 14.13        0.4

 

(a) Economic occupancy is defined as the percentage of total gross leasable area for which a tenant is obligated to pay rent under the terms of its lease agreement, regardless of the actual use or occupation by the tenant of the area being leased. Actual use may be less than economic square footage.
(b) Rent per square foot is computed as annualized rent divided by the total occupied square footage at the end of the period. Annualized rent is computed as revenue for the last month of the period multiplied by twelve months. Annualized rent includes the effect of rent abatements, lease inducements and straight-line rent GAAP adjustments.

The following are key performance indicators for comparable assets within Highlands Portfolio and the Prior Combined Portfolio at December 31, 2014 and 2013:

 

     Highlands Portfolio     Variance     Prior Combined Portfolio     Variance  
     As of December 31,     from 2013 to     As of December 31,     from 2013 to  
         2014             2013         2014         2014             2013         2014  

Economic occupancy (a)

     94     95     (1.1 )%      94     95     (1.1 )% 

Rent per square foot (b)

   $ 13.97      $ 14.00        (0.2 )%    $ 14.13      $ 14.14        (0.1 )% 

 

(a) Economic occupancy is defined as the percentage of total gross leasable area for which a tenant is obligated to pay rent under the terms of its lease agreement, regardless of the actual use or occupation by the tenant of the area being leased. Actual use may be less than economic square footage.
(b) Rent per square foot is computed as annualized rent divided by the total occupied square footage at the end of the period. Annualized rent is computed as revenue for the last month of the period multiplied by twelve months. Annualized rent includes the effect of rent abatements, lease inducements and straight-line rent GAAP adjustments.

 

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Modified Net Operating Income

The following table represents our same store modified net operating income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 for the Highlands Portfolio and the Prior Combined Portfolio (in thousands).

 

    Pro Forma                          
    Highlands Portfolio     Prior Combined Portfolio  
    Twelve Months Ended                 Twelve Months Ended              
    December 31,
2015
    December 31,
2014
    Favorable
(Unfav.)
Variance
    Favorable
(Unfav.)
Variance
    December 31,
2015
    December 31,
2014
    Favorable
(Unfav.)
Variance
    Favorable
(Unfav.)
Variance
 

No. of same store assets

    18        18            22        22       

Operating revenues

               

Rental income

  $ 90,547      $ 89,279      $ 1,268        1.4   $ 97,974      $ 96,239      $ 1,735        1.8

Tenant recovery income

    11,297        11,183        114        1.0     14,044        13,938        106        0.8

Other property income

    208        207        1        0.5     224        242        (18     (7.4 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total income

    102,052        100,669        1,383        1.4     112,242        110,419        1,823        1.7
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses

               

Property operating expenses

    8,627        11,101        2,474        22.3     10,040        12,821        2,781        21.7

Real estate taxes

    7,448        7,589        141        1.9     9,461        9,771        310        3.2
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

    16,075        18,690        2,615        14.0     19,501        22,592        3,091        13.7
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Modified same store NOI (1)

    85,977        81,979        3,998        4.9     92,741        87,827        4,914        5.6
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Modified non same store NOI (1)

    (403     (259     (144     (55.6 )%      (207     7,586        (7,793     (102.7 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Modified net operating income (1)

  $ 85,574      $ 81,720      $ 3,854        4.7   $ 92,534      $ 95,413      $ (2,879     (3.0 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjustments (2)

               

GAAP Adjustment to rental income

    (1,756     (1,174     (582     49.6     (1,856     (1,522     (334     21.9

Termination fee income

    119        379        (260     (68.6 )%      135        434        (299     (68.9 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total adjustments

    (1,637     (795     (842     105.9     (1,721     (1,088     (633     58.2
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net operating income

  $ 83,937      $ 80,925      $ 3,012        3.7   $ 90,813      $ 94,325      $ (3,512     (3.7 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1) Modified net operating income reflects the income from operations excluding adjustments, such as lease termination income, and GAAP rent adjustments in order to provide a comparable presentation of operating activity across periods.
(2) Includes adjustments for items that affect the comparability of, and were excluded from, the same store results. Such adjustments include lease termination income and GAAP rent adjustments (such as straight-line rent and above/below market lease amortization).

Modified net operating income on a same store basis for the Highlands Portfolio grew by 4.9% for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014. The increase was the result of stable same store occupancy and a slight increase in comparable lease rates year to year. In addition, as a result of InvenTrust’s self-management transactions, which eliminated the property management fee paid to Inland American Holdco Management LLC and was replaced by direct property costs related to payroll and overhead, there was a decrease of approximately $3.3 million in property operating expenses. Offsetting this decrease in property operating expense is an increase in direct recovery expenses. On a total segment basis, there was an increase in modified net operating income of $3.9 million, or 4.7%.

Modified net operating income on a same store basis for the Prior Combined Portfolio grew by 5.6% for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to the year ended December 31, 2014. As a result of InvenTrust’s self-

 

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management transactions, which eliminated the property management fee paid to Inland American Holdco Management LLC and was replaced by direct property costs related to payroll and overhead, there was a decrease of approximately $3.6 million in property operating expenses. Offsetting this decrease in property operating expense is an increase in direct recovery expenses. On a total segment basis, there was a decrease in modified net operating income of $2.9 million, or 3.0%. This was the result of three assets transferred to InvenTrust in the first quarter of 2015 and the disposition of one asset in 2015 and four assets in 2014 that did not qualify as discontinued operations.

The following table represents our same store modified net operating income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 for the Highlands Portfolio and the Prior Combined Portfolio (in thousands).

 

    Pro Forma                          
    Highlands Portfolio     Prior Combined Portfolio  
    Twelve Months Ended                 Twelve Months Ended              
    December 31,
2014
    December 31,
2013
    Favorable
(Unfav.)
Variance
    Favorable
(Unfav.)
Variance
    December 31,
2014
    December 31,
2013
    Favorable
(Unfav.)
Variance
    Favorable
(Unfav.)
Variance
 

No. of same store assets

    17        17            21        21       

Operating revenues

               

Rental income

  $ 87,520      $ 86,726      $ 794        0.9   $ 94,481      $ 93,769      $ 712        0.8

Tenant recovery income

    10,755        10,524        231        2.2     13,510        13,426        84        0.6

Other property income

    207        226        (19     (8.4 )%      242        279        (37     (13.3 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total income

    98,482        97,476        1,006        1.0     108,233        107,474        759        0.7
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses

               

Property operating expenses

    10,929        10,974        45        0.4     12,651        12,902        251        1.9

Real estate taxes

    7,248        7,142        (106     (1.5 )%      9,429        9,301        (128     (1.4 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

    18,177        18,116        (61     (0.3 )%      22,080        22,203        123        0.6
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Modified same store NOI (1)

    80,305        79,360        945        1.2     86,153        85,271        882        1.0
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Modified non same store NOI (1)

    1,415        (483     1,898        393.0     9,260        13,730        (4,470     (32.6 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Modified net operating income (1)

  $ 81,720      $ 78,877      $ 2,843        3.6   $ 95,413      $ 99,001      $ (3,588     (3.6 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjustments (2)

               

GAAP Adjustment to rental income

    (1,174     (149     (1,025     687.9     (1,522     (365     (1,157     317.0

Termination fee income

    379        341        38        11.1     434        359        75        20.9
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total adjustments

    (795     192        (987     (514.1 )%      (1,088     (6     (1,082     18,033.3
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net operating income

  $ 80,925      $ 79,069      $ 1,856        2.3   $ 94,325      $ 98,995      $ (4,670     (4.7 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1) Modified net operating income reflects the income from operations excluding adjustments, such as lease termination income, and GAAP rent adjustments in order to provide a comparable presentation of operating activity across periods.
(2) Includes adjustments for items that affect the comparability of, and were excluded from, the same store results. Such adjustments include lease termination income and GAAP rent adjustments (such as straight-line rent and above/below market lease amortization).

Modified net operating income on a same store basis for the Highlands Portfolio grew by 1.2% for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the year ended December 31, 2013. The increase was the result of stable same store economic occupancy and comparable lease rates year to year. On a total segment basis, there was an increase in modified net operating income of $2.8 million, or 3.6%, partially due to the consolidation of one entity previously classified as a joint venture.

 

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Modified net operating income on a same store basis for the Prior Combined Portfolio grew by 1.0% for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the year ended December 31, 2013. This was the result of stable economic occupancy and comparable lease rates year to year. On a total segment basis, there was decrease in modified net operating income of $3.6 million, or 3.6%. This was result of the disposition of four assets in 2014 and one asset sold in 2015 that did not qualify as discontinued operations.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We consider the non-GAAP financial measures of FFO and Modified NOI useful to investors as key supplemental measures of our operating performance. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered along with, but not as alternatives to, net income or loss, operating profit, cash from operations, or any other operating performance measure as prescribed per GAAP.

Funds From Operations

We calculate FFO in accordance with standards established by NAREIT, which defines FFO as net income or loss (calculated in accordance with GAAP), excluding real estate-related depreciation, amortization and impairment, gains (losses) from sales of real estate, the cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles, adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. Historical cost accounting for real estate assets implicitly assumes that the value of real estate assets diminishes predictably over time. Since real estate values instead have historically risen or fallen with market conditions, most industry investors consider presentations of operating results for real estate companies that use historical cost accounting to be insufficient by themselves. We believe that the presentation of FFO provides useful supplemental information to investors regarding our operating performance by excluding the effect of real estate depreciation and amortization, gains (losses) from sales for real estate, impairments of real estate assets and the portion of items related to unconsolidated entities, all of which are based on historical cost accounting and which may be of lesser significance in evaluating current performance. We believe that the presentation of FFO can facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and between REITs, even though FFO does not represent an amount that accrues directly to common stockholders. Our calculation of FFO may not be comparable to measures calculated by other companies who do not use the NAREIT definition of FFO or do not calculate FFO per diluted share in accordance with NAREIT guidance. Additionally, FFO may not be helpful when comparing us to non-REITs.

 

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The following is a reconciliation of our GAAP net income (loss) from continuing operations to FFO for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 (in thousands):

 

     Pro Forma      Combined Consolidated  
     Highlands
Portfolio
        
     Twelve
Months
Ended
December 31,
2015
     Twelve
Months
Ended
December 31,
2015
    Twelve
Months
Ended
December 31,
2014
    Twelve
Months
Ended
December 31,
2013
 

Net income (loss) from continuing operations

   $ 11,870       $ 14,345      $ 12,555      $ (247,863

Net income from discontinued operations

     —           —          4,632        48,469   

Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interests

     —           (15     (16     (16
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) attributable to Company

   $ 11,870       $ 14,330      $ 17,171      $ (199,410

Depreciation and amortization related to investment properties

     32,436         36,238        37,287        62,268   

Depreciation and amortization related to investment in an unconsolidated entity

     —           —          —          705   

Impairment of investment properties

     —           —          15,640        258,648   

Impairment of investment properties reflected in discontinued operations

     —           —          —          3,853   

Loss (gain) on sale of investment property, net

     —           197        (4,576     (57,239

Gain on investment in unconsolidated entity

     —           —          —          (2,930
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

NAREIT FFO

   $ 44,306       $ 50,765      $ 65,522      $ 65,895   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2015, (i) the loan agreements affiliated with AT&T—Hoffman Estates and AT&T—Cleveland are in “hyper-amortization,” and so all net operating income from these assets, less management operating expenses, is used to pay down the principal amount of the loan, and (ii) all net operating income, less management operating expenses, for Dulles Executive Plaza and Shops at Sherman Plaza is being “swept” and held by the lender pursuant to the applicable loan agreement, in each case, as a result of defaults under the respective loan agreements. For the year ended December 31, 2015, the company relinquished $22.5 million, $2.0 million and $1.6 million to the lenders under the loan agreements for AT&T Hoffman Estates, Dulles Executive Plaza and AT&T Cleveland, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2015, Shops at Sherman Plaza had a net loss of $0.6 million.

The table below reflects additional information related to certain items that significantly impact the comparability of our FFO and net income (loss) or significant non-cash items from the periods presented (in thousands):

 

     Pro Forma      Combined Consolidated  
     Highlands Portfolio         
     Twelve
Months
Ended
December 31,

2015
     Twelve
Months
Ended
December 31,
2015
     Twelve
Months
Ended
December 31,
2014
     Twelve
Months
Ended
December 31,
2013
 

Gain on extinguishment of debt

   $ —         $ —         $ (9,835    $ (364

Amortization of mark to market debt discounts and financing costs

   $ 217       $ 220       $ 380       $ 790   

Amortization of share-based compensation expense

   $ 1,100       $ —         $ —         $ —     

 

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Modified Net Operating Income

Management of the Company uses Modified NOI as a key indicator of operating performance metric for internal monitoring and planning purposes, including the preparation of its annual operating budget and monthly operating reviews, as well as to facilitate analysis of future business decisions. Modified NOI reflects the income from operations excluding adjustments for lease termination income and GAAP rent adjustments. Management believes these adjustments provide a comparable presentation of operating activities across periods. Thus, the Company believes that presentation of this non-GAAP financial measure is helpful to investors’ understanding of the Company’s operating and investment decisions. In addition, the Company believes that Modified NOI allows management, investors and analysts to evaluate the Company’s operating results and performance trends on a year-to-year basis because it is an indicator of the return on property investment, before corporate-level allocations and other expenses.

The following table reflects a reconciliation of modified net operating income to the net income (loss) attributable to the Company on the combined consolidated statements of operations (in thousands):

 

    Pro Forma     Prior Combined Portfolio  
    Highlands Portfolio        
    For the years ended     For the years ended  
    December 31,     December 31,  
    2015     2015     2014     2013  

Modified net operating income

  $ 85,574      $ 92,534      $ 95,413      $ 99,001   

Adjustments (1)

    (1,637     (1,721     (1,088     (6
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net operating income

    83,937        90,813        94,325        98,995   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-allocated expenses (2)

    (45,777     (48,453     (44,819     (58,389

Other income and expenses (3)

    (26,290     (28,015     (21,311     (33,379

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entity (4)

    —          —          —          3,558   

Provision for asset impairment

    —          —          (15,640     (258,648
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) from continuing operations

  $ 11,870      $ 14,345      $ 12,555      $ (247,863
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income from discontinued operations

    —          —          4,632        48,469   

Less: net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

    —          (15     (16     (16
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) attributable to Company

  $ 11,870      $ 14,330      $ 17,171      $ (199,410
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1) Includes adjustments for items that affect the comparability of, and were excluded from, the same store results. Such adjustments include lease termination income and GAAP rent adjustments (such as straight-line rent and above/below market lease amortization).
(2) Non-allocated expenses consist of general and administrative expenses, business management fee, and depreciation and amortization.
(3) Other income and expenses consist of interest and dividend income, loss on sale of investment properties, gain on extinguishment of debt, interest expense, other income (loss) and income tax expense.
(4) Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entity includes the gain on investment in unconsolidated entity.

Use and Limitations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

FFO and Modified NOI do not represent cash generated from operating activities under GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to net income or loss, operating profit, cash flows from operations or any other operating performance measure prescribed by GAAP. Although we present and use FFO and Modified NOI because we believe they are useful to investors in evaluating and facilitating comparisons of our operating performance between periods and between REITs that report similar measures, the use of these non-GAAP measures has certain limitations as analytical tools. These non-GAAP financial measures are not measures of our liquidity, nor are they indicative of funds available to fund our cash needs, including our ability to fund capital expenditures, contractual commitments, working capital, service debt or make cash distributions. These

 

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measurements do not reflect cash expenditures for long-term assets and other items that we have incurred and will incur. These non-GAAP financial measures may include funds that may not be available for management’s discretionary use due to functional requirements to conserve funds for capital expenditures, property acquisitions and other commitments and uncertainties. These non-GAAP financial measures as presented may not be comparable to non-GAAP financial measures as calculated by other real estate companies.

We compensate for these limitations by separately considering the impact of these excluded items to the extent they are material to operating decisions or assessments of our operating performance. Our reconciliation to the most comparable GAAP financial measures, and our combined consolidated statements of operations and cash flows, include interest expense, capital expenditures and other excluded items, all of which should be considered when evaluating our performance, as well as the usefulness of our non-GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures reflect additional ways of viewing our operations that we believe, when viewed with our GAAP results and the reconciliations to the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business than could be obtained absent this disclosure. We strongly encourage investors to review our financial information in its entirety and not to rely on a single financial measure.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2015, we had $27.0 million of cash and cash equivalents, and $3.6 million of restricted escrows.

Our principal demands for funds have been and will continue to be:

 

    to pay the operating expenses of our assets;

 

    to pay our general and administrative expenses;

 

    to make distributions to our stockholders;

 

    to service or pay-down our debt; and

 

    to fund capital expenditures and leasing related costs.

Generally, our cash needs have been and will be funded from:

 

    cash flows from our investment assets;

 

    proceeds from sales of assets;

 

    proceeds from debt; and

 

    the Capital Contribution.

As of December 31, 2015, our AT&T—Hoffman Estates and AT&T—Cleveland assets are currently in hyper-amortization under our loan agreements and, as a result, rental payments less certain expenses are used to pay down the principal amount of the loan and are not available cash. In addition, all rental payments, less certain expenses, for Dulles Executive Plaza and Sherman Plaza are currently being “swept” and held by the lender pursuant to the loan agreement and, as a result, are not available cash.

Our assets have lease maturities within the next three years that may reduce our cash flows from operations. There is no assurance that we will be able to re-lease these assets at comparable rates or on comparable terms, or at all.

We may, from time to time, seek to retire or purchase additional amounts of our outstanding equity and/or debt securities through cash purchases for other securities. Such repurchases or exchanges, if any, will depend on our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions, and other factors. The amounts involved may be material.

 

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Borrowings

The table below presents, on a combined consolidated basis, the principal amount, weighted average interest rates and maturity date (by year) on our mortgage debt, as of December 31, 2015 (dollar amounts are stated in thousands).

 

Fixed rate mortgage debt maturing during the year
ended December 31,
   As of
December 31, 2015
     Weighted average
interest rate, fixed
 

2016

   $ 88,980         5.88

2017

     30,275         5.57

2018

     —           —  

2019

     —           —  

2020

     —           —  

Thereafter

     286,739         6.21
  

 

 

    

Total

   $ 405,994         6.09
  

 

 

    

Of the total outstanding debt, none is recourse to us.

As of December 31, 2015, we had $89.0 million and $30.3 million in mortgage debt maturing in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

We currently anticipate that we will pay off our debt upon the disposition of assets or we will refinance existing debt. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to sell assets before their debt matures or that we can obtain such refinancing on satisfactory terms, or at all. Volatility in the capital markets could expose us to the risk of not being able to borrow on terms and conditions acceptable to us for refinancings.

As of December 31, 2015, our AT&T—Hoffman Estates and AT&T—Cleveland assets are currently in hyper-amortization under our loan agreements and, as a result, rental payments less certain expenses are used to pay down the principal amount of the loan and are not available cash. In addition, all rental payments, less certain expenses, for Dulles Executive Plaza and Sherman Plaza are currently being “swept” and held by the lender pursuant to the loan agreement and, as a result, are not available cash.

Mortgage loans outstanding as of December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 were $406.0 million and $447.1 million and had a weighted average interest rate of 6.09% and 6.10% per annum, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, we has no additional borrowings secured by mortgages on our assets. On May 1, 2014, the Company entered into a note payable in the amount of $32.9 million with Minto Builders, Inc. As of December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the balance of this note payable was $15.1 million.

On November 5, 2015, InvenTrust entered into a term loan credit agreement for a $300,000 unsecured credit facility. The term loan credit facility consists of two tranches: a five-year tranche maturing on January 15, 2021, and a seven-year tranche maturing on November 5, 2022. Based upon the InvenTrust’s total leverage ratio at December 31, 2015, the five-year tranche bears an interest rate of LIBOR plus 1.30% and the seven-year tranche bears an interest rate of LIBOR plus 1.60%. The term loan credit facility is subject to a borrowing base consisting of a pool of unencumbered assets. To the extent the Company’s assets were included within the pool of unencumbered assets, the Company was allocated a portion of the unsecured credit facility. As of December 31, 2015, the Company’s allocated portion of the revolving line of credit was $17.9 million and the interest rate was 1.59%. As of the distribution date, we will no longer have an allocated portion of the revolving line of credit.

On February 3, 2015, InvenTrust entered into an amended and restated credit agreement for a $300 million unsecured revolving line of credit, which matures on February 2, 2019. The unsecured revolving line of credit bears interest at a rate equal to LIBOR plus 1.40% and requires the maintenance of certain financial covenants.

 

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The unsecured revolving line of credit is subject to a borrowing base consisting of a pool of unencumbered assets. To the extent the Company’s assets were included within the pool of unencumbered assets, the Company was allocated its proportionate share of the revolving line of credit. As of December 31, 2015, the Company’s allocated portion of the revolving line of credit was $0.007 million and the interest rate was 1.40%. As of the distribution date, we will no longer have an allocated portion of the revolving line of credit.

In May 2013, InvenTrust entered into an unsecured credit facility in the aggregate amount of $500 million. The credit facility consisted of a $300 million unsecured revolving line of credit and a $200 million term loan. Upon closing the credit agreement, InvenTrust borrowed the full amount of the term loan which remained outstanding as of December 31, 2014 and was repaid during the year ended December 31, 2015. As of December 31, 2014, InvenTrust had $300 million available under the unsecured revolving line of credit. As of December 31, 2014, the interest rates of the unsecured revolving line of credit and term loan were 1.60% and 1.67%, respectively. The unsecured credit facility is supported by a pool of unencumbered assets. To the extent the Company’s assets were included within the pool of unencumbered assets, the Company was allocated a portion of the unsecured credit facility. As of December 31, 2014, the Company’s allocated portion of the term loan was $25.7 million. This credit agreement was refinanced on February 3, 2015, as described above.

Capital Expenditures and Reserve Funds

Our total capital expenditures in 2015, 2014 and 2013 were $4.1 million, $4.5 million and $4.8 million, respectively for the Prior Combined Portfolio, of which $3.5 million, $3.3 million and $2.4 million, respectively, was expended on improvements to the Highlands Portfolio.

Summary of Cash Flows

Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

 

     Year ended December 31,  
     2015      2014      2013  

Cash provided by operating activities

   $ 53,654       $ 53,879       $ 68,514   

Cash provided by investing activities

     1,971         113,935         316,848   

Cash used in financing activities

     (38,944      (163,599      (387,374
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     16,681         4,215         (2,012

Cash and cash equivalents, at beginning of year

     10,291         6,076         8,088   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents, at end of year

   $ 26,972       $ 10,291       $ 6,076   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cash provided by operating activities was $53.7 million, $53.9 million and $68.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and was generated primarily from operating income from property operations. Cash provided by operating activities was relatively unchanged from the years ended December 31, 2014 to December 31, 2015. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities from the years ended December 31, 2013 to December 31, 2014 was primarily due to the sale of 31 assets in 2014.

Cash provided by investing activities was $2.0 million, $113.9 million and $316.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The decrease in cash provided by investing activities from the years ended December 31, 2014 to December 31, 2015 was primarily due to the proceeds from the sale of one asset in 2015 compared to 31 assets in 2014. The decrease in cash provided by investing activities from the years ended December 31, 2013 to December 31, 2014 was primarily due to the proceeds from the sale of 31 assets in 2014 and 14 assets in 2013. For the year ended December 31, 2014, proceeds from the sale of investment properties were offset by mortgages assumed by buyers of $194.9 million. The sales of these assets resulted in gains of $5.6 million and $57.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2013, the company received a $20.0 million payoff related to a note receivable with InvenTrust.

 

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Cash used in financing activities was $38.9 million, $163.6 million and $387.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The decrease in cash used in financing activities from December 31, 2014 to December 31, 2015 was primarily due to a decrease in dividends paid of $128.7 million and mortgage payoffs of $80.7 million. Offsetting the decrease, the net contribution from InvenTrust decreased $50.6 million to a net distribution of $13.0 million. The decrease in cash used in financing activities from December 31, 2013 to December 31, 2014 was primarily due to the decrease in payoffs of mortgage debt of $202.0 million. In addition, the net contribution from InvenTrust decreased $31.7 million.

We consider all demand deposits, money market accounts and investments in certificates of deposit and repurchase agreements with a maturity of three months or less, at the date of purchase, to be cash equivalents. We maintain our cash and cash equivalents at financial institutions. The combined account balances at one or more institutions periodically exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance coverage and, as a result, there is a concentration of credit risk related to amounts on deposit in excess of FDIC insurance coverage.

Distributions

We generally intend over time to make annual distributions in an amount at least equal to the amount that will allow us to maintain our REIT status and to avoid current entity level U.S. federal income taxes. To qualify as a REIT, we must distribute to our stockholders an amount at least equal to:

 

  i. 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined before the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain (which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP); plus

 

  ii. 90% of the excess of our net income from foreclosure property over the tax imposed on such income by the Code; less

 

  iii. any excess non-cash income (as determined under the Code). Please refer to “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

Distributions made by us will be authorized and determined by our board of directors, in its sole discretion, out of legally available funds, and will be dependent upon a number of factors, including restrictions under applicable law and other factors described under “Distribution Policy.” We may pay distributions from sources other than cash flow from operations or funds from operations, which may reduce the amount of capital available for operations, may have negative tax implications, and may have a negative effect on the value of your shares under certain conditions. We cannot assure you that our distribution policy will remain the same in the future, or that any estimated distributions will be made or sustained.

On December 15, 2015, MB REIT, which will become a subsidiary of Highlands REIT, Inc. as part of the Reorganization Transactions, became a “qualified REIT subsidiary” of InvenTrust and ceased to be treated as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Prior to that time, MB REIT made distributions to its stockholders in order to qualify as a REIT. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, MB REIT had issued and outstanding 943,000 shares of common stock having a par value of $1.00 per share, 207,000 shares of 3.5% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share, and 125 shares of 12.5% Series B Cumulative Non-Voting Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the dividends paid by MB REIT were $4.6 million, $133.3 million and $149.2 million, respectively.

 

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Contractual Obligations

The table below presents, on a combined consolidated basis, obligations and commitments to make future payments under long term mortgage obligations (including interest of $173.7 million) and lease agreements as of December 31, 2015 (dollar amounts are stated in thousands).

 

     Payments due by period  
     Total      Less than
1 year
     1-3 years      3-5 years      More than
5 years
 

Long-Term Mortgage Obligations

   $ 579,656       $ 110,983       $ 173,094       $ 36,624       $ 258,955   

Ground Lease Payments

   $ 567       $ 21       $ 63       $ 42       $ 441   

There is no recourse debt as of December 31, 2015.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, we have no off-balance sheet arrangements.

Subsequent Events

On February 19, 2016, four retail assets were distributed to InvenTrust, including one asset that was previously counted as two adjacent properties prior to December 31, 2015. As the Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust, the entities are considered under common control. The transfer of these four retail assets will be accounted for as a non-cash distribution from the Company to InvenTrust at historical cost and the Company will not realize any gain or loss on disposal.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

We are subject to market risk associated with changes in interest rates in terms of the price of new fixed-rate debt upon maturity of existing debt and for acquisitions.

Our interest rate risk management objectives are to limit the impact of interest rate changes on earnings and cash flows and to lower our overall borrowing costs.

Existing fixed rate loans that are scheduled to mature in the next year or two are evaluated for possible early refinancing and or extension due to consideration given to current interest rates. Refer to our Borrowings table for mortgage debt principal amounts and weighted average interest rates by year and expected maturity to evaluate the expected cash flows. As of December 31, 2015, we did not have any variable rate loans outstanding.

 

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BUSINESS AND PROPERTIES

Overview

We are a self-advised and self-administered REIT with a portfolio of single- and multi-tenant office assets, industrial assets, retail assets, correctional facilities, unimproved land and a bank branch, which represent InvenTrust’s remaining “non-core” assets. InvenTrust historically focused on acquiring, owning and operating a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate, including retail, multi-family, student housing, industrial, correctional, lodging and office assets located in the United States. InvenTrust’s “non-core” assets were originally part of this diversified investment strategy. Beginning in 2012, InvenTrust began to implement its strategy of focusing its diverse portfolio of real estate into three platforms – retail, lodging and student housing – with the goal of enhancing long-term stockholder value and positioning InvenTrust to explore various strategic transactions. As part of this strategy, InvenTrust executed a series of transactions, including the sale of its conventional apartment assets in 2013, the sale of certain of its net lease assets consummated through multiple closings throughout 2013 and 2014, and the disposition of other “non-core” assets in individual and portfolio transactions. Also in furtherance of this strategy, beginning in 2014, InvenTrust executed a series of strategic transactions, including a modified Dutch tender offer for its common stock and the disposition of its lodging platform through the sale of its suburban select service lodging portfolio and the spin-off of Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. In January 2016, InvenTrust announced an agreement to sell its student housing portfolio. Following the sale of its student housing portfolio, InvenTrust’s go-forward strategy is to focus its business on retail assets in strategic markets. In order to maximize the value of InvenTrust’s retail platform and the “non-strategic” retail assets, and as part of its previously announced plan to dispose of its “non-core” assets, InvenTrust is now planning to spin-off its remaining “non-core” assets by distributing 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Highlands on a pro rata basis to existing stockholders of InvenTrust.

As of December 31, 2015, the Highlands Portfolio consisted of seven office assets, two industrial assets, six retail assets, two correctional facilities, four parcels of unimproved land and one bank branch.

We currently have three business segments, consisting of (i) net lease, (ii) retail and (iii) multi-tenant office. Our unimproved land is presented in “other”. We may have additional or fewer segments in the future to the extent we enter into additional real property sectors, dispose of property sectors, or change the character of assets. For the complete presentation of our reportable segments, see Note 11 to our Combined Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

Business Strategy

Our investment objectives are to preserve, protect and maximize the total value of our portfolio in connection with our evaluation of various strategic opportunities, while seeking to provide stockholders with a return of their investment by liquidating and distributing net sales proceeds over time. We may seek to sustain and enhance the values of our assets through additional leasing or capital expenditures, where necessary, while identifying and implementing disposition strategies for the assets in our portfolio. We intend to hold our assets until such time as we determine that a sale or other disposition achieves our investment objectives or until it appears such objectives will not be met.

 

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Properties

The following is a list of the assets in the Highlands Portfolio as of December 31, 2015. All assets are 100% owned.

 

Property Name

  Location   Segment   Classification   Total Gross
Leasable
Area
(GLA)
    Percentage
of Economic
Occupancy (1)
    Annualized
Base Rent (2)
(in thousands)
    Annualized
Base Rent
per Leased
Square
Foot (3)
    Significant
Tenant(s)
AT&T—Hoffman Estates   Hoffman Estates, IL   Net Lease   Single-Tenant Office     1,690,214        100.0   $ 23,829      $ 14.10      AT&T
AT&T—St. Louis   St. Louis, MO   Net Lease   Single-Tenant Office     1,461,274        100.0     16,240      $ 11.11      AT&T
AT&T—Cleveland   Cleveland, OH   Net Lease   Single-Tenant Office     458,936        55.1     4,258      $ 16.83      AT&T
Dulles Executive Plaza   Herndon, VA   Multi-Tenant Office   Multi-Tenant Office     379,596        89.6     7,861      $ 23.12      Lockheed Martin
Denver Highlands Holding, LLC   Highlands Ranch,
CO
  Net Lease   Single-Tenant Office     85,860        100.0     1,193      $ 13.90      Software AG
Versacold USA—St. Paul   St. Paul, MN   Net Lease   Industrial     219,664        100.0     1,210      $ 5.51      Versacold
Versacold USA—New Ulm   New Ulm, MN   Net Lease   Industrial     269,985        100.0     893      $ 3.31      Versacold
Trimble   San Jose, CA   Multi-Tenant Office   Multi-Tenant Office R&D     176,905        100.0     1,790      $ 10.12      Qualcomm;
Underwriters Lab
Rolling Plains Detention Facility   Haskell, TX   Net Lease   Correctional Facility     156,316        100.0     2,235      $ 14.30      Emerald
Hudson Correctional Facility   Hudson, CO   Net Lease   Correctional Facility     301,029        100.0     9,850      $ 32.72      The GEO Group
Bridgeside Point   Pittsburgh, PA   Net Lease   Single-Tenant Office     153,110        100.0     2,570      $ 16.79      Fisher Scientific
Citizens—Providence   Providence, RI   Net Lease   Bank Branch     51,136        50.2     389      $ 15.13      Citizens Bank
Sand Lake Land   Orlando, FL   Other   Unimproved Land     n/a        n/a        n/a        n/a      n/a
Palazzo Land   Orlando, FL   Other   Unimproved Land     n/a        n/a        n/a        n/a      n/a
North Pointe Land   Hanahan, SC   Other   Unimproved Land     n/a        n/a        n/a        n/a      n/a
RDU Land   Raleigh, NC   Other   Unimproved Land     n/a        n/a        n/a        n/a      n/a
Shops at Sherman Plaza (4)   Evanston, IL   Retail   Multi-Tenant Retail     150,709        89.0     3,136      $ 23.39      LA Fitness;
Barnes & Noble
Triangle Center   Longview, WA   Retail   Multi-Tenant Retail     260,627        94.7     3,364      $ 13.63      Triangle Bowl;
Ross Dress for
Less
Market at Hilliard   Hilliard, OH   Retail   Multi-Tenant Retail     115,222        97.5     1,732      $ 15.41      Michael’s; Bed
Bath & Beyond;
Office Max; Old
Navy
State Street Market   Rockford, IL   Retail   Multi-Tenant Retail     193,657        100.0     1,781      $ 9.19      Burlington Coat
Factory; Dick’s
Sporting Goods;
Petsmart
Buckhorn Plaza   Bloomsburg, PA   Retail   Multi-Tenant Retail     86,835        98.6     1,061      $ 12.39      Marshalls; Dollar
Tree
Lincoln Mall   Lincoln, RI   Retail   Multi-Tenant Retail     445,267        96.4     5,272      $ 12.29      Cinema World;
Lincoln Tech;
Stop & Shop
Supermarket
       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   
Total:           6,656,342        95.2   $ 88,664      $ 14.00     

 

(1) Economic Occupancy is defined as the percentage of total gross leasable area for which a tenant is obligated to pay rent under the terms of its lease agreement, regardless of the actual use or occupation by that tenant of the area being leased.
(2) Annualized base rent is computed as revenue for the last month of the period multiplied by twelve months. Annualized rent includes the effect of rent abatements, lease inducements and straight-line rent GAAP adjustments.
(3) Annualized base rent per leased square foot is computed as annualized rent divided by the total occupied square footage at the end of the period.
(4) A portion of the land underlying this asset is subject to a ground lease. The term of the lease expires in October 2042, and the monthly payment as of December 31, 2015 is $1,749.49.

All of our assets, other than the undeveloped land, have one or more tenants responsible for more than 10% of the asset’s gross leasable area.

 

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The following table sets forth our percentage of economic occupancy and average annual base rent per square foot for our portfolio as of December 31 for the last five years:

 

As of

   Total GLA      Percentage of
Economic
Occupancy
    Average
Annual Base
Rent per

Square Foot
 

December 31, 2015

     6,656,342         95.2   $ 14.00   

December 31, 2014

     6,656,167         94.5     13.86   

December 31, 2013

     6,650,778         95.4     13.88   

December 31, 2012

     6,458,382         95.0     14.05   

December 31, 2011

     6,458,410         94.8     14.11   

Five of our assets, AT&T—Hoffman, AT&T—St. Louis, Dulles Executive Plaza, Hudson Correctional Facility and Lincoln Mall accounted for 10% or more of our total revenue or for 10% or more of our total assets for the year ended December 31, 2015.

AT&T—Hoffman Estates

As of December 31, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011, the total GLA for AT&T—Hoffman Estates was 1,690,214, the percentage of economic occupancy was 100% and the average annual base rent per square foot was $14.10. No value was attributed to this asset in calculating InvenTrust’s most recent NAV. Similarly, we do not expect to attribute any value to this asset when calculating our NAV.

As of December 31, 2015, AT&T—Hoffman Estates has one tenant, AT&T, a telecommunications company, whose economic occupancy is 100% of the total gross leasable square feet. Its annualized base rent is $23.8 million, or $14.10 per square foot. The original term of the lease for this asset expires in August 2016. AT&T did not renew this lease during the contractual renewal period. An easement to an area with communications equipment for the benefit of AT&T will continue past the expiration of the lease. If AT&T does not renew, the characteristics of the asset and market conditions are likely to make this asset difficult to re-lease and, consequently, difficult to sell. To the extent we are able to re-lease this asset, the capital improvements, tenant improvements and leasing costs would likely be significant.

As of December 31, 2015, the principal amount of indebtedness on AT&T—Hoffman Estates is approximately $125 million. This asset is currently in hyper-amortization under the loan agreement and, as a result, rental payments less certain expenses are used to pay down the principal amount of the loan. If AT&T does not renew, the potential difficulty of securing a new tenant is likely to make the loan difficult to refinance. Additionally, if AT&T does not renew and if we are unable to re-let the asset, we expect that we may be unable to make mortgage payments and may default under the loan agreement.

The current realty tax rate for AT&T—Hoffman Estates is 8.721%. Real estate taxes for the year ended December 31, 2014 were $8.4 million. AT&T is responsible for paying all taxes on this asset for so long as it remains a tenant. Because the taxes on this asset are paid in arrears, we do not expect to pay taxes on this asset until approximately September 2017. The following table sets forth for AT&T—Hoffman Estates each of the following, for the year ended December 31, 2015: (i) tax basis (determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes), (ii) depreciation rate, (iii) method and (iv) life claimed with respect to such asset or component thereof for purposes of depreciation.

 

Property

   Federal Tax Basis
(in thousands)
     Depreciation Rate     Method    Life Claimed  

Buildings & Improvements

   $ 288,862         2.5   Alternative
Depreciation System
     40 years   

Land

     35,800         None      None      None   

Site Improvements 1

     15,247         5.0   Half year      21 years   

Site Improvements 2

     573         5.0   Alternative
Depreciation System
    
20 years
  

 

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AT&T—St. Louis

As of December 31, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011, the total GLA for AT&T—St. Louis was 1,461,274, the percentage of economic occupancy was 100% and the average annual base rent per square foot was $11.11. No value was attributed to this asset in calculating InvenTrust’s most recent NAV. Similarly, we do not expect to attribute any value to this asset when calculating our NAV.

As of December 31, 2015, AT&T—St. Louis has one tenant, AT&T, a telecommunications company, whose economic occupancy is 100% of the total gross leasable square feet. Its annualized base rent is $16.2 million, or $11.11 per square foot. The lease has four five-year renewal options. If AT&T does not exercise its renewal option during the contractual renewal period, the original term of the lease will expire in 2017. If AT&T does not renew its lease, the market conditions are likely to make this asset difficult to re-lease and, consequently, difficult to sell. If AT&T does not elect to renew, to the extent we are able to re-lease this asset, the capital improvements, tenant improvements and leasing costs would likely be significant.

As of December 31, 2015, the principal amount of indebtedness on this asset is approximately $113 million. If AT&T does not renew, the potential difficulty of securing a new tenant is likely to make the loan difficult to refinance. Additionally, if AT&T were to elect not to renew and if we are unable to re-let the asset, we expect that we may be unable to make mortgage payments and may default under the loan agreement. Furthermore, if AT&T fails to renew, then one year prior to the expiration of the lease or upon notice by AT&T that they have elected not to renew, whichever is earlier, all rental payments, less certain expenses, will be “swept” and held by the lender pursuant to the loan agreement. Moreover, on January 1, 2017, the asset will go into hyper-amortization under the loan agreement.

The current realty tax rate for AT&T—St. Louis is $7.5898 per $100 of assessed value. Real estate taxes for the year ended December 31, 2015 were $3.3 million. The following table sets forth for AT&T – St. Louis each of the following, for the year ended December 31, 2015: (i) tax basis (determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes), (ii) depreciation rate, (iii) method and (iv) life claimed with respect to such asset or component thereof for purposes of depreciation.

 

Property

   Federal Tax Basis
(in thousands)
    

Depreciation Rate

   Method    Life Claimed  

Buildings & Improvements

   $ 187,219       2.5%    Alternative
Depreciation System
     40 years   

Land

     8,000       None    None      None   

Site Improvements 1

     9,845       5.0%    Half year      21 years   

Site Improvements 2

     78       5.0%    Alternative
Depreciation System
     20 years   

Dulles Executive Plaza

The following table sets forth the percentage of economic occupancy and average annual base rent per square foot for Dulles Executive Plaza as of December 31 for the last five years:

 

Date

   Total GLA      Percentage of
Economic
Occupancy
    Average
Annual Base
Rent per
Square Foot
 

December 31, 2015

     379,596         89.6   $ 23.12   

December 31, 2014

     379,596         83.0     22.88   

December 31, 2013

     379,596         91.7     23.01   

December 31, 2012

     379,596         91.7     24.77   

December 31, 2011

     379,596         90.2     25.08   

 

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As of December 31, 2015, one tenant, Lockheed Martin Corp., an aerospace company, had an economic occupancy of 83% of the total rentable square footage of Dulles Executive Plaza. The following table sets forth information regarding the principal provisions of the two leases with Lockheed:

 

Lease Expiration

   Renewal Options    Occupied
Square
Footage
GLA
     Percentage
of Square
Footage
GLA
    Annualized
Base Rent
(in thousands)
     Annualized
Base Rent per
Occupied
Square Foot
     Percentage of
Annualized
Base Rent
 

2018

   One 5-year option      124,432         33   $ 3,016       $ 24.24         38

2021

   One 5-year option      189,764         50     4,189       $ 22.08         53

The table below sets forth lease expirations for Dulles Executive Plaza, assuming none of the tenants exercise renewal options, as of December 31, 2015:

 

Lease Expiration Year

   Number of
Expiring
Leases
     GLA of
Expiring
Leases
     Percent of
Total GLA
    Annualized
Base Rent
(in thousands)
     Percent of
Total
Annualized
Base Rent
    Annualized
Base Rent per
Square Foot
 

Available (Vacant)

     n/a         39,621         10.4     n/a         n/a        n/a   

Month to Month

     1         798         0.2     —           0     —     

2016

     0         —           0     —           0     —     

2017

     0         —           0     —           0     —     

2018

     1         124,432         32.8   $ 3,016         35.0   $ 24.24   

2019

     0         —           0     —           0     —     

2020

     0         —           0     —           0     —     

2021

     1         189,764         50.0     4,938         57.4     26.02   

2022

     0         —           0     —           0     —     

2023

     1         24,981         6.6     655         7.6     26.23   

2024

     0         —           0     —           0     —     

2025

     0         —           0     —           0     —     

2026

     0         —           0     —           0     —     

Thereafter

     0         —           0     —           0     —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total:

     4         379,596         100.0   $ 8,609         100.0   $ 23.12   

As of December 31, 2015, the principal amount of indebtedness on this asset was approximately $69 million. All rental payments related to this asset, less certain expenses, are currently being “swept” and held by the lender pursuant to the loan agreement.

The current realty tax rate for Dulles Executive Plaza is $1.090 per $100 of assessed value. Real estate taxes for the year ended December 31, 2015 were $1.2 million. The following table sets forth for Dulles Executive Plaza each of the following, for the year ended December 31, 2015: (i) tax basis (determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes), (ii) depreciation rate, (iii) method and (iv) life claimed with respect to such asset or component thereof for purposes of depreciation.

 

Property

   Federal Tax Basis
(in thousands)
     Depreciation Rate      Method    Life Claimed  

Buildings & Improvements

   $ 103,787         2.5%       Alternative
Depreciation System
     40 years   

Land

     15,500         None       None      None   

Site Improvements 1

     5,948         5.0%       Half year      21 years   

Site Improvements 2

     409         5.0%       Alternative
Depreciation System
     20 years   

Tenant Improvements

     3,703         2.5%       Alternative
Depreciation System
     40 years   

 

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Hudson Correctional Facility

As of December 31, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011, the total GLA for Hudson Correctional Facility was 301,029, the percentage of economic occupancy was 100% and the average annual base rent per square foot was $32.72.

As of December 31, 2015 Hudson Correctional Facility has one tenant, The Geo Group, Inc., a correctional facility operator, whose economic occupancy is 100% of the total gross leasable square feet. However, the asset has not housed prisoners since October 2013. Its annualized base rent is $9.8 million, or $32.72 per square foot. Assuming The Geo Group does not exercise its renewal option, its lease expires in 2020. The lease has two ten-year renewal options. Given the niche market for the asset and the fact that the management and operation of correctional facilities by private entities has not achieved complete acceptance by either government agencies or the public, demand for this asset by other tenants and buyers may be limited.

The Geo Group, as operator of the facility, pays all taxes on the asset. The following table sets forth for Hudson Correctional Facility each of the following, for the year ended December 31, 2015: (i) tax basis (determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes), (ii) depreciation rate, (iii) method and (iv) life claimed with respect to such asset or component thereof for purposes of depreciation.

 

Property

   Federal Tax Basis
(in thousands)
     Depreciation Rate      Method    Life Claimed  

Buildings & Improvements

   $ 79,031         2.5%       Alternative
Depreciation System
     40 years   

Land

   $ 1,382         None       None      None   

Furniture and Fixtures

   $ 6,734         11.1%       Alternative
Depreciation System
     9 years   

Site Improvements 1

   $ 7,372         5.0%       Alternative
Depreciation System
     20 years   

Lincoln Mall

The following table sets forth the percentage of economic occupancy and average annual base rent per square foot for Lincoln Mall as of December 31 for the last five years:

 

Date

   Total GLA      Percentage of
Economic
Occupancy
    Average
Annual Base
Rent per
Square Foot
 

December 31, 2015

     445,267         96.4   $ 12.29   

December 31, 2014

     445,266         96.9     12.03   

December 31, 2013

     439,104         93.2     11.82   

December 31, 2012

     439,104         93.2     11.61   

December 31, 2011

     439,132         88.4     11.34   

 

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As of December 31, 2015, three tenants, Cinema World, Lincoln Tech and Stop & Shop, had an economic occupancy of more than 10% of the total gross leasable square footage of Lincoln Mall. The following table sets forth information regarding the business of those tenants and the principal provisions of their leases.

 

Tenant

  Principal
Nature of
Business
  Lease
Expiration
    Renewal Options   Occupied
Square
Footage
GLA
    Percentage
of Square
Footage
GLA
    Annualized
Base Rent
(in thousands)
    Annualized
Base Rent
per
Occupied
Square
Foot
    Percentage
of
Annualized
Base Rent
 

Cinema World

  Movie
theater
    2024      Five 5-year
renewal options
    60,000        13   $ 381      $ 6.35        7

Lincoln Tech

  Education     2016      Two 5-year
renewal options
    58,881        13   $ 589        10.00        11
Stop & Shop Supermarket #712   Supermarket     2020      Ten 5-year
renewal options
    56,040        13   $ 954        17.03        18

The property leased by Lincoln Tech is atypical of most retail space, so if it were to renew its lease for a smaller space, or choose not to renew, we may be unable to re-lease this property at a comparable rate in a timely manner.

The table below sets forth lease expirations for Lincoln Mall, assuming none of the tenants exercise renewal options, as of December 31, 2015.

 

Lease Expiration Year

   Number of
Expiring
Leases
     GLA of
Expiring
Leases
     Percent of
Total GLA
    Annualized
Base Rent
(in thousands)
     Percent of
Total
Annualized
Base Rent
    Annualized
Base Rent per
Square Foot
 

Available (Vacant)

     n/a         16,261         3.6     n/a         n/a        n/a   

Month to Month

     7         65,547         14.7     744         13.7     11.35   

2016

     4         48,328         10.8     467         8.6     9.66   

2017

     5         38,178         8.6     324         6.0     8.49   

2018

     2         36,500         8.2     417         7.7     11.42   

2019

     10         91,049         20.4     1,667         30.7     18.30   

2020

     2         10,933         2.5     140         2.6     12.78   

2021

     1         2,940         0.7     86         1.6     29.27   

2022

     0                 0.0             0.0       

2023

     1         60,000         13.5     381         7.0     6.35   

2024

     3         7,889         1.8     145         2.7     18.35   

2025

     3         9,900         2.2     176         3.2     17.73   

Thereafter

     6         57,742         13.0     880         16.2     15.25   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total:

     44         445,267         100.0     5,427         100.0     12.65   

 

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The current realty tax rate for Lincoln Mall is $26.89 per $1,000 of assessed value. Real estate taxes for the year ended December 31, 2015 were $1.1 million. The following table sets forth for Lincoln Mall each of the following, for the year ended December 31, 2015: (i) tax basis (determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes), (ii) depreciation rate, (iii) method and (iv) life claimed with respect to such asset or component thereof for purposes of depreciation.

 

Property

  Federal Tax Basis
(in thousands)
    Depreciation Rate     Method   Life Claimed  

Buildings & Improvements

  $ 47,803        2.5   Alternative
Depreciation System
    40 years   

Land

    11,000        None      None     None   

Site Improvements 1

    100        5.0   Alternative
Depreciation System
    20 years   

Site Improvements 2

    3,038        5.0   Alternative
Depreciation System
    20 years   

Site Improvements 3

    2,481        5.0   Half year     21 years   

Tenant Improvements

    2,777        2.5   Alternative
Depreciation System
    40 years   

Lease Expirations

The following table sets forth lease expirations for all of our assets as of December 31, 2015, assuming none of the tenants exercise renewal options:

 

Lease Expiration Year

   Number of
Expiring
Leases or
Vacant Units
     GLA of
Expiring
Leases
     Percent
of
Total
GLA
    Annualized
Base Rent
(in thousands)
     Percent of
Total
Annualized
Base Rent
    Annualized
Base Rent per
Square Foot
 

Available (Vacant)

     49         321,748         4.8     n/a         n/a        n/a   

Month to Month

     20         2,314,858         34.8     32,752         36.4     14.15   

2016

     11         1,532,993         23.0     17,270         19.2     11.27   

2017

     15         188,837         2.8     3,999         4.5     21.18   

2018

     19         436,574         6.6     6,694         7.5     15.33   

2019

     34         530,207         8.0     13,437         15.0     25.34   

2020

     12         356,553         5.4     6,783         7.6     19.02   

2021

     7         170,698         2.6     2,457         2.7     14.39   

2022

     3         41,140         0.6     923         1.0     22.44   

2023

     2         63,200         0.9     434         0.5     6.87   

2024

     8         41,830         0.6     554         0.6     13.24   

2025

     6         93,823         1.4     1,143         1.3     12.18   

Thereafter

     11         563,881         8.5     3,361         3.7     5.96   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total:

     197         6,656,342         100.0     89,807         100.0     14.18   

 

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Mortgage Financing

The following table sets forth all material mortgages or other liens or encumbrances against any of our assets as of December 31, 2015:

 

Property

  Current
Principal
Amount
(in thousands)
    Interest and
Amortization
Provisions
  Interest
Rate
    Pre-Payment Provisions   Maturity
Date
    Estimated
Balance to be
Due at Maturity
(in thousands)
 

AT&T—Hoffman Estates (1) (2)

  $ 124,727      Fixed
Principal Plus
Interest
    7.00 % (5)     No restrictions     12/1/2035      $ 124,727   

AT&T—St. Louis

  $ 112,695      Fixed
Interest-Only
    5.34   If prior to 12/1/16, must
be in full, with penalty
    1/1/2037      $ 112,695   

AT&T Cleveland (1) (3)

  $ 18,656      Fixed
Principal Plus
Interest
    7.81 % (6)     No restrictions     8/11/2037      $ 18,656   

Dulles Executive Plaza (4)

  $ 68,750      Fixed
Interest-Only
    5.85   If prior to 8/1/16, must be
in full, with penalty
    9/1/2016      $ 68,750   

Shops at Sherman Plaza (4)

  $ 30,275      Fixed
Interest-Only
    5.57   If prior to 2/1/17, must be
in full, with penalty
    3/1/2017      $ 30,275   

Triangle Center

  $ 20,760      Fixed
Principal Plus
Interest
    5.25   Only in full, with penalty     5/1/2021      $ 18,095   

Market at Hilliard

  $ 11,205      Fixed
Interest-Only
    5.96   If prior to 11/1/16, must
be in full, with penalty
    12/1/2016      $ 11,205   

State Street Market

  $ 9,900      Fixed
Principal Plus
Interest
    5.24   Only in full, and if prior
to 1/6/22, with penalty
    4/6/2022      $ 8,677   

Buckhorn Plaza

  $ 9,025      Fixed
Interest-Only
    5.99   If prior to 11/1/16, must
be in full, with penalty
    12/1/2016      $ 9,025   

 

(1) Loan is currently in “hyper-amortization,” and so rental payments less certain expenses are used to pay down the principal amount of the loan.
(2) Does not include $16.8 million of accrued interest due to hyper-amortization.
(3) Does not include $1.6 million of accrued interest due to hyper-amortization.
(4) All rental payments are currently being “swept” and held by the lender pursuant to the loan agreement.
(5) Consists of 5.00% of base interest rate and 2.00% of interest due to hyper-amortization.
(6) Consists of 5.81% of base interest rate and 2.00% of interest due to hyper-amortization.

See also “Description of Indebtedness.”

Disposition Policy

As part of exploring strategic alternatives, we are evaluating each of our assets on a rigorous and ongoing basis and in an effort to optimize and enhance the value of our assets. As each of our assets reaches what we believe to be the asset’s optimum value, we will consider disposing of the asset for the purpose of either distributing the net sales proceeds to our stockholders or retaining the proceeds as part of a plan to achieve an optimal exit value.

The determination of when a particular investment should be sold or otherwise disposed of will be made after consideration of all of the relevant factors, including prevailing and projected economic and market conditions, the cash flow being generated by a particular asset, tax implications of a disposition, debt characteristics of the asset, whether the value of the asset or other investment is anticipated to decline or increase substantially, and whether our portfolio as a whole is attractive to a potential acquirer of the entire company. The timing of any liquidity event or events will depend upon then prevailing economic and market conditions, which could result in differing holding periods among the assets.

 

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Additionally, with respect to certain of our properties, particularly those leased to AT&T, once the leases for such properties expire, we may be unable to make mortgage payments and may default under the applicable loan agreement. This may force us to dispose of those assets on disadvantageous terms, or the lender under such mortgages may foreclose. See also “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Debt Financing— If we are unable to repay or refinance our existing debt as it comes due, we may need to sell the underlying asset sooner than anticipated or the lender may foreclose, in which case our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.”

Financing Strategy

Certain of our existing assets are currently encumbered by debt, and debt financing may be used from time to time for property improvements, tenant improvements, leasing commissions and other working capital needs. The form of our indebtedness may vary and could be long-term or short-term, secured or unsecured, or fixed-rate or floating rate. We will not enter into interest rate swaps or caps, or similar hedging transactions or derivative arrangements for speculative purposes, but may do so in order to manage or mitigate our interest rate risks on variable rate debt. For additional information regarding our existing debt, please refer to “Description of Indebtedness.”

Conflict of Interest Policy

Following our separation from InvenTrust, we expect to have policies designed to reduce or eliminate potential conflicts of interest. Any transaction between us and any director, officer or 5% stockholder must be approved pursuant to the related party transaction policy we expect to adopt. In addition, we expect to adopt a code of business conduct and ethics that seeks to identify and mitigate conflicts of interest between our employees, directors and officers and our company. However, we cannot assure you that these policies or provisions of law will always be successful in eliminating or minimizing the influence of such conflicts, and if they are not successful, decisions could be made that might fail to reflect fully the interests of stockholders.

Certain Other Policies

We intend to engage in future investment activities in a manner that is consistent with the requirements applicable to REITs for federal income tax purposes, unless the board of directors determines that it is no longer in our best interest to so qualify as a REIT.

We may issue senior securities, purchase and sell investments, offer securities in exchange for property and repurchase or reacquire shares or other securities in the future. To the extent we engage in these activities, we will comply with applicable law.

We do not currently have policies in place with respect to making loans to other persons (other than our conflict of interest policies described above) or investing in securities.

Competition

We are subject to significant competition in seeking tenants for the leasing of our assets and buyers for the sale of our assets. We compete with many third parties engaged in real estate investment activities, including other REITs, specialty finance companies, savings and loan associations, banks, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, mutual funds, institutional investors, investing banking firms, lenders, hedge funds, governmental bodies and other entities. Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial and other resources than we have and may have substantially more operating experience than us. We also face competition from other real estate investment programs for buyers and tenants that may be suitable for us. We perceive there to be a lower

 

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level of competition for certain assets in our portfolio based on, among other things, the characteristics of such assets, the number of willing buyers and the volume of transactions in their respective markets, which may make it challenging for us to sell these assets or attract tenants.

Regulations

Our assets are subject to various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, including, among other things, zoning regulations, land use controls, environmental controls relating to air and water quality, noise pollution and indirect environmental impacts such as increased motor vehicle activity. We believe that we have all permits and approvals necessary under current law to operate our assets.

Environmental

As an owner of real estate, we are subject to various environmental laws of federal, state and local governments. Compliance with existing laws has not had a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations, and management does not believe it will have such an impact in the future. However, we cannot predict the impact of unforeseen environmental contingencies or new or changed laws or regulations on assets in which we hold an interest, or on assets that may be acquired directly or indirectly in the future.

Employees

Upon our separation from InvenTrust, we expect to have approximately 12 employees. We do not expect any of our employees to be covered by collective bargaining agreements.

We will also enter into a Transition Services Agreement with InvenTrust pursuant to which InvenTrust and its subsidiaries will provide, on an interim, transitional basis, certain legal, information technology and financial reporting services and other assistance that is consistent with the services provided by InvenTrust to Highlands and MB REIT before the separation. For additional information regarding the Transition Services Agreement, please refer to “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

Legal Proceedings

We are from time to time involved in legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. We are not currently involved in any legal or administrative proceedings that we believe are likely to have a materially adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

Insurance

We have comprehensive liability, fire, flood, extended coverage and rental loss insurance with respect to our portfolio. Our management believes that such insurance provides adequate coverage.

Principal Executive Offices

Our principal executive offices are located at 332 S Michigan Avenue, Ninth Floor, Chicago, Illinois, 60604, and our telephone number is                 . We maintain a website at www.highlandsreit.com. The information contained on our website or that can be accessed through our website neither constitutes part of this prospectus nor is incorporated by reference herein.

 

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MANAGEMENT

Our Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers

Under Maryland law, the business and affairs of Highlands will be managed under the direction of its board of directors. We currently expect that, upon the completion of the separation, our board of directors will consist of three members. At an annual meeting of our stockholders, our stockholders will elect each of our directors to serve until the next annual meeting of our stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies. See “Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and Our Charter and Bylaws—Our Board of Directors.” We expect the first annual meeting of our stockholders after the separation and distribution will be held in 2017. Each officer will serve until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her death, or his or her resignation or removal. Any officer may be removed, with or without cause, by the board of directors, but such removal will be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the officer so removed.

The following table sets forth certain information concerning the individuals who will be our directors and executive officers upon the completion of the separation.

 

Name

   Age       

Position

Executive Officers

       

Richard Vance

     52         Director, President, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary

Joseph Giannini

     52         Senior Vice President, Principal Accounting Officer and Treasurer

Non-Employee Directors

       

R. David Turner

     65         Director Nominee

Paul A. Melkus

     51         Director Nominee

Biographical Summaries of Executive Officers

The following is the biographical summary of the experience of our executive officers, as well as in the case of Mr. Vance, who is also a director, a description of Mr. Vance’s specific skills and qualifications he is expected to provide Highlands’ board of directors.

Richard Vance , 52, has served as a director and our President, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary since our formation in December 2015. Prior to our spin-off, Mr. Vance served as Senior Vice President - Portfolio Management & Corporate Strategy for InvenTrust, where he was responsible for managing InvenTrust’s “non-core” portfolio with regard to asset management, property operations and leasing. Beginning in 2013 and until InvenTrust’s self-management in 2014, Mr. Vance served as Vice President for InvenTrust’s former business manager, and, following InvenTrust’s self-management, Mr. Vance continued to serve as Vice President for InvenTrust until 2015. In this role, Mr. Vance had various responsibilities, including spearheading InvenTrust’s self-management and various asset management responsibilities. Beginning in 2010, Mr. Vance began working with InvenTrust’s former business manager and former property manager as an independent consultant, and was primarily responsible for managing a diverse portfolio of InvenTrust’s office, industrial and retail assets. Mr. Vance has more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate and commercial real estate finance, including various positions prior to 2010 with GMAC Commercial Mortgage, Equity Residential, Deutsche Bank, Ernst & Young or their affiliates. Mr. Vance received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor, a Juris Doctor from Loyola University of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan—Flint.

Mr. Vance’s qualifications to serve on our board of directors include his more than 20 years of experience in the real estate industry and his general expertise in commercial real estate. Further, as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Vance will provide our board of directors with valuable insight regarding our assets and operations. Mr. Vance is also very familiar with our portfolio based upon his experience with InvenTrust.

 

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Joseph Giannini , 52, has served as Principal Accounting Officer and Treasurer of Highlands since January 2016 and will serve as our Senior Vice President, Principal Accounting Officer and Treasurer of Highlands upon our separation and distribution. Prior to this, Mr. Giannini served as Vice President, Controller of Property Accounting of Inventrust, where he was responsible for overseeing the property accounting for the retail and non-core assets. In addition, Mr. Giannini was responsible for reviewing, restructuring and implementing new processes within property accounting. From September 2008 through February 2014, Mr. Giannini served as the Hotel Controller for various affiliates of InvenTrust where he was responsible for all aspects of the hotel accounting, including working with third party property managers for InvenTrust’s 100 plus hotel portfolio. Prior to September 2008, Mr. Giannini held various accounting positions with Lennar Corporation, AMLI Residential and Trammell Crow Residential Midwest. Mr. Giannini received his undergraduate Accounting degree from St. Joseph’s College in Indiana in 1985. He also has a Master of Business Administration degree from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a member of the AICPA and the Illinois CPA Society.

Biographical Summaries of Non-Employee Directors

The following are the biographical summaries of the experience of our non-employee directors, as well as a description of the specific skills and qualifications they are expected to provide Highlands’ board of directors.

Paul Andrew Melkus is one of our director nominees. Mr. Melkus has served as Global Head of Capital Markets - Real Estate and Infrastructure Department for Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, since 2012 and as a member of its Executive Committee since 2012. In this role he is responsible for the development of financing strategy and management of lending relationships for Abu Dhabi Investment Authority’s global real estate investment portfolio. Mr. Melkus served as Senior Vice President - Capital Markets at General Growth Properties, Inc., a public REIT that owns, develops and operates shopping malls, from 2010 to 2011, as Director - Capital Markets at Deutsche Bank Asset Management from 2004 to 2009 and as Director - Capital Markets Investments at General Electric Capital Corporation from 1998 to 2004. Mr. Melkus has also consulted at Ernst & Young on a variety of capital markets and real estate related transactions and served as a securities analyst and asset manager at Northern Trust Company. Mr. Melkus is a graduate of DePauw University where he earned his Bachelor of Arts majoring in Economics and Management. He earned his Master of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin’s Real Estate Investment and Urban Economics program.

Mr. Melkus brings to our board of directors significant experience in investment analysis, deal structuring, capital raising, syndications and asset management. The board of directors also values his extensive experience in the real estate industry and in capital markets transactions.

R. David Turner is one of our director nominees. Mr. Turner has served as Vice President, Global Risk Management for Global Logistics Properties Limited, a provider of modern logistics facilities in China, Japan, Brazil and the United States, since January 2016. From July 2013 to January 2016, Mr. Turner provided risk management consulting services through Turner Risk Consulting LLC to various real estate enterprises, including InvenTrust, our former parent company. Also during this time, Mr. Turner served as an adjunct professor at North Park University from September 2014 to May 2015. From 2012 to July 2013, Mr. Turner served as Executive Vice President at First Nonprofit Insurance Company, a provider of property and casualty insurance products to non-profit organizations. Prior to that, from 2007 until 2012, Mr. Turner served as Senior Vice President, Global Risk Management at ProLogis, a real estate investment trust and owner of industrial real estate, and in various management positions, including, most recently, as Senior Vice President, at Equity Office Properties Trust, a publicly traded office building real estate company, from 1995 to 2007. Mr. Turner previously served as Insurance Committee Chairman of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, as a member of Affiliated FM’s Broker Advisory Council, and as a member of the Hawaii Captive Insurance Council. Mr. Turner has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration degree with honors from The Ohio State University and the designation of Associate in Risk Management.

 

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Mr. Turner contributes to our board of directors extensive knowledge and over 30 years of experience in the real estate industry and, in particular, risk management including risk identification, measurement and treatment. The board of directors also values his broad experience in both large public companies and privately held organizations.

Family Relationships

There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.

Board Committees

Our board of directors has the authority to appoint committees to perform certain management and administration functions. Mr. Turner is expected to serve as the chairman of the board of directors. Following the separation, we expect our board of directors to have two committees: the audit committee and the compensation committee. The principal functions of each committee are briefly described below. Additionally, our board of directors may from time to time establish other committees to facilitate the board’s oversight of management of the business and affairs of our company.

Audit Committee

Messrs. Melkus and Turner are expected to be the members of the board’s audit committee with Mr. Melkus serving as Chair. We expect that Mr. Melkus will qualify as an “audit committee financial expert” as that term is defined by the applicable SEC regulations. Prior to the completion of the separation, we expect to adopt an audit committee charter, which defines the audit committee’s principal functions, including oversight related to:

 

    our accounting and financial reporting processes;

 

    the integrity of our financial statements;

 

    our systems of disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over accounting;

 

    our compliance with financial, legal and regulatory requirements;

 

    the evaluation of the qualifications, independence and performance of our independent registered public accounting firm;

 

    the performance of our internal audit functions;

 

    our overall risk exposure and management; and

 

    reviewing and approving any transaction between us and a related person pursuant to our related person policy.

The audit committee will also be responsible for engaging, evaluating, compensating, and overseeing an independent registered public accounting firm, approving services that may be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm, including audit and non-audit services, reviewing the independence of the independent registered public accounting firm and reviewing the adequacy of the auditing firm’s internal quality control procedures. The audit committee also will prepare the audit committee report required by SEC regulations to be included in our annual report.

Compensation Committee

Messrs. Turner and Melkus are expected to be the members of the board’s compensation committee with Mr. Turner serving as Chair. The primary purpose of our compensation committee is to:

 

    approve or recommend to our board of directors for consideration the compensation and benefits of our executive officers and key employees;

 

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    monitor and review our compensation and benefit plans;

 

    administer our incentive compensation plans and programs and prepare recommendations and periodic reports to the board of directors concerning such matters;

 

    prepare the compensation committee report required by SEC rules to be included in our annual report;

 

    prepare recommendations and periodic reports to the board of directors as appropriate; and

 

    handle such other matters that are specifically delegated to the compensation committee by our board of directors from time to time.

Code of Ethics and Business Conduct

Upon the completion of our separation from InvenTrust, our board of directors will adopt a code of ethics and business conduct that applies to our directors, officers and employees, which will be available on our website. Among other matters, our code of ethics and business conduct will be designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote:

 

    honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest;

 

    full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in our SEC reports and other public communications;

 

    compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations;

 

    prompt internal reporting of violations of law or the code to appropriate persons identified in the code; and

 

    accountability for adherence to the code of ethics and business conduct, including fair process by which to determine violations.

Any waiver of the code of ethics and business conduct for our directors or executive officers must be approved by a majority of our directors, and any such waiver shall be promptly disclosed as required by law.

Indemnification

We intend to enter into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers that will obligate us to indemnify them to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law as discussed under “Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and Our Charter and Bylaws—Limitation of Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers.” The indemnification agreements will obligate us, if a director or executive officer is or is threatened to be made a party to, or witness in, any proceeding by reason of such director’s or executive officer’s status as a present or former director, officer, employee or agent of our company or as a director, trustee, officer, partner, manager, member, fiduciary, employee or agent of another enterprise that the director or executive officer served in such capacity at our request, to indemnify such director or executive officer, and advance expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her, or on his or her behalf, unless it has been established that:

 

    the act or omission of the director or executive officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and was committed in bad faith or was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty;

 

    the director or executive officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or

 

    with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, the director or executive officer had reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.

 

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In addition, except as described below, our directors and executive officers will not be entitled to indemnification pursuant to the indemnification agreement:

 

    if the proceeding was one brought by us or on our behalf and the director or executive officer is adjudged to be liable to us;

 

    if the director or executive officer is adjudged to be liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received in a proceeding charging improper personal benefit to the director or executive officer; or

 

    in any proceeding brought against us by the director or executive officer other than to enforce his or her rights under the indemnification agreement, and then only to the extent provided by the agreement, and except as may be expressly provided in our charter, our bylaws, a resolution of our board of directors or of our stockholders entitled to vote generally in the election of directors or an agreement approved by our board of directors.

Notwithstanding the limitations on indemnification described above, on application by a director or executive officer of our company to a court of appropriate jurisdiction, the court may order indemnification of such director or executive officer if the court determines that such director or executive officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification in view of all the relevant circumstances, whether or not the director or executive officer (1) has met the standards of conduct set forth above or (2) has been adjudged liable for receipt of an “improper personal benefit.” If the court determines the director or executive officer is so entitled to indemnification, the director or executive officer will also be entitled to recover from us the expenses of securing such indemnification.

Notwithstanding, and without limiting, any other provision of the indemnification agreements, if a director or executive officer is made a party to any proceeding by reason of such director’s or executive officer’s status as a director, officer, employee or agent of our company or as a director, trustee, officer, partner, manager, member, fiduciary, employee or agent of another entity that the director or executive officer served in such capacity at our request, and such director or executive officer is successful, on the merits or otherwise, as to one or more (even if less than all) claims, issues or matters in such proceeding, we must indemnify such director or executive officer for all expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her, or on his or her behalf, in connection with each successfully resolved claim, issue or matter, including any claim, issue or matter in such a proceeding that is terminated by dismissal, with or without prejudice.

In addition, the indemnification agreements will require us to advance reasonable expenses incurred by the indemnitee within ten days of the receipt by us of a statement from the indemnitee requesting the advance, provided the statement evidences the expenses and is accompanied by:

 

    a written affirmation of the indemnitee’s good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification; and

 

    a written undertaking to reimburse us if a court of competent jurisdiction determines that the director or executive officer is not entitled to indemnification.

The indemnification agreements will also provide for procedures for the determination of entitlement to indemnification, including a requirement that such determination be made by independent counsel after a change of control of us.

Our charter will permit us, and our bylaws will obligate us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, to indemnify and to pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to (1) any of our present or former directors or officers who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity or (2) any individual who, while serving as our director or officer and at our request, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, member, manager or trustee of another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust,

 

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employee benefit plan or any other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity, as discussed under “Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Charter and Bylaws—Limitation of Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers.”

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling our company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

During the company’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, Highlands was not an independent company, and did not have a compensation committee or any other committee serving a similar function.

Compensation of Directors

On April 7, 2016, we adopted a compensation program for our non-employee directors which provides for annual retainer fees and awards of shares of our common stock. The program will be effective as of the date of our separation from InvenTrust. The material terms of the program are described below.

Cash Compensation

Under the program, each non-employee director will be entitled to receive an annual cash retainer of $150,000. The Chairman of the Board will receive an additional annual cash retainer of $10,000 for services as Chairman.

Equity Compensation

In addition to the cash retainers, each non-employee director will receive an award of fully-vested shares of our common stock on the date of our separation from InvenTrust with a value equal to $50,000. In addition, each non-employee director who is initially elected or re-elected at an annual meeting of our stockholders will be granted an award of fully-vested shares of our common stock on the date of the annual meeting with a value equal to $50,000.

Executive Officer Compensation

We expect that prior to our separation from InvenTrust, our executive officers will continue to be employed by InvenTrust. As a wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust, the compensation committee of our board of directors has not yet been formed, and all decisions with respect to the compensation of our executive officers have been made by InvenTrust. Once our compensation committee is formed, executive compensation decisions following the completion of our separation from InvenTrust will be made by our compensation committee.

Set forth below is an overview of the expected initial components of our executive compensation program for our current executive officers, Mr. Vance and Mr. Giannini (our “named executive officers”), upon the completion of our separation from InvenTrust.

The discussion below may contain forward-looking statements that are based on our current plans, considerations, expectations and determinations regarding future compensation programs. Actual compensation programs that we adopt in connection with or following the completion of our separation from InvenTrust may differ materially from the programs summarized in this discussion.

 

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Elements of Executive Officer Compensation

2016 Salaries

Our named executive officers will receive a base salary to compensate them for services rendered to Highlands. The base salary payable to each of the executives is intended to provide a fixed component of compensation reflecting the executive’s skill set, experience, role and responsibilities. The following table sets forth the current 2016 annual base salary for each of our named executive officers.

 

Name

   2016 Annual Base Salary  

Richard Vance

   $ 385,000   

Joseph Giannini

   $ 210,000   
  

 

 

 

We expect that, following the completion of our separation from InvenTrust, base salaries for our named executive officers will be reviewed periodically by our compensation committee, with adjustments expected to be made generally in accordance with the considerations described above and to maintain base salaries at competitive levels.

2016 Bonuses

Our named executive officers are expected to participate in an annual bonus program under which each of the executives is eligible to receive an annual cash performance bonus based upon the achievement of certain performance criteria to be established by our board of directors or our compensation committee. The current target bonus levels for our named executive officers for 2016 are:

 

Name

   Target Annual Bonus (% of
annual base salary)
 

Richard Vance

     80

Joseph Giannini

     40

Equity Compensation

Equity awards covering shares of our common stock have not previously been granted to our named executive officers. However, we believe that equity-based incentives align our executives’ interests with those of our stockholders and provide important retention value. Consequently, in an effort to align the interests of Mr. Vance with those of our shareholders, upon the completion of our separation from InvenTrust, we expect to make a grant to Mr. Vance of an award of fully-vested shares of our common stock having an aggregate value equal to $1,000,000. Pursuant to the employment agreement that we expect to enter into with Mr. Vance, in 2017 we intend to grant Mr. Vance an additional award of fully-vested shares of our common stock having an aggregate value equal to $600,000. For additional details regarding such grants, see “Compensation Program—Vance Employment Agreement” below.

Vance Employment Agreement

Prior to the completion of our separation from InvenTrust, we intend to enter into an employment agreement with Mr. Vance (the “Vance Employment Agreement”). The Vance Employment Agreement is expected to become effective on the date of our separation from InvenTrust, and in the event that the Separation and Distribution Agreement is terminated or our separation from InvenTrust does not occur for any reason, the Vance Employment Agreement will not become effective.

The material terms of the Vance Employment Agreement, as it is currently contemplated, are summarized below. The Vance Employment Agreement has not been finalized and, accordingly, the terms of the Vance Employment Agreement and this summary are subject to change.

 

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Pursuant to the Vance Employment Agreement, Mr. Vance will serve as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Highlands, and will be entitled to an annual base salary equal to $385,000. Mr. Vance will be eligible to receive an annual cash performance bonus based upon the achievement of performance criteria established by our board of directors or our compensation committee. Mr. Vance’s target annual bonus will be no less than 80% of his annual base salary, with the threshold and maximum bonus levels to be determined on an annual basis. In the event of a change in control of Highlands during the employment period, Mr. Vance will be eligible to receive a pro-rated portion of his target annual bonus for the year in which the change in control occurs.

The Vance Employment Agreement provides that, within 30 days following the effective date of the agreement, Mr. Vance will be granted an award of fully-vested shares of our common stock having an aggregate value equal to $1,000,000. In addition, not later than March 15, 2017, subject to Mr. Vance’s continued employment with Highlands, Mr. Vance will be granted an award of fully-vested shares of our common stock having an aggregate value equal to $600,000.

Under the Vance Employment Agreement, if Mr. Vance’s employment is terminated by Highlands without “cause” or by Mr. Vance for “good reason” (each, as defined in the Vance Employment Agreement), Mr. Vance will be entitled to the following severance payments and benefits:

 

    a lump-sum payment in an amount equal to a multiple of the sum of Mr. Vance’s annual base salary and target bonus for the year in which the termination occurs, payable within 60 days following Mr. Vance’s termination date; and

 

    payment or reimbursement by the Company of premiums for healthcare continuation coverage under COBRA for Mr. Vance and his dependents for up to 18 months after the termination date.

The cash severance multiple for a qualifying termination of Mr. Vance’s employment that does not occur in connection with a change in control of Highlands (as described below) is 1.5x. The cash severance multiple for a qualifying termination in the context of a change in control of Highlands will be determined based on Mr. Vance’s termination date, as follows:

 

            Termination of Employment (All Dates Inclusive)            

  

Change in Control

            Severance Multiple             

Between the Effective Date and June 30, 2018    Three (3)
Between July 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018    Two and one-half (2.5)
Between January 1, 2019 and June 30, 2019    Two (2)
On or after July 1, 2019    One and one-half (1.5)

The change in control severance multiple will apply in the event of a termination by Highlands without cause or by Mr. Vance for good reason that occurs on the date of, or during the 24 month period following, a change in control of Highlands. In addition, in the event of a termination (other than by Highlands for cause, by Mr. Vance other than for good reason, or due to Mr. Vance’s death or becoming disabled) in connection with or by reason of a liquidation of Highlands or a sale, liquidation or other disposition or exit (including any trustee sale, foreclosure, default, or placement into receivership) of all or substantially all of our assets (in each case, in a single transaction or series of transactions), such termination will constitute a change in control termination for purposes of the Vance Employment Agreement and any other agreement between Mr. Vance and Highlands, and any plan maintained by Highlands. Mr. Vance’s right to receive the severance or other benefits described above will be subject to Mr. Vance signing, delivering and not revoking a general release agreement in a form generally used by Highlands.

The Vance Employment Agreement further provides that, to the extent that any payment or benefit received by Mr. Vance in connection with a change in control would be subject to an excise tax under Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended (the “Code”), such payments and/or benefits will be subject to a “best pay cap” reduction if such reduction would result in a greater net after-tax benefit to Mr. Vance than receiving the full amount of such payments.

 

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The Vance Employment Agreement also contains a confidentiality covenant by Mr. Vance that extends indefinitely and an employee and independent contractor nonsolicitation covenant that extends during Mr. Vance’s employment and for a period of one year following his termination. The Vance Employment Agreement also includes a mutual non-disparagement covenant by Mr. Vance and us.

Incentive Award Plan

On April 7, 2016, we adopted, and InvenTrust as our sole stockholder approved, the Highlands REIT, Inc. 2016 Incentive Award Plan (the “Incentive Award Plan”) effective as of the date prior to the date of our separation from InvenTrust, under which we may grant cash and equity incentive awards to eligible service providers in order to align their interests with those of our stockholders and to attract, motivate and retain the talent for which we compete. The material terms of the Incentive Award Plan are described below.

Eligibility and Administration . Employees, consultants and directors of Highlands and its subsidiaries are eligible to receive awards under the Incentive Award Plan. The Incentive Award Plan will be administered by our board of directors with respect to awards to non-employee directors and by our compensation committee with respect to other participants, each of which may delegate its duties and responsibilities to committees of our directors and/or officers (referred to collectively as the “plan administrator”), subject to certain limitations that may be imposed under Section 16 of the Exchange Act and/or stock exchange rules, as applicable. The plan administrator will have the authority to administer the Incentive Award Plan, including the authority to select award recipients, determine the nature and amount of each award, and determine the terms and conditions of each award. The plan administrator will also have the authority to make all determinations and interpretations under, prescribe all forms for use with, and adopt rules for the administration of, the Incentive Award Plan, subject to its express terms and conditions.

Size of Share Reserve ; Limitations on Awards . The maximum aggregate number of shares that may be issued pursuant to awards (including incentive stock options) under the Incentive Award Plan is 43,000,000 shares.

If any shares subject to an award under the Incentive Award Plan are forfeited, expire or are settled for cash, any shares subject to such award may, to the extent of such forfeiture, expiration or cash settlement, be used again for new grants under the Incentive Award Plan. However, the following shares may not be used again for grant under the Incentive Award Plan: (1) shares tendered or withheld to satisfy grant or exercise price or tax withholding obligations associated with an award; (2) shares subject to a stock appreciation right (“SAR”) that are not issued in connection with the stock settlement of the SAR on its exercise; and (3) shares purchased on the open market with the cash proceeds from the exercise of options.

To the extent permitted under applicable securities exchange rules, if any, without stockholder approval, awards granted under the Incentive Award Plan in connection with the assumption, replacement, conversion or adjustment of outstanding equity awards in the context of a corporate acquisition or merger will not reduce the shares authorized for grant under the Incentive Award Plan.

The maximum number of shares of common stock that may be subject to one or more awards granted to any one participant pursuant to the Incentive Award Plan during any calendar year is 6,000,000 shares and the maximum amount that may be paid under a cash award pursuant to the Incentive Award Plan to any one participant during any calendar year period is $10,000,000. The maximum aggregate value, determined as of the grant date under applicable accounting standards, of awards that may be granted to any non-employee director pursuant to the Incentive Award Plan during any calendar year is $500,000.

Awards . The Incentive Award Plan provides for the grant of stock options, restricted stock, dividend equivalents, stock payments, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), performance shares, other incentive awards and SARs. All awards under the Incentive Award Plan will be set forth in award agreements, which will detail all

 

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terms and conditions of the awards, including any applicable vesting and payment terms and post-termination exercise limitations. Awards will be settled in shares of our common stock or cash, as determined by the plan administrator.

 

    Stock Options . Stock options, including incentive stock options (“ISOs”) and nonqualified stock options (“NSOs”), provide for the purchase of shares of our common stock in the future at an exercise price set on the grant date. The exercise price of a stock option may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the underlying share on the date of grant (or 110% in the case of ISOs granted to certain significant stockholders), except with respect to certain substitute options granted in connection with a corporate transaction. The term of a stock option may not be longer than ten years (or five years in the case of ISOs granted to certain significant stockholders). Vesting conditions determined by the plan administrator may apply to stock options and may include continued service, performance and/or other conditions. ISOs may only be granted under the Incentive Award Plan to the extent that the requirements of Section 422 of the Code are complied with, including the shareholder approval requirements under Treasury Regulation Section 1.422-2(b)(2).

 

    Restricted Stock Units . RSUs are contractual promises to deliver shares of our common stock (or the fair market value of such shares in cash) in the future, which may also remain forfeitable unless and until specified vesting conditions are met. RSUs generally may not be sold or transferred until vesting conditions are removed or expire. The shares underlying RSUs will not be issued until the RSUs have vested, and recipients of RSUs generally will have no voting or dividend rights prior to the time the RSUs are settled in shares, unless the RSU includes a dividend equivalent right (in which case the holder may be entitled to dividend equivalent payments under certain circumstances). Delivery of the shares underlying the RSUs may be deferred under the terms of the award or at the election of the participant, if the plan administrator permits such a deferral. On the settlement date or dates, Highlands will issue to the participant one unrestricted, fully transferable share of our common stock (or the fair market value of one such share in cash) for each vested and nonforfeited RSU.

 

    Restricted Stock . Restricted stock is an award of nontransferable shares of our common stock that remain forfeitable unless and until specified vesting conditions are met. Vesting conditions applicable to restricted stock may be based on continuing service, the attainment of performance goals and/or such other conditions as the plan administrator may determine. In general, restricted stock may not be sold or otherwise transferred until all restrictions are removed or expire. With respect to restricted stock that is subject to performance-based vesting conditions, dividends which are paid prior to vesting will only be paid out to the participant to the extent that the performance-based vesting conditions are subsequently satisfied and the share of restricted stock vests.

 

    Stock Appreciation Rights . SARs entitle their holder, upon exercise, to receive an amount equal to the appreciation of the shares subject to the award between the grant date and the exercise date. The exercise price of a SAR may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the underlying share on the date of grant (except with respect to certain substitute SARs granted in connection with a corporate transaction) and the term of a SAR may not be longer than ten years. Vesting conditions determined by the plan administrator may apply to SARs and may include continued service, performance and/or other conditions. SARs under the Incentive Award Plan will be settled in cash or shares of common stock, or in a combination of both, as determined by the administrator.

 

    Performance Shares . Performance shares are contractual rights to receive a range of shares of our common stock in the future based on the attainment of specified performance goals, in addition to other conditions which may apply to these awards. Conditions applicable to performance shares may be based on continuing service, the attainment of performance goals and/or such other conditions as the plan administrator may determine.

 

    Stock Payments . Stock payments are awards of fully vested shares of our common stock that may, but need not, be made in lieu of base salary, bonus, fees or other cash compensation otherwise payable to any individual who is eligible to receive awards.

 

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    Other Incentive Awards . Other incentive awards are awards other than those enumerated in this summary that are denominated in, linked to or derived from shares of our common stock or value metrics related to our shares, and may remain forfeitable unless and until specified conditions are met. Other incentive awards may be linked to any specific performance criteria determined by the plan administrator.

 

    Dividend Equivalents . Dividend equivalents represent the right to receive the equivalent value of dividends paid on shares of our common stock and may be granted alone or in tandem with awards other than stock options or SARs. Dividend equivalents are credited as of dividend payment dates during the period between a specified date and the date such award terminates or expires, as determined by the plan administrator. Dividend equivalents with respect to an award that is subject to performance-based vesting will only be paid out to the participant to the extent that the performance-based vesting conditions are subsequently satisfied and the award vests.

 

    Performance Bonus Awards . Performance bonus awards are cash bonus awards that are granted subject to vesting and/or payment based on the attainment of specified performance goals.

Certain Transactions . The plan administrator has broad discretion to take action under the Incentive Award Plan, as well as make adjustments to the terms and conditions of existing and future awards, to prevent the dilution or enlargement of intended benefits and facilitate necessary or desirable changes in the event of certain transactions and events affecting our common stock, such as stock dividends, stock splits, mergers, acquisitions, consolidations and other corporate transactions. In addition, in the event of certain non-reciprocal transactions with our stockholders known as “equity restructurings,” the plan administrator will make equitable adjustments to the Incentive Award Plan and outstanding awards. In the event of a “change in control” of Highlands (as defined in the Incentive Award Plan), to the extent that awards will not be continued, converted, assumed or replaced by the surviving or successor entity, such awards will become fully vested and exercisable immediately prior to the closing of the transaction.

Claw-Back Provisions All awards will be subject to the provisions of any claw-back policy implemented by Highlands to the extent set forth in such claw-back policy and/or in the applicable award agreement.

Transferability With limited exceptions for estate planning, domestic relations orders, certain beneficiary designations and the laws of descent and distribution, awards under the Incentive Award Plan are generally non-transferable prior to vesting, and are exercisable only by the participant, unless otherwise provided by the plan administrator.

Tax Withholding; Exercise and Purchase Price Payments . With regard to tax withholding, exercise price and purchase price obligations arising in connection with awards under the Incentive Award Plan, the plan administrator may, in its discretion, accept cash or check, shares of our common stock that meet specified conditions, a “market sell order” or such other consideration as it deems suitable.

Plan Amendment and Termination . Our board of directors may amend or terminate the Incentive Award Plan at any time; however, except in connection with certain changes in Highland’s capital structure, stockholder approval will be required for any amendment that “reprices” any stock option or SAR or cancels any stock option or SAR in exchange for cash or another award when the option or SAR price per share exceeds the fair market value of the underlying shares. In addition, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Incentive Award Plan may, without the consent of the affected participant, impair any rights or obligations under any previously-granted award, unless the award itself otherwise expressly so provides. No ISO may be granted pursuant to the Incentive Award Plan after the tenth anniversary of the date on which our board of directors adopted the Incentive Award Plan.

Additional REIT Restrictions . The Incentive Award Plan provides that no participant will be granted, become vested in the right to receive or acquire or be permitted to acquire, or will have any right to acquire, shares under an award if such acquisition would be prohibited by the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock contained in our charter or would impair our status as a REIT.

 

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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

Agreements with InvenTrust

Following the separation, we and InvenTrust will operate separately, each as an independent public reporting company. We and InvenTrust will enter into a Separation and Distribution Agreement that will effectuate the separation and distribution. We and InvenTrust will also enter into a Transition Services Agreement and an Employee Matters Agreement. The Separation and Distribution Agreement, Transition Services Agreement and Employee Matters Agreement will provide a framework for our relationship with InvenTrust after the separation and provide for the allocation between Highlands and InvenTrust of InvenTrust’s assets, liabilities and obligations attributable to periods prior to, at and after our separation from InvenTrust.

Separation and Distribution Agreement

InvenTrust and Highlands will enter into a Separation and Distribution Agreement prior to the distribution to effect the separation and provide for the allocation between us and InvenTrust of InvenTrust’s assets, liabilities and obligations attributable to periods prior to, at and after the separation. This agreement will also govern certain relationships between us and InvenTrust after the separation.

Pursuant to the Separation and Distribution Agreement, the direct and indirect subsidiaries of InvenTrust that hold the properties in the Highlands Portfolio have been or will be transferred to Highlands prior to the separation. Highlands will agree to assume all liabilities relating to or arising out of the Highlands Portfolio. All other assets and liabilities relating to InvenTrust and its subsidiaries prior to the separation (including any liabilities relating to the properties previously owned and disposed by subsidiaries of Highlands) shall be retained by InvenTrust.

The Separation and Distribution Agreement also governs the rights and obligations of the parties regarding the distribution following the completion of the separation. Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in the section of this Information Statement titled “Our Separation from InvenTrust – Conditions to the Distribution,” on the distribution date, InvenTrust will distribute 100% of the shares of Highlands common stock held by InvenTrust to holders of InvenTrust common stock as of the close of business on the record date on a pro rata basis. InvenTrust has agreed, subject to the conditions described above, to direct the distribution agent to distribute, on the distribution date, to each holder of InvenTrust common stock on the record date, one share of Highlands common stock for every one share of InvenTrust common stock held by such holder.

The Separation and Distribution Agreement also provides that Highlands and its affiliates will release and discharge InvenTrust and its affiliates from all liabilities existing or alleged to have existed at or before the separation, other than certain specified matters, including (i) liabilities expressly assumed by InvenTrust in the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Transition Services Agreement and Employee Matters Agreement and (ii) liabilities arising pursuant to indemnification or contribution obligations set forth in such agreements. Similarly, the Separation and Distribution Agreement also provides that InvenTrust and its affiliates will release and discharge Highlands and its affiliates from all liabilities existing or alleged to have existed at or before the separation, other than certain specified matters, including (i) liabilities expressly assumed by Highlands in the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Transition Services Agreement and Employee Matters Agreement and (ii) liabilities arising pursuant to indemnification or contribution obligations set forth in such agreements. These releases will not extend to obligations or liabilities under any agreements between the parties that remain in effect following the separation, which agreements include, but are not limited to, the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Transition Services Agreement, Employee Matters Agreement, and certain other agreements executed in connection with the separation.

Pursuant to the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Highlands has agreed to indemnify, defend and hold harmless InvenTrust and its affiliates and each of their respective current or former stockholders, directors, officers, agents and employees and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns from

 

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and against all liabilities relating to, arising out of or resulting from (i) the liabilities assumed by Highlands in the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Transition Services Agreement and Employee Matters Agreement, (ii) any breach by Highlands or any of its subsidiaries of the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Transition Services Agreement and Employee Matters Agreement (iii) losses arising from third party claims relating to the separation and distribution and (iv) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, with respect to all information contained in the registration statement of which this Information Statement forms a part, other than specified information relating to and provided by InvenTrust (the “Specified InvenTrust Information”). Similarly, InvenTrust has agreed to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Highlands and its affiliates and each of their respective current or former stockholders, directors, officers, agents and employees and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns from and against all liabilities relating to, arising out of or resulting from (i) the liabilities assumed by InvenTrust in the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Transition Services Agreement and Employee Matters Agreement, (ii) any breach by InvenTrust or any of its subsidiaries of the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Transition Services Agreement and Employee Matters Agreement and (iii) the Specified InvenTrust Information. InvenTrust and Highlands will not be deemed to be affiliates of the other for purposes for purposes of determining the above described indemnification obligations.

Highlands has also agreed to indemnify InvenTrust against all taxes related to us, our subsidiaries and our assets, including taxes attributable to periods prior to the separation and distribution. InvenTrust has agreed to indemnify us for any taxes attributable to InvenTrust’s or MB REIT’s failure to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year ending on or before December 31, 2016.

In addition, the Separation and Distribution Agreement provides that Highlands will have not less than $20.0 million in unrestricted cash at the time of the distribution. The parties have also agreed not to solicit or hire the employees of the other for a period of one year following the separation. Otherwise, the parties have explicitly agreed that there will be no restrictions on post-closing competitive activities. Other matters governed by the separation and distribution agreement include access to financial and other information, confidentiality, access to and provision of records and general litigation support.

In the event of any dispute arising out of the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Transition Services Agreement or Employee Matters Agreement, InvenTrust and Highlands have agreed to negotiate in good faith for 30 days to resolve such dispute. If InvenTrust and Highlands are unable to resolve disputes in this manner within 30 days, the disputes will be resolved through binding arbitration.

The Separation and Distribution Agreement provides that it may be terminated at any time prior to the distribution date in the sole discretion of InvenTrust without the approval of any person. In the event of a termination of the Separation and Distribution Agreement, no party, nor any of its directors, officers, or employees, will have any liability of any kind to the other party or any other person.

The foregoing is a summary of the material terms of the Separation and Distribution Agreement and does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the Separation and Distribution Agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement on Form 10 of which this Information Statement is a part.

Transition Services Agreement

InvenTrust and Highlands will enter into a Transition Services Agreement prior to the distribution pursuant to which InvenTrust and its subsidiaries will provide to Highlands, on an interim, transitional basis, certain legal, information technology, and financial reporting services and other assistance that is consistent with the services provided by InvenTrust to Highlands before the separation or that is designed to provide temporary assistance while Highlands develops its own stand-alone systems and processes and transitions historical information and

 

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processes from InvenTrust to Highlands. The charges for the transition services generally are intended to allow InvenTrust to fully recover the costs directly associated with providing the services, plus all out-of-pocket costs and expenses. The fee for each of the transition services will be based on a predetermined monthly amount for each service.

The Transition Services Agreement will terminate on the earlier of December 31, 2016 and the termination of the last service provided under it. Highlands can terminate particular services prior to the scheduled expiration date on at least thirty days’ written notice, and except in limited circumstances set forth therein, services can only be terminated at a month-end. Due to interdependencies between services, certain services may be extended or terminated early only if other services are likewise extended or terminated.

The liability of InvenTrust under the Transition Services Agreement will be limited to the aggregate fees it receives pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement. The Transition Services Agreement also provides that Highlands shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless InvenTrust from and against all losses arising from, relating to or in connection with the use of any services by Highlands or its affiliates, except to the extent such losses arise from, relate to or are a consequence of InvenTrust’s recklessness or willful misconduct.

We expect that the total amount that will be paid to InvenTrust pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement will not be greater than approximately $100,000.

The foregoing is a summary of the material terms of the Transition Services Agreement and does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the Transition Services Agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement on Form 10 of which this information statement is a part.

Employee Matters Agreement

InvenTrust and Highlands will enter into an Employee Matters Agreement in connection with the separation for the purpose of allocating between them certain assets, liabilities and responsibilities with respect to employee-related matters.

The Employee Matters Agreement will govern InvenTrust’s and Highlands’ compensation and employee benefit obligations relating to current and former employees of each company, and generally will allocate liabilities and responsibilities relating to employee compensation and benefit plans and arrangements. The Employee Matters Agreement will generally provide that, prior to or in connection with the separation, Highlands employees will cease to participate in employee benefit plans and programs maintained by InvenTrust, and from and after the separation, will participate in plans and programs maintained by Highlands for the benefit of its employees. In addition, the Employee Matters Agreement will provide that, unless otherwise specified, InvenTrust will be responsible for liabilities associated with employees who will be employed by InvenTrust following the separation and former InvenTrust employees, and Highlands will be responsible for liabilities associated with employees who will be employed by Highlands following the separation and former Highlands employees.

The Employee Matters Agreement will also set forth the general principles relating to employee matters, including with respect to the assignment of employees as between InvenTrust and Highlands, COBRA and disability coverage obligations, workers’ compensation, accrued paid time off, employee service credit, and the sharing of employee information. Highlands will also cause the Highlands 401(k) plan to accept properly elected rollover distributions of Highlands employee accounts from the InvenTrust 401(k) plan (including plan loans), and InvenTrust will make distributions (including plan loans) under the InvenTrust 401(k) plan to Highlands employees and former Highlands employees in accordance with the terms of the InvenTrust 401(k) plan and the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

The foregoing is a summary of the material terms of the Employee Matters Agreement and does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the Employee Matters Agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement on Form 10 of which this information statement is a part.

 

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Related Party Transactions No Longer In Effect

Prior to the Self-Management Transactions, the Business Manager, an affiliate of The Inland American Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc., InvenTrust’s sponsor, or one of its affiliates, employed all of our employees and provided us with certain services. During the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, InvenTrust paid an annual business management fee to the Business Manager based on the average invested assets. We were allocated a portion of the business management fee based upon our percentage share of the average invested assets of InvenTrust for the applicable years. Our allocated portion for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 totaled $0.4 million and $6.7 million, respectively. The Self-Management Transactions resulted in a final business management fee incurred in January 2014. As a result, the Company has not been allocated a business management fee after January 2014.

Statement of Policy Regarding Transactions with Related Persons

Prior to the separation from InvenTrust, our board of directors will adopt a written policy regarding the review, approval and ratification of transactions with related persons, which we refer to as our “related person policy.” Our related person policy will require that management present to the audit committee any proposed “related person transaction” (defined as any transaction, arrangement or relationship (or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships) in which the Company (including any of its subsidiaries) was, is or will be a participant and the amount involved exceeds $120,000, and in which any “related person” (as defined in paragraph (a) of Item 404 of Regulation S-K)) had, has or will have a direct or indirect interest), including all relevant facts and circumstances relating thereto. The audit committee will review the relevant facts and circumstances of each related person transaction, including if the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in arm’s length dealings with an unrelated third party and the extent of the related person’s interest in the transaction, take into account the conflicts of interest and corporate opportunity provisions of the Company’s code of ethics and business conduct, and either approve or disapprove the related person transaction. If advance audit committee approval of a related person transaction requiring the audit committee’s approval is not feasible, then the transaction may be preliminarily entered into by management upon prior approval of the transaction by the chair of the audit committee subject to ratification of the transaction by the audit committee at the audit committee’s next regularly scheduled meeting; provided that if ratification shall not be forthcoming, management shall make all reasonable efforts to cancel or annul such transaction. Any related person transaction shall be consummated and shall continue only if the audit committee has approved or ratified such transaction in accordance with Section 2-419 of the MGCL, if applicable, or any successor provision thereto, the Company’s charter and bylaws and the guidelines set forth in the related person policy.

 

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PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

As of the date hereof, all outstanding shares of our common stock are owned by InvenTrust. Immediately after the distribution, InvenTrust will own none of our common stock.

The following table provides information with respect to the expected beneficial ownership of our common stock immediately after the distribution by (i) each person who we believe will be a beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding common stock, (ii) each of our expected directors, director nominees and named executive officers, and (iii) all expected directors and executive officers as a group. We based the share amounts on each person’s beneficial ownership of InvenTrust common stock as of                 , 2016, unless we indicate some other basis for the share amounts, and assuming a distribution ratio of one share of our common stock for every one share of InvenTrust common stock. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC.

To the extent our directors and officers own InvenTrust common stock at the time of the separation, they will participate in the distribution on the same terms as other holders of InvenTrust common stock.

Except as otherwise noted in the footnotes below, each person or entity identified below has sole voting and investment power with respect to such securities. Immediately following the distribution, we expect to have outstanding an aggregate of 862,205,672.183 shares of common stock.

Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each named person is c/o Highlands REIT, Inc., 332 S Michigan Avenue, Ninth Floor, Chicago, Illinois, 60604. No shares beneficially owned by any executive officer, director or director nominee have been pledged as security.

 

Beneficial Owner

  
Number of

Shares
     % of Shares
Outstanding

Directors and Named Executive Officers

     

Richard Vance

     5,308.000       *

Joseph Giannini

     4,831.000       *

Paul A. Melkus

     —         —  

R. David Turner

     —         —  

All Executive Officers and Directors as a Group (four persons)

     10,139.000       *

 

  * Less than 1%.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF INDEBTEDNESS

Property-Level Debt

As of December 31, 2015, nine of our subsidiaries were a borrower under a non-recourse loan encumbering the asset held by such subsidiary. The remaining assets in our portfolio do not have property-level debt. As of December 31, 2015, the aggregate outstanding principal amount of debt on our properties was approximately $406.0 million.

Generally, our loans are recourse only to the property securing the loan, with the exception of certain “non-recourse carve-out events” contained in the respective loan agreements. These non-recourse carve-out events vary by loan, but generally include an obligation by the borrower to indemnify the lender for losses incurred as a result of certain events (“Indemnification Events”), which include the following:

 

    fraud or intentional misrepresentation;

 

    gross negligence or willful misconduct;

 

    material physical waste;

 

    the removal or disposal of any portion of the property after an event of default;

 

    the misapplication or conversion by borrower of insurance proceeds, condemnation awards, or rents following an event of default; and

 

    failure to pay charges for labor or materials or other charges that can create liens.

Each of the nine loans also may become fully recourse to the borrower in the event the borrower fails to, among other things (“Recourse Events”):

 

    permit on-site inspections or provide financial information required by loan documents;

 

    continue being a “special purpose entity” (as defined in the loan agreements);

 

    obtain written consent to any subordinate financing or voluntary lien; or

 

    obtain consent to assignment, transfer or conveyance of property or certain interests therein.

MB REIT is the non-recourse carve-out guarantor/indemnitor for each of the nine loans pursuant to the customary guaranties/indemnities that MB REIT provided for each such loan. Pursuant to these agreements, generally MB REIT (a) agreed to indemnify the lender for any losses arising from or related to certain of the Indemnification Events and certain of the Recourse Events, (b) agreed to indemnify the lender for losses resulting from certain violations of environmental law and the release of various hazardous substances, and (c) guaranteed the full amount of the obligations under the loan agreement in the event of certain events, including any of the following:

 

    the borrower’s filing a voluntary petition under any insolvency law;

 

    the filing by an affiliate of borrower of an involuntary bankruptcy petition;

 

    the borrower’s colluding to arranging an involuntary bankruptcy petition to be filed against it;

 

    the borrower’s consenting to or acquiescing in or joining in an application for the appointment of a custodian, receiver, trustee, or examiner; or

 

    the borrower’s making an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or admitting, in writing or in any legal proceeding, its insolvency or inability to pay its debts as they become due.

As of December 31, 2015, no event has occurred that would cause the Company to have material liability under the “non-recourse carve out” indemnity agreements and guarantees. If such events occur, the obligation would not be in excess of the loans encumbering such assets, which is recognized on the combined consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015.

 

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In addition to the foregoing, the loan agreements generally contain certain customary affirmative and negative covenants, including with respect to the payment of taxes, maintenance of insurance, reporting obligations, and certain leasing matters. These covenants may, among other things, restrict our operation of the assets, our ability to alter the assets, and our ability to incur further indebtedness or liens encumbering the assets.

As of December 31, 2015, our AT&T—Hoffman Estates and AT&T—Cleveland properties were in hyper-amortization under our loan agreements by virtue of the occurrence of the applicable “Anticipated Repayment Date” (as defined in the applicable loan agreement). As a result, rental payments less certain expenses must be used to pay down the principal amount of the loan and are not available cash. It is possible that other properties may be subject to such hyper-amortization payments in the future.

All rental payments, less certain expenses, for Dulles Executive Plaza and Sherman Plaza are currently being “swept” and held by the lender by virtue of the occurrence of the “Cash Management Trigger” under the respective loan agreements. It is possible that other assets may be subject to such cash sweep by the lender in the future.

For additional information regarding our property-level indebtedness, see “Business and Properties—Properties—Mortgage Financing.”

InvenTrust Unsecured Credit Facility

As of December 31, 2015, InvenTrust had an unsecured credit facility, of which Highlands’ allocated portion of the outstanding balance was $17.9 million. The unsecured credit facility is subject to a borrowing base consisting of a pool of unencumbered assets. To the extent our assets were included within the pool of unencumbered assets, we were allocated a portion of InvenTrust’s unsecured credit facility. As of the distribution date, we will no longer have an allocated portion of the revolving line of credit.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

Our charter and bylaws will be amended and restated prior to the completion of our separation from InvenTrust. The following is a summary of the material terms of our capital stock that will be in effect upon the completion of our separation. For a complete description, you are urged to review in their entirety our amended and restated charter and bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this Information Statement is a part, and applicable Maryland law. See “Where You Can Find More Information .”

General

Our charter provides that we may issue up to 1,000,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, and up to 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share. Our board of directors has the power, without stockholder approval, to amend our charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series we are authorized to issue. Immediately following the distribution, we expect that approximately 862,205,672.183 shares of our common stock will be issued and outstanding and that no shares of our preferred stock will be issued and outstanding.

Under Maryland law, stockholders generally are not personally liable for our debts or obligations solely as a result of their status as stockholders.

Common Stock

After the distribution, all outstanding shares of our common stock will be duly authorized, fully paid and nonassessable. Stockholders are entitled to receive dividends when authorized by our board of directors and declared by us out of assets legally available for the payment of dividends. Stockholders are also entitled to share ratably in our assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, after payment of, or adequate provision for, all of our known debts and liabilities. These rights are subject to the preferential rights of any other class or series of our stock and to the provisions of our charter regarding restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock.

Subject to our charter restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock and except as may otherwise be provided in our charter, each outstanding share of our common stock entitles the holder thereof to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election of directors. Except as provided with respect to any other class or series of stock, our common stockholders will possess exclusive voting power. Cumulative voting in the election of directors is not permitted. Directors will be elected by a plurality of all of the votes cast in the election of directors.

Our common stockholders have no preference, conversion, exchange, sinking fund or redemption rights and have no preemptive rights to subscribe for any of our capital stock. Subject to our charter restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, holders of shares of our common stock will initially have equal dividend, liquidation and other rights. Our common stockholders will not have appraisal rights unless our board of directors determines that appraisal rights apply, with respect to all or any classes or series of stock, to one or more transactions occurring after the date of such determination in connection with which stockholders would otherwise be entitled to exercise appraisal rights.

Under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation generally cannot dissolve, amend its charter, merge, convert into another entity, sell all or substantially all of its assets, engage in a statutory share exchange or engage in similar transactions unless declared advisable by the board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter unless a lesser percentage (but not less than a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) is set forth in the corporation’s charter. Our charter provides for approval of these matters by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on such matters, except that the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors is required to amend provisions of our charter relating to director removal, amendments to our bylaws or the vote

 

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required for certain amendments. Maryland law also permits a corporation to transfer all or substantially all of its assets without the approval of its stockholders to an entity all of the equity interests of which are owned, directly or indirectly, by the corporation. Our operating assets may be held by our wholly owned subsidiaries and these subsidiaries may be able to merge or transfer all or substantially all of their assets without the approval of our stockholders.

Our charter authorizes our board of directors to reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock into other classes or series of stock, to establish the designation and number of shares of each such class or series and to set, subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption of each such class or series.

Preferred Stock

Under the terms of our charter, our board of directors is authorized to classify any unissued shares of our preferred stock and to reclassify any previously classified but unissued shares of preferred stock into other classes or series of stock. Before the issuance of shares of each class or series, our board of directors is required by Maryland law and our charter to set, subject to our charter restrictions on ownership and transfer of stock, the terms, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption for each class or series. As a result, our board of directors could authorize the issuance of shares of preferred stock that have priority over shares of our common stock with respect to dividends or other distributions or rights upon liquidation, exclusive or class voting rights or with other terms and conditions that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change of control of our company that might involve a premium price for holders of our common stock or that our common stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest.

As of the date of this Information Statement, we have no outstanding shares of preferred stock, and we presently have no plans to issue any shares of preferred stock.

Power to Issue Additional Shares of Common Stock and Preferred Stock

We believe that the power to issue additional shares of our common stock or preferred stock and to classify or reclassify unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock and to issue the classified or reclassified shares provides us with increased flexibility in structuring possible future financings and acquisitions and in meeting other needs which might arise. These actions can be taken without action by our stockholders, unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our stock may be listed or traded. Although we have no present intention of doing so, we could issue a class or series of stock that could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control of our company that might involve a premium price for our common stock or that our common stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest. In addition, our issuance of additional shares of stock in the future could dilute the voting and other rights of your shares. See “Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and Our Charter and Bylaws.”

Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer

In order to qualify as a REIT under the Code, our shares of stock must be beneficially owned by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made) or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Also, not more than 50% of the value of our outstanding shares of capital stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain entities) during the last half of a taxable year (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made).

Because our board of directors believes it is currently in our best interests for us to qualify as a REIT and for other purposes, our charter, subject to certain exceptions, contains restrictions on the number of shares of our

 

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stock that a person may own. Our charter provides that no person may beneficially or constructively own more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock. We refer to the foregoing restrictions as the “Ownership Limit.”

Our charter also prohibits any person from:

 

    beneficially owning shares of our capital stock to the extent that such beneficial ownership would result in our being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of the taxable year);

 

    transferring shares of our capital stock to the extent that such transfer would result in our shares of capital stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons (determined under the principles of Section 856(a)(5) of the Code);

 

    beneficially or constructively owning shares of our capital stock to the extent such beneficial or constructive ownership would cause us to constructively own ten percent or more of the ownership interests in a tenant (other than a TRS) of our real property within the meaning of Section 856(d)(2)(B) of the Code; or

 

    beneficially or constructively owning or transferring shares of our capital stock if such beneficial or constructive ownership or transfer would otherwise cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT under the Code.

Our board of directors, in its sole discretion, may prospectively or retroactively exempt a person from certain of the limits described in the paragraph above and may establish or increase an excepted holder percentage limit for that person. The person seeking an exemption must provide to our board of directors any representations, covenants and undertakings that our board of directors may deem appropriate in order to conclude that granting the exemption will not cause us to lose our status as a REIT. Our board of directors may not grant an exemption to any person if that exemption would result in our failing to qualify as a REIT. Our board of directors may require a ruling from the IRS or an opinion of counsel, in either case in form and substance satisfactory to our board of directors, in its sole discretion, in order to determine or ensure our status as a REIT.

Any attempted transfer of shares of our capital stock which, if effective, would violate any of the restrictions described above will result in the number of shares of our capital stock causing the violation (rounded up to the nearest whole share) to be automatically transferred to a trust for the exclusive benefit of one or more charitable beneficiaries, except that any transfer that results in the violation of the restriction relating to shares of our capital stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons will be void ab initio. In either case, the proposed transferee will not acquire any rights in those shares. The automatic transfer will be deemed to be effective as of the close of business on the business day prior to the date of the purported transfer or other event that results in the transfer to the trust. Shares held in the trust will be issued and outstanding shares. The proposed transferee will not benefit economically from ownership of any shares held in the trust, will have no rights to dividends or other distributions and will have no rights to vote or other rights attributable to the shares held in the trust. The trustee of the trust will have all voting rights and rights to dividends or other distributions with respect to shares held in the trust. These rights will be exercised for the exclusive benefit of the charitable beneficiary. Any dividend or other distribution paid prior to our discovery that shares have been transferred to the trust will be paid by the recipient to the trustee upon demand. Any dividend or other distribution authorized but unpaid will be paid when due to the trustee. Any dividend or other distribution paid to the trustee will be held in trust for the charitable beneficiary. Subject to Maryland law, the trustee will have the authority (i) to rescind as void any vote cast by the proposed transferee prior to our discovery that the shares have been transferred to the trust and (ii) to recast the vote in accordance with the desires of the trustee acting for the benefit of the charitable beneficiary. However, if we have already taken irreversible corporate action, then the trustee will not have the authority to rescind and recast the vote.

Within 20 days of receiving notice from us that shares of our stock have been transferred to the trust, the trustee will sell the shares to a person, designated by the trustee, whose ownership of the shares will not violate the

 

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above ownership and transfer limitations. Upon the sale, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the proposed transferee and to the charitable beneficiary as follows. The proposed transferee will receive the lesser of (i) the price paid by the proposed transferee for the shares or, if the proposed transferee did not give value for the shares in connection with the event causing the shares to be held in the trust (e.g., a gift, devise or other similar transaction), the market price (as defined in our charter) of the shares on the day of the event causing the shares to be held in the trust and (ii) the price per share received by the trustee (net of any commission and other expenses of sale) from the sale or other disposition of the shares. The trustee may reduce the amount payable to the proposed transferee by the amount of dividends or other distributions paid to the proposed transferee and owed by the proposed transferee to the trustee. Any net sale proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the proposed transferee will be paid immediately to the charitable beneficiary. If, prior to our discovery that our shares of our stock have been transferred to the trust, the shares are sold by the proposed transferee, then (i) the shares shall be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the trust and (ii) to the extent that the proposed transferee received an amount for the shares that exceeds the amount he or she was entitled to receive, the excess shall be paid to the trustee upon demand.

In addition, shares of our stock held in the trust will be deemed to have been offered for sale to us, or our designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (i) the price per share in the transaction that resulted in the transfer to the trust (or, in the case of a devise or gift, the market price at the time of the devise or gift) and (ii) the market price on the date we, or our designee, accept the offer, which we will reduce by the amount of dividends and other distributions paid to the proposed transferee and owed by the proposed transferee to the trustee. We will have the right to accept the offer until the trustee has sold the shares. Upon a sale to us, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the proposed transferee. If a transfer to a charitable trust, as described above, would be ineffective for any reason to prevent a violation of a restriction, the transfer that would have resulted in a violation will be void ab initio, and the proposed transferee shall acquire no rights in those shares.

Any certificate representing shares of our capital stock, and any notices delivered in lieu of certificates with respect to the issuance or transfer of uncertificated shares, will bear a legend referring to the restrictions described above.

Any person who acquires or attempts or intends to acquire beneficial or constructive ownership of shares of our capital stock that will or may violate any of the foregoing restrictions on transferability and ownership, or any person who would have owned shares of our capital stock that resulted in a transfer of shares to a charitable trust, is required to give written notice immediately to us, or in the case of a proposed or attempted transaction, to give at least 15 days’ prior written notice, and provide us with such other information as we may request in order to determine the effect of the transfer on our status as a REIT. The foregoing restrictions on transferability and ownership will not apply if our board of directors determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT or that compliance is no longer required in order for us to qualify as a REIT.

Every owner of more than 5% (or any lower percentage as required by the Code or the regulations promulgated thereunder) in number or value of the outstanding shares of our capital stock, within 30 days after the end of each taxable year, is required to give us written notice, stating his or her name and address, the number of shares of each class and series of shares of our capital stock that he or she beneficially owns and a description of the manner in which the shares are held. Each of these owners must provide us with additional information that we may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of his or her beneficial ownership on our status as a REIT and to ensure compliance with the ownership limits. In addition, each stockholder will upon demand be required to provide us with information that we may request in order to determine our status as a REIT and to comply with the requirements of any taxing authority or governmental authority or to determine such compliance and to ensure compliance with our Ownership Limit.

These ownership limitations could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for our shares of common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders.

 

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Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our shares of common stock is DST Systems, Inc., 333 West 11th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105, (816) 435-1000.

Payments of Distributions

As with your distributions on your InvenTrust common stock, the method by which you choose to receive your distributions on your Highlands common stock will affect the timing of your distributions. Specifically, under our transfer agent’s payment processing procedures, distributions will be paid in the following manner:

 

    those stockholders who choose to receive their distributions via ACH wire transfers will receive their distributions on the distribution payment date (as determined by our board);

 

    those stockholders who choose to receive their distributions by paper check will typically be mailed those checks on the distribution payment date, but sometimes paper checks will be mailed on the day following the distribution payment date; and

 

    for those stockholders holding shares through a broker or other nominee, the distributions payments will be wired, or paper checks will be mailed, to the broker or other nominee on the day following the distribution payment date.

Unless you elect to change your distribution method, the distribution used for your InvenTrust common stock will be the same method used for your Highlands common stock. All stockholders who will hold Highlands common stock directly in record name will be able to change at any time the method through which they receive their distributions from our transfer agent, and those stockholders will not have to pay any fees to us or our transfer agent to make such a change. Accordingly, each stockholder will be able to select the timing of receipt of distributions from our transfer agent by selecting the method above that corresponds to the desired timing for receipt of the distributions. Because all stockholders will be able to elect to have their distributions sent via ACH wire on the distribution payment date, we will treat all of our stockholders, regardless of the method by which they choose to receive their distributions, as having constructively received their distributions from us on the distribution payment date for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

If you hold Highlands common stock after the separation and distribution in record name and would like to change your distribution payment method, then you should complete a “Change of Distribution Election Form,” which will be available on our website.

We note that the payment method for stockholders who hold Highlands common stock after the separation and distribution through a broker or nominee will be determined by the broker or nominee. Similarly, the payment method for stockholders who will hold Highlands common stock in a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA, will generally be determined by the custodian for the account. If you currently hold InvenTrust common stock through a broker or other nominee and would like to receive distributions on Highlands common stock via ACH wire or paper check, then you should contact your broker or other nominee regarding their process for transferring your Highlands common stock to record name ownership. Similarly, if you currently hold InvenTrust common stock in a tax-deferred account, you may need to hold Highlands common stock outside of your tax-deferred account to change the method through which you receive your distributions. If you hold Highlands common stock after the separation and distribution through a tax-deferred account and would like to change the method through which you receive your distributions, then you should contact your custodians regarding the transfer process and should consult your tax advisor regarding the consequences of transferring shares outside of a tax-deferred account.

Sale of Unregistered Securities

In the past three years, Highlands has not sold any securities, including sales of reacquired securities, new issues, securities issued in exchange for property, services or other securities, and new securities resulting from the modification of outstanding securities.

 

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CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW AND OUR CHARTER AND BYLAWS

Our charter and bylaws will be amended and restated prior to the completion of our separation from InvenTrust. The following summary of certain provisions of Maryland law and our charter and bylaws does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to Maryland law and to our amended and restated charter and bylaws, copies of which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this Information Statement is a part. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Our Board of Directors

According to our charter and bylaws, the number of directors of our company may be established, increased or decreased only by a majority of our entire board of directors but may not be fewer than the minimum number required under the MGCL (which is currently one) nor, unless our bylaws are amended, more than 15. We expect to have three directors upon the separation from InvenTrust. Our charter provides that, at such time as we have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent directors, we will elect to be subject to a provision of Maryland law requiring that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by an affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors and that any individual elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the remainder of the full term of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies.

Each of our directors will be elected by our common stockholders to serve until the next annual meeting of our stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies under the MGCL. Holders of shares of our common stock will have no right to cumulative voting in the election of directors. Directors are elected by a plurality of all of the votes cast in the election of directors.

Removal of Directors

Our charter provides that, subject to the rights of holders of one or more classes or series of preferred stock to elect or remove one or more directors, a director may be removed only for cause (as defined in our charter) and only by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors. This provision, when coupled with the exclusive power of our board of directors (once we have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent directors) to fill vacant directorships, precludes stockholders from removing incumbent directors and filling the vacancies created by such removal with their own nominees.

Business Combinations

Under the MGCL, certain “business combinations” (including a merger, consolidation, statutory share exchange or, in certain circumstances specified under the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities) between a Maryland corporation and any interested stockholder, or an affiliate of such an interested stockholder, are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Maryland law defines an interested stockholder as:

 

    any person who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock; or

 

    an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then-outstanding stock of the corporation.

A person is not an interested stockholder under the MGCL if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which the person otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. In approving a transaction, the board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of the approval, with any terms and conditions determined by it.

 

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After such five-year period, any such business combination must be recommended by the board of directors of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:

 

    80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation; and

 

    two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of the corporation other than shares held by the interested stockholder with whom (or with whose affiliate) the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder.

These supermajority approval requirements do not apply if, among other conditions, the corporation’s common stockholders receive a minimum price (as defined in the MGCL) for their shares and the consideration is received in cash or in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares.

These provisions of the MGCL do not apply, however, to business combinations that are approved or exempted by a corporation’s board of directors prior to the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Our board of directors has, by board resolution, exempted business combinations between us and any other person, provided that such business combination is first approved by our board, including a majority of our directors who are not affiliated with the interested stockholder. Consequently, the five-year prohibition and the supermajority vote requirements will not apply to business combinations between us and any such person.

We cannot assure you that our board of directors will not amend or repeal this resolution in the future. However, an alteration or repeal of this resolution will not have any effect on any business combinations that have been consummated prior to or upon any agreements existing at the time of such modification or repeal.

Control Share Acquisitions

The MGCL provides that a holder of “control shares” of a Maryland corporation acquired in a “control share acquisition” has no voting rights with respect to those shares except to the extent approved by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by stockholders entitled to exercise or direct the exercise of the voting power in the election of directors generally but excluding: (1) the person who has made or proposes to make the control share acquisition; (2) any officer of the corporation; or (3) any employee of the corporation who is also a director of the corporation. “Control shares” are voting shares of stock that, if aggregated with all other such shares of stock previously acquired by the acquirer or in respect of which the acquirer is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of:

 

    one-tenth or more but less than one-third;

 

    one-third or more but less than a majority; or

 

    a majority or more of all voting power.

Control shares do not include shares that the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval or shares acquired directly from the corporation. A “control share acquisition” means the acquisition, directly or indirectly, of ownership of, or the power to direct the exercise of voting power with respect to, issued and outstanding control shares, subject to certain exceptions.

A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition, upon satisfaction of certain conditions (including an undertaking to pay expenses and making an “acquiring person statement” as described in the MGCL), may compel the board of directors of the company to call a special meeting of stockholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights of the control shares. If no request for a special meeting is made, the corporation may itself present the question at any stockholders meeting.

 

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If voting rights of control shares are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver an “acquiring person statement” as required by the statute, then, subject to certain conditions and limitations, the corporation may redeem any or all of the control shares (except those for which voting rights have previously been approved) for fair value determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of any meeting of stockholders at which the voting rights of such shares are considered and not approved or, if no such meeting is held, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquiror. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a stockholders meeting and the acquirer becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other stockholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of such appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquirer in the control share acquisition.

The control share acquisition statute does not apply (1) to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or statutory share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or (2) to acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation.

Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute any and all acquisitions by any person of shares of our stock. Our board of directors may amend or eliminate this provision at any time in the future, whether before or after the acquisition of control shares.

Subtitle 8

Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent directors to elect to be subject, by provision in its charter or bylaws or a resolution of its board of directors and notwithstanding any contrary provision in the charter or bylaws, to any or all of the following five provisions:

 

    a classified board;

 

    a two-thirds vote requirement for removing a director;

 

    a requirement that the number of directors be fixed only by vote of the directors;

 

    a requirement that a vacancy on the board be filled only by the remaining directors and for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred; or

 

    a majority requirement for the calling of a special meeting of stockholders.

Our charter provides that if we have a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent directors, we elect to be subject to the provisions of Subtitle 8 relating to the filling of vacancies on our board of directors. Through provisions in our charter and bylaws unrelated to Subtitle 8, we already (1) require a two-thirds vote for the removal of any director from our board of directors, which removal must be for cause, (2) vest in our board of directors the exclusive power to fix the number of directorships and (3) require, unless called by the chairman of our board of directors, our president, our chief executive officer or our board of directors, the written request of stockholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of all votes entitled to be cast on any matter that may properly be considered at a meeting of stockholders to call a special meeting to act on such matter. We have not elected to create a classified board. In the future, our board of directors may elect, without stockholder approval, to create a classified board or adopt one or more of the other provisions of Subtitle 8.

Amendments to Our Charter and Bylaws

Our charter generally may be amended only if such amendment is declared advisable by our board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. The affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on such matter is required to amend the provisions of our charter relating to the removal of directors,

 

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which requires two-thirds of all votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors, amendments to our bylaws or the vote required for certain amendments. Our board of directors has the exclusive power to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws or to make new bylaws.

Exclusive Forum

Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of any duty owed by us or by any director or officer or other employee to us or to our stockholders, (c) any action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer or other employee arising pursuant to any provision of the MGCL or our charter or bylaws or (d) any action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer or other employee that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, or, if that Court does not have jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division.

Meetings of Stockholders

Under our bylaws, annual meetings of stockholders will be held each year at a date and time determined by our board of directors. Special meetings of stockholders may be called by our board of directors, the chairman of our board of directors, our president or our chief executive officer. Additionally, subject to the provisions of our bylaws, special meetings of the stockholders must be called by our secretary to act on any matter that may properly be considered at a meeting of stockholders upon the written request of stockholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on such matter at such meeting who have requested the special meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in, and provided the information and certifications required by, our bylaws. Only matters set forth in the notice of the special meeting may be considered and acted upon at such a meeting.

Advance Notice of Director Nominations and New Business

Our bylaws provide that:

 

    with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders, nominations of individuals for election to our board of directors and the proposal of business to be considered by stockholders at the annual meeting may be made only;

 

    pursuant to our notice of the meeting;

 

    by or at the direction of our board of directors; or

 

    by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record at the record date set by our board of directors for the purpose of determining stockholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting, at the time of giving of the notice required by our bylaws and at the time of the annual meeting (and any postponement or adjournment thereof), who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual nominated or on such other business, and who has complied with the advance notice procedures set forth in, and provided the information and certifications required by, our bylaws; and

 

    with respect to special meetings of stockholders, only the business specified in our company’s notice of meeting may be brought before the special meeting of stockholders, and nominations of individuals for election to our board of directors may be made only;

 

    by or at the direction of our board of directors; or

 

   

provided that the meeting has been called in accordance with our bylaws for the purpose of electing directors, by a stockholder who is a stockholder of record at the record date set by our board of directors for the purpose of determining stockholders entitled to vote at the special meeting, at the time of giving of the notice required by our bylaws and at the time of the

 

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special meeting (and any postponement or adjournment thereof), who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated and who has complied with the advance notice provisions set forth in, and provided the information and certifications required by, our bylaws.

The purpose of requiring stockholders to give advance notice of nominations and other proposals is to afford our board of directors and our stockholders the opportunity to consider the qualifications of the proposed nominees or the advisability of the other proposals and, to the extent considered necessary by our board of directors, to inform stockholders and make recommendations regarding the nominations or other proposals.

Limitation of Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Maryland law permits a Maryland 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 actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or active and deliberate dishonesty that is established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action. Our charter contains such a provision that eliminates such liability to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.

The MGCL requires a Maryland 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. The MGCL permits a Maryland 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 are 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:

 

    was committed in bad faith; or

 

    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 the MGCL, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify a director or officer for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or if the director or officer was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, unless in either case a court orders indemnification and then only for expenses. A court may order indemnification if it determines that the director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, even though the director or officer did not meet the prescribed standard of conduct or was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received.

In addition, the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation’s receipt of:

 

    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

 

    a written undertaking, which may be unsecured, by the director or officer or on the director’s or officer’s behalf to repay the amount paid if it shall ultimately be determined that the standard of conduct has not been met.

 

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Our charter authorizes us to obligate our company and our bylaws obligate us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, to indemnify and to pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding without requiring a preliminary determination of the director’s or officer’s ultimate entitlement to indemnification to:

 

    any present or former director or officer who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity; or

 

    any individual who, while a director or officer of our company and at our request, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, member, manager or trustee of another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or any other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity.

Our charter and bylaws also permit us, with the approval of our board of directors, to indemnify and advance expenses to any person who served as a predecessor of ours in any of the capacities described above and to any employee or agent of our company or a predecessor of our company.

Indemnification Agreements

We intend to enter into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers as described in “Management—Indemnification.”

Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer of our Stock

Our charter contains restrictions on the ownership and transfer of our stock that are intended, among other purposes, to assist us in continuing to qualify as a REIT. Subject to certain exceptions, our charter provides that no person or entity may beneficially own, or be deemed to own by virtue of the applicable constructive ownership provisions of the Code, more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock. For more information regarding these and other restrictions on the ownership and transfer of our stock imposed by our charter, see “Description of Our Capital Stock—Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.”

REIT Qualification

Our charter provides that our board of directors may revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without approval of our stockholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interest to attempt to, or to continue to, be qualified as a REIT. Our charter also provides that our board of directors may determine that compliance with the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock is no longer required for us to qualify as a REIT.

 

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

This section summarizes the material U.S. federal income tax considerations that you, as a stockholder, may consider relevant in connection with the ownership and disposition of our common stock. Hunton & Williams LLP has acted as our counsel, has reviewed this summary, and is of the opinion that the discussion contained herein is accurate in all material respects. Because this section is a summary, it does not address all aspects of taxation that may be relevant to particular stockholders in light of their personal investment or tax circumstances, or to certain types of stockholders that are subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws, such as:

 

    insurance companies;

 

    tax-exempt organizations (except to the limited extent discussed in “—Taxation of Tax-Exempt Stockholders” below);

 

    financial institutions or broker-dealers;

 

    non-U.S. individuals, partnerships and foreign corporations (except to the limited extent discussed in “—Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders” below);

 

    U.S. expatriates;

 

    persons who mark-to-market our common stock;

 

    subchapter S corporations;

 

    U.S. stockholders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;

 

    regulated investment companies and REITs;

 

    trusts and estates;

 

    holders who receive our common stock through the exercise of employee share options or otherwise as compensation;

 

    persons holding our common stock as part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “conversion transaction,” “synthetic security” or other integrated investment;

 

    persons subject to the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code; and

 

    persons holding our common stock through a partnership or similar pass-through entity.

This summary assumes that stockholders hold our common stock as a capital asset for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which generally means property held for investment.

The statements in this section are not intended to be, and should not be construed as, tax advice. The statements in this section are based on the Code, current, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations, the legislative history of the Code, current administrative interpretations and practices of the IRS, and court decisions. The reference to IRS interpretations and practices includes the IRS practices and policies endorsed in private letter rulings, which are not binding on the IRS except with respect to the taxpayer that receives the ruling. In each case, these sources are relied upon as they exist on the date of this discussion. Future legislation, Treasury regulations, administrative interpretations and court decisions could change current law or adversely affect existing interpretations of current law on which the information in this section is based. Any such change could apply retroactively. We have not received any rulings from the IRS concerning our qualification as a REIT. Accordingly, even if there is no change in the applicable law, no assurance can be provided that the statements made in the following discussion, which do not bind the IRS or the courts, will not be challenged by the IRS or will be sustained by a court if so challenged.

 

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WE URGE YOU TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE SPECIFIC TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU OF THE OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK AND OF OUR ELECTION TO BE TAXED AS A REIT. SPECIFICALLY, YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, FOREIGN AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH OWNERSHIP, DISPOSITION AND ELECTION, AND REGARDING POTENTIAL CHANGES IN APPLICABLE TAX LAWS.

Taxation of Our Company

We are currently treated as a “qualified REIT subsidiary” of InvenTrust. As described below, a corporation that is a “qualified REIT subsidiary” is not treated as a corporation separate from its parent REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We intend to elect to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes beginning with our short taxable year commencing immediately prior to the separation and ending on December 31, 2016. We believe that we have been organized and will operate in such a manner as to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws, but no assurances can be given that we will operate in a manner so as to qualify or remain qualified as a REIT. This section discusses the laws governing the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a REIT and its stockholders. These laws are highly technical and complex.

In connection with the separation, we will receive an opinion from Hunton & Williams LLP to the effect that, beginning with our short taxable year commencing immediately prior to the separation and ending on December 31, 2016, we have been organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws, and our proposed method of operations will enable us to satisfy the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws. You should be aware that Hunton & Williams LLP’s opinion is based upon customary assumptions, will be conditioned upon certain representations made by us, InvenTrust, Xenia and the Private REITs as to factual matters, including representations regarding the nature of our, InvenTrust’s, Xenia’s and the Private REITs’ assets and the conduct of our, InvenTrust’s, Xenia’s and the Private REITs’ business. Hunton & Williams LLP’s opinion is not binding upon the IRS or any court, and speaks as of the date issued. In addition, Hunton & Williams LLP’s opinion will be based on existing U.S. federal income tax law governing qualification as a REIT, which is subject to change either prospectively or retroactively. Moreover, our qualification and taxation as a REIT will depend upon our ability to meet on a continuing basis, through actual annual operating results, certain qualification tests set forth in the federal tax laws. Those qualification tests involve the percentage of income that we earn from specified sources, the percentage of our assets that falls within specified categories, the diversity of our stock ownership, and the percentage of our earnings that we distribute. Hunton & Williams LLP will not review our compliance with those tests on a continuing basis. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that our actual results of operations for any particular taxable year will satisfy such requirements. Hunton & Williams LLP’s opinion does not foreclose the possibility that we may have to use one or more of the REIT savings provisions described below, which would require us to pay an excise or penalty tax (which could be material) in order for us to satisfy the requirements for REIT qualification. For a discussion of the tax consequences of our failure to qualify as a REIT, see “—Failure to Qualify.”

If we qualify as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the taxable income that we distribute to our stockholders. The benefit of that tax treatment is that it avoids the “double taxation,” or taxation at both the corporate and stockholder levels, that generally results from owning stock in a corporation. However, we will be subject to federal tax in the following circumstances:

 

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

 

    We may be subject to the “alternative minimum tax” on any items of tax preference including any deductions of net operating losses.

 

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    We will pay income tax at the highest corporate rate on:

 

    net income from the sale or other disposition of property acquired through foreclosure or after a default on a lease of the property (“foreclosure property”) that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, and

 

    other non-qualifying income from foreclosure property.

 

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

 

    If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as described below under “—Gross Income Tests,” and nonetheless continue to qualify as a REIT because we meet other requirements, we will pay a 100% tax on the gross income attributable to the greater of the amount by which we fail the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, in either case, multiplied by a fraction intended to reflect our profitability.

 

    If we fail to distribute during a calendar year at least the sum of (1) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for the year, (2) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for the year, and (3) any undistributed taxable income required to be distributed from earlier periods, we will pay a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the amount we actually distributed.

 

    We may elect to retain and pay income tax on our net long-term capital gain. In that case, a U.S. stockholder would be taxed on its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain (to the extent that we made a timely designation of such gain to the stockholders) and would receive a credit or refund for its proportionate share of the tax we paid.

 

    We will be subject to a 100% excise tax on transactions with a TRS that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis.

 

    In the event of a failure of any of the asset tests, other than a de minimis failure of the 5% asset test or the 10% vote or value test, as described below under “—Asset Tests,” as long as the failure was due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, we file a description of each asset that caused such failure with the IRS, and we dispose of such assets or otherwise comply with the asset tests within six months after the last day of the quarter in which we identify such failure, we will pay a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the highest U.S. federal income tax rate then applicable to U.S. corporations (currently 35%) on the net income from the nonqualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy the asset tests.

 

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

 

    If we acquire any asset from a C corporation, or a corporation that generally is subject to full corporate-level tax, in a merger or other transaction in which we acquire a basis in the asset that is determined by reference either to the C corporation’s basis in the asset or to another asset, we will pay tax at the highest regular corporate rate applicable if we recognize gain on the sale or disposition of the asset during the five year period after we acquire the asset provided no election is made for the transaction to be taxable on a current basis. The amount of gain on which we will pay tax is the lesser of:

 

    the amount of gain that we recognize at the time of the sale or disposition, and

 

    the amount of gain that we would have recognized if we had sold the asset at the time we acquired it.

 

    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 “—Recordkeeping Requirements.”

 

    The earnings of any of our lower-tier entities that are subchapter C corporations, including any TRSs that we may form, will be subject to federal corporate income tax.

 

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In addition, notwithstanding our qualification as a REIT, we may also have to pay certain state and local income taxes, because not all states and localities treat REITs in the same manner that they are treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Moreover, as further described below, any TRSs that we may form will be subject to federal, state and local corporate income tax on their taxable income.

Requirements for Qualification

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

1. It is managed by one or more directors or trustees.

2. Its beneficial ownership is evidenced by transferable shares, or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest.

3. It would be taxable as a domestic corporation, but for the REIT provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws.

4. It is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company subject to special provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws.

5. At least 100 persons are beneficial owners of its shares or ownership certificates.

6. Not more than 50% in value of its outstanding shares or ownership certificates is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals, which the Code defines to include certain entities, during the last half of any taxable year.

7. It elects to be a REIT, or has made such election for a previous taxable year, and satisfies all relevant filing and other administrative requirements established by the IRS that must be met to elect and maintain REIT status.

8. It meets certain other qualification tests, described below, regarding the nature of its income and assets and the amount of its distributions to stockholders.

9. It uses a calendar year for U.S. federal income tax purposes and complies with the recordkeeping requirements of the U.S. federal income tax laws.

We must meet requirements 1 through 4, 7, 8 and 9 during our entire taxable year and must meet requirement 5 during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months. Requirements 5 and 6 will apply to us beginning with our 2017 taxable year. If we comply with all the requirements for ascertaining the ownership of our outstanding stock in a taxable year and have no reason to know that we violated requirement 6, we will be deemed to have satisfied requirement 6 for that taxable year. For purposes of determining share ownership under requirement 6, an “individual” generally includes a supplemental unemployment compensation benefits plan, a private foundation, or a portion of a trust permanently set aside or used exclusively for charitable purposes. An “individual,” however, generally does not include a trust that is a qualified employee pension or profit sharing trust under the Code, and beneficiaries of such a trust will be treated as holding our stock in proportion to their actuarial interests in the trust for purposes of requirement 6.

Our charter provides restrictions regarding the transfer and ownership of our common stock. See “Description of Capital Stock—Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.” We believe that the common stock that will be distributed in the separation will have sufficient diversity of ownership to allow us to satisfy requirements 5 and 6 above. The restrictions in our charter are intended (among other things) to assist us in continuing to satisfy requirements 5 and 6 described above. These restrictions, however, may not ensure that we will, in all cases, be able to satisfy such stock ownership requirements. If we fail to satisfy these stock ownership requirements, our qualification as a REIT may terminate.

 

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In addition, we must satisfy all relevant filing and other administrative requirements established by the IRS that must be met to maintain REIT status and comply with the record-keeping requirements of the Code and regulations promulgated thereunder.

As noted above, we are currently treated as a “qualified REIT subsidiary” of InvenTrust, but we intend to elect to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes beginning with our short taxable year commencing immediately prior to the separation and ending on December 31, 2016. However, under applicable Treasury regulations, if either (i) InvenTrust failed, or fails, to qualify as a REIT in its 2012 through 2016 taxable years or (ii) MB REIT failed to qualify as a REIT for its 2012 taxable year through its taxable year that ended on December 15, 2015 (when MB REIT became a “qualified REIT subsidiary” of InvenTrust), unless such failure to qualify as a REIT was subject to relief as described below under “—Failure to Qualify,” we would be prevented from electing to qualify as a REIT prior to the fifth calendar year following the year in which InvenTrust or MB REIT failed to qualify.

Qualified REIT Subsidiaries

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

Other Disregarded Entities and Partnerships

An unincorporated domestic entity, such as a partnership or limited liability company 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 is generally treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In the case of a REIT that is a partner in a partnership that has other partners, the REIT is treated as owning its proportionate share of the assets of the partnership and as earning its allocable share of the gross income of the partnership for purposes of the applicable REIT qualification tests. Our proportionate share for purposes of the 10% value test (see “—Asset Tests”) will be based on our proportionate interest in the equity interests and certain debt securities issued by the partnership. For all of the other asset and income tests, our proportionate share will be based on our proportionate interest in the capital interests in the partnership. Our proportionate share of the assets, liabilities, and items of income of any partnership, joint venture, or limited liability company that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes in which we acquire an equity interest, directly or indirectly, will be treated as our assets and gross income for purposes of applying the various REIT qualification requirements.

Taxable REIT Subsidiaries

A REIT may own up to 100% of the capital 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 of which a TRS directly or indirectly owns more than 35% of the voting power or value of the stock will automatically be treated as a TRS.

A TRS will pay income tax at regular corporate rates on any income that it earns. In addition, the TRS rules limit the deductibility of interest paid or accrued by a TRS to its parent REIT to assure that the TRS is subject to an appropriate level of corporate taxation. Further, the rules impose a 100% excise tax on transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT or the REIT’s tenants that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis.

 

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We will not own any TRSs immediately following the separation and do not currently intend to form any TRSs. However, we may in the future dispose of an unwanted asset through a TRS as necessary or convenient to avoid the 100% tax on income from prohibited transactions. See description below under “—Gross Income Tests—Prohibited Transactions.”

Gross Income Tests

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

 

    rents from real property;

 

    interest on debt secured by mortgages on real property, or on interests in real property;

 

    dividends or other distributions on, and gain from the sale of, shares in other REITs;

 

    gain from the sale of real estate assets; and

 

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

Second, in general, at least 95% of our gross income for each taxable year must consist of income that is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test (except for income derived from the temporary investment of new capital), other types of interest and dividends, gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities, or any combination of these. Gross income from our sale of property that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business is excluded from both the numerator and the denominator in both gross income tests. In addition, 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 and that are clearly and timely identified as such will be excluded from both the numerator and the denominator for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. In addition, certain foreign currency gains will be excluded from gross income for purposes of one or both of the gross income tests. Finally, gross income attributable to cancellation of indebtedness income will be excluded from both the numerator and denominator for purposes of both of the gross income tests. See “—Foreign Currency Gain” below. The following paragraphs discuss the specific application of the gross income tests to us.

Rents from Real Property

Rent that we receive from our real property will qualify as “rents from real property,” which is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests, only if the following conditions are met:

 

    First, the rent must not be based, in whole or in part, on the income or profits of any person, but may be based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales.

 

    Second, neither we nor a direct or indirect owner of 10% or more of our stock may own, actually or constructively, 10% or more of a tenant from whom we receive rent, other than a TRS.

 

    Third, if the rent attributable to personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property is 15% or less of the total rent received under the lease, then the rent attributable to personal property will qualify as rents from real property. However, if the 15% threshold is exceeded, the rent attributable to personal property will not qualify as rents from real property.

 

   

Fourth, we generally must not operate or manage our real property or furnish or render services to our tenants, other than certain customary services provided to tenants through an “independent contractor” who is adequately compensated and from whom we do not derive revenue. Furthermore, we may own

 

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up to 100% of the stock of a TRS which may provide customary and noncustomary services to our tenants without tainting our rental income from the leased assets. We need not provide services through an “independent contractor” or a TRS, but instead may provide services directly to our tenants, if the services are “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and are not considered to be provided for the tenants’ convenience. In addition, we may provide a minimal amount of services not described in the prior sentence to the tenants of a property, other than through an independent contractor or a TRS, as long as our income from the services (valued at not less than 150% of our direct cost of performing such services) does not exceed 1% of our income from the related property.

We and our subsidiaries generally lease our assets in the form of either a triple net lease, a gross lease or a modified gross release. In order for the rent paid under our leases to constitute “rents from real property,” the leases must be respected as true leases for federal income tax purposes and not treated as service contracts, joint ventures or some other type of arrangement. The determination of whether our leases are true leases depends on an analysis of all the surrounding facts and circumstances. We believe we have, and intend to enter into, leases that will be treated as true leases. If our leases are characterized as service contracts or partnership agreements, rather than as true leases, part or all of the payments that we and our subsidiaries receive from our leases may not be considered rent or may not otherwise satisfy the various requirements for qualification as “rents from real property.” In that case, we likely would not be able to satisfy either the 75% or 95% gross income test and, as a result, would lose our REIT status unless we qualify for relief, as described below under “—Failure to Satisfy Gross Income Tests.”

As described above, for the rent that we receive to constitute “rents from real property,” several other requirements must be satisfied. One requirement is that percentage rent must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. Percentage rent, however, will qualify as “rents from real property” if it is based on percentages of receipts or sales and the percentages:

 

    are fixed at the time the percentage leases are entered into;

 

    are not renegotiated during the term of the percentage leases in a manner that has the effect of basing percentage rent on income or profits; and

 

    conform with normal business practice.

More generally, percentage rent will not qualify as “rents from real property” if, considering the leases and all the surrounding circumstances, the arrangement does not conform with normal business practice, but is in reality used as a means of basing the percentage rent on income or profits.

Second, we must not own, actually or constructively, 10% or more of the stock or the assets or net profits of any lessee (a “related party tenant”), other than a TRS. The constructive ownership rules generally provide that, if 10% or more in value of our stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by or for any person, we are considered as owning the stock owned, directly or indirectly, by or for such person. We anticipate that all of our assets will be leased to third parties that do not constitute related party tenants. In addition, our charter prohibits transfers of our stock that would cause us to own actually or constructively, 10% or more of the ownership interests in any non-TRS lessee. Based on the foregoing, we should never own, actually or constructively, 10% or more of any lessee other than a TRS. However, because the constructive ownership rules are broad and it is not possible to monitor continually direct and indirect transfers of our stock, no absolute assurance can be given that such transfers or other events of which we have no knowledge will not cause us to own constructively 10% or more of a lessee (or a subtenant, in which case only rent attributable to the subtenant is disqualified) other than a TRS at some future date.

As described above, we may in the future own up to 100% of the stock of one or more TRSs. Under an exception to the related-party tenant rule described in the preceding paragraph, rent that we receive from a TRS will qualify as “rents from real property” as long as (1) at least 90% of the leased space in the property is leased to persons other than TRSs and related party tenants, and (2) the amount paid by the TRS to rent space at the

 

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property is substantially comparable to rents paid by other tenants of the property for comparable space. If in the future we receive rent from a TRS, we will seek to comply with this exception.

Third, the rent attributable to the personal property leased in connection with the lease of a property must not be greater than 15% of the total rent received under the lease. The rent attributable to the personal property contained in a property is the amount that bears the same ratio to total rent for the taxable year as the average of the fair market values of the personal property at the beginning and at the end of the taxable year bears to the average of the aggregate fair market values of both the real and personal property contained in the property at the beginning and at the end of such taxable year (the “personal property ratio”). With respect to each of our leases, we believe that the personal property ratio with respect to all of our leases is less than 15%. There can be no assurance, however, that the IRS would not challenge our calculation of a personal property ratio, or that a court would not uphold such assertion. If such a challenge were successfully asserted, we could fail to satisfy the 75% or 95% gross income test and thus potentially lose our REIT status.

Fourth, except as described below, we cannot furnish or render services to the tenants of our assets, or manage or operate our assets, other than customary services through an independent contractor who is adequately compensated and from whom we do not derive or receive any income. However, we need not provide services through an “independent contractor,” but instead may provide services directly to our tenants, if the services are “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and are not considered to be provided for the tenants’ convenience. In addition, we may provide a minimal amount of other services to the tenants of a property, other than through an independent contractor, as long as our income from the services (valued at not less than 150% of our direct cost for performing such services) does not exceed 1% of our income from the related property. Finally, we may own up to 100% of the shares of one or more TRSs, which may provide noncustomary services to our tenants without tainting our rents from the related assets. We believe that we do not perform any services other than customary ones for our lessees and other than services provided through independent contractors.

If a portion of the rent that we receive from a property does not qualify as “rents from real property” because the rent attributable to personal property exceeds 15% of the total rent for a taxable year, the portion of the rent that is attributable to personal property will not be qualifying income for purposes of either the 75% or 95% gross income test. Thus, if such rent attributable to personal property, plus any other income that is nonqualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, during a taxable year exceeds 5% of our gross income during the year, we would lose our REIT qualification. If, however, the rent from a particular property does not qualify as “rents from real property” because either (1) the percentage rent is considered based on the income or profits of the related lessee, (2) the lessee either is a related party tenant or fails to qualify for the exception to the related party tenant rule for qualifying TRSs or (3) we furnish certain non-de minimis services to the tenants of the property, or manage or operate the property, other than through a qualifying independent contractor or a TRS, none of the rent from that property would qualify as “rents from real property.” In that case, we might lose our REIT qualification because we might be unable to satisfy either the 75% or 95% gross income test. In addition to the rent, the lessees will be required to pay certain additional charges. We intend to structure our leases in a manner that will enable us to satisfy the REIT gross income tests.

Interest

The term “interest” generally does not include any amount received or accrued, directly or indirectly, if the determination of such amount depends in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person. However, interest generally includes the following:

 

    an amount that is based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales; and

 

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

 

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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.

Dividends

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

Prohibited Transactions

A REIT will incur a 100% tax on the net income (including foreign currency gain) derived from any sale or other disposition of property, other than foreclosure property, that the REIT holds primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business. We believe that none of our assets will be held primarily for sale to customers and that a sale of any of our assets will not be in the ordinary course of our business. Whether a REIT holds an asset “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business” depends, however, on the facts and circumstances in effect from time to time, including those related to a particular asset. A safe harbor to the characterization of the sale of property by a REIT as a prohibited transaction and the 100% prohibited transaction tax is available if the following requirements are met:

 

    the REIT has held the property for not less than two years;

 

    the aggregate expenditures made by the REIT, or any partner of the REIT, during the two-year period preceding the date of the sale that are includable in the basis of the property do not exceed 30% of the selling price of the property;

 

    either (1) during the year in question, the REIT did not make more than seven sales of property other than foreclosure property or sales to which Section 1033 of the Code applies, (2) the aggregate adjusted bases of all such property sold by the REIT during the year did not exceed 10% of the aggregate bases of all of the property of the REIT at the beginning of the year, (3) the aggregate fair market value of all such property sold by the REIT during the year did not exceed 10% of the aggregate fair market value of all of the property of the REIT at the beginning of the year, (4) (i) the aggregate adjusted tax bases of all such property sold by the REIT during the year did not exceed 20% of the aggregate tax bases of all property of the REIT at the beginning of the year and (ii) the average annual percentage of properties sold by the REIT compared to all the REIT’s properties (measured by adjusted tax bases) in the current and two prior years did not exceed 10% or (5) (i) the aggregate fair market value of all such property sold by the REIT during the year did not exceed 20% of the aggregate fair market value of all property of the REIT at the beginning of the year and (ii) the average annual percentage of properties sold by the REIT compared to all the REIT’s properties (measured by fair market value) in the current and two prior years did not exceed 10%;

 

    in the case of property not acquired through foreclosure or lease termination, the REIT has held the property for at least two years for the production of rental income; and

 

    if the REIT has made more than seven sales of non-foreclosure property during the taxable year, substantially all of the marketing and development expenditures with respect to the property were made through an independent contractor from whom the REIT derives no income.

We will attempt to comply with the terms of safe-harbor provision in the U.S. federal income tax laws prescribing when an asset sale will not be characterized as a prohibited transaction. However, we cannot assure you that any disposition we undertake will comply with the safe-harbor provision or that we will avoid owning property that may be characterized as property that we hold “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary

 

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course of a trade or business.” The 100% tax will not apply to gains from the sale of property that is held through a TRS or other taxable corporation, although such income will be taxed to the corporation at regular corporate income tax rates.

Foreclosure Property

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

 

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

 

    for which the related loan was acquired by the REIT at a time when the default was not imminent or anticipated; and

 

    for which the REIT makes a proper election to treat the property as foreclosure property.

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Hedging Transactions

From time to time, we may enter into hedging transactions with respect to one or more of our assets or liabilities. Our hedging activities may include entering into interest rate swaps, caps, and floors, options to purchase such items, and futures and forward contracts. Income and gain from “hedging transactions” will be excluded from gross income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests. A “hedging transaction” means (1) any transaction entered into in the normal course of our trade or business primarily to manage the risk of interest rate changes, price changes, or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets, (2) any transaction entered into primarily to manage the risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% gross income test (or any property which generates such income or gain) or (3) any new transaction entered into to hedge the income or loss from a prior hedging

 

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transaction, where the property or indebtedness which was the subject of the prior hedging transaction was extinguished or disposed of. We are required to clearly identify any such hedging transaction before the close of the day on which it was acquired or entered into and to satisfy other identification requirements. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT.

Foreign Currency Gain

Certain foreign currency gains will be excluded from gross income for purposes of one or both of the gross income tests. “Real estate foreign exchange gain” will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. Real estate foreign exchange gain generally includes foreign currency gain attributable to any item of income or gain that is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, foreign currency gain attributable to the acquisition or ownership of (or becoming or being the obligor under) obligations secured by mortgages on real property or on interests in real property and certain foreign currency gain attributable to certain “qualified business units” of a REIT. “Passive foreign exchange gain” will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 95% gross income test. Passive foreign exchange gain generally includes real estate foreign exchange gain as described above, and also includes foreign currency gain attributable to any item of income or gain that is qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test and foreign currency gain attributable to the acquisition or ownership of (or becoming or being the obligor under) obligations. These exclusions for real estate foreign exchange gain and passive foreign exchange gain do not apply to any certain foreign currency gain derived from dealing, or engaging in substantial and regular trading, in securities. Such gain is treated as nonqualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests.

Failure to Satisfy Gross Income Tests

We may have gross income that fails to constitute qualifying income for purposes of one or both of the gross income tests. Taking into account our anticipated sources of non-qualifying income, however, we expect that our aggregate gross income will satisfy the 75% and 95% gross income tests applicable to REITs for each taxable year commencing with our first taxable year as a REIT. If we fail to satisfy one or both of the gross income tests for any taxable year, we nevertheless may qualify as a REIT for that year if we qualify for relief under certain provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws. Those relief provisions are available if:

 

    our failure to meet those tests is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect; and

 

    following such failure for any taxable year, we file a schedule of the sources of our income in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.

We cannot predict, however, whether in all circumstances we would qualify for the relief provisions. In addition, as discussed above in “—Taxation of Our Company,” even if the relief provisions apply, we would incur a 100% tax on the gross income attributable to the greater of the amount by which we fail the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test multiplied, in either case, by a fraction intended to reflect our profitability. For a discussion of the consequence if we fail to satisfy the 75% or 95% gross income test and do not qualify for the relief provision described above, see “—Failure to Qualify.”

Asset Tests

To qualify as a REIT, we also must satisfy the following asset tests at the end of each quarter of each taxable year.

First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must consist of:

 

    cash or cash items, including certain receivables, money market funds and, in certain circumstances, foreign currencies;

 

    U.S. government securities;

 

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    interests in real property, including leaseholds and options to acquire real property and leaseholds and personal property leased in connection with real property so long as the personal property ratio (as defined in “Gross Income Tests—Rents from Real Property” above) with respect to the applicable lease is 15% or less;

 

    interests in mortgage loans secured by real property;

 

    stock in other REITs or debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs; and

 

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

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

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

Fourth, no more than 25% (or 20% for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017) of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of one or more TRSs.

Fifth, no more than 25% of the value of our total assets may consist of the securities of TRSs and other non-TRS taxable subsidiaries and other assets that are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test, or the 25% securities test.

Sixth, no more than 25% of the value of our total assets may consist of debt instruments of publicly offered REITs to the extent not secured by mortgages on real property or on interests in real property.

For purposes of the 5% asset test and the 10% vote or value test, the term “securities” does not include stock in another REIT, equity or debt securities of a qualified REIT subsidiary or TRS, mortgage loans that constitute real estate assets, or equity interests in a partnership. The term “securities,” however, generally includes debt securities issued by a partnership or another REIT, except that for purposes of the 10% value test, the term “securities” does not include:

 

    “Straight debt” securities, which is defined as a written unconditional promise to pay on demand or on a specified date a sum certain in money if (1) the debt is not convertible, directly or indirectly, into equity, and (2) the interest rate and interest payment dates are not contingent on profits, the borrower’s discretion, or similar factors. “Straight debt” securities do not include any securities issued by a partnership or a corporation in which we or any controlled TRS (i.e., a TRS in which we own directly or indirectly more than 50% of the voting power or value of the stock) hold non-“straight debt” securities that have an aggregate value of more than 1% of the issuer’s outstanding securities. However, “straight debt” securities include debt subject to the following contingencies:

 

    contingency relating to the time of payment of interest or principal, as long as either (1) there is no change to the effective yield of the debt obligation, other than a change to the annual yield that does not exceed the greater of 0.25% or 5% of the annual yield, or (2) neither the aggregate issue price nor the aggregate face amount of the issuer’s debt obligations held by us exceeds $1.0 million and no more than 12 months of unaccrued interest on the debt obligations can be required to be prepaid; and

 

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

 

    Any loan to an individual or an estate;

 

    Any “section 467 rental agreement,” other than an agreement with a related party tenant;

 

    Any obligation to pay “rents from real property”;

 

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    Certain securities issued by governmental entities;

 

    Any security issued by a REIT;

 

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

 

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

For purposes of the 10% value test, our proportionate share of the assets of a partnership is our proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership, without regard to the securities described in the last two bullet points above.

We will monitor the status of our assets for purposes of the various asset tests and will manage our portfolio in order to comply at all times with such tests. If we fail to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a calendar quarter, we will not lose our REIT qualification if:

 

    we satisfied the asset tests at the end of the preceding calendar quarter; and

 

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

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

In the event that we violate the 5% asset test or the 10% vote or value test described above, we will not lose our REIT qualification if (1) the failure is de minimis (up to the lesser of 1% of our assets or $10.0 million) and (2) we dispose of assets or otherwise comply with the asset tests within six months after the last day of the quarter in which we identify such failure. In the event of a failure of any of the asset tests (other than de minimis failures described in the preceding sentence), as long as the failure was due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, we will not lose our REIT qualification if we (1) dispose of the assets causing the failure or otherwise comply with the asset tests within six months after the last day of the quarter in which we identify the failure, (2) we file a description of each asset causing the failure with the IRS and (3) pay a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the highest corporate tax rate multiplied by the net income from the nonqualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy the asset tests.

We believe that the assets that we will hold following the separation will satisfy the foregoing asset test requirements. However, we will not obtain independent appraisals to support our conclusions as to the value of our assets. Moreover, the values of some assets may not be susceptible to a precise determination. As a result, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not contend that our ownership of our assets violates one or more of the asset tests applicable to REITs.

Distribution Requirements

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

 

    the sum of

 

    90% of our “REIT taxable income,” computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gain or loss; and

 

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    90% of our after-tax net income, if any, from foreclosure property; minus

 

    the excess of the sum of certain items of non-cash income over 5% of our “REIT taxable income.”

We must pay such distributions in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if either (a) we declare the distribution before we timely file our U.S. federal income tax return for the year and pay the distribution on or before the first regular dividend payment date after such declaration or (b) we declare the distribution in October, November or December of the taxable year, payable to stockholders of record on a specified day in any such month, and we actually pay the dividend before the end of January of the following year. The distributions under clause (a) are taxable to the stockholders in the year in which paid, and the distributions in clause (b) are treated as paid on December 31st of the prior taxable year. In both instances, these distributions relate to our prior taxable year for purposes of the 90% distribution requirement.

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

 

    85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year,

 

    95% of our REIT capital gain income for such year, and

 

    any undistributed taxable income from prior periods,

we will incur a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the amounts we actually distribute.

We may elect to retain and pay income tax on the net long-term capital gain we receive in a taxable year. If we so elect, we will be treated as having distributed any such retained amount for purposes of the 4% nondeductible excise tax described above.

It is possible that, from time to time, we may experience timing differences between the actual receipt of income and actual payment of deductible expenses and the inclusion of that income and deduction of such expenses in arriving at our REIT taxable income. For example, we may not deduct recognized capital losses from our “REIT taxable income.” Further, it is possible that, from time to time, we may be allocated a share of net capital gain attributable to the sale of depreciated property that exceeds our allocable share of cash attributable to that sale. In addition, we may recognize significant cancellation of indebtedness income or gain from the workout of our debt or the disposition of our assets in foreclosure or deed-in-lieu transactions, which will result in the receipt of taxable income in excess of the cash received, if any, from those transactions. As a result of the foregoing, we may have less cash than is necessary to distribute taxable income sufficient to avoid corporate income tax and the excise tax imposed on certain undistributed income or even to meet the 90% distribution requirement. In such a situation, we may need to borrow funds or, if possible, pay taxable dividends of our stock or debt securities.

The IRS has issued private letter rulings to other REITs approving the use of cash/stock dividends to satisfy the distribution requirements described above. Those rulings may only be relied upon by the taxpayers to whom they were issued, but we could request a similar ruling from the IRS. Accordingly, it is unclear whether and to what extent we will be able to make taxable dividends payable in stock.

Under certain circumstances, we may be able to correct a failure to meet the distribution requirement for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to our stockholders in a later year. We may include such deficiency dividends in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. Although we may be able to avoid income tax on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends, we will be required to pay interest to the IRS based upon the amount of any deduction we take for deficiency dividends.

 

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Recordkeeping Requirements

We must maintain certain records in order to qualify as a REIT. In addition, to avoid a monetary penalty, we must request on an annual basis information from our stockholders designed to disclose the actual ownership of our outstanding stock. We intend to comply with these requirements.

Failure to Qualify

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

If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, and no relief provision applies, we would be subject to U.S. federal income tax and any applicable alternative minimum tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. In calculating our taxable income in a year in which we fail to qualify as a REIT, we would not be able to deduct amounts paid out to stockholders. Subject to certain limitations, corporate stockholders might be eligible for the dividends received deduction and stockholders taxed at individual rates may be eligible for the reduced U.S. federal income tax rate of 20% on such dividends. Unless we qualified for relief under specific statutory provisions, we also would be disqualified from taxation as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we ceased to qualify as a REIT. We cannot predict whether in all circumstances we would qualify for such statutory relief.

Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders

For the purposes of this discussion under the heading “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences,” the term “U.S. stockholder” means a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock that for U.S. federal income tax purposes is:

 

    a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

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

 

    an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

 

    any trust if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) it has a valid election in place to be treated as a U.S. person.

If a partnership, entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds shares of our common stock, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner in a partnership that will hold shares of our common stock, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the consequences of the ownership and disposition of our common stock by the partnership.

As long as we qualify as a REIT, a taxable U.S. stockholder must generally take into account as ordinary income distributions made out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits that we do not designate as capital gain dividends or retained long-term capital gain. A U.S. stockholder will not qualify for the dividends received deduction generally available to corporations. In addition, dividends paid to a U.S. stockholder generally will not qualify for the 20% tax rate for “qualified dividend income.” The maximum tax rate for qualified dividend income received by U.S. stockholders taxed at individual rates is 20%. The maximum tax rate on qualified dividend income is lower than the maximum tax rate on ordinary income, which is 39.6%. Qualified

 

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dividend income generally includes dividends paid to U.S. stockholders taxed at individual rates by domestic C corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations. Because we are not generally subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of our REIT taxable income distributed to our stockholders (see “—Taxation of Our Company” above), our dividends generally will not be eligible for the 20% rate on qualified dividend income. As a result, our ordinary REIT dividends will be taxed at the higher tax rate applicable to ordinary income. However, the 20% tax rate for qualified dividend income will apply to our ordinary REIT dividends (1) attributable to dividends received by us from non-REIT corporations and (2) to the extent attributable to income upon which we have paid corporate income tax (e.g., to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our taxable income). In general, to qualify for the reduced tax rate on qualified dividend income, a U.S. stockholder must hold our common stock for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which our common stock becomes ex-dividend. In addition, individuals, trusts and estates whose income exceeds certain thresholds are also subject to a 3.8% Medicare tax on dividends received from us.

A U.S. stockholder generally will take into account as long-term capital gain any distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends without regard to the period for which the U.S. stockholder has held our common stock. We generally will designate our capital gain dividends as either 20% or 25% rate distributions. See “—Capital Gains and Losses.” A corporate U.S. stockholder, however, may be required to treat up to 20% of certain capital gain dividends as ordinary income.

We may elect to retain and pay income tax on the net long-term capital gain that we receive in a taxable year. In that case, to the extent that we designate such amount in a timely notice to such stockholder, a U.S. stockholder would be taxed on its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain. The U.S. stockholder would receive a credit for its proportionate share of the tax we paid. The U.S. stockholder would increase the basis in its common stock by the amount of its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain, minus its share of the tax we paid.

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

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

Taxation of U.S. Stockholders on the Disposition of Common Stock

A U.S. stockholder who is not a dealer in securities must generally treat any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of our common stock as long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. stockholder has held our common stock for more than one year and otherwise as short-term capital gain or loss. In general, a U.S.

 

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stockholder will realize gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the sum of the fair market value of any property and the amount of cash received in such disposition and the U.S. stockholder’s adjusted tax basis. A stockholder’s adjusted tax basis generally will equal the fair market value of its shares of our common stock on the date of the separation (see “Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Separation—Tax Basis and Holding Period of Highlands Common Stock Received by Holders of InvenTrust Stock”), increased by the excess of net capital gains deemed distributed to the U.S. stockholder (discussed above) less tax deemed paid on such gains and reduced by any returns of capital. However, a U.S. stockholder must treat any loss upon a sale or exchange of common stock held by such stockholder for six months or less as a long-term capital loss to the extent of capital gain dividends and any other actual or deemed distributions from us that such U.S. stockholder treats as long-term capital gain. All or a portion of any loss that a U.S. stockholder realizes upon a taxable disposition of our common stock may be disallowed if the U.S. stockholder purchases other common stock within 30 days before or after the disposition.

Capital Gains and Losses

A taxpayer generally must hold a capital asset for more than one year for gain or loss derived from its sale or exchange to be treated as long-term capital gain or loss. The highest marginal individual income tax rate currently is 39.6%. The maximum tax rate on long-term capital gain applicable to taxpayers taxed at individual rates is 20% for sales and exchanges of assets held for more than one year. The maximum tax rate on long-term capital gain from the sale or exchange of “Section 1250 property,” or depreciable real property, is 25%, which applies to the lesser of the total amount of the gain or the accumulated depreciation on the Section 1250 property. In addition, individuals, estates or trusts whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay a 3.8% Medicare tax on gains from the sale of our common stock.

With respect to distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends and any retained capital gain that we are deemed to distribute, we generally may designate whether such a distribution is taxable to our stockholders taxed at individual rates at a 20% or 25% rate. Thus, the tax rate differential between capital gain and ordinary income for those taxpayers may be significant. In addition, the characterization of income as capital gain or ordinary income may affect the deductibility of capital losses. A noncorporate taxpayer may deduct capital losses not offset by capital gains against its ordinary income only up to a maximum annual amount of $3,000. A non-corporate taxpayer may carry forward unused capital losses indefinitely. A corporate taxpayer must pay tax on its net capital gain at ordinary corporate rates. A corporate taxpayer may deduct capital losses only to the extent of capital gains, with unused losses being carried back three years and forward five years.

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 are subject to taxation on their unrelated business taxable income, or UBTI. Although many investments in real estate generate UBTI, the IRS has issued a ruling that dividend distributions from a REIT to an exempt employee pension trust do not constitute UBTI. Based on that ruling, amounts that we distribute to tax-exempt stockholders generally should not constitute UBTI. However, if a tax-exempt stockholder were to finance its acquisition of common stock with debt, a portion of the income that it receives from us would constitute UBTI pursuant to the “debt-financed property” rules. Moreover, social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts and qualified group legal services plans that are exempt from taxation under special provisions of the U.S. federal income tax laws are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally will require them to characterize distributions that they receive from us as UBTI. Finally, in certain circumstances, a qualified employee pension or profit sharing trust that owns more than 10% of our stock must treat a percentage of the dividends that it receives from us as UBTI. Such percentage is equal to the gross income we derive from an unrelated trade or business, determined as if we were a pension trust, divided by our total gross income for the year in which we pay the dividends. That rule applies to a pension trust holding more than 10% of our stock only if:

 

    the percentage of our dividends that the tax-exempt trust must treat as UBTI is at least 5%;

 

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

 

    either:

 

    one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our stock; or

 

    a group of pension trusts individually holding more than 10% of the value of our stock collectively owns more than 50% of the value of our stock.

Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders

For purposes of this discussion under the heading “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences,” the term “non-U.S. stockholder” means a beneficial owner of our common stock that is neither a U.S. stockholder nor a partnership (or entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes). The rules governing U.S. federal income taxation of nonresident alien individuals, foreign corporations, foreign partnerships, and other foreign stockholders are complex. This section is only a summary of such rules. We urge non-U.S. stockholders to consult their tax advisors to determine the impact of federal, state, and local income tax laws on the ownership and disposition of our common stock, including any reporting requirements.

A non-U.S. stockholder that receives a distribution that is not attributable to gain from our sale or exchange of a USRPI and that we do not designate as a capital gain dividend or retained capital gain will recognize ordinary income to the extent that we pay such distribution out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. A withholding tax equal to 30% of the gross amount of the distribution ordinarily will apply to such distribution unless an applicable tax treaty reduces or eliminates the tax. However, if a distribution is treated as effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business (conducted through a U.S. permanent establishment, where applicable), the non-U.S. stockholder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the distribution at graduated rates, in the same manner as U.S. stockholders are taxed with respect to such distribution, and a non-U.S. stockholder that is a corporation also may be subject to the 30% branch profits tax with respect to that distribution. Except with respect to certain distributions attributable to the sale of USRPIs described below, we plan to withhold U.S. income tax at the rate of 30% on the gross amount of any such distribution paid to a non-U.S. stockholder unless either:

 

    a lower treaty rate applies and the non-U.S. stockholder files an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E evidencing eligibility for that reduced rate with us; or

 

    the non-U.S. stockholder files an IRS Form W-8ECI with us claiming that the distribution is effectively connected income.

A non-U.S. stockholder will not incur tax on a distribution in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits if the excess portion of such distribution does not exceed the adjusted basis of its common stock. Instead, the excess portion of such distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of that common stock. A non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to tax on a distribution that exceeds both our current and accumulated earnings and profits and the adjusted basis of its common stock, if the non-U.S. stockholder otherwise would be subject to tax on gain from the sale or disposition of its common stock, as described below. Because we generally cannot determine at the time we make a distribution whether the distribution will exceed our current and accumulated earnings and profits, we normally will withhold tax on the entire amount of any distribution at the same rate as we would withhold on a dividend. However, a non-U.S. stockholder may claim a refund of amounts that we withhold if we later determine that a distribution in fact exceeded our current and accumulated earnings and profits. We must withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits. Consequently, although we intend to withhold at a rate of 30% on the entire amount of any distribution, to the extent that we do not do so, we will withhold at a rate of 15% on any portion of a distribution not subject to withholding at a rate of 30%.

 

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For any year in which we qualify as a REIT, a non-U.S. stockholder will incur tax on distributions that are attributable to gain from our sale or exchange of a USRPI under FIRPTA. A USRPI includes certain interests in real property and stock in certain corporations at least 50% of whose assets consist of USRPIs. Under FIRPTA, a non-U.S. stockholder is taxed on distributions attributable to gain from sales of USRPIs as if such gain were effectively connected with a U.S. business of the non-U.S. stockholder. A non-U.S. stockholder thus would be taxed on such a distribution at the normal capital gains rates applicable to U.S. stockholders, subject to applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of a nonresident alien individual. A non-U.S. corporate stockholder not entitled to treaty relief or exemption also may be subject to the 30% branch profits tax on such a distribution. We would be required to withhold 35% of any distribution that we could designate as a capital gain dividend. A non-U.S. stockholder may receive a credit against its tax liability for the amount we withhold.

We do not anticipate that our common stock will become regularly traded on an established securities market in the United States. However, if our common stock becomes regularly traded on an established securities market in the United States, capital gain distributions on our common stock that are attributable to our sale of real property will be treated as ordinary dividends rather than as gain from the sale of a USRPI, as long as the non-U.S. stockholder did not own more than 10% of our common stock at any time during the one-year period preceding the distribution. As a result, non-U.S. stockholders generally will be subject to withholding tax on such capital gain distributions in the same manner as they are subject to withholding tax on ordinary dividends.

As noted above, we do not anticipate that our common stock will become regularly traded on an established securities market in the United States. Consequently, capital gain distributions that are attributable to our sale of USRPIs will be subject to tax under FIRPTA, as described above. In such case, we must withhold 35% of any distribution that we could designate as a capital gain dividend. A non-U.S. stockholder may receive a credit against its tax liability for the amount we withhold. Moreover, if a non-U.S. stockholder disposes of our common stock during the 30-day period preceding a dividend payment, and such non-U.S. stockholder (or a person related to such non-U.S. stockholder) acquires or enters into a contract or option to acquire our common stock within 61 days of the first day of the 30-day period described above, and any portion of such dividend payment would, but for the disposition, be treated as a USRPI capital gain to such non-U.S. stockholder, then such non-U.S. stockholder shall be treated as having USRPI capital gain in an amount that, but for the disposition, would have been treated as USRPI capital gain.

Although the law is not clear on the matter, it appears that amounts we designate as retained capital gains in respect of the common stock held by U.S. stockholders generally should be treated with respect to non-U.S. stockholders in the same manner as actual distributions by us of capital gain dividends. Under this approach, a non-U.S. stockholder may be able to offset as a credit against its U.S. federal income tax liability resulting from its proportionate share of the tax paid by us on such retained capital gains, and to receive from the IRS a refund to the extent of the non-U.S. stockholder’s proportionate share of such tax paid by us exceeds its actual U.S. federal income tax liability, provided that the non-U.S. stockholder furnishes required information to the IRS on a timely basis.

Non-U.S. stockholders could incur tax under FIRPTA with respect to gain realized upon a disposition of our common stock if we are a United States real property holding corporation during a specified testing period. If at least 50% of a REIT’s assets are USRPIs, then the REIT will be a United States real property holding corporation. We anticipate that we will be a United States real property holding corporation based on our investment strategy. However, if we are a United States real property holding corporation, a non-U.S. stockholder generally would not incur tax under FIRPTA on gain from the sale of our common stock if we are a “domestically controlled qualified investment entity.” A domestically controlled qualified investment entity includes a REIT in which, at all times during a specified testing period, less than 50% in value of its stock is held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. stockholders. We cannot assure you that this test will be met. Another exception would apply if our common stock was regularly traded on an established securities market and the non-U.S. stockholder owned 10% or less of our common stock during the applicable testing period. As noted above, we do not anticipate that our common stock will become regularly traded on an established securities market.

 

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Exemptions from FIRPTA also apply to (1) certain foreign pension trusts and (2) certain non-U.S. stockholders that qualify for benefits under a comprehensive U.S. income tax treaty and are publicly traded entities or certain partnerships and other fiscally transparent entities. Non-U.S. stockholders should consult their tax advisors to determine whether they are entitled to an exemption under FIRPTA as a “qualified foreign pension fund,” a “qualified shareholder,” or “qualified collective investment vehicle.”

If the gain on the sale of our common stock were taxed under FIRPTA, a non-U.S. stockholder would be taxed on that gain in the same manner as U.S. stockholders, subject to applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals. Furthermore, a non-U.S. stockholder generally will incur tax on gain not subject to FIRPTA if:

 

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

 

    the non-U.S. stockholder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the U.S. 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. stockholder will incur a 30% tax on his or her net capital gains.

A U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed on dividends paid on our common stock received by certain non-U.S. stockholders if certain disclosure requirements related to U.S. accounts or ownership are not satisfied. In addition, if those disclosure requirements are not satisfied, a U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed, for payments after December 31, 2018, on proceeds from the sale of our common stock received by certain non-U.S. stockholders. If payment of withholding taxes is required, non-U.S. stockholders that are otherwise eligible for an exemption from, or a reduction of, U.S. withholding taxes with respect of such dividends and proceeds will be required to seek a refund from the IRS to obtain the benefit of such exemption or reduction. We will not pay any additional amounts in respect of any amounts withheld.

Information Reporting Requirements and Withholding

We will report to our stockholders and to the IRS the amount of distributions we pay during each calendar year, and the amount of tax we withhold, if any. Under the backup withholding rules, a stockholder may be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 28% with respect to distributions unless the holder:

 

    is a corporation or qualifies for certain other exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact; or

 

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

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

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

 

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broker has documentary evidence in its records that the beneficial owner is a non-U.S. stockholder and specified conditions are met or an exemption is otherwise established. Payment of the net proceeds from a disposition by a non-U.S. stockholder of common stock made by or through the U.S. office of a broker is generally subject to information reporting and backup withholding unless the non-U.S. stockholder certifies under penalties of perjury that it is not a U.S. person and satisfies certain other requirements, or otherwise establishes an exemption from information reporting and backup withholding.

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

A U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed on dividends paid on our common stock received by U.S. stockholders who own their shares through foreign accounts or foreign intermediaries if certain disclosure requirements related to U.S. accounts or ownership are not satisfied. In addition, if those disclosure requirements are not satisfied, a U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate will be imposed, for payments after December 31, 2018, on proceeds from the sale of our common stock received by U.S. stockholders who own their shares through foreign accounts or foreign intermediaries. We will not pay any additional amounts in respect of any amounts withheld.

Other Tax Consequences

Legislative or Other Actions Affecting REITs

The present U.S. federal income tax treatment of REITs may be modified, possibly with retroactive effect, by legislative, judicial or administrative action at any time. The REIT rules are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department which may result in statutory changes as well as revisions to regulations and interpretations. Additionally, several of the tax considerations described herein are currently under review and are subject to change. Prospective stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisors regarding the effect of potential changes to the federal tax laws on an investment in our stock.

State, Local and Foreign Taxes

We and/or you may be subject to taxation by various states, localities and foreign jurisdictions, including those in which we or a stockholder transacts business, owns property or resides. The state, local and foreign tax treatment may differ from the U.S. federal income tax treatment described above. Consequently, you are urged to consult your tax advisors regarding the effect of state, local and foreign tax laws upon an investment in our common stock.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form 10, including exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement of which this Information Statement is a part, under the Exchange Act, with respect to the shares of our common stock being distributed as contemplated by this registration statement. This Information Statement is part of, and does not contain all of the information set forth in, the registration statement and exhibits and schedules to the registration statement. For further information with respect to us and our common stock, please refer to the registration statement, including its exhibits and schedules. Statements made in this Information Statement relating to any contract or other document are not necessarily complete, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract or document. You may review a copy of the registration statement, including its exhibits and schedules, at the SEC’s public reference room, located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 as well as on the Internet website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Information contained on any website referenced in this Information Statement is not incorporated by reference in this Information Statement.

As a result of the distribution, we will become subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance with the Exchange Act, we will file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC, which will be available on the Internet website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov.

We intend to furnish holders of our common stock with annual reports containing combined consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and audited and reported on, with an opinion expressed, by an independent registered public accounting firm.

You should rely only on the information contained in this Information Statement or to which we have referred you. We have not authorized any person to provide you with different information or to make any representation not contained in this Information Statement.

 

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INDEX T O FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Highlands REIT, Inc. and Subsidiaries

 

     Page  

I. Historical Financial Statements

  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     F-2   

Combined Consolidated Balance Sheets for the years ended December  31, 2015 and 2014

     F-3   

Combined Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

     F-4   

Combined Consolidated Statements of Equity for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

     F-5   

Combined Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

     F-6   

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

     F-8   

II. Real Estate Asset Depreciation, Schedule III, as of December  31, 2015

     F-29   

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Stockholders

InvenTrust Properties Corp:

We have audited the accompanying combined consolidated balance sheets of Highlands REIT, Inc. and its Predecessors as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the related combined consolidated statements of operations, equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015. In connection with our audits of the combined consolidated financial statements, we have also audited the financial statement Schedule III. These combined consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the InvenTrust Properties Corp.’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these combined consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the combined consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Highlands REIT, Inc. and its Predecessors as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also, in our opinion, the related financial statement Schedule III, when considered in relation to the basic combined consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth herein.

As discussed in Note 2 to the combined consolidated financial statements, the combined consolidated financial statements of Highlands REIT, Inc. and its Predecessors represent a combination of entities under common control of InvenTrust Properties Corp. and have been “carved out” of InvenTrust Properties Corp.’s consolidated financial statements and reflect significant assumptions and allocations. The combined consolidated financial statements include allocations of certain operating expenses from InvenTrust Properties Corp. These costs may not be reflective of the actual costs which would have been incurred had the predecessors, operated as an independent, standalone entity separate from InvenTrust Properties Corp.

As discussed in Note 2 to the combined consolidated financial statements, in April 2014, Highlands REIT, Inc. and its Predecessors adopted new accounting guidance that changed the requirements for reporting discontinued operations pursuant to ASU 2014-08, Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Chicago, Illinois

March 18, 2016

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Combined Consolidated Balance Sheets

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

     As of December 31,  
     2015     2014  

Assets

    

Investment properties

    

Land

   $ 153,646      $ 178,186   

Building and other improvements

     711,262        783,735   

Construction in progress

     —          1,506   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     864,908        963,427   

Less accumulated depreciation

     (185,100     (180,027
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net investment properties

     679,808        783,400   

Cash and cash equivalents

     26,972        10,291   

Restricted cash and escrows

     3,647        5,044   

Accounts and rents receivable (net of allowance of $104 and $244)

     12,554        15,877   

Intangible assets, net

     12,547        21,503   

Deferred costs and other assets

     5,564        5,779   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 741,092      $ 841,894   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Liabilities

    

Debt

   $ 438,970      $ 487,825   

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

     28,298        27,572   

Intangible liabilities, net

     5,074        5,939   

Other liabilities

     1,897        3,450   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     474,239        524,786   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies

    

Stockholder’s Equity

    

Capital

     1,534,018        1,593,858   

Accumulated distributions in excess of net income (loss)

     (1,267,165     (1,276,875
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Company stockholders’ equity

     266,853        316,983   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-controlling interests

     —          125   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total equity

   $ 266,853      $ 317,108   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities and equity

   $ 741,092      $ 841,894   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to the combined consolidated financial statements.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Combined Consolidated Statements of Operations

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2015     2014     2013  

Revenues

      

Rental income

   $ 96,960      $ 104,218      $ 108,841   

Tenant recovery income

     14,447        17,190        18,611   

Other property income

     430        739        743   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

   $ 111,837      $ 122,147      $ 128,195   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Expenses

      

Property operating expenses

     10,721        15,443        15,888   

Real estate taxes

     10,303        12,379        13,312   

Depreciation and amortization

     36,212        37,235        47,113   

General and administrative expenses

     12,241        7,161        4,534   

Business management fee

     —          423        6,742   

Provision for asset impairment

     —          15,640        258,648   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total expenses

   $ 69,477      $ 88,281      $ 346,237   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

   $ 42,360      $ 33,866      $ (218,042
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Interest and dividend income

     1        5        1,006   

Loss on sale of investment properties

     (197     (1,018     —     

Gain on extinguishment of debt

     —          11,959        2,419   

Other (loss) income

     (11     488        889   

Interest expense

     (27,757     (32,681     (37,583

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entity

     —          —          628   

Gain on investment in unconsolidated entity, net

     —          —          2,930   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

   $ 14,396      $ 12,619      $ (247,753
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income tax expense

     (51     (64     (110
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) from continuing operations

   $ 14,345      $ 12,555      $ (247,863
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income from discontinued operations

     —          4,632        48,469   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

   $ 14,345      $ 17,187      $ (199,394
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

     (15     (16     (16
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss) attributable to Company

   $ 14,330      $ 17,171      $ (199,410
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to the combined consolidated financial statements.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Combined Consolidated Statements of Equity

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

     Capital      Accumulated
Distributions
in Excess of
Net Income
(Loss)
     Non-Controlling
Interests
     Total  

Balance at January 1, 2013

   $ 1,512,597       $ (812,049    $ 125       $ 700,673   

Net income (loss)

     —           (199,410      16         (199,394

Cash dividends

     —           (149,244      —           (149,244

Distributions to non-controlling interests

     —           —           (16      (16

Distributions to InvenTrust

     (746,688      —           —           (746,688

Contributions from InvenTrust

     784,363         —           —           784,363   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2013

   $ 1,550,272       $ (1,160,703    $ 125       $ 389,694   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     Capital      Accumulated
Distributions
in Excess of
Net Income
(Loss)
     Non-Controlling
Interests
     Total  

Balance at January 1, 2014

   $ 1,550,272       $ (1,160,703    $ 125       $ 389,694   

Net income

     —           17,171         16         17,187   

Cash dividends

     —           (133,343      —           (133,343

Distributions to non-controlling interests

     —           —           (16      (16

Distributions to InvenTrust

     (641,214      —           —           (641,214

Contributions from InvenTrust

     684,800         —           —           684,800   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2014

   $ 1,593,858       $ (1,276,875    $ 125       $ 317,108   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     Capital      Accumulated
Distributions
in Excess of
Net Income
(Loss)
     Non-Controlling
Interests
     Total  

Balance at January 1, 2015

   $ 1,593,858       $ (1,276,875    $ 125       $ 317,108   

Net income

     —           14,330         15         14,345   

Cash dividends

     —           (4,620      —           (4,620

Distributions to non-controlling interests

     —           —           (15      (15

Preferred stock redemption

     —           —           (125      (125

Distributions to InvenTrust

     (155,332      —           —           (155,332

Contributions from InvenTrust

     95,492         —           —           95,492   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2015

   $ 1,534,018       $ (1,267,165    $ —         $ 266,853   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to the combined consolidated financial statements.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Combined Consolidated Financial Statements of Cash Flows

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2015     2014     2013  

Cash flows from operating activities:

      

Net income (loss)

   $ 14,345      $ 17,187      $ (199,394

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:

      

Depreciation and amortization

     36,238        37,287        62,268   

Amortization of above and below market leases, net

     (435     (263     (250

Amortization of debt discounts and financing costs

     220        380        790   

Straight-line rental income

     2,265        2,012        886   

Gain on extinguishment of debt

     —          (9,835     (364

Loss (gain) on sale of investment property, net

     197        (4,576     (57,239

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entity

     —          —          (628

Gain on investment in unconsolidated entity

     —          —          (2,930

Provision for asset impairment

     —          15,640        262,501   

Changes in assets and liabilities:

      

Accounts and rents receivable

     (91     437        245   

Deferred costs and other assets

     681        295        (421

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

     1,549        565        4,098   

Other liabilities

     (1,315     (5,250     383   

Prepayment penalties

            —          (1,431
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash flows provided by operating activities

   $ 53,654      $ 53,879      $ 68,514   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

      

Capital expenditures and tenant improvements

     (4,083     (4,544     (4,768

Sale of investment properties

     7,860        118,471        302,077   

Payment of leasing fees

     (2,256     (652     (1,551

Receipt of notes receivable

     —          —          20,000   

Restricted escrows

     450        660        1,090   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash flows provided by investing activities

   $ 1,971      $ 113,935      $ 316,848   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities:

      

Distributions to InvenTrust

     (100,766     (641,214     (746,688

Contributions from InvenTrust

     87,765        678,861        815,995   

Proceeds from note payable

     —          32,908        —     

Payoffs of mortgage debt and notes payable

     —          (80,730     (283,244

Principal payments of mortgage debt

     (21,183     (19,999     (24,111

Payment of loan fees and deposits

     —          (66     (66

Dividends paid

     (4,620     (133,343     (149,244

Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests

     (15     (16     (16

Preferred stock redemption

     (125     —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash flows used in financing activities

   $ (38,944   $ (163,599   $ (387,374
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     16,681        4,215        (2,012

Cash and cash equivalents, at beginning of year

     10,291        6,076        8,088   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents, at end of year

   $ 26,972      $ 10,291      $ 6,076   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to the combined consolidated financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Combined Consolidated Financial Statements of Cash Flows

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2015     2014     2013  

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

      

Cash paid for interest

   $ 24,394      $ 30,811      $ 46,770   

Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities:

  

   

Mortgage assumed by buyers upon disposition of properties

   $ —        $ 194,922      $ —     

Consolidation of assets from joint venture

     —          —          22,803   

Assumption of mortgage debt at consolidation of joint venture

     —          —          14,868   

Allocation from InvenTrust unsecured credit facility

     (7,779     (5,939     31,632   

Distribution of assets and liabilities associated with three assets to InvenTrust

     54,566        —          —     

See accompanying notes to the combined consolidated financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

1. Organization

Inland American Real Estate Trust, Inc., which on April 16, 2015 changed its name to InvenTrust Properties Corp. (“InvenTrust”), was formed on October 4, 2004 to acquire and manage a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate, primarily retail assets and multi-family (both conventional and student housing), office, industrial and lodging assets, located in the United States. InvenTrust intends to dispose of its remaining non-core assets through the pro rata distribution of 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock of Highlands REIT, Inc. (“Highlands”), which was formed on December 16, 2015, to InvenTrust’s stockholders. Highlands is a wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust.

To date, Highlands has not conducted any business as a separate company and has no material assets or liabilities. The operations to be transferred to Highlands by InvenTrust are presented as if the transferred business was Highlands’ business for all historical periods presented in the accompanying combined consolidated financial statements and at the carrying value of such assets and liabilities reflected in InvenTrust’s books and records. Upon completion of the separation and distribution from InvenTrust, Highlands will be an independent, self-managed, non-traded REIT.

The accompanying combined consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Highlands and its predecessors (collectively, the “Company”), as well as all wholly owned subsidiaries. Wholly owned subsidiaries generally consist of limited liability companies (LLCs) and limited partnerships (LPs). The effects of all significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated.

Each asset is owned by a separate legal entity which maintains its own books and financial records and each entity’s assets are not available to satisfy the liabilities of other affiliated entities, except as otherwise disclosed in Debt Note 8.

As of December 31, 2015, the Company owned 22 assets and four parcels of unimproved land, of which the operating activity is reflected in continuing operations on the combined consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013. As of December 31, 2014, the Company owned 27 assets and four parcels of unimproved land. As of December 31, 2013, the Company owned 58 assets and four parcels of unimproved land and classified 28 of those assets as held for sale. Of the 28 assets, only 27 assets were ultimately sold. The operating activity of the 27 assets are reflected in discontinued operations on the combined consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying combined consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the combined consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying historical combined consolidated financial statements do not represent the financial position and results of a single legal entity, but rather a combination of entities under common control that have been “carved out” of InvenTrust’s consolidated financial statements and reflect significant assumptions and

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

allocations. The combined consolidated financial statements reflect the operations of certain assets and liabilities that have been historically held by InvenTrust, but which are specifically identifiable or attributable to the Company. The accompanying combined consolidated financial statements include allocations of costs from certain corporate and shared functions provided to the Company by InvenTrust. InvenTrust allocated to the Company a portion of corporate overhead costs incurred by InvenTrust based upon the Company’s percentage share of the average invested assets of InvenTrust, which is reflected in general and administrative expense. As InvenTrust is managing various asset portfolios, the extent of services and benefits a portfolio receives is based on the size of its assets. Therefore, using average invested assets to allocate costs is a reasonable reflection of the services and other benefits received by the Company and complies with applicable accounting guidance. InvenTrust also allocated to the Company a portion of InvenTrust’s unsecured credit facility and the related interest expense. The unsecured credit facility is subject to a borrowing base consisting of a pool of unencumbered assets. To the extent the Company’s assets were included within the pool of unencumbered assets, the Company was allocated a portion of the unsecured credit facility. However, actual costs may have differed from allocated costs if the Company had operated as a standalone entity during such period and those differences may have been material.

The combined consolidated financial statements include transactions in which ordinary course cash transactions have been processed by InvenTrust due to InvenTrust’s centralized cash management process on behalf of the Company such as the repayment of debt, rental receipts and payables in the ordinary course of business, resulting in intercompany transactions between the Company and InvenTrust. These ordinary course intercompany transactions are considered to be effectively settled at the time of the Company’s separation from InvenTrust. Accordingly, these transactions are reflected as distributions to and contributions from InvenTrust in the combined consolidated statements of cash flow as a financing activity.

Revenue Recognition

The Company commences revenue recognition on its leases based on a number of factors. In most cases, revenue recognition under a lease begins when the lessee takes possession of or controls the physical use of the leased asset. Generally, this occurs on the lease commencement date. The determination of who is the owner, for accounting purposes, of the tenant improvements determines the nature of the leased asset and when revenue recognition under a lease begins. If the Company is the owner, for accounting purposes, of the tenant improvements, then the leased asset is the finished space and revenue recognition begins when the lessee takes possession of the finished space, typically when the improvements are substantially complete. If the Company concludes it is not the owner, for accounting purposes, of the tenant improvements (the lessee is the owner), then the leased asset is the unimproved space and any tenant improvement allowances funded under the lease are treated as lease incentives which reduces revenue recognized over the term of the lease. In these circumstances, the Company begins revenue recognition when the lessee takes possession of the unimproved space for the lessee to construct their own improvements. The Company considers a number of different factors to evaluate whether it or the lessee is the owner of the tenant improvements for accounting purposes. These factors include:

 

    whether the lease stipulates how and on what a tenant improvement allowance may be spent;

 

    whether the tenant or landlord retains legal title to the improvements;

 

    the uniqueness of the improvements;

 

    the expected economic life of the tenant improvements relative to the length of the lease; and

 

    who constructs or directs the construction of the improvements.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

The determination of who owns the tenant improvements, for accounting purposes, is subject to significant judgment. In making that determination, the Company considers all of the above factors. No one factor, however, necessarily establishes its determination.

Rental income is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of each lease. The difference between rental income earned on a straight-line basis and the cash rent due under the provisions of the lease agreements is recorded as deferred rent receivable and is included as a component of accounts and rents receivable in the accompanying combined consolidated balance sheets.

The Company records lease termination income if there is a signed termination agreement, all of the conditions of the agreement have been met, the tenant is no longer occupying the asset and amounts due are considered collectible.

The Company defers recognition of contingent rental income (i.e. percentage/excess rent) until the specified target that triggers the contingent rental income is achieved.

Consolidation

The Company evaluates its investments in limited liability companies and partnerships to determine whether such entities may be a variable interest entity (“VIE”). If the entity is a VIE, the determination of whether the Company is the primary beneficiary must be made. The primary beneficiary determination is based on a qualitative assessment as to whether the entity has (i) power to direct significant activities of the VIE and (ii) an obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could be potentially significant to the VIE. The Company will consolidate a VIE if it is deemed to be the primary beneficiary, as defined in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 810, Consolidation. The equity method of accounting is applied to entities in which the Company is not the primary beneficiary as defined in FASB ASC 810, or the entity is not a VIE and the Company does not have effective control, but can exercise influence over the entity with respect to its operations and major decisions. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company did not have any investments in partially owned entities.

Capitalization and Depreciation

Real estate is reflected at cost less accumulated depreciation. Ordinary repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.

Depreciation expense is computed using the straight line method. Building and other improvements are depreciated based upon estimated useful lives of 30 years for building and improvements and 5-15 years for furniture, fixtures and equipment and site improvements.

Tenant improvements are amortized on a straight line basis over the lesser of the life of the tenant improvement or the lease term as a component of depreciation and amortization expense.

Leasing fees are amortized on a straight-line basis over the life of the related lease as a component of depreciation and amortization expense.

Loan fees are amortized on a straight-line basis, which approximates the effective interest method, over the life of the related loan as a component of interest expense.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

Direct and indirect costs that are clearly related to the construction and improvements of investment properties are capitalized. Costs incurred for property taxes and insurance are capitalized during periods in which activities necessary to get the asset ready for its intended use are in progress. Interest costs are also capitalized during such periods.

Asset Dispositions and Assets Held for Sale

The Company accounts for dispositions in accordance with FASB ASC 360-20, Real Estate Sales. The Company recognizes gain in full when real estate is sold, provided (a) the profit is determinable, that is, the collectability of the sales price is reasonably assured or the amount that will not be collectible can be estimated, and (b) the earnings process is virtually complete, that is, the seller is not obliged to perform significant activities after the sale to earn the profit.

In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-08, Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity , which includes amendments that change the requirements for reporting discontinued operations and require additional disclosures about discontinued operations. Under the new guidance, only disposals representing a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on the entity’s results and operations would qualify as discontinued operations. In addition, ASU 2014-08 expands the disclosure requirements for disposals that meet the definition of a discontinued operation and requires entities to disclose information about disposals of individually significant components that do not meet the definition of discontinued operations. ASU 2014-08 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods in fiscal years that begin after December 15, 2014. The Company has elected to early adopt ASU 2014-08, effective January 1, 2014. Beginning with the year ended December 31, 2014, all asset disposals have been included as a component of income from continuing operations unless they qualify as discontinued operations.

In determining whether to classify an investment property as held for sale, the Company considers whether: (i) management has committed to a plan to sell the investment property; (ii) the investment property is available for immediate sale, in its present condition; (iii) the Company has initiated a program to locate a buyer; (iv) the Company believes that the sale of the investment property is probable; (v) the Company has received a significant non-refundable deposit for the purchase of the property; (vi) the Company is actively marketing the investment property for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to its fair value; and (vii) actions required for the Company to complete the plan indicate that it is unlikely that any significant changes will be made to the plan.

If all of the above criteria are met, the Company classifies the investment property as held for sale. On the day that these criteria are met, the Company suspends depreciation on the investment properties held for sale, including depreciation for tenant improvements and additions, as well as on the amortization of acquired in-place leases. The investment properties and liabilities associated with those investment properties that are held for sale are classified separately on the combined consolidated balance sheets for the most recent reporting period and recorded at the lesser of the carrying value or fair value less costs to sell. Additionally, in line with the Company’s adoption of ASU 2014-08, for the year ended December 31, 2014, if the sale represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on the entity’s results and operations, the operations for the periods presented are classified on the combined consolidated statements of operations as discontinued operations for all periods presented. For the year ended December 31, 2013, the operations for all asset disposals are classified on the combined consolidated statements of operations as discontinued operations for all periods presented.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

The Company classified 28 net lease assets as held for sale on the combined consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013. Of these 28 assets, only 27 assets were ultimately sold. See “Note 9. Fair Value Measurements” for further discussion. The operations of these 27 assets are reflected as discontinued operations on the combined consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013. There were no assets held for sale on the combined consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014.

Impairment

The Company assesses the carrying values of the respective long-lived assets, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of these assets may not be fully recoverable, such as a reduction in the expected holding period of the asset. If it is determined that the carrying value is not recoverable because the undiscounted cash flows do not exceed carrying value, the Company records an impairment loss to the extent that the carrying value exceeds fair value. The valuation and possible subsequent impairment of investment properties is a significant estimate that can and does change based on the Company’s continuous process of analyzing each asset and reviewing assumptions about uncertain inherent factors, as well as the economic condition of the asset at a particular point in time.

The use of projected future cash flows and related holding period is based on assumptions that are consistent with the estimates of future expectations and the strategic plan the Company uses to manage its underlying business. However, assumptions and estimates about future cash flows and capitalization rates are complex and subjective. Changes in economic and operating conditions and the Company’s ultimate investment intent that occur subsequent to the impairment analyses could impact these assumptions and result in future impairment charges of the real estate assets.

On a periodic basis, management assesses whether there are any indicators that the carrying value of the Company’s investments in unconsolidated entities may be other than temporarily impaired. To the extent impairment has occurred, the loss is measured as the excess of the carrying value of the investment over the fair value of the investment. The fair value of the underlying investment includes a review of expected cash flows to be received from the investee.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all demand deposits, money market accounts and investments in certificates of deposit and repurchase agreements purchased with a maturity of three months or less, at the date of purchase, to be cash equivalents. The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalents at financial institutions. The combined account balances at one or more institutions periodically exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance coverage and, as a result, there is a concentration of credit risk related to amounts on deposit in excess of FDIC insurance coverage. The Company believes that the risk is not significant, as the Company does not anticipate the financial institutions’ non-performance.

Restricted Cash and Escrows

Restricted escrows primarily consist of cash held in escrow comprised of lenders’ restricted escrows of $3,647 and $4,660 as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Post-acquisition escrows were comprised of $0 and $384 as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. There was no restricted cash balances at December 31, 2015 and 2014.

 

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

Income Taxes

The Company intends to elect to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes beginning with the Company’s short taxable year commencing immediately prior to the Company’s separation from InvenTrust and ending on December 31, 2016. So long as it qualifies as a REIT, the Company generally will not be subject to federal income tax on taxable income that is distributed currently to stockholders. A REIT is subject to a number of organizational and operational requirements including a requirement that it currently distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income (subject to certain adjustments) to its stockholders each year. If the Company fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, without the benefit of certain relief provisions, the Company will be subject to federal and state income tax on its taxable income at regular corporate tax rates and would not be able to re-elect REIT status during the four years following the year of the failure. Even if the Company qualifies for taxation as a REIT, the Company may be subject to certain state and local taxes on its income, property or net worth and federal income and excise taxes on its undistributed income.

The Company is a currently a qualified REIT subsidiary (“QRS”) of InvenTrust, which has elected to be taxed as a REIT and has operated in a manner intended to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). As a QRS, the Company is currently disregarded as separate entity from InvenTrust for federal income tax purposes. All assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the Company are currently treated for federal income tax purposes as those of InvenTrust.

The Company’s subsidiary, MB REIT (Florida), Inc. (“MB REIT”), has operated in a manner intended to qualify to be taxed as a REIT. On December 15, 2015, MB REIT redeemed all of the outstanding shares of its Series B Preferred Stock and became a wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust. At that time, MB REIT became a QRS of InvenTrust and ceased to be treated as a separate REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a QRS, MB REIT is currently disregarded as a separate entity from InvenTrust for federal income tax purposes. All assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of MB REIT are treated for federal income tax purposes as those of InvenTrust.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers , which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The ASU will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in GAAP when it becomes effective, although it will not affect the accounting for rental related revenues. ASU No. 2014-09, as issued, was to be effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years and interim period beginning after December 31, 2016. In April 2015, the FASB approved an amendment to the ASU, deferring the effective date one year to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 for public entities. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. Early adoption is prohibited. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU No. 2014-09 will have on its combined consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. The Company has not yet selected a transition method nor has it determined the effect of the standard on its ongoing financial reporting.

In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-02, Consolidation: Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis . This ASU provides consolidation guidance for legal entities such as limited partnerships, limited liability corporations and securitization structures. This ASU offers updated consolidation evaluation criteria and may require additional disclosure requirements. ASU No. 2015-02 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2015. The Company does not believe the adoption of

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

this update will have a material impact on the Company’s combined consolidated financial position, results of operations or disclosure requirements of its combined consolidated financial statements.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03, Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs , which requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected. Upon adoption, the Company will apply the new guidance on a retrospective basis and adjust the balance sheet of each individual period presented to reflect the period-specific effects of applying the new guidance. This guidance is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2016. The Company is continuing to evaluate this guidance; however, the Company does not expect its adoption to have a significant impact on the combined consolidated financial statements.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities which revises an entity’s accounting related to: (i) the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities; (ii) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities measured at fair value; and (iii) amends certain disclosure requirements associated with the fair value of financial instruments, including eliminating the requirement for public business entities to disclose the method and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value for financial instruments measured at amortized cost. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company is continuing to evaluate this guidance; however, the Company does not expect its adoption to have a significant impact on the combined consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases , amending the existing accounting standards for lease accounting, including requiring lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets and making targeted changes to lessor accounting. ASU 2016-02 will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and early adoption of is permitted as of the standard’s issuance date. The new standard requires a modified retrospective transition approach for all leases existing at, or entered into after, the date of initial application, with an option to use certain transition relief. The Company is assessing whether the new standard will have a material effect on its combined consolidated financial statements.

3. Disposed Assets

Beginning with the year ended December 31, 2014, all asset disposals are included as a component of income from continuing operations, except for those assets meeting the criteria to be classified as discontinued operations.

The Company sold one net lease asset during the year ended December 31, 2015 for a gross disposition price of $8,200. The table below reflects sales activity for the year ended December 31, 2015 for the one asset included in continuing operations on the combined consolidated statements of operations.

 

Property

   Date      Gross Disposition
Price
     Square Feet
(unaudited)
 

Citizens Manchester

     7/9/2015       $ 8,200         148,000 Square Feet   

In January 2015, the assets and liabilities associated with three retail assets were distributed to InvenTrust. The distribution was recorded at carrying value due to common control and the Company did not realize any gain or loss on disposal. The distribution is reflected as a non-cash distribution in the combined consolidated statements of cash flow.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

The Company sold 29 net lease and two retail assets during the year ended December 31, 2014 for a gross disposition price of $330,100. The table below reflects sales activity for the year ended December 31, 2014 for four assets included in continuing operations on the combined consolidated statements of operations. In line with the Company’s adoption of ASU No. 2014-08, effective January 1, 2014, only dispositions representing a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on the Company’s results and operations would qualify as discontinued operations. The following dispositions did not reflect a strategic shift that had a major effect on the Company’s results and operations and therefore do not qualify as discontinued operations.

 

Property

   Date    Gross Disposition
Price
     Square Feet
(unaudited)
 

Hunting Bayou

   2/19/2014    $ 10,300         133,269  Square feet   

Monadnock Marketplace

   4/9/2014      31,200         367,454  Square feet   

3801 S. Collins

   7/31/2014      10,500         239,905  Square feet   

Citizens - Plattsburgh

   11/7/2014      200         7,950  Square feet   
     

 

 

    
      $ 52,200      
     

 

 

    

The table below reflects sales activity for the year ended December 31, 2014 for 27 net lease assets included in discontinued operations on the combined consolidated statements of operations. These assets were classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2013, prior to the Company’s adoption of ASU No. 2014-08, and its operations are included in discontinued operations on the combined consolidated statements of operations.

 

Portfolio

   Date    Gross Disposition
Price
     Square Feet
(unaudited)
 

Net lease portfolio - 23 assets

   2/21/2014    $ 219,400         3,685,390  Square Feet   

Net lease portfolio - 4 assets

   3/28/2014      58,500         1,118,096  Square Feet   
     

 

 

    
      $ 277,900      
     

 

 

    

The Company sold 12 net lease, one multi-tenant office and one other asset during the year ended December 31, 2013, resulting in a gross disposition price of $313,500. The table below reflects sales activity for the year ended December 31, 2013 for the 14 assets included in discontinued operations on the combined consolidated statements of operations.

 

Property

   Date    Gross Disposition
Price
     Square Feet / Units
(unaudited)
 

Citizens Bank - Chicago Heights

   1/24/2013    $ 2,000         6,276  Square Feet   

Citizens Bank - Lewes

   2/22/2013      1,100         3,478  Square Feet   

Citizens Bank - Westchester

   2/22/2013      1,400         3,410  Square Feet   

Citizens Bank - 3 assets

   3/19/2013      1,200         5,055  Square Feet   

IDS Center

   4/25/2013      253,500         1,462,374  Square Feet   

Citizens - Springfield

   5/10/2013      1,000         3,000  Square Feet   

Citizens - Haddon Heights

   7/23/2013      1,400         4,810  Square Feet   

Southgate Apartments

   8/1/2013      19,500         256  Units               

Net lease portfolio - 3 assets

   9/24/2013      29,100         262,700  Square Feet   

Citizens - Mellon Bank Building

   12/31/2013      3,300         14,567  Square Feet   
     

 

 

    
      $ 313,500      
     

 

 

    

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the operations reflected in discontinued operations, shown in the table below, include 27 net lease assets that were classified as held for sale at December 31, 2013 and subsequently sold in 2014 and any operations classified as discontinued operations prior to the Company’s adoption of ASU No. 2014-08.

 

     Year ended December 31,  
     2015      2014      2013  

Revenues

   $ —         $ 4,089       $ 41,983   

Depreciation and amortization expense

     —           44         14,931   

Other expenses

     —           938         15,852   

Provision for asset impairment

     —           —           3,853   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating income from discontinued operations

     —           3,107         7,347   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Interest expense and other

     —           (1,945      (14,062

Gain on sale of properties, net

     —           5,594         57,239   

Loss on extinguishment of debt

     —           (2,124      (2,055
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net income from discontinued operations

   $ —         $ 4,632       $ 48,469   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities from the 27 assets classified as held for sale at December 31, 2013 and included in discontinued operations was $(251) and $8,878 for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities from the 27 assets classified as held for sale at December 31, 2013 and included in discontinued operations was $78,705 and $(958) for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company recorded a loss on sale of investment properties of $197, $1,018, and $0, respectively, in continuing operations. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company had generated net proceeds from the sale of assets of $7,860, $118,471 and $302,077, respectively.

4. Investment in Partially Owned Entities

On April 23, 2007, InvenTrust entered into a joint venture, D.R. Stephens Institutional Fund, LLC (“D.R. Stephens”), between the Company and Stephens Ventures III, LLC (“Stephens Member”) for the purpose of acquiring entities engaged in the acquisition, ownership, and development of real property. D.R. Stephens was accounted for as an equity method investment.

InvenTrust entered into a definitive agreement and purchased Stephens Member’s interest in D.R. Stephens, which resulted in InvenTrust obtaining control of the venture consisting of ten assets. InvenTrust consolidated the ten assets previously in the joint venture on December 31, 2013, recording the assets and liabilities of the joint venture at fair value. The Company had an ownership interest in one asset, Trimble. Prior to the acquisition of the Stephen’s Member’s interest, the Company’s investment in Trimble was $5,005. InvenTrust estimated the fair value of Trimble using a broker opinion of value and allocated the fair value between tangible and intangible assets. Such tangible and intangible assets include land, building and improvements, acquired above market and below market leases, and in-place lease value. InvenTrust estimated fair value of the debt by discounting the future cash flows of each instrument at rates currently offered for similar debt instruments.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

There was no operating activity recorded for Trimble on the combined consolidated statement of operations during the year ended December 31, 2013 except for equity in earnings of Trimble. On December 31, 2013, the Company consolidated Trimble and recorded the assets and liabilities of Trimble at fair value, and recorded a gain on a consolidated investment of $2,930.

5. Transactions with Related Parties

The following table summarizes the Company’s related party transactions for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

 

    

For the years ended

December 31,

 
     2015      2014      2013  

General and administrative expense allocation (a)

   $ 11,739       $ 6,808       $ 4,439   

Business manager fee (b)

     —           423         6,742   

Loan placement fees (c)

     —           —           14   

 

(a) General and administrative expense includes allocations of costs from certain corporate and shared functions provided to the Company by InvenTrust. InvenTrust allocated to the Company a portion of corporate overhead costs incurred by InvenTrust which is based upon the Company’s percentage share of the average invested assets of InvenTrust. As InvenTrust is managing various asset portfolios, the extent of services and benefits a portfolio receives is based on the size of its assets. The Company believes that using average invested assets to allocate costs is a reasonable reflection of the services and other benefits received by the Company and complies with applicable accounting guidance. However, actual costs may have differed from allocated costs if the Company had operated as a standalone entity during such period and those differences may have been material.
(b) During the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, InvenTrust paid an annual business management fee to its external manager, Inland American Business Manager and Advisor, Inc. (the “Business Manager”) based on the average invested assets. The Company was allocated a portion of the business management fee based upon its percentage share of the average invested assets of InvenTrust for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013. On March 12, 2014, InvenTrust entered into a series of agreements and amendments to existing agreements with affiliates of The Inland Group, Inc. pursuant to which InvenTrust began the process of becoming entirely self-managed (collectively, the “Self-Management Transactions”). In connection with the Self-Management Transactions, InvenTrust agreed with the Business Manager to terminate its management agreement with the Business Manager. The Self-Management Transactions resulted in a final business management fee incurred in January 2014. As a result, the Company was not allocated a business management fee since January 2014.
(c) The Company paid a related party fee to InvenTrust of 0.2% of the principal amount of each loan placed for the Company. Such costs are capitalized as loan fees and amortized over the respective loan term.

On May 1, 2014, the Company entered into a note payable in the amount of $32,908 with InvenTrust, which matures on demand. The note payable is non-amortizing with an interest rate of 8.5%. Such interest shall be payable on demand or, until such time as demand is made, monthly in arrears, beginning on June 1, 2014 and continuing on the first day of each month thereafter until the note has been paid in full. At December 31, 2015 and 2014, the balance of this note payable was $15,062.

 

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

6. Leases

Operating Leases

Minimum lease payments to be received under operating leases, assuming no expiring leases are renewed, are as follows:

 

For the year ending December 31,    Minimum Lease Payments  

2016

   $ 85,456   

2017

     60,778   

2018

     43,250   

2019

     39,181   

2020

     23,305   

2021

     15,745   

2022

     8,042   

2023

     6,680   

2024

     5,948   

2025

     4,939   

Thereafter

     46,240   
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 339,564   
  

 

 

 

The remaining lease terms range from one year to sixty-three years. The majority of the revenue from the Company’s assets consists of rents received under long-term operating leases. Some leases provide for the payment of fixed base rent paid monthly in advance, and for the reimbursement by tenants to the Company for the tenant’s pro rata share of certain operating expenses including real estate taxes, special assessments, insurance, utilities, common area maintenance, management fees, and certain building repairs paid by the landlord and recoverable under the terms of the lease. Under these leases, the landlord pays all expenses and is reimbursed by the tenant for the tenant’s pro rata share of recoverable expenses paid. Certain other tenants are subject to net leases which provide that the tenant is responsible for fixed base rent as well as all costs and expenses associated with occupancy. Under net leases where all expenses are paid directly by the tenant rather than the landlord, such expenses are not included in the combined consolidated statements of operations. Under leases where all expenses are paid by the landlord, subject to reimbursement by the tenant, the expenses are included within property operating expenses and reimbursements are included in tenant recovery income on the combined consolidated statements of operations.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

7. Intangible Assets

The following table summarizes the Company’s identified intangible assets and intangible liabilities as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.

 

     Balance as of December 31,  
     2015      2014  

Intangible assets:

     

Acquired in-place lease

   $ 96,284       $ 104,282   

Acquired above market lease

     1,390         3,812   

Accumulated amortization

     (85,127      (86,591
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total intangible assets, net

   $ 12,547       $ 21,503   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Intangible liabilities:

     

Acquired below market lease

     11,025         11,861   

Accumulated amortization

     (5,951      (5,922
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Intangible liabilities, net

   $ 5,074       $ 5,939   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

The portion of the purchase price allocated to acquired above market lease costs and acquired below market lease costs are amortized on a straight line basis over the life of the related lease, including the respective renewal period for below market lease costs with fixed rate renewals, as an adjustment to other revenues. Amortization pertaining to the above market lease costs was applied as a reduction to other revenues. Amortization pertaining to the below market lease costs was applied as an increase to other revenues. The portion of the purchase price allocated to acquired in-place lease intangibles is amortized on a straight line basis over the life of the related lease and is recorded as amortization expense.

The following table summarized the amortization related to acquired above and below market lease costs and acquired in-place lease intangibles for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

 

     For the years ended December 31,  
     2015      2014      2013  

Amortization of:

        

Acquired above market lease costs

   $ (127    $ (369    $ (369

Acquired below market lease costs

     562         637         651   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net rental income increase

   $ 435       $ 268       $ 282   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Acquired in-place lease intangibles

   $ 7,492       $ 6,884       $ 7,493   

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

The following table presents the amortization during the next five years and thereafter related to intangible assets and liabilities at December 31, 2015.

 

     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020     Thereafter     Total  

Amortization of:

              

Acquired above market lease costs

   $ (23   $ (8   $ (5   $ (2   $ (2   $ (8   $ (48

Acquired below market lease costs

     536        526        518        491        422        2,581        5,074   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net rental income increase

   $ 513      $ 518      $ 513      $ 489      $ 420      $ 2,573      $ 5,026   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Acquired in-place lease intangibles

   $ 6,074      $ 4,386      $ 1,252      $ 693      $ 86      $ 8      $ 12,499   

8. Debt

During the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, the following debt transactions occurred:

 

Balance at December 31, 2013

   $ 468,970   

New financings

     32,908   

Paydown of debt

     (43,784

Extinguishment of debt

     (82,999

Amortization of discount/premium

     35   

Debt re-classified from held for sale to held and used

     112,695   
  

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2014

   $ 487,825   

Paydown of debt

     (28,962

Transfer of mortgages payable to InvenTrust Properties

     (19,893
  

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2015

   $ 438,970   
  

 

 

 

Mortgages Payable

Mortgage loans outstanding as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 were $405,994 and $447,070 and had a weighted average interest rate of 6.09% and 6.10% per annum, respectively. Mortgage discount, net, was $0 as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

As of December 31, 2015, scheduled maturities for the Company’s outstanding mortgage indebtedness had various due dates through August 2037, as follows:

 

For the year ended December 31,    As of
December 31, 2015
     Weighted average
interest rate
 

2016

   $ 88,980         5.88

2017

     30,275         5.57

2018

     —           —  

2019

     —           —  

2020

     —           —  

Thereafter

     286,739         6.21
  

 

 

    

Total

   $ 405,994         6.09
  

 

 

    

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

The Company anticipates that it will pay off its debt upon the disposition of assets or refinance existing debt. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to sell assets before their debt matures, or that the Company can obtain such refinancing on satisfactory terms, or at all. There is no recourse debt as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.

Some of the mortgage loans require compliance with certain covenants, such as debt service ratios, investment restrictions and distribution limitations. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company was in compliance with all such covenants.

In January 2015, the assets and liabilities associated with three retail assets were distributed to InvenTrust. Two of these assets were encumbered by a mortgage. As part of the distribution of these assets to InvenTrust, the mortgage payables of $19,893 were distributed at carrying value due to common control.

Unsecured credit facility

On November 5, 2015, InvenTrust entered into a term loan credit agreement for a $300,000 unsecured credit facility. The term loan credit facility consists of two tranches: a five-year tranche maturing on January 15, 2021, and a seven-year tranche maturing on November 5, 2022. Based upon the Company’s total leverage ratio at December 31, 2015, the five-year tranche bears an interest rate of LIBOR plus 1.30% and the seven-year tranche bears an interest rate of LIBOR plus 1.60%. The term loan credit facility is subject to a borrowing base consisting of a pool of unencumbered assets. To the extent the Company’s assets were included within the pool of unencumbered assets, the Company was allocated a portion of the unsecured credit facility. As of December 31, 2015, the Company’s allocated portion of the term loan was $17,914 and the interest rate was 1.59%.

On February 3, 2015, InvenTrust entered into an amended and restated credit agreement for a $300,000 unsecured revolving line of credit, which matures on February 2, 2019. The unsecured revolving line of credit bears interest at a rate equal to LIBOR plus 1.40% and requires the maintenance of certain financial covenants. The unsecured credit facility is subject to a borrowing base consisting of a pool of unencumbered assets. To the extent the Company’s assets were included within the pool of unencumbered assets, the Company was allocated its proportionate share of the revolving line of credit.

In May 2013, InvenTrust entered into an unsecured credit facility in the aggregate amount of $500,000. The credit facility consisted of a $300,000 unsecured revolving line of credit and the total outstanding term loan was $200,000. The unsecured revolving line of credit matures on May 7, 2016 and the unsecured term loan matures on May 7, 2017. The unsecured credit facility is subject to a borrowing base consisting of a pool of unencumbered assets. To the extent the Company’s assets were included within the pool of unencumbered assets, the Company was allocated a portion of the unsecured credit facility. As of December 31, 2014, the Company’s allocated portion of the term loan was $25,693 and the interest rate was 1.67%. This credit agreement was refinanced on February 3, 2015, as described above.

Note Payable

On May 1, 2014, the Company entered into a note payable in the amount of $32,908 with InvenTrust, which matures on demand. The note payable is non-amortizing with an interest rate of 8.5%. Such interest shall be payable on demand or, until such time as demand is made, monthly in arrears, beginning on June 1, 2014 and continuing on the first day of each month thereafter until the note has been paid in full. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the balance of this note payable was $15,062, respectively.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

9. Fair Value Measurements

In accordance with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement and Disclosures, the Company defines fair value based on the price that would be received upon sale of an asset or the exit price that would be paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Company uses a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes observable and unobservable inputs used to measure fair value. The fair value hierarchy consists of three broad levels, which are described below:

 

    Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the entity has the ability to access.

 

    Level 2 - Observable inputs, other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

 

    Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets and liabilities. This includes certain pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques that use significant unobservable inputs.

The Company has estimated the fair value of its financial and non-financial instruments using available market information and valuation methodologies the Company believes to be appropriate for these purposes. Considerable judgment and a high degree of subjectivity are involved in developing these estimates and, accordingly, they are not necessarily indicative of amounts that would be realized upon disposition.

Non-Recurring Measurements

Level 3

The following table summarizes activity for the Company’s assets measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis. The Company recognized certain impairment charges to reflect the investments at their fair values for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014. The asset groups that were reflected at fair value through this evaluation are:

 

     As of December 31, 2015      As of December 31, 2014  
     Fair Value
Measurements Using
Significant
Unobservable Inputs
(Level 3)
     Total
Impairment
Loss
     Fair Value
Measurements
Using Significant
Unobservable Inputs
(Level 3)
     Total
Impairment
Loss
 

Investment properties

   $ —         $ —         $ 91,500       $ 15,640   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ —         $ —         $ 91,500       $ 15,640   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Investment Properties

During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company recognized no provision for asset impairment.

During the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company identified certain assets which may have a reduction in the expected holding period and reviewed the probability of these assets’ dispositions. The Company’s estimated fair value relating to the investment properties’ impairment analysis was based on a comparison of purchase contracts and ten-year discounted cash flow models, which includes contractual inflows

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

and outflows over a specific holding period. The cash flows consist of observable inputs such as contractual revenues and unobservable inputs forecasted revenues and expenses. These unobservable inputs are based on market conditions and the Company’s expected growth rates. During the year ended December 31, 2014, capitalization rates ranging from 6.00% to 7.75% and discount rates ranging from 7.25% to 8.75% were utilized in the model and are based upon observable rates that the Company believes to be within a reasonable range of current market rates. During the year ended December 31, 2013, capitalization rates ranging from 6.25% to 10.50% and discount rates ranging from 7.00% to 12.00% were utilized in the model and are based upon observable rates that the Company believes to be within a reasonable range of current market rates.

During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company also identified one asset, AT&T - Hoffman Estates, in which it was exploring a potential disposition. After the Company began exploring a potential sale of the asset, it became aware of circumstances in which the tenant was considering vacating the space. Although the original term of the lease does not expire until September 2016, the Company analyzed various leasing and sale scenarios for AT&T - Hoffman Estates. The Company’s estimated fair value relating to the investment properties’ impairment analysis was based on ten-year discounted cash flow models, which includes contractual inflows and outflows over a specific holding period. The cash flows consist of observable inputs such as contractual revenues and unobservable inputs such as forecasted revenues and expenses. These unobservable inputs are based on market conditions and the Company’s expected growth rates. The capitalization rates ranging from 6.25% to 7.75% and discount rates ranging from 7.00% to 8.50% were utilized in this model and are based upon observable rates that the Company believes to be within a reasonable range of current market rates. Based on the probabilities assigned to such scenarios, it was determined the asset was impaired and therefore, written down to fair value. The Company recorded an impairment charge of $147,480 for this asset for the year ended December 31, 2013.

On August 8, 2013, InvenTrust entered into a purchase agreement to sell a portfolio of net lease assets. Thirty-one of the assets were part of the Company. The Company evaluated the 31 assets as a disposal group and determined that the disposal group was in a net loss position. Based on the analysis, the Company attributed the impairment to one asset, AT&T—St. Louis, in which the Company recorded an impairment charge of $61,915 for the year ended December 31, 2013.

During the final closing of the net lease asset portfolio on May 8, 2014, the purchaser terminated the purchase agreement solely with respect to the equity interest in a subsidiary owning a net lease asset, AT&T — St. Louis. As a result of the purchase agreement termination, it was re-classified from held for sale to held and used and was re-measured at the lesser of the carrying value or fair value as of May 8, 2014. The Company estimated fair value based on ten-year discounted cash flow models, which included contractual inflows and outflows for various leasing scenarios over a specific holding period. The cash flows consisted of observable inputs, such as contractual revenues, and unobservable inputs, such as forecasted revenues and expenses. These unobservable inputs are based on market conditions. A capitalization rate of approximately 7.75% and a discount rate of approximately 8.00% were utilized in the AT&T—St. Louis fair value model and are based on observable rates that the Company believes to be within a reasonable range of current market rates. Based on the probabilities assigned to such scenarios, it was determined the asset’s fair value was less than the carrying value. Therefore the Company recorded an impairment charge of $9,685 for the year ended December 31, 2014.

For the years ended, December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company recorded impairment of investment assets of $0, $15,640 and $258,648, respectively. Certain assets have been disposed and were impaired prior to disposition and the related impairment charges of $3,853 were included in discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2013.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

Financial Instruments Not Measured at Fair Value

The table below represents the fair value of financial instruments presented at carrying values in the combined consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.

 

     December 31, 2015      December 31, 2014  
     Carrying Value      Estimated Fair Value      Carrying Value      Estimated Fair Value  

Mortgages payable

   $ 405,994       $ 410,888       $ 447,070       $ 467,186   

Unsecured credit facility

   $ 17,914       $ 17,914       $ 25,693       $ 25,693   

Note payable

   $ 15,062       $ 15,062       $ 15,062       $ 15,062   

The Company estimates the fair value of its debt instruments using a weighted average effective interest rate of 4.52% per annum. The fair value estimate of the unsecured credit facility and note payable approximates the carrying value. The assumptions reflect the terms currently available on similar borrowing terms to borrowers with credit profiles similar to the Company’s. The Company has determined that its debt instrument valuations are classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

10. Income Taxes

The Company intends to elect to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes beginning with the Company’s short taxable year commencing immediately prior to the Company’s separation from InvenTrust and ending on December 31, 2016. So long as it qualifies as a REIT, the Company generally will not be subject to federal income tax on taxable income that is distributed currently to stockholders. A REIT is subject to a number of organizational and operational requirements including a requirement that it currently distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income (subject to certain adjustments) to its stockholders each year. If the Company fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, without the benefit of certain relief provisions, the Company will be subject to federal and state income tax on its taxable income at regular corporate tax rates and would not be able to re-elect REIT status during the four years following the year of the failure. Even if the Company qualifies for taxation as a REIT, the Company may be subject to certain state and local taxes on its income, property or net worth and federal income and excise taxes on its undistributed income.

The Company is currently a qualified REIT subsidiary (“QRS”) of InvenTrust, which has elected to be taxed as a REIT and has operated in a manner intended to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). As a QRS, the Company is currently disregarded as separate entity from InvenTrust for federal income tax purposes. All assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the Company are currently treated for federal income tax purposes as those of InvenTrust.

The Company’s subsidiary, MB REIT (Florida), Inc. (“MB REIT”), has operated in a manner intended to qualify to be taxed as a REIT. On December 15, 2015, MB REIT redeemed all of the outstanding shares of its Series B Preferred Stock and became a wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust. At that time, MB REIT became a QRS of InvenTrust and ceased to be treated as a separate REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a QRS, MB REIT is currently disregarded as a separate entity from InvenTrust for federal income tax purposes. All assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of MB REIT are treated for federal income tax purposes as those of InvenTrust.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

The components of income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014, and 2013 are as follows:

 

     2015      2014      2013  
     Federal      State      Total      Federal      State      Total      Federal      State      Total  

Current

   $ —         $ 51       $ 51       $ —         $ 64       $ 64       $ —         $ 110       $ 110   

Deferred

     —           —           —           —           —           —           —           —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Income tax provision

   $ —         $ 51       $ 51       $ —         $ 64       $ 64       $ —         $ 110       $ 110   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Uncertain Tax Positions

The Company had no unrecognized tax benefits as of or during the three year period ended December 31, 2015. The Company expects no significant increases or decreases in unrecognized tax benefits due to changes in tax positions within one year of December 31, 2015. The Company has no material interest or penalties relating to income taxes recognized in the combined consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 or in the combined consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2015 and 2014. As of December 31, 2015, the Company’s 2014, 2013, and 2012 tax years remain subject to examination by U.S. and various state tax jurisdictions.

On September 9, 2014, InvenTrust and MB REIT entered into closing agreements with the IRS that resolved favorably certain matters related to the Company’s and MB REIT’s qualifications as REITs for federal income tax purposes. The Company’s former Business Manager reimbursed the Company and MB REIT for the penalty payments required under the closing agreements.

11. Segment Reporting

The Company currently has three business segments, consisting of (i) Net Lease, (ii) Retail and (iii) Multi-Tenant Office. The net lease segment consists of single-tenant office and industrial assets, as well as the Company’s correctional facilities. The Company’s unimproved land is presented in Other.

For the year ended December 31, 2015, approximately 42% of the Company’s revenue from continuing operations was generated by three net lease assets leased to AT&T, Inc. As a result of the concentration of revenue generated from these assets, if AT&T, Inc. were to cease paying rent or fulfilling its other monetary obligations, the Company would have significantly reduced revenues and/or higher expenses until the defaults were cured or the assets were leased to a new tenant or tenants, if at all. As of December 31, 2015, the AT&T—Hoffman Estates and AT&T—Cleveland assets are currently in hyper-amortization under the Company’s loan agreements and, as a result, rental payments less certain expenses are used to pay down the principal amount of the loan and are not available cash.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

The following table summarizes net property operations income by segment as of and for the year ended December 31, 2015.

 

     Total     Net Lease     Retail      Multi-Tenant
Office
     Other  

Rental income

   $ 96,960        63,323        24,275         9,362         —     

Tenant recovery income

     14,447        3,740        10,061         646         —     

Other property income

     430        37        261         98         34   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total income

     111,837        67,100        34,597         10,106         34   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating expenses

     21,024        3,877        12,726         3,205         1,216   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net operating income (loss)

   $ 90,813        63,223        21,871         6,901         (1,182
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Non-allocated expenses (a)

     (48,453          

Other income and expenses (b)

     (28,015          
  

 

 

           

Net income from continuing operations

   $ 14,345             

Less: net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

     (15          
  

 

 

           

Net income attributable to Company

   $ 14,330             
  

 

 

           

Balance Sheet Data

            

Real estate assets, net (c)

   $ 692,355      $ 327,205      $ 229,122       $ 104,123       $ 31,905   

Non-segmented assets (d)

     48,737             
  

 

 

           

Total assets

   $ 741,092             
  

 

 

           

Capital expenditures

   $ 4,083      $ (364   $ 2,858       $ 1,589       $ —     

 

(a) Non-allocated expenses consists of general and administrative expenses and depreciation and amortization.
(b) Other income and expenses consists of interest and dividend income, loss on sale of investment property, interest expense, other loss, and income tax expense.
(c) Real estate assets include intangible assets, net of amortization.
(d) Non-segmented assets include cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and escrows, accounts and rents receivable and deferred costs and other assets.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

The following table summarizes net property operations income by segment as of and for the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

     Total     Net Lease      Retail      Multi-Tenant
Office
     Other  

Rental income

   $ 104,218        64,300         30,700         9,218         —     

Tenant recovery income

     17,190        3,188         13,361         641         —     

Other property income

     739        —           624         102         13   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total income

     122,147        67,488         44,685         9,961         13   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating expenses

     27,822        7,314         16,881         3,508         119   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net operating income (loss)

   $ 94,325        60,174         27,804         6,453         (106
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Non-allocated expenses (a)

     (44,819           

Other income and expenses (b)

     (21,311           

Provision for asset impairment (c)

     (15,640           
  

 

 

            

Net income from continuing operations

   $ 12,555              

Net income from discontinued operations

     4,632              

Less: net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

     (16           
  

 

 

            

Net income attributable to Company

   $ 17,171              
  

 

 

            

Balance Sheet Data

             

Real estate assets, net (d)

   $ 804,903      $ 355,795       $ 310,547       $ 106,656       $ 31,905   

Non-segmented assets (e)

     36,991              
  

 

 

            

Total assets

   $ 841,894              
  

 

 

            

Capital expenditures

   $ 4,544      $ 1,143       $ 3,324       $ 67       $ 10   

 

(a) Non-allocated expenses consists of general and administrative expenses, business management fee, and depreciation and amortization.
(b) Other income and expenses consists of interest and dividend income, loss on sale of investment properties, gain on extinguishment of debt, interest expense, other income, and income tax expense.
(c) The provision for asset impairment relates to two net lease assets.
(d) Real estate assets include intangible assets, net of amortization.
(e) Non-segmented assets include cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and escrows, accounts and rents receivable and deferred costs and other assets.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Notes to Combined Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013

(Dollar amounts stated in thousands)

 

The following table summarizes net property operations income by segment as of and for the year ended December 31, 2013.

 

     Total     Net Lease      Retail      Multi-Tenant
Office
     Other  

Rental income

   $ 108,841      $ 67,104       $ 33,730         8,007       $ —     

Tenant recovery income

     18,611        4,198         13,854         559         —     

Other property income

     743        7         625         72         39   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total income

     128,195        71,309         48,209         8,638         39   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating expenses

     29,200        5,657         20,066         3,143         334   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net operating income (loss)

   $ 98,995      $ 65,652       $ 28,143       $ 5,495       $ (295
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Non-allocated expenses (a)

     (58,389           

Other income and expenses (b)

     (33,379           

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entity (c)

     3,558              

Provision for asset impairment (d)

     (258,648           
  

 

 

            

Net loss from continuing operations

   $ (247,863           

Net income from discontinued operations

     48,469              

Less: net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

     (16           
  

 

 

            

Net loss attributable to Company

   $ (199,410           
  

 

 

            

 

(a) Non-allocated expenses consists of general and administrative expenses, business management fee, and depreciation and amortization.
(b) Other income and expenses consists of interest and dividend income, gain on extinguishment of debt, interest expense, other income, and income tax expense.
(c) Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entity includes the gain on investment in unconsolidated entity.
(d) The provision for asset impairment relates to six net lease assets and three retail assets.

12. Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is subject, from time to time, to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. While the resolution of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes, based on currently available information, that the final outcome of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on the financial statements of the Company.

13. Subsequent Events

On February 19, 2016, four retail assets were distributed to InvenTrust, including one asset that was previously counted as two adjacent properties prior to December 31, 2015. As the Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of InvenTrust, the entities are considered under common control. The transfer of these four retail assets will be accounted for as a non-cash distribution from the Company to InvenTrust at historical cost and the Company will not realize any gain or loss on disposal.

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Schedule III

Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

December 31, 2015

 

          Initial Cost (A)                 Gross amount at which carried at end of period  
    Encumbrance     Land     Buildings and
Improvements
    Adjustments
to Land Basis
(B)
    Adjustments
to Basis (B)
    Land and
Improvements
    Buildings and
Improvements
    Total (C)     Accumulated
Depreciation
(D,E)
    Date of
Completion of
Construction or
Acquisition
 

Net Lease

                   

ATLAS - NEW ULM

New Ulm, MN

  $ —        $ 900      $ 9,359      $ —        $ —        $ 900      $ 9,359      $ 10,259      $ 2,914        2007   

ATLAS - ST PAUL

St. Paul, MN

    —          3,890        10,093        —          —          3,890        10,093        13,983        2,707        2007   

AT&T CLEVELAND

Cleveland, OH

    18,656        870        40,033        —          240        870        40,273        41,143        12,514        2005   

AT&T - ST LOUIS

St Louis, MO

    112,695        8,000        170,169        (3,312     (109,523     4,688        60,646        65,334        2,475        2007   

BRIDGESIDE POINT OFFICE BLDG

Pittsburg, PA

    —          1,525        28,609        —          826        1,525        29,435        30,960        10,162        2006   

CITIZENS (CFG) RHODE ISLAND

Providence, RI

    —          1,278        3,817        (702     (2,947     576        870        1,446        89        2007   

DENVER HIGHLANDS

Highlands Ranch, CO

    —          1,700        11,839        —          37        1,700        11,876        13,576        3,872        2006   

FABYAN RANDALL PLAZA

Batavia, IL

    —          2,400        22,198        (926     (13,761     1,474        8,437        9,911        961        2006   

HASKELL - ROLLING PLAINS FACILITY

Haskell, TX

    —          45        19,733        —          1        45        19,734        19,779        5,669        2008   

HUDSON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

Hudson, CO

    —          1,382        —          —          93,137        1,382        93,137        94,519        25,457        2009   

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Schedule III

Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

December 31, 2015

 

          Initial Cost (A)                 Gross amount at which carried at end of period  
    Encumbrance     Land     Buildings and
Improvements
    Adjustments
to Land Basis
(B)
    Adjustments
to Basis (B)
    Land and
Improvements
    Buildings and
Improvements
    Total (C)     Accumulated
Depreciation
(D,E)
    Date of
Completion of
Construction or
Acquisition
 

Retail

                   

BUCKHORN PLAZA

Bloomsburg, PA

    9,025        1,651        11,770        —          2,122        1,651        13,892        15,543        4,344        2006   

LAKEPORT COMMONS

Sioux City, IA

    —          7,800        39,984        —          4,229        7,800        44,213        52,013        12,718        2007   

LINCOLN MALL

Lincoln, RI

    —          11,000        50,395        —          6,733        11,000        57,128        68,128        18,701        2006   

NEW FOREST CROSSING II

Houston, TX

    —          1,490        3,922        (253     (977     1,237        2,945        4,182        537        2006   

SBC CENTER

Hoffman Estates, IL

    124,728        35,800        287,424        (16,297     (207,645     19,503        79,779        99,282        8,031        2007   

SHERMAN PLAZA

Evanston, IL

    30,275        9,655        30,982        —          9,092        9,655        40,074        49,729        12,269        2006   

SPRING TOWN CENTER

Spring, TX

    —          3,150        12,433        —          125        3,150        12,558        15,708        4,374        2006   

SPRING TOWN CENTER III

Spring, TX

    —          1,320        3,070        —          2,089        1,320        5,159        6,479        1,473        2007   

STATE STREET MARKET

Rockford, IL

    9,900        3,950        14,184        —          1,894        3,950        16,078        20,028        5,565        2006   

THE MARKET AT HILLIARD

Hilliard, OH

    11,205        4,432        13,308        —          3,234        4,432        16,542        20,974        5,442        2005   

TRIANGLE CENTER

Longview, WA

    20,760        12,770        24,556        —          3,520        12,770        28,076        40,846        9,737        2005   

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Schedule III

Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

December 31, 2015

 

          Initial Cost (A)                 Gross amount at which carried at end of period  
    Encumbrance     Land     Buildings and
Improvements
    Adjustments
to Land Basis
(B)
    Adjustments
to Basis (B)
    Land and
Improvements
    Buildings and
Improvements
    Total (C)     Accumulated
Depreciation 
(D,E)
    Date of
Completion of
Construction or
Acquisition
 

Multi Tenant Office

                   

DULLES EXECUTIVE PLAZA

Herndon, VA

    68,750        15,500        96,083        —          4,824        15,500        100,907        116,407        34,472        2006   

TRIMBLE I

San Jose, CA

    —          12,732        10,041        —          —          12,732        10,041        22,773        617        2013   

Other

                   

NORTH POINTE PARK

Hanahan, SC

    —          2,350        —          —          —          2,350        —          2,350        —          2011   

ORLANDO SAND LAKE

Orlando, FL

    —          19,388        —          —          —          19,388        —          19,388        —          2011   

PALAZZO DEL LAGO

Orlando, FL

    —          8,938        —          —          10        8,938        10        8,948        —          2010   

Raleigh Durham Land

Raleigh, NC

    —          1,220        —          —          —          1,220        —          1,220        —          2007   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

Totals

  $ 405,994      $ 175,136      $ 914,002      $ (21,490   $ (202,740   $ 153,646      $ 711,262      $ 864,908      $ 185,100     
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

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HIGHLANDS REIT, INC. AND ITS PREDECESSORS

Schedule III

Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

December 31, 2015

 

Notes:

The aggregate cost of real estate owned at December 31, 2015 for Federal income tax purposes was approximately $1,333,537 (unaudited).

 

(A) The initial cost to the Company represents the original purchase price of the asset, including amounts incurred subsequent to acquisition which were contemplated at the time the asset was acquired.
(B) Adjustments to basis include provisions for asset impairments and costs capitalized subsequent to acquisitions.
(C) Reconciliation of real estate owned:

 

     2015      2014      2013  

Balance at January 1,

   $ 961,921       $ 948,903       $ 2,042,849   

Acquisitions and capital improvements

     5,154         13,018         450,813   

Dispositions and write-offs

     (8,321      —           (1,143,949

Assets transferred to InvenTrust

     (93,846      —           —     

Assets classified as held for sale

     —           —           (400,810
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance at December 31,

   $ 864,908       $ 961,921       $ 948,903   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(D) Reconciliation of accumulated depreciation:

 

     2015      2014      2013  

Balance at January 1,

   $ 180,027       $ 153,216       $ 385,783   

Depreciation expense, continuing operations

     27,785         29,384         38,048   

Depreciation expense, assets classified as held for sale

     —           —           11,924   

Accumulated depreciation expense, assets classified as held for sale

     —           —           (106,446

Assets transferred to InvenTrust

     (22,336      —           —     

Dispositions and write-offs

     (376      (2,573      (176,093
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance at December 31,

   $ 185,100       $ 180,027       $ 153,216   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(E) Depreciation is computed based upon the following estimated lives:

 

Buildings and improvements

   30 years

Tenant improvements

   Life of the lease

Furniture, fixtures & equipment

   5 - 15 years

 

F-32