American Realty Capital Trust, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Maryland		71-1036989
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
106 York Road, Jenkintown, PA		19046
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)
(215) 887-2189
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to section 12(b) of the Act:
None
Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act:
Common stock, $0.01 par value per share
(Title of class)

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o    No x

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o    No  x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant:  (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes x    No o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes o   No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).       Yes o    No x

 

There is no established market for the Registrant’s shares of common stock. The Registrant is currently conducting the ongoing initial public offering of its shares of common stock pursuant to its Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-145949), which shares are being sold at $10.00 per share, with discounts available for certain categories of purchasers. While there is no established market for the registrant’s common stock, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2009, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $45,125,046 based on a per share value of $10.00 (or $9.50 for shares issued under the Dividend reinvestment plan).

 

As of March 15, 2010, the registrant had 18,893,430 shares of common stock outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

The Registrant incorporates by reference portions of its Definitive Proxy Statement for the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which is expected to be filed no later than April 29, 2010, into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the extent stated herein.

 

 

 

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AMERICAN REALTY CAPITAL TRUST, INC.

FORM 10-K

Year Ended December 31, 2009 

			Page
	PART I
Item 1.	Business		2
Item 1A.	Risk Factors		8
Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments		32
Item 2.	Properties		32
Item 3.	Legal Proceedings		36
Item 4.	Reserved		36
	PART II
Item 5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities		36
Item 6.	Selected Financial Data		43
Item 7.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations		46
Item 7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk		55
Item 8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data		56
Item 9.	Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure		56
Item 9A(T).	Controls and Procedures		56
Item 9B.	Other Information		57
	PART III
Item 10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance		57
Item 11.	Executive Compensation		57
Item 12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters		57
Item 13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence		57
Item 14.	Principal Accounting Fees and Services		57
	PART IV
Item 15.	Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules		57
Signatures			60

 

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Organization

 

We were incorporated in August 2007 as a Maryland corporation intending to elect and qualify as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for federal income tax purposes beginning with the taxable year that ended December 31, 2008.  We qualified as a REIT for federal income tax purposes for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2008 and December 31, 2009.  As a REIT, we generally are not subject to corporate-level income taxes.  To maintain our REIT status, we are required, among other requirements, to distribute annually at least 90% of our “REIT taxable income,” as defined by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), to our stockholders.  If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we would be subject to federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate tax rates. 

The Company acquires and operates commercial properties. All such properties may be acquired and operated by the Company alone or jointly with another party.  We purchased our first property and commenced our real estate operations in March 2008. As of December 31, 2009, the Company owned 126 properties comprising 1.7 million square feet of freestanding, single tenant commercial space with an aggregate purchase price of $329.1 million. As of December 31, 2009, these properties were 100% occupied.

 

In September 2007, we filed our Registration statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-145949) (the “Registration Statement”) with the SEC to offer a minimum of 750,000 shares and a maximum of 150,000,000 shares of common stock for sale to the public. The SEC declared the Registration Statement effective in January 2008, and we launched our ongoing initial public offering in March 2008 upon retaining Realty Capital Securities, LLC, our Dealer Manager, to serve as the dealer manager of the offering. The Dealer Manager is responsible for marketing our shares in the ongoing initial public offering.

 

We are managed by American Realty Capital Advisor, LLC, our Advisor, and American Realty Capital Properties, LLC, which serves as our property manager (the “Property Manager”).  The Advisor and the Property Manager are affiliated entities that receive compensation and fees for services related to the ongoing offering and for the investment and management of the Company’s assets. These entities receive fees during the Company’s offering, acquisition, operational and liquidation stages.

In March 2008, we broke escrow in our ongoing initial public offering and accepted subscriptions for 899,679 shares of common stock valued at $9.0 million.  As of December 31, 2009, the Company issued 14,672,237 shares of common stock, including shares issued through under our Distribution Reinvestment Plan (the “DRIP”) and 339,077 shares issued in connection with an acquisition in March 2008. Total gross proceeds from these issuances were $144.6 million.  As of December 31, 2009, the aggregate value of all share issuances was $146.6 million based on a per share value of $10.00 (or $9.50 per share for shares issued under the Distribution Reinvestment Plan (the “DRIP”).

Substantially all of the Company’s business is conducted through American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. (the “OP”), a Delaware limited partnership. The Company is the sole general partner of and owns a 99.01% partnership interest in the OP. The Advisor is the sole limited partner and owner of 0.99% (minority interest) of the partnership interests of the OP.  The limited partner interests have the right to convert OP units into cash or, at the option of the Company, an equal number of common shares of the Company, as allowed by the limited partnership agreement.

 

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Investment Objectives

 

We invest in commercial real estate properties. Our primary investment objectives are:

•

to provide current income for investors through the payment of cash distributions; and

•

to preserve and return investors’ capital contributions.

 

We also seek capital gain from our investments. Investors may be able to obtain a return on all or a portion of their capital contribution in connection with the sale of an investor’s shares if we list our shares on an national securities exchange. We cannot assure investors that we will attain any of these objectives. See “Risk Factors.”

 

Our core investment strategy for achieving these objectives is to only acquire, own and manage a portfolio of free standing commercial properties that are leased to a diversified group of credit worthy companies on a single tenant, net lease basis. Net leases generally require the tenant to pay substantially all of the costs associated with operating and maintaining the property such as maintenance, insurance, taxes, structural repairs and all other operating and capital expenses (referred to as “triple-net leases”).

 

We will seek to list our shares of common stock for trading on a national securities exchange only if a majority of our directors believe listing would be in our best interests. We do not intend to list our shares at this time. We do not anticipate that there will be any market for our common stock until our shares are listed or quoted. In making the decision to apply for listing of our shares to provide other forms of liquidity, such as selling our properties and other assets either on a portfolio basis or individually or engaging in a business combination transaction, our board of directors will evaluate whether listing the shares, liquidating or another transaction would be in our best interests. It cannot be determined at this time the circumstances, if any, under which the board of directors would determine to list the shares. If we do not list our shares of common stock on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ Stock Market by December 1, 2018, we intend to either:

•

seek stockholder approval of an extension or amendment of this listing deadline; or

•

seek stockholder approval to adopt a plan of liquidation of the corporation.

 

If we seek and do not obtain stockholder approval of an extension or amendment to the listing deadline, we intend then to adopt a plan of liquidation and begin an orderly sale of our properties.

 

Our board of directors may revise our investment policies, which we describe in more detail below, without the concurrence of our stockholders. Our independent directors will review our investment policies, which we discuss in detail below, at least annually to determine that our policies are in the best interest of our stockholders.

 

Acquisition and Investment Policies

 

The Company seeks to build a diversified portfolio comprised primarily of free-standing single-tenant bank branch, convenience store, retail, office and industrial properties that are double-net and triple-net leased to investment grade (S&P BBB- or better) and other creditworthy tenants. Triple-net (NNN) leases typically require the tenant to pay substantially all of the costs associated with operating and maintaining the property such as maintenance, insurance, taxes, structural repairs and all other operating and capital expenses. Double-net (NN) leases typically provide that the landlord is responsible for maintaining the roof and structure, or other structural aspects of the property, while the tenant is responsible for all remaining expenses associated with the property. We will seek to build a portfolio where at least 50% of the portfolio will be comprised of properties leased to investment grade tenants. We currently exceed our objective as approximately 94% of our rental income is from investment grade tenants as of December 31, 2009. While most of our investment will be directly in such properties, we may also invest in entities that own or invest in such properties.

 

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We intend to assemble a portfolio of real estate that is diversified by industry, geography, tenants, credits, and use. We do not anticipate any single tenant or geographic concentration to comprise more than 10% of our portfolio. We anticipate that our portfolio will consist primarily of freestanding, single-tenant properties net leased for use as bank branches, convenience stores, retail, office and industrial establishments. Although we expect our portfolio will consist primarily of freestanding, single-tenant properties, we will not forgo opportunities to invest in other types of real estate investments that meet our overall investment objectives.

 

Borrowing Policies

 

Our Advisor believes that utilizing borrowing is consistent with our investment objective of maximizing the return to investors. By operating on a leveraged basis, we will have more funds available for investment in properties. This will allow us to make more investments than would otherwise be possible, resulting in a more diversified portfolio. There is no limitation on the amount we may borrow against any single improved property. However, under our charter, we are required to limit our borrowings to 75% of the greater of the aggregate cost (before deducting depreciation or other non-cash reserves) or the aggregate fair market value of our gross assets as of the date of any borrowing (and to 300% of our net assets (as defined in our charter)), unless excess borrowing is approved by a majority of the independent directors and disclosed to our stockholders in the next quarterly report along with the justification for such excess borrowing. As of December 31, 2009, we have maintained a disciplined approach with respect to borrowing, having a leverage ratio of 55.8% (long-term mortgage financing as a percentage of total real estate investments, at cost). In the event that we issue preferred stock that is entitled to a preference over the common stock in respect of distributions or liquidation or is treated as debt under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), we will include it in the leverage restriction calculations, unless the issuance of the preferred stock is approved or ratified by our stockholders. We expect that during the period of the offering we will request that our independent directors approve borrowings in excess of this limitation since we will then be in the process of raising our equity capital to acquire our portfolio. However, we anticipate that our overall leverage following our offering stage will be within our charter limit.

 

Our Advisor will use its best efforts to obtain financing on the most favorable terms available to us. All of our financing arrangements must be approved by a majority of our board members including a majority of our independent directors. Lenders may have recourse to assets not securing the repayment of the indebtedness.

 

Our OP may, with the approval from our independent board of directors, utilize unsecured revolving equity lines in connection with property acquisitions as opportunities present themselves, which equity shall be repaid as we raise common equity.  Currently, we have an equity line available to us of up to $10.0 million dollars provided by certain managing principals of American Realty Capital II, LLC, our sponsor. As of December 31, 2009, there are no amounts outstanding on this equity line.

 

In addition, short-term equity facilities may be obtained from third parties on a case-by-case basis as acquisition opportunities present themselves simultaneous with our capital raising efforts. We view the use of short-term equity facilities as an efficient and accretive means of acquiring real estate in advance of raising equity capital. Accordingly, we can take advantage of buying opportunities as we expand our fund raising activities.  In 2008, a third party contributed a total of $8.0 million of preferred but unsecured equity towards the acquisition of two of our property acquisitions.  In 2009, the preferred equity in one of our property acquisitions was repaid as of December 31, 2009.

 

Since our inception, we have mitigated interest-rate volatility by swapping variable rates on debt to fixed rates by utilizing derivative instruments.

 

Distribution Policy

 

To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required to make aggregate annual distributions to our stockholders of at least 90% of our annual taxable income (which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP. Our board of directors may authorize distributions in excess of those required for us to maintain REIT status depending on our financial condition and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant. We calculate our monthly distributions based upon daily record and distribution declaration dates so investors may be entitled to distributions immediately upon purchasing our shares.

 

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In February 2008, the board of directors declared a distribution for each monthly period commencing 30 days subsequent to acquiring our initial portfolio of real estate investments. The first monthly distribution was paid in April 2008. The distribution is calculated based on stockholders of record each day during the applicable period at a rate that, if paid each day for a 365-day period, would equal a specified annualized rate based on a share price of $10.00. The initial annualized rate was 6.5% annualized rate based on the share price of $10.00. On November 5, 2008, the board of directors of approved an increase in its annual cash distribution from $.65 to $.67 per share. Based on a $10.00 share price, this 20 basis point increase, effective January 2, 2009, resulted in an annualized distribution rate of 6.7%. Effective April 1, 2010 our daily distribution rate will increase by another 30 basis points, resulting in an annualized distribution rate of 7.0%.

During the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, distributions totaled $3.2 million and $0.4 million inclusive of $1.3 million and $0.1 million of common shares issued under the DRIP, respectively.  As of December 31, 2009, cash used to pay our distributions was generated partly from funds received from operating activities and partly from funds generated from the sale of our common stock. As additional capital is raised and we continue to build our portfolio of investments, we expect that we will use funds received from operating activities to pay a greater proportion of our distributions and will be able to reduce and in the future eliminate the use of funds from the sale of common stock to pay distributions. We have continued to pay distributions to our shareholders each month since our initial distribution payment.

 

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The following is a chart of monthly distributions declared and paid since the commencement of the offering:

		Total				Cash				Distribution Reinvestment Plan
2008:
April		$	–			$	–			$	–
May			30,262				22,008				8,254
June			49,638				35,283				14,355
July			55,042				34,788				20,254
August			57,584				36,519				21,065
September			61,395				39,361				22,034
October			61,425				41,078				20,347
November			65,496				43,646				21,850
December			64,442				42,876				21,566
Total		$	445,284			$	295,559			$	149,725
2009:
January		$	69,263			$	46,227			$	23,036
February			76,027				50,214				25,813
March			74,915				49,020				25,895
April			101,282				64,375				36,907
May			128,867				78,604				50,263
June			180,039				106,741				73,298
July			217,325				127,399				89,926
August			290,230				177,620				112,610
September			375,926				220,165				155,761
October			455,051				264,729				190,322
November			563,472				328,555				234,917
December			643,125				374,715				268,410
Total		$	3,175,522			$	1,888,364			$	1,287,158

The Company pays the Advisor an annualized asset management fee of 1.0% based on the aggregate contract purchase price of all properties. Through December 31, 2009, the Company paid asset management fees to the Advisor of $0.1 million. The Advisor has elected to waive the remainder of its asset management fee through December 31, 2009, and will determine if a portion or all of such fees will be waived in subsequent periods on a quarter-to-quarter basis. Such waived fees for the period ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 equal $1.8 million and $0.7 million, respectively.

 

Tax Status

 

We have made an election to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Code, effective for our taxable year ended December 31, 2008. 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. Pursuant to our charter, our board of directors has the authority to make any tax elections on our behalf that, in their sole judgment, are in our best interest. This authority includes the ability to elect not to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes or, after qualifying as a REIT to revoke or otherwise terminate our status as a REIT. Our board of directors has the authority under our charter to make these elections without the necessity of obtaining the approval of our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors has the authority to waive any restrictions and limitations contained in our charter that are intended to preserve our status as a REIT during any period in which our board of directors has determined not to pursue or preserve our status as a REIT.

 

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Competition

 

The United States commercial real estate investment market continues to be highly competitive. We actively compete with many other entities engaged in the acquisition and operation of commercial properties. As such, we compete for a limited supply of properties and financing for these properties that meet our investment criteria. Investors include large institutional investors, pension funds, REITs, insurance companies, as well as foreign and private investors. These entities may have greater financial resources than we do. This increased competition in the commercial real estate and finance markets may limit the number of suitable properties available to us and result in higher pricing, lower yields and an increased cost of funds. These factors could also result in delays in the investment of proceeds from our ongoing initial public offering.

 

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 purchase.

 

Employees

 

We have no direct employees.  The employees of the Advisor and other affiliates perform a full range of real estate services for us, including acquisitions, property management, accounting, legal, asset management, wholesale brokerage and investor relations services.

 

We are dependent on these affiliates for services that are essential to us, including the sale of shares of our common stock, 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.

 

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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 with the SEC.  We also filed with the SEC our Registration Statement in connection with our current offering.  Copies of our filings with the SEC may be obtained from the website maintained for us and our affiliates at www.americanrealtycap.com or from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.  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.

 

 

Risks Related to an Investment in American Realty Capital Trust, Inc.

Except as described herein, we have no prior operating history or established financing sources, and the prior performance of real estate investment programs sponsored by affiliates of our Advisor may not be an indication of our future results.

Except as described in this annual report on Form 10-K, we have no operating history and you should not rely upon the past performance of other real estate investment programs sponsored by affiliates of our Advisor to predict our future results. We were incorporated on August 17, 2007. We have limited investments in real estate or otherwise. Although Mr. Schorsch, Mr. Kahane and other members of our Advisor’s management have significant experience in the acquisition, finance, management and development of commercial real estate, the prior performance of real estate investment programs sponsored by affiliates of Mr. Schorsch, Mr. Kahane and our Advisor may not be indicative of our future results.

You should consider our prospects in light of the risks, uncertainties and difficulties frequently encountered by companies that are, like us, in their early stage of development. To be successful in this market, we must, among other things:

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identify and acquire investments that further our investment strategies;

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increase awareness of the American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. name within the investment products market;

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expand and maintain our network of licensed securities brokers and other agents;

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attract, integrate, motivate and retain qualified personnel to manage our day-to-day operations;

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respond to competition for our targeted real estate properties and other investments as well as for potential investors; and

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continue to build and expand our operations structure to support our business.

We cannot guarantee that we will succeed in achieving these goals, and our failure to do so could cause you to lose all or a portion of your investment.

Because our ongoing public offering is a blind pool offering, you will not have the opportunity to evaluate all of our investments before we make them, which makes an investment in us more speculative.

We have not yet acquired or identified all of the investments that we will make with the net proceeds of our ongoing public offering. Additionally, we will not provide you with information to evaluate our investments prior to our acquisition of properties. We seek to invest substantially all of the offering proceeds available for investment, after the payment of fees and expenses, in the acquisition of freestanding, single-tenant commercial properties net leased to investment grade or other creditworthy tenants. We may also, in the discretion of our Advisor, invest in other types of real estate or in entities that invest in real estate. We will acquire or invest in properties located only in the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In addition, our Advisor may make or invest in mortgage, bridge or mezzanine loans or participations therein on our behalf if our board of directors determines, due to the state of the real estate market or in order to diversify our investment portfolio or otherwise, that such investments are advantageous to us. We have established policies relating to the creditworthiness of tenants of our properties, but our board of directors will have wide discretion in implementing these policies, and you will not have the opportunity to evaluate potential tenants.

 

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There is no public trading market for our shares and there may never be one; therefore, it will be difficult for you to sell your shares.

There currently is no public trading market for our shares and there may never be one. If you are able to find a buyer for your shares, you may not sell your shares unless the buyer meets applicable suitability and minimum purchase standards. Our charter also prohibits the ownership of more than 9.8% of the aggregate of our stock or of any class or series of our stock by a single investor, unless exempted by our board of directors, which may inhibit large investors from desiring to purchase your shares. Moreover, our share repurchase program includes numerous restrictions that would limit your ability to sell your shares to us. Our board of directors may reject any request for repurchase of shares, or amend, suspend or terminate our share repurchase program upon 30 days’ notice. Therefore, it will be difficult for you to sell your shares promptly or at all. If you are able to sell your shares, you will likely have to sell them at a substantial discount to the price you paid for the shares. It also is likely that your shares would not be accepted as the primary collateral for a loan. You should purchase the shares only as a long-term investment because of the illiquid nature of the shares.

If we, through our Advisor, are unable to continue to find suitable investments, then we may not be able to achieve our investment objectives or pay distributions.

 

Our ability to achieve our investment objectives and to pay distributions to our stockholders is dependent upon the performance of our Advisor in selecting investments for us to acquire, selecting tenants for our properties and securing independent financing arrangements. Except for stockholders who purchased shares of our common stock in our offering after such time as we supplemented our prospectus to describe one or more identified investments, our stockholders generally have no opportunity to evaluate the terms of transactions or other economic or financial data concerning our investments. Our stockholders must rely entirely on the management ability of our Advisor and the oversight of our board of directors. Our Advisor may not be successful in identifying suitable investments on financially attractive terms or, if it identifies suitable investments, our investment objectives will be achieved.  If we, through our Advisor, are unable to continue to find suitable investments, we will hold the proceeds of our offering in an interest-bearing account or invest the proceeds in short-term, investment-grade investments.  In such an event, our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders would be adversely affected.

 

We may suffer from delays in locating suitable investments, which could adversely affect our ability to make distributions and the value of your investment.

 

We could suffer from delays in locating suitable investments, particularly as a result of our reliance on our Advisor at times when management of our Advisor is simultaneously seeking to locate suitable investments for other affiliated programs, such as NY Recovery REIT and Phillips Edison – ARC Shopping Center REIT, which are both American Realty Capital sponsored programs in registration with the SEC. Delays we encounter in the selection, acquisition and, in the event we develop properties, development of income-producing properties, likely would adversely affect our ability to make distributions and the value of your overall returns. In such event, we may pay all or a substantial portion of our distributions from the proceeds of our ongoing public offering or from borrowings in anticipation of future cash flow, which may constitute a return of your capital. Distributions from the proceeds of our public offering or from borrowings also could reduce the amount of capital we ultimately invest in properties. This, in turn, would reduce the value of your investment. In particular, where we acquire properties prior to the start of construction or during the early stages of construction, it will typically take several months to complete construction and rent available space. Therefore, you could suffer delays in the receipt of cash distributions attributable to those particular properties.  If our Advisor is unable to obtain suitable investments, we will hold the proceeds of our public offering in an interest-bearing account or invest the proceeds in short-term, investment-grade investments.

 

 

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If we are unable to raise substantial funds, we will be limited in the number and type of investments we may make and the value of your investment in us will fluctuate with the performance of the specific properties we acquire.

Our ongoing public offering is being made on a best efforts basis, whereby the brokers participating in the offering are only required to use their best efforts to sell our shares and have no firm commitment or obligation to purchase any of the shares. As a result, the amount of proceeds we raise in our public offering may be substantially less than the amount we would need to achieve a broadly diversified property portfolio. If we are unable to raise substantially more than the minimum offering amount, we will make fewer investments resulting in less diversification in terms of the number of investments owned, the geographic regions in which our investments are located and the types of investments that we make. In such event, the likelihood of our profitability being affected by the performance of any one of our investments will increase. For example, in the event we only sell a small amount in excess of 750,000 shares, we may be able to make only a few investments. If we only are able to make a few investments, we would not achieve any asset diversification. Additionally, we are not limited in the number or size of our investments or the percentage of net proceeds we may dedicate to a single investment. Your investment in our shares will be subject to greater risk to the extent that we lack a diversified portfolio of investments. In addition, our inability to raise substantial funds would increase our fixed operating expenses as a percentage of gross income, and our financial condition and ability to pay distributions could be adversely affected.

If our Advisor loses or is unable to obtain key personnel, our ability to implement our investment strategies could be delayed or hindered, which could adversely affect our ability to make distributions and the value of your investment.

Our success depends to a significant degree upon the contributions of certain of our executive officers and other key personnel of our Advisor, including Nicholas S. Schorsch and William M. Kahane, each of whom 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. Further, we do not intend to separately maintain key person life insurance on Mr. Schorsch 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 you 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 your investment may decline.

Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to recover claims against our officers, directors and our Advisor are limited, which could reduce your 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. Our charter, in the case of our directors, officers, employees and agents, and the advisory agreement, in the case of our Advisor, generally require us to indemnify our directors, officers, employees and agents and our Advisor and its affiliates for actions taken by them in good faith and without negligence or misconduct. Additionally, our charter limits the liability of our directors and officers subject to the conditions imposed by Maryland law, subject to the limitations required by the Statement of Policy Regarding Real Estate Investment Trusts published by the North American Securities Administrators Associations, also known as the NASAA REIT Guidelines. Although our charter does not allow us to exonerate and indemnify our directors and officers to a greater extent than permitted under Maryland law and the NASAA REIT Guidelines, 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 your 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 in some cases which would decrease the cash otherwise available for distribution to you.

 

10

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We have no unresolved staff comments.

 

 

General

 

As of December 31, 2009, we owned 126 properties located in 22 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas.  All of these properties are freestanding, single-tenant properties 100% occupied with a weighted average remaining lease term of 16.6 years as of December 31, 2009.  In the aggregate, these properties represent 1.7 million rentable square feet. 

 

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 The following table presents certain additional information about the properties we own at December 31, 2009 (dollar amounts in thousands):

 

Seller / Property Name		Acquisition Date		No. of Buildings		Square Feet		Remaining Lease Term (1)		Net Operating Income (2)			Base Purchase Price (3)			Capitalization Rate (4)		Purchase Price (5)
Federal Express Distribution Center		March 2008		1		55,440		8.9		$	730		$	9,694		7.53%		$	10,208
First Niagara (Formerly Harleysville National Bank) Portfolio		March 2008		15		177,774		13.0			3,064			40,976		7.48%			41,676
Rockland Trust Company Portfolio		May 2008		18		121,057		11.6			2,530			32,188		7.85%			33,117
PNC Bank (formerly National City Bank)		Sept. & Oct. 2008		2		8,403		19.1			547			6,664		8.21%			6,853
Rite Aid		September 2008		6		74,919		13.5			1,447			18,576		7.79%			18,839
PNC Bank Portfolio		November 2008		50		275,436		8.9			3,108			42,286		7.35%			44,813
Federal Express Distribution Center		July 2009		1		152,640		13.8			2,803			31,692		8.84%			31,692
Walgreens		July 2009		1		14,820		22.5			310			3,818		8.12%			3,818
CVS I		September 2009		10		131,105		24.3			3,448			40,649		8.48%			40,649
CVS II		November 2009		15		198,729		24.6			5,071			59,788		8.48%			59,788
Home Depot		December 2009		1		465,600		20.0			2,192			23,532		9.31%			23,532
Bridgestone Firestone		December 2009		5		47,218		14.4			1,144			12,415		9.22%			12,415
Advance Auto		December 2009		1		7,000		11.9			160			1,730		9.25%			1,730
Total				126		1,730,168		16.6		$	26,554		$	324,008		8.20%		$	329,130

________________________

Investment grade tenants (based on rent) (S&P BBB- or better) were 94.6% of the portfolio at December 31, 2009.

	(1)	- Remaining lease term in years as of December 31, 2009. If the portfolio has multiple locations with varying lease expirations, remaining lease term is calculated on a weighted-average basis.
	(2)	- Annualized 2009 rental income less property operating expenses, as applicable.
	(3)	- Contract purchase price excluding acquisition related costs.
	(4)	- Net operating income divided by base purchase price.
	(5)	- Base purchase price plus all acquisition related costs.

 

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		Purchase Price (1)				Mortgage Debt (2)				Effective Interest Rate				Leverage Ratio (3)
Federal Express Distribution Center		$	10,208			$	6,965				6.29	%			68.2	%
First Niagara (formerly Harleysville National Bank) Portfolio			41,676				31,000				6.59	% (4)			74.4	%
Rockland Trust Company Portfolio			33,117				23,649				4.92	% (5)			71.4	%
PNC Bank (formerly National City Bank)			6,853				4,412				4.89	% (5)			64.4	%
Rite Aid			18,839				12,808				6.97	%			68.0	%
PNC Bank Portfolio			44,813				32,933				5.25	% (5)			73.5	%
Federal Express Distribution Center			31,692				—				—				—
Walgreens			3,818				1,550				6.64	% (6)			40.6	%
CVS I			40,649				23,710				6.55	% (7)			58.3	%
CVS II			59,788				33,068				6.64				55.3	%
Home Depot			23,532				13,716				6.55				58.2	%
Bridgestone Firestone			12,415				—				—				—
Advance Auto			1,730				—				—				—
Total (8)		$	329,130			$	183,811				6.15	%			55.8	%

________________________

	(1)	-	Base purchase price plus all acquisition related costs.
	(2)	-	Consists of first mortgage long-term debt only.
	(3)	-	Mortgage debt divided by total purchase price.
	(4)	-	The effective interest rate resets at the end of year five to the then current 5-year Treasury rate plus 2.25%, but in no event will be less than 6.5%.
	(5)	-	Effective interest rate includes the impact of swapping floating rate yield to a fixed rate yield for the term of the mortgage not be utilizing hedging instruments.
	(6)	-	ariable rate based on the greater of 6.55% or the U.S. Treasury obligations plus 3.50%.
	(7)	-	Interest rate can be adjusted at the option of the lender at the end of the 5th year.
	(8)	-	Weighted-average, as applicable.

 

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The following table details contractual rental increases for our properties as of December 31, 2009 (dollar amounts in thousands):

									Contractual
		Rent (1)							Base Rent
		Year 1				Year 2			Increase
Federal Express Distribution Center (PA)		$	703			$	703		3.78% and 3.65% in years 6 and 11, respectively
First Niagara (formerly Harleysville National Bank) Portfolio			3,064				3,064		— (2)
Rockland Trust Company Portfolio			2,306				2,340		1.5% annually
PNC Bank (formerly National City Bank)			466				466		10% after 5 years
Rite Aid Portfolio			1,404				1,404		10% increase in year 11 for two properties remaining properties have no increases.
PNC Bank Portfolio			2,960				2,960		10% after 5 years
Fed Ex Freight Facility (TX) (5)			2,580				2,580		1% increase in years 5 and 9
Walgreens Location			310				310		—
CVS Pharmacy Portfolio I			3,387				3,387		5% increase every 5 years
CVS Pharmacy Portfolio II			4,984				4,984		5% increase every 5 years
Home Depot Distribution Facility			1,806				1,839		2% annually
Bridgestone Firestone Portfolio			1,048				1,048		6.25% every 5 years
Advanced Auto Location			160				160		—
Total Portfolio		$	25,178			$	25,245

 

(1) - Annualized amount (cash basis)

(2) - Increase does not take into account rent escalations that commence after the primary lease term or adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index.

 

Future Lease Payments Table

 

The following table presents future minimum base rental payments due to us over the next ten years at the properties we own as of December 31, 2009 (dollar amounts in thousands):

2010		$   25,245
2011		25,334
2012		25,407
2013		25,553
2014		26,224
2015		26,697
2016		26,694
2017		26,644
2018		25,588
2019		21,948

 

 

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Future Lease Expirations Table

The following is a summary of lease expirations for the next ten years at the properties we own as of December 31, 2009 (dollar amounts in thousands):

Year of Expiration		Number of Leases Expiring		Annualized(1) Base Rent			Percent of Portfolio Annualized Base Rent Expiring		Leased Rentable Sq. Ft.		Percent of Portfolio Rentable Sq. Ft. Expiring
2009		—		$	—		—		—		—
2010		—		—			—		—		—
2011		—		—			—		—		—
2012		—		—			—		—		—
2013		—		—			—		—		—
2014		—		—			—		—		—
2015		—		—			—		—		—
2016		2		242			0.9%		21,476		1.2%
2017		1		179			0.7%		12,613		0.7%
2018		59		4,896			18.4%		384,301		22.2%
2019		—		—			—		—		—
Total		62		$	5,317		20.0%		418,390		24.1%

  ________________________

(1)	The 62 leases listed above are with the following tenants:  Federal Express, Rockland Trust Company, PNC Bank and Rite Aid.

 

 

We are not party to, and none of our properties are subject to, any material pending legal proceedings.

 

 

 

 

Market Information

 

No public market currently exists for our shares of common stock, and we currently have no plans to list our shares on a national securities exchange. Until our shares are listed, if ever, our stockholders may not sell their shares unless the buyer meets the applicable suitability and minimum purchase requirements. In addition, our charter prohibits the ownership of more than 9.8% of our stock, unless exempted by our board of directors. Consequently, there is the risk that our stockholders may not be able to sell their shares at a time or price acceptable to them.  Pursuant to the our offering, we are selling shares of our common stock to the public at a price of $10.00 per share and at $9.50 per share pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan. 

 

In order for Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) members and their associated persons to participate in the offering and sale of shares of common stock pursuant to the offering, we are required pursuant to NASD Rule 2710(f)(2)(M) to disclose in each annual report distributed to stockholders a per share estimated value of the shares, the method by which it was developed and the date of the data used to develop the estimated value.  In addition, we prepare annual statements of estimated share values to assist fiduciaries of retirement plans subject to the annual reporting requirements of ERISA in the preparation of their reports relating to an investment in our shares.  During our offering the value of the shares is deemed to be the offering price of $10.00 per share (without regard to purchase price discounts for certain categories of purchasers), as adjusted for any special distribution of net sales proceeds.  There is no public trading market for the shares at this time, and there can be no assurance that stockholders would receive $10.00 per share if such a market did exist and they sold their shares or that they will be able to receive such amount for their shares in the future.  Nor does this deemed value reflect the distributions that stockholders would be entitled to receive if our properties were sold and the sale proceeds were distributed upon liquidation of our Company.  Such a distribution upon liquidation may be less than $10.00 per share primarily due to the fact that the funds initially available for investment in properties were reduced from the gross offering proceeds in order to pay selling commissions and dealer manager fees, organization and offering expenses, and acquisitions and advisory fees.

 

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Holders

 

As of March 15, 2010, we had 18,893,430 shares of common stock outstanding held by a total of 3,722 stockholders.

 

Distributions

 

We have elected to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2008.  As a REIT, we are required to distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income to our stockholders annually.  Our distributions are paid on a monthly basis as directed by our board of directors.  Monthly cash distributions are paid based on daily record and distribution declaration dates so our investors will be entitled to be paid distributions beginning on the day that they are admitted as stockholders.  All distributions are recorded to stockholders’ equity.  From a tax perspective, 100% of the amounts distributed by us in 2008 represent a return of capital.  Accordingly, such distributions are deferred as it relates to being subject to income tax. During the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, distributions totaling $3.2 million and $0.4 million inclusive of $1.3 million and $0.1 million of common shares issued under the DRIP, respectively.  As of December 31, 2009, cash used to pay our distributions was generated partly from funds received from operating activities and partly from funds generated from the sale of our common stock. As additional capital is raised and we continue to build our portfolio of investments, we expect that we will use funds received from operating activities to pay a greater proportion of our distributions and will be able to reduce and in the future eliminate the use of funds from the sale of common stock to pay distributions. We have continued to pay distributions to our shareholders each month since our initial distribution payment.

 

From March 2008 to January 2, 2009, the declared distribution rate was equal to a daily amount per share of common stock, which is equivalent to an annual distribution rate of 6.5% assuming the share was purchased for $10.00. Effective January 2, 2009, our daily distribution rate has increased by 20 basis points, resulting in an annualized distribution rate of 6.7%, and effective April 1, 2010 our daily distribution rate will increased by another 30 basis points, resulting in an annualized distribution rate of  7.0%.  Our board of directors will continue to evaluate our distribution levels on an ongoing basis.

 

 

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		Distributions				Distributions
		Declared				Paid
Year Ended December 31, 2009:
1st Quarter		$	252			$	220
2nd Quarter			526				410
3rd Quarter			1,122				884
4th Quarter			2,387				1,661
Special Distribution			318				—
2009 Total		$	4,605			$	3,175
Year Ended December 31, 2008:
1st Quarter		$	—			$	—
2nd Quarter			135				80
3rd Quarter			181				174
4th Quarter			198				192
2008 Total		$	514			$	446

 

The following table shows the sources for the payment of distributions for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 (in thousands):

		Year Ended December 31, 2009
		1st Quarter				2nd Quarter				3rd Quarter				4th Quarter
Distributions paid in cash		$	145			$	250			$	526			$	967
Distributions reinvested			75				160				358				694
Total distributions		$	220			$	410			$	884			$	1,661
Source of distributions:
Cash flows provided by (used in) operations (GAAP basis)		$	(1215	)		$	(3,129	)		$	828			$	990
Proceeds from issuance of common stock			1,435				3,539				56				671
Total sources		$	220			$	410			$	884			$	1,661

 

 

 

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		Year Ended December 31, 2008
		1st Quarter				2nd Quarter				3rd Quarter				4th Quarter
Distributions paid in cash		$	—			$	57			$	111			$	127
Distributions reinvested			—				23				63				64
Total distributions		$	—			$	80			$	174			$	191
Source of distributions:
Cash flows provided by (used in) operations (GAAP basis)		$	—			$	80			$	174			$	191
Proceeds from issuance of common stock			—				—				—				—
Total sources		$	—			$	80			$	174			$	191

 

Share-Based Compensation Plans

 

We have adopted a stock option plan under which our independent directors are eligible to receive annual nondiscretionary awards of nonqualified stock options. Our stock option plan is designed to enhance our profitability and value for the benefit of our stockholders by enabling us to offer independent directors stock-based incentives, thereby creating a means to raise the level of equity ownership by such individuals in order to attract, retain and reward such individuals and strengthen the mutuality of interests between such individuals and our stockholders.

 

We have authorized and reserved 1,000,000 shares of our common stock for issuance under our stock option plan. The board of directors may make appropriate adjustments to the number of shares available for awards and the terms of outstanding awards under our stock option plan to reflect any change in our capital structure or business, stock distribution, stock split, recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets.

Our stock option plan provides for the automatic grant of a nonqualified stock option to each of our independent directors, without any further action by our board of directors or the stockholders, to purchase 3,000 shares of our common stock on the date of each annual stockholder’s meeting. The exercise price for all stock options granted under our stock option plan will be fixed at $10.00 per share until the termination of our initial public offering, and thereafter the exercise price for stock options granted to our independent directors will be equal to the fair market value of a share on the last business day preceding the annual meeting of stockholders. The term of each such option will be 10 years. Options granted to non-employee directors will vest and become exercisable on the second anniversary of the date of grant, provided that the independent director is a director on the board of directors on that date.

 

Notwithstanding any other provisions of our stock option plan to the contrary, no stock option issued pursuant thereto may be exercised if such exercise would jeopardize our status as a REIT under the Code. The total number of options granted will not exceed 10% of the total outstanding shares at the time of grant. During the years December 31, 2009 and 2008, unvested options to purchase 9,000 shares at $10.00 per share were granted in each year. The weighted average contractual remaining life of outstanding options is 9.0 years. The expense required to be recorded by the Company was insignificant. The following table sets forth information regarding securities authorized for issuance under our stock option plan as of December 31, 2009:

 

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Plan Category

Number of Securities to be  Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights

Weighted-Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights

Number of Securities Remaining Available For Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (Excluding Securities Reflected in Column (a)

(a)

(b)

(c)

Equity Compensation Plans approved by security holders

18,000

$

10.00

982,000

Equity Compensation Plans not approved by security holders

N/A

N/A

N/A

Total

18,000

$

10.00

982,000

 

Use of Proceeds from Sales of Registered Securities and Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

 

On January 25, 2008, our Registration Statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-145949) covering a public offering of up to 150,000,000 shares of common stock was declared effective under the Securities Act of 1933 as amended (the ‘Securities Act”). The offering commenced on January 25, 2008 and is ongoing.  Shares are offered under our distribution reinvestment plan initially at $9.50 per share.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, including shares sold through our distribution reinvestment plan, we had sold 14,672,237 and 1,276,814 shares for gross offering proceeds of $144.6 million and $11.7 million, respectively. At December 31, 2009 and 2008, we had incurred selling commissions, dealer manager fees and other organization and offering costs in the amounts set forth below. The dealer manager reallowed all of the selling commissions and a portion of the dealer manager fees to participating broker-dealers (amounts in thousands):

 

Type of Expense		Year ended December 31, 2009				Year Ended December 31, 2008
Selling commissions and dealer manager fees		$	12,277				199
Other organization and offering costs			5,617				2,289
Total expenses		$	18,732				2,488

Through December 31, 2009, the net offering proceeds to us, after deducting the total expenses paid as described above, were $122.7 million including net offering proceeds from our distribution reinvestment plan of $1.4 million. We have used the net proceeds from our ongoing initial public offering to purchase or fund $329.1 million of real estate investments, including acquisition fees and closing costs.

During the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, we did not sell any equity securities that were not registered under the Securities Act.

 

 

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Share Repurchase Program

 

Our board of directors has adopted a Share Repurchase Program (“SRP”) that enables our stockholders to sell their shares to us in limited circumstances.  Our SRP permits investors to sell their shares back to us after they have held them for at least one year, subject to the significant conditions and limitations described below.

Our common stock is currently not listed on a national securities exchange and we will not seek to list our stock until such time as our independent directors believe that the listing of our stock would be in the best interest of our stockholders. In order to provide stockholders with the benefit of interim liquidity, stockholders who have held their shares for at least one year and who purchased their shares from us or received the shares through a non-cash transaction, not in the secondary market, may present all or a portion consisting of the holder’s shares to us for repurchase at any time in accordance with the procedures outlined below. At that time, we may, subject to the conditions and limitations described below, redeem the shares presented for repurchase for cash to the extent that we have sufficient funds available to us to fund such repurchase. We will not pay to our board of directors, Advisor or its affiliates any fees to complete any transactions under our SRP.

During the term of the offering and any subsequent public offering of our shares, the purchase price per share will depend on the length of time investors have held such shares as follows: after one year from the purchase date — 96.25% of the amount they actually paid for each share; and after two years from the purchase date — 97.75% of the amount they actually paid for each share; and after three years from the purchase date — 100% of the amount they actually paid for each share; (in each case, as adjusted for any stock distributions, combinations, splits, recapitalizations and the like with respect to our common stock). At any time we are engaged in an offering of shares, the per share price for shares purchased under our repurchase plan will always be equal to or lower than the applicable per share offering price. Thereafter, the per share purchase price will be based on the greater of $10.00 or the then-current net asset value of the

shares as determined by our board of directors (as adjusted for any stock distributions, combinations, splits, recapitalizations and the like with respect to our common stock). Our board of directors will announce any purchase price adjustment and the time period of its effectiveness as a part of its regular communications with our stockholders. Our board of directors shall use the following criteria for determining the net asset value of the shares: value of our assets (estimated market value) less the estimated market value of our liabilities, divided by the number of shares. The Board, with advice from the Advisor, (i) will make internal valuations of the market value of its assets based upon the current capitalization rates of similar properties in the market, recent transactions for similar properties acquired by the Company and any extensions, cancellations, modifications or other material events affecting the leases, changes in rents or other circumstances related to such properties, (ii) review internal appraisals prepared by the Advisor following standard commercial real estate appraisal practice and (iii) every three years or earlier, in rotation will have all of the properties appraised by an external appraiser. Upon the death or disability of a stockholder, upon request, we will waive the one-year holding requirement. Shares repurchased in connection with the death or disability of a stockholder will be repurchased at a purchase price equal to the price actually paid for the shares during the offering, or if not engaged in the offering, the per share purchase price will be based on the greater of $10.00 or the then-current net asset value of the shares as determined by our board of directors (as adjusted for any stock distributions, combinations, splits, recapitalizations and the like with respect to our common stock). In addition, we may waive the holding period in the event of a stockholder’s bankruptcy or other exigent circumstances.

On November 12, 2008, the Company’s board of directors modified the SRP to fund purchases under the SRP, not only from the DRIP, but also from operating funds of the Company. Accordingly, purchases under the SRP, subject to the terms of the SRP, may be funded from the proceeds from the sale of shares under the DRIP, from proceeds of the sale of shares in a public offering, and with other available allocated operating funds. However, purchases under the SRP by the Company will be limited in any calendar year to 5% of the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the prior year.

We will redeem our shares on the last business day of the month following the end of each quarter. Requests for repurchases must be received on or prior to the end of the quarter in order for us to repurchase the shares as of the end of the next month. Investors may withdraw their requests to have their shares repurchased at any time prior to the last day of the applicable quarter. Shares presented for repurchase will continue to earn daily distributions up to and including the repurchase date.

 

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If we could not purchase all shares presented for repurchase in any quarter, based upon insufficient cash available and the limit on the number of shares we may redeem during any calendar year, we would attempt to honor repurchase requests on a pro rata basis; provided, however, that we may give priority to the redemption of a deceased or disabled stockholder’s shares. We will treat the unsatisfied portion of the repurchase request as a request for repurchase the following quarter. At such time, investors may then (1) withdraw their request for repurchase at any time prior to the last day of the new quarter or (2) without instructions to withdraw their request we will honor their request at such time, if, any, when sufficient funds become available. Such pending requests will generally be honored on a pro rata basis. We will determine whether we have sufficient funds available as soon as practicable after the end of each quarter, but in any event prior to the applicable payment date.

 

Our board of directors may choose to amend, suspend or terminate our SRP upon 30 days notice at any time. Additionally we will be required to discontinue sales of shares under the DRIP plan on the earlier of January 25, 2011, which is three years from the effective date of the offering, unless the offering is extended, or the date we sell all of the shares registered for sale under the DRIP, unless we file a new registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable states. Because the repurchase of shares will be partially funded with the net proceeds we receive from the sale of shares under the DRIP, the discontinuance or termination of the DRIP may adversely affect our ability to purchase

shares under the SRP. We would notify investors of such developments: (i) in the annual or quarterly reports mentioned above, or (ii) by means of a separate mailing to investors, accompanied by disclosure in a current or periodic report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). During the offering, we would also include this information in a prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the registration statement, as then required under federal securities laws.

Our share repurchase program is only intended to provide interim liquidity for stockholders until a liquidity event occurs, such as listing of the shares on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ Stock Market, or our merger with a listed company. The SRP will be terminated if the shares become listed on a national securities exchange. We cannot guarantee that a liquidity event will occur.

The shares we purchase under our SRP will be cancelled and return to the status of unauthorized but unissued shares. We do not intend to resell such shares to the public unless such resale is first registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act and under appropriate state securities laws or otherwise conducted in compliance with such laws.   

 

In the third quarter of 2009, only 3,000 shares were redeemed in total under our SRP at $9.625 per share. During the year ended December 31, 2008, no shares were redeemed under our SRP.

 

 

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The market risk associated with financial instruments and derivative financial instruments is the risk of loss from adverse changes in market prices or rates. Our market risk arises primarily from interest rate risk relating to variable-rate borrowings. To meet our short- and long-term liquidity requirements, we borrow funds at a combination of fixed and variable rates. Borrowings under our short-term bridge equity funds bear interest at fixed and variable rates. Our long-term debt, which consists of secured financings, typically bears interest at fixed rates. Our interest rate risk management objectives are to limit the impact of interest rate changes on earnings and cash flows and to lower our overall borrowing costs. To achieve these objectives, from time to time, we may enter into interest rate hedge contracts such as swaps, collars, and treasury lock agreements in order to mitigate our interest rate risk with respect to various debt instruments. We do not hold or issue these derivative contracts for trading or speculative purposes. Derivatives not designated as hedges are not speculative. These derivatives are used to manage the Company’s exposure to interest rate movements and other identified risks but do not meet the strict hedge accounting requirements to be classified as hedging instruments.

As of December 31, 2009, our debt included fixed-rate debt, with a carrying value of $121.3 million and a fair value of $109.2 million. Changes in market interest rates on our fixed-rate debt impact the fair value of the debt, but it has no impact on interest incurred or cash flow. For instance, if interest rates rise 100 basis points and our fixed rate debt balance remains constant, we expect the fair value of our debt to decrease, the same way the price of a bond declines as interest rates rise. The sensitivity analysis related to our fixed-rate debt assumes an immediate 100 basis point move in interest rates from their

 

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December 31, 2009 levels, with all other variables held constant. A 100 basis point increase in market interest rates would result in a decrease in the fair value of our fixed-rate debt by $8.9 million. A 100 basis point decrease in market interest rates would result in an increase in the fair value of our fixed-rate debt by $10.0 million.

As of December 31, 2009, our debt included variable-rate mortgage notes payable with a carrying value of $62.5 million. Interest rate volatility associated with this variable-rate mortgage debt has been mitigated by the use of hedge instruments.  The sensitivity analysis related to our variable-rate debt assumes an immediate 100 basis point move in variable interest rates with all other variables held constant. A 100 basis point increase or decrease in variable interest rates on our variable notes payable would increase or decrease our interest expense by $0.6 million annually.

These amounts were determined by considering the impact of hypothetical interest rates changes on our borrowing costs, and, assume no other changes in our capital structure.

As the information presented above includes only those exposures that existed as of December 31, 2009, it does not consider exposures or positions arising after that date. The information represented herein has limited predictive value. As a result, the ultimate realized gain or loss with respect to interest rate fluctuations will depend on cumulative exposures, hedging strategies employed and the magnitude of the fluctuations.

 

We do not have any foreign operations and thus we are not exposed to foreign currency fluctuations.

 

 

The information required by this Item 8 is hereby incorporated by reference to our Consolidated Financial Statements beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Item 9.  Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

 

              None.

 

 

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

 

 

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement.

 

 

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference  to our Proxy Statement

PART IV

 

 

 

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(a)	Financial Statement Schedules

 

See the Index to Financial Statements at page F-1 of this report.

 

The following financial statement schedule is included herein at page F-37 of this report:

 

Schedule III – Real Estate Assets and Accumulated Depreciation and Amortization

 

(b)

Exhibits

 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

EXHIBITS

The following documents are filed as part of this annual report:

Exhibit No.		Description
1.1		Form of Dealer Manager Agreement by and between American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. and Realty Capital Securities, LLC (2)
1.2		Form of Soliciting Dealers Agreement by and between Realty Capital Securities, LLC and the Soliciting Dealers (2)
3.1		Amended and Restated Charter of American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. (3)
3.2		Articles of Amendment of American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. (5)
3.3		Bylaws of American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. (1)
4.1		Agreement of Limited Partnership of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. (3)
4.2		First Amendment to Agreement of Limited Partnership of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. (7)
4.3		Specimen Certificate for the Shares is not applicable because the Registrant’s Board of Directors has authorized the issuance of Shares without stock certificates.
5.1		Opinion of Proskauer Rose LLP (4)
5.2		Opinion of Venable LLP (4)
8.1		Opinion of Proskauer Rose LLP (Tax Matters) (4)
10.1		Amended and Restated Escrow Agreement by and among American Realty Capital Trust, Inc., Boston Private Bank & Trust Company and Realty Capital Securities, LLC (8)
10.2		Form of Advisory Agreement by and among American Realty Capital Trust, Inc., American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. and American Realty Capital Advisers, LLC (2)
10.3		Form of Management Agreement, by and among American Realty Capital Trust, Inc., American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. and American Realty Capital Properties, LLC (1)
10.4		First Amendment to Management Agreement (7)
10.5		Second Amendment to Management Agreement (7)
10.6		Third Amendment to Management Agreement (10)
10.7		Fourth Amendment to Management Agreement (10)
10.8		Fifth Amendment to Management Agreement (10)
10.9		Sixth Amendment to Management Agreement *
10.10		Seventh Amendment to Management Agreement *
10.11		Eighth Amendment to Management Agreement *
10.12		Ninth Amendment to Management Agreement *
10.13		Tenth Amendment to Management Agreement *
10.14		Company’s Stock Option Plan (7)

 

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10.15		Agreement of Assignment of Partnership Interests between American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. and American Realty Capital LLC, William M. Kahane, Nicholas S. Schorsch, Lou Davis and Peter and Maria Wirth dated March 5, 2008 (6)
10.16		Agreement of Assignment of Partnership Interests between American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. and Nicholas S. Schorsch dated March 12, 2008 (6)
10.17		Limited Liability Company Agreement of American Realty Capital Equity Bridge, LLC dated August 20, 2008 (8)
10.18		Agreement for Transfer of Membership Interest between ARC Growth Fund I, LLC, and American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P., dated September 16, 2008. (Transfer to the Operating Partnership of an indirect interest in National City portfolio. Amends exhibit previously filed as exhibit 10.8 to the Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Form S-11, dated September 3, 2008.) (10)
10.19		Agreement for Transfer of Membership Interests between ARC Growth Fund I, LLC, and American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P., dated September 16, 2008. (Transfer to the Operating Partnership of an indirect interest in National City portfolio. Amends exhibit previously filed as exhibit 10.8 to the Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Form S-11, dated September 3, 2008.) (10)
10.20		Agreement of Assignment of Membership Interests by and among Milestone Partners Limited, and American Realty Capital Holdings, LLC, and American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P., dated September 29, 2008 (10)
10.21		Consent to Transfer Agreement among ARC RACADOH001, LLC, ARC RACAROH001, LLC, ARC RAELPOH001, LLC, ARC RALISOH001, LLC, ARC RACARPA001, LP, ARC RAPITPA001, LP, American Realty Capital Holdings, LLC, Milestone Partners Limited, American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P., and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., dates September 29, 2008. (10)
23.1		Consent of Grant Thornton LLP*
31.1		Certification required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a)*
31.2		Certification required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a)*
32.1		Certification required by Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) and section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code (18 U.S.C. 1350)*

*Filed herewith.

(1)		Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-145949) filed on November 20, 2007.
(2)		Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to Amendment No. 3 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-145949) filed on January 16, 2008.
(3)		Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to Amendment No. 4 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-145949) filed on January 22, 2008.
(4)		Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to Amendment No. 5 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-11 (File No. 333-145949) filed on January 24, 2008.
(5)		Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 4, 2008.
(6)		Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 14, 2008.
(7)		Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Post Effective Amendment No. 1 to Form S-11 (File No. 333-145949) filed on June 3, 2008.
(8)		Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Post Effective Amendment No. 2 to Form S-11 (File No. 333-145949) filed on September 3, 2008.
(9)		Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 13, 2008.
(10)		Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to Registrant’s Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Post Effective Amendment No. 3 to Form S-11 (File No. 333-145949) filed on February 18, 2009.

 

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Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized this 18th day of March, 2010.

 

	AMERICAN REALTY CAPITAL TRUST, INC.
	By:	/s/ NICHOLAS S. SCHORSCH              NICHOLAS S. SCHORSCH CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this annual report on Form 10-K has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

March 16, 2010

 

Name		Capacity		Date
/s/ Nicholas S. Schorsch		Chief Executive Officer and
Nicholas S. Schorsch		Chairman of the Board of Directors (and Principal Executive Officer)		March 18, 2010
/s/ William M.Kahane		Chief Operating Officer and President
William M. Kahane				March 18, 2010
/s/ Brian S.Block		Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President,
Brian S. Block		(and Principal Accounting Officer)		March 18, 2010
/s/ Leslie D. Michelson		Independent Director
Leslie D. Michelson				March 16, 2010
/s/ William G. Stanley		Independent Director
William G. Stanley				March 16, 2010
/s/ Robert H. Burns		Independent Director
Robert H. Burns				March 16, 2010

 

 

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INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

		Page
Financial Statements
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm		F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2009 and 2008		F-3
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Years Ended
December 31, 2009 and 2008 and the Period from August 17, 2007 (date of inception) to December 31, 2007		F-4
Consolidated Statement of Changes in of Stockholders’ Equity for the Years Ended
December 31, 2009 and 2008 and the Period from August 17, 2007 (date of inception) to December 31, 2007		F-5
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended
December 31, 2009 and 2008 and the Period from August 17, 2007 (date of inception) to December 31, 2007		F-7
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements		F-9
Financial Statement Schedule
Schedule III – Real Estate Investments		F-39

 

F-1

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Note 9— Commitments and Contingencies

 

Litigation

 

In the ordinary course of business, the Company may become subject to litigation or claims. There are no material legal proceedings pending or known to be contemplated against us.

 

Environmental Matters

 

In connection with the ownership and operation of real estate, the Company may potentially be liable for costs and damages related to environmental matters. The Company has not been notified by any governmental authority of any non-compliance, liability or other claim, and the Company is not aware of any other environmental condition that it believes will have a material adverse effect on the consolidated results of operations.

		Year Ended December 31,
		2009				2008
Real estate investments, at cost:
Balance at beginning of year		$	148,322			$	—
Additions-Acquisitions			151,396				148,322
Balance at end of the year		$	299,718			$	148,322

Accumulated depreciation and amortization:
Balance at beginning of year		$	2,534			$	—
Depreciation expense			6,581				2,534
Balance at end of the year		$	9,115			$	2,534

 

 

F-43

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