Item 1. Business.

We were incorporated on January 22, 2013 as a Maryland corporation and qualified as a REIT beginning with the taxable year ended December 31, 2013. On April 4, 2013, we commenced our initial public offering (our "IPO") on a "reasonable best efforts" basis of up to 68.0 million shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, at a price of $25.00 per share, subject to certain volume and other discounts, pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-11, as amended (File No. 333-187092 ) (the "Registration Statement"), filed with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The Registration Statement also covered up to 14.7 million shares of common stock at an initial price of $23.75 per share, which was 95.0% of the initial offering price of shares of common stock in the IPO, available pursuant to the DRIP, under which our common stockholders could elect to have their distributions reinvested in additional shares of our common stock.

On April 25, 2013 , we received and accepted aggregate subscriptions in excess of the minimum of $2.0 million in shares of common stock, broke escrow and issued shares of common stock to our initial investors who were admitted as stockholders. As permitted under our Registration Statement, we reallocated the remaining 14.5 million DRIP shares available under the Registration Statement to the primary offering. Concurrent with such reallocation, we registered an additional 14.7 million shares at an initial price of $23.75 per share to be issued under the DRIP pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-11, as amended (File No. 333-191255), which became effective on October 5, 2013. Our IPO closed on October 31, 2013 . As of December 31, 2014 , we had 65.3 million shares of common stock outstanding, including unvested restricted shares and shares issued pursuant to the DRIP, and had received total gross proceeds from the IPO and the DRIP of $1.6 billion . On November 19, 2014 , our board of directors approved an Estimated Per-Share NAV of $23.50 , calculated by the Advisor in accordance with our valuation guidelines, as of September 30, 2014. Beginning with November 14, 2014 (the "NAV Pricing Date"), the price per share for shares of common stock purchased under the DRIP and the price per share for shares of common stock repurchased by us pursuant to our SRP will each be equal to our Estimated Per-Share NAV . Because this Annual Report on Form 10-K was filed in close proximity to the statutory deadline for filing our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, we did not publish Estimated Per-Share NAV as of December 31, 2014. We intend to publish an Estimated Per-Share NAV as of March 31, 2015 shortly following the filing of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015. In determining Estimated Per-Share NAV, each property is appraised at least annually and appraisals will be spread out over the course of a year so that, typically, approximately 25% of all properties are appraised each quarter. However, in connection with determining Estimated Per-Share NAV as of March 31, 2015 we expect to appraise 100% of our properties.

We have acquired a diversified portfolio of commercial properties comprised primarily of freestanding single-tenant retail properties that are net leased to investment grade and other creditworthy tenants. All properties are operated by us or by us jointly with another party. We may also originate or acquire first mortgage loans secured by real estate. We purchased our first property and commenced active operations on April 29, 2013 . As of December 31, 2014 , we owned 463 properties with an aggregate purchase price of $2.2 billion , comprised of 13.1 million rentable square feet that were 100.0% leased with a weighted-average remaining lease term of 9.6 years .

Substantially all of our business is conducted through American Realty Capital Operating Partnership V, L.P. (the "OP"), a Delaware limited partnership. We are the sole general partner and hold substantially all the units of limited partner interests in the OP ("OP Units"). American Realty Capital Trust V Special Limited Partner, LLC (the "Special Limited Partner"), an entity controlled by AR Capital, LLC (the "Sponsor"), contributed $2,020 to the OP in exchange for 90 OP Units, which represents a nominal percentage of the aggregate OP ownership. After holding the OP Units for a period of one year, or upon liquidation of the OP or sale of substantially all of the assets of the OP, holders of OP Units have the right to convert OP Units for the cash value of a corresponding number of shares of our common stock or, at the option of the OP, a corresponding number of shares of our common stock, in accordance with the limited partnership agreement of the OP. The remaining rights of the limited partner interests are limited, however, and do not include the ability to replace the general partner or to approve the sale, purchase or refinancing of the OP's assets.

We have no direct employees. We have retained our Advisor to manage our affairs on a day-to-day basis. American Realty Capital Properties V, LLC (the "Property Manager") serves as our property manager. Our Dealer Manager served as the dealer manager of our IPO. The Advisor and the Property Manager are wholly owned subsidiaries of, and the Dealer Manager is under common control with, the Sponsor, as a result of which, they are related parties of ours. Each has received and/or may receive compensation, fees and other expense reimbursements for services related to our IPO and the investment and management of our assets. Such entities have received or may receive, as applicable, fees during the offering, acquisition, operational and liquidation stages.

During the second quarter of 2014, we announced that we engaged J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and RCS Capital, the investment banking division of the Dealer Manager, as financial advisors to assist us in evaluating potential strategic alternatives. On April 15, 2015, upon recommendation by our Advisor and approval by our board of directors, we announced the adoption of new Investment Objectives and Acquisition and Investment Policies (our “New Strategy”). Under our New Strategy, we expect to focus on originating and acquiring first mortgage and other commercial real estate-related debt investments across all major commercial real estate sectors (such investments collectively, “CRE Debt Investments”). We will maintain our investments in our existing portfolio of 463 net leased commercial real estate properties (our “Net Lease Portfolio”). We will continue to selectively invest in additional net lease properties to consolidate the Net Lease Portfolio, however we will not forgo opportunities to invest in other types of real estate investments that meet our overall investment objectives. We intend to finance our CRE Debt Investments primarily through mortgage financing secured by our Net Lease Portfolio.

Investment Objectives

We implemented and intend to continue to implement our investment objectives as follows:

Acquisition and Investment Policies

Primary Investment Focus

We have built a diversified portfolio comprised primarily of freestanding single-tenant bank branch, convenience store, retail, office and industrial properties that are double-net and triple-net leased on a long-term basis to investment grade and other creditworthy tenants.

Our Advisor believes that the Net Lease Portfolio, in combination with our New Strategy, will help us achieve our investment objectives (a) to provide current income for investors through the payment of cash distributions and (b) to preserve and return investors' capital and to maximize risk-adjusted returns. Unlike funds that invest solely in multi-tenant properties, or in properties that are predominantly occupied by non-investment grade tenants and subject to short-term leases, we have acquired a diversified portfolio comprised primarily of investment grade and creditworthy single-tenant properties, most of which are net leased for periods of 10 to 25 years. From time-to-time, we have acquired, and may in the future acquire, properties with shorter remaining lease terms if the property is in an attractive location, if the property is difficult to replace, or if the property has other significant favorable attributes. As of December 31, 2014 , all of our acquisitions have been in the United States and we do not expect to make investments outside of the United States.

There is no limitation on the number, size or type of properties that we may acquire. The number and mix of properties depend upon real estate market conditions and other circumstances existing at the time of acquisition of properties.

Investing in Real Property

We have invested, and may to continue to invest, primarily in freestanding, single-tenant retail properties net leased to investment grade and other creditworthy tenants. When evaluating prospective investments in real property, our management and our Advisor consider relevant real estate and financial factors, including the location of the property, the leases and other agreements affecting the property, the creditworthiness of major tenants, its income-producing capacity, its physical condition, its prospects for appreciation, its prospects for liquidity, tax considerations and other factors. In this regard, our Advisor has substantial discretion with respect to the selection of specific investments, subject to board approval.

The following table lists the tenants (including, for this purpose, all affiliates of such tenants) from which we derive annualized rental income on a straight-line basis constituting 10.0% or more of our consolidated annualized rental income on a straight-line basis for all portfolio properties as of the dates indicated:

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Investing in Real Estate Securities

We may invest in securities of non-majority owned publicly traded and private companies primarily engaged in real estate businesses, including REITs and other real estate operating companies, and securities issued by pass-through entities of which substantially all the assets consist of REIT qualifying assets or real estate-related assets. We may purchase the common stock, preferred stock, debt, or other securities of these entities or options to acquire such securities. It is our intention that we be limited to investing no more than 20% of the aggregate value of our assets in publicly traded real estate equity or debt securities, including, but not limited to, commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS"). However, any investment in equity securities (including any preferred equity securities) that are not traded on a national securities exchange or included for quotation on an inter-dealer quotation system, other than equity securities of a REIT or other real estate operating company, must be approved by a majority of directors, including a majority of independent directors, not otherwise interested in the transaction as fair, competitive and commercially reasonable.

Acquisition Structure

To date, we have acquired fee interests (a "fee interest" is the absolute, legal possession and ownership of land, property, or rights) and leasehold interests (a "leasehold interest" is a right to enjoy the exclusive possession and use of an asset or property for a stated definite period as created by a written lease) in properties. We anticipate continuing to do so if we acquire properties in the future, although other methods of acquiring a property may be utilized if we deem it to be advantageous. For example, we may acquire properties through a joint venture or the acquisition of substantially all of the interests of an entity which in turn owns the real property.

International Investments

We do not intend to invest in real estate outside of the United States or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or make other real estate investments related to assets located outside of the United States.

Development and Construction of Properties

We do not intend to acquire undeveloped land, develop new properties, or substantially redevelop existing properties.

Joint Ventures

We may enter into joint ventures, partnerships and other co-ownership arrangements (including preferred equity investments) for the purpose of making investments. Some of the potential reasons to enter into a joint venture would be to acquire assets we could not otherwise acquire, to reduce our capital commitment to a particular asset, or to benefit from certain expertise that a partner might have.

Our general policy is to invest in joint ventures only when we will have a right of first refusal to purchase the co-venturer's interest in the joint venture if the co-venturer elects to sell such interest. If the co-venturer elects to sell property held in any such joint venture, however, we may not have sufficient funds to exercise our right of first refusal to buy the other co-venturer's interest in the property held by the joint venture. If any joint venture with an affiliated entity holds interests in more than one property, the interest in each such property may be specifically allocated based upon the respective proportion of funds invested by each co-venturer in each such property.

New Strategy

Market Opportunity  

Our Advisor believes that CRE Debt Investments present an attractive investment opportunity given trends such as increased commercial real estate transaction volume in recent years, high levels of maturing commercial mortgage debt, increased bank capital requirements and the imposition of restrictions on commercial mortgage securitizations. 

Business Strategy  

Portfolio  

Our Advisor believes that our ability to secure financing collateralized by our Net Lease Portfolio will provide us with a cost advantage relative to other non-bank lenders operating in the same market. Further, our Advisor believes that our Net Lease Portfolio will be complementary to a portfolio of CRE Debt Investments, given the potentially advantageous tax effects arising from depreciation of our Net Lease Portfolio. 

Origination  

We intend to purchase CRE Debt Investments, and to originate such CRE Debt Investments through our Sponsor’s established presence in the market and extensive relationships with financial institutions, mortgage bankers and direct lenders. 

Target Investments  

We expect to focus on originating and acquiring first mortgage and mezzanine loans across all major commercial real estate sectors. Our Advisor will evaluate all potential CRE Debt Investments to determine if the term, security, cash flows and other metrics meet our investment criteria and objectives. We may selectively syndicate portions of these loans, including senior or junior participations, which will effectively provide permanent financing or optimize returns. 

First Mortgage Loans  

We expect to lend to experienced operators that are buying, recapitalizing or repositioning properties, with minimum owner’s equity of 15% to 40%. In addition, we may seek personal or corporate guarantees for additional security. First mortgage loans are expected to have a term of two to five years, and may feature equity “kicker” participations.

First mortgage loans generally feature a lower default rate than other types of debt, due to favorable control features often included in such loans, which may effectively provide a lender with control of the entire capital structure. In addition, the first lien security interest in the underlying property often allows for recovery even in the event of a bankruptcy by the borrower. The relative security, compared to unsecured loans, makes first mortgage loans more liquid than unsecured loans. However, these loans typically generate lower returns than unsecured debt and subordinate debt such as subordinate loans and mezzanine loans. 

Credit Loans  

We intend to invest in credit loans alongside first mortgage lenders. These loans include B-notes, which are subordinated interests in first mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, secured by ownership interests in the borrowing entity and preferred equity positions, which provide for a preferred return, with a liquidation preference in the borrowing entity. We expect to lend between 50% and 85% of the property value, at fixed or floating interest rates between 7% and 13%, with loan terms between two and ten years. 

Investment Process

At the origination stage, our Advisor’s management team will review all aspects of properties underlying potential CRE Debt Investments, including rent rolls, financial statements, budget, sponsor and operator experience and market data. In the underwriting stage, to be overseen by our chief investment officer, our Advisor will evaluate third party reports including engineering, environmental and title reports and appraisals. Our Advisor will undertake site visits as necessary, and will review sponsor/borrower credit information. The results of this review will be presented to the investment committee, which will consist of the president and the chief investment officer. The unanimous agreement of the investment committee will be required for all investments. Approval by the independent directors will be required, in accordance with our investment guidelines.

Financing Strategies and Policies

We may obtain financing for acquisitions and investments at the time an asset is acquired or a CRE Debt Investment is made, or at a later time. In addition, 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 for future financings will 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. We expect to be able to secure various forms of fixed- and floating-rate debt financing, including mortgage financing secured by our Net Lease Portfolio, collateralized loan obligation issuances, bank financing and repo facilities.

Under our charter, the maximum amount of our total indebtedness may not exceed 300% of our total "net assets" (as defined by our charter), as of the date of any borrowing, which is equal to 75% of the cost of our investments; however, we may exceed that limit if approved by a majority of our independent directors and disclosed to stockholders in our next quarterly report following such borrowing along with justification for exceeding such limit. This charter limitation, however, does not apply to individual real estate assets or investments.

We will not borrow from our Advisor or its affiliates unless a majority of our directors, including a majority of our independent directors, not otherwise interested in the transaction approves the transaction as being fair, competitive and commercially reasonable and no less favorable to us than comparable loans between unaffiliated parties.

Except with respect to the borrowing limits contained in our charter, we may reevaluate and change our financing policies without a stockholder vote. Factors that we would consider when reevaluating or changing our debt policy include: then-current economic conditions, the relative cost and availability of debt and equity capital, our expected investment opportunities, the ability of our investments to generate sufficient cash flow to cover debt service requirements and other similar factors.

Tax Status

We qualified to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2013. We believe that, commencing with such taxable year, we are organized and operate in such a manner as to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the Code. We intend to continue to operate in such a manner to qualify for taxation as a REIT, but no assurance can be given that we will operate in a manner so as to qualify or remain qualified as a REIT. In order to qualify and continue to qualify for taxation as a REIT, we must distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income. REITs are subject to a number of other organizational and operational requirements. Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain state and local taxes on our income and property, and federal income and excise taxes on our undistributed income.

Competition

The net leased property market is highly competitive. We compete in the net leased property market with other owners and operators of net leased properties. The continued development of new net lease properties has intensified the competition among owners and operators of these types of real estate in many market areas in which we operate. We compete based on a number of factors that include location, rental rates, security, suitability of the property's design to prospective tenants' needs and the manner in which the property is operated and marketed. The number of competing properties in a particular market could have a material effect on our occupancy levels, rental rates and on the operating expenses of certain of our properties.

The market for acquisition and origination of CRE Debt Investments is highly competitive. Current market conditions may attract more competitors, which may increase the competition for sources of investment and financing. An increase in the competition for sources of funding could adversely affect the availability and cost of financing, and thereby adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

In addition, we compete with other entities engaged in real estate investment activities to locate suitable properties to acquire and to locate tenants and purchasers for our properties. These competitors include other REITs, specialty finance companies, savings and loan associations, banks, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, mutual funds, institutional investors, investment banking firms, lenders, governmental bodies and other entities. There are also other REITs with asset acquisition objectives similar to ours and others may be organized in the future. Some of these competitors, including larger REITs, have substantially greater marketing and financial resources than we have and generally may be able to accept more risk than we can prudently manage, including risks with respect to the creditworthiness of tenants. In addition, these same entities and our Company seek financing through similar channels. Therefore, we compete for financing in a market where funds for real estate investment may decrease.

Competition from these and other third party real estate investors may limit the number of suitable investment opportunities available to us. It also may result in higher prices, lower yields and a narrower spread of yields over our borrowing costs, making it more difficult for us to acquire new investments on attractive terms.

Regulations

Our investments are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign 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 investments.

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 properties in which we hold an interest, or on properties that may be acquired directly or indirectly in the future. We hire third parties to conduct Phase I environmental reviews of the real property that we intend to purchase.

Employees

As of December 31, 2014 , we have no direct employees. The employees of the Advisor and other entities under common control with our Sponsor perform a full range of real estate services for us, including acquisitions, property management, accounting, legal, asset management, wholesale brokerage, transfer agent and investor relations services.

We are dependent on these companies for services that are essential to us, including asset acquisition decisions, property management and other general administrative responsibilities. In the event that any of these companies were unable to provide these services to us, we would be required to provide such services ourselves or obtain such services from other sources.

Financial Information About Industry Segments

Our current business consists of owning, managing, operating, leasing, acquiring, investing in and disposing of real estate assets. All of our consolidated revenues are from our consolidated real estate properties. We internally evaluate operating performance on an individual property level and view all of our real estate assets as one industry segment, and, accordingly, all of our properties are aggregated into one reportable segment.

Available Information

We electronically file annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports, and proxy statements, with the SEC. We also filed our Registration Statement with the SEC in connection with our DRIP. You may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549, or you may obtain information by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an internet address at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy statements and information statements, and other information, which you may obtain free of charge. In addition, copies of our filings with the SEC may be obtained from the website maintained for us and our affiliates at www.americanrealtycap.com . Access to these filings is free of charge. We are not incorporating our website or any information from the website into this Form 10-K.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

This "Risk Factors" section contains references to our "common stock" and to our "stockholders." Unless expressly stated otherwise, the references to our "common stock" represent our common stock and any class or series of our preferred stock, while the references to our "stockholders" represent holders of our common stock and any class or series of our preferred stock.

Risks Related to Our Properties and Operations

The Estimated Per-Share NAV is based on a number of assumptions and estimates that may not be accurate or complete and is also subject to a number of limitations.

On November 19, 2014 , our board of directors determined an estimated value per share of our common stock of $23.50 as of September 30, 2014 . Our Advisor engaged Duff & Phelps, LLC ("Duff & Phelps"), an independent third-party real estate advisory firm to perform appraisals of our real estate assets in accordance with valuation guidelines established by our board of directors. As with any methodology used to estimate value, the methodology employed by Duff & Phelps and the recommendations made by our Advisor were based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that may not be accurate or complete. Further, different parties using different assumptions and estimates could derive a different Estimated Per-Share NAV , which could be significantly different from our Estimated Per-Share NAV . The Estimated Per-Share NAV does not represent the: (i) the amount at which our shares would trade at a national securities exchange, (ii) the amount a stockholder would obtain if he or she tried to sell his or her shares or (iii) the amount stockholders would receive if we liquidated our assets and distributed the proceeds after paying all of our expenses and liabilities. Accordingly, with respect to the Estimated Per-Share NAV, we can give no assurance that:

The purchase price per share for shares issued pursuant to the DRIP and shares repurchased under our SRP are based on our Estimated Per-Share NAV, which is based upon subjective judgments, assumptions and opinions about future events, and may not be accurate. As a result, our Estimated Per-Share NAV may not reflect the amount that our stockholders might receive for their shares in a market transaction.

NAV is calculated by estimating the market value of our assets and liabilities, many of which may be illiquid. In calculating NAV, our Advisor considers estimates provided by an independent valuer of the market value of our real estate assets. Our Advisor reviews the valuation for consistency with its determinations of value and our valuation guidelines and the reasonableness of the independent valuer's conclusions. If in the Advisor's opinion the appraisals are materially higher or lower than the Advisor's determinations of value, the Advisor discusses the appraisals with the independent valuer, and may submit the appraisals and valuations to a valuation committee comprised of our independent directors, which will review the appraisals and valuations and make a final determination of value. Although the valuations of our real estate assets by the independent valuer are approved by the board of directors, the valuations may not be precise because the valuation methodologies used to value real estate assets involve subjective judgments, assumptions and opinions about future events. Any resulting disparity may benefit the redeeming or non-redeeming stockholders or purchasers. Furthermore, there are no rules or regulations specifically governing what components may be included in the NAV calculation to ensure there is consistency.

There is no established trading market for our shares and there may never be one; therefore, it will be difficult for investors to sell shares. Although we intend to list our shares for trading on a national securities exchange, there is no assurance we will satisfy the listing standards or otherwise be listed on a public market.

There currently is no established trading market for our shares and there may never be one. Even if a stockholder is able to find a buyer for his or her shares, the stockholder may not sell his or her shares unless the buyer meets applicable suitability and minimum purchase standards and the sale does not violate state securities laws. Our charter also prohibits the ownership of more than 9.8% in value of the aggregate of our outstanding shares of stock or more than 9.8% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of shares of our stock by a single investor, unless exempted by our board of directors, which may inhibit large investors from desiring to purchase our shares. Moreover, our board of directors terminated our share repurchase program on April 15, 2015. Therefore, it will be difficult for stockholders to sell shares promptly or at all.

If we fail to satisfy initial listing requirements for a national stock exchange, or if we fail to maintain our qualification for listing, our stockholders may have to hold their shares for an indefinite period of time or, if stockholders are able to sell your shares, they likely would have to sell them at a substantial discount to the price they paid for the shares. There can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve a listing.

Our growth will partially depend upon our ability to successfully make additional investments, and we may be unable to enter into and consummate investments on advantageous terms or our investments may not perform as we expect.

We compete with many other entities engaged in real estate investment activities for investment opportunities. The competition may significantly increase the price we pay and reduce the returns which we earn. Our competitors may be better positioned to make certain investments because they may have greater resources, may be willing to pay more for the investment or may have a more compatible operating philosophy. In particular, larger REITs may enjoy significant competitive advantages that result from, among other things, a lower cost of capital and enhanced operating efficiencies. In addition:

We rely on our Advisor to originate or acquire investments on our behalf. Because the management personnel of our Advisor are also engaged in the process of sourcing and making investments for other entities formed and managed by affiliates of our Advisor, we could suffer delays in locating suitable investments or may miss out on opportunities. If our Advisor is unable to obtain further suitable investments, we will not be able to continue to increase our asset base.

If we internalize our management functions, we may be unable to obtain key personnel, and our ability to achieve our investment objectives could be delayed or hindered, which could adversely affect our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders and the value of their investment.

We may engage in an internalization transaction and become self-managed in the future. If we internalize our management functions, certain key employees may not become our employees but may instead remain employees of our Advisor or its affiliates. An inability to manage an internalization transaction effectively could thus result in our incurring excess costs and suffering deficiencies in our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting. Such deficiencies could cause us to incur additional costs, and our management's attention could be diverted from most effectively managing our investments, which could result in litigation and resulting associated costs in connection with the internalization transaction.

If our Advisor loses or is unable to obtain key personnel, including in the event another program sponsored by the parent of our sponsor internalizes its advisor, our ability to implement our investment strategies could be delayed or hindered.

Our success depends to a significant degree upon the contributions of certain of our executive officers and other key personnel of our Advisor, including William M. Kahane, who would be difficult to replace. Our Advisor does not have an employment agreement with any of these key personnel and we cannot guarantee that all, or any particular one, will remain affiliated with us and/or our Advisor. If any of our key personnel were to cease their affiliation with our Advisor, our operating results could suffer. This could occur, among other ways, if another program sponsored by the parent of our sponsor internalizes its advisor. If that occurs, key personnel of our Advisor, who also are key personnel of the internalized advisor, could become employees of the other program and would no longer be available to our Advisor. Further, we do not intend to separately maintain key person life insurance on Mr. Kahane or any other person. We believe that our future success depends, in large part, upon our Advisor's ability to hire and retain highly skilled managerial, operational and marketing personnel. Competition for such personnel is intense, and we cannot assure our stockholders that our Advisor will be successful in attracting and retaining such skilled personnel. If our Advisor loses or is unable to obtain the services of key personnel, our ability to implement our investment strategies could be delayed or hindered, and the value of our stockholders' investments may decline.

We may be unable to maintain cash distributions or increase distributions over time.

There are many factors that can affect the availability and timing of cash distributions to stockholders, including the amount of cash flows available from operations. The amount of cash available for distributions is affected by many factors, such as our ability to buy properties, rental income from such properties and our operating expense levels, as well as many other variables. Actual cash available for distributions may vary substantially from estimates. There is no assurance we will be able to maintain our current level of distributions or that distributions will increase over time. We cannot give any assurance that rents from the properties we acquire will increase, that the securities we buy will increase in value or provide constant or increased distributions over time, or that future acquisitions of real properties or CRE Debt Investments will increase our cash available for distributions to stockholders. Our actual results may differ significantly from the assumptions used by our board of directors in establishing the distribution rate to stockholders. We may not have sufficient cash from operations to make a distribution required to maintain our REIT status, which may materially adversely affect our stockholders' investments.

Distributions paid from sources other than our cash flows from operations will result in us having fewer funds available for the acquisition of properties and other real estate-related investments and may dilute your interests in us, which may adversely affect our ability to fund future distributions with cash flows from operations and may adversely affect your overall return.

Our cash flows provided by operations were $99.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 . During the year ended December 31, 2014 , we paid distributions of $105.8 million , of which $44.9 million , or 42.4% , was funded from cash flows from operations and $61.0 million , or 57.6% , was funded from proceeds from our IPO which were reinvested in common stock issued pursuant to the DRIP. Using offering proceeds to pay distributions, especially if the distributions are not reinvested through our DRIP, reduces cash available for investment in assets or other purposes, and reduces our per share stockholders' equity. The final issuance of shares pursuant to our DRIP will occur in connection with our June 2015 distribution, payable no later than July 5, 2015. We may continue to use offering proceeds which were reinvested in common stock issued pursuant to the DRIP to fund distributions.

We may not generate sufficient cash flows from operations to pay future distributions. If we do not generate sufficient cash flows from our operations and other sources, such as from borrowings, the sale of additional securities, advances from our Advisor, and our Advisor's deferral, suspension or waiver of its fees and expense reimbursements, to fund distributions, we may continue to use offering proceeds which were reinvested in common stock issued pursuant to the DRIP to fund distributions. Moreover, our board of directors may change our distribution policy, in its sole discretion, at any time.

Funding distributions from borrowings could restrict the amount we can borrow for investments. Funding distributions with the sale of assets or the proceeds from sales of common stock may affect our ability to generate additional operating cash flows. Funding distributions from the sale of additional securities could dilute each stockholder's interest in us if we sell shares of our common stock or securities that are convertible or exercisable into shares of our common stock to third-party investors. Payment of distributions from the mentioned sources could restrict our ability to generate sufficient cash flows from operations, affect our profitability or affect the distributions payable to stockholders upon a liquidity event, any or all of which may have an adverse effect on an investment in our shares.

Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to recover claims against our officers, directors and our Advisor are limited, which could reduce our stockholders' and our recovery against them if they cause us to incur losses.

Maryland law provides that a director has no liability in that capacity if he or she performs his or her duties in good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the corporation's best interests and with the care that an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. In addition, subject to certain limitations set forth therein or under Maryland law, our charter provides that no director or officer will be liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages and requires us to indemnify our directors, officers and Advisor and our Advisor's affiliates and permits us to indemnify our employees and agents. We have entered into an indemnification agreement formalizing our indemnification obligation with respect to our officers and directors and certain former officers and directors. However, our charter provides that we may not indemnify a director, our Advisor or an affiliate of our Advisor for any loss or liability suffered by any of them or hold harmless such indemnitee for any loss or liability suffered by us unless: (1) the indemnitee determined, in good faith, that the course of conduct that caused the loss or liability was in our best interests, (2) the indemnitee was acting on behalf of or performing services for us, (3) the liability or loss was not the result of (A) negligence or misconduct, in the case of a director (other than an independent director), the Advisor or an affiliate of the Advisor, or (B) gross negligence or willful misconduct, in the case of an independent director, and (4) the indemnification or agreement to hold harmless is recoverable only out of our net assets and not from our stockholders. Although our charter does not allow us to indemnify or hold harmless an indemnitee to a greater extent than permitted under Maryland law, we and our stockholders may have more limited rights against our directors, officers, employees and agents, and our Advisor and its affiliates, than might otherwise exist under common law, which could reduce the recovery of our stockholders and our recovery against them. In addition, we may be obligated to fund the defense costs incurred by our directors, officers, employees and agents or our Advisor and its affiliates in some cases which would decrease the cash otherwise available for distribution to our stockholders.

It may be difficult to accurately reflect material events that may impact our quarterly NAV between valuations and accordingly we may be selling and repurchasing shares at too high or too low a price.

Our independent valuer estimates the market value of our principal real estate and real estate-related assets, and our Advisor determines the net value of our real estate and real estate-related assets and liabilities taking into consideration such estimate provided by the independent valuer. The final determination of value may be made by a valuation committee comprised of our independent directors if our Advisor determines that the appraisals of the independent valuer are materially higher or lower than its valuations. Our Advisor is ultimately responsible for determining the Estimated Per-Share NAV. Each property and CRE Debt Investment is appraised at least annually and appraisals will be spread out over the course of a year so that approximately 25% of all properties are appraised each quarter. Because each property will only be appraised annually, there may be changes in the course of the year that are not fully reflected in the quarterly Estimated Per-Share NAV. As a result, the published Estimated Per-Share NAV may not fully reflect changes in value that may have occurred since the prior quarterly valuation. Furthermore, our independent valuer and our Advisor will monitor our portfolio, but it may be difficult to reflect changing market conditions or material events that may impact the value of our portfolio between quarters, or to obtain timely complete information regarding any such events. Therefore, the Estimated Per-Share NAV published after the announcement of an extraordinary event may differ significantly from our actual NAV until such time as sufficient information is available and analyzed, the financial impact is fully evaluated, and the appropriate adjustment to be made to Estimated Per-Share NAV is determined by our Advisor and our independent valuer. Any resulting disparity may adversely affect stockholders.

We have material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting.

Our management has identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and as a result concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2014. Specifically, management concluded that the Company failed to maintain information technology system access controls supporting the general ledger and accounts payable system applications, specifically controls that are designed to address appropriate segregation of duties and to restrict IT and financial users’ access to the underlying entities and IT functions and data commensurate with their job responsibilities, design and maintain appropriate end-user controls over the use of significant spreadsheets supporting the financial reporting process, design and maintain appropriate controls over the authorization of manual journal entries made to the general ledger and maintain appropriate controls over the review of results provided by valuation experts related to the allocation of the purchase price for certain 2014 acquisitions in accordance with ASC 805-Business Combinations.

While the control deficiencies did not result in any material or immaterial misstatements in our financial statement accounts, the control deficiencies could increase the likelihood of inaccuracies in our financial statements. Our management concluded that the deficiencies represent material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and that, as a result, our internal controls over financial reporting were not effective as of December 31, 2014. Although management is in the process of developing and implementing a plan to remediate the deficiencies in internal control, there is no assurance that the plan will remediate the material weaknesses or ensure that our internal controls over financial reporting will be effective in the future which could have a material adverse effect on our business including, among other things, our ability to access the capital markets and our ability to provide accurate financial information.

Disclosures made by American Realty Capital Properties, Inc. (“ARCP”) an entity previously sponsored by our Sponsor may adversely affect our ability to raise capital.

On October 29, 2014, ARCP announced that its audit committee had concluded that the previously issued financial statements and other financial information contained in certain public filings should no longer be relied upon. This conclusion was based on the preliminary findings of an investigation conducted by ARCP’s audit committee which concluded that certain accounting errors were made by ARCP personnel that were not corrected after being discovered, resulting in an overstatement of adjusted funds from operations ("AFFO") and an understatement of ARCP’s net loss for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014. ARCP also announced the resignations of its chief accounting officer and its chief financial officer. ARCP’s former chief financial officer is one of the non-controlling owners of the Parent of our Sponsor. While ARCP’s former chief financial officer does not have a current role in the management of our Sponsor’s or our business, he did serve as our chief financial officer from July 2010 to December 2013. In December 2014, ARCP announced the resignation of its executive chairman, who was also the executive chairman of our board of directors until his resignation on February 11, 2015. This individual also is one of the controlling members of our Sponsor.

On March 2, 2015, ARCP announced the completion of its audit committee’s investigation and filed amendments to its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and its Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2014 and June 30, 2014. According to these filings, these amendments corrected errors in ARCP’s financial statements and in its calculation of AFFO that resulted in overstatements of AFFO for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and the quarters ended March 31, 2013 and 2014 and June 30, 2014 and described certain results of its investigations, including matters relating to payments to, and transactions with, affiliates of the Parent of our Sponsor and certain equity awards to certain officers and directors. In addition, ARCP disclosed that the audit committee investigation had found material weaknesses in ARCP’s internal control over financial reporting and its disclosure controls and procedures. ARCP also disclosed that the SEC has commenced a formal investigation, that the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York contacted counsel for both ARCP’s audit committee and ARCP with respect to the matter and that the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has issued a subpoena for various documents. On March 30, 2015, ARCP filed its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. ARCP's filings with the SEC are available at the internet site maintained by the SEC, www.sec.gov.

Since the initial announcement in October, a number of broker-dealer firms that had been participating in the distribution of offerings of public, non-listed REITs sponsored directly or indirectly by our Sponsor have temporarily suspended their participation in the distribution of those offerings. Although we have completed our IPO, we may seek to raise additional capital in connection with the operation of our business. Similarly to other entities sponsored directly or indirectly by our Sponsor, the disclosures made by ARCP, as well as any future disclosures by ARCP, may have an adverse effect on our ability to access capital through, among other things, equity offerings or lending arrangements. If we are unable to access additional capital it may have a material adverse effect on our business including, among other things, our ability to achieve our investment objectives.

Our business could suffer in the event our Advisor or any other party that provides us with services essential to our operations experiences system failures or cyber incidents or a deficiency in cybersecurity.

Despite system redundancy, the implementation of security measures and the existence of a disaster recovery plan for the internal information technology systems of our Advisor and other parties that provide us with services essential to our operations are vulnerable to damages from any number of sources, including computer viruses, unauthorized access, energy blackouts, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication failures. Any system failure or accident that causes interruptions in our operations could result in a material disruption to our business.

A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity or availability of information resources. More specifically, a cyber incident is an intentional attack or an unintentional event that can include gaining unauthorized access to systems to disrupt operations, corrupt data or steal confidential information. As reliance on technology in our industry has increased, so have the risks posed to our systems, both internal and those we have outsourced. In addition, the risk of a cyber incident, including by computer hackers, foreign governments and cyber terrorists, has generally increased as the number, intensity and sophistication of attempted attacks and instructions from around the world have increased.

Risks Related to Conflicts of Interest

We will be subject to conflicts of interest arising out of our relationships with our Advisor and its affiliates, including the material conflicts discussed below.

Our Advisor faces conflicts of interest relating to the acquisition of assets and leasing of properties, and such conflicts may not be resolved in our favor, meaning we could invest in less attractive assets, which could limit our ability to make distributions and reduce our stockholders' overall investment returns.

We rely on our Advisor and the executive officers and other key real estate professionals at our Advisor to identify suitable investment opportunities for us. Several of the other key real estate professionals of our Advisor are also the key real estate professionals at the parent of our Sponsor and their other public programs. Many investment opportunities that are suitable for us may also be suitable for other programs sponsored directly or indirectly by the parent of our Sponsor. Thus, the executive officers and real estate professionals of our Advisor could direct attractive investment opportunities to other entities or investors. Such events could result in us investing in properties that provide less attractive returns, which may reduce our ability to make distributions.

We and other programs sponsored directly or indirectly by the parent of our Sponsor also rely on these real estate professionals to supervise the property management and leasing of properties. Our executive officers and key real estate professionals are not prohibited from engaging, directly or indirectly, in any business or from possessing interests in any other business venture or ventures, including businesses and ventures involved in the acquisition, development, ownership, leasing or sale of real estate investments.

Our Advisor faces conflicts of interest relating to joint ventures, which could result in a disproportionate benefit to the other venture partners at our expense and adversely affect the return on our stockholders' investments.

We may enter into joint ventures with other programs sponsored by the parent of our Sponsor for the acquisition, development or improvement of properties or for the acquisition or origination of CRE Debt Investments. Our Advisor may have conflicts of interest in determining which American Realty Capital-sponsored program should enter into any particular joint venture agreement. The co-venturer may have economic or business interests or goals that are or may become inconsistent with our business interests or goals. In addition, our Advisor may face a conflict in structuring the terms of the relationship between our interests and the interest of the affiliated co-venturer and in managing the joint venture. Since our Advisor and its affiliates will control both the affiliated co-venturer and, to a certain extent, us, agreements and transactions between the co-venturers with respect to any such joint venture will not have the benefit of arm's-length negotiation of the type normally conducted between unrelated co-venturers, which may result in the co-venturer receiving benefits greater than the benefits that we receive. In addition, we may assume liabilities related to the joint venture that exceeds the percentage of our investment in the joint venture.

Our Advisor, our Sponsor and their officers and employees and certain of our executive officers and other key personnel face competing demands relating to their time, and this may cause our operating results to suffer.

Our Advisor, our Sponsor and their officers and employees and certain of our executive officers and other key personnel and their respective affiliates are key personnel, general partners and sponsors of other real estate programs, including ARC-sponsored REITs, having investment objectives and legal and financial obligations similar to ours and may have other business interests as well. Additionally, based on our sponsor's experience, a significantly greater time commitment is required of senior management during the development stage when the REIT is being organized, funds are initially being raised and funds are initially being invested, and less time is required as additional funds are raised and the offering matures. Because these persons have competing demands on their time and resources, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time between our business and these other activities. If this occurs, the returns on our investments may suffer.

The management of multiple REITs and other direct investment programs by our executive officers and officers of our Advisor and any service provider may significantly reduce the amount of time our executive officers and officers of our Advisor and any service provider are able to spend on activities related to us and may cause other conflicts of interest, which may cause our operating results to suffer.

Certain officers of our Advisor are part of the senior management or are key personnel of several other REITs sponsored directly or indirectly by the Parent of our Sponsor, as well as their advisors and their respective affiliates. Some of these REITs have registration statements that became effective in the past twelve months. As a result, such REITs will have concurrent or overlapping fundraising, acquisition, operational and disposition and liquidation phases with us, which may cause conflicts of interest to arise throughout the life of our company with respect to, among other things, selling our shares, locating and acquiring properties, entering into leases and disposing of real estate assets. Additionally, based on the experience of the parent of our Sponsor, a significantly greater time commitment is required of senior management when the REIT is being organized, funds are initially being raised and initially being invested, and less time is required as additional funds are raised and the IPO matures.

All of our executive officers, some of our directors and the key real estate and other professionals assembled by our Advisor and our Dealer Manager face conflicts of interest related to their positions or interests in affiliates of our Sponsor, which could hinder our ability to implement our business strategy and to generate returns to our stockholders.

All of our executive officers, some of our directors and the key real estate and other professionals assembled by our Advisor and Dealer Manager are also executive officers, directors, managers, key professionals or holders of direct or indirect controlling interests in our Advisor and our Dealer Manager or other Sponsor-affiliated entities. Through our Sponsor's affiliates, some of these persons work on behalf of programs sponsored directly or indirectly by the Parent of our Sponsor that are currently raising capital publicly. As a result, they have loyalties to each of these entities, which loyalties could conflict with the fiduciary duties they owe to us and could result in action or inaction detrimental to our business. Conflicts with our business and interests are most likely to arise from (a) allocation of new investments and management time and services between us and the other entities, (b) our purchase of investments from, or sale of investments to, entities affiliated with our Sponsor, (c) development of our properties by affiliates of our Sponsor, (d) investments with affiliates of our Advisor, (e) compensation to our Advisor and (f) our relationship with our Advisor and our Dealer Manager.

The conflicts of interest inherent in the incentive fee structure of our arrangements with our Advisor and its affiliates could result in actions that are not necessarily in the long-term best interests of our stockholders, including required payments if we terminate the advisory agreement, even for poor performance by our Advisor.

On April 29, 2015, we entered into a Second Amended and Restated Advisory Agreement with our advisor that will become effective if certain charter amendments are approved by our stockholders for which intend to seek approval at our next annual meeting. If the agreement becomes effective, it will have a twenty year term, which is automatically extended for successive 20 year terms, and may only be terminated under limited circumstances. This will make it difficult for us to renegotiate the terms of our advisory agreement or replace our advisor even if the terms of our agreement are no longer consistent with the terms offered to other REITs as the market for advisory services changes in the future.

Under our advisory agreement and the limited partnership agreement of our operating partnership, or the partnership agreement, the special limited partner and its affiliates will be entitled to fees, distributions and other amounts that are structured in a manner intended to provide incentives to our Advisor to perform in our best interests. However, because our Advisor does not maintain a significant equity interest in us and is entitled to receive substantial minimum compensation regardless of performance, its interests may not be wholly aligned with those of our stockholders. In that regard, our Advisor could be motivated to recommend riskier or more speculative investments in order for us to generate the specified levels of performance or sales proceeds that would entitle it or the special limited partner to fees. In addition, the special limited partner and its affiliates’ entitlement to fees and distributions upon the sale of our assets and to participate in sale proceeds could result in our Advisor recommending sales of our investments at the earliest possible time at which sales of investments would produce the level of return that would entitle our Advisor and its affiliates, including the special limited partner, to compensation relating to such sales, even if continued ownership of those investments might be in our best long-term interest.

Moreover, the partnership agreement requires our operating partnership to pay a performance-based termination distribution to the special limited partner or its assignees if we terminate the advisory agreement, even for poor performance by our Advisor, prior to the listing of our shares for trading on an exchange or, absent such listing, in respect of its participation in net sales proceeds. To avoid paying this distribution, our independent directors may decide against terminating the advisory agreement prior to our listing of our shares or disposition of our investments even if, but for the termination distribution, termination of the advisory agreement would be in our best interest. Similarly, because this distribution would still be due even if we terminate the advisory agreement for poor performance, our Advisor may be incentivized to focus its resources and attention on other matters or otherwise fail to use its best efforts on our behalf.

In addition, the requirement to pay the distribution to the special limited partner or its assignees at termination could cause us to make different investment or disposition decisions than we would otherwise make, in order to satisfy our obligation to pay the distribution to the special limited partner or its assignees. Moreover, our Advisor will have the right to terminate the advisory agreement upon a change of control of our company and thereby trigger the payment of the termination distribution, which could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing the change of control. In addition, our Advisor will be entitled to an annual subordinated performance fee such that for any year in which investors receive payment of a 6.0% annual cumulative, pre-tax, non-compounded return on the capital contributed by investors, our Advisor is entitled to 15.0% of the amount in excess of such 6.0% per annum return, provided that the amount paid to our Advisor does not exceed 10.0% of the aggregate return for such year, and that the amount, while accruing annually in each year the 6.0% return is attained, will not actually be paid to our Advisor unless investors receive a return of capital contributions, which could encourage our Advisor to recommend riskier or more speculative investments.

There is no separate counsel for us and our affiliates, which could result in conflicts of interest, and such conflicts may not be resolved in our favor, which could adversely affect the value of our stockholders' investments.

Proskauer Rose LLP acts as legal counsel to us and also represents affiliates of our Advisor. There is a possibility in the future that the interests of the various parties may become adverse and, under the Code of Professional Responsibility of the legal profession, Proskauer Rose LLP may be precluded from representing any one or all such parties. If any situation arises in which our interests appear to be in conflict with those of our Advisor or its affiliates, additional counsel may be retained by one or more of the parties to assure that their interests are adequately protected. Moreover, should a conflict of interest not be readily apparent, Proskauer Rose LLP may inadvertently act in derogation of the interest of the parties which could affect our ability to meet our investment objectives.

We disclose funds from operations and modified funds from operations, a non-GAAP financial measure, however, modified funds from operations is not equivalent to our net income or loss as determined under GAAP, and stockholders should consider GAAP measures to be more relevant to our operating performance.

We use and disclose funds from operations (“FFO”) and modified funds from operations (“MFFO”). FFO and MFFO are not equivalent to our net income or loss or cash flow from operations as determined under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), and stockholders should consider GAAP measures to be more relevant to evaluating our operating performance or our ability to pay distributions. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Funds from Operations and Modified Funds from Operations.” FFO and MFFO and GAAP net income differ because FFO and MFFO exclude gains or losses from sales of assets and asset impairment write-downs, and add back depreciation and amortization, adjusts for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures, and further excludes acquisition-related expenses, amortization of above- and below-market leases, fair value adjustments of derivative financial instruments, deferred rent receivables and the adjustments of such items related to noncontrolling interests.

Because of these differences, FFO and MFFO may not be accurate indicators of our operating performance, especially during periods in which we are making additional investments. In addition, FFO and MFFO are not necessarily indicative of cash flow available to fund cash needs and stockholders should not consider FFO and MFFO as alternatives to cash flows from operations, as an indication of our liquidity, or indicative of funds available to fund our cash needs, including our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.

Neither the SEC nor any other regulatory body has passed judgment on the acceptability of the adjustments that we use to calculate FFO and MFFO. Also, because not all companies calculate FFO and MFFO the same way, comparisons with other companies may not be meaningful.

Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

The limit on the number of shares a person may own may discourage a takeover that could otherwise result in a premium price to our stockholders.

Our charter, with certain exceptions, 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, no person may own more than 9.8% in value of the aggregate of our outstanding shares of our capital stock or more than 9.8% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of shares of our capital stock. This restriction 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 our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our common stock.

Our charter permits our board of directors to authorize the issuance of stock with terms that may subordinate the rights of common stockholders or discourage a third party from acquiring us in a manner that might result in a premium price to our stockholders.

Our charter permits our board of directors to issue up to 350,000,000 shares of stock. In addition, our board of directors, without any action by our stockholders, 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 of stock that we have authority to issue. Our board of directors may classify or reclassify any unissued common stock or preferred stock into other classes or series and establish the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption of any such stock. Thus, our board of directors could authorize the issuance of preferred stock with terms and conditions that could have a priority as to distributions and amounts payable upon liquidation over the rights of the holders of our common stock. Preferred stock could also 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 our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our common stock.

Maryland law prohibits certain business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us to be acquired and may limit our stockholders' ability to exit the investment.

Under Maryland law, "business combinations" between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder or an affiliate of an interested stockholder are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. These business combinations include a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. An interested stockholder is defined as:

A person is not an interested stockholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which he or she otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. However, in approving a transaction, the board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the board of directors.

After the five-year prohibition, any business combination between the Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder generally must be recommended by the board of directors of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:

These super-majority vote requirements do not apply if the corporation's common stockholders receive a minimum price, as defined under Maryland law, for their shares in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares. The business combination statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by the board of directors prior to the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Pursuant to the statute, our board of directors has exempted any business combination involving our Advisor or any affiliate of our Advisor. Consequently, the five-year prohibition and the super-majority vote requirements will not apply to business combinations between us and our Advisor or any affiliate of our Advisor. As a result, our Advisor and any affiliate of our Advisor may be able to enter into business combinations with us that may not be in the best interest of our stockholders, without compliance with the super-majority vote requirements and the other provisions of the statute. The business combination statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer.

Maryland law limits the ability of a third-party to buy a large stake in us and exercise voting power in electing directors, which may discourage a takeover that could otherwise result in a premium price to our stockholders.

The Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act provides that holders of "control shares" of a Maryland corporation acquired in a "control share acquisition" have no voting rights except to the extent approved by stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least stockholders entitled to cast two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Shares of stock owned by the acquirer, by officers or by employees who are directors of the corporation, are excluded from shares entitled to vote on the matter. "Control shares" are voting shares of stock which, if aggregated with all other shares of stock owned by the acquirer or in respect of which the acquirer can 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 specified ranges of voting power. Control shares do not include shares 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 of issued and outstanding control shares. The control share acquisition statute does not apply (a) to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction, or (b) to acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation. Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the Control Share Acquisition Act any and all acquisitions of our stock by any person. There can be no assurance that this provision will not be amended or eliminated at any time in the future.

Our stockholders’ investment return may be reduced if we are required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

We are not registered, and do not intend to register ourselves or any of our subsidiaries, as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we become obligated to register ourselves or any of our subsidiaries as an investment company, the registered entity would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the Investment Company Act imposing, among other things:

We conduct and intend to continue conducting our operations, directly and through wholly or majority-owned subsidiaries, so that we and each of our subsidiaries are exempt from registrations as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, a company is an “investment company” if it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Under Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act, a company is deemed to be an “investment company” if it is engaged, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire “investment securities” having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis or the 40% test. “Investment securities” excludes U.S. Government securities and securities of majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act.

Because we are primarily engaged in the business of acquiring real estate, we believe that we and most, if not all, of our wholly and majority-owned subsidiaries will not be considered investment companies under either Section 3(a)(1)(A) or Section 3(a)(1) (C) of the Investment Company Act. If we or any of our wholly or majority-owned subsidiaries would ever inadvertently fall within one of the definitions of “investment company,” we intend to rely on the exception provided by Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act.

Under Section 3(c)(5)(C), the SEC staff generally requires us to maintain at least 55% of our assets directly in qualifying assets and at least 80% of our assets in qualifying assets and in a broader category of real estate-related assets to qualify for this exception. Mortgage-related securities may or may not constitute such qualifying assets, depending on the characteristics of the mortgage-related securities, including the rights that we have with respect to the underlying loans. Our ownership of mortgage- related securities, therefore, is limited by provisions of the Investment Company Act and SEC staff interpretations.

The method we use to classify our assets for purposes of the Investment Company Act will be based in large measure upon no-action positions taken by the SEC staff in the past. These no-action positions were issued in accordance with factual situations that may be substantially different from the factual situations we may face, and a number of these no-action positions were issued more than ten years ago. No assurance can be given that the SEC staff will concur with our classification of our assets. In addition, the SEC staff may, in the future, issue further guidance that may require us to re-classify our assets for purposes of qualifying for an exclusion from regulation under the Investment Company Act. If we are required to re-classify our assets, we may no longer be in compliance with the exclusion from the definition of an “investment company” provided by Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act.

A change in the value of any of our assets could cause us or one or more of our wholly or majority- owned subsidiaries to fall within the definition of “investment company” and negatively affect our ability to maintain our exemption from regulation under the Investment Company Act. To avoid being required to register the Company or any of its subsidiaries as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be unable to sell assets we would otherwise want to sell and may need to sell assets we would otherwise wish to retain. In addition, we may have to acquire additional income- or loss-generating assets that we might not otherwise have acquired or may have to forgo opportunities to acquire interests in companies that we would otherwise want to acquire and would be important to our investment strategy.

If we were required to register the Company as an investment company but failed to do so, we would be prohibited from engaging in our business, and civil actions could be brought against us. In addition, our contracts would be unenforceable unless a court required enforcement, and a court could appoint a receiver to take control of us and liquidate our business.

We are an "emerging growth company" under the federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements.

We are an "emerging growth company," as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 ("the JOBS Act"), and are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from, or reduced disclosure obligations relating to, various reporting requirements that are normally applicable to public companies.

We will remain an "emerging growth company" for up to five years, or until the earliest of (1) the last day of the first fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of $1 billion or more, (2) December 31 of the fiscal year that we become a "large accelerated filer" as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act (which would occur if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million, measured as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, and we have been publicly reporting for at least 12 months) or (3) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period. Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies are not required to (1) provide an auditor's attestation report on management's assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (2) comply with any new requirements adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, ("PCAOB") that require mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor's report in which the auditor must provide additional information about the audit and the issuer's financial statements, (3) comply with new audit rules adopted by the PCAOB after April 5, 2012 (unless the SEC determines otherwise), (4) provide certain disclosures relating to executive compensation generally required for larger public companies or (5) hold stockholder advisory votes on executive compensation. We have not yet made a decision as to whether to take advantage of any or all of the JOBS Act exemptions that are applicable to us. If we do take advantage of any of these exemptions, we do not know if some investors will find our common stock less attractive as a result.

Additionally, 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 and private companies. This means an "emerging growth company" can delay adopting certain accounting standards until such standards are otherwise applicable to private companies. However, we have elected to "opt out" of such extended transition period, and will therefore comply with new or revised accounting standards on the applicable dates on which the adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that our decision to opt out of such extended transition period for compliance with new or revised accounting standards is irrevocable.

Our board of directors may change our investment policies without stockholder approval, which could alter the nature of our stockholders' investments.

Our charter requires that our independent directors review our investment policies at least annually to determine that the policies we are following are in the best interest of the stockholders. These policies may change over time. The methods of implementing our investment policies also may vary, as new real estate development trends emerge and new investment techniques are developed. Our investment policies, the methods for their implementation, and our other objectives, policies and procedures may be altered by our board of directors without the approval of our stockholders. As a result, the nature of our stockholders' investments could change without their consent.

On April 20, 2015, the Company announced that the Advisor has recommended, and the Company's board of directors has approved, a revision to the Company's Investment Objectives and Acquisition and Investment Policies (the "New Strategy") pursuant to which the Company expects to focus all of its new investment activity on originating and acquiring first mortgage and other commercial real estate-related debt investments across all major commercial real estate sectors. The Company will continue to maintain and selectively invest in additions to its existing portfolio of net leased commercial real estate properties, however it will not forgo opportunities to invest in other types of real estate investments that meet its overall investment objectives.

Because our Advisor is wholly owned by our Sponsor through the Special Limited Partner, the interests of our Advisor and our Sponsor are not separate and, as a result, our Advisor may act in a way that is not necessarily in our stockholders' interest.

Our Advisor is indirectly wholly owned by our Sponsor through the special limited partner. Therefore, the interests of our Advisor and our Sponsor are not separate and the Advisor's decisions may not be independent from the Sponsor and may result in the Advisor making decisions to act in ways that are not in our stockholders' interests.

Our stockholders' interest in us will be diluted if we issue additional shares, which could adversely affect the value of their investments.

Our stockholders do not have preemptive rights to any shares issued by us in the future. Our charter currently authorizes us to issue 350,000,000 shares of stock, of which 300,000,000 shares are classified as common stock and 50,000,000 are classified as preferred stock. Subject to any limitations set forth under Maryland law, our board of directors may amend our charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of stock or the number of authorized shares of any class or series of stock, or may classify or reclassify any unissued shares without the necessity of obtaining stockholder approval. All such shares may be issued in the discretion of our board of directors, except that the issuance of preferred stock must be approved by a majority of our independent directors not otherwise interested in the transaction, who will have access, at our expense, to our legal counsel or to independent legal counsel. Stockholders will suffer dilution of their equity investment in us, if we: (a) sell additional shares in the future, including those issued pursuant to our DRIP; (b) sell securities that are convertible into shares of our common stock; (c) issue shares of our common stock in a private offering of securities to institutional investors; (d) issue restricted share awards to our directors; (e) issue shares to our Advisor or its successors or assigns, in payment of an outstanding fee obligation as set forth under our advisory agreement; or (f) issue shares of our common stock to sellers of properties acquired by us in connection with an exchange of limited partnership interests of the OP, stockholders will likely experience dilution of their equity investment in us. In addition, the partnership agreement for the OP contains provisions that would allow, under certain circumstances, other entities, including other American Realty Capital-sponsored programs, to merge into or cause the exchange or conversion of their interest for interests of the OP. Because the limited partnership interests of the OP may, in the discretion of our board of directors, be exchanged for shares of our common stock, any merger, exchange or conversion between the OP and another entity ultimately could result in the issuance of a substantial number of shares of our common stock, thereby diluting the percentage ownership interest of other stockholders.

Future offerings of equity securities which are senior to our common stock for purposes of dividend distributions or upon liquidation, may adversely affect the value of investments in our common stock.

In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by making additional offerings of equity securities. Under our charter, we may issue, without stockholder approval, preferred stock or other classes of common stock with rights that could dilute the value of our stockholders' shares of common stock. Any issuance of preferred stock must be approved by a majority of our independent directors not otherwise interested in the transaction, who will have access, at our expense, to our legal counsel or to independent legal counsel. Upon liquidation, holders of our shares of preferred stock will be entitled to receive our available assets prior to distribution to the holders of our common stock. Additionally, any convertible, exercisable or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock and may result in dilution to owners of our common stock. Holders of our common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights or other protections against dilution. Our preferred stock, if issued, could have a preference on liquidating distributions or a preference on dividend payments that could limit our ability pay distributions to the holders of our common stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings.

Payment of fees to our Advisor and its affiliates reduces cash available for investment and distributions to our stockholders.

Our Advisor and its affiliates will perform services for us in connection with the offer and sale of the shares, the selection and acquisition of our investments, the management of our properties, the servicing of our CRE Debt Investments and the administration of our other investments. They are paid substantial fees for these services, which reduces the amount of cash available for investment in properties or distribution to stockholders.

We depend on our OP and its subsidiaries for cash flow and are effectively structurally subordinated in right of payment to the obligations of the OP and its subsidiaries.

We have no business operations of our own. Our only significant asset is and will be the general partnership interests of our OP. We conduct, and intend to conduct, all of our business operations through our OP. Accordingly, our only source of cash to pay our obligations is distributions from our OP and its subsidiaries of their net earnings and cash flows. We cannot assure our stockholders that our OP or its subsidiaries will be able to, or be permitted to, make distributions to us that will enable us to make distributions to our stockholders from cash flows from operations. Each of our OP's subsidiaries is a distinct legal entity and, under certain circumstances, legal and contractual restrictions may limit our ability to obtain cash from such entities. Therefore, in the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization, our assets and those of our OP and its subsidiaries will be able to satisfy the claims of our stockholders only after all of our and our OP's and its subsidiaries liabilities and obligations have been paid in full.

Valuations and appraisals of our properties and valuations of our investments in real estate related assets are estimates of fair value and may not necessarily correspond to realizable value, which could adversely affect the value of our stockholders' investments.

Valuations of investments are conducted in accordance with our valuation guidelines and with the material assistance or confirmation of our independent valuer at least annually. The valuation methodologies used to value our properties involve subjective judgments concerning factors such as comparable sales, rental and operating expense data, capitalization or discount rate, and projections of future rent and expenses. Although our valuation guidelines are designed to accurately determine the fair value of our assets, appraisals and valuations will be only estimates, and ultimate realization depends on conditions beyond our Advisor's control. Further, valuations do not necessarily represent the price at which we would be able to sell an asset, because such prices would be negotiated. We will not retroactively adjust the valuation of such assets, the price of our common stock, the price we paid to repurchase shares of our common stock or NAV-based fees we paid to our Advisor and Dealer Manager. Because the price our shares may be issued under the DRIP, and the price at which their shares may be repurchased by us pursuant to our SRP, is based on Estimated Per-Share NAV, our stockholders may pay more than realizable value or receive less than realizable value for their investments.

Although our Advisor is responsible for calculating our quarterly Estimated Per-Share NAV, our Advisor will consider independent appraisals of our properties, the accuracy of which our Advisor will not independently verify.

In calculating our quarterly Estimated Per-Share NAV, our Advisor includes the net value of our real estate and real estate-related assets, taking into consideration valuations of individual properties that were obtained from our independent valuer. Our Advisor reviews each appraisal by the independent valuer, and compares each appraisal to its own determination of value. If in the Advisor's opinion the appraisals are materially higher or lower than the Advisor's determinations of value, the Advisor discusses the appraisals with the independent valuer. If the Advisor determines that the appraisals are still materially higher or lower than its valuations, a valuation committee, comprised of our independent directors, will review the appraisals and valuations, and make a final determination of value. Although our Advisor is responsible for the accuracy of the quarterly Estimated Per-Share NAV calculation and provides our independent valuer with our valuation guidelines, which have been approved by our board of directors, our Advisor does not independently verify the appraised value of our properties. As a result, the appraised value of a particular property may be greater or less than its potential realizable value, which would cause our Estimated Per-Share NAV to be greater or less than the potential realizable NAV.

Our Estimated Per-Share NAV may suddenly change if the appraised values of our properties materially change or the actual operating results differ from what we originally budgeted for that quarter.

Our Advisor's estimate of the value of our real estate and real estate-related assets is partly based on appraisals of our properties, which will probably not be spread evenly throughout the calendar year. We anticipate that such appraisals will be conducted near the end of each calendar quarter or each calendar month. Therefore, when these appraisals are reflected in our NAV calculation, for which our Advisor is ultimately responsible, there may be a sudden change in our Estimated Per-Share NAV. In addition, actual operating results for a given month may differ from our original estimate, which may affect our Estimated Per-Share NAV. We will base our calculation of estimated income and expenses on a monthly budget. As soon as practicable after the end of each month, we will adjust the estimated income and expenses to reflect the income and expenses actually earned and incurred. We will not retroactively adjust the quarterly Estimated Per-Share NAV for the previous quarter. Therefore, because the actual results from operations may be better or worse than what we previously budgeted for a particular month, the adjustment to reflect actual operating results may cause our Estimated Per-Share NAV to change, and such change will occur on the day the adjustment is made.

General Risks Related to Investments in Real Estate

Our operating results are affected by economic and regulatory changes that have an adverse impact on the real estate market in general, and we cannot assure our stockholders that we will be profitable or that we will realize growth in the value of our real estate properties.

Our operating results are subject to risks generally incident to the ownership of real estate, including:

These and other risks may prevent us from being profitable or from realizing growth or maintaining the value of our real estate properties.

We are dependent on single-tenant leases for our revenue and, accordingly, lease terminations or tenant defaults could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We focus our investment activities on ownership of freestanding, single-tenant commercial properties that are net leased to a single tenant. Therefore, the financial failure of, or other default in payment by, a single tenant under its lease is likely to cause a significant reduction in our operating cash flows from that property and a significant reduction in the value of the property, and could cause a significant reduction in our revenues. If a lease is terminated or defaulted on, we may experience difficulty or significant delay in re-leasing such property, or we may be unable to find a new tenant to re-lease the vacated space, which could result in us incurring a loss. The current economic conditions may put financial pressure on and increase the likelihood of the financial failure of, or other default in payment by, one or more of the tenants to whom we have exposure.

The failure by any major tenant with leases in multiple locations to make rental payments to us, because of a deterioration of its financial condition or otherwise, or the termination or non-renewal of a lease by a major tenant, would have a material adverse effect on us.

Our ability to generate cash from operations is dependent on the rents that we are able to charge and collect from our tenants. While we evaluate the creditworthiness of our tenants by reviewing available financial and other pertinent information, there can be no assurance that any tenant will be able to make timely rental payments or avoid defaulting under its lease. At any time, our tenants may experience an adverse change in their business. If any of our tenants' business experience significant adverse changes, they may decline to extend or renew leases upon expiration, fail to make rental payments when due, close a number of stores, exercise early termination rights (to the extent such rights are available to the tenant) or declare bankruptcy. If a tenant defaults, we may experience delays in enforcing our rights as landlord and may incur substantial costs in protecting our investment.

If any of the foregoing were to occur, it could result in the termination of the tenant's leases and the loss of rental income attributable to the terminated leases. If a lease is terminated or defaulted on, we may be unable to find a new tenant to re-lease the vacated space at attractive rents or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our financial condition. Furthermore, the consequences to us would be exacerbated if one of our major tenants were to experience an adverse development in their business that resulted in them being unable to make timely rental payments or to default under their lease. The occurrence of any of the situations described above would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our financial condition.

We rely significantly on six major tenants (including, for this purpose, all affiliates of such tenants) and therefore, are subject to tenant credit concentrations that make us more susceptible to adverse events with respect to those tenants.

As of December 31, 2014 , the following six major tenants had annualized rental income on a straight-line basis, which represented 5.0% or more of our consolidated annualized rental income on a straight-line basis including, for this purpose, all affiliates of such tenants:

Therefore, the financial failure of any of these tenants could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our financial condition. In addition, the value of our investment is historically driven by the credit quality of the underlying tenant, and an adverse change in either the tenant's financial condition or a decline in the credit rating of such tenant may result in a decline in the value of our investments.

We are subject to tenant geographic concentrations that make us more susceptible to adverse events with respect to certain geographic areas.

As of December 31, 2014 , the following states had concentrations of properties where annualized rental income on a straight-line basis represented 5.0% or greater of our consolidated annualized rental income on a straight-line basis:

As of December 31, 2014 , our tenants operated in 37 states. Any adverse situation that disproportionately affects the states listed above may have a magnified adverse effect on our portfolio. Factors that may negatively affect economic conditions in these states include:

If a tenant declares bankruptcy, we may be unable to collect balances due under relevant leases, which could adversely affect our financial condition and ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

Any of our tenants, or any guarantor of a tenant's lease obligations, could be subject to a bankruptcy proceeding pursuant to Title 11 of the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such a bankruptcy filing would bar all efforts by us to collect pre-bankruptcy debts from these entities or their properties, unless we receive an enabling order from the bankruptcy court. Post-bankruptcy debts would be paid currently. If a lease is assumed, all pre-bankruptcy balances owing under it must be paid in full. If a lease is rejected by a tenant in bankruptcy, we would have a general unsecured claim for damages. If a lease is rejected, it is unlikely we would receive any payments from the tenant because our claim is capped at the rent reserved under the lease, without acceleration, for the greater of one year and 15% of the remaining term of the lease, but not greater than three years, plus rent already due but unpaid. This claim could be paid only if funds were available, and then only in the same percentage as that realized on other unsecured claims.

A tenant or lease guarantor bankruptcy could delay efforts to collect past due balances under the relevant leases, and could ultimately preclude full collection of these sums. Such an event could cause a decrease or cessation of rental payments that would mean a reduction in our cash flow and the amount available for distributions to our stockholders. In the event of a bankruptcy, we cannot assure our stockholders that the tenant or its trustee will assume our lease. If a given lease, or guaranty of a lease, is not assumed, our cash flow and the amounts available for distributions to our stockholders may be adversely affected.

If a sale-leaseback transaction is re-characterized in a tenant's bankruptcy proceeding, our financial condition and ability to make distributions to our stockholders could be adversely affected.

We may enter into sale-leaseback transactions, whereby we would purchase a property and then lease the same property back to the person from whom we purchased it. In the event of the bankruptcy of a tenant, a transaction structured as a sale-leaseback may be re-characterized as either a financing or a joint venture, either of which outcomes could adversely affect our business. If the sale-leaseback were re-characterized as a financing, we might not be considered the owner of the property, and as a result would have the status of a creditor in relation to the tenant. In that event, we would no longer have the right to sell or encumber our ownership interest in the property. Instead, we would have a claim against the tenant for the amounts owed under the lease, with the claim arguably secured by the property. The tenant/debtor might have the ability to propose a plan restructuring the term, interest rate and amortization schedule of its outstanding balance. If confirmed by the bankruptcy court, we could be bound by the new terms, and prevented from foreclosing our lien on the property. If the sale-leaseback were re-characterized as a joint venture, our lessee and we could be treated as co-venturers with regard to the property. As a result, we could be held liable, under some circumstances, for debts incurred by the lessee relating to the property. Either of these outcomes could adversely affect our cash flow and the amount available for distributions to our stockholders.

Properties that have vacancies for a significant period of time could be difficult to sell, which could diminish the return on our stockholders' investments.

A property may incur vacancies either by the continued default of tenants under their leases or the expiration of tenant leases. If vacancies continue for a long period of time, we may suffer reduced revenues resulting in less cash to be distributed to stockholders. In addition, because properties' market values depend principally upon the value of the properties' leases, the resale value of properties with prolonged vacancies could suffer, which could further reduce their return.

We may obtain only limited warranties when we purchase a property and would have only limited recourse if our due diligence did not identify any issues that lower the value of our property, which could adversely affect our financial condition and ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

The seller of a property often sells such property in its "as is" condition on a "where is" basis and "with all faults," without any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use or purpose. In addition, purchase agreements may contain only limited warranties, representations and indemnifications that will only survive for a limited period after the closing. The purchase of properties with limited warranties increases the risk that we may lose some or all our invested capital in the property as well as the loss of rental income from that property.

We may be unable to secure funds for future tenant improvements or capital needs, which could adversely impact our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders.

When tenants do not renew their leases or otherwise vacate their space, it is usual that, in order to attract replacement tenants, we will be required to expend substantial funds for tenant improvements and tenant refurbishments to the vacated space. In addition, we will likely be responsible for any major structural repairs, such as repairs to the foundation, exterior walls and rooftops. Accordingly, if we need additional capital in the future to improve or maintain our properties or for any other reason, we will have to obtain financing from sources, such as cash flow from operations, borrowings, property sales or future equity offerings. These sources of funding may not be available on attractive terms or at all. If we cannot procure additional funding for capital improvements, our investments may generate lower cash flows or decline in value, or both.

Our inability to sell a property when we desire to do so could adversely impact our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders.

The real estate market is affected by many factors, such as general economic conditions, availability of financing, interest rates and other factors, including supply and demand, that are beyond our control. We cannot predict whether we will be able to sell any property for the price or on the terms set by us, or whether any price or other terms offered by a prospective purchaser would be acceptable to us. We cannot predict the length of time needed to find a willing purchaser and to close the sale of a property.

We may be required to expend funds to correct defects or to make improvements before a property can be sold. We cannot assure our stockholders that we will have funds available to correct such defects or to make such improvements. Moreover, in acquiring a property, we may agree to restrictions that prohibit the sale of that property for a period of time or impose other restrictions, such as a limitation on the amount of debt that can be placed or repaid on that property. These provisions would restrict our ability to sell a property.

We may not be able to sell our properties at a price equal to, or greater than, the price for which we purchased such property, which may lead to a decrease in the value of our assets.

Certain of our leases do not contain rental increases over time. Therefore, the value of the property to a potential purchaser may not increase over time, which may restrict our ability to sell a property, or if we are able to sell such property, may lead to a sale price less than the price that we paid to purchase the property.

We may acquire or finance properties with lock-out provisions, which may prohibit us from selling a property, or may require us to maintain specified debt levels for a period of years on some properties, which could have an adverse effect on our stockholders investments.

Lock-out provisions could materially restrict us from selling or otherwise disposing of or refinancing properties. These provisions would affect our ability to turn our investments into cash and thus affect cash available for distributions to our stockholders. Lock out provisions may prohibit us from reducing the outstanding indebtedness with respect to any properties, refinancing such indebtedness on a non-recourse basis at maturity, or increasing the amount of indebtedness with respect to such properties. Lock-out provisions could impair our ability to take other actions during the lock-out period that could be in the best interests of our stockholders and, therefore, may have an adverse impact on the value of the shares, relative to the value that would result if the lock-out provisions did not exist. In particular, lock-out provisions could preclude us from participating in major transactions that could result in a disposition of our assets or a change in control even though that disposition or change in control might be in the best interests of our stockholders.

Rising expenses could reduce cash flow and funds available for future acquisitions and our funds available for future acquisitions and our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders.

The properties that we own or may acquire are subject to operating risks common to real estate in general, any or all of which may negatively affect us. If any property is not fully occupied or if rents are being paid in an amount that is insufficient to cover operating expenses, we could be required to expend funds with respect to that property for operating expenses. The properties will be subject to increases in tax rates, utility costs, operating expenses, insurance costs, repairs and maintenance and administrative expenses. Renewals of leases or future leases may not be negotiated on a triple-net basis or on a basis requiring the tenants to pay all or some of such expenses, in which event we may have to pay those costs. If we are unable to lease properties on a triple-net-lease basis or on a basis requiring the tenants to pay all or some of such expenses, or if tenants fail to pay required tax, utility and other impositions, we could be required to pay those costs which could adversely affect funds available for future acquisitions or cash available for distributions.

Uninsured losses relating to real property or excessively expensive premiums for insurance coverage, including due to the non-renewal of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 ("TRIA"), could reduce our cash flows and the return on our stockholders' investments.

There are types of losses, generally catastrophic in nature, such as losses due to wars, acts of terrorism, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, pollution or environmental matters, that are uninsurable or not economically insurable, or may be insured subject to limitations, such as large deductibles or co-payments. Insurance risks associated with such catastrophic events could sharply increase the premiums we pay for coverage against property and casualty claims.

This risk is particularly relevant with respect to potential acts of terrorism. The TRIA, under which the U.S. federal government bears a significant portion of insured losses caused by terrorism, will expire on December 31, 2020, and there can be no assurance that Congress will act to renew or replace the TRIA following its expiration. In the event the TRIA is not renewed or replace, terrorism insurance may become difficult or impossible to obtain at reasonable costs or at all, which may result in adverse impacts and additional costs to us.

Changes in the cost or availability of insurance due to the non-renewal of the TRIA or for other reasons could expose us to uninsured casualty losses. If any of our properties incurs a casualty loss that is not fully insured, the value of our assets will be reduced by any such uninsured loss, which may reduce the value of an investment in our shares. In addition, other than any working capital reserve or other reserves we may establish, we have no source of funding to repair or reconstruct any uninsured property. Also, to the extent we must pay unexpectedly large amounts for insurance, we could suffer reduced earnings that would result in lower distributions to stockholders.

Additionally, mortgage lenders insist in some cases that commercial property owners purchase coverage against terrorism as a condition for providing mortgage loans. Accordingly, to the extent terrorism risk insurance policies are not available at reasonable costs, if at all, our ability to finance or refinance our properties could be impaired. 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, or any, coverage for such losses.

Terrorist attacks and other acts of violence, civilian unrest or war may affect the markets in which we operate, our operations and our profitability.

We may acquire real estate assets located in areas throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico in major metropolitan areas as well as densely populated sub-markets that are susceptible to terrorist attack. In addition, any kind of terrorist activity or violent criminal acts, including terrorist acts against public institutions or buildings or modes of public transportation (including airlines, trains or buses) could have a negative effect on our business. These events may directly impact the value of our assets through damage, destruction, loss or increased security costs. Although we may obtain terrorism insurance, we may not be able to obtain sufficient coverage to fund any losses we may incur. The TRIA, which was designed for a sharing of terrorism losses between insurance companies and the federal government, will expire on December 31, 2020, and there can be no assurance that Congress will act to renew or replace it. See “ -Uninsured losses relating to real property or excessively expensive premiums for insurance coverage, including due to the non-renewal of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 ("TRIA"), could reduce our cash flows and the return on our stockholders’ investments. ”

More generally, any terrorist attack, other act of violence or war, including armed conflicts, could result in increased volatility in, or damage to, the worldwide financial markets and economy. Increased economic volatility could adversely affect our properties’ ability to conduct their operations profitably or our ability to borrow money or issue capital stock at acceptable prices and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.

Real estate related taxes may increase and if these increases are not passed on to tenants, our income will be reduced, which could adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

Some local real property tax assessors may seek to reassess some of our properties as a result of our acquisition of the property. Generally, from time to time our property taxes increase as property values or assessment rates change or for other reasons deemed relevant by the assessors. An increase in the assessed valuation of a property for real estate tax purposes will result in an increase in the related real estate taxes on that property. There is no assurance that leases will be negotiated on a same basis that passes such tax onto the tenant. Increases not passed through to tenants will adversely affect our income, cash available for distributions, and the amount of distributions to our stockholders.

Covenants, conditions and restrictions may restrict our ability to operate a property, which may adversely affect our operating costs and reduce the amount of funds available to pay distributions to our stockholders.

Some of our properties may be contiguous to other parcels of real property, comprising part of the same commercial center. In connection with such properties, there are significant covenants, conditions and restrictions ("CC&Rs") restricting the operation of such properties and any improvements on such properties, and related to granting easements on such properties. Moreover, the operation and management of the contiguous properties may impact such properties. Compliance with CC&Rs may adversely affect our operating costs and reduce the amount of funds that we have available to pay distributions.

Our operating results may be negatively affected by potential development and construction delays and resultant increased costs and risks.

We may acquire and develop properties upon which we will construct improvements. We will be subject to uncertainties associated with re-zoning for development, environmental concerns of governmental entities and/or community groups, and our builder's ability to build in conformity with plans, specifications, budgeted costs, and timetables. If a builder fails to perform, we may resort to legal action to rescind the purchase or the construction contract or to compel performance. A builder's performance also may be affected or delayed by conditions beyond the builder's control. Delays in completion of construction could also give tenants the right to terminate preconstruction leases. We may incur additional risks when we make periodic progress payments or other advances to builders before they complete construction. These and other factors can result in increased costs of a project or loss of our investment. In addition, we will be subject to normal lease-up risks relating to newly constructed projects. We also must rely on rental income and expense projections and estimates of the fair market value of property upon completion of construction when agreeing upon a price at the time we acquire the property. If our projections are inaccurate, we may pay too much for a property, and our return on our investment could suffer.

We may invest in unimproved real property. For purposes of this paragraph, "unimproved real property" does not include properties acquired for the purpose of producing rental or other operating income, properties under development or construction, and properties under contract for development or in planning for development within one year. Returns from development of unimproved properties are also subject to risks associated with re-zoning the land for development and environmental concerns of governmental entities and/or community groups. If we invest in unimproved property other than property we intend to develop, our stockholders' investments will be subject to the risks associated with investments in unimproved real property.

Competition with third parties in acquiring properties and other investments may reduce our profitability and the return on our stockholders' investments.

We compete with many other entities engaged in real estate investment activities, including individuals, corporations, bank and insurance company investment accounts, other REITs, real estate limited partnerships, and other entities engaged in real estate investment activities, many of which have greater resources than we do. Larger REITs may enjoy significant competitive advantages that result from, among other things, a lower cost of capital and enhanced operating efficiencies. In addition, the number of entities and the amount of funds competing for suitable investments may increase. Any such increase would result in increased demand for these assets and therefore increased prices paid for them. If we pay higher prices for properties and other investments, our profitability will be reduced and our stockholders may experience a lower return on their investments.

Our properties face competition that may affect tenants' ability to pay rent and the amount of rent paid to us may affect the cash available for distributions and the amount of distributions.

Our properties face competition for tenants. The number of competitive properties could have a material effect on our ability to rent space at our properties and the amount of rents charged. We could be adversely affected if additional competitive properties are built in locations competitive with our properties, causing increased competition for customer traffic and creditworthy tenants. This could result in decreased cash flow from tenants and may require us to make capital improvements to properties that we would not have otherwise made, thus affecting cash available for distributions, and the amount available for distributions to our stockholders.

Costs of complying with governmental laws and regulations, including those relating to environmental matters, may adversely affect our income and the cash available for any distributions.

All real property and the operations conducted on real property are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and human health and safety. These laws and regulations generally govern wastewater discharges, air emissions, the operation and removal of underground and above-ground storage tanks, the use, storage, treatment, transportation and disposal of solid and hazardous materials, and the remediation of contamination associated with disposals. Environmental laws and regulations may impose joint and several liability on tenants, owners or operators for the costs to investigate or remediate contaminated properties, regardless of fault or whether the acts causing the contamination were legal. This liability could be substantial. In addition, the presence of hazardous substances, or the failure to properly remediate these substances, may adversely affect our ability to sell, rent or pledge such property as collateral for future borrowings.

Some of these laws and regulations have been amended so as to require compliance with new or more stringent standards as of future dates. Compliance with new or more stringent laws or regulations or stricter interpretation of existing laws may require material expenditures by us. Future laws, ordinances or regulations may impose material environmental liability. Additionally, our tenants' operations, the existing condition of land when we buy it, operations in the vicinity of our properties, such as the presence of underground storage tanks, or activities of unrelated third parties may affect our properties. In addition, there are various local, state and federal fire, health, life-safety and similar regulations with which we may be required to comply, and that may subject us to liability in the form of fines or damages for noncompliance. Any material expenditures, fines, or damages we must pay will reduce our ability to make distributions and may reduce the value of our stockholders' investments.

State and federal laws in this area are constantly evolving, and we intend to monitor these laws and take commercially reasonable steps to protect ourselves from the impact of these laws, including obtaining environmental assessments of most properties that we acquire; however, we will not obtain an independent third-party environmental assessment for every property we acquire. In addition, any such assessment that we do obtain may not reveal all environmental liabilities or that a prior owner of a property did not create a material environmental condition not known to us. The cost of defending against claims of liability, of compliance with environmental regulatory requirements, of remediating any contaminated property, or of paying personal injury claims would materially adversely affect our business, assets or results of operations and, consequently, amounts available for distribution to our stockholders.

If we sell properties by providing financing to purchasers, defaults by the purchasers would adversely affect our cash flows and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

If we decide to sell any of our properties, in some instances we may sell our properties by providing financing to purchasers. When we provide financing to purchasers, we will bear the risk that the purchaser may default, which could negatively impact our cash distributions to stockholders. Even in the absence of a purchaser default, the distribution of the proceeds of sales to our stockholders, or their reinvestment in other assets, will be delayed until the promissory notes or other property we may accept upon the sale are actually paid, sold, refinanced or otherwise disposed of. In some cases, we may receive initial down payments in cash and other property in the year of sale in an amount less than the selling price and subsequent payments will be spread over a number of years. If any purchaser defaults under a financing arrangement with us, it could negatively impact our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders.

Joint venture investments could be adversely affected by our lack of sole decision-making authority, our reliance on the financial condition of co-venturers and disputes between us and our co-venturers.

We may enter into joint ventures, partnerships and other co-ownership arrangements (including preferred equity investments) for the purpose of making investments. In such event, we would not be in a position to exercise sole decision-making authority regarding the joint venture. Investments in joint ventures may, under certain circumstances, involve risks not present were a third party not involved, including the possibility that partners or co-venturers might become bankrupt or fail to fund their required capital contributions. Co-venturers may have economic or other business interests or goals which are inconsistent with our business interests or goals, and may be in a position to take actions contrary to our policies or objectives. Such investments may also have the potential risk of impasses on decisions, such as a sale, because neither we nor the co-venturer would have full control over the joint venture. Disputes between us and co-venturers may result in litigation or arbitration that would increase our expenses and prevent our officers and/or directors from focusing their time and effort on our business. Consequently, actions by or disputes with co-venturers might result in subjecting properties owned by the joint venture to additional risk. In addition, we may in certain circumstances be liable for the actions of our co-venturers.

Our costs associated with complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act may affect cash available for distributions.

Our properties are subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("Disabilities Act"). Under the Disabilities Act, all places of public accommodation are required to comply with federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. The Disabilities Act has separate compliance requirements for "public accommodations" and "commercial facilities" that generally require that buildings and services, including restaurants and retail stores, be made accessible and available to people with disabilities. The Disabilities Act's requirements could require removal of access barriers and could result in the imposition of injunctive relief, monetary penalties, or, in some cases, an award of damages. However, we cannot assure our stockholders that we will be able to acquire properties or allocate responsibilities in this manner. If we cannot, our funds used for Disabilities Act compliance may affect cash available for distributions and the amount of distributions to our stockholders.

Market and economic challenges experienced by the U.S. and global economies may adversely impact aspects of our operating results and operating condition.

Our business may be affected by market and economic challenges experienced by the U.S. and global economies. These conditions may materially affect the value and performance of our properties, and may affect our ability to pay distributions, the availability or the terms of financing that we have or may anticipate utilizing, and our ability to make principal and interest payments on, or refinance, any outstanding debt when due. These 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, recent global market disruptions may have adverse consequences, including:

Further, in light of the current economic conditions, we cannot provide assurance that we will be able to pay or increase the level of our distributions. If these conditions continue, our board of directors may reduce our distributions in order to conserve cash.

The current state of debt markets could have a material adverse impact on our earnings and financial condition.

The domestic and international commercial real estate debt markets are currently experiencing volatility as a result of certain factors including the tightening of underwriting standards by lenders and credit rating agencies. This is resulting in lenders increasing the cost for debt financing. If the overall cost of borrowings increases, either by increases in the index rates or by increases in lender spreads, we will need to factor such increases into the economics of future acquisitions. This may result in future acquisitions generating lower overall economic returns and potentially reducing future cash flow available for distribution. If these disruptions in the debt markets persist, our ability to borrow monies to finance the purchase of, or other activities related to, real estate assets will be negatively impacted. If we are unable to borrow monies on terms and conditions that we find acceptable, we likely will have to reduce the number of properties we can purchase, and the return on the properties we do purchase may be lower. In addition, we may find it difficult, costly or impossible to refinance indebtedness which is maturing.

In addition, the state of the debt markets could have an impact on the overall amount of capital investing in real estate which may result in price or value decreases of real estate assets. Although this may benefit us for future acquisitions, it could negatively impact the current value of our existing assets.

Net leases may not result in fair market lease rates over time, which could negatively impact our income and reduce the amount of funds available to make distributions to our stockholders.

Almost all of our rental income is generated by net leases, which generally provide the tenant greater discretion in using the leased property than ordinary property leases, such as the right to freely sublease the property, to make alterations in the leased premises and to terminate the lease prior to its expiration under specified circumstances. Furthermore, net leases typically have longer lease terms and, thus, there is an increased risk that contractual rental increases in future years will fail to result in fair market rental rates during those years. As a result, our income and distributions to our stockholders could be lower than they would otherwise be if we did not engage in net leases.

Potential changes in U.S. accounting standards regarding operating leases may make the leasing of our properties less attractive to our potential tenants, which could reduce overall demand for our leasing services.

Under current authoritative accounting guidance for leases, a lease is classified by a tenant as a capital lease if the significant risks and rewards of ownership are considered to reside with the tenant. Under capital lease accounting for a tenant, both the leased asset and liability are reflected on their balance sheet. If the lease does not meet any of the criteria for a capital lease, the lease is considered an operating lease by the tenant, and the obligation does not appear on the tenant's balance sheet; rather, the contractual future minimum payment obligations are only disclosed in the footnotes thereto. Thus, entering into an operating lease can appear to enhance a tenant's balance sheet in comparison to direct ownership. The Financial Accounting Standards Board, ("FASB"), and the International Accounting Standards Board, ("IASB"), conducted a joint project to re-evaluate lease accounting. In June 2013, the FASB and the IASB jointly finalized exposure drafts of a proposed accounting model that would significantly change lease accounting. In March 2014, the FASB and the IASB redeliberated aspects of the joint project, including the lessee and lessor accounting models, lease term and exemptions and simplifications. The timing of the issuance of the final standards is uncertain. Changes to the accounting guidance could affect both our accounting for leases as well as that of our current and potential tenants. These changes may affect how the real estate leasing business is conducted. For example, if the accounting standards regarding the financial statement classification of operating leases are revised, then companies may be less willing to enter into leases in general or desire to enter into leases with shorter terms because the apparent benefits to their balance sheets could be reduced or eliminated. This in turn could cause a delay in investing our offering proceeds and make it more difficult for us to enter into leases on terms we find favorable.

Retail Industry Risks

Economic conditions in the United States have had, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on the retail industry generally. Slow or negative growth in the retail industry could result in defaults by retail tenants which could have an adverse impact on our financial operations.

U.S. and international markets continue to experience constrained growth. This slow growth may, among other things, impact demand for space and support for rents and property value. Since we cannot predict when the real estate markets will fully recover, the value of our properties may decline if recent market conditions persist or worsen.

Economic conditions in the United States have had an adverse impact on the retail industry generally. As a result, the retail industry has recently faced reductions in sales revenues and increased bankruptcies throughout the United States. The continuation of adverse economic conditions may result in an increase in distressed or bankrupt retail companies, which in turn would result in an increase in defaults by tenants at our retail properties. Additionally, slow economic growth is likely to hinder new entrants into the retail market which may make it difficult for us to fully lease the real properties that we plan to acquire. Tenant defaults and decreased demand for retail space would have an adverse impact on the value of our retail properties our results of operations.

Retail conditions may adversely affect our income and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

A retail property's revenues and value may be adversely affected by a number of factors, many of which apply to real estate investment generally, but which also include trends in the retail industry and perceptions by retailers or shoppers of the safety, convenience and attractiveness of the retail property. Our properties are located in public places such as shopping centers and malls, and any incidents of crime or violence would result in a reduction of business traffic to tenant stores in our properties. Any such incidents may also expose us to civil liability. In addition, to the extent that the investing public has a negative perception of the retail sector, the value of our common stock may be negatively impacted.

Some of our leases provide for base rent plus contractual base rent increases. A number of our retail leases also may include a percentage rent clause for additional rent above the base amount based upon a specified percentage of the sales our tenants generate. Under those leases which contain percentage rent clauses, our revenue from tenants may increase as the sales of our tenants increase. Generally, retailers face declining revenues during downturns in the economy. As a result, the portion of our revenue which we may derive from percentage rent leases could be adversely affected by a general economic downturn.

Competition with other retail channels may reduce our profitability and the return on our stockholders' investments.

Our retail tenants face potentially changing consumer preferences and increasing competition from other forms of retailing, such as e-commerce, discount shopping centers, outlet centers, upscale neighborhood strip centers, catalogues and other forms of direct marketing, discount shopping clubs and telemarketing. Other retail centers within the market area of our properties compete with our properties for customers, affecting their tenants' cash flows and thus affecting their ability to pay rent. In addition, some of our tenants' rent payments may be based on the amount of sales revenue that they generate. If these tenants experience competition, the amount of their rent may decrease and our cash flow will decrease.

Competition may impede our ability to renew leases or re-let space as leases expire and require us to undertake unbudgeted capital improvements, which could harm our operating results.

We may face competition from retail centers that are near our properties with respect to the renewal of leases and re-letting of space as leases expire. Any competitive properties that are developed close to our existing properties also may impact our ability to lease space to creditworthy tenants. Increased competition for tenants may require us to make capital improvements to properties that we would not have otherwise planned to make. Any unbudgeted capital improvements may negatively impact our financial position. Also, to the extent we are unable to renew leases or re-let space as leases expire, it would result in decreased cash flow from tenants and reduce the income produced by our properties. Excessive vacancies (and related reduced shopper traffic) at one of our properties may hurt sales of other tenants at that property and may discourage them from renewing leases.

A high concentration of our properties are located in particular geographic areas and, we rely on tenants who are in similar industries or who are affiliated with certain large companies, all of which would magnify the effects of downturns in those geographic areas, industries, or companies and have a disproportionate adverse effect on the value of our investments.

We have high concentrations of properties in certain geographic areas, which means that any adverse situation that disproportionately effects those geographic areas would have a magnified adverse effect on our portfolio. Similarly, certain tenants of our properties are concentrated in certain industries or retail categories and we have a large number of tenants that are affiliated with certain large companies, any adverse effect to those industries, retail categories or companies generally would have a disproportionately adverse effect on our portfolio.

Our properties consist primarily of retail properties. Our performance, therefore, is linked to the market for retail space generally and a downturn in the retail market could have an adverse effect on the value of our stockholders' investments.

The market for retail space has been and could be adversely affected by weaknesses in the national, regional and local economies, the adverse financial condition of some large retailing companies, the ongoing consolidation in the retail sector, excess amounts of retail space in a number of markets and competition for tenants with other shopping centers in our markets. Customer traffic to these shopping areas may be adversely affected by the closing of stores in the same shopping center, or by a reduction in traffic to these stores resulting from a regional economic downturn, a general downturn in the local area where our store is located, or a decline in the desirability of the shopping environment of a particular shopping center. A reduction in customer traffic could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we enter into long-term leases with retail tenants, those leases may not result in fair value over time, which could adversely affect our revenues and ability to make distributions.

Certain long-term leases do not allow for significant changes in rental payments and do not expire in the near term. If we do not accurately judge the potential for increases in market rental rates when negotiating these long-term leases, significant increases in future property operating costs could result in receiving less than fair value from these leases. These circumstances would adversely affect our revenues and funds available for distribution.

Many of our assets are public places where crimes, violence and other incidents beyond our control may occur, which could result in a reduction of business traffic at our properties and could expose us to civil liability.

Because many of our assets are open to the public, they are exposed to a number of incidents that may take place within their premises and that are beyond our control or our ability to prevent, which may harm our consumers and visitors. Some of our assets are located in large urban areas, which can be subject to elevated levels of crime and urban violence. If violence escalates, we may lose tenants or be forced to close our assets for some time. If any of these incidents were to occur, the relevant asset could face material damage to its image and the property could experience a reduction of business traffic due to lack of confidence in the premises’ security. In addition, we may be exposed to civil liability and be required to indemnify the victims and our insurance premiums could rise, any of which could adversely affect us. Should any of our assets be involved in incidents of this kind, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Risks Associated with Debt Financing and Investments

We incur mortgage indebtedness and other borrowings, which may increase our business risks.

In most instances, we acquire real properties by using either existing financing or borrowing new funds. In addition, we may incur mortgage debt and pledge all or some of our real properties as security for that debt to obtain funds to acquire additional real properties. We may borrow if we need funds to satisfy the REIT tax qualification requirement that we generally distribute annually to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (which does not equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP), determined without regard to the deduction for distributions paid and excluding any net capital gain. We also may borrow if we otherwise deem it necessary or advisable to assure that we maintain our qualification as a REIT.

There is no limitation on the amount we may borrow against any single improved property. Under our charter, our borrowings may not exceed 300% of our total "net assets" (as defined in our charter) as of the date of any borrowing, which is generally expected to be approximately 75% of the cost of our investments; however, we may exceed that limit if approved by a majority of our independent directors and disclosed to stockholders in our next quarterly report following such borrowing along with justification for exceeding such limit. This charter limitation, however, does not apply to individual real estate assets or investments. In addition, we intend to limit our borrowings to 45% of the aggregate fair market value of our assets (calculated after the close of our IPO and once we have invested substantially all the proceeds of our IPO), unless excess borrowing is approved by a majority of the independent directors and disclosed to stockholders in our next quarterly report following such borrowing along with justification for such excess borrowing. However, subsequent events, including changes in the fair market value of our assets, could result in our exceeding these limits.

If there is a shortfall between the cash flow from a property and the cash flow needed to service mortgage debt on a property, then the amount available for distributions to stockholders may be reduced. In addition, incurring mortgage debt increases the risk of loss since defaults on indebtedness secured by a property may result in lenders initiating foreclosure actions. In that case, we could lose the property securing the loan that is in default, thus reducing the value of our stockholders' investments. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, a foreclosure of any of our properties would be treated as a sale of the property for a purchase price equal to the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage. If the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage exceeds our tax basis in the property, we would recognize taxable income on foreclosure, but would not receive any cash proceeds. In such event, we may be unable to pay the amount of distributions required in order to maintain our REIT status. We may give full or partial guarantees to lenders of mortgage debt to the entities that own our properties. When we provide a guaranty on behalf of an entity that owns one of our properties, we will be responsible to the lender for satisfaction of the debt if it is not paid by such entity. If any mortgages contain cross-collateralization or cross-default provisions, a default on a single property could affect multiple properties. If any of our properties are foreclosed upon due to a default, our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders will be adversely affected which could result in our losing our REIT status and would result in a decrease in the value of our stockholders' investments.

High mortgage rates may make it difficult for us to finance or refinance properties, which could impair our ability to acquire or originate investments.

Changes in interest rates expose us to the risk of being unable to finance new acquisitions or refinance maturing debt. If interest rates are higher when the properties are refinanced, we may not be able to finance additional properties and CRE Debt Investments and our income could be reduced. If any of these events occur, our cash flow would be reduced. This, in turn, would reduce cash available for distribution to our stockholders and may hinder our ability to raise more capital by issuing more stock or by borrowing more money. In addition, to the extent that we incur variable rate debt, increases in interest rates would increase our interest costs, which could reduce our cash flows and our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders. In addition, if we need to repay existing debt during periods of rising interest rates, we could be required to liquidate one or more of our investments in properties at times that may not permit realization of the maximum return on these investments.

Lenders may require us to enter into restrictive covenants relating to our operations, which could limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

In connection with providing us financing, a lender could impose restrictions on us that affect our distribution and operating policies and our ability to incur additional debt. Loan documents we enter into may contain covenants that limit our ability to further mortgage the property, discontinue insurance coverage or replace our Advisor. These or other limitations may adversely affect our flexibility and our ability to achieve our investment and operating objectives.

Any hedging strategies we utilize may not be successful in mitigating our risks.

We may enter into hedging transactions to manage risk of interest rate changes, price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made to acquire or carry real estate assets. To the extent that we use derivative financial instruments in connection with these risks, we will be exposed to credit, basis and legal enforceability risks. Derivative financial instruments may include interest rate swap contracts, interest rate cap or floor contracts, futures or forward contracts, options or repurchase agreements. In this context, credit risk is the failure of the counterparty to perform under the terms of the derivative contract. If the fair value of a derivative contract is positive, the counterparty owes us, which creates credit risk for us. Basis risk occurs when the index upon which the contract is based is more or less variable than the index upon which the hedged asset or liability is based, thereby making the hedge less effective. Finally, legal enforceability risks encompass general contractual risks, including the risk that the counterparty will breach the terms of, or fail to perform its obligations under, the derivative contract. If we are unable to manage these risks effectively, our results of operations, financial condition and ability to make distributions to our stockholders will be adversely affected.

Risks Related to Investments Pursuant to the New Strategy

Investing in commercial real estate loans and other commercial real estate investments is subject to a number of risks, which include the following:

The CRE Debt Investments the Company intends to invest in could be subject to delinquency, loss and bankruptcy, which could result in losses.

Commercial real estate loans are subject to risks of delinquency, loss and bankruptcy of the borrower. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by, or dependent on revenue derived from, commercial real estate is typically dependent primarily upon the successful operation of such property rather than upon the existence of independent income or assets of the borrower. If the net operating income of the property is reduced or is not increased, depending on the borrower’s business plan, the borrower’s ability to repay the loan may be impaired. Net operating income of a property can be affected by, each of the following factors, among other things:

Any one or a combination of these factors may cause a borrower to default on a loan or to declare bankruptcy. If a default or bankruptcy occurs in respect of an unsecured loan, or a loan secured by property for which the proceeds of liquidation (net of expenses) is less than the loan amount, the Company will suffer a loss.

CRE Debt Investments that are secured by a lien on commercial real estate are subject to the risks typically associated with commercial real estate.

CRE Debt Investments the Company originates and invests in may be secured by a lien on real property. Where the Company’s investment is secured by such a lien, the occurrence of a default on a CRE Debt Investments could result in the Company acquiring ownership of the property. There can be no assurance that the values of the properties ultimately securing CRE Debt Investments will remain at the levels existing on the dates of origination of such loans. If the value of the properties drop, the Company’s risk will increase because of both the lower value of the security and the reduction in borrower equity associated with such loans. In this manner, real estate values could impact the values of CRE Debt Investments.

Delays in liquidating defaulted CRE Debt Investments could reduce investment returns.

If the Company acquires or originate CRE Debt Investments and there are defaults under those debt investments, the Company may not be able to repossess and sell the properties securing such investments quickly. Foreclosure of a loan can be an expensive and lengthy process that could have a negative effect on the Company’s return on the foreclosed loan. Borrowers often resist foreclosure actions by asserting numerous claims, counterclaims and defenses, including but not limited to, lender liability claims, in an effort to prolong the foreclosure action. In some states, foreclosure actions can take several years or more to resolve. At any time during the foreclosure proceedings, the borrower may file for bankruptcy, which would have the effect of staying the foreclosure action and further delaying the foreclosure process. The resulting time delay could reduce the value of assets securing defaulted loans. Furthermore, an action to foreclose on a property securing a loan is regulated by state statutes and regulations and is subject to the delays and expenses associated with lawsuits if the borrower raises defenses or counterclaims. In the event of default by a borrower, these restrictions, among other things, may impede the Company’s ability to foreclose on or sell the property securing the loan or to obtain proceeds sufficient to repay all amounts due on the loan. In addition, the Company may be forced to operate any foreclosed properties for a substantial period of time, which could be a distraction for management and may require the Company to pay significant costs associated with such property.

Subordinate commercial real estate debt that the Company acquires or originates could constitute a significant portion of the Company’s portfolio and may expose the Company to greater losses.

The Company intends to acquire or originate subordinate commercial real estate debt, including subordinate mortgage and mezzanine loans and participations in such loans. These types of investments could constitute a significant portion of the Company’s portfolio and may involve a higher degree of risk than the type of assets that will constitute the majority of the Company’s CRE Debt Investments, namely first mortgage loans secured by real property. In the event a borrower declares bankruptcy, the Company may not have full recourse to the assets of the borrower or the assets of the borrower may not be sufficient to satisfy the first mortgage loan and the Company’s subordinate debt investment. If a borrower defaults on the Company’s subordinate debt or on debt senior to the Company’s, or in the event of a borrower bankruptcy, the Company’s subordinate debt will be satisfied only after the senior debt is paid in full. If debt senior to the Company’s debt investment exists, the presence of intercreditor arrangements may limit the Company’s ability to amend its debt agreements, assign its debt, accept prepayments, exercise its remedies (through “standstill periods”) and control decisions made in bankruptcy proceedings relating to the Company’s investment. As a result, the Company may not recover some or all of its investment. In addition, real properties securing subordinate debt investments may have higher loan-to-value ratios than conventional debt, resulting in less equity in the real property and increasing the risk of loss of principal and interest.

Jurisdictions with one action or security first rules or anti-deficiency legislation may limit the ability to foreclose on the property or to realize the obligation secured by the property by obtaining a deficiency judgment.

In the event of any default under its CRE Debt Investments, the Company bears the risk of loss of principal and nonpayment of interest and fees to the extent of any deficiency between the value of the collateral and the principal amount of the loan. Certain states in which the collateral securing the Company’s CRE Debt Investments may be located may have laws that prohibit more than one judicial action to enforce a mortgage obligation, requiring the lender to exhaust the real property security for such obligation first or limiting the ability of the lender to recover a deficiency judgment from the obligor following the lender’s realization upon the collateral, in particular if a non-judicial foreclosure is pursued. These statutes may limit the right to foreclose on the property or to realize the obligation secured by the property.

The Company’s investments in CRE Debt Investments are subject to changes in credit spreads.

The Company’s investments in CRE Debt Investments are subject to changes in credit spreads. If credit spreads widen, the economic value of investments will decrease. Even though the Company’s investments may be performing in accordance with its terms and the underlying collateral has not changed, the market value of the Company’s investments would be reduced as a result of the widened credit spread.

Investments in non-conforming or non-investment grade rated loans or securities involve greater risk of loss to the Company.

Some of the Company’s CRE Debt Investments may not conform to conventional loan standards applied by traditional lenders and either will not be rated or will be rated as non-investment grade by the rating agencies. The non-investment grade ratings for these assets typically result from the overall leverage of the loans, the lack of a strong operating history for the properties underlying the loans, the borrowers’ credit history, the properties’ underlying cash flow or other factors. As a result, these investments may have a higher risk of default and loss than investment grade rated assets. Any loss the Company incurs may be significant and may reduce distributions to you and adversely affect the value of your common stock.

Prepayment rates on our mortgage loans may adversely affect our yields.

The value of the Company's CRE Debt Investments may be affected by prepayment rates on investments. Prepayment rates are influenced by changes in current interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic and other factors beyond our control, and consequently, these prepayment rates cannot be predicted with certainty. This specifically may affect us with respect to investments that we acquire but do not originate. In periods of declining mortgage interest rates, prepayments on mortgages generally increase. If general interest rates decline as well, the proceeds of these prepayments received during these periods are likely to be reinvested by us in assets yielding less than the yields on the investments that were prepaid. In addition, the market value of mortgage investments may, because of the risk of prepayment, benefit less from declining interest rates than from other fixed-income securities. Conversely, in periods of rising interest rates, prepayments on mortgages generally decrease, in which case we would not have the prepayment proceeds available to invest in assets with higher yields. Under certain interest rate and prepayment scenarios, we may fail to recoup fully our cost of acquisition of certain investments.

No assurances can be given that we can make an accurate assessment of the yield to be produced by an investment. Many factors beyond our control are likely to influence the yield on the investments, including competitive conditions in the local real estate market, local and general economic conditions and the quality of management of the underlying property. Our inability to accurately assess investment yields may result in our purchasing assets that do not perform as well as expected, which may adversely affect the value of an investment in our shares.

Insurance may not cover all potential losses on the properties underlying the Company’s investments which may harm the value of its assets.

The Company generally requires that each of the borrowers under its CRE Debt Investments obtain comprehensive insurance covering the mortgaged property, including liability, fire and extended coverage. The Company also generally obtains insurance directly on any property it acquires. However, there are certain types of losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes, that may be uninsurable or not economically insurable. The Company may not, and may not require borrowers to, obtain certain types of insurance if it is deemed commercially unreasonable. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations and other factors also might make it infeasible to use insurance proceeds to replace a property if it is damaged or destroyed. Under such circumstances, the insurance proceeds, if any, might not be adequate to restore the economic value of the property, which might impair the Company’s security and decrease the value of the property.

Investments that are not insured involve greater risk of loss than insured investments.

The Company may acquire and originate uninsured loans and assets as part of its investment strategy. Such loans and assets may include first mortgage loans, subordinate mortgage and mezzanine loans and participations in such loans and commercial real estate securities. While holding such interests, the Company is subject to risks of borrower defaults, bankruptcies, fraud, losses and special hazard losses that are not covered by standard hazard insurance. To the extent the Company suffers such losses with respect to its uninsured investments, the value of the Company and the value of its common stock may be adversely affected.

Adjustable-rate commercial real estate loans may entail greater risks of default than fixed-rate commercial real estate loans.

Adjustable-rate commercial real estate loans the Company acquires or originates may have higher delinquency rates than fixed-rate loans. Borrowers with adjustable-rate mortgage loans may be exposed to increased monthly payments if the related interest rate adjusts upward from the initial fixed-rate or a low introductory rate, as applicable, in effect during the initial period of the loan to the rate computed in accordance with the applicable index and margin. This increase in borrowers’ monthly payments, together with any increase in prevailing market interest rates, after the initial fixed-rate period, may result in significantly increased monthly payments for borrowers with adjustable-rate loans, which may make it more difficult for the borrowers to repay the loan or could increase the risk of default of their obligations under the loan.

Changes in interest rates could negatively affect the value of the Company’s investments, which could result in reduced income or losses and negatively affect the cash available for distribution to you.

The Company may invest in fixed-rate CMBS and other fixed-rate investments. Under a normal yield curve, an investment in these instruments will decline in value if long-term interest rates increase. The Company will also invest in floating-rate investments, for which decreases in interest rates will have a negative effect on value and interest income. Declines in fair value may ultimately reduce income or result in losses, which may negatively affect cash available for distribution to stockholders.

The Company has no established investment criteria limiting the size of each investment the Company makes in CRE Debt Investments, or the geographic or industry concentration of its investments in CRE Debt Investments. If the Company’s investments are concentrated in an area that experiences adverse economic conditions, the Company’s investments may lose value and the Company may experience losses.

The Company may make large investments in individual loans or securities, which may be secured by a single property, or the Company may make investments in multiple loans or securities, which may be secured by multiple properties are concentrated in one geographic location and which exclusively serve a particular industry, such as hotel, office or otherwise. Such investments would carry the risks associated with significant geographic and industry concentration. The Company has not established and does not plan to establish any investment criteria to limit its exposure to these risks for future investments. As a result, single CRE Debt Investments may represent a significant percentage of the Company’s assets, and the properties underlying its investments may be overly concentrated in certain geographic areas and certain industries, and the Company may experience losses as a result. A worsening of economic conditions in a geographic area or an industry in which the Company’s investments may be concentrated could have an adverse effect on the value of such investments, limit the ability of borrowers to pay financed amounts, impair the value of collateral and adversely impact the Company’s origination of new investments by reducing the demand for new financings.

Many of the Company’s investments are illiquid and the Company may not be able to vary its portfolio in response to changes in economic and other conditions, which may result in losses.

Many of the Company’s investments are illiquid. As a result, the Company’s ability to sell CRE Debt Investments or properties in response to changes in economic and other conditions, could be limited, even at distressed prices. The Internal Revenue Code also places limits on the Company’s ability to sell properties held for fewer than two years. These considerations could make it difficult the Company to dispose of any of its assets even if a disposition were in the best interests of its stockholders. As a result, the Company’s ability to vary its portfolio in response to further changes in economic and other conditions may be relatively limited, which may result in losses.

Declines in the fair value of the Company’s investments may adversely affect periodic reported results of operations and credit availability, which may reduce earnings and, in turn, cash available for distribution.

Most of the Company’s security investments will be classified for accounting purposes as “available-for-sale.” These assets will be carried at estimated fair value and temporary changes in the fair value of those assets will be directly charged or credited to equity with no impact on the Company’s statement of operations. If the Company determines that a decline in the estimated fair value of an available-for-sale security falls below its amortized value and is not temporary, the Company will recognize a loss on that security on the statement of operations, which will reduce the Company’s income in the period recognized.

A decline in the fair value of the Company’s assets may adversely affect the Company particularly in instances where the Company has borrowed money based on the fair value of those assets. If the fair value of those assets declines, the lender may require the Company to post additional collateral to support the asset. If the Company were unable to post the additional collateral, its lenders may refuse to continue to lend to it or reduce the amounts they are willing to lend to it. Additionally, the Company may have to sell assets at a time when it might not otherwise choose to do so. A reduction in credit available may reduce the Company’s income and, in turn, cash available for distribution.

Further, lenders may require the Company to maintain a certain amount of cash reserves or to set aside unlevered assets sufficient to maintain a specified liquidity position, which would allow it to satisfy its collateral obligations. As a result, the Company may not be able to leverage its assets as fully as it would choose, which could reduce its return on equity. In the event that the Company is unable to meet these contractual obligations, its financial condition could deteriorate rapidly.

The fair value of the Company’s investments may decline for a number of reasons, such as changes in prevailing market rates, increases in defaults, increases in voluntary prepayments for those investments that the Company has that are subject to prepayment risk, widening of credit spreads and downgrades of ratings of the securities by ratings agencies.

Some of the Company’s investments will be carried at estimated fair value as determined by the Company and, as a result, there may be uncertainty as to the value of these investments.

Some of the Company’s investments will be in the form of securities that are recorded at fair value but have limited liquidity or are not publicly-traded. The fair value of these securities and potentially other investments that have limited liquidity or are not publicly-traded may not be readily determinable. The Company estimates the fair value of these investments on a quarterly basis. Because such valuations are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on numerous estimates and assumptions, the Company’s determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a readily available market for these securities existed. The value of the Company’s common stock could be adversely affected if the Company’s determinations regarding the fair value of these investments are materially higher than the values that the Company ultimately realizes upon their disposal.

Many of the Company’s investments may be illiquid and the Company may not be able to vary its portfolio in response to changes in economic and other conditions, which may result in losses.

Many of the Company’s investments are illiquid. As a result, the Company’s ability to sell commercial real estate debt, securities or properties in response to changes in economic and other conditions, could be limited, even at distressed prices. The Internal Revenue Code also places limits on the Company’s ability to sell properties held for fewer than two years. These considerations could make it difficult for the Company to dispose of any of its assets even if a disposition were in the best interests of its stockholders. As a result, the Company’s ability to vary its portfolio in response to further changes in economic and other conditions may be relatively limited, which may result in losses.

If the Company overestimates the value or income-producing ability or incorrectly price the risks of its investments, the Company may experience losses.

Analysis of the value or income-producing ability of a commercial property is highly subjective and may be subject to error. The Company values its potential investments based on yields and risks, taking into account estimated future losses on the commercial real estate loans and the property included in the securitization’s pools or commercial real estate investments, and the estimated impact of these losses on expected future cash flows and returns. In the event that the Company underestimates the risks relative to the price it pays for a particular investment, it may experience losses with respect to such investment.

The leases on the properties underlying the Company’s investments may not be renewed on favorable terms.

The properties underlying the Company’s investments could be negatively impacted by deteriorating economic conditions and weaker rental markets. Upon expiration or earlier termination of leases on these properties, the space may not be relet or, if relet, the terms of the renewal or reletting (including the cost of required renovations or concessions to tenants) may be less favorable than current lease terms. In addition, the poor economic conditions may reduce a tenant’s ability to make rent payments under their leases. Any of these situations may result in extended periods where there is a significant decline in revenues or no revenues generated by these properties. Additionally, if market rental rates are reduced, property-level cash flows would likely be negatively affected as existing leases renew at lower rates. If the leases for these properties cannot be renewed for all or substantially all of the space at these properties, or if the rental rates upon such renewal or reletting are significantly lower than expected, the value of the Company’s investments may be adversely effected.

While the Company expects to align the maturities of its liabilities with the maturities on its assets, it may not be successful in that regard which could harm its operating results and financial condition.

The Company’s general financing strategy will include the use of “match-funded” structures. This means that the Company will seek to align the maturities of its liabilities with the maturities on its assets in order to manage the risks of being forced to refinance its liabilities prior to the maturities of its assets. In addition, the Company plans to match interest rates on its assets with like-kind borrowings, so fixed-rate assets are financed with fixed-rate borrowings and floating-rate assets are financed with floating-rate borrowings, directly or indirectly through the use of interest rate swaps, caps and other financial instruments or through a combination of these strategies. The Company may fail to appropriately employ match-funded structures on favorable terms, or at all. The Company may also determine not to pursue a match-funded structure with respect to a portion of its financings for a variety of reasons. If the Company fails to appropriately employ match-funded structures, its exposure to interest rate volatility and exposure to matching liabilities prior to the maturity of the corresponding asset may increase substantially which could harm the Company’s operating results, liquidity and financial condition.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Risks

Our failure to remain qualified as a REIT would subject us to U.S. federal income tax and potentially state and local tax, and would adversely affect our operations and the market price of our common stock.

We qualified to be taxed as a REIT commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2013 and intend to operate in a manner that would allow us to continue to qualify as a REIT. However, we may terminate our REIT qualification, if our board of directors determines that not qualifying as a REIT is in our best interests, or inadvertently. Our qualification as a REIT depends upon our satisfaction of certain asset, income, organizational, distribution, stockholder ownership and other requirements on a continuing basis. The REIT qualification requirements are extremely complex and interpretation of the U.S. federal income tax laws governing qualification as a REIT is limited. Furthermore, any opinion of our counsel, including tax counsel, as to our eligibility to remain qualified as a REIT is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") and is not a guarantee that we will continue to qualify as a REIT. Accordingly, we cannot be certain that we will be successful in operating so we can remain qualified as a REIT. Our ability to satisfy the asset tests depends on our analysis of the characterization and fair market values of our assets, some of which are not susceptible to a precise determination, and for which we will not obtain independent appraisals. Our compliance with the REIT income or quarterly asset requirements also depends on our ability to successfully manage the composition of our income and assets on an ongoing basis. Accordingly, if certain of our operations were to be recharacterized by the IRS, such recharacterization would jeopardize our ability to satisfy all requirements for qualification as a REIT. Furthermore, future legislative, judicial or administrative changes to the U.S. federal income tax laws could be applied retroactively, which could result in our disqualification as a REIT.

If we fail to continue to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year, and we do not qualify for certain statutory relief provisions, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income at corporate rates. In addition, we would generally be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year of losing our REIT qualification. Losing our REIT qualification would reduce our net earnings available for investment or distribution to stockholders because of the additional tax liability. In addition, distributions to stockholders would no longer qualify for the dividends paid deduction, and we would no longer be required to make distributions. If this occurs, we might be required to borrow funds or liquidate some investments in order to pay the applicable tax.

Even with our REIT qualification, in certain circumstances, we may incur tax liabilities that would reduce our cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

Even with our REIT qualification, we may be subject to U.S. federal, state and local income taxes. For example, net income from the sale of properties that are "dealer" properties sold by a REIT (a "prohibited transaction" under the Code) will be subject to a 100% tax. We may not make sufficient distributions to avoid excise taxes applicable to REITs. Similarly, if we were to fail an income test (and did not lose our REIT status because such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect), we would be subject to tax on the income that does not meet the income test requirements. We also may decide to retain net capital gain we earn from the sale or other disposition of our property and pay U.S. federal income tax directly on such income. In that event, our stockholders would be treated as if they earned that income and paid the tax on it directly. However, stockholders that are tax-exempt, such as charities or qualified pension plans, would have no benefit from their deemed payment of such tax liability unless they file U.S. federal income tax returns and thereon seek a refund of such tax. We also will be subject to corporate tax on any undistributed REIT taxable income. We also will be subject to corporate tax on any undistributed REIT taxable income. We also may be subject to state and local taxes on our income or property, including franchise, payroll and transfer taxes, either directly or at the level of our OP or at the level of the other companies through which we indirectly own our assets, such as our taxable REIT subsidiaries, which are subject to full U.S. federal, state, local and foreign corporate-level income taxes. Any taxes we pay directly or indirectly will reduce our cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

To qualify as a REIT we must meet annual distribution requirements, which may force us to forgo otherwise attractive opportunities or borrow funds during unfavorable market conditions. This could delay or hinder our ability to meet our investment objectives and reduce ours stockholders' overall return.

In order to qualify as a REIT, we must distribute annually to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (which does not equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP), determined without regard to the deduction for distributions paid and excluding any net capital gain. We will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our undistributed REIT taxable income and net capital gain and to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on any amount by which distributions we pay with respect to any calendar year are less than the sum of (a) 85% of our ordinary income, (b) 95% of our capital gain net income and (c) 100% of our undistributed income from prior years. These requirements could cause us to distribute amounts that otherwise would be spent on investments in real estate assets and it is possible that we might be required to borrow funds, possibly at unfavorable rates, or sell assets to fund these distributions. Although we intend to make distributions sufficient to meet the annual distribution requirements and to avoid U.S. federal income and excise taxes on our earnings while we qualify as a REIT, it is possible that we might not always be able to do so.

Certain of our business activities are potentially subject to the prohibited transaction tax, which could reduce the return on ours stockholders' investments.

For so long as we qualify as a REIT, our ability to dispose of property during the first few years following acquisition may be restricted to a substantial extent as a result of our REIT qualification. Under applicable provisions of the Code regarding prohibited transactions by REITs, while we qualify as a REIT, we will be subject to a 100% penalty tax on any gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of any property (other than foreclosure property) that we own, directly or indirectly through any subsidiary entity, including our OP, but generally excluding taxable REIT subsidiaries, that is deemed to be inventory or property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business. Whether property is inventory or otherwise held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business depends on the particular facts and circumstances surrounding each property. We intend to avoid the 100% prohibited transaction tax by (a) conducting activities that may otherwise be considered prohibited transactions through a taxable REIT subsidiary (but such taxable REIT subsidiary would incur corporate rate income taxes with respect to any income or gain recognized by it), (b) conducting our operations in such a manner so that no sale or other disposition of an asset we own, directly or indirectly through any subsidiary, will be treated as a prohibited transaction or (c) structuring certain dispositions of our properties to comply with the requirements of the prohibited transaction safe harbor available under the Code for properties that, among other requirements, have been held for at least two years. Despite our present intention, no assurance can be given that any particular property we own, directly or through any subsidiary entity, including our OP, but generally excluding taxable REIT subsidiaries, will not be treated as inventory or property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business.

The tax on prohibited transactions will limit our ability to engage in transactions, including certain methods of securitizing mortgage loans that would be treated as sales for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

A REIT’s net income from prohibited transactions is subject to a 100% tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, but including mortgage loans, held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. We might be subject to this tax if we were to sell or securitize loans in a manner that was treated as a sale of the loans as inventory for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Therefore, in order to avoid the prohibited transactions tax, we may choose not to engage in certain sales of loans, other than through a TRS, and we may be required to limit the structures we use for our securitization transactions, even though such sales or structures might otherwise be beneficial for us.

Our taxable REIT subsidiaries are subject to corporate-level taxes and our dealings with our taxable REIT subsidiaries may be subject to 100% excise tax.

A REIT may own up to 100% of the stock of one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries. Both the subsidiary and the REIT must jointly elect to treat the subsidiary as a taxable REIT subsidiary. A corporation of which a taxable REIT subsidiary directly or indirectly owns more than 35% of the voting power or value of the stock will automatically be treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary. Overall, no more than 25% of the gross value of a REIT's assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries. A taxable REIT subsidiary may hold assets and earn income that would not be qualifying assets or income if held or earned directly by a REIT, including gross income from operations pursuant to management contracts. Accordingly, we may use taxable REIT subsidiaries generally to hold properties for sale in the ordinary course of a trade or business or to hold assets or conduct activities that we cannot conduct directly as a REIT. A taxable REIT subsidiary will be subject to applicable U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income tax on its REIT taxable income. In addition, the taxable REIT subsidiary rules limit the deductibility of interest paid or accrued by a taxable REIT subsidiary to its parent REIT to assure that the taxable REIT subsidiary is subject to an appropriate level of corporate taxation. The rules, which are applicable to us as a REIT, also impose a 100% excise tax on certain transactions between a taxable REIT subsidiary and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm's-length basis.

Our investments in certain debt instruments may cause us to recognize income for U.S. federal income tax purposes even though no cash payments have been received on the debt instruments, and certain modifications of such debt by us could cause the modified debt to not qualify as a good REIT asset, thereby jeopardizing our REIT qualification.

Our taxable income may substantially exceed our net income as determined based on GAAP, or differences in timing between the recognition of taxable income and the actual receipt of cash may occur. For example, we may acquire assets, including debt securities requiring us to accrue original issue discount or recognize market discount income, that generate taxable income in excess of economic income or in advance of the corresponding cash flow from the assets. In addition, if a borrower with respect to a particular debt instrument encounters financial difficulty rendering it unable to pay stated interest as due, we may nonetheless be required to continue to recognize the unpaid interest as taxable income with the effect that we will recognize income but will not have a corresponding amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

As a result of the foregoing, we may generate less cash flow than taxable income in a particular year and find it difficult or impossible to meet the REIT distribution requirements in certain circumstances. In such circumstances, we may be required to (a) sell assets in adverse market conditions, (b) borrow on unfavorable terms, (c) distribute amounts that would otherwise be used for future acquisitions or used to repay debt, or (d) make a taxable distribution of our shares of common stock as part of a distribution in which stockholders may elect to receive common stock or (subject to a limit measured as a percentage of the total distribution) cash, in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements.

Moreover, we may acquire distressed debt investments that require subsequent modification by agreement with the borrower. If the amendments to the outstanding debt are “significant modifications” under the applicable Treasury Regulations, the modified debt may be considered to have been reissued to us in a debt-for-debt taxable exchange with the borrower. This deemed reissuance may prevent the modified debt from qualifying as a good REIT asset if the underlying security has declined in value and generally would cause us to recognize income to the extent the principal amount of the modified debt exceeds our adjusted tax basis in the unmodified debt.

Modification of the terms of our debt investments and mortgage loans underlying its CMBS in conjunction with reductions in the value of the real property securing such loans could cause us to fail to continue to qualify as a REIT.

Our debt and securities investments may be materially affected by a weak real estate market and economy in general. As a result, many of the terms of our debt and the mortgage loans underlying our securities may be modified to avoid taking title to a property. If the terms of a loan are modified in a manner constituting a “significant modification,” such modification triggers a deemed exchange of the original loan for the modified loan for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In general, under applicable Treasury Regulations, if a loan is secured by real property and other property and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property securing the loan determined as of the date we agreed to acquire the loan or the date we significantly modified the loan, a portion of the interest income from such loan will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, but will be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test. The portion of the loan treated as a non-qualifying asset for purposes of the 75% asset test would be subject to, among other requirements, the requirement that a REIT not hold securities possessing more than 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer (the “ 10% Value Test ”).

IRS Revenue Procedure 2014-51 provides a safe harbor pursuant to which we will not be required to redetermine the fair market value of real property securing a loan for purposes of the gross income and asset tests discussed above in connection with a loan modification that is: (i) occasioned by a borrower default; or (ii) made at a time when we reasonably believe that the modification to the loan will substantially reduce a significant risk of default on the original loan. No assurance can be provided that all of our loan modifications have or will qualify for the safe harbor in Revenue Procedure 2014-51. To the extent we significantly modify loans in a manner that does not qualify for that safe harbor, we will be required to redetermine the value of the real property securing the loan at the time it was significantly modified. In determining the value of the real property securing such a loan, we generally will not obtain third-party appraisals, but rather will rely on internal valuations. No assurance can be provided that the IRS will not successfully challenge our internal valuations. If the terms of our debt investments and the mortgage loans underlying its CMBS are “significantly modified” in a manner that does not qualify for the safe harbor in Revenue Procedure 2014-51 and the fair market value of the real property securing such loans has decreased significantly, we could fail the 75% gross income test, the 75% asset test and/or the 10% Value Test. Unless we qualified for relief under certain Internal Revenue Code cure provisions, such failures could cause us to fail to continue to qualify as a REIT.

The failure of a mezzanine loan to qualify as a real estate asset would adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT.

In general, in order for a loan to be treated as a qualifying real estate asset producing qualifying income for purposes of the REIT asset and income tests, the loan must be secured by real property. We may originate or acquire mezzanine loans that are not directly secured by real property but instead secured by equity interests in a partnership or limited liability company that directly or indirectly owns real property. In Revenue Procedure 2003-65, the IRS provided a safe harbor pursuant to which a mezzanine loan that is not secured by real estate would, if it meets each of the requirements contained in the Revenue Procedure, be treated by the IRS as a qualifying real estate asset. Although the Revenue Procedure provides a safe harbor on which taxpayers may rely, it does not prescribe rules of substantive tax law and in many cases it may not be possible for us to meet all the requirements of the safe harbor. We cannot provide assurance that any mezzanine loan in which we invest would be treated as a qualifying asset producing qualifying income for REIT qualification purposes. If any such loan fails either the gross income tests or the asset tests, we may be disqualified as a REIT.

Our qualification as a REIT and exemption from U.S. federal income tax with respect to certain assets may be dependent on the accuracy of legal opinions or advice rendered or given or statements by the issuers of assets that we acquire, and the inaccuracy of any such opinions, advice or statements may adversely affect our REIT qualification and result in significant corporate-level tax.

When purchasing securities, we may rely on opinions or advice of counsel for the issuer of such securities, or statements made in related offering documents, for purposes of determining whether such securities represent debt or equity securities for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and also to what extent those securities constitute real estate assets for purposes of the asset tests and produce qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. In addition, when purchasing the equity tranche of a securitization, we may rely on opinions or advice of counsel regarding the qualification of the securitization for exemption from U.S. corporate income tax and the qualification of interests in such securitization as debt for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The inaccuracy of any such opinions, advice or statements may adversely affect our REIT qualification and result in significant corporate level tax.

The taxable mortgage pool (“ TMP ”) rules may increase the taxes that we or our stockholders may incur, and may limit the manner in which we effect future securitizations.

Securitizations originated or acquired by us or our subsidiaries could result in the creation of TMPs for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, we could have ‘‘excess inclusion income.’’ Certain categories of stockholders, such as non-U.S. stockholders eligible for treaty or other benefits, stockholders with net operating losses, and certain tax-exempt stockholders that are subject to unrelated business income tax, could be subject to increased taxes on a portion of their dividend income from us that is attributable to any such excess inclusion income. In the case of a stockholder that is a REIT, regulated investment company (“ RIC ”), common trust fund or other pass-through entity, our allocable share of our excess inclusion income could be considered excess inclusion income of such entity. In addition, to the extent that our common stock is owned by tax-exempt ‘‘disqualified organizations,’’ such as certain government-related entities and charitable remainder trusts that are not subject to tax on unrelated business income, we may incur a corporate level tax on a portion of any excess inclusion income. Because this tax generally would be imposed on us, all of our stockholders, including stockholders that are not disqualified organizations, generally will bear a portion of the tax cost associated with the classification of us or a portion of our assets as a TMP. A RIC, or other pass-through entity owning our common stock in record name will be subject to tax at the highest U.S. federal corporate tax rate on any excess inclusion income allocated to their owners that are disqualified organizations. Moreover, we could face limitations in selling equity interests in these securitizations to outside investors, or selling any debt securities issued in connection with these securitizations that might be considered to be equity interests for tax purposes. Finally, if we were to fail to qualify as a REIT, any TMP securitizations would be treated as separate taxable corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes that could not be included in any consolidated U.S. federal corporate income tax return. These limitations may prevent us from using certain techniques to maximize our returns from securitization transactions.

Recharacterization of sale-leaseback transactions may cause us to lose our REIT status.

If we enter into sale-leaseback transactions, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to structure any such sale-leaseback transaction such that the lease will be characterized as a "true lease" for tax purposes, thereby allowing us to be treated as the owner of the property for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, we cannot assure our stockholders that the IRS will not challenge such characterization. In the event that any such sale-leaseback transaction is challenged and recharacterized as a financing transaction or loan for U.S. federal income tax purposes, deductions for depreciation and cost recovery relating to such property would be disallowed. If a sale-leaseback transaction were so recharacterized, we might fail to satisfy the REIT qualification "asset tests" or "income tests" and, consequently, lose our REIT status effective with the year of recharacterization. Alternatively, the amount of our REIT taxable income could be recalculated which might also cause us to fail to meet the distribution requirement for a taxable year.

If our OP failed to qualify as a partnership or is not otherwise disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we would cease to qualify as a REIT.

We intend to maintain the status of our OP as a partnership or a disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, if the IRS were to successfully challenge the status of our OP as a partnership or disregarded entity for such purposes, it would be taxable as a corporation. In such event, this would reduce the amount of distributions that the OP could make to us. This also would result in our failing to qualify as a REIT, and becoming subject to a corporate level tax on our income. This substantially would reduce our cash available to pay distributions and the yield on our stockholders' investments. In addition, if any of the partnerships or limited liability companies through which our OP owns its properties, in whole or in part, loses its characterization as a partnership and is otherwise not disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it would be subject to taxation as a corporation, thereby reducing distributions to the OP. Such a recharacterization of an underlying property owner could also threaten our ability to maintain our REIT qualification.

We may choose to make distributions in our own stock, in which case our stockholders may be required to pay U.S. federal income taxes in excess of the cash distributions they receive.

In connection with our qualification as a REIT, we are required to distribute annually to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (which does not equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP), determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain. In order to satisfy this requirement, we may make distributions that are payable in cash and/or shares of our common stock (which could account for up to 80% of the aggregate amount of such distributions) at the election of each stockholder. Taxable stockholders receiving such distributions will be required to include the full amount of such distributions as ordinary dividend income to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, U.S. stockholders may be required to pay U.S. federal income taxes with respect to such distributions in excess of the cash portion of the distribution received. Accordingly, U.S. stockholders receiving a distribution of our shares may be required to sell shares received in such distribution or may be required to sell other stock or assets owned by them, at a time that may be disadvantageous, in order to satisfy any tax imposed on such distribution. If a U.S. stockholder sells the stock that it receives as part of the distribution in order to pay this tax, the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the distribution, depending on the market price of our stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to certain non-U.S. stockholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such distribution, including in respect of all or a portion of such distribution that is payable in stock, by withholding or disposing of part of the shares included in such distribution and using the proceeds of such disposition to satisfy the withholding tax imposed. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our common stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividend income, such sale may put downward pressure on the market price of our common stock.

Various tax aspects of such a taxable cash/stock distribution are uncertain and have not yet been addressed by the IRS. No assurance can be given that the IRS will not impose requirements in the future with respect to taxable cash/stock distributions, including on a retroactive basis, or assert that the requirements for such taxable cash/stock distributions have not been met.

The taxation of distributions to our stockholders can be complex; however, distributions that we make to our stockholders generally will be taxable as ordinary income, which may reduce our stockholders' anticipated return from an investment in us.

Distributions that we make to our taxable stockholders out of current and accumulated earnings and profits (and not designated as capital gain dividends or qualified dividend income) generally will be taxable as ordinary income. However, a portion of our distributions may (1) be designated by us as capital gain dividends generally taxable as long-term capital gain to the extent that they are attributable to net capital gain recognized by us, (2) be designated by us as qualified dividend income generally to the extent they are attributable to dividends we receive from our taxable REIT subsidiaries, or (3) constitute a return of capital generally to the extent that they exceed our accumulated earnings and profits as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A return of capital is not taxable, but has the effect of reducing the basis of a stockholder's investment in our common stock.

Our stockholders may have tax liability on distributions that they elect to reinvest in common stock, but they would not receive the cash from such distributions to pay such tax liability.

If our stockholders participate in our DRIP, they will be deemed to have received, and for U.S. federal income tax purposes will be taxed on, the amount reinvested in shares of our common stock to the extent the amount reinvested was not a tax-free return of capital. In addition, our stockholders will be treated for tax purposes as having received an additional distribution to the extent the shares are purchased at a discount to fair market value. As a result, unless a stockholder is a tax-exempt entity, it may have to use funds from other sources to pay its tax liability on the value of the shares of common stock received.

Dividends payable by REITs generally do not qualify for the reduced tax rates available for some dividends.

Currently, the maximum tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income payable to U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates is 20%. Dividends payable by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for this reduced rate. Although this does not adversely affect the taxation of REITs or dividends payable by REITs, the more favorable rates applicable to regular corporate qualified dividends could cause investors who are individuals, trusts and estates to perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends, which could adversely affect the value of the shares of REITs, including our common stock. Tax rates could be changed in future legislation.

If we were considered to actually or constructively pay a "preferential dividend" to certain of our stockholders, our status as a REIT could be adversely affected.

In order to qualify as a REIT, we must distribute annually to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (which does not equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP), determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain. In order for distributions to be counted as satisfying the annual distribution requirements for REITs, and to provide us with a REIT-level tax deduction, the distributions must not be "preferential dividends." A dividend is not a preferential dividend if the distribution is pro rata among all outstanding shares of stock within a particular class, and in accordance with the preferences among different classes of stock as set forth in our organizational documents. Currently, there is uncertainty as to the IRS's position regarding whether certain arrangements that REITs have with their stockholders could give rise to the inadvertent payment of a preferential dividend (e.g., the pricing methodology for stock purchased under a DRIP inadvertently causing a greater than 5% discount on the price of such stock purchased).

Initially, the per share price for our common stock pursuant to our DRIP was $23.75, which is 95% of the IPO price of $25.00 (which includes the maximum selling commissions and dealer manager fee). After the NAV pricing date on November 14, 2014, the per share price for our common stock pursuant to our DRIP is equal to the per share NAV on the date that the distribution is payable, which, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is intended to reflect the fair market value per share and does not include selling commissions or the dealer manager fee. If the IRS were to take a position contrary to our position that the per share NAV reflect the fair market value per share, it is possible that we may be treated as offering our stock under our DRIP at a discount greater than 5% of its fair market value resulting in the payment of a preferential dividend.

There is no de minimis exception with respect to preferential dividends. Therefore, if the IRS were to take the position that we inadvertently paid a preferential dividend, we may be deemed either to (a) have distributed less than 100% of our REIT taxable income and be subject to tax on the undistributed portion, or (b) have distributed less than 90% of our REIT taxable income and our status as a REIT could be terminated for the year in which such determination is made if we were unable to cure such failure.

Complying with REIT requirements may limit our ability to hedge our liabilities effectively and may cause us to incur tax liabilities.

The REIT provisions of the Code may limit our ability to hedge our liabilities. Any income from a hedging transaction we enter into to manage risk of interest rate changes, price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made to acquire or carry real estate assets, if properly identified under applicable Treasury Regulations, does not constitute "gross income" for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions will likely be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of both of the gross income tests. As a result of these rules, we may need to limit our use of advantageous hedging techniques or implement those hedges through a taxable REIT subsidiary. This could increase the cost of our hedging activities because our taxable REIT subsidiaries would be subject to tax on gains or expose us to greater risks associated with changes in interest rates than we would otherwise want to bear. In addition, losses in a taxable REIT subsidiary generally will not provide any tax benefit, except for being carried forward against future taxable income of such taxable REIT subsidiary.

Complying with REIT requirements may force us to forgo or liquidate otherwise attractive investment opportunities.

To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we must ensure that we meet the REIT gross income tests annually and that at the end of each calendar quarter, at least 75% of the value of our assets consists of cash, cash items, government securities and qualified REIT real estate assets, including certain mortgage loans and certain kinds of mortgage-related securities. The remainder of our investment in securities (other than government securities and qualified real estate assets) generally cannot include more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer or more than 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer. In addition, in general, no more than 5% of the value of our assets (other than government securities and qualified real estate assets) can consist of the securities of any one issuer, and no more than 25% of the value of our total securities can be represented by securities of one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries. If we fail to comply with these requirements at the end of any calendar quarter, we must correct the failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter or qualify for certain statutory relief provisions to avoid losing our REIT qualification and suffering adverse tax consequences. As a result, we may be required to liquidate assets from our portfolio or not make otherwise attractive investments in order to maintain our qualification as a REIT. These actions could have the effect of reducing our income and amounts available for distribution to our stockholders.

The ability of our board of directors to revoke our REIT qualification without stockholder approval may subject us to U.S. federal income tax and reduce distributions 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 continue to qualify as a REIT. While we intend to elect and qualify to be taxed as a REIT, we may not elect to be treated as a REIT or may terminate our REIT election if we determine that qualifying as a REIT is no longer in our best interests. 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 and on the market price of our common stock.

We may be subject to adverse legislative or regulatory tax changes that could increase our tax liability, reduce our operating flexibility and reduce the market price of our common stock.

In recent years, numerous legislative, judicial and administrative changes have been made in the provisions of U.S. federal income tax laws applicable to investments similar to an investment in shares of our common stock. Additional changes to the tax laws are likely to continue to occur, and we cannot assure our stockholders that any such changes will not adversely affect the taxation of a stockholder. Any such changes could have an adverse effect on an investment in our shares or on the market value or the resale potential of our assets. Our stockholders are urged to consult with their tax advisor with respect to the impact of recent legislation on their investment in our shares and the status of legislative, regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our shares. Our stockholders should also note that our counsel's tax opinion is based upon existing law, applicable as of the date of its opinion, all of which will be subject to change, either prospectively or retroactively.

Although REITs generally receive better tax treatment than entities taxed as regular corporations, it is possible that future legislation would result in a REIT having fewer tax advantages, and it could become more advantageous for a company that invests in real estate to elect to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a corporation. As a result, our charter provides our board of directors with the power, under certain circumstances, to revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election and cause us to be taxed as a regular corporation, without the vote of our stockholders. Our board of directors has fiduciary duties to us and our stockholders and could only cause such changes in our tax treatment if it determines in good faith that such changes are in the best interest of our stockholders.

The share ownership restrictions of the Code for REITs and the 9.8% share ownership limit in our charter may inhibit market activity in our shares of stock and restrict our business combination opportunities.

In order to qualify as a REIT, five or fewer individuals, as defined in the Code, may not own, actually or constructively, more than 50% in value of our issued and outstanding shares of stock at any time during the last half of each taxable year, other than the first year for which a REIT election is made. Attribution rules in the Code determine if any individual or entity actually or constructively owns our shares of stock under this requirement. Additionally, at least 100 persons must beneficially own our shares of stock during at least 335 days of a taxable year for each taxable year, other than the first year for which a REIT election is made. To help insure that we meet these tests, among other purposes, our charter restricts the acquisition and ownership of our shares of stock.

Our charter, with certain exceptions, authorizes our directors to take such actions as are necessary and desirable to preserve our qualification as a REIT while we so qualify. Unless exempted by our board of directors, for so long as we qualify as a REIT, our charter prohibits, among other limitations on ownership and transfer of shares of our stock, any person from beneficially or constructively owning (applying certain attribution rules under the Code) more than 9.8% in value of the aggregate of our outstanding shares of stock and more than 9.8% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of our shares of stock. Our board of directors may not grant an exemption from these restrictions to any proposed transferee whose ownership in excess of the 9.8% ownership limit would result in the termination of our qualification 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 continue to qualify as a REIT or that compliance with the restrictions is no longer required in order for us to continue to so qualify as a REIT.

These ownership limits could delay or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of the stockholders.

Non-U.S. stockholders will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax and may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on distributions received from us and upon the disposition of our shares.

Subject to certain exceptions, distributions received from us will be treated as dividends of ordinary income to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. Such dividends ordinarily will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate, or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty, unless the distributions are treated as "effectively connected" with the conduct by the non-U.S. stockholder of a U.S. trade or business. Pursuant to the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 ("FIRPTA"), capital gain distributions attributable to sales or exchanges of "U.S. real property interests" ("USRPIs"), generally will be taxed to a non-U.S. stockholder as if such gain were effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. However, a capital gain distribution will not be treated as effectively connected income if (a) the distribution is received with respect to a class of stock that is regularly traded on an established securities market located in the United States and (b) the non-U.S. stockholder does not own more than 5% of the class of our stock at any time during the one-year period ending on the date the distribution is received. We do not anticipate that our shares will be "regularly traded" on an established securities market for the foreseeable future, and therefore, this exception is not expected to apply.

Gain recognized by a non-U.S. stockholder upon the sale or exchange of our common stock generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation unless such stock constitutes a USRPI under FIRPTA. Our common stock will not constitute a USRPI so long as we are a "domestically-controlled qualified investment entity." A domestically-controlled qualified investment entity includes a REIT if at all times during a specified testing period, less than 50% in value of such REIT's stock is held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. stockholders. We believe, but cannot assure our stockholders, that we will be a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity.

Even if we do not qualify as a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity at the time a non-U.S. stockholder sells or exchanges our common stock, gain arising from such a sale or exchange would not be subject to U.S. taxation under FIRPTA as a sale of a USRPI if: (a) our common stock is "regularly traded," as defined by applicable Treasury regulations, on an established securities market, and (b) such non-U.S. stockholder owned, actually and constructively, 5% or less of our common stock at any time during the five-year period ending on the date of the sale. However, it is not anticipated that our common stock will be "regularly traded" on an established market. We encourage our stockholders to consult their tax advisor to determine the tax consequences applicable to our stockholders if they are non-U.S. stockholders.

Potential characterization of distributions or gain on sale may be treated as unrelated business taxable income to tax-exempt investors.

If (a) we are a "pension-held REIT," (b) a tax-exempt stockholder has incurred (or is deemed to have incurred) debt to purchase or hold our common stock, or (c) a holder of common stock is a certain type of tax-exempt stockholder, dividends on, and gains recognized on the sale of, common stock by such tax-exempt stockholder may be subject to U.S. federal income tax as unrelated business taxable income under the Code.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 2. Properties.

As of December 31, 2014 , we owned 463 properties located in 37 states. All of these properties are freestanding, single-tenant properties, 100.0% leased with a weighted-average remaining lease term of 9.6 years as of December 31, 2014 . In the aggregate, these properties represent 13.1 million rentable square feet.

The following table represents certain additional information about the properties we own at December 31, 2014 :