VORNADO REALTY TRUST
Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(B)(5)
Registration No. 333-122306
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To prospectus dated February 3, 2005)
3,400,000 Shares
6.625% SERIES I CUMULATIVE REDEEMABLE PREFERRED
SHARES
(LIQUIDATION PREFERENCE $25.00 PER SHARE)
We are offering to the public 3,400,000 of our 6.625%
Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares.
Dividends on the Series I Preferred Shares will be
cumulative from the date of original issue and payable
quarterly, beginning on October 1, 2005, at the rate of
6.625% of the liquidation preference per annum, or
$1.65625 per Series I Preferred Share per
annum.
Except in instances relating to preservation of our status
as a real estate investment trust, the Series I Preferred
Shares are not redeemable until August 31, 2010. On and
after August 31, 2010, we may redeem the Series I
Preferred Shares in whole at any time or in part from time to
time at a redemption price of $25.00 per share, plus any
accrued and unpaid dividends through the date of redemption. The
Series I Preferred Shares have no maturity date and will
remain outstanding indefinitely unless redeemed.
Our Series I Preferred Shares are listed on the New
York Stock Exchange under the symbol VNO Pr
I.
See Risk Factors beginning on page S-5 of
this prospectus supplement and page 4 of the accompanying
prospectus for a discussion of the risks relevant to an
investment in our Series I Preferred Shares.
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Per Share | |
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Total | |
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Public offering
price(1)
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$ |
25.000 |
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$ |
85,000,000 |
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Underwriting discount
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$ |
.375 |
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$ |
1,275,000 |
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Proceeds, before expenses, to us
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$ |
24.625 |
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$ |
83,725,000 |
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(1) |
Plus accrued dividends from, but excluding, August 31,
2005. |
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state
securities commission has approved or disapproved of these
securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The Series I Preferred Shares will be ready for delivery
in book-entry form through The Depository Trust Company on or
about September 15, 2005.
MERRILL LYNCH & CO.
The date of this prospectus supplement is September 13,
2005.
You
should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by
reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying
prospectus. We have not, and the underwriter has not, authorized
any other person to provide you with different information. If
anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information,
you should not rely on it. We are not, and the underwriter is
not, making an offer to sell these securities in any
jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You
should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus
supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents
incorporated by reference is accurate only as of their
respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of
operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT |
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S-1 |
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S-2 |
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S-3 |
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S-15 |
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S-15 |
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S-15 |
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S-23 |
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S-25 |
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S-27 |
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S-27 |
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PROSPECTUS |
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus
contain forward-looking statements with respect to our financial
condition, results of operations and business. These statements
may be made directly in this document or they may be made part
of this document by reference to other documents filed with the
SEC, which is known as incorporation by reference.
You can find many of these statements by looking for words such
as believes, expects,
anticipates, will, would,
may, intends, plans or
similar expressions in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus or the documents incorporated by
reference.
These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous
assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Factors that may cause
actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by
the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to,
those set forth under the caption Risk Factors in
this prospectus supplement and in the accompanying prospectus
and also in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/ A for the year
ended December 31, 2004 under Item 1.
Business Certain Factors That May Adversely Affect Our
Business and Operations, as well as the following
possibilities:
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national, regional and local economic conditions; |
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consequences of any armed conflict involving, or terrorist
attack against, the United States; |
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our ability to secure adequate insurance; |
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local conditions such as an oversupply of space or a reduction
in demand for real estate in the area; |
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competition from other available space; |
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whether tenants consider a property attractive; |
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the financial condition of our tenants, including the extent of
tenant bankruptcies or defaults; |
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whether we are able to pass some or all of any increased
operating costs through to our tenants; |
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how well we manage our properties; |
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the performance of our investments; |
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fluctuations in interest rates; |
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changes in real estate taxes and other expenses; |
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changes in market rental rates; |
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the timing and costs associated with property improvements and
rentals; |
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changes in taxation or zoning laws; |
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government regulation; |
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Vornado Realty Trusts failure to continue to qualify as a
real estate investment trust; |
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availability of financing on acceptable terms or at all; |
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potential liability under environmental or other laws or
regulations; and |
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general competitive factors. |
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance.
They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our future
results, financial condition and business may differ materially
from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Many
of the factors that will determine these items are beyond our
ability to control or predict. For these statements, we claim
the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements
contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of
this prospectus supplement or, if applicable, the date of the
applicable document incorporated by reference.
i
All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements
attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are
expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary
statements contained or referred to in this section. We do not
undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to
our forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances after the date of this prospectus supplement or to
reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For more
information on the uncertainty of forward-looking statements,
see Risk Factors beginning on page S-5 of this
prospectus supplement and on page 4 in the accompanying
prospectus and also in Item 1. Business Certain
Factors That May Adversely Affect Our Business and
Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/ A for
the year ended December 31, 2004. The discussion under
Risk Factors in this prospectus supplement updates,
and to the extent inconsistent therewith supersedes, the
discussion under Risk Factors in the accompanying
prospectus and the discussion under Item 1.
Business Certain Factors That May Adversely Affect Our
Business and Operations in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K/ A for the year ended December 31, 2004.
ii
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY
The following information may not contain all the information
that may be important to you. You should read this entire
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, as well
as the documents incorporated by reference in the accompanying
prospectus, before making an investment decision. All references
to we, our, us and
Vornado in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus mean Vornado Realty Trust and its
consolidated subsidiaries, except where it is clear that the
term means only the parent company. All references to the
Operating Partnership in this prospectus supplement
and the accompanying prospectus mean Vornado Realty L.P. Unless
indicated otherwise, all references to areas of properties
provided in square feet or cubic feet in this prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus are
approximations.
VORNADO AND THE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP
We are a fully integrated real estate investment trust organized
under the laws of Maryland. We conduct our business through, and
substantially all of our interests in properties are held by,
the Operating Partnership. We are the sole general partner of,
and owned an approximately 88.4% of the common limited
partnership interest in, the Operating Partnership as of
June 30, 2005.
Vornado Realty Trust, through the Operating Partnership,
currently owns directly or indirectly:
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all or portions of 86 office properties aggregating
approximately 27.5 million square feet in the New York City
metropolitan area (primarily Manhattan) and in the Washington,
DC and Northern Virginia area; |
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96 retail center properties in seven states and Puerto Rico
aggregating approximately 14.0 million square feet,
including 2.8 million square feet built by tenants on land
leased from us; |
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Merchandise Mart Properties: |
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9.0 million square feet, including the 3.4 million
square foot Merchandise Mart in Chicago; |
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Temperature Controlled Logistics: |
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a 47.6% interest in AmeriCold Realty Trust, which owns and
operates 101 cold storage warehouses nationwide; |
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Other Real Estate Investments: |
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33% of the outstanding common stock of Alexanders, Inc.; |
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the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City, consisting of a hotel
portion containing 1 million square feet with 1,700 rooms
and a commercial portion containing 0.4 million square feet
of retail and office space; |
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a 22.5% interest in The Newkirk Master Limited Partnership,
which owns office, retail and industrial properties and various
debt interests in those properties; |
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seven dry warehouse/industrial properties in New Jersey
containing approximately 1.5 million square feet; |
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loans secured by real estate and loans to real estate
companies; and |
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other investments and marketable securities including a 12.22%
interest in GMH Communities L.P. (a student and military housing
REIT), and 2,763,000 shares of Sears Holdings Corporation. |
Our principal executive offices are located at 888 Seventh
Avenue, New York, New York 10019, and our telephone number is
(212) 894-7000.
S-1
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
On July 21, 2005, a joint venture owned equally by Vornado
Realty Trust, Bain Capital Partners LLC and Kohlberg Kravis
Roberts & Co. acquired Toys R Us, Inc.
(NYSE: TOY) for $26.75 per share in cash, or approximately
$6.6 billion. In connection therewith, Vornado Realty Trust
provided $428,000,000 of the $1.3 billion of equity to the
venture, consisting of $407.0 million in cash and
$21.0 million in Toys R Us common stock held by
Vornado Realty Trust. This investment will be accounted for
under the equity method of accounting. Because Toys
R Us prepares its financial statements based on a
January 31 fiscal year-end, Vornado Realty Trust will record its
pro-rata share of Toys R Us net income or loss on a
one-quarter lag basis. Accordingly, Vornado Realty Trust will
record its pro-rata share of Toys R Us financial
results for the third quarter ended October 29, 2005 in
Vornado Realty Trusts quarter ended December 31, 2005.
On August 18, 2005, Vornado Realty L.P. announced that it
had called for redemption its 8.25% Series D-5, D-6, D-7
and D-8 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units. The Preferred
Units are expected to be redeemed on September 19, 2005 at
a redemption price equal to $25.00 per unit, or an
aggregate of $372.0 million plus accrued distributions. In
conjunction with the redemption, we will write-off
$10.4 million of issuance costs in the third quarter of
this year.
S-2
THE OFFERING
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Issuer |
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Vornado Realty Trust. |
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Shares Offered |
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3,400,000 of our Series I Preferred Shares. |
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Dividends |
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Dividends on each Series I Preferred Share will be
cumulative from the date of original issue and are payable
quarterly in arrears on January 1, April 1,
July 1 and October 1 of each year, commencing
October 1, 2005, at the rate of 6.625% of the liquidation
preference per annum, or $1.65625 per Series I
Preferred Share per annum. |
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Liquidation Preference |
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$25.00 per share, plus an amount equal to accrued and
unpaid dividends (whether or not earned or declared). |
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Maturity |
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The Series I Preferred Shares have no maturity date, and we
are not required to redeem the Series I Preferred Shares.
Accordingly, the Series I Preferred Shares will remain
outstanding indefinitely, unless we decide to redeem them. We
are not required to set aside funds to redeem the Series I
Preferred Shares. |
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Ranking |
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The Series I Preferred Shares rank senior to our common
shares and any other junior shares that we may issue in the
future, and on parity with our Series A Convertible
Preferred Shares, Series D-10 Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares, Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred
Shares, Series F Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares,
Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares,
Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares and any
other parity shares that we may issue in the future, in each
case with respect to payment of dividends and distribution of
assets upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up. We intend to
contribute the net proceeds from the offering to the Operating
Partnership in exchange for preferred units in the Operating
Partnership (with economic terms that mirror the terms of the
Series I Preferred Shares). These preferred units rank, as
to distributions and upon liquidation, senior to the
Class A Common Units of limited partnership interest in the
Operating Partnership and on parity with the preferred units in
the Operating Partnership. |
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Conversion Rights |
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The Series I Preferred Shares are not convertible into or
exchangeable for any property or any of our other securities. |
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Redemption at Option of Vornado |
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Except in instances relating to preservation of our status as a
real estate investment trust, the Series I Preferred Shares
are not redeemable until August 31, 2010. On and after
August 31, 2010, we may redeem the Series I Preferred
Shares, in whole at any time or in part from time to time, at a
redemption price of $25.00 per share, plus any accrued and
unpaid dividends through the date of redemption. The
Series I Preferred Shares have no maturity date and will
remain outstanding indefinitely unless redeemed. |
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Voting Rights |
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You will generally have no voting rights. However, if dividends
on the Series I Preferred Shares are in arrears for six
quarterly dividend periods (whether or not consecutive), the
holders of the Series I Preferred Shares (voting separately
as a class with holders of all other series of parity preferred
stock upon which like voting |
S-3
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rights have been conferred and are exercisable) will have the
right to elect two additional trustees to serve on our Board of
Trustees until such dividend arrearage is eliminated. In
addition, certain changes that would be material and adverse to
the rights of holders of the Series I Preferred Shares
cannot be made without the affirmative vote of holders of at
least two-thirds of the outstanding Series I Preferred
Shares and all other series of parity preferred shares upon
which like voting rights have been conferred and are
exercisable, voting as a single class. If any such changes would
be material and adverse to holders of some but not all series of
parity preferred shares, a vote of at least two-thirds of the
holders of only the series materially and adversely affected
would be required. |
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Listing |
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Our Series I Preferred Shares are listed on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol VNO Pr I. |
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Use of Proceeds |
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We will contribute the net proceeds from this offering to the
Operating Partnership in exchange for Preferred Units of the
Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership will use the
proceeds for general business purposes, which may include
payment of the redemption price for preferred units called for
redemption. |
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Restrictions on Ownership |
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In order to maintain our qualification as a real estate
investment trust for federal income tax purposes, ownership by
any person of more than 9.9% of the outstanding preferred shares
of any class is prohibited by our Amended and Restated
Declaration of Trust. |
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Settlement Date |
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Delivery of the shares of Series I Preferred Shares will be
made against payment therefor on or about September 15,
2005. |
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Form |
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The Series I Preferred Shares will be maintained in
book-entry form registered in the name of the nominee of The
Depository Trust Company, except under limited circumstances. |
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Risk Factors |
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See Risk Factors beginning on page S-5 of this
prospectus supplement and on page 4 of the accompanying
prospectus, as well as Item 1. Business Certain
Factors That May Adversely Affect The Companys Business
and Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/ A
for the year ended December 31, 2004, for a discussion of
certain considerations relevant to an investment in our
Series I Preferred Shares. The discussion under Risk
Factors in this prospectus supplement updates, and to the
extent inconsistent therewith supersedes, the discussion under
Risk Factors in the accompanying prospectus and the
discussion under Item 1. Business Certain
Factors That May Adversely Affect Our Business and
Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/ A for
the year ended December 31, 2004. |
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Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges |
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See Consolidated Ratios of Earnings to Combined Fixed
Charges and Preferred Share Dividend Requirements on
page S-15 of this prospectus supplement. |
S-4
RISK FACTORS
An investment in our Series I Preferred Shares involves
risks. You should carefully consider, among other factors, the
matters described below before deciding to purchase our
Series I Preferred Shares.
Real Estate Investments Value and Income Fluctuate Due
to Various Factors.
The value of real estate fluctuates depending on conditions in
the general economy and the real estate business. These
conditions may also limit our revenues and available cash.
The factors that affect the value of our real estate include,
among other things:
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national, regional and local economic conditions; |
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consequences of any armed conflict involving, or terrorist
attack against, the United States; |
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our ability to secure adequate insurance; |
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local conditions such as an oversupply of space or a reduction
in demand for real estate in the area; |
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competition from other available space; |
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whether tenants consider a property attractive; |
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the financial condition of our tenants, including the extent of
tenant bankruptcies or defaults; |
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whether we are able to pass some or all of any increased
operating costs through to our tenants; |
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how well we manage our properties; |
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the performance of our investments; |
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fluctuations in interest rates; |
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changes in real estate taxes and other expenses; |
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changes in market rental rates; |
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the timing and costs associated with property improvements and
rentals; |
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changes in taxation or zoning laws; |
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government regulation; |
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Vornado Realty Trusts failure to continue to qualify as a
real estate investment trust; |
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availability of financing on acceptable terms or at all; |
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potential liability under environmental or other laws or
regulations; and |
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general competitive factors. |
The rents we receive and the occupancy levels at our properties
may decline as a result of adverse changes in any of these and
other factors. If our rental revenues decline, we generally
would expect to have less cash available to pay our indebtedness
and distribute to our shareholders. In addition, some of our
major expenses, including mortgage payments, real estate taxes
and maintenance costs, generally do not decline when the related
rents decline.
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We Depend on Leasing Space to Tenants on Economically
Favorable Terms and Collecting Rent from our Tenants, Who May
Not be Able to Pay. |
Our financial results depend significantly on leasing space in
our properties to tenants on economically favorable terms. In
addition, because a substantial majority of our income comes
from the renting of real property, our income, funds available
to pay indebtedness and funds available for distribution to our
shareholders will decrease if a significant number of our
tenants cannot pay their rent. If a tenant does not pay
S-5
its rent, we might not be able to enforce our rights as landlord
without delays and might incur substantial legal costs. For
information regarding the bankruptcy of our tenants, see
Bankruptcy or insolvency of tenants may decrease our
revenues and available cash below.
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Bankruptcy or Insolvency of Tenants May Decrease our
Revenues and Available Cash. |
A number of companies, including some of our tenants, have
declared bankruptcy in recent years, and other tenants may
declare bankruptcy or become insolvent in the future. If a major
tenant declares bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the rental
property where it leases space may have lower revenues and
operational difficulties, and, in the case of our shopping
centers, we may have difficulty leasing the remainder of the
affected property. Our leases generally do not contain
restrictions designed to ensure the creditworthiness of our
tenants. As a result, the bankruptcy or insolvency of a major
tenant could result in a lower level of funds from operations
available for distribution to our shareholders or the payment of
our indebtedness.
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Real Estate is a Competitive Business. |
Our business segments Office, Retail, Merchandise Mart
Properties, Temperature Controlled Logistics and Other
operate in highly competitive environments. We have a large
concentration of properties in the New York City metropolitan
area and in the Washington, DC and Northern Virginia area. We
compete with a large number of real estate property owners and
developers. Principal factors of competition are rent charged,
attractiveness of location, the quality of the property and
breadth and quality of services provided. Our success depends
upon, among other factors, trends of the national and local
economies, financial condition and operating results of current
and prospective tenants and customers, availability and cost of
capital, construction and renovation costs, taxes, governmental
regulations, legislation and population trends.
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We May Incur Costs to Comply With Environmental
Laws. |
Our operations and properties are subject to various federal,
state and local laws and regulations concerning the protection
of the environment, including air and water quality, hazardous
or toxic substances and health and safety. Under certain of
these environmental laws a current or previous owner or operator
of real estate may be required to investigate and clean up
hazardous or toxic substances released at a property. The owner
or operator may also be held liable to a governmental entity or
to third parties for property damage or personal injuries and
for investigation and cleanup costs incurred by those parties
because of the contamination. These laws often impose liability
without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of the
release of the substances or caused the release. The presence of
contamination or the failure to remediate contamination may
impair our ability to sell or lease real estate or to borrow
using the real estate as collateral. Other laws and regulations
govern indoor and outdoor air quality, including those that can
require the abatement or removal of asbestos-containing
materials in the event of damage, demolition, renovation or
remodeling and also govern emissions of and exposure to asbestos
fibers in the air. The maintenance and removal of lead paint and
certain electrical equipment containing polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) and underground storage tanks are also
regulated by federal and state laws. We could incur fines for
environmental compliance and be held liable for the costs of
remedial action with respect to the foregoing regulated
substances or tanks or related claims arising out of
environmental contamination or exposure at or from our
properties.
Each of our properties has been subjected to varying degrees of
environmental assessment at various times. The environmental
assessments did not reveal any environmental condition material
to our business. However, identification of new compliance
concerns or undiscovered areas of contamination, changes in the
extent or known scope of contamination, discovery of additional
sites, human exposure to the contamination or changes in cleanup
or compliance requirements could result in significant costs to
us.
S-6
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Some of our Potential Losses May Not Be Covered by
Insurance. |
We carry comprehensive liability and all risk property insurance
((i) fire, (ii) flood, (iii) extended coverage,
(iv) acts of terrorism as defined in the
Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002, which expires in 2005, and
(v) rental loss insurance) with respect to our assets.
Below is a summary of the all risk property insurance and
terrorism risk insurance for each of our business segments:
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Coverage Per Occurrence | |
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Sub-limits for | |
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Acts of | |
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All Risk(1) | |
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Terrorism | |
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New York Office
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$ |
1,400,000,000 |
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$ |
750,000,000 |
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Washington, DC Office
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$ |
1,400,000,000 |
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$ |
750,000,000 |
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Retail
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$ |
500,000,000 |
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$ |
500,000,000 |
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Merchandise Mart
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$ |
1,400,000,000 |
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$ |
750,000,000 |
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Temperature Controlled Logistics
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$ |
225,000,000 |
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$ |
225,000,000 |
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(1) |
Limited as to terrorism insurance by the sub-limit shown in the
adjacent column. |
In addition to the coverage above, we carry lesser amounts of
coverage for terrorist acts not covered by the Terrorism Risk
Insurance Act of 2002. To the extent that we incur losses in
excess of our insurance coverage, these losses would be borne by
us and could be material.
Our debt instruments, consisting of mortgage loans secured by
our properties (which are generally non-recourse to us), Vornado
Realty L.P.s senior unsecured notes due 2007, 2009 and
2010, the exchangeable senior debentures due 2025 and our
revolving credit agreement, contain customary covenants
requiring us to maintain insurance. Although we believe that we
have adequate insurance coverage under these agreements, we may
not be able to obtain an equivalent amount of coverage at
reasonable costs in the future. Further, if lenders insist on
greater coverage than we are able to obtain, or if the Terrorism
Risk Insurance Act of 2002 is not extended, it could adversely
affect our ability to finance and/or refinance our properties
and expand our portfolio.
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Our Investments Are Concentrated in the New York City/ New
Jersey and Washington DC Metropolitan Areas. Circumstances
Affecting These Areas Generally Could Adversely Affect Our
Business. |
A significant proportion of our properties are in the New York
City/ New Jersey and Washington, DC metropolitan areas and are
affected by the economic cycles and risks inherent to those
regions.
During 2004, 64.2% of our EBITDA, excluding items that affect
comparability, came from properties located in New Jersey and
the New York City and Washington, DC metropolitan areas. In
addition, we may continue to concentrate a significant portion
of our future acquisitions in New York City/ New Jersey and
Washington, DC metropolitan areas. Like other real estate
markets, the real estate markets in these areas have experienced
economic downturns in the past, and we cannot predict how
economic conditions will impact these markets in both the short
and long-term. Declines in the economy or a decline in the real
estate markets in these areas could hurt our financial
performance and the value of our properties. The factors
affecting economic conditions in these regions include:
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space needs of the United States Government, including the
effects of base closures and repositioning under the Defense
Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990, as amended; |
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business layoffs or downsizing; |
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industry slowdowns; |
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relocations of businesses; |
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changing demographics; |
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increased telecommuting and use of alternative work places; |
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financial performance and productivity of the publishing,
advertising, financial, technology, retail, insurance and real
estate industries; |
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infrastructure quality; and |
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any oversupply of or reduced demand for real estate. |
It is impossible for us to assess the future effects of the
current uncertain trends in the economic and investment climates
of the New York City/ New Jersey and Washington, DC regions and,
more generally, of the United States, or the real estate markets
in these areas. If these conditions persist or if any local,
national or global economic recovery is of a short-term nature,
our business and future profitability may be adversely affected.
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Terrorist Attacks Such as Those of September 11, 2001
in the New York City and the Washington, DC Areas May Adversely
Affect the Value of Our Properties and Our Ability to Generate
Cash Flow. |
We have significant investments in large metropolitan areas,
including the New York/ New Jersey, Washington, DC and Chicago
metropolitan areas. In the aftermath of any terrorist attacks,
tenants in such areas may choose to relocate their business to
less-populated, lower-profile areas of the United States that
may be perceived to be less likely targets of future terrorist
activity. This in turn would trigger a decrease in the demand
for space in these areas, which could increase vacancies in our
properties and force us to lease our properties on less
favorable terms. As a result, the value of our properties and
the level of our revenues could decline materially.
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We May Acquire or Sell Additional Assets or Develop
Additional Properties. Our Failure or Inability to Consummate
These Transactions or Manage the Results of These Transactions
Could Adversely Affect Our Operations and Financial
Results. |
We have grown rapidly through acquisitions. We may not be able
to maintain this rapid growth, and our failure to do so could
adversely affect our stock price.
We have experienced rapid growth in recent years, increasing our
total assets from approximately $565 million at
December 31, 1996 to approximately $11.6 billion at
December 31, 2004. We may not be able to maintain a similar
rate of growth in the future or manage our growth effectively.
Our failure to do so may have a material adverse effect on our
financial condition and results of operations and ability to pay
dividends to our shareholders.
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We May Acquire or Develop New Properties and This May
Create Risks. |
We may acquire or develop properties or acquire other real
estate companies when we believe that an acquisition or
development is consistent with our business strategies. We may
not, however, succeed in consummating desired acquisitions or in
completing developments on time or within budget. We also may
not succeed in leasing newly developed or acquired properties at
rents sufficient to cover their costs of acquisition or
development and operations. Difficulties in integrating
acquisitions may prove costly or time-consuming and could divert
managements attention.
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It May Be Difficult to Buy and Sell Real Estate
Quickly. |
Real estate investments are relatively difficult to buy and sell
quickly. Consequently, we may have limited ability to vary our
portfolio promptly in response to changes in economic or other
conditions.
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We May Not Be Permitted to Dispose of Certain Properties
or Pay Down the Debt Associated With Those Properties When We
Might Otherwise Desire to Do So Without Incurring Additional
Costs. |
As part of an acquisition of a property, including our
January 1, 2002 acquisition of Charles E. Smith Commercial
Realty L.P.s 13.0 million square foot portfolio, we
may agree, and in the case of Charles E.
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Smith Commercial Realty L.P. did agree, with the seller that we
will not dispose of the acquired properties or reduce the
mortgage indebtedness on them for significant periods of time
unless we pay certain of the resulting tax costs of the seller.
These agreements could result in our holding on to properties
that we would otherwise sell and not paying down or refinancing
indebtedness that we would otherwise pay down or refinance.
On January 1, 2002, we completed the acquisition of the 66%
interest in Charles E. Smith Commercial Realty L.P. that we did
not previously own. The terms of the merger restrict our ability
to sell or otherwise dispose of, or to finance or refinance, the
properties formerly owned by Charles E. Smith Commercial Realty
L.P., which could result in our inability to sell these
properties at an opportune time and without increased costs to
us.
Subject to limited exceptions, we are restricted from selling or
otherwise transferring or disposing of certain properties
located in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia or an
interest in our division that manages the majority of our office
properties in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, which we
refer to as the CESCR Division, for a period of 12 years
with respect to certain properties located in the Crystal City
area of Arlington, Virginia or six years with respect to an
interest in the CESCR Division. These restrictions, which
currently cover approximately 13.0 million square feet of
space, could result in our inability to sell these properties or
an interest in the CESCR Division at an opportune time and
without increased costs to us.
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From Time to Time We Make Investments in Companies That We
Do Not Control. Some of These Companies Operate in Industries
That Differ From the Industries in Which We Currently Conduct
Business, With Different Risks Than Investing in Real
Estate. |
From time to time we make debt or equity investments in
companies that we may not control or over which we may not have
sole control. These investments include: a 33% interest in
Alexanders, Inc.; a 22.5% interest in The Newkirk Master
Limited Partnership; a 12.22% interest in GMH Communities L.P.;
a 1.7% common equity interest in Sears Holdings Corporation; and
mezzanine investments in other real estate related companies. In
addition, on July 21, 2005, a joint venture that we own
equally with Bain Capital and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts &
Co. acquired Toys R Us, Inc. Although they generally
have a significant real estate component, several of these
entities operate businesses that are different from our primary
line of business. Consequently, our investment in these
businesses, among other risks, subjects us to the operating and
financial risks of industries other than the real estate
industry as well as not being able to solely control the
operations of these businesses. From time to time we may (or may
seek to) make additional investments in or acquire other
entities that may subject us to additional similar risks.
Our Organizational and Financial Structure Gives Rise to
Operational and Financial Risks.
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We May Not Be Able to Obtain Capital to Make
Investments. |
We depend primarily on external financing to fund the growth of
our business. This is because one of the requirements of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for a REIT is that it
distribute 90% of its net taxable income, excluding net capital
gains, to its shareholders (there is a separate requirement to
distribute net capital gains or pay a corporate level tax in
lieu thereof). Our access to debt or equity financing depends on
the willingness of third parties to lend to us or make equity
investments in us and on conditions in the capital markets
generally. We and other companies in the real estate industry
have experienced limited availability of financing from time to
time. Although we believe that we will be able to finance any
investments we may wish to make in the foreseeable future, new
financing may not be available on acceptable terms.
For information about our available sources of funds, see
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations Liquidity and Capital
Resources in our annual report on Form 10-K/ A for
the year ended December 31, 2004 and in our quarterly
report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30,
2005 and the notes to the consolidated financial statements in
the same reports.
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Vornado Realty Trust Depends on its Direct and
Indirect Subsidiaries Dividends and Distributions, and
These Subsidiaries Creditors and Preferred Security
Holders are Entitled to Payment of Amounts Payable to Them By
the Subsidiaries Before the Subsidiaries May Pay Any Dividends
or Distributions to Vornado Realty Trust. |
Substantially all of Vornado Realty Trusts assets are held
through its Operating Partnership which holds substantially all
of its properties and assets through subsidiaries. The Operating
Partnership therefore depends for substantially all of its cash
flow on cash distributions to it by its subsidiaries, and
Vornado Realty Trust in turn depends for substantially all of
its cash flow on cash distributions to it by the Operating
Partnership. The creditors of each of Vornado Realty
Trusts direct and indirect subsidiaries are entitled to
payment of that subsidiarys obligations to them, when due
and payable, before distributions may be made by that subsidiary
to its equity holders. In addition, Vornado Realty Trusts
participation in any distribution of the assets of any of its
direct or indirect subsidiaries upon the liquidation,
reorganization or insolvency of the subsidiary, is only after
the claims of the creditors, including trade creditors and
preferred security holders, if any, of the subsidiary are
satisfied.
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We Have Indebtedness, and This Indebtedness May
Increase. |
As of June 30, 2005, we had approximately
$5.635 billion in total debt outstanding. Our ratio of
total debt to total enterprise value was approximately 32%. When
we say enterprise value in the preceding sentence,
we mean market equity value of Vornado Realty Trust plus debt
less cash. In the future, we may incur additional debt, and thus
increase our ratio of total debt to total enterprise value, to
finance acquisitions or property developments.
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Vornado Realty Trust Might Fail to Qualify or Remain
Qualified As a REIT. |
Although we believe that we will remain organized and will
continue to operate so as to qualify as a REIT for federal
income tax purposes, we might fail to remain qualified in this
way. Qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes is
governed by highly technical and complex provisions of the
Internal Revenue Code for which there are only limited judicial
or administrative interpretations. Our qualification as a REIT
also depends on various facts and circumstances that are not
entirely within our control. In addition, legislation, new
regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions
might significantly change the tax laws with respect to the
requirements for qualification as a REIT or the federal income
tax consequences of qualification as a REIT.
If, with respect to any taxable year, Vornado Realty Trust fails
to maintain its qualification as a REIT and does not qualify
under statutory relief provisions, it could not deduct
distributions to shareholders in computing its taxable income
and would have to pay federal income tax on its taxable income
at regular corporate rates. The federal income tax payable would
include any applicable alternative minimum tax. If Vornado
Realty Trust had to pay federal income tax, the amount of money
available to distribute to shareholders and pay its indebtedness
would be reduced for the year or years involved, and Vornado
Realty Trust would no longer be required to distribute money to
shareholders. In addition, Vornado Realty Trust would also be
disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years
following the year during which qualification was lost, unless
it was entitled to relief under the relevant statutory
provisions. Although Vornado Realty Trust currently intends to
operate in a manner designed to allow it to qualify as a REIT,
future economic, market, legal, tax or other considerations may
cause it to revoke the REIT election or fail to qualify as a
REIT.
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Loss of Our Key Personnel Could Harm Our Operations and
Adversely Affect the Value of Our Shares. |
We are dependent on the efforts of Steven Roth, the Chairman of
the Board of Trustees and Chief Executive Officer of Vornado
Realty Trust, and Michael D. Fascitelli, the President of
Vornado Realty Trust. While we believe that we could find
replacements for these key personnel, the loss of their services
could harm our operations and adversely affect the value of our
shares.
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Vornado Realty Trusts Charter Documents and
Applicable Law May Hinder Any Attempt to Acquire Us. |
Generally, for Vornado Realty Trust to maintain its
qualification as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code, not
more than 50% in value of the outstanding shares of beneficial
interest of Vornado Realty Trust may be owned, directly or
indirectly, by five or fewer individuals at any time during the
last half of Vornado Realty Trusts taxable year. The
Internal Revenue Code defines individuals for
purposes of the requirement described in the preceding sentence
to include some types of entities. Under Vornado Realty
Trusts Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, as
amended, no person may own more than 6.7% of the outstanding
common shares or 9.9% of the outstanding preferred shares, with
some exceptions for persons who held common shares in excess of
the 6.7% limit before Vornado Realty Trust adopted the limit and
other persons approved by Vornado Realty Trusts Board of
Trustees. These restrictions on transferability and ownership
may delay, deter or prevent a change in control of Vornado
Realty Trust or other transaction that might involve a premium
price or otherwise be in the best interest of the shareholders.
We refer to Vornado Realty Trusts Amended and Restated
Declaration of Trust, as amended, as the declaration of
trust.
Vornado Realty Trusts Board of Trustees is divided into
three classes of trustees. Trustees of each class are chosen for
three-year staggered terms. Staggered terms of trustees may
reduce the possibility of a tender offer or an attempt to change
control of Vornado Realty Trust, even though a tender offer or
change in control might be in the best interest of Vornado
Realty Trusts shareholders.
Vornado Realty Trusts declaration of trust authorizes the
Board of Trustees to:
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cause Vornado Realty Trust to issue additional authorized but
unissued common shares or preferred shares; |
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classify or reclassify, in one or more series, any unissued
preferred shares; |
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set the preferences, rights and other terms of any classified or
reclassified shares that Vornado Realty Trust issues; and |
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increase, without shareholder approval, the aggregate number of
shares of beneficial interest or the number of shares of
beneficial interest of any class that Vornado Realty Trust may
issue. |
The Board of Trustees could establish a series of preferred
shares whose terms could delay, deter or prevent a change in
control of Vornado Realty Trust or other transaction that might
involve a premium price or otherwise be in the best interest of
Vornado Realty Trusts shareholders, although the Board of
Trustees does not currently intend to establish a series of
preferred shares of this kind. Vornado Realty Trusts
declaration of trust and bylaws contain other provisions that
may delay, defer or prevent a change in control of Vornado
Realty Trust or other transaction that might involve a premium
price or otherwise be in the best interest of our shareholders.
Under the Maryland General Corporation Law, as amended, which we
refer to as the MGCL, as applicable to real estate
investment trusts, certain business combinations,
including certain mergers, consolidations, share exchanges and
asset transfers and certain issuances and reclassifications of
equity securities, between a Maryland real estate investment
trust and any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the
voting power of the trusts shares or an affiliate or an
associate, as defined in the MGCL, of the trust who, at any time
within the two-year period before the date in question, was the
beneficial owner of ten percent or more of the voting power of
the then outstanding voting shares of beneficial interest of the
trust, which we refer to as an interested
shareholder, or an affiliate of the interested shareholder
are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on
which the interested shareholder becomes an interested
shareholder. After that five-year period, any business
combination of these kinds must be recommended by the board of
trustees of the trust and approved by the affirmative vote of at
least (a) 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders
of outstanding shares of beneficial interest of the trust and
(b) two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders
of voting shares of the trust other than shares held by the
interested shareholder with whom, or with whose affiliate, the
business combination is to be effected, unless, among other
conditions, the trusts common shareholders receive a
minimum price, as defined in the MGCL, for their shares and the
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consideration is received in cash or in the same form as
previously paid by the interested shareholder for its common
shares. The provisions of the MGCL do not apply, however, to
business combinations that are approved or exempted by the board
of trustees of the applicable trust before the interested
shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, and a person is
not an interested shareholder if the board of trustees approved
in advance the transaction by which the person otherwise would
have become an interested shareholder. In approving a
transaction, the board may provide that its approval is subject
to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms
and conditions determined by the board. Vornado Realty
Trusts board has adopted a resolution exempting any
business combination between any trustee or officer of Vornado
Realty Trust, or their affiliates, and Vornado Realty Trust. As
a result, the trustees and officers of Vornado Realty Trust and
their affiliates may be able to enter into business combinations
with Vornado Realty Trust which may not be in the best interest
of shareholders. With respect to business combinations with
other persons, the business combination provisions of the MGCL
may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a
change in control of Vornado Realty Trust or other transaction
that might involve a premium price or otherwise be in the best
interest of the shareholders. The business combination statute
may discourage others from trying to acquire control of Vornado
Realty Trust and increase the difficulty of consummating any
offer.
Our Ownership Structure and Related-Party Transactions May
Give Rise to Conflicts of Interest.
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Steven Roth and Interstate Properties May Exercise
Substantial Influence Over Us. They and Some of Our Other
Trustees and Officers Have Interests or Positions in Other
Entities That May Compete
With Us. |
As of June 30, 2005, Interstate Properties, a New Jersey
general partnership, and its partners owned approximately 13.5%
of the common shares of Vornado Realty Trust and approximately
27.7% of the common stock of Alexanders, Inc.
(Alexanders) Steven Roth, David Mandelbaum and
Russell B. Wight, Jr. are the three partners of Interstate
Properties. Mr. Roth is the Chairman of the Board and Chief
Executive Officer of Vornado Realty Trust, the managing general
partner of Interstate Properties and the Chairman of the Board
and Chief Executive Officer of Alexanders. Mr. Wight
is a trustee of Vornado Realty Trust and is also a director of
Alexanders. Mr. Mandelbaum is a trustee of Vornado
Realty Trust and is also a director of Alexanders.
As of June 30, 2005, Vornado Realty L.P., our operating
partnership, owned 33% of the outstanding common stock of
Alexanders. Alexanders is a REIT engaged in leasing,
managing, developing and redeveloping properties, focusing
primarily on the locations where its department stores operated
before it ceased operations in 1992. Alexanders has six
properties, which are located in the New York City metropolitan
area. Mr. Roth and Mr. Fascitelli, the President and a
trustee of Vornado Realty Trust, are directors of
Alexanders. Messrs. Mandelbaum, West and Wight are
trustees of Vornado Realty Trust and are also directors of
Alexanders.
Because of these overlapping interests, Mr. Roth and
Interstate Properties and its partners may have substantial
influence over Vornado Realty Trust and Alexanders and on
the outcome of any matters submitted to Vornado Realty Trust or
Alexanders shareholders for approval. In addition, certain
decisions concerning our operations or financial structure may
present conflicts of interest among Messrs. Roth,
Mandelbaum and Wight and Interstate Properties and our other
equity or debt holders. In addition, Mr. Roth and
Interstate Properties and its partners currently and may in the
future engage in a wide variety of activities in the real estate
business which may result in conflicts of interest with respect
to matters affecting us or Alexanders, such as which of
these entities or persons, if any, may take advantage of
potential business opportunities, the business focus of these
entities, the types of properties and geographic locations in
which these entities make investments, potential competition
between business activities conducted, or sought to be
conducted, by us, Interstate Properties and Alexanders,
competition for properties and tenants, possible corporate
transactions such as acquisitions and other strategic decisions
affecting the future of these entities.
Vornado Realty Trust currently manages and leases the real
estate assets of Interstate Properties under a management
agreement for which it receives an annual fee equal to 4% of
base rent and percentage rent and
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certain other commissions. The management agreement has a term
of one year and is automatically renewable unless terminated by
either of the parties on 60 days notice at the end of
the term. Vornado Realty Trust earned $726,000, $703,000 and
$747,000 of management fees under the management agreement for
the years ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002 and
$382,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2005. Because
Vornado Realty Trust and Interstate Properties are controlled by
the same persons, as described above, the terms of the
management agreement and any future agreements between Vornado
Realty Trust and Interstate Properties may not be comparable to
those Vornado Realty Trust could have negotiated with an
unaffiliated third party.
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There May Be Conflicts of Interest Between
Alexanders and Us. |
As of June 30, 2005, the Operating Partnership owned 33% of
the outstanding common stock of Alexanders.
Alexanders is a REIT engaged in leasing, managing,
developing and redeveloping properties, focusing primarily on
the locations where its department stores operated before they
ceased operations in 1992. Alexanders has six properties.
Interstate Properties, which is further described above, and its
partners owned an additional 27.7% of the outstanding common
stock of Alexanders, as of September 30, 2004.
Mr. Roth, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
of Vornado Realty Trust, is Chief Executive Officer, a director
of Alexanders and managing general partner of Interstate,
and Mr. Fascitelli, President and a trustee of Vornado
Realty Trust, is President and a director of Alexanders.
Messrs. Mandelbaum, West and Wight, trustees of the
Company, are also directors of Alexanders and general
partners of Interstate. Alexanders common stock is listed
on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ALX.
The Operating Partnership manages, develops and leases the
Alexanders properties under management and development
agreements and leasing agreements under which the Operating
Partnership receives annual fees from Alexanders. These
agreements have a one-year term expiring in March of each year,
except that the Lexington Avenue management and development
agreements have a term lasting until substantial completion of
development of the Lexington Avenue property, and are all
automatically renewable. Because Vornado Realty Trust and
Alexanders share common senior management and because a
majority of the trustees of Vornado Realty Trust also constitute
the majority of the directors of Alexanders, the terms of
the foregoing agreements and any future agreements between us
and Alexanders may not be comparable to those we could
have negotiated with an unaffiliated third party.
For a description of Interstate Properties ownership of
Vornado Realty Trust and Alexanders, see Steven Roth
and Interstate Properties may exercise substantial influence
over us. They and some of our other trustees and officers have
interests or positions in other entities that may compete with
us above.
The Number of Shares of Vornado Realty Trust and the Market
for Those Shares Give Rise to Various Risks.
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Vornado Realty Trust Has Many Shares Available for
Future Sale, Which Could Hurt the Market Price of its
Shares. |
As of June 30, 2005, we had authorized but unissued,
69,191,435 common shares of beneficial interest,
$.04 par value, and 81,010,600 preferred shares of
beneficial interest, no par value, of which
40,081,264 preferred shares have not been reserved and
remain available for issuance as a newly-designated class of
preferred. We may issue these authorized but unissued shares
from time to time in public or private offerings or in
connection with acquisitions.
In addition, as of June 30, 2005, 22,374,844 Vornado
Realty Trust common shares were reserved for issuance upon
redemption of Operating Partnership common units (including,
without limitation, the shares covered by this prospectus). Some
of these shares may be sold in the public market after
registration under the Securities Act under registration rights
agreements between Vornado Realty Trust and some holders of
common units of the Operating Partnership. These shares may also
be sold in the public market under Rule 144 under the
Securities Act or other available exemptions from registration.
In addition, Vornado Realty Trust has reserved a number of
common shares for issuance under its employee benefit plans, and
these common shares will be available for sale from time to
time. Vornado Realty Trust has awarded shares of
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restricted stock and granted options to purchase additional
common shares to some of its executive officers and employees.
We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our common
shares, preferred shares or Operating Partnership common units,
or the perception that sales of common shares, preferred or
Operating Partnership common units could occur, will have on the
market prices for Vornado Realty Trusts shares.
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Changes in Market Conditions Could Hurt the Market Price
of Vornado Realty Trusts Shares. |
The value of Vornado Realty Trusts shares depends on
various market conditions, which may change from time to time.
Among the market conditions that may affect the value of Vornado
Realty Trusts shares are the following:
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the extent of institutional investor interest in us; |
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the reputation of REITs generally and the attractiveness of
their equity securities in comparison to other equity
securities, including securities issued by other real estate
companies, and fixed income securities; |
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our financial condition and performance; and |
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general financial market conditions. |
The stock market in recent years has experienced extreme price
and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or
disproportionate to the operating performance of companies.
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Increased Market Interest Rates May Hurt the Value of
Vornado Realty Trusts Shares. |
We believe that investors consider the distribution rate on REIT
shares, expressed as a percentage of the price of the shares,
relative to market interest rates as an important factor in
deciding whether to buy or sell the shares. If market interest
rates go up, prospective purchasers of REIT shares may expect a
higher distribution rate. Higher interest rates would likely
increase our borrowing costs and might decrease funds available
for distribution. Thus, higher market interest rates could cause
the market price of Vornado Realty Trusts shares to
decline.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
The net proceeds from the sale of the Series I Preferred
Shares are estimated to be approximately $83,475,000, after
deducting underwriting discounts and estimated offering expenses
payable by us.
We intend to contribute the net proceeds of this offering to the
Operating Partnership in exchange for 3,400,000 units of
6.625% Series I Preferred Units (the Series I
Preferred Units) in the Operating Partnership equal to the
number of Series I Preferred Shares offered and sold
hereby. The Operating Partnership will use the net proceeds from
that issuance for general business purposes which may include
redemption of outstanding preferred units called for redemption.
Pending such use, the net proceeds may be invested in short-term
income-producing investments. The Series I Preferred Units
have a distribution preference equal to the distribution
preference on the Series I Preferred Shares and rank, as to
distributions and upon liquidation, senior to the Class A
Common Units of limited partnership interest in the Operating
Partnership and on a parity with other preferred units in the
Operating Partnership. See Description of the
Series I Preferred Shares Ranking for
information about the ranking of the Series I Preferred
Units.
CONSOLIDATED RATIOS OF EARNINGS TO COMBINED FIXED CHARGES
AND PREFERRED SHARE DIVIDEND REQUIREMENTS
Our consolidated ratios of earnings to combined fixed charges
and preference dividends for each of the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 and the six
months ended June 30, 2005 were as follows:
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| |
|
| |
|
| |
Ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preference
dividends (unaudited)
|
|
|
1.52 |
|
|
|
1.56 |
|
|
|
1.68 |
|
|
|
1.87 |
|
|
|
2.35 |
|
|
|
2.68 |
|
For purposes of calculating these ratios, (a) earnings
represent income from continuing operations before income taxes,
plus fixed charges, and (b) fixed charges represent
interest expense on all indebtedness, including amortization of
deferred debt issuance costs, and the portion of operating lease
rental expense that management considers representative of the
interest factor, which is one-third of operating lease rentals.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SERIES I PREFERRED SHARES
The summary of certain terms and provisions of the 6.625%
Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares of
beneficial interest, with a liquidation preference of
$25.00 per share (the Series I Preferred
Shares), of Vornado Realty Trust contained in this
prospectus supplement does not purport to be complete and is
subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, the
terms and provisions of our Declaration of Trust, as amended and
restated (the Declaration of Trust), our Bylaws and
the Articles Supplementary setting forth the particular
terms of the Series I Preferred Shares (the
Articles Supplementary), copies of which are
filed or incorporated by reference as exhibits to the
registration statement of which this prospectus supplement and
the accompanying prospectus form a part and are available from
us. The following description of the particular terms of the
Series I Preferred Shares supplements, and to the extent
inconsistent with, replaces, the description of the general
terms and provisions of our preferred shares of beneficial
interest, no par value per share (Preferred Shares),
set forth in the accompanying prospectus.
General
The Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of up to
620,000,000 shares of beneficial interest, consisting of
200,000,000 common shares of beneficial interest,
$.04 par value per share, 110,000,000 preferred shares
of beneficial interest, no par value per share, and
310,000,000 excess shares, $.04 par value per share.
The Preferred Shares may be issued from time to time in one or
more series, without shareholder approval, with such
designations, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting
powers, restrictions, limitations as to
S-15
dividends, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption
thereof as established by our Board of Trustees.
As permitted by Maryland law, the Declaration of Trust
authorizes our Board of Trustees, without any action by our
shareholders, to amend the Declaration of Trust from time to
time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of
beneficial interest or the number of shares of beneficial
interest of any class that we are authorized to issue. The
effect of this provision in our Declaration of Trust is to
permit our Board of Trustees, without shareholder action, to
increase or decrease (a) the total number of authorized
shares of beneficial interest of Vornado Realty Trust and/or
(b) the number of authorized shares of beneficial interest
of any one or more classes. Maryland law permits a real estate
investment trust to have shares of beneficial interest that are
assigned to a particular class as well as shares that are not
assigned to a particular class but are available to be
classified by the Board of Trustees at a later time. Thus, the
total number of authorized shares of beneficial interest may
exceed the total number of authorized shares of all classes.
Currently, all of our authorized shares of beneficial interest
are assigned to one of the three classes set forth above.
On August 31, 2005, the Board of Trustees supplemented our
Declaration of Trust to classify 12,050,000 of our authorized
Preferred Shares as Series I Preferred Shares. Prior to the
completion of the offering, the Board of Trustees will authorize
the issuance of 3,400,000 Series I Preferred Shares. When
issued, the Series I Preferred Shares will be validly
issued, fully paid and nonassessable. The holders of
Series I Preferred Shares will have no preemptive rights
with respect to any shares of beneficial interest of Vornado
Realty Trust or any other securities of Vornado Realty Trust
convertible into or carrying rights or options to purchase any
such shares. The Series I Preferred Shares will not be
subject to any sinking fund and we have no obligation to redeem
or retire the Series I Preferred Shares. Unless redeemed by
us, the Series I Preferred Shares will have a perpetual
term, with no maturity.
Our income (including income available for distribution on the
Series I Preferred Shares) consists primarily of our share
of the income of the Operating Partnership, and our cash flow
consists primarily of our share of distributions from the
Operating Partnership. Distributions by the Operating
Partnership are determined by our Board of Trustees and are
dependent on a number of factors, including funds from
operations available for distribution, the Operating
Partnerships financial condition, any decision by our
Board of Trustees to reinvest funds rather than to distribute
such funds, the Operating Partnerships capital
expenditures, the annual distribution requirements under the
REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(the Code), and such other factors as our Board of
Trustees deems relevant. See Risk Factors Our
Organizational and Financial Structure Gives Rise to Operational
and Financial Risks on page S-9 and on page 8 in
the accompanying prospectus for further information regarding
the availability of income to us.
The Series I Preferred Shares are listed on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol VNO Pr I. See
Underwriting for a discussion of the expected
trading of the Series I Preferred Shares on the New York
Stock Exchange.
Ranking
The Series I Preferred Shares rank senior to the Junior
Shares (as defined under Dividends below),
including the Common Shares, with respect to payment of
dividends and amounts upon liquidation, dissolution or winding
up. While any Series I Preferred Shares are outstanding, we
may not authorize, create or increase the authorized amount of
any class or series of beneficial interest that ranks senior to
the Series I Preferred Shares with respect to the payment
of dividends or amounts upon liquidation, dissolution or winding
up without the consent of the holders of two-thirds of the
outstanding Series I Preferred Shares and all other shares
of Voting Preferred Shares (as defined under Voting
Rights below), voting as a single class. However, we may
create additional classes of beneficial interest, increase the
authorized number of Preferred Shares or issue series of
Preferred Shares ranking on a parity with the Series I
Preferred Shares with respect, in each case, to the payment of
dividends and amounts upon liquidation, dissolution or winding
up (Parity Shares) without the consent of any holder
of Series I Preferred Shares. See Voting
Rights below for a
S-16
discussion of the voting rights applicable if we seek to create
any class or series of beneficial interest senior to the
Series I Preferred Shares.
The following series of shares of beneficial interest are Parity
Shares with respect to each other:
|
|
|
|
|
$3.25 Series A Convertible Preferred Shares of Beneficial
Interest, liquidation preference $50.00 per share; |
|
|
|
8.5% Series D-1 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares of
Beneficial Interest, liquidation preference $25.00 per
share; |
|
|
|
8.375% Series D-2 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-3 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-4 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-5 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-6 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-7 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-8 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-9 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
7.00% Series D-10 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
7.2% Series D-11 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
6.55% Series D-12 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
6.75% Series D-14 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
7.00% Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
6.75% Series F Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
6.625% Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares; |
|
|
|
6.75% Series H Cumulative Redeemable Preferred
Shares; and |
|
|
|
6.625% Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares,
described in this prospectus supplement. |
As of June 30, 2005, 287,662 Series A Preferred
Shares, 1,600,000 Series D-10 Preferred Shares, 3,000,000
Series E Preferred Shares, 6,000,000 6.75% Series F
Preferred Shares, 8,000,000 6.625% Series G Preferred
Shares and 4,500,000 6.75% Series H Preferred Shares were
issued and outstanding. As of September 13, 2005, 7,400,000
Series I Preferred Shares were issued and outstanding. The
Series D Preferred Shares may be issued, at our option, to
satisfy requests for redemption of an equivalent number of units
of the Operating Partnership with terms that substantially
mirror the economic terms of the shares to be issued. The
Series A Preferred Shares are listed on the NYSE under the
symbol VNO Pr A, the Series E Preferred Shares
are listed on the NYSE under the symbol VNO Pr E,
the Series F Preferred Shares are listed on the NYSE under
the symbol VNO Pr F, the Series G Preferred
Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol VNO Pr
G, the Series H Preferred Shares are listed on the
NYSE under the symbol VNO Pr H and the Series I
Preferred Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol
VNO Pr I. No Series D-1, Series D-2,
Series D-3, Series D-4, Series D-5,
Series D-6, Series D-7, Series D-8,
Series D-9, Series D-11, Series D-12 or Series
D-14 Preferred Shares were issued and outstanding as of
June 30, 2005.
|
|
|
Ranking of Series I Preferred Units |
We intend to contribute the net proceeds of the offering of the
Series I Preferred Shares to the Operating Partnership in
exchange for a number of Series I Preferred Units equal to
the number of Series I Preferred Shares offered and sold
hereby. The Series I Preferred Units to be acquired by us
will substantially mirror the
S-17
economic terms of the Series I Preferred Shares and will
rank senior to the Class A Common Units of limited
partnership interest in the Operating Partnership with respect
to the payment of distributions and amounts upon liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of the Operating Partnership.
The Series I Preferred Units rank on parity with the
following classes of units of the Operating Partnership as well
as any other units issued in the future and designated as
Parity Units, in each case with respect to the
payment of distributions and amounts upon liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of the Operating Partnership, without
preference or priority of one over the other:
|
|
|
|
|
Series A Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
Series B Pass-Through Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
Series C Convertible Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
5.0% Series B-1 Convertible Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
8.0% Series B-2 Restricted Convertible Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
6.5% Series C-1 Convertible Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
8.5% Series D-1 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
8.375% Series D-2 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-3 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-4 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-5 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-6 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-7 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-8 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
8.25% Series D-9 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
7.00% Series D-10 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
7.20% Series D-11 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
6.55% Series D-12 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
3.00% Series D-13 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
6.75% Series D-14 Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
6.50% Series E-1 Convertible Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
7.00% Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
6.75% Series F Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
9.00% Series F-1 Preferred Units; |
|
|
|
6.625% Series G Preferred Units; and |
|
|
|
6.75% Series H Preferred Units. |
S-18
The following table summarizes the Operating Partnerships
outstanding preferred units as of June 30, 2005:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred | |
|
Conversion | |
|
|
|
|
Per Unit | |
|
or Annual | |
|
Rate Into | |
|
|
Number | |
|
Liquidation | |
|
Distribution | |
|
Class A | |
Unit Series |
|
of Units | |
|
Preference | |
|
Rate | |
|
Units | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Convertible Preferred:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Series A Preferred
|
|
|
287,662 |
|
|
$ |
50.00 |
|
|
$ |
3.25 |
|
|
|
1.38504 |
|
|
Series B-1 Preferred
|
|
|
563,263 |
|
|
$ |
50.00 |
|
|
$ |
2.50 |
|
|
|
.914 |
|
|
Series B-2 Preferred
|
|
|
304,761 |
|
|
$ |
50.00 |
|
|
$ |
4.00 |
|
|
|
.914 |
|
|
Series F-1 Preferred
|
|
|
400,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
2.25 |
|
|
|
(1 |
) |
|
Series D-13
Preferred(3)
|
|
|
1,867,311 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
0.75 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
Perpetual Preferred:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Series D-3
Preferred(2)
|
|
|
4,800,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
2.0625 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series D-4
Preferred(2)
|
|
|
5,000,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
2.0625 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series D-5
Preferred(2)
|
|
|
6,480,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
2.0625 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series D-6
Preferred(2)
|
|
|
840,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
2.0625 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series D-7
Preferred(2)
|
|
|
7,200,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
2.0625 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series D-8
Preferred(2)
|
|
|
360,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
2.0625 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series D-9
Preferred(2)
|
|
|
1,800,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
2.0625 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series D-10
Preferred(2)
|
|
|
4,800,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
1.75 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series D-11
Preferred(2)
|
|
|
1,400,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
1.80 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series D-12
Preferred(2)
|
|
|
800,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
1.6375 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series D-14
Preferred(2)(5)
|
|
|
4,000,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
1.6875 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series E
Preferred(4)
|
|
|
3,000,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
1.75 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series F
Preferred(4)
|
|
|
6,000,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
1.6875 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series G
Preferred(4)
|
|
|
8,000,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
1.65625 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series H
Preferred(4)
|
|
|
4,500,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
1.6875 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
Series I
Preferred(4)(5)
|
|
|
7,400,000 |
|
|
$ |
25.00 |
|
|
$ |
1.65625 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
(1) |
Holders have the right to require the Operating Partnership to
redeem the outstanding F-1 units commencing 2012 for cash
equal to the Liquidation Preference of $25.00 per share,
although we may determine to deliver, instead of cash, common
shares equal to the Liquidation Preference of $25.00 per
share. |
(2) |
These units are generally redeemable by us for cash, at our
option, after the fifth anniversary of the date of issuance
(ranging from September 1999, in the case of the Series D-3
Preferred Units, to September 2005, in the case of the
Series D-14 Preferred Units) and at the option of the
holder after the 10th anniversary of the date of issuance
for cash or, at our option, an equivalent amount of preferred
shares. |
(3) |
Holders have the right to require the Operating Partnership to
redeem the outstanding Series D-13 Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Units commencing December 30, 2006 for cash equal
to the Liquidation Preference of $25.00 per share, although
we may determine to deliver, instead of cash, at our option,
common shares with a value equal to the Liquidation Preference
of $25.00 per share. |
(4) |
These units are held by us and we may require the Operating
Partnership to redeem these units for cash in connection with
the redemption of Series E Preferred Shares, Series F
Preferred Shares, Series G Preferred Shares, Series H
Preferred Shares and Series I Preferred Shares, as the case may
be, and are otherwise redeemable by us at our option for cash
after the fifth anniversary of the date of issuance (August
2009, November 2009, December 2009, June 2010 and August 2010,
respectively). |
(5) |
The 7,400,000 Series I Preferred Units were issued to us by
the Operating Partnership in a private placement on
August 31, 2005 in connection with the public offering of
7,400,000 Series I Preferred Shares. The 4,000,000
Series D-14 Preferred Units were issued by the Operating
Partnership on September 9, 2005 in a private placement to
an institutional investor. |
The Operating Partnership may create additional classes of
Parity Units or issue additional units of any series of Parity
Units without the consent of any holder of Series I
Preferred Shares or any other series of Preferred Shares of
Vornado.
S-19
Dividends
Holders of Series I Preferred Shares will be entitled to
receive, when, as and if authorized by our Board of Trustees,
out of funds of Vornado Realty Trust legally available for
payment, and declared by us, cumulative cash dividends at the
rate per annum of 6.625% per share of the liquidation
preference thereof (equivalent to $1.65625 per
Series I Preferred Share per annum). Dividends on each
Series I Preferred Share will be cumulative from, but
excluding, the date of original issue and are payable quarterly
in arrears on January 1, April 1, July 1 and
October 1 of each year, commencing October 1, 2005
(and, in the case of any accrued but unpaid dividends, at such
additional times and for such interim periods, if any, as
determined by the Board of Trustees), at such annual rate;
provided, however, that if any dividend payment date falls on
any day other than a business day, as defined in the
Articles Supplementary, the dividend due on such dividend
payment date shall be paid on the first business day immediately
following such dividend payment date. Each dividend is payable
to holders of record as they appear on our share records at the
close of business on the record date, not exceeding 30 days
preceding the payment dates thereof as fixed by our Board of
Trustees. Dividends are cumulative from the most recent dividend
payment date to which dividends have been paid, whether or not
in any dividend period or periods there shall be funds of
Vornado Realty Trust legally available for the payment of such
dividends. Accumulations of dividends on Series I Preferred
Shares will not bear interest. Dividends payable on the
Series I Preferred Shares for any period greater or less
than a full dividend period will be computed on the basis of a
360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months. Dividends
payable on the Series I Preferred Shares for each full
dividend period will be computed by dividing the annual dividend
rate by four.
No dividend will be declared or paid on any Parity Shares unless
full cumulative dividends have been declared and paid or are
contemporaneously declared and funds sufficient for payment set
aside on the Series I Preferred Shares for all prior
dividend periods; provided, however, that if accrued dividends
on the Series I Preferred Shares for all prior dividend
periods have not been paid in full, then any dividend declared
on the Series I Preferred Shares for any dividend period
and on any Parity Shares will be declared ratably in proportion
to accrued and unpaid dividends on the Series I Preferred
Shares and such Parity Shares.
We will not (i) declare, pay or set apart funds for the
payment of any dividend or other distribution with respect to
any Junior Shares (as defined below) (other than in shares of
Junior Shares) or (ii) redeem, purchase or otherwise
acquire for consideration any Junior Shares through a sinking
fund or otherwise (other than a redemption or purchase or other
acquisition of Common Shares made for purposes of an employee
incentive or benefit plan of Vornado or any subsidiary, or a
conversion into or exchange for Junior Shares or redemptions for
the purpose of preserving our qualification as a REIT), unless
(A) all cumulative dividends with respect to the
Series I Preferred Shares and any Parity Shares at the time
such dividends are payable have been paid or funds have been set
apart for payment of such dividends and (B) sufficient
funds have been paid or set apart for the payment of the
dividend for the then current dividend period with respect to
the Series I Preferred Shares and any Parity Shares.
As used herein, (i) the term dividend does not
include dividends payable solely in shares of Junior Shares on
Junior Shares, or in options, warrants or rights to holders of
Junior Shares to subscribe for or purchase any Junior Shares,
and (ii) the term Junior Shares means the
Common Shares, and any other class of capital stock of Vornado
now or hereafter issued and outstanding that ranks junior as to
the payment of dividends or amounts upon liquidation,
dissolution and winding up to the Series I Preferred Shares.
Redemption
Except as otherwise provided under the Declaration of Trust to
protect our status as a REIT, Series I Preferred Shares
will not be redeemable by Vornado prior to August 31, 2010.
On and after August 31, 2010, the Series I Preferred
Shares will be redeemable at our option, in whole or in part, at
any time or from time to time, at a redemption price of
$25.00 per Series I Preferred Share, plus any accrued
and unpaid dividends to the date fixed for redemption.
A notice of redemption will be mailed, postage prepaid, not less
than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the redemption date,
addressed to the respective holders of record of the
Series I Preferred Shares at their
S-20
respective addresses as they appear on our transfer records. A
failure to give such notice or any defect in the notice or in
its mailing will not affect the validity of the proceedings for
the redemption of any Series I Preferred Shares except as
to the holder to whom notice was defective or not given. Each
notice will state:
|
|
|
|
|
the redemption date; |
|
|
|
the redemption price; |
|
|
|
the number of Series I Preferred Shares to be redeemed; |
|
|
|
the place or places where the certificates evidencing the
Series I Preferred Shares are to be surrendered for payment
of the redemption price; and |
|
|
|
that distributions on the shares to be redeemed will cease to
accrue on such redemption date. |
If fewer than all the Series I Preferred Shares held by any
holder are to be redeemed, the notice mailed to such holder will
also specify the number of Series I Preferred Shares to be
redeemed from such holder. If fewer than all of the outstanding
Series I Preferred Shares are to be redeemed, the shares to
be redeemed shall be selected by lot or pro rata or in some
other equitable manner determined by us.
On the redemption date, we must pay on each Series I
Preferred Share to be redeemed any accrued and unpaid dividends,
in arrears, for any dividend period ending on or prior to the
redemption date. In the case of a redemption date falling after
a dividend payment record date and prior to the related payment
date, the holders of Series I Preferred Shares at the close
of business on such record date will be entitled to receive the
dividend payable on such shares on the corresponding dividend
payment date, notwithstanding the redemption of such shares
prior to such dividend payment date. Except as provided for in
the preceding sentence, no payment or allowance will be made for
accrued dividends on any Series I Preferred Shares called
for redemption.
If full cumulative dividends on the Series I Preferred
Shares and any Parity Shares have not been paid or declared and
set apart for payment, the Series I Preferred Shares may
not be redeemed in part and we may not purchase, redeem or
otherwise acquire Series I Preferred Shares or any Parity
Shares other than in exchange for Junior Shares; provided,
however, that the foregoing shall not prevent the purchase by us
of Excess Shares in order to ensure that we continue to meet the
requirements for qualification as a REIT. See
Restrictions on Ownership for a discussion of
such purchases of Excess Shares by us.
On and after the date fixed for redemption, provided that we
have made available at the office of the registrar and transfer
agent a sufficient amount of cash to effect the redemption,
dividends will cease to accrue on the Series I Preferred
Shares called for redemption (except that, in the case of a
redemption date after a dividend payment record date and prior
to the related payment date, holders of Series I Preferred
Shares on the dividend payment record date will be entitled on
such dividend payment date to receive the dividend payable on
such shares), such shares shall no longer be deemed to be
outstanding and all rights of the holders of such shares as
holders of Series I Preferred Shares shall cease except the
right to receive the cash payable upon such redemption, without
interest from the date of such redemption.
Liquidation Preference
The holders of Series I Preferred Shares will be entitled
to receive in the event of any liquidation, dissolution or
winding up of Vornado, whether voluntary or involuntary,
$25.00 per Series I Preferred Share (the
Liquidation Preference) plus an amount per
Series I Preferred Share equal to all dividends (whether or
not earned or declared) accrued and unpaid thereon to the date
of final distribution to such holders.
Until the holders of the Series I Preferred Shares have
been paid the Liquidation Preference and all accrued and unpaid
dividends in full, no payment will be made to any holder of
Junior Shares upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of
Vornado. If, upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of
Vornado, the assets of Vornado, or proceeds thereof,
distributable among the holders of the Series I Preferred
Shares are insufficient to pay in full the Liquidation
Preference and all accrued and unpaid dividends and the
liquidation preference and all accrued and unpaid dividends with
respect to any other shares of Parity Shares,
S-21
then such assets, or the proceeds thereof, will be distributed
among the holders of Series I Preferred Shares and any such
Parity Shares ratably in accordance with the respective amounts
which would be payable on such Series I Preferred Shares
and any such Parity Shares if all amounts payable thereon were
paid in full. None of (i) a consolidation or merger of
Vornado with one or more entities, (ii) a statutory share
exchange by Vornado or (iii) a sale or transfer of all or
substantially all of Vornados assets will be considered a
liquidation, dissolution or winding up, voluntary or
involuntary, of Vornado.
Voting Rights
Except as indicated below, the holders of Series I
Preferred Shares will have no voting rights.
If and whenever six quarterly dividends (whether or not
consecutive) payable on the Series I Preferred Shares or
any other Parity Shares are in arrears, whether or not earned or
declared, the number of trustees then constituting our Board of
Trustees will be increased by two and the holders of
Series I Preferred Shares, voting together as a class with
the holders of any other series of Parity Shares (any such other
series, the Voting Preferred Shares), will have the
right to elect these two additional trustees at an annual
meeting of shareholders or a properly called special meeting of
the holders of the Series I Preferred Shares and such
Voting Preferred Shares and at each subsequent annual meeting of
shareholders until all such dividends and dividends for the then
current quarterly period on the Series I Preferred Shares
and such other Voting Preferred Shares have been paid or
declared and set aside for payment. Whenever all arrears in
dividends on the Series I Preferred Shares and the Voting
Preferred Shares then outstanding have been paid and full
dividends on the Series I Preferred Shares and the Voting
Preferred Shares for the then current quarterly dividend period
have been paid in full or declared and set apart for payment in
full, then the right of the holders of the Series I
Preferred Shares and the Voting Preferred Shares to elect these
two additional trustees will cease, the terms of office of these
two trustees will forthwith terminate and the number of members
of the Board of Trustees will be reduced accordingly. However,
the right of the holders of the Series I Preferred Shares
and the Voting Preferred Shares to elect two additional trustees
will again vest if and whenever six quarterly dividends are in
arrears, as described above.
The approval of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by
the holders of outstanding Series I Preferred Shares and
all other series of Voting Preferred Shares, acting as a single
class regardless of Series either at a meeting of shareholders
or by written consent, is required in order (i) to amend,
alter or repeal any provisions of the Declaration of Trust or
Articles Supplementary, whether by merger, consolidation or
otherwise, to affect materially and adversely the voting powers,
rights or preferences of the holders of the Series I
Preferred Shares or the Voting Preferred Shares, unless in
connection with any such amendment, alteration or repeal, each
Series I Preferred Share remains outstanding without the
terms thereof being materially changed in any respect adverse to
the holders thereof or is converted into or exchanged for
preferred stock of the surviving entity having preferences,
conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions,
limitations as to dividends, qualifications and terms and
conditions of redemption thereof identical to those of the
Series I Preferred Shares, or (ii) to authorize,
create, or increase the authorized amount of, any class or
series of beneficial interest having rights senior to the
Series I Preferred Shares with respect to the payment of
dividends or amounts upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up
(provided that if such amendment affects materially and
adversely the rights, preferences, privileges or voting powers
of one or more but not all of the series of Voting Preferred
Shares, the consent of the holders of at least two-thirds of the
outstanding shares of each such series so affected is required
in lieu of (or, if such consent is required by law, in addition
to) the consent of the holders of two-thirds of the Voting
Preferred Shares as a class). However, Vornado may create
additional classes of Parity Shares and Junior Shares, increase
the authorized number of shares of Parity Shares and Junior
Shares and issue additional series of Parity Shares and Junior
Shares without the consent of any holder of Series I
Preferred Shares.
Conversion Rights
The Series I Preferred Shares are not convertible into or
exchangeable for any other property or securities of Vornado.
S-22
Restrictions on Ownership
For us to maintain our qualification as a REIT under the Code,
not more than 50% in value of our outstanding shares of
beneficial interest may be owned, beneficially or
constructively, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the
Code to include certain entities) at any time during the last
half of a taxable year, and the shares of beneficial interest
must be beneficially owned by 100 or more persons during at
least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months (or
during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year). For this
and other reasons, the Declaration of Trust and the
Articles Supplementary contain provisions that restrict the
ownership and transfer of shares of beneficial interest.
Our Declaration of Trust contains a Preferred Share ownership
limit that restricts shareholders from owning, under the
applicable attribution rules of the Code, more than 9.9% of the
outstanding Preferred Shares of any class or series and a Common
Share ownership limit that restricts shareholders from owning,
under the applicable attribution rules of the Code, more than
2.0% of the Outstanding Common Shares. The Board of Trustees has
adopted a resolution raising the ownership limit with respect to
the Common Shares from 2.0% to 6.7%. Shares owned in excess of
these limits will be automatically exchanged for Excess Shares
pursuant to our Declaration of Trust. Excess Shares will be held
in trust by us and, while held in trust, will not be entitled to
vote or participate in dividends or distributions made by us.
For a more detailed discussion of the restrictions on ownership
of the shares of beneficial interest, see Description of
Shares of Beneficial Interest of Vornado Realty Trust
Description of Preferred Shares of Vornado Realty Trust
Restrictions on Ownership and Description of Shares
of Beneficial Interest of Vornado Realty Trust Description
of Common Shares of Vornado Realty Trust Restrictions on
Ownership of Common Shares in the accompanying prospectus.
Transfer Agent, Registrar, Dividend Disbursing Agent and
Redemption Agent
The transfer agent, registrar, dividend disbursing agent and
redemption agent for the Series I Preferred Shares is
Wachovia Bank, N.A., Charlotte, North Carolina.
FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following discussion supplements, and, to the extent
inconsistent therewith, amends, the discussion set forth in the
accompanying prospectus under the heading Federal Income
Tax Considerations Taxation of Holders of Common Shares or
Preferred Shares.
Redemption of Series I Preferred Shares
A redemption of Series I Preferred Shares will be treated
under Section 302 of the Code as a distribution taxable as
a dividend (to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings
and profits) at ordinary income rates unless the redemption
satisfies one of the tests set forth in Section 302(b) of
the Code and is therefore treated as a sale or exchange of the
redeemed shares. None of these distributions will be eligible
for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders.
The redemption will be treated as a sale or exchange if it
(i) is substantially disproportionate with
respect to the holder, (ii) results in a complete
termination of the holders share interest in Vornado
or (iii) is not essentially equivalent to a
dividend with respect to the holder, all within the
meaning of Section 302(b) of the Code. In determining
whether any of these tests have been met, Common Shares and
Preferred Shares considered to be owned by the holder by reason
of certain constructive ownership rules set forth in the Code,
as well as Common Shares and Preferred Shares actually owned by
the holder, must generally be taken into account. If a
particular holder of Series I Preferred Shares owns no
Common Shares or other Preferred Shares (actually or
constructively), or an insubstantial percentage of such shares,
a redemption of Series I Preferred Shares of that holder is
likely to qualify for sale or exchange treatment because the
redemption would not be essentially equivalent to a
dividend. However, because the determination as to whether
any of the alternative tests of Section 302(b) of the Code
will be satisfied with respect to any particular holder of
Series I Preferred Shares depends upon the facts and
circumstances at the time that the determination must be made,
prospective holders of Series I Preferred Shares are
advised to consult their own tax advisors to determine such tax
treatment.
S-23
If a redemption of Series I Preferred Shares is not treated
as a distribution taxable as a dividend to a particular holder,
it will be treated as to that holder as a taxable sale or
exchange. As a result, such holder will recognize gain or loss
for Federal income tax purposes in an amount equal to the
difference between (i) the amount of cash and the fair
market value of any property received, and (ii) the
holders adjusted basis for tax purposes in the shares of
Series I Preferred Shares redeemed. Such gain or loss will
be capital gain or loss if the Series I Preferred Shares
have been held as a capital asset, and will be long-term gain or
loss if such Series I Preferred Shares have been held for
more than one year. To the extent that a redemption of
Series I Preferred Shares held by a
Non-U.S. Shareholder is treated as a taxable sale or
exchange, such holder will be subject to tax in the manner
described in the accompanying prospectus under the heading
Federal Income Tax Considerations Taxation of
Holders of Common Shares or Preferred Shares
Non-U.S. Shareholders Sales of Shares.
If a redemption of Series I Preferred Shares is treated as
a distribution taxable as a dividend, the amount of the
distribution will be measured by the amount of cash and the fair
market value of any property received by the holder. The
holders adjusted basis in the redeemed Series I
Preferred Shares for tax purposes will be transferred to the
holders remaining shares of Vornado. If the holder owns no
other shares of Vornado, such basis may, under certain
circumstances, be transferred to a related person or it may be
lost entirely.
S-24
UNDERWRITING
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated is
the underwriter for this offering of our Series I Preferred
Shares.
The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the
underwriter to pay for and accept delivery of the Series I
Preferred Shares offered hereby are subject to the approval of
certain legal matters by its counsel and to certain other
conditions. The underwriter is obligated to take and pay for all
of the shares of Series I Preferred Shares offered hereby
if any such shares are taken.
The underwriter proposes to offer the Series I Preferred
Shares directly to the public initially at the public offering
price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement.
The Series I Preferred Shares will be available for
delivery, when, as and if accepted by the underwriter and
subject to prior sale and to withdrawal, cancellation or
modification of the offering without notice. The underwriter
reserves the right to reject any order for purchase of the
shares in whole or in part. After the commencement of this
offering, the underwriter may change the public offering price
and other selling terms.
The Series I Preferred Shares are listed on the NYSE under
the symbol VNO Pr I. The underwriter has advised us
that it intends to make a market in the Series I Preferred
Shares prior to the commencement of trading on the NYSE.
However, the underwriter will have no obligation to make a
market in the Series I Preferred Shares and may cease
market-making activities, if commenced, at any time.
In order to facilitate the offering of the Series I
Preferred Shares, the underwriter may engage in transactions
that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the
Series I Preferred Shares. Specifically, the underwriter
may over-allot in connection with the offering, creating a short
position in the Series I Preferred Shares for its own
account. In addition, to cover over-allotments or to stabilize
the price of the Series I Preferred Shares, the underwriter
may bid for, and purchase, Series I Preferred Shares in the
open market. Finally, the underwriter may reclaim selling
concessions allowed to a dealer for distributing the
Series I Preferred Shares in the offering, if the
underwriter repurchases previously distributed Series I
Preferred Shares in transactions to cover syndicate short
positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of
these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of
the Series I Preferred Shares above independent market
levels. The underwriter is not required to engage in these
activities and may end any of these activities at any time.
We expect to deliver the Series I Preferred Shares against
payment for the Shares on or about the date specified in the
last paragraph on the cover page of this prospectus supplement,
which will be the second business day following the date of the
pricing of the sale of the Series I Preferred Shares to the
underwriter.
The underwriter has represented in the underwriting agreement
that (i) it has only communicated or caused to be
communicated and will only communicate or cause to be
communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in
investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of
the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the
FSMA)) received by it in connection with the issue
or sale of the Series I Preferred Shares in circumstances
in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to us and
(ii) it has complied and will comply with all applicable
provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in
relation to the Series I Preferred Shares in, from or
otherwise involving the United Kingdom.
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area
which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a
Relevant Member State), the underwriter has
represented and agreed that with effect from and including the
date on which the European Union Prospectus Directive (the
EU Prospectus Directive) is implemented in that
Relevant Member State (the Relevant Implementation
Date), it has not made and will not make an offer of
Series I Preferred Shares to the public in that Relevant
Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in
relation to the shares which has been approved by the competent
authority in that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate,
approved in another Relevant Member State and notified to the
competent authority in that Relevant Member State, all in
accordance with
S-25
the EU Prospectus Directive, except that it may, with effect
from and including the Relevant Implementation Date, make an
offer of Series I Preferred Shares to the public in that
Relevant Member State at any time:
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(a) to legal entities which are authorized or regulated to
operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or
regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in
securities; |
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(b) to any legal entity which has two or more of
(1) an average of at least 250 employees during the last
financial year; (2) a total balance sheet of more
than 43,000,000
and (3) an annual net turnover of more than
50,000,000, as
shown in its last annual or consolidated accounts; or |
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(c) in any other circumstances which do not require the
publication by the issuer of a prospectus pursuant to
Article 3 of the EU Prospectus Directive. |
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an
offer of Series I Preferred Shares to the
public in relation to any Series I Preferred Shares
in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form
and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the
offer and the Series I Preferred Shares to be offered so as
to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the
Series I Preferred Shares, as the same may be varied in
that Member State by any measure implementing the EU Prospectus
Directive in that Member State and the expression EU Prospectus
Directive means Directive 2003/71/ EC and includes any relevant
implementing measure in each Relevant Member State.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against certain
liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
We estimate that the total expenses of the offering, excluding
the underwriting discount, will be approximately $250,000. The
underwriter has agreed to reimburse us for certain expenses in
connection with this offering.
The underwriter or its affiliates have provided banking and
other financial services to us or our affiliates from time to
time for which they have received customary fees and expenses.
The underwriter or its affiliates may, from time to time, engage
in transactions with and perform services for us in the ordinary
course of business for which they will receive customary
compensation.
S-26
VALIDITY OF THE SERIES I PREFERRED SHARES
The validity of the Series I Preferred Shares offered
hereby will be passed upon for us by Venable LLP, Baltimore,
Maryland, and by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, New York, New
York. Certain legal matters will be passed upon for the
underwriter by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
LLP, New York, New York. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP will
rely upon the opinion of Venable LLP with respect to certain
matters of Maryland law.
EXPERTS
The consolidated financial statements, the related financial
statement schedules, and managements report on the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (as
revised) incorporated in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus by reference from Vornado Realty
Trusts Annual Report on Form 10-K/ A for the year
ended December 31, 2004, as updated by Vornado Realty
Trusts Current Report on Form 8-K dated
August 19, 2005, have been audited by Deloitte &
Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as
stated in their reports, which are incorporated herein by
reference (which reports (1) express an unqualified opinion
on the consolidated financial statements and financial statement
schedules and include explanatory paragraphs relating to the
restatement described in Note 21 to the consolidated
financial statements, the reclassifications to the consolidated
financial statements of certain property as continuing
operations, as described in Note 4 to the consolidated
financial statements, and the application of the provisions of
SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible
Assets, as described in Note 2 to the
consolidated financial statements, (2) express an
unqualified opinion on managements assessment regarding
the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting,
and (3) express an adverse opinion on the effectiveness of
internal control over financial reporting), and have been so
incorporated in reliance upon the reports of such firm given
upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
With respect to the unaudited interim financial information for
the periods ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, which is
incorporated herein by reference, Deloitte & Touche
LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, has
applied limited procedures in accordance with the standards of
the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States)
for a review of such information. However, as stated in their
report included in Vornado Realty Trusts Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2005 and
incorporated by reference herein (which report includes an
explanatory paragraph relating to the restatement described in
Note 2 to Vornado Realty Trusts unaudited interim
financial statements), they did not audit and they do not
express an opinion on that interim financial information.
Accordingly, the degree of reliance on their report on such
information should be restricted in light of the limited nature
of the review procedures applied. Deloitte & Touche LLP
are not subject to the liability provisions of Section 11
of the Securities Act of 1933 for their report on the unaudited
interim financial information because the report is not a
report or a part of the registration
statement prepared or certified by an accountant within the
meaning of Sections 7 and 11 of the Act.
S-27
$2,500,000,000
Vornado Realty Trust
COMMON SHARES
PREFERRED SHARES
DEPOSITARY SHARES
$5,000,000,000
Vornado Realty L.P.
DEBT SECURITIES
Vornado Realty Trust from time to time may offer to sell
common shares and preferred shares. The preferred shares may
either be sold separately or represented by depositary shares.
Vornado Realty L.P. from time to time may offer to sell debt
securities. The debt securities may be exchangeable for common
or preferred shares of Vornado Realty Trust, and the preferred
shares may be convertible into common shares or into preferred
shares of another series. The total amount of common shares,
preferred shares and depositary shares offered under this
prospectus will have an initial aggregate offering price of up
to $2,500,000,000, and the total amount of debt securities will
have an initial aggregate offering price of up to
$5,000,000,000, or in either case the equivalent amount in other
currencies, currency units or composite currencies.
Vornado Realty Trust and Vornado Realty L.P. may offer and
sell these securities to or through one or more underwriters,
dealers and agents or directly to purchasers, on a continuous or
delayed basis.
This prospectus describes some of the general terms that
may apply to these securities and the general manner in which
they may be offered. The specific terms of any securities to be
offered, and the specific manner in which they may be offered,
will be described in a supplement to this prospectus.
Vornado Realty Trusts common shares are listed on
the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol VNO,
its Series A Preferred Shares are listed on the NYSE under
the symbol VNO Pr A, its Series E Preferred
Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol VNO Pr
E, its Series F Preferred Shares are listed on the
NYSE under the symbol VNO Pr F and its Series G
Preferred Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol
VNO Pr G. Where applicable, the prospectus
supplement will contain information on any listing on a
securities exchange of securities covered by that prospectus
supplement.
See Risk Factors beginning on page 5 for
certain factors relevant to an investment in the
securities.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any
other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these
securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this
prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
Prospectus dated February 3, 2005.
You should rely only on the information contained in this
prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement or
incorporated by reference in these documents. No dealer,
salesperson or other person is authorized to give any
information or to represent anything not contained or
incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the accompanying
prospectus supplement. If anyone provides you with different,
inconsistent or unauthorized information or representations, you
must not rely on them. This prospectus and the accompanying
prospectus supplement are an offer to sell only the securities
offered by these documents, but only under circumstances and in
jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information
contained in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is
current only as of the date on the front of those documents.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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i
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
Vornado Realty Trust and Vornado Realty L.P. are required to
file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and
other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
You may read and copy any documents filed by us at the
SECs public reference room at 450 Fifth Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference
room. Our filings with the SEC are also available to the public
through the SECs Internet site at http://www.sec.gov and
through the New York Stock Exchange, 20 Broad Street, New
York, New York 10005, on which Vornado Realty Trusts
common shares and Series A, Series E, Series F
and Series G Preferred Shares are listed.
We have filed registration statements on Form S-3 with the
SEC relating to the securities covered by this prospectus. This
prospectus is a part of the registration statements and does not
contain all of the information in the registration statements.
Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus to a contract or
other document, please be aware that the reference is only a
summary and that you should refer to the exhibits that are a
part of the registration statements for a copy of the contract
or other document. You may review a copy of the registration
statements at the SECs public reference room in
Washington, D.C., as well as through the SECs
Internet site.
The SECs rules allow us to incorporate by
reference information into this prospectus. This means
that we can disclose important information to you by referring
you to another document. Any information referred to in this way
is considered part of this prospectus from the date we file that
document. Any reports filed by us with the SEC after the date of
this prospectus and before the date that the offering of the
securities by means of this prospectus is terminated will
automatically update and, where applicable, supersede any
information contained in this prospectus or incorporated by
reference in this prospectus.
Vornado Realty Trust and Vornado Realty L.P. incorporate by
reference into this prospectus the following documents or
information filed with the SEC:
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(1) Annual reports of Vornado Realty Trust and Vornado
Realty L.P. on Forms 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2003 (File Nos. 001-11954 and 000-22635); |
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(2) Quarterly reports of Vornado Realty Trust on
Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2004,
June 30, 2004 and September 30, 2004 (File No.
001-11954), filed with the SEC on May 6, 2004,
August 6, 2004 and November 5, 2004, respectively; |
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(3) Quarterly reports of Vornado Realty L.P. on
Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2004,
June 30, 2004 and September 30, 2004 (File No.
000-22685), filed with the SEC on May 7, 2004,
August 6, 2004 and November 8, 2004, respectively; |
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(4) Current reports on Form 8-K of Vornado Realty
Trust dated April 29, 2004, May 27, 2004,
August 17, 2004, September 29, 2004, November 10,
2004 and December 16, 2004 (File No. 001-11954), filed
with the SEC on April 29, 2004, June 14, 2004,
August 23, 2004, September 30, 2004, November 22,
2004 and December 21, 2004, respectively; |
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(5) Current reports on Form 8-K of Vornado Realty L.P.
dated May 27, 2004, December 16, 2004 and
December 30, 2004 (File No. 000-22685), filed with the
SEC on June 14, 2004, December 21, 2004 and
January 4, 2005, respectively; |
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(6) The description of Vornado Realty Trusts common
shares contained in Vornado Realty Trusts registration
statement on Form 8-B (File No. 001-11954), filed with the
SEC on May 10, 1993; |
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(7) The description of Vornado Realty Trusts
Series A Preferred Shares contained in Vornado Realty
Trusts registration statement on Form 8-A (File
No. 001-11954), filed with the SEC on April 3, 1997; |
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(8) The description of Vornado Realty Trusts
Series E Preferred Shares contained in Vornado Realty
Trusts registration statement on Form 8-A (File
No. 001-11954), filed with the SEC on April 20, 2004; |
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(9) The description of Vornado Realty Trusts
Series F Preferred Shares contained in Vornado Realty
Trusts registration statement on Form 8-A (File
No. 001-11954), filed with the SEC on November 17,
2004; |
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(10) The description of Vornado Realty Trusts
Series G Preferred Shares contained in Vornado Realty
Trusts registration statement on Form 8-A (File
No. 001-11954), filed with the SEC on December 21,
2004; and |
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(11) All documents filed by Vornado Realty Trust and
Vornado Realty L.P. under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 after the date of this
prospectus and before the termination of this offering or after
the date of the initial registration statement and before
effectiveness of the registration statement, except that the
information referred to in Item 402(a)(8) of
Regulation S-K of the SEC is not incorporated by reference
into this prospectus. |
We will provide without charge to each person, including any
beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, upon his
or her written or oral request, a copy of any or all documents
referred to above which have been or may be incorporated by
reference into this prospectus, excluding exhibits to those
documents unless they are specifically incorporated by reference
into those documents. You can request those documents from our
corporate secretary, 888 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York
10019, telephone (212) 894-7000. Alternatively, copies of
these documents may be available on our website
(www.vno.com). Any other documents available on our
website are not incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, including the documents incorporated by
reference in it, contains forward-looking statements with
respect to our financial condition, results of operations and
business. These statements may be made directly in this document
or they may be made part of this document by reference to other
documents filed with the SEC, which is known as
incorporation by reference. You can find many of
these statements by looking for words such as
believes, expects,
anticipates, estimates,
intends, plans or similar expressions in
this prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference.
Unless the context otherwise requires or as otherwise specified,
references in this prospectus to Vornado,
we, us or our refer to
Vornado Realty Trust and its subsidiaries, including Vornado
Realty L.P., except where we make clear that we mean only the
parent company, Vornado Realty Trust. In addition, we sometimes
refer to Vornado Realty L.P. as the Operating
Partnership.
These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous
assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Factors that may cause
actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by
the forward-looking statements include, among others, those
listed under the caption Risk Factors in this
prospectus as well as the following possibilities:
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national, regional and local economic conditions; |
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consequences of any armed conflict involving, or terrorist
attack against, the United States; |
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our ability to secure adequate insurance; |
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local conditions such as an oversupply of space or a reduction
in demand for real estate in the area; |
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competition from other available space; |
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whether tenants consider a property attractive; |
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the financial condition of our tenants, including the extent of
tenant bankruptcies or defaults; |
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whether we are able to pass some or all of any increased
operating costs through to our tenants; |
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how well we manage our properties; |
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fluctuations in interest rates; |
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changes in real estate taxes and other expenses; |
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changes in market rental rates; |
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the timing and costs associated with property improvements and
rentals; |
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changes in taxation or zoning laws; |
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government regulation; |
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Vornado Realty Trusts failure to continue to qualify as a
real estate investment trust; |
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availability of financing on acceptable terms or at all; |
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potential liability under environmental or other laws or
regulations; and |
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general competitive factors. |
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance.
They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our future
results, financial condition and business may differ materially
from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Many
of the factors that will determine these items are beyond our
ability to control or predict. For these statements, we claim
the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements
contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of
this prospectus or, if applicable, the date of the applicable
document incorporated by reference.
All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements
attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are
expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary
statements contained or referred to in this section. We do not
undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to
our forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances after the date of this prospectus or to reflect
the occurrence of unanticipated events. For more information on
the uncertainty of forward-looking statements, see Risk
Factors in this prospectus.
3
RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves risks. You should
carefully consider, among other factors, the matters described
below before deciding to purchase our securities.
Real Estate Investments Value and Income Fluctuate Due
to Various Factors.
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The value of real estate fluctuates depending on
conditions in the general economy and the real estate business.
These conditions may also limit our revenues and available
cash. |
The factors that affect the value of our real estate include,
among other things:
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national, regional and local economic conditions; |
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consequences of any armed conflict involving, or terrorist
attack against, the United States; |
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our ability to secure adequate insurance; |
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local conditions such as an oversupply of space or a reduction
in demand for real estate in the area; |
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competition from other available space; |
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whether tenants consider a property attractive; |
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the financial condition of our tenants, including the extent of
tenant bankruptcies or defaults; |
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whether we are able to pass some or all of any increased
operating costs through to tenants; |
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how well we manage our properties; |
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fluctuations in interest rates; |
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changes in real estate taxes and other expenses; |
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changes in market rental rates; |
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the timing and costs associated with property improvements and
rentals; |
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changes in taxation or zoning laws; |
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government regulation; |
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Vornado Realty Trusts failure to continue to qualify as a
real estate investment trust; |
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availability of financing on acceptable terms or at all; |
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potential liability under environmental or other laws or
regulations; and |
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general competitive factors. |
The rents we receive and the occupancy levels at our properties
may decline as a result of adverse changes in any of these
factors. If our rental revenues decline, we generally would
expect to have less cash available to pay our indebtedness and
distribute to the holders of our securities. In addition, some
of our major expenses, including mortgage payments, real estate
taxes and maintenance costs, generally do not decline when the
related rents decline.
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We depend on leasing space to tenants on economically
favorable terms and collecting rent from our tenants, who may
not be able to pay. |
Our financial results depend on leasing space in our properties
to tenants on economically favorable terms. In addition, because
substantially all of our income comes from renting of real
property, our income, funds available to pay indebtedness and
funds available for distribution to our shareholders will
decrease if a significant number of our tenants cannot pay their
rent. If a tenant does not pay its rent, we might not be able to
enforce our rights as landlord without delays and might incur
substantial legal costs. For information
4
regarding the bankruptcy of our tenants, see
Bankruptcy or insolvency of tenants may decrease our
revenues and available cash below.
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Bankruptcy or insolvency of tenants may decrease our
revenues and available cash. |
A number of companies, including some of our tenants, have
declared bankruptcy in recent years, and other tenants may
declare bankruptcy or become insolvent in the future. If a major
tenant declares bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the rental
property where it leases space may have lower revenues and
operational difficulties, and, in the case of our shopping
centers, we may have difficulty leasing the remainder of the
affected property. Our leases generally do not contain
restrictions designed to ensure the creditworthiness of our
tenants. As a result, the bankruptcy or insolvency of a major
tenant could result in a lower level of funds from operations
available for distribution to our shareholders or the payment of
our indebtedness.
In February 2003, KoninKlijke Ahold NV, parent of
Stop & Shop, announced that it overstated its 2002 and
2001 earnings by at least $500 million and is under
investigation by the U.S. Justice Department and Securities
and Exchange Commission. We cannot predict what effect, if any,
this situation may have on Stop & Shops ability
to satisfy its obligation under the Bradlees guarantees and rent
for existing Stop & Shop leases aggregating
approximately $10.5 million per annum.
The risk that some of our tenants may declare bankruptcy has
been higher because of the September 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks and the resulting decline in the economy. If there is
not a sustained recovery of the economy, this risk may increase.
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Real estate is a competitive business. |
Our business segmentsOffice, Retail, Merchandise Mart
Properties, Temperature Controlled Logistics, and Other operate
in highly competitive environments. We have a large
concentration of properties in the New York City metropolitan
area and in the Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia
area. We compete with a large number of real estate property
owners and developers. Principal factors of competition are rent
charged, attractiveness of location, the quality of the property
and breadth and quality of services provided. Our success
depends upon, among other factors, trends of the national and
local economies, financial condition and operating results of
current and prospective tenants and customers, availability and
cost of capital, construction and renovation costs, taxes,
governmental regulations, legislation and population trends.
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We may incur costs to comply with environmental
laws. |
Our operations and properties are subject to various federal,
state and local laws and regulations concerning the protection
of the environment including air and water quality, hazardous or
toxic substances and health and safety. Under certain of these
environmental laws a current or previous owner or operator of
real estate may be required to investigate and clean up
hazardous or toxic substances released at a property. The owner
or operator may also be held liable to a governmental entity or
to third parties for property damage or personal injuries and
for investigation and clean-up costs incurred by those parties
because of the contamination. These laws often impose liability
without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of the
release of the substances or caused the release. The presence of
contamination or the failure to remediate contamination may
impair our ability to sell or lease real estate or to borrow
using the real estate as collateral. Other laws and regulations
govern indoor and outdoor air quality including those that can
require the abatement or removal of asbestos-containing
materials in the event of damage, demolition, renovation or
remodeling and also govern emissions of and exposure to asbestos
fibers in the air. The maintenance and removal of lead paint and
certain electrical equipment containing polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) and underground storage tanks are also
regulated by federal and state laws. We could incur fines for
environmental compliance and be held liable for the costs of
remedial action with respect to the foregoing regulated
substances or tanks or related claims arising out of
environmental contamination or exposure at or from our
properties.
Each of our properties has been subjected to varying degrees of
environmental assessment at various times. The environmental
assessments did not reveal any environmental condition material
to our business.
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However, identification of new compliance concerns or
undiscovered areas of contamination, changes in the extent or
known scope of contamination, discovery of additional sites,
human exposure to the contamination or changes in cleanup or
compliance requirements could result in significant costs to us.
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Some of our potential losses may not be covered by
insurance. |
We carry comprehensive liability and all risk property insurance
((i) fire, (ii) flood, (iii) extended coverage,
(iv) acts of terrorism as defined in the
Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 which expires in 2004 with
a possible extension through 2005 and (v) rental loss
insurance) with respect to our assets. Below is a summary of the
all risk property insurance and terrorism risk insurance for
each of our business segments:
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Coverage Per Occurrence | |
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Sub-limits for | |
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Acts of | |
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All Risk(1) | |
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Terrorism | |
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New York Office
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1,400,000,000 |
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$ |
750,000,000 |
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CESCR Office
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$ |
1,400,000,000 |
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$ |
750,000,000 |
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Retail
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$ |
500,000,000 |
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$ |
500,000,000 |
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Merchandise Mart
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$ |
1,400,000,000 |
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$ |
750,000,000 |
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Temperature Controlled Logistics
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$ |
225,000,000 |
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$ |
225,000,000 |
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(1) |
Limited as to terrorism insurance by the sub-limit shown in the
adjacent column. |
In addition to the coverage above, we carry lesser amounts of
coverage for terrorist acts not covered by the Terrorism Risk
Insurance Act of 2002. We are at risk of loss for losses in
excess of these limits, which losses could be material.
Our debt instruments, consisting of mortgage loans secured by
our properties (which are generally non-recourse to us), Vornado
Realty L.P.s senior unsecured notes due 2007, 2009 and
2010 and our revolving credit agreement, contain customary
covenants requiring us to maintain insurance. Although we
believe that we have adequate insurance coverage under these
agreements, we may not be able to obtain an equivalent amount of
coverage at reasonable costs in the future. Further, if lenders
insist on greater coverage than we are able to obtain, it could
adversely affect our ability to finance and/or refinance our
properties and expand our portfolio.
Our Investments Are Concentrated in the New York City/ New
Jersey and Washington D.C. Metropolitan Areas. Circumstances
Affecting These Areas Generally Could Adversely Affect Our
Business.
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A significant proportion of our properties are in the New
York City/ New Jersey and Washington, D.C. metropolitan
areas and are affected by the economic cycles and risks inherent
to those regions. |
During 2003, 73% of our income before discontinued operations,
gains on sale of real estate and cumulative effect of change in
accounting principle came from properties located in New Jersey
and the New York City and Washington, D.C. metropolitan
areas. In addition, we may continue to concentrate a significant
portion of our future acquisitions in New Jersey and the New
York City and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. Like
other real estate markets, the real estate markets in these
areas have experienced economic downturns in the past, and we
cannot predict how the current economic conditions will impact
these markets in both the short and long term. Further declines
in the economy or a decline in the real estate markets in these
areas could hurt our financial performance and the value of our
properties. The factors affecting economic conditions in these
regions include:
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space needs of the United States Government; |
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business layoffs or downsizing; |
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industry slowdowns; |
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relocations of businesses; |
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changing demographics; |
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increased telecommuting and use of alternative work places; |
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financial performance and productivity of the publishing,
advertising, financial, technology, retail, insurance and real
estate industries; |
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infrastructure quality; and |
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any oversupply of or reduced demand for real estate. |
It is impossible for us to assess the future effects of the
current uncertain trends in the economic and investment climates
of the New York City/ New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
regions, and more generally of the United States, or the real
estate markets in these areas. If these conditions persist or if
any local, national or global economic recovery is of a short
term, businesses and future profitability may be adversely
affected.
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Terrorist attacks such as those of September 11, 2001
in New York City and the Washington, D.C. area may
adversely affect the value of our properties and our ability to
generate cash flow. |
We have significant investments in large metropolitan areas,
including the New York/ New Jersey, Washington, D.C. and
Chicago metropolitan areas. In the aftermath of the terrorist
attacks, tenants in these areas may choose to relocate their
business to less populated, lower-profile areas of the United
States that may be perceived to be less likely targets of future
terrorist activity. This in turn would trigger a decrease in the
demand for space in these areas, which could increase vacancies
in our properties and force us to lease our properties on less
favorable terms. As a result, the value of our properties and
the level of our revenues could decline materially.
We May Acquire or Sell Additional Assets or Develop
Additional Properties. Our Failure or Inability to Consummate
These Transactions or Manage the Results of These Transactions
Could Adversely Affect Our Operations and Financial Results.
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We have grown rapidly through acquisitions. We may not be
able to maintain this rapid growth and our failure to do so
could adversely affect our stock price. |
We have experienced rapid growth in recent years, increasing our
total assets from approximately $565 million at
December 31, 1996 to approximately $9.8 billion at
September 30, 2004. We may not be able to maintain a
similar rate of growth in the future or manage our growth
effectively. Our failure to do so may have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition and results of operations and
ability to pay dividends to our shareholders.
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We may acquire or develop new properties and this may
create risks. |
We may acquire or develop properties or acquire other real
estate companies when we believe that an acquisition or
development is consistent with our business strategies. We may
not, however, succeed in consummating desired acquisitions or in
completing developments on time or within budget. We also may
not succeed in leasing newly developed or acquired properties at
rents sufficient to cover their costs of acquisition or
development and operations. Difficulties in integrating
acquisitions may prove costly or time-consuming and could divert
managements attention.
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It may be difficult to buy and sell real estate
quickly. |
Real estate investments are relatively difficult to buy and sell
quickly. Consequently, we may have limited ability to vary our
portfolio promptly in response to changes in economic or other
conditions.
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We may not be permitted to dispose of certain properties
or pay down the debt associated with those properties when we
might otherwise desire to do so without incurring additional
costs. |
As part of an acquisition of a property, including our
January 1, 2002, acquisition of Charles E. Smith Commercial
Realty L.P.s 13.0 million square foot portfolio, we
may agree, and in the case of Charles E. Smith Commercial Realty
L.P. did agree, with the seller that we will not dispose of the
acquired properties or reduce the mortgage indebtedness on them
for significant periods of time unless we pay certain of the
resulting tax costs of the seller. These agreements could result
in our holding on to properties that we would otherwise sell and
not pay down or refinance indebtedness that we would otherwise
pay down or refinance.
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On January 1, 2002, we completed the acquisition of
the 66% interest in Charles E. Smith Commercial Realty L.P. that
we did not previously own. The terms of the merger restrict our
ability to sell or otherwise dispose of, or to finance or
refinance, the properties formerly owned by Charles E. Smith
Commercial Realty L.P., which could result in our inability to
sell these properties at an opportune time and increased costs
to us. |
Subject to limited exceptions, we are restricted from selling or
otherwise transferring or disposing of certain properties
located in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia or an
interest in our division that manages the majority of our office
properties in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, which
we refer to as the CESCR Division, for a period of 12 years
with respect to certain properties located in the Crystal City
area of Arlington, Virginia or six years with respect to an
interest in the CESCR Division. These restrictions, which
currently cover approximately 13.0 million square feet of
space, could result in our inability to sell these properties or
an interest in the CESCR Division at an opportune time and
increase costs to us.
Our Organizational and Financial Structure Gives Rise to
Operational and Financial Risks.
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We May Not Be Able to Obtain Capital to Make
Investments. |
We depend primarily on external financing to fund the growth of
our business. This is because one of the requirements of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for a REIT is that it
distribute 90% of its net taxable income, excluding net capital
gains, to its shareholders (there is a separate requirement to
distribute net capital gains or pay a corporate level tax in
lieu of such distribution). Our access to debt or equity
financing depends on the willingness of third parties to lend or
make equity investments and on conditions in the capital markets
generally. We and other companies in the real estate industry
have experienced limited availability of financing from time to
time. Although we believe that we will be able to finance any
investments we may wish to make in the foreseeable future, new
financing may not be available on acceptable terms.
For information about our available sources of funds, see
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of OperationsLiquidity and Capital
Resources in our annual report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2003 and quarterly report on
Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004 and
the notes to the consolidated financial statements in the same
report.
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Each of Vornado Realty Trust and Vornado Realty L.P.
depends on its direct and indirect subsidiaries dividends
and distributions, and these subsidiaries creditors and
preferred security holders are entitled to payment of amounts
payable to them by the subsidiaries before the subsidiaries may
pay any dividends or distributions to Vornado Realty Trust and
Vornado Realty L.P. |
Substantially all of Vornado Realty Trusts assets consist
of partnership interests in Vornado Realty L.P. Vornado Realty
L.P. holds substantially all of its properties and assets
through subsidiaries. The Operating Partnership therefore
depends for substantially all of its cash flow on cash
distributions to it by its subsidiaries, and Vornado Realty
Trust in turn depends for substantially all of its cash flow on
cash distributions to it by the Operating Partnership. The
creditors of each of our direct and indirect subsidiaries are
entitled to payment of that subsidiarys obligations to
them, when due and payable, before distributions may be made by
that subsidiary to its equity holders. Thus, the Operating
Partnerships ability to make distributions to its security
holders, including Vornado Realty Trust and other unit holders
of Vornado Realty L.P. and holders of any
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debt securities of the Operating Partnership depends on its
subsidiaries ability first to satisfy their obligations to
their creditors and then to make distributions to the Operating
Partnership. Likewise, Vornado Realty Trusts ability to
pay dividends to holders of common and preferred shares depends
on the Operating Partnerships ability first to satisfy its
obligations to its creditors and make distributions payable to
holders of preferred units and then to make distributions to
Vornado Realty Trust.
Furthermore, the holders of preferred units of the Operating
Partnership are entitled to receive preferred distributions
before payment of distributions to holders of common units of
the Operating Partnership, including Vornado Realty Trust. Thus,
Vornado Realty Trusts ability to pay dividends to holders
of its common and preferred shares depends on the Operating
Partnerships ability first to satisfy its obligations to
its creditors and make distributions payable to holders of
preferred units and then to make distributions to Vornado Realty
Trust. There are currently 14 series of preferred units of the
Operating Partnership not held by Vornado Realty Trust that have
preference over Vornado Realty Trusts holdings of the
Operating Partnerships units. The total liquidation value
of these 14 series of preferred units is approximately
$994,099,000.
In addition, Vornado Realty L.P. may participate in any
distribution of the assets of any of its direct or indirect
subsidiaries upon the liquidation, reorganization or insolvency
of the subsidiary, and consequently Vornado Realty L.P. security
holders may participate in those assets, only after the claims
of the creditors, including trade creditors, and preferred
security holders, if any, of the subsidiary are satisfied.
Vornado Realty L.P.s debt securities are obligations of
Vornado Realty L.P. only, and its subsidiaries are not obligated
to pay any amounts due under the debt securities or to make
funds available for those payments in the form of dividends or
advances to Vornado Realty L.P. See We have indebtedness,
and this indebtedness may increase below for more
information about indebtedness of Vornado Realty L.P.
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We have indebtedness, and this indebtedness may
increase. |
As of September 30, 2004, Vornado Realty L.P. had
approximately $5.313 billion in total debt outstanding. Our
ratio of total debt to total enterprise value was 34%. When we
say enterprise value in the preceding sentence, we
mean market equity value of Vornado Realty Trust plus debt less
cash. In the future, we may incur additional debt, and thus
increase our ratio of total debt to total enterprise value, to
finance acquisitions or property developments. We may review and
modify our debt level from time to time without notice to or any
vote of our security holders. Unless otherwise described in any
prospectus supplement relating to debt securities of Vornado
Realty L.P., the indentures and debt securities do not limit our
ability to incur additional debt.
Except as described in this prospectus under the heading
Description of Debt Securities of Vornado Realty
L.P.Mergers and Similar Transactions or in any
applicable prospectus supplement, the indentures do not contain
provisions that would afford you protection in the event of:
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a highly leveraged or similar transaction involving Vornado
Realty L.P. or any of its affiliates; |
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a change of control of Vornado Realty L.P.; or |
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a reorganization, restructuring, merger or similar transaction
involving Vornado Realty L.P. or Vornado Realty Trust that may
adversely affect you. |
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Vornado Realty Trust might fail to qualify or remain
qualified as a REIT. |
Although we believe that we will remain organized and will
continue to operate so as to qualify as a REIT for federal
income tax purposes, we might fail to remain qualified in this
way. Qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes is
governed by highly technical and complex provisions of the
Internal Revenue Code for which there are only limited judicial
or administrative interpretations. Our qualification as a REIT
also depends on various facts and circumstances that are not
entirely within our control. In addition, legislation, new
regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions
might significantly change the tax laws with respect to the
requirements for qualification as a REIT or the federal income
tax consequences of qualification as a REIT.
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If, with respect to any taxable year, Vornado Realty Trust fails
to maintain its qualification as a REIT and does not qualify
under statutory relief provisions, it could not deduct
distributions to shareholders in computing its taxable income
and would have to pay federal income tax on its taxable income
at regular corporate rates. The federal income tax payable would
include any applicable alternative minimum tax. If Vornado
Realty Trust had to pay federal income tax, the amount of money
available to distribute to shareholders would be reduced for the
year or years involved, and Vornado Realty Trust would no longer
be required to distribute money to shareholders. In addition,
Vornado Realty Trust would also be disqualified from treatment
as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during
which qualification was lost, unless it was entitled to relief
under the relevant statutory provisions. Although Vornado Realty
Trust currently intends to operate in a manner designed to allow
it to qualify as a REIT, future economic, market, legal, tax or
other considerations may cause it to revoke the REIT election or
fail to qualify as a REIT.
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Loss of our key personnel could harm our operations and
adversely affect the value of our common shares. |
We are dependent on the efforts of Steven Roth, the Chairman of
the Board of Trustees and Chief Executive Officer of Vornado
Realty Trust, and Michael D. Fascitelli, the President of
Vornado Realty Trust. While we believe that we could find
replacements for these key personnel, the loss of their services
could harm our operations and adversely affect the value of
Vornado Realty Trusts common shares.
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Vornado Realty Trusts charter documents and
applicable law may hinder any attempt to acquire us. |
Generally, for Vornado Realty Trust to maintain its
qualification as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code, not
more than 50% in value of the outstanding shares of beneficial
interest of Vornado Realty Trust may be owned, directly or
indirectly, by five or fewer individuals at any time during the
last half of Vornado Realty Trusts taxable year. The
Internal Revenue Code defines individuals for
purposes of the requirement described in the preceding sentence
to include some types of entities. Under Vornado Realty
Trusts Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, as
amended, no person may own more than 6.7% of the outstanding
common shares or 9.9% of the outstanding preferred shares, with
some exceptions for persons who held common shares in excess of
the 6.7% limit before Vornado Realty Trust adopted the limit and
other persons approved by Vornado Realty Trusts Board of
Trustees. These restrictions on transferability and ownership
may delay, deter or prevent a change in control of Vornado
Realty Trust or other transaction that might involve a premium
price or otherwise be in the best interest of the shareholders.
We refer to Vornado Realty Trusts Amended and Restated
Declaration of Trust, as amended, as the declaration of
trust.
Vornado Realty Trusts Board of Trustees is divided into
three classes of trustees. Trustees of each class are chosen for
three-year staggered terms. Staggered terms of trustees may
reduce the possibility of a tender offer or an attempt to change
control of Vornado Realty Trust, even though a tender offer or
change in control might be in the best interest of Vornado
Realty Trusts shareholders.
Vornado Realty Trusts declaration of trust authorizes the
Board of Trustees to:
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cause Vornado Realty Trust to issue additional authorized but
unissued common shares or preferred shares; |
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classify or reclassify, in one or more series, any unissued
preferred shares; |
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set the preferences, rights and other terms of any classified or
reclassified shares that Vornado Realty Trust issues; and |
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increase, without shareholder approval, the number of shares of
beneficial interest that Vornado Realty Trust may issue. |
The Board of Trustees could establish a series of preferred
shares whose terms could delay, deter or prevent a change in
control of Vornado Realty Trust or other transaction that might
involve a premium price or otherwise be in the best interest of
Vornado Realty Trusts shareholders, although the Board of
Trustees does not now intend to establish a series of preferred
shares of this kind. Vornado Realty Trusts declaration of
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trust and bylaws contain other provisions that may delay, deter
or prevent a change in control of Vornado Realty Trust or other
transaction that might involve a premium price or otherwise be
in the best interest of our shareholders.
Under the Maryland General Corporation Law, as amended, which we
refer to as the MGCL, as applicable to real estate
investment trusts, certain business combinations,
including certain mergers, consolidations, share exchanges and
asset transfers and certain issuances and reclassifications of
equity securities, between a Maryland real estate investment
trust and any person who beneficially owns ten percent or more
of the voting power of the trusts shares or an affiliate
or an associate, as defined in the MGCL, of the trust who, at
any time within the two-year period before the date in question,
was the beneficial owner of ten percent or more of the voting
power of the then outstanding voting shares of beneficial
interest of the trust, which we refer to as an interested
shareholder, or an affiliate of the interested shareholder
are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on
which the interested shareholder becomes an interested
shareholder. After that five-year period, any business
combination of these kinds must be recommended by the board of
trustees of the trust and approved by the affirmative vote of at
least (a) 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders
of outstanding shares of beneficial interest of the trust and
(b) two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders
of voting shares of the trust other than shares held by the
interested shareholder with whom, or with whose affiliate, the
business combination is to be effected, unless, among other
conditions, the trusts common shareholders receive a
minimum price, as defined in the MGCL, for their shares and the
consideration is received in cash or in the same form as
previously paid by the interested shareholder for its common
shares. The provisions of the MGCL do not apply, however, to
business combinations that are approved or exempted by the board
of trustees of the applicable trust before the interested
shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, and a person is
not an interested shareholder if the board of trustees approved
in advance the transaction by which the person otherwise would
have become an interested shareholder. In approving a
transaction, the board may provide that its approval is subject
to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms
and conditions determined by the board. Vornado Realty
Trusts board has adopted a resolution exempting any
business combination between any trustee or officer of Vornado
Realty Trust, or their affiliates, and Vornado Realty Trust. As
a result, the trustees and officers of Vornado Realty Trust and
their affiliates may be able to enter into business combinations
with Vornado Realty Trust which may not be in the best interest
of shareholders. With respect to business combinations with
other persons, the business combination provisions of the MGCL
may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a
change in control of Vornado Realty Trust or other transaction
that might involve a premium price or otherwise be in the best
interest of the shareholders. The business combination statute
may discourage others from trying to acquire control of Vornado
Realty Trust and increase the difficulty of consummating any
offer.
Our Ownership Structure and Related-Party Transactions May
Give Rise to Conflicts of Interest
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Steven Roth and Interstate Properties may exercise
substantial influence over us. They and some of our other
trustees and officers have interests or positions in other
entities that may compete with us. |
As of September 30, 2004, Interstate Properties, a New
Jersey general partnership, and its partners owned approximately
11.0% of the common shares of Vornado Realty Trust and
approximately 27.4% of the common stock of Alexanders,
Inc. Steven Roth, David Mandelbaum and Russell B.
Wight, Jr. are the three partners of Interstate Properties.
Mr. Roth is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive
Officer of Vornado Realty Trust, the managing general partner of
Interstate Properties, and the Chief Executive Officer and a
director of Alexanders. Mr. Wight is a trustee of
Vornado Realty Trust and is also a director of Alexanders.
Mr. Mandelbaum is a trustee of Vornado Realty Trust and is
also a director of Alexanders.
As of September 30, 2004, we owned 33% of the outstanding
common stock of Alexanders. Alexanders is a REIT
engaged in leasing, managing, developing and redeveloping
properties, focusing primarily on the locations where its
department stores operated before they ceased operations in
1992. Alexanders has six properties, which are located in
the New York City metropolitan area. Mr. Roth and
Mr. Fascitelli, the President and a trustee of Vornado
Realty Trust, are directors of Alexanders.
Messrs. Mandelbaum, West and Wight are trustees of Vornado
Realty Trust and are also directors of Alexanders.
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Because of these overlapping interests, Mr. Roth and
Interstate Properties and its partners may have substantial
influence over Vornado Realty Trust and Alexanders on the
outcome of any matters submitted to Vornado Realty Trust or
Alexanders shareholders for approval. In addition, certain
decisions concerning our operations or financial structure may
present conflicts of interest among Messrs. Roth,
Mandelbaum and Wight and Interstate Properties and our other
equity or debt holders. In addition, Mr. Roth and
Interstate Properties and its partners currently and may in the
future engage in a wide variety of activities in the real estate
business which may result in conflicts of interest with respect
to matters affecting us or Alexanders, such as which of
these entities or persons, if any, may take advantage of
potential business opportunities, the business focus of these
entities, the types of properties and geographic locations in
which these entities make investments, potential competition
between business activities conducted, or sought to be
conducted, by us, Interstate Properties and Alexanders,
competition for properties and tenants, possible corporate
transactions such as acquisitions and other strategic decisions
affecting the future of these entities.
Vornado Realty Trust currently manages and leases the real
estate assets of Interstate Properties under a management
agreement for which it receives an annual fee equal to 4% of
base rent and percentage rent and certain other commissions. The
management agreement has a term of one year and is automatically
renewable unless terminated by either of the parties on
60 days notice at the end of the term. Vornado Realty
Trust earned $703,000 and $747,000 of management fees under the
management agreement for the years ended December 31, 2003
and 2002 and $568,000 for the nine months ended
September 30, 2004. In addition, during fiscal years 2003
and 2002, as a result of a previously existing leasing
arrangement with Alexanders, Alexanders paid to
Interstate $587,000 and $703,000, respectively, for the leasing
and other services actually rendered by Vornado Realty Trust.
Upon receipt of these payments, Interstate promptly paid them
over to Vornado Realty Trust without retaining any interest
therein. This arrangement was terminated in 2003 and all
payments by Alexanders for these leasing and other
services are made directly to Vornado Realty Trust. Because
Vornado Realty Trust and Interstate Properties are controlled by
the same persons, as described above, the terms of the
management agreement and any future agreements between Vornado
Realty Trust and Interstate Properties may not be comparable to
those Vornado Realty Trust could have negotiated with an
unaffiliated third party.
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There may be conflicts of interest between
Alexanders and us. |
As of September 30, 2004, the Operating Partnership owned
33% of the outstanding common stock of Alexanders.
Alexanders is a REIT engaged in leasing, managing,
developing and redeveloping properties, focusing primarily on
the locations where its department stores operated before they
ceased operations in 1992. Alexanders has six properties.
Interstate Properties, which is further described above, owned
an additional 27.4% of the outstanding common stock of
Alexanders as of September 30, 2004. Mr. Roth,
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Vornado
Realty Trust, is Chief Executive Officer and a director of
Alexanders, and Mr. Fascitelli, President and a
trustee of Vornado Realty Trust, is President and a director of
Alexanders. Messrs. Mandelbaum, West and Wight,
trustees of Vornado Realty Trust, are also directors of
Alexanders. Alexanders common stock is listed on the
New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ALX.
At September 30, 2004, the Operating Partnership had loans
receivable from Alexanders of $124,000,000 at an interest
rate of 9.0%, including $29,000,000 drawn under a $50,000,000
line of credit. The maturity date of the loans is the earlier of
January 3, 2006 or the date that Alexanders Lexington
Avenue construction loan is repaid in full. In addition, at
September 30, 2004, Alexanders owed to Vornado Realty
L.P. $400,000,000 under a mortgage note due February 2014. The
Operating Partnership manages, develops and leases the
Alexanders properties under management and development
agreements and leasing agreements under which the Operating
Partnership receives annual fees from Alexanders. These
agreements have a one-year term expiring in March of each year,
except that the Lexington Avenue management and development
agreements have a term lasting until substantial completion of
development of the Lexington Avenue property, and are all
automatically renewable. Because Vornado Realty Trust and
Alexanders share common senior management and because a
majority of the trustees of Vornado Realty Trust also constitute
the majority of the directors of Alexanders, the terms of
the foregoing agreements and any future agreements
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between us and Alexanders may not be comparable to those
we could have negotiated with an unaffiliated third party.
For a description of Interstate Properties ownership of
Vornado Realty Trust and Alexanders, see Steven Roth
and Interstate Properties may exercise substantial influence
over us. They and some of our other trustees and officers have
interests or positions in other entities that may compete with
us above.
The Number of Shares of Vornado Realty Trust and the Market
for Those Shares Give Rise to Various Risks.
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Vornado Realty Trust has many shares available for future
sale, which could hurt the market price of its shares. |
As of September 30, 2004, we had authorized but unissued,
73,084,257 common shares of beneficial interest, $.04 par
value, and 54,560,761 preferred shares of beneficial interest,
no par value, of which 40,129,336 preferred shares have been
reserved for issuance with respect to outstanding Operating
Partnership preferred units. On November 17, 2004, we
issued 6,000,000 preferred shares. On December 16, 2004, we
increased our number of authorized preferred shares by
40,000,000 and our number of excess shares by 40,000,000 and on
December 17 and 22, 2004, we issued an additional 800,000
Operating Partnership preferred units and 8,000,000 preferred
shares, respectively, and reserved for issuance an additional
800,000 preferred shares. Consequently, as of December 31,
2004, we had authorized but unissued 80,560,761 preferred shares
of beneficial interest, no par value; of which 40,929,336 have
been reserved for issuance. We may issue these additional shares
from time to time in public or private offerings or in
connection with acquisitions.
In addition, as of September 30, 2004, 19,745,000 Vornado
Realty Trust common shares were reserved for issuance upon
redemption of Operating Partnership common units. Some of these
shares may be sold in the public market after registration under
the Securities Act under registration rights agreements between
Vornado Realty Trust and some holders of common units of the
Operating Partnership. These shares may also be sold in the
public market under Rule 144 under the Securities Act or
other available exemptions from registration. In addition,
Vornado Realty Trust has reserved a number of common shares for
issuance under its employee benefit plans, and these common
shares will be available for sale from time to time. Vornado
Realty Trust has awarded shares of restricted stock and granted
options to purchase additional common shares to some of its
executive officers and employees.
We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our common
shares, preferred shares or Operating Partnership units, or the
perception that sales of common shares, preferred shares or
Operating Partnership units could occur, will have on the market
prices for Vornado Realty Trusts shares.
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Changes in market conditions could hurt the market price
of Vornado Realty Trusts shares. |
The value of Vornado Realty Trusts shares depends on
various market conditions, which may change from time to time.
Among the market conditions that may affect the value of Vornado
Realty Trusts shares are the following:
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the extent of institutional investor interest in us; |
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the reputation of REITs generally and the attractiveness of
their equity securities in comparison to other equity
securities, including securities issued by other real estate
companies, and fixed income securities (including in connection
with any possible change in the taxation of dividends, as
discussed below); |
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our financial condition and performance; |
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prevailing interest rates; and |
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general financial market conditions. |
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In particular, the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief and Reconciliation
Act of 2003 which was signed into law by President Bush on
May 28, 2003 provides favorable income tax rates for
certain corporate dividends received by individuals through
December 31, 2008. Under the Act, REIT dividends are not
eligible for the preferential rates applicable to dividends
unless the dividends are attributable to income that has been
subject to corporate level tax. As a result, substantially all
of the distributions paid on our shares are not expected to
qualify for such lower rates. This Act could cause stock in
non-REIT corporations to be more attractive to investors than
stock in REITS, which may negatively affect the value of and the
market for our shares.
The stock market in recent years has experienced extreme price
and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or
disproportionate to the operating performance of companies.
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Increased market interest rates may hurt the value of
Vornado Realty Trusts shares. |
We believe that investors consider the distribution rate on REIT
shares, expressed as a percentage of the price of the shares,
relative to market interest rates as an important factor in
deciding whether to buy or sell the shares. If market interest
rates go up, prospective purchasers of REIT shares may expect a
higher distribution rate. Higher interest rates would likely
increase our borrowing costs and might decrease funds available
for distribution. Thus, higher market interest rates could cause
the market price of Vornado Realty Trusts shares to
decline.
VORNADO REALTY TRUST AND VORNADO REALTY L.P.
Vornado Realty Trust is a fully-integrated real estate
investment trust organized under the laws of Maryland. Vornado
conducts its business through, and substantially all of its
interests in properties are held by, Vornado Realty L.P. Vornado
Realty Trust is the sole general partner of, and owned
approximately 82% of the common limited partnership interest in,
Vornado Realty L.P. as of September 30, 2004.
Vornado Realty Trust, through Vornado Realty L.P., currently
owns directly or indirectly:
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all or portions of 84 office properties in the New York City
metropolitan area (primarily Manhattan) and in the
Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia area; |
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88 retail center properties in seven states and Puerto Rico
aggregating approximately 14.0 million square feet,
including 2.7 million square feet built by tenants on land
leased from Vornado; |
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Merchandise Mart Properties: |
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the Merchandise Mart Properties portfolio containing
approximately 8.6 million square feet, including the
3.4 million square foot Merchandise Mart in Chicago; |
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Temperature Controlled Logistics: |
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a 47.6% interest in Americold Realty Trust, which owns and
operates 100 cold storage warehouses nationwide; |
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Other Real Estate Investments: |
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33% of the outstanding common stock of Alexanders, Inc.; |
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the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City consisting of a hotel
portion containing 1 million square feet with 1,700 rooms
and a commercial portion containing 400,000 square feet of
retail and office space; |
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a 22.3% interest in The Newkirk Master Limited Partnership,
which owns office, retail and industrial properties and various
debt interests in those properties; |
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eight dry warehouse/industrial properties in New Jersey
containing approximately 2.0 million square feet; and |
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other investments including interests in other real estate,
marketable securities and loans and rates receivable. |
Our principal executive offices are located at 888 Seventh
Avenue, New York, New York 10019, and our telephone number is
(212) 894-7000.
CONSOLIDATED RATIOS OF EARNINGS TO COMBINED
FIXED CHARGES AND PREFERRED SHARE DIVIDEND REQUIREMENTS
Vornado Realty Trusts consolidated ratios of earnings to
combined fixed charges and preference dividends for each of the
fiscal years ended December 31, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003
and the nine months ended September 30, 2004 are as follows:
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Nine Months | |
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Year Ended December 31, | |
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September 30, | |
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2000 | |
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2001 | |
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Ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preference
dividends (unaudited)
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1.52 |
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1.56 |
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1.68 |
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1.87 |
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1.96 |
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For purposes of calculating these ratios, (a) earnings
represent income from continuing operations before income taxes,
plus fixed charges, and (b) fixed charges represent
interest expense on all indebtedness, including amortization of
deferred debt issuance costs, and the portion of operating lease
rental expense that management considers representative of the
interest factor, which is one-third of operating lease rentals.
CONSOLIDATED RATIOS OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
Vornado Realty L.P.s consolidated ratios of earnings to
fixed charges for each of the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and the nine months
ended September 30, 2004 are as follows:
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Nine Months | |
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Year Ended December 31, | |
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Ended | |
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September 30, | |
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Ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preference
dividends (unaudited)
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1.73 |
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1.71 |
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1.88 |
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2.09 |
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2.14 |
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For purposes of calculating these ratios, (a) earnings
represent income from continuing operations before income taxes,
plus fixed charges, and (b) fixed charges represent
interest expense on all indebtedness, including amortization of
deferred debt issuance costs, and the portion of operating lease
rental expense that management considers representative of the
interest factor, which is one-third of operating lease rentals.
USE OF PROCEEDS
Vornado Realty Trust is required by the terms of the partnership
agreement of Vornado Realty L.P. to contribute the net proceeds
of any sale of common shares, preferred shares or depositary
shares to Vornado Realty L.P. in exchange for additional units
or preferred units, as the case may be. As will be more fully
described in the applicable prospectus supplement, Vornado
Realty Trust and Vornado Realty L.P. intend to use the net
proceeds from the sale of securities for general trust or
partnership purposes or other uses. These other uses may
include, among others, the funding of an acquisition or the
repayment of indebtedness.
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES OF VORNADO REALTY L.P.
Please note that in this section entitled Description
of Debt Securities of Vornado Realty L.P., references to
Vornado Realty L.P., we, our and
us refer only to Vornado Realty L.P. and not to its
subsidiaries or Vornado Realty Trust unless the context requires
otherwise. Also, in this section, references to
holders mean those who own debt securities
registered in their own names, on the books that we or the
trustee maintain for this purpose, and not those who own
beneficial interests in debt securities registered in street
name or in debt securities issued in book-entry form through one
or more depositaries. Owners of beneficial interests in the debt
securities should read the section below entitled Legal
Ownership and Book-Entry Issuance.
Debt Securities May Be Senior or Subordinated
We may issue senior or subordinated debt securities. Neither the
senior debt securities nor the subordinated debt securities will
be secured by any property or assets of Vornado Realty Trust or
any of its subsidiaries, including Vornado Realty L.P. Thus, by
owning a debt security, you are an unsecured creditor of Vornado
Realty L.P.
Neither any limited or general partner of Vornado Realty L.P.,
including Vornado Realty Trust, nor any principal, shareholder,
officer, director, trustee or employee of any limited or general
partner of Vornado Realty L.P. or of any successor of any
limited or general partner of Vornado Realty L.P. has any
obligation for payment of debt securities or for any of Vornado
Realty L.P.s obligations, covenants or agreements
contained in the debt securities or the applicable indenture. By
accepting the debt securities, you waive and release all
liability of this kind. The waiver and release are part of the
consideration for the issuance of debt securities.
The senior debt securities will be issued under our senior debt
indenture described below and will rank equally with all of our
other senior unsecured and unsubordinated debt.
The subordinated debt securities will be issued under our
subordinated debt indenture described below and will be
subordinate in right of payment to all of our senior
indebtedness, as defined in the subordinated debt
indenture. The prospectus supplement for any series of
subordinated debt securities or the information incorporated in
this prospectus by reference will indicate the approximate
amount of senior indebtedness outstanding as of the end of our
most recent fiscal quarter. As of December 31, 2004,
$962,096,000 of Vornado Realty L.P.s total indebtedness
constituted senior indebtedness. Neither indenture limits
Vornado Realty L.P.s ability to incur additional senior
indebtedness, unless otherwise described in the prospectus
supplement relating to any series of debt securities. Vornado
Realty L.P.s senior indebtedness is, and any additional
senior indebtedness will be, structurally subordinate to the
indebtedness of Vornado Realty L.P.s subsidiaries. See
Vornado Realty L.P.s Debt Securities Are
Structurally Subordinated to Indebtedness of Vornado Realty
L.P.s Subsidiaries below.
When we refer to debt securities in this prospectus,
we mean both the senior debt securities and the subordinated
debt securities.
The Senior Debt Indenture and the Subordinated Debt
Indenture
The senior debt securities and the subordinated debt securities
are each governed by a document called an indenturethe
senior debt indenture, in the case of the senior debt
securities, and the subordinated debt indenture, in the case of
the subordinated debt securities. Each indenture is a contract
between Vornado Realty L.P. and The Bank of New York, which will
initially act as trustee. The indentures are substantially
identical, except for the provisions relating to subordination,
which are included only in the subordinated debt indenture.
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The trustee under each indenture has two main roles:
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First, the trustee can enforce your rights against us if we
default. There are some limitations on the extent to which the
trustee acts on your behalf, which we describe later under
Default, Remedies and Waiver of Default. |
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Second, the trustee performs administrative duties for us, such
as sending interest payments and notices. |
See Our Relationship with the Trustee below
for more information about the trustee.
When we refer to the indenture or the trustee with respect to
any debt securities, we mean the indenture under which those
debt securities are issued and the trustee under that indenture.
We May Issue Many Series of Debt Securities
We may issue as many distinct series of debt securities under
either debt indenture as we wish. This section of the prospectus
summarizes terms of the securities that apply generally to all
series. The provisions of each indenture allow us not only to
issue debt securities with terms different from those of debt
securities previously issued under that indenture, but also to
reopen a previous issue of a series of debt
securities and issue additional debt securities of that series.
We will describe most of the financial and other specific terms
of a series, whether it be a series of the senior debt
securities or subordinated debt securities, in the prospectus
supplement accompanying this prospectus. Those terms may vary
from the terms described here.
As you read this section of the prospectus, please remember
that the specific terms of your debt security will be described
in the accompanying prospectus supplement and, if applicable,
modify or replace the general terms described in this section.
If there are any differences between your prospectus supplement
and this prospectus, your prospectus supplement will control.
Thus, the statements we make in this section may not apply to
your debt security.
When we refer to a series of debt securities, we mean a series
issued under the applicable indenture. When we refer to your
prospectus supplement, we mean the prospectus supplement
describing the specific terms of the debt security you purchase.
The terms used in your prospectus supplement have the meanings
described in this prospectus, unless otherwise specified.
Amounts That We May Issue
Neither indenture limits the aggregate amount of debt securities
that we may issue or the number of series or the aggregate
amount of any particular series. We may issue debt securities
and other securities in amounts that exceed the total amount
specified on the cover of this prospectus up to the aggregate
amount authorized by Vornado Realty L.P. for each series, at any
time without your consent and without notifying you.
The indentures and the debt securities do not limit our ability
to incur other indebtedness or to issue other securities, unless
otherwise described in the prospectus supplement relating to any
series of debt securities. Also, we are not subject to financial
or similar restrictions by the terms of the debt securities,
unless otherwise described in the prospectus supplement relating
to any series of debt securities.
Principal Amount, Stated Maturity and Maturity
The principal amount of a debt security means the principal
amount payable at its stated maturity, unless that amount is not
determinable, in which case the principal amount of a debt
security is its face amount. Any debt securities owned by us or
any of our affiliates are not deemed to be outstanding for
certain determinations under the indenture.
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The term stated maturity with respect to any debt
security means the day on which the principal amount of the debt
security is scheduled to become due. The principal may become
due sooner, by reason of redemption or acceleration after a
default or otherwise in accordance with the terms of the debt
security. The day on which the principal actually becomes due,
whether at the stated maturity or earlier, is called the
maturity of the principal.
We also use the terms stated maturity and
maturity to refer to the days when other payments
become due. For example, we refer to a regular interest payment
date when an installment of interest is scheduled to become due
as the stated maturity of that installment.
When we refer to the stated maturity or the
maturity of a debt security without specifying a
particular payment, we mean the stated maturity or maturity, as
the case may be, of the principal.
Vornado Realty L.P.s Debt Securities Are Structurally
Subordinated to Indebtedness of Vornado Realty L.P.s
Subsidiaries
Because our assets consist principally of interests in the
subsidiaries through which we own our properties and conduct our
businesses, our right to participate as an equity holder in any
distribution of assets of any of our subsidiaries upon the
subsidiarys liquidation or otherwise, and thus the ability
of our security holders to benefit from the distribution, is
junior to creditors of the subsidiary, except to the extent that
any claims we may have as a creditor of the subsidiary are
recognized. Furthermore, because some of our subsidiaries are
partnerships in which we are a general partner, we may be liable
for their obligations. We may also guarantee some obligations of
our subsidiaries. Any liability we may have for our
subsidiaries obligations could reduce our assets that are
available to satisfy our direct creditors, including investors
in our debt securities.
This Section Is Only a Summary
The indentures and their associated documents, including your
debt security, contain the full legal text of the matters
described in this section and your prospectus supplement. We
have filed forms of the indentures with the SEC as exhibits to
our registration statements. See Available
Information above for information on how to obtain copies
of them.
This section and your prospectus supplement summarize all the
material terms of the indentures and your debt security. They do
not, however, describe every aspect of the indentures and your
debt security. For example, in this section and your prospectus
supplement, we use terms that have been given special meaning in
the indentures, but we describe the meaning for only the more
important of those terms.
Governing Law
The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by New
York law.
Currency of Debt Securities
Amounts that become due and payable on a debt security in cash
will be payable in a currency, currencies or currency units
specified in the accompanying prospectus supplement. We refer to
this currency, currencies or currency units as a specified
currency. The specified currency for a debt security will
be U.S. dollars, unless your prospectus supplement states
otherwise. Some debt securities may have different specified
currencies for principal and interest. You will have to pay for
your debt securities by delivering the requisite amount of the
specified currency for the principal to us or the underwriters,
agents or dealers that we name in your prospectus supplement,
unless other arrangements have been made between you and us or
you and that firm. We will make payments on a debt security in
the specified currency, except as described below in
Payment Mechanics for Debt Securities.
Form of Debt Securities
We will issue each debt security in globali.e.,
book-entryform only, unless we specify otherwise in the
applicable prospectus supplement. Debt securities in book-entry
form will be represented by a global security
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registered in the name of a depositary, which will be the holder
of all the debt securities represented by that global security.
Those who own beneficial interests in a global debt security
will do so through participants in the depositarys
securities clearance system, and the rights of these indirect
owners will be governed solely by the applicable procedures of
the depositary and its participants. We describe book-entry
securities below under Legal Ownership and Book-Entry
Issuance.
In addition, we will issue each debt security in fully
registered form, without coupons.
Types of Debt Securities
We may issue any of the following types of senior debt
securities or subordinated debt securities:
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Fixed Rate Debt Securities |
A debt security of this type will bear interest at a fixed rate
described in your prospectus supplement. This type includes zero
coupon debt securities, which bear no interest and are instead
issued at a price usually significantly lower than the principal
amount. See Original Issue Discount Debt
Securities below for more information about zero coupon
and other original issue discount debt securities.
Each fixed rate debt security, except any zero coupon debt
security, will bear interest from its original issue date or
from the most recent date to which interest on the debt security
has been paid or made available for payment. Interest will
accrue on the principal of a fixed rate debt security at the
fixed yearly rate stated in the applicable prospectus
supplement, until the principal is paid or made available for
payment or the debt security is exchanged. Each payment of
interest due on an interest payment date or the date of maturity
will include interest accrued from and including the last date
to which interest has been paid, or made available for payment,
or from the issue date if none has been paid or made available
for payment, to but excluding the interest payment date or the
date of maturity. We will compute interest on fixed rate debt
securities on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day
months. We will pay interest on each interest payment date and
at maturity as described below under Payment
Mechanics for Debt Securities.
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Floating Rate Debt Securities |
A debt security of this type will bear interest at rates that
are determined by reference to an interest rate formula. In some
cases, the rates may also be adjusted by adding or subtracting a
spread or multiplying by a spread multiplier and may be subject
to a minimum rate or a maximum rate. If a debt security is a
floating rate debt security, the formula and any adjustments
that apply to the interest rate will be specified in the
applicable prospectus supplement.
Each floating rate debt security will bear interest from its
original issue date or from the most recent date to which
interest on the debt security has been paid or made available
for payment. Interest will accrue on the principal of a floating
rate debt security at the yearly rate determined according to
the interest rate formula stated in the applicable prospectus
supplement, until the principal is paid or made available for
payment or the security is exchanged. We will pay interest on
each interest payment date and at maturity as described below
under Payment Mechanics for Debt Securities.
Calculation of Interest. Calculations relating to
floating rate debt securities will be made by the calculation
agent, an institution that we appoint as our agent for this
purpose. The prospectus supplement for a particular floating
rate debt security will name the institution that we have
appointed to act as the calculation agent for that debt security
as of its original issue date. We may appoint a different
institution to serve as calculation agent from time to time
after the original issue date of the debt security without your
consent and without notifying you of the change.
For each floating rate debt security, the calculation agent will
determine, on the corresponding interest calculation or
determination date, as described in the applicable prospectus
supplement, the interest rate that takes effect on each interest
reset date. In addition, the calculation agent will calculate
the amount of interest that has accrued during each interest
periodi.e., the period from and including the original
issue date, or the last date to which interest has been paid or
made available for payment, to but excluding the payment date.
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For each interest period, the calculation agent will calculate
the amount of accrued interest by multiplying the face or other
specified amount of the floating rate debt security by an
accrued interest factor for the interest period. This factor
will equal the sum of the interest factors calculated for each
day during the interest period. The interest factor for each day
will be expressed as a decimal and will be calculated by
dividing the interest rate, also expressed as a decimal,
applicable to that day by 360 or by the actual number of days in
the year, as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Upon the request of the holder of any floating rate debt
security, the calculation agent will provide for that debt
security the interest rate then in effectand, if
determined, the interest rate that will become effective on the
next interest reset date. The calculation agents
determination of any interest rate, and its calculation of the
amount of interest for any interest period, will be final and
binding in the absence of manifest error.
All percentages resulting from any calculation relating to a
debt security will be rounded upward or downward, as
appropriate, to the next higher or lower one hundred-thousandth
of a percentage point, e.g., 9.876541% (or .09876541) being
rounded down to 9.87654% (or .0987654) and 9.876545% (or
..09876545) being rounded up to 9.87655% (or .0987655). All
amounts used in or resulting from any calculation relating to a
floating rate debt security will be rounded upward or downward,
as appropriate, to the nearest cent, in the case of
U.S. dollars, or to the nearest corresponding hundredth of
a unit, in the case of a currency other than U.S. dollars,
with one-half cent or one-half of a corresponding hundredth of a
unit or more being rounded upward.
In determining the base rate that applies to a floating rate
debt security during a particular interest period, the
calculation agent may obtain rate quotes from various banks or
dealers active in the relevant market, as described in the
applicable prospectus supplement. Those reference banks and
dealers may include the calculation agent itself and its
affiliates, as well as any underwriter, dealer or agent
participating in the distribution of the relevant floating rate
debt securities and its affiliates.
A debt security of this type provides that the principal amount
payable at its maturity, and the amount of interest payable on
an interest payment date, will be determined by reference to:
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securities of one or more issuers; |
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one or more currencies; |
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one or more commodities; |
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any other financial, economic or other measure or instrument,
including the occurrence or non-occurrence of any event or
circumstance; or |
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one or more indices or baskets of the items described above. |
If you are a holder of an indexed debt security, you may receive
an amount at maturity that is greater than or less than the face
amount of your debt security depending upon the value of the
applicable index at maturity. The value of the applicable index
will fluctuate over time.
If you purchase an indexed debt security, your prospectus
supplement will include information about the relevant index and
about how amounts that are to become payable will be determined
by reference to the price or value of that index. The prospectus
supplement will also identify the calculation agent that will
calculate the amounts payable with respect to the indexed debt
security. The calculation agent may exercise significant
discretion in determining such amounts.
Original Issue Discount Debt Securities
A fixed rate debt security, a floating rate debt security or an
indexed debt security may be an original issue discount debt
security. A debt security of this type is issued at a price
lower than its principal amount and provides that, upon
redemption or acceleration of its maturity, an amount less than
its principal amount will be
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payable. An original issue discount debt security may be a zero
coupon debt security. A debt security issued at a discount to
its principal may, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, be
considered an original issue discount debt security, regardless
of the amount payable upon redemption or acceleration of
maturity. The U.S. federal income tax consequences of
owning an original issue discount debt security may be described
in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Information in the Prospectus Supplement
A prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of a
particular series of debt securities, which will include some or
all of the following:
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the title of the debt securities; |
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whether they are senior debt securities or subordinated debt
securities; |
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any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt
securities of the same series; |
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the person to whom any interest on any debt security of the
series will be payable, if other than the person in whose name
the debt security is registered at the close of business on the
regular record date; |
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the stated maturity; |
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the specified currency, currencies or currency units for
principal and interest, if not U.S. dollars; |
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the price at which we originally issue the debt securities,
expressed as a percentage of the principal amount, and the
original issue date; |
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whether the debt securities are fixed rate debt securities,
floating rate debt securities or indexed debt securities; |
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if the debt securities are fixed rate debt securities, the
yearly rate at which the debt securities will bear interest, if
any, and the interest payment dates; |
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the regular record date for any interest payable on any interest
payment date; |
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the place or places where the principal of, premium, if any, and
interest on the debt securities will be payable; |
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the denominations in which the debt securities will be issuable,
if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple
of $1,000; |
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if the debt securities are floating rate debt securities, the
interest rate basis; any applicable index currency or maturity,
spread or spread multiplier or initial, maximum or minimum rate;
the interest reset, determination, calculation and payment
dates; the day count used to calculate interest payments for any
period; and the calculation agent; |
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any index or formula used to determine the amount of payments of
principal of and any premium and interest on the debt securities; |
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if the debt securities may be exchanged for common or preferred
shares of Vornado Realty Trust or other securities, the terms on
which exchange may occur, including whether exchange is
mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option, the
period during which exchange may occur, the initial exchange
rate and the circumstances or manner in which the amount of
common or preferred shares issuable upon exchange may be
adjusted or calculated according to the market price of Vornado
Realty Trust common or preferred shares or such other securities; |
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if the debt securities are also original issue discount debt
securities, the yield to maturity; |
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if other than the principal amount, the portion of the principal
amount of the debt securities of the series which will be
payable upon acceleration of the maturity of the debt securities; |
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if applicable, the circumstances under which the debt securities
may be mandatorily redeemed by us, redeemed at our option or
repaid at the holders option before the stated maturity,
including any redemption commencement date, repayment date(s),
redemption price(s) and redemption period(s); |
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if the principal amount of the debt securities which will be
payable at the maturity of the debt securities will not be
determinable as of any date before maturity, the amount which
will be deemed to be the outstanding principal amount of the
debt securities; |
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the applicability of any provisions described under
Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance; |
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the depositary for the debt securities, if other than DTC, and
any circumstances under which the holder may request securities
in non-global form; |
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the applicability of any provisions described under
Default, Remedies and Waiver of Default; |
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any additional covenants applicable to the debt securities and
any elimination of or modification to the covenants described
under Covenants; |
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the names and duties of any co-trustees, depositaries,
authenticating agents, paying agents, transfer agents or
registrars for the debt securities; |
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the U.S. federal income tax consequences to holders of
fixed rate debt securities that are zero coupon or original
issue discount debt securities, floating rate debt securities,
indexed debt securities or original issue discount debt
securities; and |
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any other terms of the debt securities, which could be different
from those described in this prospectus. |
Redemption and Repayment
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus
supplement, a debt security will not be entitled to the benefit
of any sinking fundthat is, we will not deposit money on a
regular basis into any separate custodial account to repay the
debt securities. In addition, we will not be entitled to redeem
a debt security before its stated maturity unless the prospectus
supplement specifies a redemption commencement date. You will
not be entitled to require us to buy a debt security from you
before its stated maturity unless your prospectus supplement
specifies one or more repayment dates.
If your applicable prospectus supplement specifies a redemption
commencement date or a repayment date, it will also specify one
or more redemption prices or repayment prices, which may be
expressed as a percentage of the principal amount of the debt
security. It may also specify one or more redemption periods
during which the redemption prices relating to a redemption of
debt securities during those periods will apply.
If we redeem less than all the debt securities of any series, we
will, at least 60 days before the redemption date set by us
or any shorter period that is satisfactory to the trustee,
notify the trustee of the redemption date, of the principal
amount of debt securities to be redeemed and if applicable, of
the tenor of the debt securities to be redeemed. The trustee
will select from the outstanding securities of the series the
particular debt securities to be redeemed not more than
60 days before the redemption date. This procedure will not
apply to any redemption of a single debt security.
If your prospectus supplement specifies a redemption
commencement date, the debt security will be redeemable at our
option at any time on or after that date or at a specified time
or times. If we redeem the debt security, we will do so at the
specified redemption price, together with interest accrued to
the redemption date. If different prices are specified for
different redemption periods, the price we pay will be the price
that applies to the redemption period during which the debt
security is redeemed.
If your prospectus supplement specifies a repayment date, the
debt security will be repayable at the holders option on
the specified repayment date at the specified repayment price,
together with interest accrued to the repayment date.
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If we exercise an option to redeem any debt security, we will
give to the holder written notice of the principal amount of the
debt security to be redeemed, not less than 30 days nor
more than 60 days before the applicable redemption date. We
will give the notice in the manner described below in
Notices.
If a debt security represented by a global debt security is
subject to repayment at the holders option, the depositary
or its nominee, as the holder, will be the only person that can
exercise the right to repayment. Any indirect owners who own
beneficial interests in the global debt security and wish to
exercise a repayment right must give proper and timely
instructions to their banks or brokers through which they hold
their interests, requesting that they notify the depositary to
exercise the repayment right on their behalf. Different firms
have different deadlines for accepting instructions from their
customers, and you should take care to act promptly enough to
ensure that your request is given effect by the depositary
before the applicable deadline for exercise.
Street name and other indirect owners should contact their
banks or brokers for information about how to exercise a
repayment right in a timely manner.
We or our affiliates may purchase debt securities from investors
who are willing to sell from time to time, either in the open
market at prevailing prices or in private transactions at
negotiated prices. Debt securities that we or they purchase may,
at our discretion, be held, resold or canceled.
Mergers and Similar Transactions
We are generally permitted to merge or consolidate with another
entity. We are also permitted to sell our assets substantially
as an entirety to another entity. With regard to any series of
debt securities, however, unless otherwise indicated in the
applicable prospectus supplement, we may not take any of these
actions unless all the following conditions are met:
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If the successor entity in the transaction is not Vornado Realty
L.P., the successor entity must be a corporation, partnership or
trust organized under the laws of the United States, any state
in the United States or the District of Columbia and must
expressly assume our obligations under the debt securities of
that series and the indenture with respect to that series. |
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Immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no default
under the debt securities of that series has occurred and is
continuing. For this purpose, default under the debt
securities of that series means an event of default with
respect to that series or any event that would be an event of
default with respect to that series if the requirements for
giving us a default notice and for our default having to
continue for a specific period of time were disregarded. We
describe these matters below under Default, Remedies
and Waiver of Default. |
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We or any successor entity, as the case may be, must take such
steps as will be necessary to secure the debt securities of that
series equally and ratably with or senior to all new
indebtedness if, as a result of the transaction, properties or
assets of Vornado Realty L.P. would become subject to a
mortgage, pledge, lien, security interest or other encumbrance
which would not be permitted by the applicable indenture. |
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We have delivered to the trustee an officers certificate
and opinion of counsel, each stating that the transaction
complies in all respects with the indenture. |
If the conditions described above are satisfied with respect to
the debt securities of any series, we will not need to obtain
the approval of the holders of those debt securities in order to
merge or consolidate or to sell our assets. Also, these
conditions will apply only if we wish to merge or consolidate
with another entity or sell our assets substantially as an
entirety to another entity. We will not need to satisfy these
conditions if we enter into other types of transactions,
including any transaction in which we acquire the stock or
assets of another entity, any transaction that involves a change
of control of Vornado Realty L.P. or Vornado Realty Trust but in
which Vornado Realty L.P. does not merge or consolidate and any
transaction in which we sell less than substantially all our
assets.
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Subordination Provisions
Holders of subordinated debt securities should recognize that
contractual provisions in the subordinated debt indenture may
prohibit us from making payments on those securities.
Subordinated debt securities are subordinate and junior in right
of payment, to the extent and in the manner stated in the
subordinated debt indenture, to all of our senior debt, as
defined in the subordinated debt indenture, including all debt
securities we have issued and will issue under the senior debt
indenture.
The subordinated debt indenture defines senior debt
as the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on all
indebtedness of Vornado Realty L.P., other than the subordinated
debt securities, whether outstanding on the date of the
indenture or thereafter created, incurred or assumed, which is
(a) for money borrowed, (b) evidenced by a note or
similar instrument given in connection with the acquisition of
any businesses, properties or assets of any kind or
(c) obligations of Vornado Realty L.P. as lessee under
leases required to be capitalized on the balance sheet of the
lessee under generally accepted accounting principles or leases
of property or assets made as part of any sale and lease-back
transaction to which Vornado Realty L.P. is a party. For the
purpose of this definition, interest includes
interest accruing on or after the filing of any petition in
bankruptcy or for reorganization relating to Vornado Realty L.P.
to the extent that the claim for post-petition interest is
allowed in the proceeding. Also for the purpose of this
definition, indebtedness of Vornado Realty L.P.
includes indebtedness of others guaranteed by Vornado Realty
L.P. and amendments, renewals, extensions, modifications and
refundings of any indebtedness or obligation of the kinds
described in the first sentence of this paragraph. However,
indebtedness of Vornado Realty L.P. for the purpose
of this definition does not include any indebtedness or
obligation if the instrument creating or evidencing the
indebtedness or obligation, or under which the indebtedness or
obligation is outstanding, provides that the indebtedness or
obligation is not superior in right of payment to the
subordinated debt securities.
The subordinated debt indenture provides that, unless all
principal of and any premium or interest on the senior debt has
been paid in full, no payment or other distribution may be made
in respect of any subordinated debt securities in the following
circumstances:
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in the event of any insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings, or any
receivership, liquidation, reorganization or other similar
proceeding involving Vornado Realty L.P. or its assets; |
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in the event of any liquidation, dissolution or other winding up
of Vornado Realty L.P., whether voluntary or involuntary and
whether or not involving insolvency or bankruptcy; |
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in the event of any assignment for the benefit of creditors or
any other marshalling of assets and liabilities of Vornado
Realty L.P.; |
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if any subordinated debt securities of Vornado Realty L.P. have
been declared due and payable before their stated
maturity; or |
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(a) in the event and during the continuation of any default
in the payment of principal, premium or interest on any senior
debt beyond any applicable grace period or if any event of
default with respect to any senior debt of Vornado Realty L.P.
has occurred and is continuing, permitting the holders of that
senior debt of Vornado Realty L.P. or a trustee to accelerate
the maturity of that senior debt, unless the event of default
has been cured or waived or ceased to exist and any related
acceleration has been rescinded, or (b) if any judicial
proceeding is pending with respect to a payment default or an
event of default described in (a). |
If the trustee under the subordinated debt indenture or any
holders of the subordinated debt securities receive any payment
or distribution that they know is prohibited under the
subordination provisions, then the trustee or the holders will
have to repay that money to the holders of the senior debt.
Even if the subordination provisions prevent us from making any
payment when due on the subordinated debt securities of any
series, we will be in default on our obligations under that
series if we do not make the payment when due. This means that
the trustee under the subordinated debt indenture and the
holders of that series can take action against us, but they will
not receive any money until the claims of the holders of senior
debt have been fully satisfied.
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Covenants
The following covenants apply to Vornado Realty L.P. with
respect to the debt securities of each series unless otherwise
specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Maintenance of Properties. We must maintain all
properties used in our business in good condition. However, we
may discontinue the maintenance or operation of any of our
properties if in our judgment, discontinuance is desirable in
the conduct of our business and is not disadvantageous in any
material respect to the holders of debt securities.
Insurance. We must keep all of our insurable properties
insured against loss or damage with insurers of recognized
responsibility. The insurance must be in commercially reasonable
amounts and types.
Existence. Except as described under Mergers
and Similar Transactions, we must do or cause to be done
all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and
effect our existence, rights and franchises. However, we are not
required to preserve any right or franchise if we determine that
the preservation of the right or franchise is no longer
desirable in the conduct of our business and that the loss of
the right or franchise is not disadvantageous in any material
respect to the holders of the debt securities.
Payment of Taxes and Other Claims. We are required to pay
or discharge or cause to be paid or discharged (a) all
taxes, assessments and governmental charges levied or imposed
upon us or any subsidiary or upon our income, profits or
property or the income, profits or property of any subsidiary
and (b) all lawful claims for labor, materials and supplies
which, if unpaid, might by law become a lien upon our property
or the property of any subsidiary. We must pay these taxes and
other claims before they become delinquent. However, we are not
required to pay or discharge or cause to be paid or discharged
any tax, assessment, charge or claim whose amount, applicability
or validity is being contested in good faith by appropriate
proceedings.
Additional covenants described in the applicable prospectus
supplement may apply to Vornado Realty L.P. with respect to a
particular series of debt securities.
Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
The provisions for full defeasance and covenant defeasance
described below apply to each senior and subordinated debt
security if so indicated in the applicable prospectus
supplement. In general, we expect these provisions to apply to
each debt security that has a specified currency of
U.S. dollars and is not a floating rate or indexed debt
security.
Full Defeasance. If there is a change in
U.S. federal tax law, as described below, we can legally
release ourselves from all payment and other obligations on any
debt securities. This is called full defeasance. For us to do
so, each of the following must occur:
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We must deposit in trust for the benefit of all holders of those
debt securities a combination of money and U.S. government
or U.S. government agency notes or bonds that will generate
enough cash to make interest, principal and any other payments
on those debt securities on their various due dates; |
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(a) No event of default under the indenture may have
occurred and be continuing and (b) no event of default
described in the sixth bullet point under Default,
Remedies and Waiver of Default Events of Default may
have occurred and be continuing at any time during the
90 days following the deposit in trust; |
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There must be a change in current U.S. federal tax law or
an Internal Revenue Service ruling that lets us make the above
deposit without causing the holders to be taxed on those debt
securities any differently than if we did not make the deposit
and just repaid those debt securities ourselves. Under current
federal tax law, the deposit and our legal release from your
debt security would be treated as though we took back your debt
security and gave you your share of the cash and notes or bonds
deposited in trust. In that event, you could recognize gain or
loss on your debt security; and |
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We must deliver to the trustee a legal opinion of our counsel
confirming the tax law change described above. |
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If we ever fully defeased your debt security, you would have to
rely solely on the trust deposit for payments on your debt
security. You would not be able to look to us for payment if
there was any shortfall.
Covenant Defeasance. Under current U.S. federal tax
law, we can make the same type of deposit described above and be
released from the restrictive covenants relating to your debt
security listed in the bullets below and any additional
restrictive covenants that may be described in your prospectus
supplement. This is called covenant defeasance. In that event,
you would lose the protection of those restrictive covenants. In
order to achieve covenant defeasance for any debt securities, we
must take the same steps as are required for full defeasance.
If we accomplish covenant defeasance with regard to your debt
security, the following provisions of the applicable indenture
and your debt security would no longer apply:
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The requirement to secure the debt securities equally and
ratably with all new indebtedness in the event of a
consolidation; |
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The covenants regarding existence, maintenance of properties,
payment of taxes and other claims and insurance; |
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Any additional covenants that your prospectus supplement states
are applicable to your debt security; and |
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The events of default resulting from a breach of covenants,
described below in the fourth, fifth and seventh bullet points
under Default, Remedies and Waiver of
DefaultEvents of Default. |
If we accomplish covenant defeasance on your debt security, we
must still repay your debt security if there is any shortfall in
the trust deposit. You should note, however, that if one of the
remaining events of default occurred, such as our bankruptcy,
and your debt security became immediately due and payable, there
may be a shortfall. Depending on the event causing the default,
you may not be able to obtain payment of the shortfall.
Default, Remedies and Waiver of Default
You will have special rights if an event of default with respect
to your series of debt securities occurs and is continuing, as
described in this subsection.
Events of Default. Unless your prospectus supplement says
otherwise, when we refer to an event of default with respect to
any series of debt securities, we mean any of the following:
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We do not pay interest on any debt security of that series
within 30 days after the due date; |
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We do not pay the principal or any premium of any debt security
of that series on the due date; |
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We do not deposit a sinking fund payment with regard to any debt
security of that series on the due date, but only if the payment
is required under the applicable prospectus supplement; |
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We remain in breach of any covenant we make in the indenture for
the benefit of the relevant series for 60 days after we
receive a written notice of default stating that we are in
breach and requiring us to remedy the breach. The notice must be
sent by the trustee or the holders of at least 10% in principal
amount of the relevant series of debt securities; |
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We do not pay an indebtedness of $50,000,000 or more in
principal amount outstanding when due after the expiration of
any applicable grace period, or we default on an indebtedness of
this amount resulting in acceleration of the indebtedness, in
either case within ten days after written notice of the default
is sent to us. The notice must be sent by the trustee or the
holders of at least 10% in principal amount of the relevant
series of debt securities; |
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We file for bankruptcy or other events of bankruptcy, insolvency
or reorganization relating to Vornado Realty L.P. occur; or |
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If your prospectus supplement states that any additional event
of default applies to the series, that event of default occurs. |
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Remedies If an Event of Default Occurs |
If you are the holder of a subordinated debt security, all
the remedies available upon the occurrence of an event of
default under the subordinated debt indenture will be subject to
the restrictions on the subordinated debt securities described
above under Subordination Provisions.
If an event of default has occurred with respect to any series
of debt securities and has not been cured or waived, the trustee
or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of
outstanding debt securities of that series may declare the
entire principal amount of the debt securities of that series to
be due immediately. If the event of default occurs because of
events in bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization relating to
Vornado Realty L.P., the entire principal amount of the debt
securities of that series will be automatically accelerated,
without any action by the trustee or any holder.
Each of the situations described above is called an acceleration
of the maturity of the affected series of debt securities. If
the maturity of any series is accelerated, a judgment for
payment has not yet been obtained, we pay or deposit with the
trustee an amount sufficient to pay all amounts due on the
securities of the series, and all events of default with respect
to the series, other than the nonpayment of the accelerated
principal, have been cured or waived, then the holders of a
majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities
of that series may cancel the acceleration for the entire series.
If an event of default occurs, the trustee will have special
duties. In that situation, the trustee will be obligated to use
those of its rights and powers under the relevant indenture, and
to use the same degree of care and skill in doing so, that a
prudent person would use in that situation in conducting his or
her own affairs.
Except as described in the prior paragraph, the trustee is not
required to take any action under the relevant indenture at the
request of any holders unless the holders offer the trustee
reasonable protection from expenses and liability. This is
called an indemnity. If the trustee is provided with an
indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it, the holders of a
majority in principal amount of all debt securities of the
relevant series may direct the time, method and place of
conducting any lawsuit or other formal legal action seeking any
remedy available to the trustee with respect to that series.
These majority holders may also direct the trustee in performing
any other action under the applicable indenture with respect to
the debt securities of that series.
Before you bypass the trustee and bring your own lawsuit or
other formal legal action or take other steps to enforce your
rights or protect your interests relating to any debt security,
all of the following must occur:
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The holder of your debt security must give the trustee written
notice of a continuing event of default; |
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The holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of all debt
securities of your series must make a written request that the
trustee take action because of the default, and they or other
holders must offer to the trustee indemnity reasonably
satisfactory to the trustee against the cost and other
liabilities of taking that action; |
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The trustee must not have taken action for 60 days after
the above steps have been taken; and |
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During those 60 days, the holders of a majority in
principal amount of the debt securities of your series must not
have given the trustee directions that are inconsistent with the
written request of the holders of not less than 25% in principal
amount of the debt securities of your series. |
You are entitled at any time, however, to bring a lawsuit for
the payment of money due on your debt security on or after its
due date.
Waiver of Default. The holders of not less than a
majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities
of a series may waive a default for all debt securities of that
series. If this happens, the default will be treated as if it
has not occurred. No one can waive a payment default on your
debt security or a covenant or
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provision of the indenture that cannot be modified or amended
without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt
security of the series, however, without the approval of the
particular holder of that debt security.
We Will Give the Trustee Information About Defaults
Annually. We will furnish to each trustee every year a
written statement of two of our officers certifying that to
their knowledge we are in compliance with the applicable
indenture and the debt securities issued under it, or else
specifying any default under the indenture.
Book-entry and other indirect owners should consult their
banks or brokers for information on how to give notice or
direction to or make a request of the trustee and how to declare
or cancel an acceleration of the maturity. Book-entry and other
indirect owners are described below under Legal Ownership
and Book-Entry Issuance.
Changes of the Indentures Requiring Each Holders
Approval
There are certain changes that cannot be made without the
approval of each holder of a debt security affected by the
change under a particular indenture. Here is a list of those
types of changes:
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change the stated maturity for any principal or interest payment
on a debt security; |
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reduce the principal amount or the interest rate or the premium
payable upon the redemption of any debt security; |
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reduce the amount of principal of an original issue discount
security or any other debt security payable upon acceleration of
its maturity; |
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change the currency of any payment on a debt security; |
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change the place of payment on a debt security; |
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impair a holders right to sue for payment of any amount
due on its debt security; |
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reduce the percentage in principal amount of the debt securities
of any series, the approval of whose holders is needed to change
the applicable indenture or those debt securities; |
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reduce the percentage in principal amount of the debt securities
of any series, the consent of whose holders is needed to waive
our compliance with the applicable indenture or to waive
defaults; and |
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change the provisions of the applicable indenture dealing with
modification and waiver in any other respect, except to increase
any required percentage referred to above or to add to the
provisions that cannot be changed or waived without approval of
the holder of each affected debt security. |
Modification of Subordination Provisions
We may not amend the subordinated debt indenture to alter the
subordination of any outstanding subordinated debt securities
without the written consent of each holder of senior debt then
outstanding who would be adversely affected. In addition, we may
not modify the subordination provisions of the subordinated debt
indenture in a manner that would adversely affect the
outstanding subordinated debt securities of any one or more
series in any material respect, without the consent of the
holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of all
affected series, voting together as one class.
Changes of the Indentures Not Requiring Approval
Another type of change does not require any approval by holders
of the debt securities of an affected series. These changes are
limited to clarifications and changes that would not adversely
affect the debt securities of that series in any material
respect. Nor do we need any approval to make changes that affect
only debt securities to be issued under the applicable indenture
after the changes take effect.
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We may also make changes or obtain waivers that do not adversely
affect a particular debt security, even if they affect other
debt securities. In those cases, we do not need to obtain the
approval of the holder of the unaffected debt security; we need
only obtain any required approvals from the holders of the
affected debt securities.
Changes of the Indentures Requiring Majority Approval
Any other change to a particular indenture and the debt
securities issued under that indenture would require the
following approval:
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If the change affects only the debt securities of a particular
series, it must be approved by the holders of a majority in
principal amount of the debt securities of that series. |
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If the change affects the debt securities of more than one
series of debt securities issued under the applicable indenture,
it must be approved by the holders of a majority in principal
amount of each series affected by the change. |
In each case, the required approval must be given by written
consent.
The same majority approval would be required for us to obtain a
waiver of any of our covenants in either indenture. Our
covenants include the promises we make about merging and similar
transactions, which we describe above under Mergers
and Similar Transactions. If the requisite holders approve
a waiver of a covenant, we will not have to comply with it. The
holders, however, cannot approve a waiver of any provision in a
particular debt security, or in the applicable indenture as it
affects that debt security, that we cannot change without the
approval of the holder of that debt security as described above
in Changes of the Indentures Requiring Each
Holders Approval, unless that holder approves the
waiver.
Book-entry and other indirect owners should consult their
banks or brokers for information on how approval may be granted
or denied if we seek to change an indenture or any debt
securities or request a waiver.
Special Rules for Action by Holders
When holders take any action under either debt indenture, such
as giving a notice of default, declaring an acceleration,
approving any change or waiver or giving the trustee an
instruction, we will apply the following rules.
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Only Outstanding Debt Securities Are Eligible |
Only holders of outstanding debt securities of the applicable
series will be eligible to participate in any action by holders
of debt securities of that series. Also, we will count only
outstanding debt securities in determining whether the various
percentage requirements for taking action have been met. For
these purposes, a debt security will not be
outstanding:
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if it has been surrendered for cancellation or cancelled; |
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if we have deposited or set aside, in trust for its holder,
money for its payment or redemption; |
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if we have fully defeased it as described above under
Defeasance and Covenant DefeasanceFull
Defeasance; |
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if it has been exchanged for other debt securities of the same
series due to mutilation, destruction, loss or theft; or |
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if we or one of our affiliates is the owner, unless the debt
security is pledged under certain circumstances described in the
indenture. |
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Eligible Principal Amount of Some Debt Securities |
In some situations, we may follow special rules in calculating
the principal amount of a debt security that is to be treated as
outstanding for the purposes described above. This may happen,
for example, if the principal amount is payable in a
non-U.S. dollar currency, increases over time or is not to
be fixed until maturity.
For any debt security of the kind described below, we will
decide how much principal amount to attribute to the debt
security as follows:
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For an original issue discount debt security, we will use the
principal amount that would be due and payable on the action
date if the maturity of the debt security were accelerated to
that date because of a default; |
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For a debt security whose principal amount is not determinable,
we will use any amount that we indicate in the applicable
prospectus supplement for that debt security. The principal
amount of a debt security may not be determinable, for example,
because it is based on an index that changes from time to time
and the principal amount is not to be determined until a later
date; or |
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For debt securities with a principal amount denominated in one
or more non-U.S. dollar currencies or currency units, we
will use the U.S. dollar equivalent, which we will
determine. |
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Determining Record Dates for Action by Holders |
We will generally be entitled to set any day as a record date
for the purpose of determining the holders that are entitled to
take action under either indenture. In certain limited
circumstances, only the trustee will be entitled to set a record
date for action by holders. If we or the trustee set a record
date for an approval or other action to be taken by holders,
that vote or action may be taken only by persons or entities who
are holders on the record date and must be taken during the
period that we specify for this purpose, or that the trustee
specifies if it sets the record date. We or the trustee, as
applicable, may shorten or lengthen this period from time to
time. This period, however, may not extend beyond the 180th day
after the record date for the action. In addition, record dates
for any global debt security may be set in accordance with
procedures established by the depositary from time to time.
Accordingly, record dates for global debt securities may differ
from those for other debt securities.
Form, Exchange and Transfer of Debt Securities
Unless we indicate otherwise in your prospectus supplement, the
debt securities will be issued:
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only in fully registered form; and |
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in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000. |
Holders may exchange their debt securities for debt securities
of the same series in any authorized denominations, as long as
the total principal amount is not changed.
Holders may exchange or transfer their debt securities at the
office of the trustee. They may also replace lost, stolen,
destroyed or mutilated debt securities at that office. We have
appointed the trustee to act as our agent for registering debt
securities in the names of holders and transferring and
replacing debt securities.
Holders will not be required to pay a service charge to transfer
or exchange their debt securities, but they may be required to
pay for any tax or other governmental charge associated with the
registration, exchange or transfer. The transfer or exchange,
and any replacement, will be made only if our transfer agent is
satisfied with the holders proof of legal ownership. The
transfer agent may require an indemnity before replacing any
debt securities.
If a debt security is issued as a global debt security, only the
depositarye.g., DTC, Euroclear and Clearstreamwill
be entitled to transfer and exchange the debt security as
described in this subsection, since the depositary will be the
sole holder of the debt security.
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The rules for exchange described above apply to exchange of debt
securities for other debt securities of the same series and
kind. If a debt security is exchangeable for common or preferred
shares of Vornado Realty Trust, the rules governing that type of
exchange will be described in the applicable prospectus
supplement.
Payment Mechanics for Debt Securities
If interest is due on a debt security on an interest payment
date, we will pay the interest to the person in whose name the
debt security is registered at the close of business on the
regular record date relating to the interest payment date as
described below under Payment and Record Dates for
Interest. If interest is due at maturity but on a day that
is not an interest payment date, we will pay the interest to the
person entitled to receive the principal of the debt security.
If principal or another amount besides interest is due on a debt
security at maturity, we will pay the amount to the holder of
the debt security against surrender of the debt security at a
proper place of payment or, in the case of a global debt
security, in accordance with the applicable policies of the
depositary, Euroclear and Clearstream, as applicable.
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Payment and Record Dates for Interest |
Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus
supplement, interest on any fixed rate debt security will be
payable semiannually each May 15 and November 15 and at
maturity, and the regular record date relating to an interest
payment date for any fixed rate debt security will be the
May 1 or November 1 next preceding that interest
payment date. The regular record date relating to an interest
payment date for any floating rate debt security will be the
15th calendar day before that interest payment date. These
record dates will apply regardless of whether a particular
record date is a business day, as defined below. For
the purpose of determining the holder at the close of business
on a regular record date when business is not being conducted,
the close of business will mean 5:00 P.M., New York City
time, on that day.
Business Day. The term business day means,
with respect to the debt securities of a series, a Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday that is not a day on
which banking institutions in the place of payment for the debt
securities of that series are authorized or obligated by law or
executive order to close and that satisfies any other criteria
specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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How We Will Make Payments Due in U.S. Dollars |
We will follow the practice described in this subsection when
paying amounts due in U.S. dollars. Payments of amounts due
in other currencies will be made as described in the next
subsection.
Payments on Global Debt Securities. We will make payments
on a global debt security in accordance with the applicable
policies of the depositary as in effect from time to time. Under
those policies, we will make payments directly to the
depositary, or its nominee, and not to any indirect owners who
own beneficial interests in the global debt security. An
indirect owners right to receive those payments will be
governed by the rules and practices of the depositary and its
participants, as described below in the section entitled
Legal Ownership and Book-Entry IssuanceWhat Is a
Global Security?
Payments on Non-Global Debt Securities. We will make
payments on a debt security in non-global, registered form as
follows. We will pay interest that is due on an interest payment
date by check mailed on the interest payment date to the holder
at his or her address shown on the trustees records as of
the close of business on the regular record date. We will make
all other payments by check to the paying agent described below,
against surrender of the debt security. All payments by check
will be made in next-day fundsi.e., funds that become
available on the day after the check is cashed.
Alternatively, if a non-global debt security has a face amount
of at least $1,000,000 and the holder asks us to do so, we will
pay any amount that becomes due on the debt security by wire
transfer of immediately available funds to an account at a bank
in New York City, on the due date. To request a wire payment,
the holder must give the paying agent appropriate wire transfer
instructions at least five business days before the requested
wire payment is due. In the case of any interest payment due on
an interest payment date, the instructions must be given by the
person or entity who is the holder on the relevant regular
record date. In the
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case of any other payment, payment will be made only after the
debt security is surrendered to the paying agent. Any wire
instructions, once properly given, will remain in effect unless
and until new instructions are given in the manner described
above.
Book-entry and other indirect owners should consult their
banks or brokers for information on how they will receive
payments on their debt securities.
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How We Will Make Payments Due in Other Currencies |
We will follow the practice described in this subsection when
paying amounts that are due in a specified currency other than
U.S. dollars.
Payments on Global Debt Securities. We will make payments
on a global debt security in accordance with the applicable
policies as in effect from time to time of the depositary, which
will be DTC, Euroclear or Clearstream. Unless we specify
otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, The
Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, known as DTC, will
be the depositary for all debt securities in global form. We
understand that DTCs policies, as currently in effect, are
as follows.
Unless otherwise indicated in your prospectus supplement, if you
are an indirect owner of global debt securities denominated in a
specified currency other than U.S. dollars and if you have
the right to elect to receive payments in that other currency
and do so elect, you must notify the participant through which
your interest in the global debt security is held of your
election:
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on or before the applicable regular record date, in the case of
a payment of interest; or |
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on or before the 16th day before the stated maturity, or any
redemption or repayment date, in the case of payment of
principal or any premium. |
Your participant must, in turn, notify DTC of your election on
or before the third DTC business day after that regular record
date, in the case of a payment of interest, and on or before the
12th DTC business day prior to the stated maturity, or on the
redemption or repayment date if your debt security is redeemed
or repaid earlier, in the case of a payment of principal or any
premium.
DTC, in turn, will notify the paying agent of your election in
accordance with DTCs procedures.
If complete instructions are received by the participant and
forwarded by the participant to DTC, and by DTC to the paying
agent, on or before the dates noted above, the paying agent, in
accordance with DTCs instructions, will make the payments
to you or your participant by wire transfer of immediately
available funds to an account maintained by the payee with a
bank located in the country issuing the specified currency or in
another jurisdiction acceptable to us and the paying agent.
If the foregoing steps are not properly completed, we expect DTC
to inform the paying agent that payment is to be made in
U.S. dollars. In that case, we or our agent will convert
the payment to U.S. dollars in the manner described below
under Conversion to U.S. Dollars. We
expect that we or our agent will then make the payment in
U.S. dollars to DTC, and that DTC in turn will pass it
along to its participants.
Indirect owners of a global debt security denominated in a
currency other than U.S. dollars should consult their banks
or brokers for information on how to request payment in the
specified currency.
Payments on Non-Global Debt Securities. Except as
described in the last paragraph under this heading, we will make
payments on debt securities in non-global form in the applicable
specified currency. We will make these payments by wire transfer
of immediately available funds to any account that is maintained
in the applicable specified currency at a bank designated by the
holder and which is acceptable to us and the trustee. To
designate an account for wire payment, the holder must give the
paying agent appropriate wire instructions at least five
business days before the requested wire payment is due. In the
case of any interest payment due on an interest payment date,
the instructions must be given by the person or entity who is
the holder on the
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regular record date. In the case of any other payment, the
payment will be made only after the debt security is surrendered
to the paying agent. Any instructions, once properly given, will
remain in effect unless and until new instructions are properly
given in the manner described above.
If a holder fails to give instructions as described above, we
will notify the holder at the address in the trustees
records and will make the payment within five business days
after the holder provides appropriate instructions. Any late
payment made in these circumstances will be treated under the
applicable indenture as if made on the due date, and no interest
will accrue on the late payment from the due date to the date
paid.
Although a payment on a debt security in non-global form may be
due in a specified currency other than U.S. dollars, we
will make the payment in U.S. dollars if the holder asks us
to do so. To request U.S. dollar payment, the holder must
provide appropriate written notice to the trustee at least five
business days before the next due date for which payment in
U.S. dollars is requested. In the case of any interest
payment due on an interest payment date, the request must be
made by the person or entity who is the holder on the regular
record date. Any request, once properly made, will remain in
effect unless and until revoked by notice properly given in the
manner described above.
Book-entry and other indirect owners of a debt security with
a specified currency other than U.S. dollars should contact
their banks or brokers for information about how to receive
payments in the specified currency or in U.S. dollars.
Conversion to U.S. Dollars. When we are asked by a
holder to make payments in U.S. dollars of an amount due in
another currency, either on a global debt security or a
non-global debt security as described above, the exchange rate
agent described below will calculate the U.S. dollar amount
the holder receives in the exchange rate agents discretion.
A holder that requests payment in U.S. dollars will bear
all associated currency exchange costs, which will be deducted
from the payment.
When the Specified Currency Is Not Available. If we are
obligated to make any payment in a specified currency other than
U.S. dollars, and the specified currency or any successor
currency is not available to us due to circumstances beyond our
control such as the imposition of exchange controls or a
disruption in the currency markets we will be entitled to
satisfy our obligation to make the payment in that specified
currency by making the payment in U.S. dollars, on the
basis of the exchange rate determined by the exchange rate agent
described below, in its discretion.
The foregoing will apply to any debt security, whether in global
or non-global form, and to any payment, including a payment at
maturity. Any payment made under the circumstances and in a
manner described above will not result in a default under any
debt security or the applicable indenture.
The Euro. The euro may be a specified currency for some
debt securities. On January 1, 1999, the euro became the
legal currency for the 11 member states participating in the
European Economic and Monetary Union.
Exchange Rate Agent. If we issue a debt security in a
specified currency other than U.S. dollars, we will appoint
a financial institution to act as the exchange rate agent and
will name the institution initially appointed when the debt
security is originally issued in the applicable prospectus
supplement. We may change the exchange rate agent from time to
time after the original issue date of the debt security without
your consent and without notifying you of the change.
All determinations made by the exchange rate agent will be in
its sole discretion unless we state in the applicable prospectus
supplement that any determination requires our approval. In the
absence of manifest error, those determinations will be
conclusive for all purposes and binding on you and us, without
any liability on the part of the exchange rate agent.
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Payment When Offices Are Closed |
If any payment is due on a debt security on a day that is not a
business day, we will make the payment on the next day that is a
business day. Payments postponed to the next business day in
this situation will be treated under the applicable indenture as
if they were made on the original due date. Postponement of this
kind will not result in a default under any debt security or the
applicable indenture, and no interest will accrue on the
postponed amount from the original due date to the next day that
is a business day. The term business day has a special meaning,
which we describe above under Payment and Record
Dates for Interest.
We may appoint one or more financial institutions to act as our
paying agents, at whose designated offices debt securities in
non-global entry form may be surrendered for payment at their
maturity. We call each of those offices a paying agent. We may
add, replace or terminate paying agents from time to time. We
may also choose to act as our own paying agent. Initially, we
have appointed the trustee, at its corporate trust office in New
York City, as the paying agent. We must notify the trustee of
changes in the paying agents.
Regardless of who acts as paying agent, all money paid by us to
a paying agent that remains unclaimed at the end of two years
after the amount is due to a holder will be repaid to us. After
that two-year period, the holder may look only to us for payment
and not to the trustee, any other paying agent or anyone else.
Notices
Notices to be given to holders of a global debt security will be
given only to the depositary, in accordance with its applicable
policies as in effect from time to time. Notices to be given to
holders of debt securities not in global form will be sent by
mail to the respective addresses of the holders as they appear
in the trustees records. Neither the failure to give any
notice to a particular holder, nor any defect in a notice given
to a particular holder, will affect the sufficiency of any
notice given to another holder.
Book-entry and other indirect owners should consult their
banks or brokers for information on how they will receive
notices.
Our Relationship with the Trustee
The Bank of New York has provided commercial banking and other
services for us and our affiliates in the past and may do so in
the future.
The Bank of New York is initially serving as the trustee for our
senior debt securities and subordinated debt securities.
Consequently, if an actual or potential event of default occurs
with respect to any of these securities, the trustee may be
considered to have a conflicting interest for purposes of the
Trust Indenture Act of 1939. In that case, the trustee may be
required to resign under one or more of the indentures, and we
would be required to appoint a successor trustee. For this
purpose, a potential event of default means an event
that would be an event of default if the requirements for giving
us default notice or for the default having to exist for a
specific period of time were disregarded.
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DESCRIPTION OF SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST OF VORNADO
REALTY TRUST
The following descriptions of the material terms of the
shares of beneficial interest of Vornado Realty Trust are only a
summary and are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by
reference to, the more complete descriptions of the shares in
the following documents: (a) Vornado Realty Trusts
amended and restated declaration of trust, including the
articles supplementary for each series of preferred shares, and
(b) its amended and restated bylaws, copies of which are
exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus
is a part. Please note that in this section entitled
Description of Shares of Beneficial Interest of Vornado
Realty Trust, references to Vornado,
we, our and us refer only to
Vornado Realty Trust and not to its subsidiaries or Vornado
Realty L.P. unless the context requires otherwise.
For Vornado to maintain its qualification as a REIT under the
Internal Revenue Code, not more than 50% of the value of its
outstanding shares of beneficial interest may be owned, directly
or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals, as defined in the
Code to include certain entities, at any time during the last
half of a taxable year and the shares of beneficial interest
must be beneficially owned by 100 or more persons during at
least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months or
during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year.
Accordingly, the declaration of trust contains provisions that
restrict the ownership and transfer of shares of beneficial
interest.
The declaration of trust authorizes the issuance of up to
620,000,000 shares, consisting of 200,000,000 common
shares, $.04 par value per share, 110,000,000 preferred
shares of beneficial interest, no par value per share, and
310,000,000 excess shares of beneficial interest, $.04 par
value per share.
Description of Preferred Shares of Vornado Realty Trust
The following is a description of the material terms and
provisions of our preferred shares. The particular terms of any
series of preferred shares will be described in the applicable
prospectus supplement, which will supplement the information
below.
The description of the material terms of Vornados
preferred shares contained in this prospectus is only a summary
and is qualified in its entirety by the provisions of the
declaration of trust, which includes the articles supplementary
relating to each series of the preferred shares, which will be
filed as an exhibit to or incorporated by reference in the
registration statement of which this prospectus is a part at or
before the time of issuance of the series of preferred shares.
As of December 31, 2004, the declaration of trust
authorizes the issuance of 110,000,000 preferred shares. Of the
authorized 110,000,000 preferred shares, Vornado has designated:
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5,789,239 as $3.25 Series A Convertible Preferred Shares; |
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4,600,000 as 8.5% Series C Cumulative Redeemable Preferred
Shares; |
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3,500,000 as Series D-1 8.5% Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares; |
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549,336 as 8.375% Series D-2 Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares; |
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8,000,000 as Series D-3 8.25% Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares; |
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5,000,000 as Series D-4 8.25% Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares; |
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7,480,000 as Series D-5 8.25% Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares; |
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1,000,000 as Series D-6 8.25% Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares; |
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7,200,000 as Series D-7 8.25% Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares; |
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360,000 as Series D-8 8.25% Cumulative Redeemable Preferred
Shares; |
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1,800,000 as Series D-9 8.25% Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares; |
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4,800,000 as Series D-10 7.00% Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares; |
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1,400,000 as Series D 11 7.20% Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares; |
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800,000 as Series D-12 6.55% Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares; |
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3,450,000 as 7.00% Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred
Shares; |
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6,000,000 as 6.75% Series F Cumulative Redeemable Preferred
Shares; and |
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8,000,000 as 6.625% Series G Cumulative Redeemable
Preferred Shares. |
As of December 31, 324,704 Series A Preferred Shares,
4,600,000 Series C Preferred Shares, 1,600,000
Series D-10 Preferred Shares and 3,000,000 Series E
Preferred Shares, 6,000,000 Series F Preferred Shares and
8,000,000 Series G Preferred Shares were outstanding. No
Series D-1, Series D-2, Series D-3,
Series D-4, Series D-5, Series D-6,
Series D-7, Series D-8, Series D-9,
Series D-11 or Series D-12 Preferred Shares were
issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2004. Shares of
each of these series may be issued in the future upon redemption
of preferred units of limited partnership interest of Vornado
Realty L.P. of a corresponding series that were issued and
outstanding as of December 31, 2004.
The preferred shares authorized by our declaration of trust may
be issued from time to time in one or more series in the amounts
and with the designations, preferences, conversion or other
rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to
dividends, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption
as may be fixed by the board of trustees. Under certain
circumstances, the issuance of preferred shares could have the
effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control
of Vornado and may adversely affect the voting and other rights
of the holders of common shares. The declaration of trust
authorizes the board of trustees to classify or reclassify, in
one or more series, any unissued preferred shares and to
reclassify any unissued shares of any series of preferred shares
by setting or changing the number of preferred shares
constituting the series and the designations, preferences,
conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions,
limitations as to distributions, qualifications and terms and
conditions of redemption of the preferred shares.
The preferred shares have the dividend, liquidation, redemption
and voting rights described below, as supplemented in the
applicable prospectus supplement relating to each particular
series of the preferred shares. The applicable prospectus
supplement will describe the following terms of the series of
preferred shares:
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the title of the preferred shares and the number of shares
offered; |
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the amount of liquidation preference per share; |
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the initial public offering price at which the preferred shares
will be issued; |
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the dividend rate or method of calculation, the dates on which
dividends will be payable and the dates from which dividends
will commence to accumulate, if any; |
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any redemption or sinking fund provisions; |
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any conversion or exchange rights; |
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any additional voting, dividend, liquidation, redemption,
sinking fund and other rights, preferences, limitations and
restrictions; |
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any listing of the preferred shares on any securities exchange; |
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the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred shares as
to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or
winding up of the affairs of Vornado; |
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any limitations on issuance of any series of preferred shares
ranking senior to or on a parity with the series of preferred
shares as to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of the affairs of Vornado; and |
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any limitations on direct, beneficial or constructive ownership
and restrictions on transfer, in each case as may be appropriate
to preserve the status of Vornado as a REIT. |
The applicable prospectus supplement may also include a
discussion of federal income tax considerations applicable to
the preferred shares.
The preferred shares will be issued in one or more series. The
preferred shares, upon issuance against full payment of the
applicable purchase price, will be fully paid and nonassessable.
The liquidation preference is not indicative of the price at
which the preferred shares will actually trade on or after the
date of issuance.
With respect to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of Vornado, the preferred shares will
rank senior to our common shares and excess shares created when
our ownership limits are breached as described under
Description of Common Shares of Vornado Realty
Trust Restrictions on Ownership of Common Shares
below, other than certain excess shares resulting from the
conversion of preferred shares, and to all other classes and
series of equity securities of Vornado now or later authorized,
issued or outstanding, other than any classes or series of
equity securities of Vornado that by their terms specifically
rank equal or senior to the preferred shares as to dividend
rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of
Vornado. We refer to the common shares and the other classes and
series of equity securities to which the preferred shares rank
senior as to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of Vornado as the junior
stock; we refer to equity securities of Vornado that by
their terms rank equal to the preferred shares as the
parity stock; and we refer to equity securities of
Vornado that by their terms rank senior to the preferred shares
as the senior stock. The preferred shares are junior
to all outstanding debt of Vornado. We may create and issue
senior stock, parity stock and junior stock to the extent not
expressly prohibited by the declaration of trust.
Holders of our preferred shares are entitled to receive, when,
as and if authorized by our board of trustees out of our assets
legally available for payment, dividends, or distributions in
cash, property or other assets of Vornado or in securities of
Vornado or from any other source as our board of trustees in its
discretion determines and at the dates and annual rate per share
as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. This rate
may be fixed or variable or both. Each authorized dividend is
payable to holders of record as they appear at the close of
business on the books of Vornado on the record date, not more
than 30 calendar days preceding the payment date, as determined
by our board of trustees.
These dividends may be cumulative or noncumulative, as described
in the applicable prospectus supplement. If dividends on a
series of preferred shares are noncumulative and if our board of
trustees fails to authorize a dividend in respect of a dividend
period with respect to that series, then holders of these
preferred shares will have no right to receive a dividend in
respect of that dividend period, and we will have no obligation
to pay the dividend for that period, whether or not dividends
are authorized and payable on any future dividend payment dates.
If dividends of a series of preferred shares are cumulative, the
dividends on those shares will accrue from and after the date
stated in the applicable prospectus supplement.
No full dividends may be authorized or paid or set apart for
payment on preferred shares of any series ranking, as to
dividends, on a parity with or junior to the series of preferred
shares offered by the applicable prospectus supplement for any
period unless full dividends for the immediately preceding
dividend period on the preferred shares, including any
accumulation in respect of unpaid dividends for prior dividend
periods, if dividends on the preferred shares are cumulative,
have been or contemporaneously are authorized and paid or
authorized and a sum sufficient for payment is set apart for
payment. When dividends are not paid in full, or a sum
sufficient for the full payment is not set apart, upon the
preferred shares offered by the applicable prospectus supplement
and any other preferred shares ranking on a parity as to
dividends with those preferred shares, dividends upon those
preferred shares and dividends on the other preferred shares
must be authorized proportionately so that the amount of
dividends authorized per share on those preferred shares and the
other preferred shares in all cases bear to each other the same
ratio that accrued dividends for the then-current
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dividend period per share on those preferred shares, including
any accumulation in respect of unpaid dividends for prior
dividend periods, if dividends on those preferred shares are
cumulative, and accrued dividends, including required or
permitted accumulations, if any, on shares of the other
preferred shares, bear to each other. No interest, or sum of
money in lieu of interest, will be payable in respect of any
dividend payment(s) on preferred shares that are in arrears.
Unless full dividends on the series of preferred shares offered
by the applicable prospectus supplement have been authorized and
paid or set apart for payment for the immediately preceding
dividend period, including any accumulation in respect of unpaid
dividends for prior dividend periods, if dividends on the
preferred shares are cumulative:
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no cash dividend or distribution, other than in shares of junior
stock, may be authorized, set aside or paid on the junior stock; |
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we may not, directly or indirectly, repurchase, redeem or
otherwise acquire any shares of junior stock, or pay any monies
into a sinking fund for the redemption of any shares, except by
conversion into or exchange for junior stock; and |
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we may not, directly or indirectly, repurchase, redeem or
otherwise acquire any preferred shares or parity stock, or pay
any monies into a sinking fund for the redemption of any shares,
otherwise than in accordance with proportionate offers to
purchase or a concurrent redemption of all, or a proportionate
portion, of the outstanding preferred shares and shares of
parity stock, except by conversion into or exchange for junior
stock. |
Any dividend payment made on a series of preferred shares will
first be credited against the earliest accrued but unpaid
dividend due with respect to shares of the series.
The terms, if any, on which preferred shares of any series may
be redeemed will be described in the applicable prospectus
supplement.
If we voluntarily or involuntarily liquidate, dissolve or wind
up our affairs, the holders of a series of our preferred shares
will be entitled, subject to the rights of creditors, but before
any distribution or payment to the holders of our common shares,
excess shares, other than certain excess shares resulting from
the conversion of preferred shares, or any junior stock, to
receive a liquidating distribution in the amount of the
liquidation preference per share stated in the applicable
prospectus supplement plus accrued and unpaid dividends for the
then-current dividend period, including any accumulation in
respect of unpaid dividends for prior dividend periods, if
dividends on the series of preferred shares are cumulative. If
the amounts available for distribution with respect to our
preferred shares and all other outstanding parity stock are not
sufficient to satisfy the full liquidation rights of all the
outstanding preferred shares and parity stock, then the holders
of each series of the stock will share ratably in the
distribution of assets in proportion to the full respective
preferential amount, which in the case of preferred shares may
include accumulated dividends, to which they are entitled. After
payment of the full amount of the liquidation distribution, the
holders of preferred shares will not be entitled to any further
participation in any distribution of assets by us.
Vornado is organized as a Maryland real estate investment trust
under Title 8 of the Corporations and Associations Article
of the Annotated Code of Maryland. Title 8 does not contain
any specific provisions on the power of a Maryland real estate
investment trust to make distributions, including dividends, to
its shareholders. It is possible that a Maryland court may look
to the Maryland General Corporation Law for guidance on matters,
such as the making of distributions to shareholders, not covered
by Title 8. The MGCL requires that, after giving effect to
a distribution, (1) the corporation must be able to pay its
debts as they become due in the usual course of business and
(2) the corporations total assets must at least equal
the sum of its total liabilities plus the preferential rights on
dissolution of shareholders whose rights on dissolution are
superior to those shareholders receiving the distribution.
However, the MGCL also provides that the charter of the
corporation may provide that senior dissolution preferences will
not be included with liabilities for
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purposes of determining amounts available for distribution. The
applicable articles supplementary may include a similar
provision. The Articles Supplementary for the Series A
Preferred Shares, Series B Preferred Shares and
Series C Preferred Shares each contain such a provision.
The preferred shares of a series will not be entitled to vote,
except as described below or in the applicable prospectus
supplement. Without the affirmative vote of a majority of the
preferred shares then outstanding, voting separately as a class
together with any parity stock, we may not:
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increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares
of the class or any security ranking senior to the preferred
shares; |
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increase or decrease the par value of the shares of the
class; or |
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alter or change the voting or other powers, preferences or
special rights of the class so as to affect them adversely. |
An amendment that increases the number of authorized shares of
the class or authorizes the creation or issuance of other
classes or series of junior stock or parity stock, or
substitutes the surviving entity in a merger, consolidation,
reorganization or other business combination for Vornado, will
not be considered to be an adverse change.
The shares of a series of preferred shares will not have any
preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers,
restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other
distributions, qualifications, and terms and conditions of
redemption except as described above or in the applicable
prospectus supplement, the declaration of trust and in the
applicable articles supplementary or as otherwise required by
law.
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Registrar and Transfer Agent |
The registrar and transfer agent for each series of preferred
shares will be Wachovia Bank, N.A., Charlotte, North Carolina,
unless a different transfer agent is named in the applicable
prospectus supplement.
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Restrictions on Ownership |
As discussed below, for us to maintain our qualification as a
REIT under the Internal Revenue Code, not more than 50% in value
of our outstanding shares of beneficial interest may be owned,
directly or constructively, by five or fewer individuals, as
defined in the Code to include certain entities, at any time
during the last half of a taxable year, and the shares of
beneficial interest must be beneficially owned by 100 or more
persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of
12 months, or during a proportionate part of a shorter
taxable year. Therefore, the declaration of trust contains, and
the articles supplementary for each series of preferred shares
may contain, provisions restricting the ownership and transfer
of the preferred shares.
Our declaration of trust contains a preferred shares beneficial
ownership limit that restricts shareholders from owning, under
the applicable attribution rules of the Code, more than 9.9% of
the outstanding preferred shares of any series. The attribution
rules which apply for purposes of the common shares beneficial
ownership limit also apply for purposes of the preferred shares
beneficial ownership limit. For more information about these
attribution rules, see Description of Common Shares
of Vornado Realty Trust Restrictions on Ownership of
Common Shares. Investors should be aware that events other
than a purchase or other transfer of preferred shares may result
in ownership, under the applicable attribution rules of the
Code, of preferred shares in excess of the preferred shares
beneficial ownership limit. We urge investors to consult their
own tax advisors concerning the application of the attribution
rules of the Code in their particular circumstances.
Holders of preferred shares are also subject to the constructive
ownership limit, which restricts them from owning, under the
applicable attribution rules of the Code, more than 9.9% of the
outstanding preferred shares
39
of any series. See Description of Common Shares of
Vornado Realty Trust Restrictions on Ownership of Common
Shares below for more information about the constructive
ownership limit.
The attribution rules that apply for purposes of the
constructive ownership limit differ from those that apply for
purposes of the preferred shares beneficial ownership limit. See
Description of Common Shares of Vornado Realty
Trust Restrictions on Ownership of Common Shares for
more information about these attribution rules. Investors should
be aware that events other than a purchase or other transfer of
preferred shares may result in ownership, under the applicable
attribution rules of the Code, of preferred shares in excess of
the constructive ownership limit. We urge investors to consult
their own tax advisors concerning the application of the
attribution rules of the Code in their particular circumstances.
The declaration of trust provides that a transfer of preferred
shares that would otherwise result in ownership, under the
applicable attribution rules of the Internal Revenue Code, of
preferred shares in excess of the preferred shares beneficial
ownership limit or the constructive ownership limit, or which
would cause the shares of beneficial interest of Vornado Realty
Trust to be beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons, will
be void and the purported transferee will acquire no rights or
economic interest in the preferred shares. In addition,
preferred shares that would otherwise be owned, under the
applicable attribution rules of the Code, in excess of the
preferred shares beneficial ownership limit or the constructive
ownership limit will be automatically exchanged for our excess
shares that will be transferred, by operation of law, to Vornado
as trustee of a trust for the exclusive benefit of a beneficiary
designated by the purported transferee or purported holder.
While held in the trust, excess shares are not entitled to vote
and are not entitled to participate in any dividends or
distributions made by Vornado. Any dividends or distributions
received by the purported transferee or other purported holder
of the excess shares before Vornado discovers the automatic
exchange for excess shares must be repaid to Vornado upon demand.
If the purported transferee or holder elects to designate a
beneficiary of an interest in the trust with respect to the
excess shares, the purported transferee or holder may only
designate a person whose ownership of the shares will not
violate the preferred shares beneficial ownership limit or the
constructive ownership limit. When the purported transferee or
purported holder designates an eligible person, the excess
shares will be automatically exchanged for preferred shares of
the same class as the preferred shares that were originally
exchanged for the excess shares. The declaration of trust
contains provisions designed to ensure that the purported
transferee or other holder of the excess shares may not receive
in return for the transfer an amount that reflects any
appreciation in the preferred shares for which the excess shares
were exchanged during the period that the excess shares were
outstanding but will bear the burden of any decline in value
during that period. Any amount received by a purported
transferee or other holder for designating a beneficiary in
excess of the amount permitted to be received must be turned
over to Vornado. Our declaration of trust provides that we may
purchase any excess shares that have been automatically
exchanged for preferred shares as a result of a purported
transfer or other event. The price at which we may purchase the
excess shares will be equal to the lesser of:
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in the case of excess shares resulting from a purported transfer
for value, the price per share in the purported transfer that
resulted in the automatic exchange for excess shares or, in the
case of excess shares resulting from some other event, the
market price of the preferred shares exchanged on the date of
the automatic exchange for excess shares; and |
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the market price of the preferred shares exchanged for the
excess shares on the date that Vornado accepts the deemed offer
to sell the excess shares. |
Our purchase right with respect to excess shares will exist for
90 days, beginning on the date that the automatic exchange
for excess shares occurred or, if Vornado did not receive a
notice concerning the purported transfer that resulted in the
automatic exchange for excess shares, the date that our board of
trustees determines in good faith that an exchange for excess
shares has occurred.
Our board of trustees may exempt certain persons from the
preferred shares beneficial ownership limit or the constructive
ownership limit if evidence satisfactory to the trustees is
presented showing that the exemption will not jeopardize
Vornados status as a REIT under the Code. As a condition
of the exemption,
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the board of trustees may require a ruling from the Internal
Revenue Service, an opinion of counsel satisfactory to it and
representations and undertakings from the applicant with respect
to preserving the REIT status of Vornado.
The foregoing restrictions on transferability and ownership will
not apply if our board of trustees determines that it is no
longer in the best interests of Vornado to attempt to qualify,
or to continue to qualify, as a REIT.
All certificates evidencing preferred shares will bear a legend
referring to the restrictions described above.
All persons who own, directly or by virtue of the applicable
attribution rules of the Internal Revenue Code, more than 2% of
the outstanding preferred shares of any series must give a
written notice to Vornado containing the information specified
in our declaration of trust by January 31 of each year. In
addition, each shareholder upon demand must disclose to Vornado
any information Vornado may request, in good faith, in order to
determine Vornados status as a REIT or to comply with
Treasury regulations promulgated under the REIT provisions of
the Code.
We may, at our option, elect to offer depositary shares, which
represent receipts for fractional interests in preferred shares
rather than full preferred shares. If we offer depositary
shares, depositary receipts for depositary shares, each of which
will represent a fraction of a share of a particular series of
preferred shares, will be issued as described below. The
prospectus supplement relating to any series of depositary
shares will state the fraction of a preferred share represented
by each depositary share.
The description below of the material provisions of the deposit
agreement and of the depositary shares and depositary receipts
is only a summary and is qualified in its entirety by reference
to the forms of deposit agreement and depositary receipts
relating to each series of the depositary shares that have been
or will be filed with the SEC at or before the time of the
offering or sale of a series of depositary shares. The
particular terms of depositary shares representing fractional
interests in any particular series of preferred shares will be
described in the applicable prospectus supplement, which will
supplement the information in this prospectus.
The shares of any series of preferred shares represented by
depositary shares will be deposited under a deposit agreement
between Vornado and the depositary. Subject to the deposit
agreement, each owner of a depositary share will be entitled, in
proportion to the applicable fraction of a preferred share
represented by the depositary share, to all the preferences,
conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions,
limitations as to dividends and other distributions,
qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of the
preferred shares represented by the depositary share.
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Dividends and Other Distributions |
The depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash
distributions received in respect of the preferred shares to the
record holders of depositary shares relating to the preferred
shares in proportion to the numbers of depositary shares owned
by the holders.
If we make a distribution other than in cash, the depositary
will distribute property received by it to the record holders of
depositary shares in an equitable manner, unless the depositary
determines that it is not feasible to make the distribution, in
which case the depositary may sell the property and distribute
the net proceeds from the sale to the holders.
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Withdrawal of Preferred Shares |
Upon surrender of depositary receipts at the corporate trust
office of the depositary, unless the related depositary shares
have previously been called for redemption or converted into
excess shares or otherwise, each depositary receipt holder will
be entitled to delivery at the depositarys corporate trust
office, to or upon the holders order, of the number of
whole or fractional shares of the class or series of preferred
shares and any money or other property represented by the
depositary shares evidenced by the depositary receipts. Holders
of
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depositary receipts will be entitled to receive whole or
fractional shares of the related class or series of preferred
shares on the basis of the fraction of a preferred share
represented by each depositary share as specified in the
applicable prospectus supplement, but holders of the preferred
shares will not be entitled to receive depositary shares
representing the preferred shares after exchanging the
depositary shares for preferred shares. If the depositary
receipts delivered by the holder evidence a number of depositary
shares in excess of the number of depositary shares representing
the number of preferred shares to be withdrawn, the depositary
will deliver to the holder at the same time a new depositary
receipt evidencing the excess number of depositary shares.
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Redemption of Depositary Shares |
If a series of preferred shares represented by depositary shares
is subject to redemption, the depositary shares will be redeemed
from the proceeds received by the depositary resulting from the
redemption, in whole or in part, of the series of preferred
shares held by the depositary. The redemption price per
depositary share will be equal to the applicable fraction of the
redemption price per share payable with respect to the series of
preferred shares. Whenever we redeem preferred shares held by
the depositary, the depositary will redeem as of the same
redemption date the number of depositary shares representing the
redeemed preferred shares. If fewer than all the depositary
shares are to be redeemed, the depositary shares to be redeemed
will be selected by lot, proportionately or by any other
equitable method as may be determined by the depositary.
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Voting the Preferred Shares |
Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of
the preferred shares are entitled to vote, the depositary will
mail the information contained in the notice of meeting to the
record holders of the depositary shares relating to the
preferred shares. Each record holder of these depositary shares
on the record date will be entitled to instruct the depositary
as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the amount
of the preferred shares represented by the holders
depositary shares. The record date for voting the depositary
shares will be the same as the record date for voting the
preferred shares. The depositary will endeavor, insofar as
practicable, to vote the amount of the preferred shares
represented by the depositary shares in accordance with the
instructions, and we will take all reasonable action deemed
necessary by the depositary in order to enable the depositary to
do so. The depositary will abstain from voting the preferred
shares to the extent it does not receive specific instructions
from the holder of depositary shares representing those
preferred shares.
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Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement |
Vornado and the depositary may amend the form of depositary
receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of
the deposit agreement at any time. However, any amendment that
materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of
depositary shares will not be effective unless the holders of at
least a majority of the depositary shares then outstanding
approve the amendment. The deposit agreement will only terminate
if (a) all outstanding depositary shares have been redeemed
or (b) there has been a final distribution in respect of
the preferred shares in connection with any liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of Vornado and that distribution has
been distributed to the holders of the related depositary shares.
Vornado will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental
charges arising solely from the existence of the depositary
arrangements. Vornado will pay charges of the depositary in
connection with the initial deposit of the preferred shares and
issuance of depositary receipts, all withdrawals of preferred
shares by owners of depositary shares and any redemption of the
preferred shares. Holders of depositary receipts will pay other
transfer and other taxes and governmental charges and any other
charges expressly provided in the deposit agreement to be for
their account.
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Resignation and Removal of Depositary |
The depositary may resign at any time by delivering to Vornado
notice of its election to do so, and Vornado may at any time
remove the depositary. The resignation or removal will take
effect upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its
acceptance of the appointment. The successor depositary must be
appointed within 60 days after delivery of the notice of
resignation or removal and must be a bank or trust company
having its principal office in the United States and having a
combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000.
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Restrictions on Ownership |
In order to safeguard Vornado against an inadvertent loss of
REIT status, the deposit agreement or the declaration of trust
or both will contain provisions restricting the ownership and
transfer of depositary shares. These restrictions will be
described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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Reports; Liability of Depositary and Vornado Realty
Trust |
The depositary will forward all reports and communications from
Vornado that are delivered to it and that Vornado is required or
otherwise determines to furnish to the holders of the preferred
shares.
Neither the depositary nor Vornado will be liable if it is
prevented or delayed by law or any circumstance beyond its
control in performing its obligations under the deposit
agreement. The obligations of Vornado and the depositary under
the deposit agreement will be limited to performance in good
faith of their duties under the deposit agreement, and they will
not be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in
respect of any depositary shares or preferred shares unless
satisfactory indemnity is furnished. They may rely upon written
advice of counsel or accountants, or information provided by
persons presenting preferred shares for deposit, holders of
depositary shares or other persons believed to be competent and
on documents believed to be genuine.
Description of Common Shares of Vornado Realty Trust
The following description of the common shares is only a summary
of, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the
provisions governing the common shares contained in the
declaration of trust and bylaws. Copies of the declaration of
trust and bylaws are exhibits to the registration statement of
which this prospectus is a part. See Available
Information for information about how to obtain copies of
the declaration of trust and bylaws.
As of December 31, 2004, 127,217,439 common shares were
issued and outstanding. No excess shares were issued and
outstanding as of December 31, 2004. The common shares of
Vornado Realty Trust are listed on the NYSE under the symbol
VNO.
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Dividend and Voting Rights of Holders of Common
Shares |
The holders of common shares are entitled to receive dividends
when, if and as authorized by the board of trustees and declared
by Vornado out of assets legally available to pay dividends, if
receipt of the dividends is in compliance with the provisions in
the declaration of trust restricting the ownership and transfer
of shares of beneficial interest. However, if any preferred
shares are at the time outstanding, Vornado may only pay
dividends or other distributions on common shares or purchase
common shares if full cumulative dividends have been paid on
outstanding preferred shares and there is no arrearage in any
mandatory sinking fund on outstanding preferred shares. The
terms of the series of preferred shares that are now issued and
outstanding do not provide for any mandatory sinking fund.
The holders of common shares are entitled to one vote for each
share on all matters on which shareholders are entitled to vote,
including elections of trustees. There is no cumulative voting
in the election of trustees, which means that the holders of a
majority of the outstanding common shares can elect all of the
trustees then standing for election. The holders of common
shares do not have any conversion, redemption or preemptive
rights to subscribe to any securities of Vornado. If Vornado is
dissolved, liquidated or wound up,
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holders of common shares are entitled to share proportionally in
any assets remaining after the prior rights of creditors,
including holders of Vornados indebtedness, and the
aggregate liquidation preference of any preferred shares then
outstanding are satisfied in full.
The common shares have equal dividend, distribution, liquidation
and other rights and have no preference, appraisal or exchange
rights. All outstanding common shares are, and any common shares
offered by a prospectus supplement, upon issuance, will be, duly
authorized, fully paid and non-assessable.
The transfer agent for the common shares is Wachovia Bank, N.A.,
Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Restrictions on Ownership of Common Shares |
The Common Shares Beneficial Ownership Limit. For Vornado
to maintain its qualification as a REIT under the Internal
Revenue Code, not more than 50% of the value of its outstanding
shares of beneficial interest may be owned, directly or
indirectly, by five or fewer individuals at any time during the
last half of a taxable year and the shares of beneficial
interest must be beneficially owned by 100 or more persons
during at least 335 days of a taxable year of
12 months, or during a proportionate part of a shorter
taxable year. The Internal Revenue Code defines
individuals to include some entities for purposes of
the preceding sentence. All references to a shareholders
ownership of common shares in this section The
Common Shares Beneficial Ownership Limit assume
application of the applicable attribution rules of the Internal
Revenue Code under which, for example, a shareholder is deemed
to own shares owned by his or her spouse.
The declaration of trust contains a number of provisions that
restrict the ownership and transfer of shares and are designed
to safeguard Vornado against an inadvertent loss of its REIT
status. These provisions also seek to deter non-negotiated
acquisitions of, and proxy fights for, us by third parties. The
declaration of trust contains a limitation that restricts, with
some exceptions, shareholders from owning more than a specified
percentage of the outstanding common shares. We call this
percentage the common shares beneficial ownership
limit. The common shares beneficial ownership limit was
initially set at 2.0% of the outstanding common shares. The
board of trustees subsequently adopted a resolution raising the
common shares beneficial ownership limit from 2.0% to 6.7% of
the outstanding common shares and has the authority to grant
exemptions from the common shares beneficial ownership limit.
The shareholders who owned more than 6.7% of the common shares
immediately after the merger of Vornado, Inc. into Vornado in
May 1993 may continue to do so and may acquire additional common
shares through stock option and similar plans or from other
shareholders who owned more than 6.7% of the common shares
immediately after that merger. However, common shares cannot be
transferred if, as a result, more than 50% in value of the
outstanding shares of Vornado would be owned by five or fewer
individuals. While the shareholders who owned more than 6.7% of
the common shares immediately after the merger of Vornado, Inc.
into Vornado in May 1993 are not generally permitted to acquire
additional common shares from any other source, these
shareholders may acquire additional common shares from any
source if Vornado issues additional common shares, up to the
percentage held by them immediately before Vornado issues the
additional shares.
Shareholders should be aware that events other than a purchase
or other transfer of common shares can result in ownership,
under the applicable attribution rules of the Internal Revenue
Code, of common shares in excess of the common shares beneficial
ownership limit. For instance, if two shareholders, each of whom
owns 3.5% of the outstanding common shares, were to marry, then
after their marriage both shareholders would be deemed to own
7.0% of the outstanding common shares, which is in excess of the
common shares beneficial ownership limit. Similarly, if a
shareholder who owns 4.9% of the outstanding common shares were
to purchase a 50% interest in a corporation which owns 4.8% of
the outstanding common shares, then the shareholder would be
deemed to own 7.3% of the outstanding common shares. You should
consult your own tax advisors concerning the application of the
attribution rules of the Internal Revenue Code in your
particular circumstances.
The Constructive Ownership Limit. Under the Internal
Revenue Code, rental income received by a REIT from persons in
which the REIT is treated, under the applicable attribution
rules of the Code, as owning a 10% or greater interest does not
constitute qualifying income for purposes of the income
requirements that REITs must satisfy. For these purposes, a REIT
is treated as owning any stock owned,
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under the applicable attribution rules of the Code, by a person
that owns 10% or more of the value of the outstanding shares of
the REIT. The attribution rules of the Code applicable for these
purposes are different from those applicable with respect to the
common shares beneficial ownership limit. All references to a
shareholders ownership of common shares in this section
The Constructive Ownership Limit assume
application of the applicable attribution rules of the Code.
In order to ensure that rental income of Vornado will not be
treated as nonqualifying income under the rule described in the
preceding paragraph, and thus to ensure that Vornado will not
inadvertently lose its REIT status as a result of the ownership
of shares by a tenant, or a person that holds an interest in a
tenant, the declaration of trust contains an ownership limit
that restricts, with some exceptions, shareholders from owning
more than 9.9% of the outstanding shares of any class. We refer
to this 9.9% ownership limit as the constructive ownership
limit. The shareholders who owned shares in excess of the
constructive ownership limit immediately after the merger of
Vornado, Inc. into Vornado in May 1993 generally are not subject
to the constructive ownership limit. The declaration of trust
also contains restrictions that are designed to ensure that the
shareholders who owned shares in excess of the constructive
ownership limit immediately after the merger of Vornado, Inc.
into Vornado in May 1993 will not, in the aggregate, own a large
enough interest in a tenant or subtenant of the REIT to cause
rental income received, directly or indirectly, by the REIT from
that tenant or subtenant to be treated as nonqualifying income
for purposes of the income requirements that REITs must satisfy.
The restrictions described in the preceding sentence have an
exception for tenants and subtenants from whom the REIT
receives, directly or indirectly, rental income that is not in
excess of a specified threshold.
Shareholders should be aware that events other than a purchase
or other transfer of shares can result in ownership, under the
applicable attribution rules of the Internal Revenue Code, of
shares in excess of the constructive ownership limit. As the
attribution rules that apply with respect to the constructive
ownership limit differ from those that apply with respect to the
common shares beneficial ownership limit, the events other than
a purchase or other transfer of shares which can result in share
ownership in excess of the constructive ownership limit can
differ from those which can result in share ownership in excess
of the common shares beneficial ownership limit. You should
consult your own tax advisors concerning the application of the
attribution rules of the Code in your particular circumstances.
Issuance of Excess Shares If the Ownership Limits Are
Violated. The declaration of trust provides that a transfer
of common shares that would otherwise result in ownership, under
the applicable attribution rules of the Internal Revenue Code,
of common shares in excess of the common shares beneficial
ownership limit or the constructive ownership limit, or which
would cause the shares of beneficial interest of Vornado to be
beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons, will have no
effect and the purported transferee will acquire no rights or
economic interest in the common shares. In addition, the
declaration of trust provides that common shares that would
otherwise be owned, under the applicable attribution rules of
the Code, in excess of the common shares beneficial ownership
limit or the constructive ownership limit will be automatically
exchanged for excess shares. These excess shares will be
transferred, by operation of law, to Vornado as trustee of a
trust for the exclusive benefit of a beneficiary designated by
the purported transferee or purported holder. While so held in
trust, excess shares are not entitled to vote and are not
entitled to participate in any dividends or distributions made
by Vornado. Any dividends or distributions received by the
purported transferee or other purported holder of the excess
shares before Vornado discovers the automatic exchange for
excess shares must be repaid to Vornado upon demand.
If the purported transferee or purported holder elects to
designate a beneficiary of an interest in the trust with respect
to the excess shares, he or she may designate only a person
whose ownership of the shares will not violate the common shares
beneficial ownership limit or the constructive ownership limit.
When the designation is made, the excess shares will be
automatically exchanged for common shares. The declaration of
trust contains provisions designed to ensure that the purported
transferee or other purported holder of the excess shares may
not receive, in return for transferring an interest in the trust
with respect to the excess shares, an amount that reflects any
appreciation in the common shares for which the excess shares
were exchanged during the period that the excess shares were
outstanding but will bear the burden of any decline in value
during that period. Any amount received by a purported
transferee or other purported holder for designating a
beneficiary in excess of the amount permitted to be received
must be turned over to Vornado.
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The declaration of trust provides that Vornado, or its designee,
may purchase any excess shares that have been automatically
exchanged for common shares as a result of a purported transfer
or other event. The price at which Vornado, or its designee, may
purchase the excess shares will be equal to the lesser of:
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in the case of excess shares resulting from a purported transfer
for value, the price per share in the purported transfer that
resulted in the automatic exchange for excess shares, or in the
case of excess shares resulting from some other event, the
market price of the common shares exchanged on the date of the
automatic exchange for excess shares; and |
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the market price of the common shares exchanged for the excess
shares on the date that Vornado accepts the deemed offer to sell
the excess shares. |
Vornados right to buy the excess shares will exist for
90 days, beginning on the date that the automatic exchange
for excess shares occurred or, if Vornado did not receive a
notice concerning the purported transfer that resulted in the
automatic exchange for excess shares, the date that the board of
trustees determines in good faith that an exchange for excess
shares has occurred.
Other Provisions Concerning the Restrictions on
Ownership. Our board of trustees may exempt persons from the
common shares beneficial ownership limit or the constructive
ownership limit, including the limitations applicable to holders
who owned in excess of 6.7% of the common shares immediately
after the merger of Vornado, Inc. into Vornado in May 1993, if
evidence satisfactory to the board of trustees is presented
showing that the exemption will not jeopardize Vornados
status as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. No exemption
to a person that is an individual for purposes of
Section 542(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, however,
may permit the individual to have beneficial ownership in excess
of 9.9% of the outstanding shares of the class. Before granting
an exemption of this kind, the board of trustees is required to
obtain a ruling from the IRS and/or an opinion of counsel
satisfactory to it and/or representations and undertakings from
the applicant with respect to preserving the REIT status of
Vornado.
The foregoing restrictions on transferability and ownership will
not apply if the board of trustees determines that it is no
longer in the best interests of Vornado to attempt to qualify,
or to continue to qualify, as a REIT.
All persons who own, directly or by virtue of the applicable
attribution rules of the Internal Revenue Code, more than 2.0%
of the outstanding common shares must give a written notice to
Vornado containing the information specified in the declaration
of trust by January 31 of each year. In addition, each
shareholder will be required to disclose to Vornado upon demand
any information that Vornado may request, in good faith, to
determine Vornados status as a REIT or to comply with
Treasury regulations promulgated under the REIT provisions of
the Code.
The ownership restrictions described above may have the effect
of precluding acquisition of control of Vornado unless the
Vornado board determines that maintenance of REIT status is no
longer in the best interests of Vornado.
LEGAL OWNERSHIP AND BOOK-ENTRY ISSUANCE
In this section, we describe special considerations that will
apply to registered securities issued in globali.e.,
book-entryform. First we describe the difference between
legal ownership and indirect ownership of registered securities.
Then we describe special provisions that apply to global
securities.
Who Is the Legal Owner of a Registered Security?
Each debt security, common or preferred share and depositary
share in registered form will be represented either by a
certificate issued in definitive form to a particular investor
or by one or more global securities representing the entire
issuance of securities. We refer to those who have securities
registered in their own names, on the books that we or the
trustee or other agent maintain for this purpose, as the
holders of those securities. These persons are the
legal holders of the securities. We refer to those who,
indirectly through others, own beneficial interests in
securities that are not registered in their own names as indirect
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owners of those securities. As we discuss below, indirect owners
are not legal holders, and investors in securities issued in
book-entry form or in street name will be indirect owners.
Book-Entry Owners
We expect to issue debt securities, preferred shares and
depositary shares in book-entry form only. However, we may issue
common shares in book-entry form. This means those securities
will be represented by one or more global securities registered
in the name of a financial institution that holds them as
depositary on behalf of other financial institutions that
participate in the depositarys book-entry system. These
participating institutions, in turn, hold beneficial interests
in the securities on behalf of themselves or their customers.
Under each indenture or other applicable agreement, only the
person in whose name a security is registered is recognized as
the holder of that security. Consequently, for securities issued
in global form, we will recognize only the depositary as the
holder of the securities and we will make all payments on the
securities, including deliveries of common or preferred shares
in exchange for exchangeable debt securities, to the depositary.
The depositary passes along the payments it receives to its
participants, which in turn pass the payments along to their
customers who are the beneficial owners. The depositary and its
participants do so under agreements they have made with one
another or with their customers; they are not obligated to do so
under the terms of the securities.
As a result, investors will not own securities directly.
Instead, they will own beneficial interests in a global
security, through a bank, broker or other financial institution
that participates in the depositarys book-entry system or
holds an interest through a participant. As long as the
securities are issued in global form, investors will be indirect
owners, and not holders, of the securities.
Street Name Owners
In the future we may terminate a global security or issue
securities initially in non-global form. In these cases,
investors may choose to hold their securities in their own names
or in street name. Securities held by an investor in street name
would be registered in the name of a bank, broker or other
financial institution that the investor chooses, and the
investor would hold only a beneficial interest in those
securities through an account he or she maintains at that
institution.
For securities held in street name, we will recognize only the
intermediary banks, brokers and other financial institutions in
whose names the securities are registered as the holders of
those securities and we will make all payments on those
securities, including deliveries of common or preferred shares
in exchange for exchangeable debt securities, to them. These
institutions pass along the payments they receive to their
customers who are the beneficial owners, but only because they
agree to do so in their customer agreements or because they are
legally required to do so. Investors who hold securities in
street name will be indirect owners, not holders, of those
securities.
Legal Holders
Our obligations, as well as the obligations of the trustee under
either indenture and the obligations, if any, of any other third
parties employed by us, the trustee or any agents, run only to
the holders of the securities. We do not have obligations to
investors who hold beneficial interests in global securities, in
street name or by any other indirect means. This will be the
case whether an investor chooses to be an indirect owner of a
security or has no choice because we are issuing the securities
only in global form.
For example, once we make a payment or give a notice to the
holder, we have no further responsibility for that payment or
notice even if that holder is required, under agreements with
depositary participants or customers or by law, to pass it along
to the indirect owners but does not do so. Similarly, if we want
to obtain the approval of the holders for any purposee.g.,
to amend the indenture for a series of debt securities or to
relieve us of the consequences of a default or of our obligation
to comply with a particular provision of an indenturewe
would seek the approval only from the holders, and not the
indirect owners, of the relevant securities. Whether and how the
holders contact the indirect owners is up to the holders.
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When we refer to you in this section of the
prospectus, we mean those who invest in the securities being
offered by this prospectus, whether they are the holders or only
indirect owners of those securities. When we refer to your
securities in this section of the prospectus, we mean the
securities in which you will hold a direct or indirect interest.
Special Considerations for Indirect Owners
If you hold securities through a bank, broker or other financial
institution, either in book-entry form or in street name, you
should check with your own institution to find out:
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how it handles securities payments and notices; |
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whether it imposes fees or charges; |
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how it would handle a request for the holders consent, if
ever required; |
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whether and how you can instruct it to send you securities
registered in your own name so you can be a holder, if that is
permitted in the future; |
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how it would exercise rights under the securities if there were
a default or other event triggering the need for holders to act
to protect their interests; and |
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if the securities are in book-entry form, how the
depositarys rules and procedures will affect these matters. |
What Is a Global Security?
A global security is issued in book-entry form only. Each
security issued in book-entry form will be represented by a
global security that we deposit with and register in the name of
one or more financial institutions or clearing systems, or their
nominees, which we select. A financial institution or clearing
system that we select for any security for this purpose is
called the depositary for that security. A security
will usually have only one depositary but it may have more.
Each series of these securities will have one or more of the
following as the depositaries:
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The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, which is known
as DTC; |
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a financial institution holding the securities on behalf of
Euroclear Bank S.A./ N.V., as operator of the Euroclear system,
which is known as Euroclear; |
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a financial institution holding the securities on behalf of
Clearstream Banking, société anonyme, Luxembourg,
which is known as Clearstream; and |
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any other clearing system or financial institution named in the
applicable prospectus supplement. |
The depositaries named above may also be participants in one
anothers systems. Thus, for example, if DTC is the
depositary for a global security, investors may hold beneficial
interests in that security through Euroclear or Clearstream, as
DTC participants. The depositary or depositaries for your
securities will be named in your prospectus supplement; if none
is named, the depositary will be DTC.
A global security may represent one or any other number of
individual securities. Generally, all securities represented by
the same global security will have the same terms. We may,
however, issue a global security that represents multiple
securities of the same kind, such as debt securities, that have
different terms and are issued at different times. We call this
kind of global security a master global security. Your
prospectus supplement will indicate whether your securities are
represented by a master global security.
A global security may not be transferred to or registered in the
name of anyone other than the depositary or its nominee, unless
special termination situations arise. We describe those
situations below under Holders Option to
Obtain a Non-Global Security; Special Situations When a Global
Security Will Be Terminated. As a result of these
arrangements, the depositary, or its nominee, will be the sole
registered owner and holder of all securities represented by a
global security, and investors will be permitted to own only
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indirect interests in a global security. Indirect interests must
be held by means of an account with a broker, bank or other
financial institution that in turn has an account with the
depositary or with another institution that does. Thus, an
investor whose security is represented by a global security will
not be a holder of the security, but only an indirect owner of
an interest in the global security.
If the prospectus supplement for a particular security indicates
that the security will be issued in global form only, then the
security will be represented by a global security at all times
unless and until the global security is terminated. We describe
the situations in which this can occur below under
Holders Option to Obtain a Non-Global
Security; Special Situations When a Global Security Will Be
Terminated. If termination occurs, we may issue the
securities through another book-entry clearing system or decide
that the securities may no longer be held through any book-entry
clearing system.
Special Considerations for Global Securities
As an indirect owner, an investors rights relating to a
global security will be governed by the account rules of the
depositary and those of the investors financial
institution or other intermediary through which it holds its
interest (e.g., Euroclear or Clearstream, if DTC is the
depositary), as well as general laws relating to securities
transfers. We do not recognize this type of investor or any
intermediary as a holder of securities and instead deal only
with the depositary that holds the global security.
If securities are issued only in the form of a global security,
an investor should be aware of the following:
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An investor cannot cause the securities to be registered in his
or her own name, and cannot obtain non-global certificates for
his or her interest in the securities, except in the special
situations we describe below; |
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An investor will be an indirect holder and must look to his or
her own bank or broker for payments on the securities and
protection of his or her legal rights relating to the
securities, as we describe above under Who Is the
Legal Owner of a Registered Security?; |
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An investor may not be able to sell interests in the securities
to some insurance companies and other institutions that are
required by law to own their securities in non-book-entry form; |
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An investor may not be able to pledge his or her interest in a
global security in circumstances where certificates representing
the securities must be delivered to the lender or other
beneficiary of the pledge in order for the pledge to be
effective; |
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The depositarys policies will govern payments, deliveries,
transfers, exchanges, notices and other matters relating to an
investors interest in a global security, and those
policies may change from time to time. We, the trustee and any
agents will have no responsibility for any aspect of the
depositarys policies, actions or records of ownership
interests in a global security. We, the trustee and any agents
also do not supervise the depositary in any way; |
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The depositary will require that those who purchase and sell
interests in a global security within its book-entry system use
immediately available funds and your broker or bank may require
you to do so as well; and |
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Financial institutions that participate in the depositarys
book-entry system and through which an investor holds its
interest in the global securities, directly or indirectly, may
also have their own policies affecting payments, deliveries,
transfers, exchanges, notices and other matters relating to the
securities, and those policies may change from time to time. For
example, if you hold an interest in a global security through
Euroclear or Clearstream, when DTC is the depositary, Euroclear
or Clearstream, as applicable, will require those who purchase
and sell interests in that security through them to use
immediately available funds and comply with other policies and
procedures, including deadlines for giving instructions as to
transactions that are to be effected on a particular day. There
may be more than one financial intermediary in the chain of
ownership for an investor. We do not monitor and are not
responsible for the policies or actions or records of ownership
interests of any of those intermediaries. |
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Holders Option to Obtain a Non-Global Security; Special
Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated
If we issue any series of securities in book-entry form but we
choose to give the beneficial owners of that series the right to
obtain non-global securities, any beneficial owner entitled to
obtain non-global securities may do so by following the
applicable procedures of the depositary, any transfer agent or
registrar for that series and that owners bank, broker or
other financial institution through which that owner holds its
beneficial interest in the securities. For example, in the case
of a global security representing preferred shares or depositary
shares, a beneficial owner will be entitled to obtain a
non-global security representing its interest by making a
written request to the transfer agent or other agent designated
by us. If you are entitled to request a non-global certificate
and wish to do so, you will need to allow sufficient lead time
to enable us or our agent to prepare the requested certificate.
In addition, in a few special situations described below, a
global security will be terminated and interests in it will be
exchanged for certificates in non-global form representing the
securities it represented. After that exchange, the choice of
whether to hold the securities directly or in street name will
be up to the investor. Investors must consult their own banks or
brokers to find out how to have their interests in a global
security transferred on termination to their own names, so that
they will be holders. We have described the rights of holders
and street name investors above under Who Is the
Legal Owner of a Registered Security?
The special situations for termination of a global security are
as follows:
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if the depositary notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to
continue as depositary for that global security or the
depositary has ceased to be a clearing agency registered under
the Securities Exchange Act, and in either case we do not
appoint another institution to act as depositary within
90 days; |
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in the case of a global security representing debt securities,
if an event of default has occurred with regard to the debt
securities and has not been cured or waived; or |
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any other circumstances specified for this purpose in the
applicable prospectus supplement. |
If a global security is terminated, only the depositary, and not
we or the trustee for any debt securities, is responsible for
deciding the names of the institutions in whose names the
securities represented by the global security will be registered
and, therefore, who will be the holders of those securities.
Considerations Relating to Euroclear and Clearstream
Euroclear and Clearstream are securities clearance systems in
Europe. Both systems clear and settle securities transactions
between their participants through electronic, book-entry
delivery of securities against payment.
Euroclear and Clearstream may be depositaries for a global
security. In addition, if DTC is the depositary for a global
security, Euroclear and Clearstream may hold interests in the
global security as participants in DTC.
As long as any global security is held by Euroclear or
Clearstream, as depositary, you may hold an interest in the
global security only through an organization that participates,
directly or indirectly, in Euroclear or Clearstream. If
Euroclear or Clearstream is the depositary for a global security
and there is no depositary in the United States, you will not be
able to hold interests in that global security through any
securities clearance system in the United States.
Payments, deliveries, transfers, exchanges, notices and other
matters relating to the securities made through Euroclear or
Clearstream must comply with the rules and procedures of those
systems. Those systems could change their rules and procedures
at any time. We have no control over those systems or their
participants and we take no responsibility for their activities.
Transactions between participants in Euroclear or Clearstream,
on one hand, and participants in DTC, on the other hand, when
DTC is the depositary, would also be subject to DTCs rules
and procedures.
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Special Timing Considerations for Transactions in Euroclear
and Clearstream
Investors will be able to make and receive through Euroclear and
Clearstream payments, deliveries, transfers, exchanges, notices
and other transactions involving any securities held through
those systems only on days when those systems are open for
business. Those systems may not be open for business on days
when banks, brokers and other institutions are open for business
in the United States.
In addition, because of time-zone differences,
U.S. investors who hold their interests in the securities
through these systems and wish to transfer their interests, or
to receive or make a payment or delivery or exercise any other
right with respect to their interests, on a particular day may
find that the transaction will not be effected until the next
business day in Luxembourg or Brussels, as applicable. Thus,
investors who wish to exercise rights that expire on a
particular day may need to act before the expiration date. In
addition, investors who hold their interests through both DTC
and Euroclear or Clearstream may need to make special
arrangements to finance any purchases or sales of their
interests between the U.S. and European clearing systems, and
those transactions may settle later than would be the case for
transactions within one clearing system.
FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following discussion summarizes the taxation of Vornado
Realty Trust and the material Federal income tax consequences to
holders of the common shares, preferred shares and fixed rate
debt securities that are not original issue discount or zero
coupon debt securities for your general information only. It is
not tax advice. The tax treatment of these holders will vary
depending upon the holders particular situation, and this
discussion addresses only holders that hold these securities as
capital assets and does not deal with all aspects of taxation
that may be relevant to particular holders in light of their
personal investment or tax circumstances. This section also does
not deal with all aspects of taxation that may be relevant to
certain types of holders to which special provisions of the
Federal income tax laws apply, including:
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dealers in securities or currencies; |
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traders in securities that elect to use a mark-to-market method
of accounting for their securities holdings; |
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banks; |
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tax-exempt organizations; |
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certain insurance companies; |
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persons liable for the alternative minimum tax; |
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persons that hold securities that are a hedge, that are hedged
against interest rate or currency risks or that are part of a
straddle or conversion transaction; and |
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U.S. shareholders or U.S. debt security holders whose
functional currency is not the U.S. dollar. |
This summary is based on the Internal Revenue Code, its
legislative history, existing and proposed regulations under the
Internal Revenue Code, published rulings and court decisions.
This summary describes the provisions of these sources of law
only as they are currently in effect. All of these sources of
law may change at any time, and any change in the law may apply
retroactively.
We urge you to consult with your own tax advisors regarding
the tax consequences to you of acquiring, owning and selling
common shares, preferred shares and fixed rate debt securities,
including the federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences
of acquiring, owning and selling these securities in your
particular circumstances and potential changes in applicable
laws.
51
Taxation of Vornado Realty Trust as a REIT
In the opinion of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, commencing
with its taxable year ended December 31, 1993, Vornado
Realty Trust has been organized and operated in conformity with
the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under
the Internal Revenue Code for taxable years ending prior to the
date hereof, and Vornado Realty Trusts proposed method of
operation will enable it to continue to meet the requirements
for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Internal
Revenue Code for subsequent taxable years. Investors should be
aware, however, that opinions of counsel are not binding upon
the Internal Revenue Service or any court.
In providing its opinion, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is
relying,
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as to certain factual matters upon the statements and
representations contained in certificates provided to
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP by Vornado, Two Penn Plaza,
REIT, Inc. and Americold Realty Trust; |
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without independent investigation, as to certain factual matters
upon the statements and representations contained in the
certificate provided to Sullivan & Cromwell LLP by
Alexanders; and |
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without independent investigation, upon the opinion of
Shearman & Sterling LLP concerning the qualification of
Alexanders as a REIT for each taxable year commencing with
its taxable year ended December 31, 1995. |
In providing its opinion regarding the qualification of
Alexanders as a REIT for Federal income tax purposes,
Shearman & Sterling LLP is relying, as to certain
factual matters, upon representations received from
Alexanders.
Vornados qualification as a REIT will depend upon the
continuing satisfaction by Vornado and, given Vornados
current ownership interest in Alexanders, Americold and
Two Penn, by Alexanders, Americold and Two Penn, of the
requirements of the Internal Revenue Code relating to
qualification for REIT status. Some of these requirements depend
upon actual operating results, distribution levels, diversity of
stock ownership, asset composition, source of income and record
keeping. Accordingly, while Vornado intends to continue to
qualify to be taxed as a REIT, the actual results of
Vornados, Two Penns, Americolds or
Alexanders operations for any particular year might not
satisfy these requirements. Neither Sullivan & Cromwell
LLP nor Shearman & Sterling LLP will monitor the
compliance of Vornado, Two Penn, Americold or Alexanders
with the requirements for REIT qualification on an ongoing basis.
The sections of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to REITs
are highly technical and complex. The following discussion
summarizes material aspects of these sections of the Internal
Revenue Code.
As a REIT, Vornado generally will not have to pay Federal
corporate income taxes on its net income that it currently
distributes to shareholders. This treatment substantially
eliminates the double taxation at the corporate and
shareholder levels that generally results from investment in a
regular corporation.
However, Vornado will have to pay Federal income tax as follows:
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First, Vornado will have to pay tax at regular corporate rates
on any undistributed real estate investment trust taxable
income, including undistributed net capital gains. |
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Second, under certain circumstances, Vornado may have to pay the
alternative minimum tax on its items of tax preference. |
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Third, if Vornado has (a) net income from the sale or other
disposition of foreclosure property, as defined in
the Internal Revenue Code, which is held primarily for sale to
customers in the ordinary course of business or (b) other
non-qualifying income from foreclosure property, it will have to
pay tax at the highest corporate rate on that income. |
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Fourth, if Vornado has net income from prohibited
transactions, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code,
Vornado will have to pay a 100% tax on that income. Prohibited
transactions are, in general, |
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certain sales or other dispositions of property, other than
foreclosure property, held primarily for sale to customers in
the ordinary course of business. |
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Fifth, if Vornado should fail to satisfy the 75% gross income
test or the 95% gross income test, as discussed below under
Requirements for QualificationIncome
Tests, but has nonetheless maintained its qualification as
a REIT because Vornado has satisfied some other requirements, it
will have to pay a 100% tax on an amount equal to (a) the
gross income attributable to the greater of (i) 75% of
Vornados gross income over the amount of gross income that
is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% test, and
(ii) 95% of Vornados gross income (90% for taxable
years beginning on or before October 22, 2004) over the
amount of gross income that is qualifying income for purposes of
the 95% test, multiplied by (b) a fraction intended to
reflect Vornados profitability. |
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Sixth, if Vornado should fail to distribute during each calendar
year at least the sum of (1) 85% of its real estate
investment trust ordinary income for that year, (2) 95% of
its real estate investment trust capital gain net income for
that year and (3) any undistributed taxable income from
prior periods, Vornado would have to pay a 4% excise tax on the
excess of that required distribution over the amounts actually
distributed. |
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Seventh, if during the 10-year period beginning on the first day
of the first taxable year for which Vornado qualified as a REIT,
Vornado recognizes gain on the disposition of any asset held by
Vornado as of the beginning of that period, then, to the extent
of the excess of (a) fair market value of that asset as of
the beginning of that period over (b) Vornados
adjusted basis in that asset as of the beginning of that period,
Vornado will have to pay tax on that gain at the highest regular
corporate rate. We refer to the excess of fair market value over
adjusted basis described in the preceding sentence as
built-in gain. |
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Notwithstanding the taxation of built-in gain described in the
preceding paragraph of this bullet point, Vornado will not have
to pay tax on recognized built-in gain with respect to assets
held as of the first day of the 10-year period beginning on the
first day of the first taxable year for which Vornado qualified
as a REIT, to the extent that the aggregate amount of that
recognized built-in gain exceeds the net aggregate amount of
Vornados unrealized built-in gain as of the first day of
that period. |
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Eighth, if Vornado acquires any asset from a C corporation in
certain transactions in which Vornado must adopt the basis of
the asset or any other property in the hands of the C
corporation as the basis of the asset in the hands of Vornado,
and Vornado recognizes gain on the disposition of that asset
during the 10-year period beginning on the date on which Vornado
acquired that asset, then Vornado will have to pay tax on the
built-in gain at the highest regular corporate rate. A C
corporation means generally a corporation that has to pay full
corporate-level tax. |
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Ninth, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2000,
if Vornado receives non-arms length income from a taxable
REIT subsidiary (as defined under Requirements for
QualificationAsset Tests), or as a result of
services provided by a taxable REIT subsidiary to tenants of
Vornado, Vornado will be subject to a 100% tax on the amount of
Vornados non-arms length income. |
Requirements for Qualification
The Internal Revenue Code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust
or association
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which is managed by one or more trustees or directors; |
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the beneficial ownership of which is evidenced by transferable
shares, or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest; |
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which would otherwise be taxable as a domestic corporation, but
for Sections 856 through 859 of the Internal Revenue Code; |
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which is neither a financial institution nor an insurance
company to which certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code
apply; |
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the beneficial ownership of which is held by 100 or more persons; |
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during the last half of each taxable year, not more than 50% in
value of the outstanding stock of which is owned, directly or
constructively, by five or fewer individuals, as defined in the
Internal Revenue Code to include certain entities; and |
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which meets certain other tests, described below, regarding the
nature of its income and assets. |
The Internal Revenue Code provides that the conditions described
in the first through fourth bullet points above must be met
during the entire taxable year and that the condition described
in the fifth bullet point above must be met during at least
335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a
proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months.
Vornado has satisfied the conditions described in the first
through fifth bullet points of the preceding paragraph and
believes that it has also satisfied the condition described in
the sixth bullet point of the preceding paragraph. In addition,
Vornados declaration of trust provides for restrictions
regarding the ownership and transfer of Vornados shares of
beneficial interest. These restrictions are intended to assist
Vornado in continuing to satisfy the share ownership
requirements described in the fifth and sixth bullet points of
the preceding paragraph. The ownership and transfer restrictions
pertaining to the common shares are described in this prospectus
under the heading Description of Common
SharesRestrictions on Ownership of Common Shares.
Vornado owns a number of wholly-owned corporate subsidiaries.
Internal Revenue Code Section 856(i) provides that unless a
REIT makes an election to treat the corporation as a taxable
REIT subsidiary, a corporation which is a qualified REIT
subsidiary, as defined in the Internal Revenue Code, will
not be treated as a separate corporation, and all assets,
liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of a
qualified REIT subsidiary will be treated as assets, liabilities
and items of these kinds of the REIT. Thus, in applying the
requirements described in this section, Vornados qualified
REIT subsidiaries will be ignored, and all assets, liabilities
and items of income, deduction and credit of these subsidiaries
will be treated as assets, liabilities and items of these kinds
of Vornado.
If a REIT is a partner in a partnership, Treasury regulations
provide that the REIT will be deemed to own its proportionate
share of the assets of the partnership and will be deemed to be
entitled to the income of the partnership attributable to that
share. In addition, the character of the assets and gross income
of the partnership will retain the same character in the hands
of the REIT for purposes of Section 856 of the Internal
Revenue Code, including satisfying the gross income tests and
the asset tests. Thus, Vornados proportionate share of the
assets, liabilities and items of income of any partnership in
which Vornado is a partner, including the Operating Partnership,
will be treated as assets, liabilities and items of income of
Vornado for purposes of applying the requirements described in
this section. Thus, actions taken by partnerships in which
Vornado owns an interest, either directly or through one or more
tiers of partnerships or qualified REIT subsidiaries, can affect
Vornados ability to satisfy the REIT income and assets
tests and the determination of whether Vornado has net income
from prohibited transactions. See the fourth bullet point on
page 61 for a discussion of prohibited transactions.
Income Tests. In order to maintain its qualification as a
REIT, Vornado annually must satisfy three gross income
requirements.
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First, Vornado must derive at least 75% of its gross income,
excluding gross income from prohibited transactions, for each
taxable year directly or indirectly from investments relating to
real property or mortgages on real property, including
rents from real property, as defined in the Internal
Revenue Code, or from certain types of temporary investments.
Rents from real property generally include expenses of Vornado
that are paid or reimbursed by tenants. |
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Second, at least 95% of Vornados gross income, excluding
gross income from prohibited transactions, for each taxable year
must be derived from real property investments as described in
the preceding bullet point, dividends, interest and gain from
the sale or disposition of stock or securities, or from any
combination of these types of source. |
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Rents that Vornado receives will qualify as rents from real
property in satisfying the gross income requirements for a REIT
described above only if the rents satisfy several conditions.
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First, the amount of rent must not be based in whole or in part
on the income or profits of any person. However, an amount
received or accrued generally will not be excluded from rents
from real property solely because it is based on a fixed
percentage or percentages of receipts or sales. |
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Second, the Internal Revenue Code provides that rents received
from a tenant will not qualify as rents from real property in
satisfying the gross income tests if the REIT, directly or under
the applicable attribution rules, owns a 10% or greater interest
in that tenant; except that for tax years beginning after
December 31, 2000, rents received from a taxable REIT
subsidiary under certain circumstances qualify as rents from
real property even if Vornado owns more than a 10% interest in
the subsidiary. We refer to a tenant in which Vornado owns a 10%
or greater interest as a related party tenant. |
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Third, if rent attributable to personal property leased in
connection with a lease of real property is greater than 15% of
the total rent received under the lease, then the portion of
rent attributable to the personal property will not qualify as
rents from real property. |
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Finally, for rents received to qualify as rents from real
property, the REIT generally must not operate or manage the
property or furnish or render services to the tenants of the
property, other than through an independent contractor from whom
the REIT derives no revenue or through a taxable REIT
subsidiary. However, Vornado may directly perform certain
services that landlords usually or customarily render when
renting space for occupancy only or that are not considered
rendered to the occupant of the property. |
Vornado does not derive significant rents from related party
tenants. Vornado also does not and will not derive rental income
attributable to personal property, other than personal property
leased in connection with the lease of real property, the amount
of which is less than 15% of the total rent received under the
lease.
Vornado directly performs services for some of its tenants.
Vornado does not believe that the provision of these services
will cause its gross income attributable to these tenants to
fail to be treated as rents from real property. If Vornado were
to provide services to a tenant that are other than those
landlords usually or customarily provide when renting space for
occupancy only, amounts received or accrued by Vornado for any
of these services will not be treated as rents from real
property for purposes of the REIT gross income tests. However,
the amounts received or accrued for these services will not
cause other amounts received with respect to the property to
fail to be treated as rents from real property unless the
amounts treated as received in respect of the services, together
with amounts received for certain management services, exceed 1%
of all amounts received or accrued by Vornado during the taxable
year with respect to the property. If the sum of the amounts
received in respect of the services to tenants and management
services described in the preceding sentence exceeds the 1%
threshold, then all amounts received or accrued by Vornado with
respect to the property will not qualify as rents from real
property, even if Vornado provides the impermissible services to
some, but not all, of the tenants of the property.
The term interest generally does not include any
amount received or accrued, directly or indirectly, if the
determination of that amount depends in whole or in part on the
income or profits of any person. However, an amount received or
accrued generally will not be excluded from the term interest
solely because it is based on a fixed percentage or percentages
of receipts or sales.
If Vornado fails to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross
income tests for any taxable year, it may nevertheless qualify
as a REIT for that year if it satisfies the requirements of
other provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that allow relief
from disqualification as a REIT. These relief provisions will
generally be available if:
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Vornados failure to meet the income tests was due to
reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect; and |
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Vornado files a schedule of each item of income in excess of the
limitations described above in accordance with regulations to be
prescribed by the Internal Revenue Service. |
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Vornado might not be entitled to the benefit of these relief
provisions, however. As discussed in the fifth bullet point on
page 61, even if these relief provisions apply, Vornado
would have to pay a tax on the excess income.
Asset Tests. Vornado, at the close of each quarter of its
taxable year, must also satisfy three tests relating to the
nature of its assets.
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First, at least 75% of the value of Vornados total assets
must be represented by real estate assets, including
(a) real estate assets held by Vornados qualified
REIT subsidiaries, Vornados allocable share of real estate
assets held by partnerships in which Vornado owns an interest
and stock issued by another REIT, (b) for a period of one
year from the date of Vornados receipt of proceeds of an
offering of its shares of beneficial interest or publicly
offered debt with a term of at least five years, stock or debt
instruments purchased with these proceeds and (c) cash,
cash items and government securities. |
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Second, not more than 25% of Vornados total assets may be
represented by securities other than those in the 75% asset
class. |
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Third, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2000,
not more than 20% of Vornados total assets may constitute
securities issued by taxable REIT subsidiaries and of the
investments included in the 25% asset class, the value of
any one issuers securities, other than equity securities
issued by another REIT or securities issued by a taxable REIT
subsidiary, owned by Vornado may not exceed 5% of the value of
Vornados total assets. Moreover, Vornado may not own more
than 10% of the vote or value of the outstanding securities of
any one issuer, except for issuers that are REITs, qualified
REIT subsidiaries or taxable REIT subsidiaries, or certain
securities that qualify under a safe harbor provision of the
Internal Revenue Code (such as so-called
straight-debt securities). For these purposes, a
taxable REIT subsidiary is any corporation in which Vornado owns
an interest that joins with Vornado in making an election to be
treated as a taxable REIT subsidiary and certain
subsidiaries of a taxable REIT subsidiary, if the subsidiaries
do not engage in certain activities. |
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Fourth, of the investments included in the 25% asset class,
the value of any one issuers securities, other than equity
securities issued by another REIT or securities issued by a
taxable REIT subsidiary, owned by Vornado may not exceed 5%
of the value of Vornados total assets and Vornado may not
own more than 10% of any one issuers outstanding
voting securities. |
The test described in the fourth bullet point above, and not
that described in the third bullet point, will continue to apply
for taxable years of Vornado that begin after December 31,
2000, only with respect to stock in any corporation owned by
Vornado before July 12, 1999, so long as a taxable REIT
subsidiary election is not made with respect to the corporation
and the corporation does not acquire substantial new assets or
engage in a substantial new line of business and certain other
conditions are satisfied.
Since March 2, 1995, Vornado has owned more than 10%
of the voting securities of Alexanders. Since April of
1997, Vornados ownership of Alexanders has been
through the operating partnership rather than direct.
Vornados ownership interest in Alexanders will not
cause Vornado to fail to satisfy the asset tests for REIT status
so long as Alexanders qualified as a REIT for each of the
taxable years beginning with its taxable year ended
December 31, 1995 and continues to so qualify. In the
opinion of Shearman & Sterling LLP, commencing with
Alexanders taxable year ended December 31, 1995,
Alexanders has been organized and operated in conformity
with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT
under the Internal Revenue Code, and its proposed method of
operation will enable it to continue to meet the requirements
for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Internal
Revenue Code. In providing its opinion, Shearman &
Sterling LLP is relying upon representations received from
Alexanders.
Since April of 1997, Vornado has also owned, through the
operating partnership, more than 10% of the voting
securities of Two Penn. Vornados indirect ownership
interest in Two Penn will not cause Vornado to fail to
satisfy the asset tests for REIT status so long as Two Penn
qualifies as a REIT for its first taxable year and each
subsequent taxable year. Vornado believes that Two Penn
will also qualify as a REIT.
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For taxable years beginning after October 22, 2004, if
Vornado owns more than 10% of the vote or value of the
outstanding securities of any one issuer in any quarter, it will
not be treated as in violation of the ownership limits described
above if:
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Vornado corrects the violation within a designated period
(whether by disposing of the non-qualifying assets or
otherwise); and |
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In cases where Vornados excess ownership exceeds the
lesser of 1% of its assets at the end of the quarter and
$10 million, the violation is due to reasonable cause and
not willful neglect, Vornado provides a description of each
non-qualifying asset under regulations to be prescribed by the
Internal Revenue Service, and Vornado pays a tax equal to the
greater of $50,000 or the highest corporate tax rate multiplied
by the net income generated by the non-qualifying assets. |
Annual Distribution Requirements. Vornado, in order to
qualify as a REIT, is required to distribute dividends, other
than capital gain dividends, to its shareholders in an amount at
least equal to (1) the sum of (a) 90% of
Vornados real estate investment trust taxable
income, computed without regard to the dividends paid
deduction and Vornados net capital gain, and (b) 90%
of the net after-tax income, if any, from foreclosure property
minus (2) the sum of certain items of non-cash income.
For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2001, the
required amount of distributions described above and below
was 95% of the amount of Vornados income or gain, as
the case may be.
In addition, if Vornado disposes of any asset within
10 years of acquiring it, Vornado will be required to
distribute at least 90% of the after-tax built-in gain, if
any, recognized on the disposition of the asset.
These distributions must be paid in the taxable year to which
they relate, or in the following taxable year if declared before
Vornado timely files its tax return for the year to which they
relate and if paid on or before the first regular dividend
payment after the declaration.
To the extent that Vornado does not distribute all of its net
capital gain or distributes at least 90%, but less
than 100%, of its real estate investment trust taxable
income, as adjusted, it will have to pay tax on those amounts at
regular ordinary and capital gain corporate tax rates.
Furthermore, if Vornado fails to distribute during each calendar
year at least the sum of (a) 85% of its ordinary income for
that year, (b) 95% of its capital gain net income for that
year and (c) any undistributed taxable income from prior
periods, Vornado would have to pay a 4% excise tax on the
excess of the required distribution over the amounts actually
distributed.
Vornado intends to satisfy the annual distribution requirements.
From time to time, Vornado may not have sufficient cash or other
liquid assets to meet the 90% distribution requirement due
to timing differences between (a) when Vornado actually
receives income and when it actually pays deductible expenses
and (b) when Vornado includes the income and deducts the
expenses in arriving at its taxable income. If timing
differences of this kind occur, in order to meet the
90% distribution requirement, Vornado may find it necessary
to arrange for short-term, or possibly long-term, borrowings or
to pay dividends in the form of taxable stock dividends.
Under certain circumstances, Vornado may be able to rectify a
failure to meet the distribution requirement for a year by
paying deficiency dividends to shareholders in a
later year, which may be included in Vornados deduction
for dividends paid for the earlier year. Thus, Vornado may be
able to avoid being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency
dividends; however, Vornado will be required to pay interest
based upon the amount of any deduction taken for deficiency
dividends.
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Failure to qualify as a REIT |
For taxable years of Vornado beginning after October 22,
2004, if Vornado would otherwise fail to qualify as a REIT
because of a violation of one of the requirements described
above, its qualification as a REIT will not be terminated if the
violation is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and
Vornado pays a penalty tax of $50,000 for the violation. The
immediately preceding sentence does not apply to violations of
the
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income tests described above or a violation of the limitation on
ownership of more than 10% of the securities of any issuer, each
of which have specific relief provisions that are described
above.
If Vornado fails to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any
taxable year, and the relief provisions do not apply, Vornado
will have to pay tax, including any applicable alternative
minimum tax, on its taxable income at regular corporate rates.
Vornado will not be able to deduct distributions to shareholders
in any year in which it fails to qualify, nor will Vornado be
required to make distributions to shareholders. In this event,
to the extent of current and accumulated earnings and profits,
all distributions to shareholders will be taxable to the
shareholders as dividend income (which may be subject to tax at
preferential rates) and corporate distributees may be eligible
for the dividends received deduction if they satisfy the
relevant provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Unless
entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, Vornado
will also be disqualified from taxation as a REIT for the four
taxable years following the year during which qualification was
lost. Vornado might not be entitled to the statutory relief
described in this paragraph in all circumstances.
Taxation of Holders of Common Shares or Preferred Shares
As used in this section, the term
U.S. shareholder means a holder of common
shares or preferred shares who, for United States Federal income
tax purposes, is:
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a citizen or resident of the United States; |
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a domestic corporation; |
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an estate whose income is subject to United States Federal
income taxation regardless of its source; or |
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a trust if a United States court can exercise primary
supervision over the trusts administration and one or more
United States persons have authority to control all substantial
decisions of the trust. |
As long as Vornado qualifies as a REIT, distributions made by
Vornado out of its current or accumulated earnings and profits,
and not designated as capital gain dividends, will constitute
dividends taxable to its taxable U.S. shareholders as
ordinary income. Under recently enacted law, individual
U.S. shareholders will be entitled to the new lower rate on
dividends only for the portion of any distribution equal to
Vornados real estate investment trust taxable income
(taking into account the dividends paid deduction available to
Vornado) and realized built-in gains from Vornados
previous taxable year less any taxes paid by Vornado on these
items during Vornados previous taxable year. Individual
U.S. shareholders should consult their own tax advisors to
determine the impact of this new legislation. Distributions of
this kind will not be eligible for the dividends received
deduction in the case of U.S. shareholders that are
corporations. Distributions made by Vornado that Vornado
properly designates as capital gain dividends will be taxable to
U.S. shareholders as gain from the sale of a capital asset
held for more than one year, to the extent that they do not
exceed Vornados actual net capital gain for the taxable
year, without regard to the period for which a
U.S. shareholder has held his shares. Thus, with certain
limitations, capital gain dividends received by an individual
U.S. shareholder may be eligible for preferential rates of
taxation. U.S. shareholders that are corporations may,
however, be required to treat up to 20% of certain capital gain
dividends as ordinary income.
To the extent that Vornado makes distributions, not designated
as capital gain dividends, in excess of its current and
accumulated earnings and profits, these distributions will be
treated first as a tax-free return of capital to each
U.S. shareholder. Thus, these distributions will reduce the
adjusted basis which the U.S. shareholder has in his shares
for tax purposes by the amount of the distribution, but not
below zero. Distributions in excess of a
U.S. shareholders adjusted basis in his shares will
be taxable as capital gains, provided that the shares have been
held as a capital asset. For purposes of determining the portion
of distributions on separate classes of shares that will be
treated as dividends for Federal income tax purposes, current
and accumulated earnings and profits will be allocated to
distributions resulting from priority rights of preferred shares
before being allocated to other distributions.
Dividends authorized by Vornado in October, November, or
December of any year and payable to a shareholder of record on a
specified date in any of these months will be treated as both
paid by Vornado and
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received by the shareholder on December 31 of that year,
provided that Vornado actually pays the dividend on or before
January 31 of the following calendar year. Shareholders may not
include in their own income tax returns any net operating losses
or capital losses of Vornado.
U.S. shareholders holding shares at the close of
Vornados taxable year will be required to include, in
computing their long-term capital gains for the taxable year in
which the last day of Vornados taxable year falls, the
amount that Vornado designates in a written notice mailed to its
shareholders. Vornado may not designate amounts in excess of
Vornados undistributed net capital gain for the taxable
year. Each U.S. shareholder required to include the
designated amount in determining the shareholders
long-term capital gains will be deemed to have paid, in the
taxable year of the inclusion, the tax paid by Vornado in
respect of the undistributed net capital gains.
U.S. shareholders to whom these rules apply will be allowed
a credit or a refund, as the case may be, for the tax they are
deemed to have paid. U.S. shareholders will increase their
basis in their shares by the difference between the amount of
the includible gains and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder
in respect of these gains.
Distributions made by Vornado and gain arising from a
U.S. shareholders sale or exchange of shares will not
be treated as passive activity income. As a result,
U.S. shareholders generally will not be able to apply any
passive losses against that income or gain.
When a U.S. shareholder sells or otherwise disposes of
shares, the shareholder will recognize gain or loss for Federal
income tax purposes in an amount equal to the difference between
(a) the amount of cash and the fair market value of any
property received on the sale or other disposition, and
(b) the holders adjusted basis in the shares for tax
purposes. This gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if the
U.S. shareholder has held the shares as a capital asset.
The gain or loss will be long-term gain or loss if the
U.S. shareholder has held the shares for more than one
year. Long-term capital gain of an individual
U.S. shareholder is generally taxed at preferential rates.
In general, any loss recognized by a U.S. shareholder when
the shareholder sells or otherwise disposes of shares of Vornado
that the shareholder has held for six months or less, after
applying certain holding period rules, will be treated as a
long-term capital loss, to the extent of distributions received
by the shareholder from Vornado which were required to be
treated as long-term capital gains.
Backup Withholding. Vornado will report to its
U.S. shareholders and the IRS the amount of dividends paid
during each calendar year, and the amount of tax withheld, if
any. Under the backup withholding rules, backup withholding may
apply to a shareholder with respect to dividends paid unless the
holder (a) is a corporation or comes within certain other
exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact, or
(b) provides a taxpayer identification number, certifies as
to no loss of exemption from backup withholding, and otherwise
complies with applicable requirements of the backup withholding
rules. The IRS may also impose penalties on a
U.S. shareholder that does not provide Vornado with his
correct taxpayer identification number. A shareholder may credit
any amount paid as backup withholding against the
shareholders income tax liability. In addition, Vornado
may be required to withhold a portion of capital gain
distributions to any shareholders who fail to certify their
non-foreign status to Vornado.
Taxation of Tax-Exempt Shareholders. The IRS has ruled
that amounts distributed as dividends by a REIT generally do not
constitute unrelated business taxable income when received by a
tax-exempt entity. Based on that ruling, provided that a
tax-exempt shareholder is not one of the types of entity
described in the next paragraph and has not held its shares as
debt financed property within the meaning of the
Internal Revenue Code, and the shares are not otherwise used in
a trade or business, the dividend income from shares will not be
unrelated business taxable income to a tax-exempt shareholder.
Similarly, income from the sale of shares will not constitute
unrelated business taxable income unless the tax-exempt
shareholder has held the shares as debt financed
property within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code
or has used the shares in a trade or business.
Income from an investment in Vornados shares will
constitute unrelated business taxable income for tax-exempt
shareholders that are social clubs, voluntary employee benefit
associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts, and
qualified group legal services plans exempt from Federal income
taxation under the applicable subsections of Section 501(c)
of the Internal Revenue Code, unless the organization is able to
properly deduct amounts set aside or placed in reserve for
certain purposes so as to offset the income generated
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by its shares. Prospective investors of the types described in
the preceding sentence should consult their own tax advisors
concerning these set aside and reserve requirements.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, a portion of the
dividends paid by a pension-held REIT will be
treated as unrelated business taxable income to any trust which
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is described in Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code; |
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is tax-exempt under Section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue
Code; and |
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holds more than 10% (by value) of the equity interests in the
REIT. |
Tax-exempt pension, profit-sharing and stock bonus funds that
are described in Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue
Code are referred to below as qualified trusts. A
REIT is a pension-held REIT if:
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it would not have qualified as a REIT but for the fact that
Section 856(h)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code provides
that stock owned by qualified trusts will be treated, for
purposes of the not closely held requirement, as
owned by the beneficiaries of the trust (rather than by the
trust itself); and |
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either (a) at least one qualified trust holds more than 25%
by value of the interests in the REIT or (b) one or more
qualified trusts, each of which owns more than 10% by value of
the interests in the REIT, hold in the aggregate more than 50%
by value of the interests in the REIT. |
The percentage of any REIT dividend treated as unrelated
business taxable income to a qualifying trust is equal to the
ratio of (a) the gross income of the REIT from unrelated
trades or businesses, determined as though the REIT were a
qualified trust, less direct expenses related to this gross
income, to (b) the total gross income of the REIT, less
direct expenses related to the total gross income. A de
minimis exception applies where this percentage is less than
5% for any year. Vornado does not expect to be classified as a
pension-held REIT.
The rules described above under the heading
U.S. shareholders concerning the inclusion of
Vornados designated undistributed net capital gains in the
income of its shareholders will apply to tax-exempt entities.
Thus, tax-exempt entities will be allowed a credit or refund of
the tax deemed paid by these entities in respect of the
includible gains.
The rules governing U.S. Federal income taxation of
nonresident alien individuals, foreign corporations, foreign
partnerships and estates or trusts that in either case are not
subject to United States Federal income tax on a net income
basis who own common shares or preferred shares, which we call
non-U.S. shareholders, are complex. The
following discussion is only a limited summary of these rules.
Prospective non-U.S. shareholders should consult with their
own tax advisors to determine the impact of U.S. Federal,
state and local income tax laws with regard to an investment in
common shares or preferred shares, including any reporting
requirements.
Ordinary Dividends. Distributions, other than
distributions that are treated as attributable to gain from
sales or exchanges by Vornado of U.S. real property
interests, as discussed below, and other than distributions
designated by Vornado as capital gain dividends, will be treated
as ordinary income to the extent that they are made out of
current or accumulated earnings and profits of Vornado. A
withholding tax equal to 30% of the gross amount of the
distribution will ordinarily apply to distributions of this kind
to non-U.S. shareholders, unless an applicable tax treaty
reduces that tax. However, if income from the investment in the
shares is treated as effectively connected with the
non-U.S. shareholders conduct of a U.S. trade or
business or is attributable to a permanent establishment that
the non-U.S. shareholder maintains in the United States if
that is required by an applicable income tax treaty as a
condition for subjecting the non-U.S. shareholder to
U.S. taxation on a net income basis, tax at graduated rates
will generally apply to the non-U.S. shareholder in the
same manner as U.S. shareholders are taxed with respect to
dividends, and the 30% branch profits tax may also apply if the
shareholder is a foreign corporation. Vornado expects to
withhold U.S. tax at the rate of 30% on the gross amount of
any dividends, other than dividends treated as attributable to
gain from sales or
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exchanges of U.S. real property interests and capital gain
dividends, paid to a non-U.S. shareholder, unless
(a) a lower treaty rate applies and the required form
evidencing eligibility for that reduced rate is filed with
Vornado or the appropriate withholding agent or (b) the
non-U.S. shareholder files an IRS Form W-8 ECI or
a successor form with Vornado or the appropriate withholding
agent claiming that the distributions are effectively connected
with the non-U.S. shareholders conduct of a
U.S. trade or business.
Distributions to a non-U.S. shareholder that are designated
by Vornado at the time of distribution as capital gain dividends
which are not attributable to or treated as attributable to the
disposition by Vornado of a U.S. real property interest
generally will not be subject to U.S. Federal income
taxation, except as described below.
Return of Capital. Distributions in excess of
Vornados current and accumulated earnings and profits,
which are not treated as attributable to the gain from
Vornados disposition of a U.S. real property
interest, will not be taxable to a non-U.S. shareholder to
the extent that they do not exceed the adjusted basis of the
non-U.S. shareholders shares. Distributions of this
kind will instead reduce the adjusted basis of the shares. To
the extent that distributions of this kind exceed the adjusted
basis of a non-U.S. shareholders shares, they will
give rise to tax liability if the non-U.S. shareholder
otherwise would have to pay tax on any gain from the sale or
disposition of its shares, as described below. If it cannot be
determined at the time a distribution is made whether the
distribution will be in excess of current and accumulated
earnings and profits, withholding will apply to the distribution
at the rate applicable to dividends. However, the
non-U.S. shareholder may seek a refund of these amounts
from the IRS if it is subsequently determined that the
distribution was, in fact, in excess of current accumulated
earnings and profits of Vornado.
Capital Gain Dividends. For any year in which Vornado
qualifies as a REIT, distributions that are attributable to gain
from sales or exchanges by Vornado of U.S. real property
interests will be taxed to a non-U.S. shareholder under the
provisions of the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of
1980, as amended. Under this statute, these distributions are
taxed to a non-U.S. shareholder as if the gain were
effectively connected with a U.S. business. Thus,
non-U.S. shareholders will be taxed on the distributions at
the normal capital gain rates applicable to
U.S. shareholders, subject to any applicable alternative
minimum tax and special alternative minimum tax in the case of
individuals. Vornado is required by applicable Treasury
regulations under this statute to withhold 35% of any
distribution that Vornado could designate as a capital gain
dividend. However, if Vornado designates as a capital gain
dividend a distribution made before the day Vornado actually
effects the designation, then although the distribution may be
taxable to a non-U.S. shareholder, withholding does not
apply to the distribution under this statute. Rather, Vornado
must effect the 35% withholding from distributions made on and
after the date of the designation, until the distributions so
withheld equal the amount of the prior distribution designated
as a capital gain dividend. The non-U.S. shareholder may
credit the amount withheld against its U.S. tax liability.
For taxable years of Vornado beginning after October 22,
2004, the rules described in the preceding paragraph generally
do not apply, however, to capital gain dividends received with
respect to a class of Vornados stock that is regularly
traded on an established securities market located in the United
States if the non-U.S. shareholder does not own more than
5% of that class of stock, and capital gain dividends will be
treated the same as ordinary distributions. Vornado believes its
common shares will be treated as regularly traded for this
purpose.
Sales of Shares. Gain recognized by a
non-U.S. shareholder upon a sale or exchange of common
shares generally will not be taxed under the Foreign Investment
in Real Property Tax Act if Vornado is a domestically
controlled REIT, defined generally as a REIT, less than
50% in value of whose stock is and was held directly or
indirectly by foreign persons at all times during a specified
testing period. Vornado believes that it is and will continue to
be a domestically controlled REIT, and, therefore, that taxation
under this statute generally will not apply to the sale of
Vornado shares. However, gain to which this statute does not
apply will be taxable to a non-U.S. shareholder if
investment in the shares is treated as effectively connected
with the non-U.S. shareholders U.S. trade or
business or is attributable to a permanent establishment that
the non-U.S. shareholder maintains in the United States if
that is required by an applicable income tax treaty as a
condition for subjecting the non-U.S. shareholder to
U.S. taxation on a net income basis. In this case, the
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same treatment will apply to the non-U.S. shareholder as to
U.S. shareholders with respect to the gain. In addition,
gain to which the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act
does not apply will be taxable to a non-U.S. shareholder if
the non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual
who was present in the United States for 183 days or more
during the taxable year and has a tax home in the
United States, or maintains an office or a fixed place of
business in the United States to which the gain is attributable.
In this case, a 30% tax will apply to the nonresident alien
individuals capital gains. A similar rule will apply to
capital gain dividends to which this statute does not apply.
If Vornado were not a domestically controlled REIT, tax under
the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act would apply to a
non-U.S. shareholders sale of shares only if the
selling non-U.S. shareholder owned more than 5% of the
class of shares sold at any time during a specified period. This
period is generally the shorter of the period that the
non-U.S. shareholder owned the shares sold or the five-year
period ending on the date when the shareholder disposed of the
shares. If tax under this statute applies to the gain on the
sale of shares, the same treatment would apply to the
non-U.S. shareholder as to U.S. shareholders with
respect to the gain, subject to any applicable alternative
minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of
nonresident alien individuals.
Common shares or preferred shares held by a
non-U.S. shareholder at the time of death will be included
in the shareholders gross estate for United States federal
estate tax purposes, unless an applicable estate tax treaty
provides otherwise.
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Backup Withholding and Information Reporting |
If you are a non-U.S. shareholder, you are generally exempt
from backup withholding and information reporting requirements
with respect to:
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dividend payments and |
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the payment of the proceeds from the sale of common shares
effected at a United States office of a broker, |
as long as the income associated with these payments is
otherwise exempt from United States federal income tax, and:
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the payor or broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to
know that you are a United States person and you have furnished
to the payor or broker: |
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a valid Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or an
acceptable substitute form upon which you certify, under
penalties of perjury, that you are a non-United States
person, or |
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other documentation upon which it may rely to treat the payments
as made to a non-United States person in accordance with
U.S. Treasury regulations, or |
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you otherwise establish an exemption. |
Payment of the proceeds from the sale of common shares effected
at a foreign office of a broker generally will not be subject to
information reporting or backup withholding. However, a sale of
common shares or preferred shares that is effected at a foreign
office of a broker will be subject to information reporting and
backup withholding if:
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the proceeds are transferred to an account maintained by you in
the United States, |
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the payment of proceeds or the confirmation of the sale is
mailed to you at a United States address, or |
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the sale has some other specified connection with the United
States as provided in U.S. Treasury regulations, |
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unless the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to
know that you are a United States person and the documentation
requirements described above are met or you otherwise establish
an exemption.
In addition, a sale of common shares or preferred shares will be
subject to information reporting if it is effected at a foreign
office of a broker that is:
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a United States person, |
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a controlled foreign corporation for United States tax purposes, |
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a foreign person 50% or more of whose gross income is
effectively connected with the conduct of a United States trade
or business for a specified three-year period, or |
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a foreign partnership, if at any time during its tax year: |
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one or more of its partners are U.S. persons,
as defined in U.S. Treasury regulations, who in the
aggregate hold more than 50% of the income or capital interest
in the partnership, or |
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such foreign partnership is engaged in the conduct of a United
States trade or business, |
unless the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to
know that you are a United States person and the documentation
requirements described above are met or you otherwise establish
an exemption. Backup withholding will apply if the sale is
subject to information reporting and the broker has actual
knowledge that you are a United States person.
You generally may obtain a refund of any amounts withheld under
the backup withholding rules that exceed your income tax
liability by filing a refund claim with the Internal Revenue
Service.
State or local taxation may apply to Vornado and its
shareholders in various state or local jurisdictions, including
those in which it or they transact business or reside. The state
and local tax treatment of Vornado and its shareholders may not
conform to the Federal income tax consequences discussed above.
Consequently, prospective shareholders should consult their own
tax advisors regarding the effect of state and local tax laws on
an investment in Vornado.
Taxation of Holders of Most Fixed Rate Debt Securities
This section describes the material United States federal income
tax consequences of owning the fixed rate debt securities that
Vornado Realty L.P. may offer for your general information only.
It is not tax advice. It applies to you only if the fixed rate
debt securities that you purchase are not original issue
discount or zero coupon debt securities and you acquire the
fixed rate debt securities in the initial offering at the
offering price. If you purchase these fixed rate debt securities
at a price other than the offering price, the amortizable bond
premium or market discount rules may also apply to you. You
should consult your own tax advisor regarding this possibility.
The tax consequences of owning any fixed rate debt securities
that are zero coupon debt securities or original issue discount
debt securities, floating rate debt securities, zero coupon debt
securities, original issue debt securities, or indexed debt
securities that we offer will be discussed in the applicable
prospectus supplement.
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United States Debt Security Holders |
This subsection describes the tax consequences to a United
States debt security holder. You are a United States debt
security holder if you are a beneficial owner of a fixed rate
debt security to which this section applies and you are:
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a citizen or resident of the United States, |
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a domestic corporation, |
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an estate whose income is subject to United States federal
income tax regardless of its source, or |
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a trust if a United States court can exercise primary
supervision over the trusts administration and one or more
United States persons are authorized to control all substantial
decisions of the trust. |
If you are not a United States debt security holder of a fixed
rate debt security to which this section applies, this
subsection does not apply to you and you should refer to
United States Alien Debt Security Holders
below.
Payments of Interest. You will be taxed on interest on
your fixed rate debt security as ordinary income at the time you
receive the interest or when it accrues, depending on your
method of accounting for tax purposes.
Purchase, Sale and Retirement of Fixed Rate Debt
Securities. Your tax basis in your fixed rate debt security
generally will be its cost. You will generally recognize capital
gain or loss on the sale or retirement of your note equal to the
difference between the amount you realize on the sale or
retirement, excluding any amounts attributable to accrued but
unpaid interest, and your tax basis in your note. Capital gain
of a noncorporate United States debt security holder is
generally taxed at preferential rates where the holder has a
holding period greater than one year.
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United States Alien Debt Security Holders |
This subsection describes the tax consequences to a United
States alien debt security holder. You are a United States alien
debt security holder if you are the beneficial owner of a fixed
rate debt security to which this section applies and are, for
United States federal income tax purposes:
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a nonresident alien individual, |
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a foreign corporation, |
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a foreign partnership, or |
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an estate or trust that in either case is not subject to United
States federal income tax on a net income basis on income or
gain from a debt security. |
If you are a United States debt security holder, this subsection
does not apply to you.
Under United States federal income and estate tax law, and
subject to the discussion of backup withholding below, if you
are a United States alien debt security holder:
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we and other U.S. payors generally will not be required to
deduct United States withholding tax from payments of principal
and interest to you if, in the case of payments of interest: |
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1. you do not actually or
constructively own 10% or more of the capital or profits
interest of Vornado Realty L.P., |
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2. you are not a controlled foreign
corporation that is related to Vornado Realty L.P. through stock
ownership, and |
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3. the U.S. payor does not
have actual knowledge or reason to know that you are a United
States person and: |
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a. you have furnished to the
U.S. payor an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or
an acceptable substitute form upon which you certify, under
penalties of perjury, that you are a non-United States person, |
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b. in the case of payments made
outside the United States to you at an offshore account
(generally, an account maintained by you at a bank or other
financial institution at any location outside the United
States), you have furnished to the U.S. payor documentation
that establishes your identity and your status as a non-United
States person, |
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c. the U.S. payor has received
a withholding certificate (furnished on an appropriate Internal
Revenue Service Form W-8 or an acceptable substitute form)
from a person claiming to be: |
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i. a withholding foreign
partnership (generally a foreign partnership that has entered
into an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service to assume
primary withholding responsibility with respect to distributions
and guaranteed payments it makes to its partners), |
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ii. a qualified intermediary
(generally a non-United States financial institution or clearing
organization or a non-United States branch or office of a United
States financial institution or clearing organization that is a
party to a withholding agreement with the Internal Revenue
Service), or |
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iii. a U.S. branch of a
non-United States bank or of a non-United States insurance
company, |
and the withholding foreign partnership, qualified intermediary
or U.S. branch has received documentation upon which it may
rely to treat the payment as made to a non-United States person
in accordance with U.S. Treasury regulations (or, in the
case of a qualified intermediary, in accordance with its
agreement with the Internal Revenue Service),
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d. the U.S. payor receives a
statement from a securities clearing organization, bank or other
financial institution that holds customers securities in
the ordinary course of its trade or business, |
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i. certifying to the
U.S. payor under penalties of perjury that an Internal
Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or an acceptable substitute
form has been received from you by it or by a similar financial
institution between it and you, and |
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ii. to which is attached a copy of
the Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or acceptable
substitute form, or |
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4. The U.S. payor otherwise
possesses documentation upon which it may rely to treat the
payment as made to a non-United States person in accordance with
U.S. Treasury regulations, and |
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no deduction for any United States federal withholding tax will
be made from any gain that you realize on the sale or exchange
of your note. |
Further, a fixed rate debt security held by an individual who at
death is not a citizen or resident of the United States will not
be includible in the individuals gross estate for United
States federal estate tax purposes if:
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the decedent did not actually or constructively own 10% or more
of the capital or profits interest of Vornado Realty L.P. at the
time of death and |
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the income on the fixed rate debt security would not have been
effectively connected with a United States trade or business of
the decedent at the same time. |
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Backup Withholding and Information Reporting |
In general, if you are a noncorporate United States debt
security holder, we and other payors are required to report to
the Internal Revenue Service all payments of principal and
interest on your fixed rate debt security. In addition, we and
other payors are required to report to the Internal Revenue
Service any payment of proceeds of the sale of your fixed rate
debt security before maturity within the United States.
Additionally, backup withholding will apply to any payments if
you fail to provide an accurate taxpayer identification number,
or you are notified by the Internal Revenue Service that you
have failed to report all interest and dividends required to be
shown on your federal income tax returns.
In general, if you are a United States alien debt security
holder, payments of principal or interest made by us and other
payors to you will not be subject to backup withholding and
information reporting, provided that the certification
requirements described above under United States
Alien Debt Security Holders are satisfied or you otherwise
establish an exemption. However, we and other payors are
required to report payments of interest on your fixed rate debt
securities on Internal Revenue Service Form 1042-S even if
the
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payments are not otherwise subject to information reporting
requirements. In addition, payment of the proceeds from the sale
of fixed rate debt securities effected at a United States office
of a broker will not be subject to backup withholding and
information reporting provided that:
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the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that
you are a United States person and you have furnished to the
broker: |
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an appropriate Internal Revenue Service Form W-8 or an
acceptable substitute form upon which you certify, under
penalties of perjury, that you are not a United States
person, or |
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other documentation upon which it may rely to treat the payment
as made to a non-United States person in accordance with
U.S. Treasury regulations, or |
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you otherwise establish an exemption. |
If you fail to establish an exemption and the broker does not
possess adequate documentation of your status as a non-United
States person, the payments may be subject to information
reporting and backup withholding. However, backup withholding
will not apply with respect to payments made to an offshore
account maintained by you unless the broker has actual knowledge
that you are a United States person.
In general, payment of the proceeds from the sale of fixed rate
debt securities effected at a foreign office of a broker will
not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding.
However, a sale effected at a foreign office of a broker will be
subject to information reporting and backup withholding if:
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the proceeds are transferred to an account maintained by you in
the United States, |
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the payment of proceeds or the confirmation of the sale is
mailed to you at a United States address, or |
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the sale has some other specified connection with the United
States as provided in U.S. Treasury regulations, |
unless the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to
know that you are a United States person and the documentation
requirements described above (relating to a sale of debt
securities effected at a United States office of a broker) are
met or you otherwise establish an exemption.
In addition, payment of the proceeds from the sale of fixed rate
debt securities effected at a foreign office of a broker will be
subject to information reporting if the broker is:
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a United States person, |
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a controlled foreign corporation for United States tax purposes, |
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a foreign person 50% or more of whose gross income is
effectively connected with the conduct of a United States trade
or business for a specified three-year period, or |
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a foreign partnership, if at any time during its tax year: |
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one or more of its partners are U.S. persons,
as defined in U.S. Treasury regulations, who in the
aggregate hold more than 50% of the income or capital interest
in the partnership, or |
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such foreign partnership is engaged in the conduct of a United
States trade or business, |
unless the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to
know that you are a United States person and the documentation
requirements described above (relating to a sale of debt
securities effected at a United States office of a broker) are
met or you otherwise establish an exemption. Backup withholding
will apply if the sale is subject to information reporting and
the broker has actual knowledge that you are a United States
person.
You generally may obtain a refund of any amounts withheld under
the backup withholding rules that exceed your income tax
liability by filing a refund claim with the Internal Revenue
Service.
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
Vornado Realty Trust and Vornado Realty L.P. may sell the
securities to one or more underwriters for public offering and
sale by them or may sell the securities to investors directly or
through agents or through a combination of any of these methods
of sale. Vornado Realty Trusts common shares or preferred
shares may be issued in exchange for debt securities of Vornado
Realty L.P. The securities that Vornado Realty Trust and Vornado
Realty L.P. distribute by any of these methods may be sold to
the public, in one or more transactions, at a fixed price or
prices that may be changed, at market prices prevailing at the
time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices, or
at negotiated prices.
Any underwriter or agent involved in the offer and sale of the
securities will be named in the related prospectus supplement.
Such underwriter may include Goldman, Sachs & Co., or a
group of underwriters represented by firms including Goldman,
Sachs & Co. Goldman, Sachs & Co. may also act
as agents. Vornado Realty Trust and Vornado Realty L.P. have
reserved the right to sell the securities directly to investors
on their own behalf in those jurisdictions where they are
authorized to do so.
Underwriters may offer and sell the securities at a fixed price
or prices that may be changed, at market prices prevailing at
the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices,
or at negotiated prices. Vornado Realty Trust and Vornado Realty
L.P. also may, from time to time, authorize dealers, acting as
Vornado Realty Trusts or Vornado Realty L.P.s
agents, to offer and sell the securities upon the terms and
conditions described in the related prospectus supplement.
Underwriters may receive compensation from Vornado Realty Trust
or Vornado Realty L.P. in the form of underwriting discounts or
commissions and may also receive commissions from purchasers of
the securities for whom they may act as agent. Underwriters may
sell the securities to or through dealers, and the dealers may
receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or
commissions from the underwriters or commissions, which may be
changed from time to time, from the purchasers for whom they may
act as agents.
Any underwriting compensation paid by Vornado Realty Trust or
Vornado Realty L.P. to underwriters or agents in connection with
the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions
or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers,
will be stated in the related prospectus supplement. Dealers and
agents participating in the distribution of the securities may
be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts and commissions
received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of
the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and
commissions under the applicable securities laws. Underwriters,
dealers and agents may be entitled, under agreements entered
into with Vornado Realty Trust or Vornado Realty L.P., to
indemnification against and contribution towards certain civil
liabilities, including any liabilities under the applicable
securities laws.
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus
supplement, any securities issued under this prospectus will be
new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any
underwriters or agents to or through whom the securities are
sold by Vornado Realty Trust or Vornado Realty L.P. for public
offering and sale may make a market in the securities, but the
underwriters or agents will not be obligated to do so and may
discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We do
not know how liquid the trading market for any of our securities
will be.
Certain of the underwriters, dealers or agents and their
associates may engage in transactions with, and perform services
for, Vornado Realty Trust, Vornado Realty L.P. and their
affiliates in the ordinary course of business for which they may
receive customary fees and expenses.
VALIDITY OF THE SECURITIES
The validity of any debt securities issued under this prospectus
will be passed upon for Vornado Realty L.P., and the validity of
any depositary shares issued under this prospectus will be
passed upon for Vornado Realty Trust, by Sullivan &
Cromwell LLP, New York, New York, counsel to Vornado Realty
Trust and Vornado Realty L.P. The validity of any preferred
shares or common shares issued under this prospectus will be
passed upon for Vornado Realty Trust by Venable LLP, Baltimore,
Maryland, Maryland counsel to
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Vornado Realty Trust. The validity of any securities issued
under this prospectus will be passed upon for any underwriters
by the counsel named in the applicable prospectus supplement.
EXPERTS
The consolidated financial statements and the related financial
statement schedules incorporated in this prospectus by reference
from Vornado Realty Trusts annual report on Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2003 and from Vornado
Realty L.P.s annual report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2003, have been audited by
Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public
accounting firm, as stated in their reports, which are
incorporated herein by reference (which reports express an
unqualified opinion on the financial statements and financial
statement schedules and include an explanatory paragraph
referring to the adoption of SFAS No. 142
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets and the
application of the provisions of SFAS No. 144
Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived
Assets), and have been so incorporated in reliance
upon the reports of such firm given upon their authority as
experts in accounting and auditing.
With respect to the unaudited interim financial information for
the periods ended March 31, 2004 and 2003, June 30,
2004 and 2003 and September 30, 2004 and 2003 which is
incorporated herein by reference, Deloitte & Touche
LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, have
applied limited procedures in accordance with standards of the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) for a
review of such information. However, as stated in their reports
included in Vornado Realty Trusts and Vornado Realty
L.P.s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters
ended March 31, 2004, June 30, 2004 and
September 30, 2004 and incorporated by reference herein,
they did not audit and they do not express an opinion on that
interim financial information. Accordingly, the degree of
reliance on their reports on such information should be
restricted in light of the limited nature of the review
procedures applied. Deloitte & Touche LLP are not
subject to the liability provisions of Section 11 of the
Securities Act of 1933 for their reports on the unaudited
interim financial information because those reports are not
reports or a part of the registration
statement prepared or certified by an accountant within the
meaning of Sections 7 and 11 of the Act.
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