FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This report contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the operating performance of our investments and financing needs. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "potential," "intend," "expect," "endeavor," "seek," "anticipate," "estimate," "overestimate," "underestimate," "believe," "could," "project," "predict," "continue" or other similar words or expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions, discuss future expectations, describe future plans and strategies, contain projections of results of operations or of financial condition or state other forward-looking information. Our ability to predict results or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, our actual results and performance could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. Factors that could have a material adverse effect on our operations and future prospects include, but are not limited to, changes in economic conditions generally and the real estate market specifically; adverse changes in the financing markets we access affecting our ability to finance our loan and investment portfolio; changes in interest rates; the quality and size of the investment pipeline and the rate at which we can invest our cash; impairments in the value of the collateral underlying our loans and investments; changes in the markets; legislative/regulatory changes; completion of pending investments; the availability and cost of capital for future investments; competition within the finance and real estate industries; and other risks detailed from time to time in our SEC reports. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements, which reflect our management's views as of the date of this report. The factors noted above could cause our actual results to differ significantly from those contained in any forward-looking statement. For a discussion of our critical accounting policies, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries—Significant Accounting Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies" under Item 7 of this report.
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. We are under no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this report to conform these statements to actual results.
PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. is a specialized real estate finance company that invests in a diversified portfolio of structured finance assets in the multi-family and commercial real estate markets. We invest primarily in real estate-related bridge and mezzanine loans, including junior participating interests in first mortgages, preferred and direct equity, and in limited cases, discounted mortgage notes and other real estate-related assets, which we refer to collectively as structured finance investments. We also hold investments in mortgage-related securities and real estate property. Our principal business objective is to maximize the difference between the yield on our investments and the cost of financing these investments to generate cash available for distribution, facilitate capital appreciation and maximize total return to our stockholders.
We are organized to qualify as a real estate investment trust ("REIT") for federal income tax purposes. A REIT is generally not subject to federal income tax on that portion of its REIT taxable income ("Taxable Income") that is distributed to its stockholders, provided that at least 90% of Taxable Income is distributed and provided that certain other requirements are met. Certain of our assets that produce non-qualifying income are held in taxable REIT subsidiaries. Unlike other subsidiaries of a REIT, the income of a taxable REIT subsidiary is subject to federal and state income taxes.
We commenced operations in July 2003 and conduct substantially all of our operations and investing activities through our operating partnership, Arbor Realty Limited Partnership, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. We serve as the general partner of our operating partnership, and own a 100% partnership interest in our operating partnership as of December 31, 2011.
We are externally managed and advised by Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC ("ACM"), a national commercial real estate finance company that specializes in debt and equity financing for multi-family and commercial real estate, pursuant to the terms of a management agreement described below. ACM provides us with all of the services vital to our operations other than asset management, securitization and certain credit functions, and our executive officers and other staff are all employed by our manager, ACM, pursuant to the management agreement. The management agreement requires ACM to manage our business affairs in conformity with the policies and investment guidelines that are approved and monitored by our Board of Directors.
We believe ACM's experience and reputation positions it to originate attractive investment opportunities for us. Our management agreement with ACM was developed to capitalize on synergies with ACM's origination infrastructure, existing business relationships and management expertise. ACM has granted us a right of first refusal to pursue all structured finance investment opportunities in the multi-family or commercial real estate markets that are identified by ACM or its affiliates. ACM continues to originate and service multi-family and commercial mortgage loans under Fannie Mae, Federal Housing Administration and conduit commercial lending programs. We believe that the customer relationships established from these lines of business may generate additional real estate investment opportunities for our business.
Current Market Conditions
The economic and financial deterioration that began in 2007 has shown some signs of stabilization over the past two years, although there is still uncertainty as to the likelihood of ongoing disruptions in the credit and capital markets, devaluations of assets and a lack of liquidity throughout the worldwide financial system. Global deleveraging by most financial institutions over the past several years has severely limited the availability of capital for most businesses, including those involved in the commercial real estate sector. As a result, we, along with most institutions in our industry, have
significantly reduced new investment activity. However, 2011 was marked with increased capital market stabilization and increased availability of liquidity. In fact, in July 2011, we closed on a $50.0 million credit facility which we utilized to finance new investments. If market conditions continue to stabilize, we will rely on these credit and equity markets to generate capital for financing the growth of our business. Additionally, in this current environment, we remain focused on managing our portfolio to preserve capital, generating and recycling liquidity from existing assets and actively managing our financing facilities.
Global stock and credit markets have experienced prolonged price volatility, dislocations and liquidity disruptions over the past several years, which have caused market prices of many stocks to fluctuate substantially. Commercial real estate has been particularly adversely affected by the prolonged economic downturn. Although we have seen some improvements, the overall market recovery remains uncertain. Should the market regress, the commercial real estate sector may experience additional losses, challenges in complying with the terms of financing agreements, difficulties in raising capital, and challenges in obtaining investment financing on attractive terms.
These market conditions have also resulted in the scarcity of certain types of financing, and, in certain cases, making terms for certain financings less attractive. If these conditions persist, lending institutions may be forced to exit markets such as repurchase lending, become insolvent, further tighten their lending standards or increase the amount of equity capital required to obtain financing. In addition, these factors may make it more difficult for borrowers to repay our loans as they may experience difficulties in selling assets, increased costs of financing or obtaining financing at all. It may also make it more difficult or unlikely for us to raise capital through the issuance of our common or preferred stock.
This environment has had a significant impact on our business, our borrowers and real estate values throughout all asset classes and geographic locations. If real estate values decline, it may limit our new mortgage loan originations since borrowers often use increases in the value of their existing properties to support the purchase or investment in additional properties. Borrowers may also be less able to pay principal and interest on our loans. Declining real estate values may also significantly increase the likelihood that we will continue to incur losses on our loans in the event of default because the value of our collateral may be insufficient to cover our investment in the loan. Any sustained period of increased payment delinquencies, foreclosures or losses could adversely affect both our net interest income from loans in our portfolio as well as our ability to originate, sell and securitize loans, which would significantly impact our revenues, results of operations, financial condition, business prospects and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. We have made, and continue to make modifications and extensions to loans when it is economically feasible to do so. In some cases, a modification is a more viable alternative to foreclosure proceedings when a borrower cannot comply with loan terms. In doing so, lower borrower interest rates, combined with non-performing loans, will lower our net interest margins when comparing interest income to our costs of financing.
In summary, commercial real estate financing companies were severely impacted by the economic downturn and until relatively recently have had limited access to the capital markets or the debt markets to meet their existing obligations or to refinance maturing debt. We have responded to these troubled times by decreasing investment activity for capital preservation, aggressively managing our assets through restructuring, and retiring our debt facilities and previously issued debt at discounts when economically feasible. In order to accomplish these goals, we have worked closely with our borrowers in restructuring our loans, receiving payoffs and paydowns and monetizing our investments as appropriate. Additionally, based on available liquidity and market opportunities, we have been stabilizing our loan and investment portfolios with new originations and investments and we have from time to time repurchased our debt at discounts as well as shares of our common stock. We will continue to remain focused on executing these strategies when appropriate and where available if this significant economic downturn persists.