Unassociated Document

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 2, 2009
Registration No. 333-145949
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

n
 
PRE-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO.  1 TO
POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 6 TO
FORM S-11
FOR REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
OF SECURITIES OF CERTAIN REAL ESTATE COMPANIES

n
 
AMERICAN REALTY CAPITAL TRUST, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Governing Instruments)  
106 York Road
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania 19046
(215) 887-2189
(Address, Including Zip Code and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant's Principal Executive Offices)  
 
Nicholas S. Schorsch
AMERICAN REALTY CAPITAL TRUST, INC.
106 York Road
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania 19046
(215) 887-2189
(Name and Address, Including Zip Code and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)  

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With a Copy to:  
Peter M. Fass, Esq.
Proskauer Rose LLP
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036-8299
(212) 969-3000

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Approximate Date of Commencement of Proposed Sale to Public: As soon as practicable after the registration statement becomes effective.
If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following box þ
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering: o

 
 

 


If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering: o
 
If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434, check, the following box: o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one)
                 
Large accelerated filer
 
o
     
Accelerated filer
 
o
Non-accelerated filer
 
þ
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
 
Smaller reporting company
 
o

This Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 consists of the following:
 
 
·
Registrant’s final form of Prospectus dated November [__], 2009.
 
 
·
Part II, included herewith.
 
 
·
Signatures, included herewith.
 

 
 

 

AMERICAN REALTY CAPITAL
AMERICAN REALTY CAPITAL TRUST, INC.
 
Maximum Offering of 150,000,000 Shares of Common Stock
 
American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. is a Maryland corporation that qualifies as a real estate investment trust, or REIT. We will invest primarily in freestanding, single-tenant retail properties net leased to investment grade and other creditworthy tenants.
 
We are offering up to 150,000,000 shares of our common stock, $0.01 par value per share, in our primary offering for $10.00 per share, with discounts available for certain categories of purchasers. We also are offering up to 25,000,000 shares pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan at a purchase price equal to the higher of $9.50 per share or 95% of the estimated value of a share of our common stock. We will offer these shares until January 25, 2011 which is three years after the effective date of this offering. We reserve the right to reallocate the shares of our common stock we are offering between the primary offering and the distribution reinvestment plan. We are registering options to purchase 1,000,000 shares of common stock, as well as the 1,000,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of such options pursuant to our stock option plan for our independent directors.
 
See “Risk Factors” for a description of some of the risks you should consider before buying shares of our common stock. These risks include the following:
 
 
·
We may be considered a “blind pool” because we own a limited number of investments and have not identified most of the investments we will make with proceeds from this offering. You will be unable to evaluate the economic merit of our future investments before we make them and there may be a substantial delay in receiving a return, if any, on your investment.
 
·
There are substantial conflicts among us and our sponsor, advisor, dealer manager and property manager, such as the fact that our principal executive officers own a majority interest in our advisor, our dealer-manager and our property manager, and our advisor and other affiliated entities may compete with us and acquire properties suitable to our investment objectives.
 
·
No public market currently exists, and one may never exist, for shares of our common stock. If you are able to sell your shares, you would likely have to sell them at a substantial discount.
 
·
Until we generate operating cash flow sufficient to pay distributions to our stockholders, we may make distributions from the proceeds of this offering or from borrowings in anticipation of future cash flow, which may constitute a return of capital, reduce the amount of capital we ultimately invest in properties and negatively impact the value of your investment.  Until we generate operating cash flow sufficient to pay distributions to stockholders, our Advisor may waive the reimbursement of certain expenses and payment of certain fees.
 
·
If we fail to qualify, or maintain the requirements, to be taxed as a REIT, it would reduce the amount of income available for distribution and limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
 
·
You may not own more than 9.8% in value of the outstanding shares of our stock or more than 9.8% in value or number of shares (whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of our outstanding shares of stock.
 
·
We may incur substantial debt, which could hinder our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders or could decrease the value of your investment in the event that income on, or the value of, the property securing the debt falls, but we will not incur debt to the extent it will restrict our ability to qualify as a REIT.

 
 

 


 
·
We are dependent on our advisor to select investments and conduct our operations. Adverse changes in the financial condition of our advisor or our relationship with our advisor could adversely affect us.
 
·
We will pay substantial fees and expenses to our advisor, its affiliates and participating broker-dealers, which payments increase the risk that you will not earn a profit on your investment.
 
·
This is a “best efforts” offering and we might not sell all of the shares being offered.
 
·
We are not yet a REIT and may be unable to qualify as a REIT.
     
These are speculative securities and this investment involves a high degree of risk. You should purchase these securities only if you can afford a complete loss of your investment.
 
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Attorney General of the State of New York nor any other state securities regulator has approved or disapproved of our common stock, determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete or passed on or endorsed the merits of this offering. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
 
The use of projections in this offering is prohibited. Any representation to the contrary, and any predictions, written or oral, as to the amount or certainty of any future benefit or tax consequence that may flow from an investment in this program is not permitted. All proceeds from this offering are funds held in trust until subscriptions are accepted and funds are released.

                 
   
Price to Public
 
Selling
Commissions
 
Dealer
Manager Fee
 
Net Proceeds
(Before Expenses)
Primary Offering
   
  
     
  
     
  
     
  
 
Per Share
 
$
10.00
   
$
0.70
   
$
0.30
   
$
9.00
 
Total Maximum
 
$
1,500,000,000
   
$
105,000,000
   
$
45,000,000
   
$
1,350,000,000
 
Distribution Reinvestment Plan
   
Per Share
 
$
9.50
   
$
   
$
   
$
9.50
 
Total Maximum
 
$
237,500,000
   
$
   
$
   
$
237,500,000
 

The dealer manager of this offering, Realty Capital Securities, LLC, is a member firm of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), is our affiliate and will offer the shares on a best efforts basis. The minimum investment amount generally is $1,000.  See the “Plan of Distribution” section of this prospectus for a description of compensation that may be received by our dealer manger and other broker-dealers in this offering.  As of July 1, 2009 we have sold the minimum of 4,500,000 shares of our common stock necessary to release all subscribers’ funds from escrow.  All subscription payments have been released to us.  As of October 20, 2009, we have sold 10,118,192 shares of our common stock.
 
November __, 2009


 
 

 

SUITABILITY STANDARDS
 
An investment in our common stock involves significant risk and is only suitable for persons who have adequate financial means, desire a relatively long-term investment and who will not need immediate liquidity from their investment. Initially, we will not have a public market for our common stock, and we cannot assure you that one will develop, which means that it may be difficult for you to sell your shares. This investment is not suitable for persons who require immediate liquidity or guaranteed income, or who seek a short-term investment.
 
In consideration of these factors, we have established suitability standards for initial stockholders and subsequent purchasers of shares from our stockholders. These suitability standards require that a purchaser of shares have, excluding the value of a purchaser’s home, furnishings and automobiles, either:
 
 
·
a net worth of at least $250,000; or
 
 
·
a gross annual income of at least $70,000 and a net worth of at least $70,000.
 
The minimum purchase is 100 shares ($1,000), except in certain states as described below. Purchases in amounts above the $1,000 minimum and all subsequent purchases may be made in whole or fractional shares, again subject to the limitations described below for certain states. You may not transfer fewer shares than the minimum purchase requirement. In addition, you may not transfer, fractionalize or subdivide your shares so as to retain less than the number of shares required for the minimum purchase. In order to satisfy the minimum purchase requirements for retirement plans, unless otherwise prohibited by state law, a husband and wife may jointly contribute funds from their separate IRAs, and jointly meet suitability standards, provided that each such contribution is made in increments of $100.00 or ten (10) whole shares. You should note that an investment in shares of our company will not, in itself, create a retirement plan and that, in order to create a retirement plan, you must comply with all applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
 
The minimum purchase for Maine, New York, Tennessee and North Carolina residents is 250 shares ($2,500), except for IRAs which must purchase a minimum of 100 shares ($1,000). The minimum purchase for Minnesota residents is 250 shares ($2,500), except for IRAs and other qualified retirement plans which must purchase a minimum of 200 shares ($2,000). Following an initial subscription for at least the required minimum investment, any investor may make additional purchases in increments of at least 100 shares ($1,000), except for purchases made by residents of Maine and Minnesota, whose additional investments must meet their state’s minimum investment amount, and purchases of shares pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan and automatic purchase plan, which may be in lesser amounts.
 
Several states have established suitability requirements that are more stringent than the standards that we have established and described above. Shares will be sold only to investors in these states who meet the special suitability standards set forth below:
 
 
·
Kentucky — Investors must have either (a) a net worth of $250,000 or (b) a gross annual income of at least $70,000 and a net worth of at least $70,000, with the amount invested in this offering not to exceed 10% of the Kentucky investor’s liquid net worth.
 
 
·
Massachusetts, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Oregon — Investors must have either (a) a minimum net worth of at least $250,000 or (b) an annual gross income of at least $70,000 and a net worth of at least $70,000. The investor’s maximum investment in the issuer and its affiliates cannot exceed 10% of the Massachusetts, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania or Oregon resident’s net worth.
 
 
·
Michigan — Investors must have either (a) a minimum net worth of at least $250,000 or (b) an annual gross income of at least $70,000 and a net worth of at least $70,000.  The maximum investment in the issuer and its affiliates cannot exceed 10% of the Michigan resident’s net worth.
 
 
·
Tennessee — In addition to the suitability requirements described above, investors’ maximum investment in our shares and our affiliates shall not exceed 10% of the resident’s net worth.
 
 
·
Kansas — In addition to the suitability requirements described above, it is recommended that investors should invest no more than 10% of their liquid net worth in our shares and securities of other real estate investment trusts.  “Liquid net worth” is defined as that portion of net worth (total assets minus total liabilities) that is comprised of cash, cash equivalents and readily marketable securities.
 
 
·
Missouri — In addition to the suitability requirements described above, no more than ten percent (10%) of any one (1) Missouri investor's liquid net worth shall be invested in the securities registered by us for this offering  with the Securities Division.
 

 
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·
California — In addition to the suitability requirements described above, investors’ maximum investment in our shares  will be limited to 10% of the investor's net worth (exclusive of home, home furnishings and automobile).
 
 
·
Alabama and Mississippi — In addition to the suitability standards above, shares will only be sold to Alabama and Mississippi residents that represent that they have a liquid net worth of at least 10 times the amount of their investment in this real estate investment program and other similar programs.
 
In all states listed above, net worth is to be determined excluding the value of a purchaser’s home, furnishings and automobiles.
 
Each sponsor, participating broker-dealer, authorized representative or any other person selling shares on our behalf is required to:
 
 
·
make every reasonable effort to determine that the purchase of shares is a suitable and appropriate investment for each investor based on information provided by such investor to the broker-dealer, including such investor’s age, investment objectives, income, net worth, financial situation and other investments held by such investor; and
 
 
·
maintain records for at least six years of the information used to determine that an investment in the shares is suitable and appropriate for each investor.
 
In making this determination, your participating broker-dealer, authorized representative or other person selling shares on our behalf will, based on a review of the information provided by you in the subscription agreement (Appendix A), consider whether you:
 
 
·
meet the minimum income and net worth standards established in your state;
 
 
·
can reasonably benefit from an investment in our common stock based on your overall investment objectives and portfolio structure;
 
 
·
are able to bear the economic risk of the investment based on your overall financial situation; and
 
 
·
have an apparent understanding of:
 
 
·
the fundamental risks of an investment in our common stock;
 
 
·
the risk that you may lose your entire investment;
 
 
·
the lack of liquidity of our common stock;
 
 
·
the restrictions on transferability of our common stock;
 
 
·
the background and qualifications of our advisor; and
 
 
·
the tax consequences of an investment in our common stock.
 
In the case of sales to fiduciary accounts, the suitability standards must be met by the fiduciary account, by the person who directly or indirectly supplied the funds for the purchase of the shares or by the beneficiary of the account. Given the long-term nature of an investment in our shares, our investment objectives and the relative illiquidity of our shares, our suitability standards are intended to help ensure that shares of our common stock are an appropriate investment for those of you who become investors.
 
In order to ensure adherence to the suitability standards above, requisite criteria must be met, as set forth in the Subscription Agreement in the form attached hereto as Appendix A. In addition, our advisor and dealer manager must make every reasonable effort to determine that the purchase of our shares (including the purchase of our shares through the automatic purchase plan) is a suitable and appropriate investment for an investor. In making this determination, our advisor and dealer manager will rely on relevant information provided by the investor, including information as to the investor’s age, investment objectives, investment experience, income, net worth, financial situation, other investments, and any other pertinent information. Executed Subscription Agreements will be maintained in our records for six years.
 
RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE USA PATRIOT ACT AND RELATED ACTS
 
In accordance with the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, as amended (the USA PATRIOT Act), the units offered hereby may not be offered, sold, transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, to any “Prohibited Partner,’’ which means anyone who is:
 

 
ii

 


 
 
·
a “designated national,’’ “specially designated national,’’ “specially designated terrorist,’’ “specially designated global terrorist,’’ “foreign terrorist organization,’’ or “blocked person’’ within the definitions set forth in the Foreign Assets Control Regulations of the U.S. Treasury Department;
 
 
·
acting on behalf of, or an entity owned or controlled by, any government against whom the U.S. maintains economic sanctions or embargoes under the Regulations of the U.S. Treasury Department;
 
 
·
within the scope of Executive Order 13224 — Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions with Persons who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support Terrorism, effective September 24, 2001;
 
 
·
subject to additional restrictions imposed by the following statutes or regulations and executive orders issued thereunder: the Trading with the Enemy Act, the Iraq Sanctions Act, the National Emergencies Act, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the United Nations Participation Act, the International Security and Development Cooperation Act, the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Act of 1994, the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996, the Cuban Democracy Act, the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act and the Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs Appropriation Act or any other law of similar import as to any non-U.S. country, as each such act or law has been or may be amended, adjusted, modified or reviewed from time to time; or
 
 
·
designated or blocked, associated or involved in terrorism, or subject to restrictions under laws, regulations, or executive orders as may apply in the future similar to those set forth above.
 


 
iii

 

AMERICAN REALTY CAPITAL TRUST, INC.
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
Page
 
SUITABILITY STANDARDS
i
RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE USA PATRIOT ACT AND RELATED ACTS
ii
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THIS OFFERING
vii
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
1
Status of the Offering
1
American Realty Capital Trust, Inc.
1
REIT Status
1
Advisor
1
Management
1
Operating Partnership
2
Summary Risk Factors
2
Description of Investments
3
Estimated Use of Proceeds of This Offering
4
Investment Objectives
4
Conflicts of Interest
4
Prior Offering
6
Terms of The Offering
6
Compensation to Advisor and its Affiliates
6
Status of Fees Paid and Deferred
8
Distributions
8
Listing or Liquidation
9
Distribution Reinvestment Plan
9
Share Repurchase Program
9
Description of Shares
10
RISK FACTORS
12
Risks Related to an Investment in American Realty Capital Trust, Inc.
12
Risks Related to Conflicts of Interest
14
Risks Related to This Offering and Our Corporate Structure
17
General Risks Related to Investments in Real Estate
22
Risks Associated with Debt Financing
29
Federal Income Tax Risks
30
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
33
ESTIMATED USE OF PROCEEDS
34
MANAGEMENT
36
General
36
Committees of the Board of Directors
37
Audit Committee
37
Executive Officers and Directors
37
Compensation of Directors
40
Stock Option Plan
41
Compliance with the American Jobs Creation Act
41
Limited Liability and Indemnification of Directors, Officers, Employees and Other Agents
42
The Advisor
44
The Advisory Agreement
44
Affiliated Companies
46
Investment Decisions
49
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
49
MANAGEMENT COMPENSATION
52
STOCK OWNERSHIP
58
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
59
Interests in Other Real Estate Programs
59
Other Activities of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and Its Affiliates
59
Competition in Acquiring, Leasing and Operating of Properties
60

 
iv

 


Affiliated Dealer Manager
60
Affiliated Property Manager
60
Lack of Separate Representation
60
Joint Ventures with Affiliates of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC
60
Receipt of Fees and Other Compensation by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and Its Affiliates
61
Certain Conflict Resolution Procedures
61
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
63
General
63
American Realty Capital’s Business Plan
64
Acquisition and Investment Policies
65
Making Loans and Investments in Mortgages
75
Acquisition of Properties from Affiliates
77
Section 1031 Exchange Program
78
Disposition Policies
79
Investment Limitations
79
Change in Investment Objectives and Limitations
80
Real Property Investments
80
Potential Property Investments
98
Other Policies
 100
PLAN OF OPERATION
101
General
101
Liquidity and Capital Resources
102
Results of Operations
102
Inflation
103
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
104
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND OPERATIONS
105
Overview
105
Application of Critical Accounting Policies
105
Funds from Operations
106
Liquidity and Capital Resources
107
Election as a REIT
108
Inflation
108
Related-Party Transactions and Agreements
108
Conflicts of Interest
108
Impact of Recent Accounting Pronouncements
108
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
110
PRIOR PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
111
Introduction
111
Three-Year Summary of Operations of AFR
114
Three-Year Summary of Funds Raised by AFR
115
Three-Year Summary of Acquisitions by AFR
115
Three-Year Summary of Sales by AFR
117
Three-Year Summary of AFR Dividends
117
Adverse Business Developments and Conditions
118
FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
119
General
119
Opinion of Counsel
119
Taxation of the Company
119
Requirements for Qualification as a REIT
120
Failure to Qualify as a REIT
124
Sale-Leaseback Transactions
124
Taxation of U.S. Stockholders
124
Treatment of Tax-Exempt Stockholders
126
Special Tax Considerations for Non-U.S. Stockholders
127
Statement of Stock Ownership
128
State and Local Taxation
128
Tax Aspects of Our Operating Partnership
128
INVESTMENT BY TAX-EXEMPT ENTITIES AND ERISA CONSIDERATIONS
132
General
132

 
v

 


Minimum and Other Distribution Requirements — Plan Liquidity
132
Annual or More Frequent Valuation Requirement
133
Fiduciary Obligations — Prohibited Transactions
133
Plan Assets — Definition
134
Plan Assets — Registered Investment Company Exception
134
Publicly Offered Securities Exemption
134
Plan Assets — Operating Company Exception
134
Plan Assets — Not Significant Investment Exception
135
Consequences of Holding Plan Assets
135
Prohibited Transactions
136
Prohibited Transactions — Consequences
136
Reporting
136
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
137
Common Stock
137
Preferred Stock
138
Meetings and Special Voting Requirements
138
Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer
139
Automatic Purchase Plan
140
Distribution Policy and Distributions
141
Stockholder Liability
142
Business Combinations
142
Control Share Acquisitions
143
Subtitle 8
144
Advance Notice of Director Nominations and New Business
144
Share Repurchase Program
144
Restrictions on Roll-up Transactions
146
SUMMARY OF DISTRIBUTION REINVESTMENT PLAN
148
Investment of Distributions
148
Election to Participate or Terminate Participation
148
Excluded Distributions
149
Federal Income Tax Considerations
149
Amendment and Termination
150
OUR OPERATING PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
151
General
151
Capital Contributions
151
Operations
151
Exchange Rights
153
Amendments to the Partnership Agreement
153
Termination of the Partnership
153
Transferability of Interests
153
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
155
The Offering
155
Realty Capital Securities, LLC
155
Compensation We Will Pay for the Sale of Our Shares
155
Shares Purchased by Affiliates
157
Volume Discounts
157
Subscription Process
159
Minimum Offering
159
Status of the Offering
160
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
161
SUPPLEMENTAL SALES MATERIAL
161
LEGAL MATTERS
161
EXPERTS
161
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
162

APPENDIX A: SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT
A-1
APPENDIX B: DISTRIBUTION REINVESTMENT PLAN
B-1
APPENDIX C: PRIOR PERFORMANCE OF AMERICAN FINANCIAL REALTY TRUST
C-1
APPENDIX C-2: RESULTS OF NICHOLAS S. SCHORSCH’S COMPLETED PROGRAMS (unaudited)
C-2-1


 
vi

 


QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THIS OFFERING
 
Below we have provided some of the more frequently asked questions and answers relating to an offering of this type. Please see “Prospectus Summary” and the remainder of this prospectus for more detailed information about this offering.
 
Q:
What is a REIT?
 
A:
In general, a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) is a company that:
 
 
pays distributions to investors of at least 90% of its taxable income;
 
 
avoids the “double taxation” treatment of income that generally results from investments in a corporation because a REIT generally is not subject to federal corporate income taxes on its net income, provided certain income tax requirements are satisfied; and
 
 
combines the capital of many investors to acquire a large-scale diversified real estate portfolio under professional management.
 
Q:
How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors who offer non-traded public REIT shares or real estate limited partnership units?
 
A:
We intend to focus on acquiring a diversified portfolio of freestanding, single-tenant retail and commercial properties that are net leased to investment grade and other creditworthy tenants. The net leases with our tenants allow us to pass through all operating and capital expenses items directly to our tenant. The tenant is billed directly for all expense items and capital costs and the tenant pays such costs directly to the provider without having to go through us. Multi-tenant retail and commercial properties, unlike our net lease properties, are subject to much greater volatility in operating results due to unexpected increases in operating costs or unforeseen capital and repair expenses. Our leases allow us to pass through these costs to the tenant.
 
We intend to build a portfolio where 50% or more of our distributions are from rents guaranteed by investment grade tenants. We believe that in addition to simply having investment grade tenants in your portfolio, the majority of the properties must be tenanted by investment grade (S&P rated BBB- or better) companies in order to maximize the investors’ risk-adjusted return. While we intend to pay distributions equivalent to those of our competitors, we believe that the risk-adjusted returns on our portfolio are superior to those of our competitors due to the high concentration of investment grade tenants, the duration of our leases, i.e., 15 years and greater, and the net lease structure of these leases.
 
Additionally, since we acquire long term leases with minimum, non-cancellable lease terms of ten or more years, the majority of which will be fifteen years or greater, we are less subject to vacancy risk and tenant turnover than our competitors who invest in multi-tenant properties. This allows us to better withstand periods of economic uncertainty versus properties with a number of short term leases. Our individual investments also tend to be smaller because we buy freestanding single-tenant properties versus multi-tenant properties such as malls, shopping centers and office buildings. This allows us to achieve much greater diversification by geography, tenant mix and property type. By achieving such diversification, we are less likely to be negatively affected by economic downturns in local markets.
 
Q:
Generally, what are the terms of your leases?
 
A:
We will seek to acquire properties that have leases with investment grade and other creditworthy tenants. We expect that our leases generally will be triple-net leases, which means that the tenant is responsible for all costs and expenses related to the use and operation of the property, including, but not limited to, the cost of maintenance, repairs, property taxes and insurance, utilities and all other operating and capital costs. In certain of these leases, we will be responsible for the repair and/or replacement of specific structural and load bearing components of a property, such as the roof or structure of the building. We expect that our leases generally will have terms of ten or more years, oftentimes with multiple renewal options. We may, however, enter into leases that have a shorter term.
 
Q:
How will you determine creditworthiness of prospective tenants and select potential investments?
 
A:
We will determine creditworthiness pursuant to various methods, including reviewing financial data and other information about the tenant. In addition, we may use an industry credit rating service to determine the creditworthiness of potential tenants and any personal guarantor or corporate guarantor of each potential tenant. We will compare the reports produced by these services to the relevant financial and other data collected from these parties before consummating a lease transaction. Such relevant data from potential tenants and guarantors include income and cash flow statements and balance sheets for current and prior periods, net worth or cash flow of guarantors, and business plans and other data we deem relevant.
 


 
vii

 


Our Advisor considers relevant real property and financial factors in selecting properties, including condition and location of the property, its income-producing capacity and the prospects for its long-term appreciation. Acquisitions or originations of loans are evaluated for the quality of income, and the quality of the borrower and the security for the loan or the nature and possibility of the acquisition of the underlying real estate asset. Investments in other real estate-related securities will adhere to similar principles. In addition, we consider the impact of each investment as it relates to our portfolio as a whole.
 
Q:
What is the experience of your officers and directors both in real estate in general and with net leased assets in particular?
 
A:
Nicholas S. Schorsch, our chairman and chief executive officer, founded and formerly served as President, CEO and Vice-Chairman of American Financial Realty Trust since its inception as a REIT in September 2002 until August 2006. American Financial Realty Trust is a publicly traded REIT listed on the NYSE that invests exclusively in office, bank branches and other operationally critical real estate assets that are net leased to tenants in the financial service industry such as banks and insurance companies. Through American Financial Resource Group and its successor corporation, now American Financial Realty Trust, Mr. Schorsch has executed in excess of 1,000 acquisitions, both in acquiring businesses and real estate properties with transactional value of approximately $5 billion. In 2003, Mr. Schorsch received an Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst & Young.
 
William M. Kahane, our President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer, began his career as a real estate lawyer practicing in the public and private sectors from 1974-1979. From 1981-1992 Mr. Kahane worked at Morgan Stanley & Co., specializing in real estate, becoming a Managing Director in 1989. In 1992, Mr. Kahane left Morgan Stanley to establish a real estate advisory and asset sales business known as Milestone Partners which continues to operate today. Mr. Kahane is currently a Managing Director of GF Capital Management & Advisors LLC, a New York based merchant banking firm, where he directs the company’s real estate investments. GF Capital offers comprehensive wealth management services through its subsidiary TAG Associates LLC, a leading multi-client family office and portfolio management services company with approximately $5 billion of assets under management.
 
Peter M. Budko, our Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, founded and formerly served as Managing Director and Group Head of the Structured Asset Finance Group, a division of Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC from 1997-2006. The Structured Asset Finance Group structures and invests in real estate that is net leased to corporate tenants. While at Wachovia, Mr. Budko acquired over $5 billion of net leased real estate assets. From 1987-1997, Mr. Budko worked in the Corporate Real Estate Finance Group at NationsBank Capital Market (predecessor to Bank of America Securities) becoming head of the group in 1990.
 
Brian S. Block has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since September 2007. He is also Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of American Realty Capital, LLC and American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. Mr. Block is responsible for the accounting, finance and reporting functions at ARC. He has extensive experience in SEC reporting requirements as well as REIT tax compliance matters. Mr. Block has been instrumental in developing ARC’s infrastructure and positioning the organization for growth. Mr. Block began his career in public accounting at Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen from 1994 to 2000. Subsequently, Mr. Block was the Chief Financial Officer of a venture capital-backed technology company for several years prior to joining AFRT in 2002. While at AFRT, Mr. Block served as Chief Accounting Officer from 2003 to 2007 and oversaw the financial, administrative and reporting functions of the organization. He is a certified public accountant and is a member of the AICPA and PICPA. Mr. Block serves on the REIT Committee of the Investment Program Association.
 
Michael Weil, our Executive Vice President and Secretary, was formerly the Senior Vice President of Sales and Leasing for American Financial Realty Trust, where he was responsible for the disposition and leasing activity for a 33 million square foot portfolio. Under the direction of Mr. Weil, his department was the sole contributor in the increase of occupancy and portfolio revenue through the sales of over 200 properties and the leasing of over 2.2 million square feet, averaging 325,000 square feet of newly executed leases per quarter.
 
Please also see herein the section “Adverse Business Developments and Conditions.”
 

 
viii

 


Q:
What is your environmental review policy?
 
A:
We generally will not purchase any property unless and until we also obtain what is generally referred to as a “Phase I” environmental site assessment and are generally satisfied with the environmental status of the property. However, we may purchase a property without obtaining such assessment if our advisor determines it is not warranted. A Phase I environmental site assessment basically consists of a visual survey of the building and the property in an attempt to identify areas of potential environmental concerns. In addition, a visual survey of neighboring properties is conducted to assess surface conditions or activities that may have an adverse environmental impact on the property. Furthermore, local governmental agency personnel are contacted who perform a regulatory agency file search in an attempt to determine any known environmental concerns in the immediate vicinity of the property. A Phase I environmental site assessment does not generally include any sampling or testing of soil, ground water or building materials from the property, and may not reveal all environmental hazards on a property. We expect that in most cases we will request, but will not always obtain, a representation from the seller that, to its knowledge, the property is not contaminated with hazardous materials. Additionally, many of our leases contain clauses that require a tenant to reimburse and indemnify us for any environmental contamination occurring at the property.
 
Q:
Do you expect to enter into joint ventures?
 
A:
Possibly. We may enter into joint ventures on property types that meet our overall investment strategy and return criteria that would otherwise not be available to us because the current owners may be reluctant to sell a 100% interest in their property. We may also enter into a joint venture with a third party who has control over a particular investment opportunity but does not have sufficient equity capital to complete the transaction. We may enter into joint ventures with our affiliates or with third parties. Generally, we will only enter into a joint venture in which we will control the decisions of the joint venture. If we do enter into joint ventures, we may assume liabilities related to the joint venture that exceed the percentage of our investment in the joint venture.
 
Q:
Will distributions be taxable as ordinary income?
 
A:
Yes and no. Generally, distributions that you receive, including distributions that are reinvested pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan, will be taxed as ordinary income to the extent the distribution is from current or accumulated earnings and profits. We expect that some portion of your distributions may not be subject to tax in the year received because depreciation expense reduces taxable income but does not reduce cash available for distribution. The portion of your distribution that is not subject to tax immediately is considered a return of capital for tax purposes and will reduce the tax basis of your investment. This defers a portion of your tax until your investment is sold or we are liquidated, at which time you will be taxed at capital gains rates. However, because each investor’s tax considerations are different, we recommend that you consult with your tax advisor. You also should review the section of this prospectus entitled “Federal Income Tax Considerations.”
 
Q:
How does a best efforts offering work?
 
A:
When shares are offered to the public on a “best efforts” basis, the brokers participating in the offering are only required to use their best efforts to sell the shares and have no firm commitment or obligation to purchase any of the shares. Therefore, we may not sell all of the shares that we are offering.
 
Q:
What will you do with the money raised in this offering before you invest the proceeds in real estate?
 
A:
Until we invest the net proceeds of this offering in real estate, we may use a portion of the proceeds to fund distributions and we may invest in short-term, highly liquid or other authorized investments, such as money market mutual funds, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, interest-bearing government securities and other short-term investments. We may not be able to invest the proceeds in real estate promptly and such short-term investments will not earn as high of a return as we expect to earn on our real estate investments.
 
Q:
What is an “UPREIT”?
 
A:
UPREIT stands for “Umbrella Partnership Real Estate Investment Trust.” We use an UPREIT structure because a sale of property directly to a REIT generally is a taxable transaction to the selling property owner. In an UPREIT structure, a seller of a property that desires to defer taxable gain on the sale of its property may transfer the property to the UPREIT in exchange for limited partnership units in the UPREIT and defer taxation of gain until the seller later exchanges its UPREIT units on a one-for-one basis for REIT shares. If the REIT shares are publicly traded, at the time of the exchange of units for shares, the former property owner will achieve liquidity for its investment. Using an UPREIT structure may give us an advantage in acquiring desired properties from persons who may not otherwise sell their properties because of unfavorable tax results.
 

 
ix

 


Q:
Who can buy shares?
 
A:
Generally, you may buy shares pursuant to this prospectus provided that you have either (a) a net worth of at least $70,000 and a gross annual income of at least $70,000, or (b) a net worth of at least $250,000. For this purpose, net worth does not include your home, home furnishings and automobiles. Residents of certain states may have a different standard. You should carefully read the more detailed description under “Suitability Standards” immediately following the cover page of this prospectus.
 
Q:
Who should buy shares?
 
A:
An investment in our shares may be appropriate for you if you meet the minimum suitability standards mentioned above, seek to diversify your personal portfolio with a finite-life real estate-based investment, which among its benefits hedges against inflation and the volatility of the stock market, seek to receive current income, seek to preserve capital, wish to obtain the benefits of potential long-term capital appreciation, and are able to hold your investment for a time period consistent with our liquidity plans. Persons who require immediate liquidity or guaranteed income, or who seek a short-term investment, are not appropriate investors for us, as our shares will not meet those needs.
 
Q:
May I make an investment through my IRA, SEP or other tax-deferred account?
 
A:
Yes. You may make an investment through your individual retirement account (“IRA”), a simplified employee pension (“SEP”) plan or other tax-deferred account. In making these investment decisions, you should consider, at a minimum, (a) whether the investment is in accordance with the documents and instruments governing your IRA, plan or other account, (b) whether the investment satisfies the fiduciary requirements associated with your IRA, plan or other account, (c) whether the investment will generate unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”) to your IRA, plan or other account, (d) whether there is sufficient liquidity for such investment under your IRA, plan or other account, (e) the need to value the assets of your IRA, plan or other account annually or more frequently, and (f) whether the investment would constitute a prohibited transaction under applicable law.
 
Q:
Is there any minimum investment required?
 
A:
Yes. Generally, you must invest at least $1,000. Investors who already own our shares can make additional purchases for less than the minimum investment. You should carefully read the more detailed description of the minimum investment requirements appearing under “Suitability Standards” immediately following the cover page of this prospectus.
 
Q:
What type of reports on my investment will I receive?
 
A:
We will provide you with periodic updates on the performance of your investment with us, including:
 
 
following our commencement of distributions to stockholders, four quarterly or 12 monthly distribution reports;
 
 
three quarterly financial reports only by written request;
 
 
an annual report;
 
 
an annual Form 1099; if applicable and
 
 
supplements to the prospectus during the offering period, via mailings or website access.
 
We will provide this information to you via one or more of the following methods, in our discretion and with your consent, if necessary:
 
 
U.S. mail or other courier;
 
 
facsimile;
 
 
electronic delivery; or
 
 
posting, or providing a link, on our affiliated website, which is www.americanrealtycap.com.
 
Q:
When will I get my detailed tax information?
 

 
x

 


A:
If applicable your Form 1099 tax information will be placed in the mail by January 31 of each year.
 
Q:
How do I subscribe for shares?
 
A:
If you choose to purchase shares in this offering and you are not already a stockholder, you will need to complete and sign a subscription agreement, like the one contained in this prospectus as Appendix A, for a specific number of shares and pay for the shares at the time you subscribe.
 
Q:
Who is the transfer agent?
 
A:
The name and address of our transfer agent is:
 
DST Systems, Inc.
430 W 7th St
Kansas City, MO 64105-1407
Phone (866) 771-2088
Fax     (877) 694-1113
 
To ensure that any account changes are made promptly and accurately, all changes including your address, ownership type and distribution mailing address should be directed to the transfer agent.
   
Q:
Who can help answer my questions?
   
A:
If you have more questions about the offering or if you would like additional copies of this prospectus, you should contact your registered representative or contact:
 
Realty Capital Securities, LLC
Three Copley Place
Suite 3300
Boston, MA  02116
1-877-373-3522
www.americanrealtycap.com


 
xi

 

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
 
This prospectus summary highlights material information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. Because it is a summary, it may not contain all of the information that is important to you. To understand this offering fully, you should read the entire prospectus carefully, including the “Risk Factors” section and the financial statements, before making a decision to invest in our common stock.
 
Status of the Offering
 
We commenced our initial public offering of 150,000,000 shares of common stock on January 25, 2008. As of October 20, 2009, we had issued 10,118,192 shares of common stock, including 339,077 shares issued in connection with an acquisition in March 2008. Total gross proceeds from these issuances were $99.5 million.  As of October 20, 2009, the aggregate value of all share issuances and subscriptions outstanding was $101.1 million based on a per share value of $10.00 (or $9.50 per share for shares issued under the DRIP). We will offer these shares until January 25, 2011, provided that the offering will be terminated if all of the shares are sold before then. As of July 1, 2009, we have sold the minimum of 4,500,000 shares of our common stock required to release the remaining subscription funds from escrow, and all subscription payments have been released to us.
 
American Realty Capital Trust, Inc.
 
American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. is a Maryland corporation, incorporated on August 17, 2007 that qualifies as a REIT. We expect to use the net proceeds from this offering to acquire and operate a portfolio of commercial real estate primarily consisting of freestanding, single-tenant properties net leased to investment grade and other creditworthy tenants located throughout the United States and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Because we have invested in a limited number of properties and have not yet identified any specific additional properties to purchase, other than as described in the “Investment Objectives and Policies” section herein, we may be considered to be a blind pool.
 
Our corporate offices are located at 106 York Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046. Our telephone number is 215-887-2189. Our fax number is 215-887-2585, and the e-mail address of our investor relations department is investorservices@americanrealtycap.com.
 
Our executive offices are located at 405 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022. Our telephone number is 212-415-6500 and our fax number is 212-421-5799.
 
 
·
Our regional sales offices are located at Three Copley Place, Suite 3300, Boston, MA 02116. Our telephone number is 877-373-2522 and our fax number is 857-350-9597.
 
Additional information about us and our affiliates may be obtained at www.americanrealtycap.com, but the contents of that site are not incorporated by reference in or otherwise a part of this prospectus.
 
REIT Status
 
If we qualify as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to federal income tax on income that we distribute to our stockholders. Under the Internal Revenue Code, a REIT is subject to numerous organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that it distribute at least 90% of its annual taxable income to its stockholders. If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any year, our income will be taxed at regular corporate rates, and we may be precluded from qualifying for treatment as a REIT for the four-year period following our failure to qualify. Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may still be subject to state and local taxes on our income and property and to federal income and excise taxes on our undistributed income.
 
Advisor
 
American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, is our advisor and is responsible for managing our affairs on a day-to-day basis and for identifying and making acquisitions on our behalf.
 
Management
 
We operate under the direction of our board of directors, the members of which are accountable to us and our stockholders as fiduciaries. Currently, we have five directors, Nicholas S. Schorsch, William M. Kahane, Leslie D. Michelson, William G. Stanley and Robert H. Burns. Each of the latter three is independent of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. Each of our executive officers and two of our directors are affiliated with American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. Our charter, which requires that a majority of our directors be independent of us, our sponsor, American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, or any of our or their affiliates, provides that our independent directors will be responsible for reviewing the performance of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and must approve other matters set forth in our charter. See the “Conflicts of Interest — Certain Conflict Resolution Procedures” section of this prospectus. Our directors will be elected annually by the stockholders.
 

 
1

 

Operating Partnership
 
We expect to own substantially all of our real estate properties through American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P., our operating partnership. We may, however, own properties directly, through subsidiaries of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. or through other entities. We are the sole general partner of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. and American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC is the initial limited partner of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. Our ownership of properties in American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. is referred to as an “UPREIT.” This UPREIT structure may enable sellers of properties to transfer their properties to American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. in exchange for limited partnership units of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. and defer potential gain recognition for tax purposes with respect to such transfers of properties. The holders of units in American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. may have their units redeemed for cash or, at our option, shares of our common stock. At present, we have no plans to acquire any specific properties in exchange for units of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P.
 
Summary Risk Factors
 
Following are some of the risks relating to your investment:
 
 
·
Our advisor and its affiliates will face conflicts of interest, including significant conflicts among us and our advisor, since (a) our principal executive officers own a majority interest in our advisor, our dealer manager and our property manager, (b) our advisor and other affiliated entities may compete with us and acquire properties suitable to our investment objectives, and (c) our advisor’s compensation arrangements with us and other American Realty Capital-sponsored programs may provide incentives that are not aligned with the interests of our stockholders.
 
 
·
This may be considered a blind pool offering since we own a limited number of properties and, other than as described in the “Investment Objectives and Policies” section herein, we have not identified any specific additional properties to acquire with the proceeds of this offering. As a result, you will be unable to evaluate the economic merit of all of our future investments prior to our making them and there may be a substantial delay in receiving a return, if any, on your investment.
 
 
·
Our charter generally prohibits you from acquiring or owning, directly or indirectly, more than 9.8% in value of the outstanding shares of our stock or more than 9.8% of the number or value (whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of our outstanding shares of stock and contains additional restrictions on the ownership and transfer of our shares. Therefore, your ability to control the direction of our company will be limited.
 
 
·
No public market currently exists for shares of our common stock and one may never exist. If you are able to sell your shares, you would likely have to sell them at a substantial discount from their public offering price.
 
 
·
This is a best efforts offering and we might not sell all of the shares being offered. If we raise substantially less than the maximum offering, we may not be able to invest in a diverse portfolio of properties, and the value of your investment may vary more widely with the performance of specific properties. There is a greater risk that you will lose money in your investment if we cannot diversify our portfolio of investments by geographic location, tenant mix and property type. Given the relatively small size of our expected individual real estate investments, we could expect to acquire a diverse portfolio by purchasing at least $45,000,000 in real estate assets. We anticipate that the average acquisition price of an individual property would be in the range of $3,000,000 to $5,000,000, and with our anticipated leverage, we could achieve this level of diversification by raising $16,000,000 or selling 1,600,000 shares.
 
 
·
We may incur substantial debt, which could hinder our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders or could decrease the value of your investment in the event that income on, or the value of, the property securing the debt falls, but we will not incur debt to the extent it will restrict our ability to qualify as a REIT.
 

 
2

 

 
·
Until the proceeds from this offering are invested and generating operating cash flow sufficient to make distributions to our stockholders, we may pay all or a substantial portion of our distributions from the proceeds of this offering or from borrowings in anticipation of future cash flow, which may constitute a return of your capital, reduce the amount of capital we ultimately invest in properties, and negatively impact the value of your investment.
 
 
·
If we fail to continue to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes or if we qualify and subsequently lose our REIT status, our operations and ability to make distributions to our stockholders would be adversely affected.
 
 
·
We are dependent on our advisor to select investments and conduct our operations. Adverse changes in the financial condition of our advisor or our relationship with our advisor could adversely affect us.
 
 
·
We will pay substantial fees and expenses to our advisor, its affiliates and participating broker-dealers, which payments increase the risk that you will not earn a profit on your investment.
 
 
·
Our board of directors has the authority to designate and issue one or more classes or series of preferred stock without stockholder approval, with rights and preferences senior to the rights of holders of common stock, including rights to payment of distributions. If we issue any shares of preferred stock, the amount of funds available for the payment of distributions on the common stock could be reduced or eliminated.
 
Before you invest in us, you should carefully read and consider the more detailed “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus.
 
Description of Investments
 
American Realty Capital Trust shall seek to build a diversified portfolio comprised primarily of free-standing single-tenant bank branch, convenience store, retail, office and industrial properties that are double-net and triple-net leased to investment grade (S&P BBB- or better) and other creditworthy tenants. Triple-net (NNN) leases typically require the tenant to pay substantially all of the costs associated with operating and maintaining the property such as maintenance, insurance, taxes, structural repairs and all other operating and capital expenses. Double-net (NN) leases typically provide that the landlord is responsible for maintaining the roof and structure, or other structural aspects of the property, while the tenant is responsible for all remaining expenses associated with the property. We will seek to build a portfolio where at least 50% of the portfolio will be comprised of properties leased to investment grade tenants. While most of our investment will be directly in such properties, we may also invest in entities that own or invest in such properties. We shall strive to assemble a portfolio of real estate that is diversified by industry, geography, tenants, credits, and use. We do not anticipate any single tenant or geographic concentration to comprise more than 10% of our portfolio. We anticipate that our portfolio will consist primarily of freestanding, single-tenant properties net leased for use as bank branches, convenience stores, retail, office and industrial establishments. Although we expect our portfolio will consist primarily of freestanding, single-tenant properties, we will not forgo opportunities to invest in other types of real estate investments that meet our overall investment objectives. Additionally, we expect to further diversify our portfolio by making first mortgage, bridge or mezzanine loans on single-tenant net-leased properties. We will acquire or invest in properties and loans located only in the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
 
Our advisor, American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, will make recommendations to our board of directors for our investments. All acquisitions of commercial properties will be evaluated for tenant creditworthiness and the reliability and stability of their future income and capital appreciation potential. We will consider the risk profile, credit quality and reputation of potential tenants and the impact of each particular acquisition as it relates to the portfolio as a whole. Our board of directors will exercise its fiduciary duties to our stockholders in determining to approve or reject each of these investment recommendations. See the section of this prospectus captioned “Investment Objectives and Policies — Real Property Investments” for a more detailed descriptions. As we acquire properties, we will supplement this prospectus to describe material changes to our portfolio.
 
We operate under the direction of our board of directors, the members of which are accountable to us and our stockholders as fiduciaries. The board is responsible for the overall management and control of our affairs. The board has retained American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC to manage our day-to-day affairs and the acquisition and disposition of our investments, subject to the board’s supervision. As described in greater detail under “Our Advisor,” below, our advisor will be responsible for making investment decisions where the purchase price of a particular property is less than $15,000,000 and the investment does not exceed stated leverage limitations. Where such leverage limitations are exceeded, or where the purchase price is equal to or greater than $15,000,000, investment decisions will be made by our board of directors.
 

 
3

 

Because, other than as described in the “Investment Objectives and Policies” section herein, we have not yet identified any specific properties to purchase, we are considered to be a blind pool. As we acquire properties, we will supplement this prospectus to describe material changes to our portfolio.
 
Estimated Use of Proceeds of This Offering
 
Depending primarily on the number of shares we sell in this offering, we estimate for each share sold in this offering approximately $8.71 (assuming no shares available under our distribution reinvestment plan are sold) will be available for the purchase of real estate. We will use the remainder of the offering proceeds to pay the costs of the offering, including selling commissions and the dealer manager fee, and to pay a fee to our advisor for its services in connection with the selection and acquisition of properties. We will not pay selling commissions or a dealer manager fee on shares sold under our distribution reinvestment plan. The table below sets forth our estimated use of proceeds from this offering:
 
   
Maximum Offering
(Not Including Distribution
Reinvestment Plan)
 
Minimum Offering
(Not Including Distribution
Reinvestment Plan)
  
 
Amount
 
Amount
 
Percent
Gross Offering Proceeds
 
$
1,500,000,000
   
$
7,500,000
     
100 %
 
Less Public Offering Expenses:
   
  
     
  
     
  
 
Selling Commissions and Dealer Manager Fee
   
150,000,000
     
750,000
     
10.0 %
 
Organization and Offering Expenses
   
22,500,000
     
112,500
     
1.5 %
 
Amount Available for Investment
   
1,327,500,000
     
6,637,500
     
88.5
%   
Acquisition and Development:
   
  
     
  
     
  
 
Acquisition and Advisory Fees
   
13,275,000
     
66,375
     
0.885 %
 
Acquisition Expenses
   
6,000,000
     
30,000
     
0.4 %
 
Initial Working Capital Reserve
   
1,500,000
     
7,500
     
0.1 %
 
Amount Invested in Properties
 
$
1,306,725,000
   
$
6,533,625
     
87.115 %
 
  
Investment Objectives
 
Our primary investment objectives are:
 
 
·
to provide current income for you through the payment of cash distributions; and
 
 
·
to preserve, protect and return your invested capital.
 
We also seek capital gain from our investments. Our core investment strategy for achieving these objectives is to acquire, own and manage a portfolio of free standing commercial properties that are leased to a diversified group of creditworthy companies on a single tenant, net lease basis. Net leases generally require the tenant to pay substantially all of the costs associated with operating and maintaining the property such as maintenance, insurance, taxes, structural repairs and all other operating and capital expenses (referred to as “triple-net leases”). See the “Investment Objectives and Policies” section of this prospectus for a more complete description of our investment policies and investment restrictions.
 
Conflicts of Interest
 
American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, as our advisor, will experience conflicts of interest in connection with the management of our business affairs, including the following:
 

 
4

 

 
·
The management personnel of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, each of whom may in the future make investment decisions for other American Realty Capital-sponsored programs and direct investments, must determine which investment opportunities to recommend to us or another American Realty Capital-sponsored program or joint venture, and must determine how to allocate resources among us and any other future American Realty Capital-sponsored programs;
 
 
·
American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC may structure the terms of joint ventures between us and other American Realty Capital-sponsored programs;
 
 
·
We have retained American Realty Capital Properties, LLC, an affiliate of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, to manage and lease some or all of our properties;
 
 
·
American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its affiliates will have to allocate their time between us and other real estate programs and activities in which they may be involved in the future; and
 
 
·
American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its affiliates will receive fees in connection with transactions involving the purchase, financing, management and sale of our properties, and, because our advisor does not maintain a significant equity interest in us and is entitled to receive substantial minimum compensation regardless of performance, our advisor’s interests are not wholly aligned with those of our stockholders.
 
Our officers and two of our directors also will face these conflicts because of their affiliation with American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. These conflicts of interest could result in decisions that are not in our best interests. See the “Conflicts of Interest” section of this prospectus for a detailed discussion of the various conflicts of interest relating to your investment, as well as the procedures that we have established to mitigate a number of these potential conflicts.
 
The following chart shows the ownership structure of the various American Realty Capital entities that are affiliated with American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC.
 
 
 
(1)
The investors in this offering will own registered shares of common stock in American Realty Capital Trust, Inc.
 
 
(2)
The Individuals are our Sponsors, Nicholas S. Schorsch, William M. Kahane, Peter M. Budko, Brian S. Block, and Michael Weil, whose ownership in the affiliates is represented by direct and indirect interests.
 
 
(3)
American Realty Capital II, LLC currently owns 20,000 shares of our common stock, which represents less than 0.2% of our outstanding common stock as of October 20, 2009.
 
 
(4)
American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. and American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. have entered into a Dealer Manager Agreement with Realty Capital Securities, LLC, which will serve as our dealer manager.
 

 
5

 

 
(5)
American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. and American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. have entered into an Advisory Agreement with American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, which will serve as our advisor.
 
 
(6)
American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. and American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. have entered into a Property Management Agreement with American Realty Capital Properties, LLC, which serves as our property manager.
 
Prior Offering
 
For a summary of the prior offerings of our Sponsors see the section of this prospectus captioned “Prior Offering Summary.”
 
Terms of The Offering
 
We are offering an aggregate of 150,000,000 shares of common stock in our primary offering on a best-efforts basis at $10.00 per share. Discounts are available for certain categories of purchasers as described in the “Plan of Distribution” section of this prospectus. We also are offering 25,000,000 shares of common stock under our distribution reinvestment plan at $9.50 per share, subject to certain limitations, as described in the “Summary of Distribution Reinvestment Plan” section of this prospectus. We will offer shares of common stock in our primary offering until the earlier of January 25, 2011, which is three years from the effective date of this offering, or the date we sell 150,000,000 shares. We may sell shares under the distribution reinvestment plan beyond the termination of our primary offering until we have sold 25,000,000 shares through the reinvestment of distributions, but only if there is an effective registration statement with respect to the shares. Under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and in some states, we may not be able to continue the offering for these periods without filing a new registration statement, or in the case of shares sold under the distribution reinvestment plan, renew or extend the registration statement in such state. We may terminate this offering at any time prior to the stated termination date. We reserve the right to reallocate the shares of our common stock we are offering between the primary offering and the distribution reinvestment plan.
 
We have sold the minimum amount of 4,500,000 shares of our common stock required for the release of all funds from escrow as of July 1, 2009. All subscription payments placed in escrow have been released to us.
 
Compensation to Advisor and its Affiliates
 
Our Advisor, American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its affiliates will receive compensation and reimbursement for services relating to this offering and the investment and management of our assets. The most significant items of compensation are included in the table below. The selling commissions and dealer manager fee may vary for different categories of purchasers. See the “Plan of Distribution” section of this prospectus. The table below assumes the shares are sold through distribution channels associated with the highest possible selling commissions and dealer manager fees. No effect is given to any shares sold through our distribution reinvestment plan.
 
Type of Compensation
 
Determination of Amount
 
Estimated Amount for
Minimum Offering
(750,000 shares)/Maximum
Offering (150,000,000 shares)
Selling Commission
 
We will pay to Realty Capital Securities, LLC 7% of gross proceeds of our primary offering; we will not pay any selling commissions on sales of shares under our distribution reinvestment plan; Realty Capital Securities, LLC will reallow all selling commissions to participating broker-dealers.
 
$525,000 / $105,000,000
Dealer Manager Fee
 
We will pay to Realty Capital Securities, LLC 3% of gross proceeds of our primary offering; we will not pay a dealer manager fee with respect to sales under our distribution reinvestment plan; Realty Capital Securities, LLC may reallow all or a portion of its dealer manager fees to participating broker-dealers.
 
$225,000 / $45,000,000
Other Organization and Offering Expenses
 
We will reimburse American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC up to 1.5% of gross offering proceeds for organization and offering expenses.
 
$112,500 / $22,500,000
         
  
 
Operational Stage
 

 
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Acquisition Fees
 
We will pay to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC 1% of the contract purchase price of each property acquired.
 
$66,375 / $13,275,000
Acquisition Expenses
 
We will reimburse American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC for acquisition expenses (including, personnel costs) incurred in acquiring property. We expect these fees to be approximately 0.5% of the purchase price of each property. In no event will the total of all acquisition and advisory fees and acquisition expenses payable with respect to a particular investment exceed 4% of the contract purchase price.
 
$30,000 / $6,000,000
Asset Management Fees
 
We will pay American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC a yearly fee equal to 1% of the contract purchase price of each property plus costs and expenses incurred by the advisor in providing asset management services, payable semiannually, based on assets held by us on the measurement date, adjusted for appropriate closing dates for individual property acquisitions.
 
Not determinable at this time. Because the fee is based on a fixed percentage of aggregate asset value there is no maximum dollar amount of this fee.
Property Management and Leasing Fees
 
For the management and leasing of our properties, we will pay to American Realty Capital Properties, LLC, an affiliate of our advisor, a property management fee (a) 2% of gross revenues from our single tenant properties and (b) 4% of gross revenues from our multi-tenant properties, plus, in each case, market-based leasing commissions applicable to the geographic location of the property. We also will reimburse American Realty Capital Properties, LLC’s costs of managing the properties. American Realty Capital Properties, LLC or its affiliates may also receive a fee for the initial leasing of newly constructed properties, which would generally equal one month’s rent. In the unlikely event that American Realty Capital Properties, LLC assists a tenant with tenant improvements, a separate fee may be charged to, and payable by, us. This fee will not exceed 5% of the cost of the tenant improvements. The aggregate of all property management and leasing fees paid to our affiliates plus all payments to third parties for such fees will not exceed the amount that other nonaffiliated management and leasing companies generally charge for similar services in the same geographic location as determined by a survey of brokers and agents in such area.
 
Not determinable at this time. Because the fee is based on a fixed percentage of gross revenue and/or market rates, there is no maximum dollar amount of this fee.
Operating Expenses
 
We will reimburse our advisor’s costs of providing administrative services, subject to the limitation that we will not reimburse our advisor for any amount by which our operating expenses (including the asset management fee) at the end of the four preceding fiscal quarters exceeds the greater of (a) 2% of average invested assets, or (b) 25% of net income other than any additions to reserves for depreciation, bad debt or other similar non-cash reserves and excluding any gain from the sale of assets for that period. Additionally, we will not reimburse our advisor for personnel costs in connection with services for which the advisor receives acquisition fees or real estate commissions.
 
Not determinable at this time.
Financing Coordination Fee
 
If our advisor provides services in connection with the origination or refinancing of any debt that we obtain, and use to acquire properties or to make other permitted investments, or that is assumed, directly or indirectly, in connection with the acquisition of properties, we will pay the advisor a financing coordination fee equal to 1% of the amount available and/or outstanding under such financing, subject to certain limitations.
 
Not determinable at this time. Because the fee is based on a fixed percentage of any debt financing, there is no maximum dollar amount of this fee.
         

 
7

 


  
 
Liquidation/Listing Stage
 
Real Estate
Commissions
 
A brokerage commission paid on the sale of property, not to exceed the lesser of one-half of reasonable, customary and competitive real estate commission or 3% of the contract price for property sold (inclusive of any commission paid to outside brokers), in each case, payable to our advisor if our advisor or its affiliates, as determined by a majority of the independent directors, provided a substantial amount of services in connection with the sale.
 
Not determinable at this time. Because the commission is based on a fixed percentage of the contract price for a sold property, there is no maximum dollar amount of these commissions.
Subordinated Participation in Net Sale Proceeds (payable only if we are not listed on an exchange)
 
15% of remaining net sale proceeds after return of capital contributions plus payment to investors of a 6% cumulative, non-compounded return on the capital contributed by investors. We cannot assure you that we will provide this 6% return, which we have disclosed solely as a measure for our advisor’s and its affiliates’ incentive compensation.
 
Not determinable at this time. There is no maximum amount of these payments.
Subordinated Incentive Listing Fee (payable only if we are listed on an exchange, which we have no intention to do at this time)
 
15% of the amount by which our adjusted market value plus distributions exceeds the aggregate capital contributed by investors plus an amount equal to an 6% cumulative, non-compounded annual return to investors. We cannot assure you that we will provide this 6% return, which we have disclosed solely as a measure for our advisor’s and its affiliates’ incentive compensation.
 
Not determinable at this time. There is no maximum amount of this fee.

Status of Fees Paid and Deferred
 
Through December 31, 2008, the Company reimbursed the Advisor $0 and $1,507,369 for organizational and offering expenses and acquisition cost, respectively, and incurred:
 
 
·
acquisition fees of $1,507,369 paid to the Advisor
 
 
·
finance coordination fees of $1,131,015 paid to the Advisor
 
 
·
property management fees of $4,230 paid to the Property Manager
 
From January 1, 2009 through September 30, 2009, the Company reimbursed the Advisor $3,916,836 and $197,731 for organizational and offering expenses and acquisition cost, respectively. Such amounts include $2,424,506 of offering cost incurred by the affiliated Advisor and Dealer Manager that exceeds 1.5% of gross offering proceeds earned as of September 30, 2009. From January 1, 2009 through September 30, 2009, the Company incurred:
 
 
·
acquisition fees of $742,536 paid to the Advisor
 
 
·
finance coordination fees of $411,784 paid to the Advisor
 
 
·
property management fees of $0 paid to the Property Manager
 
The Company pays the Advisor an annualized asset management fee of 1.0% based on the aggregate contract purchase price of all properties. Through June 30, 2009, the Company paid no such fees to the Advisor and will determine if such fees will be waived in subsequent periods on a quarter-to-quarter basis. Such waived fees for the period ended December 31, 2008 and six months ended June 30, 2009 equal approximately $733,000 and $771,000, respectively. If the Advisor had not agreed to waive the asset management fee, we would not have had sufficient cash to fund our distributions. Had this been the case, additional borrowings would have been incurred to fund our monthly distributions.
 
Distributions
 
To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required to make aggregate annual distributions to our stockholders of at least 90% of our annual taxable income (which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”)). Our board of directors may authorize distributions in excess of those required for us to maintain REIT status depending on our financial condition and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant. We expect to calculate our monthly distributions based upon daily record and distribution declaration dates so investors may be entitled to distributions immediately upon purchasing our shares. On February 25, 2008, our Board of Directors declared a distribution for each monthly period commencing 30 days subsequent to acquiring our initial portfolio of real estate investments. Accordingly, our daily dividend commenced accruing on April 5, 2008. The REIT’s initial distribution payment was paid to shareholders on May 21, 2008 representing dividends accrued from April 5, 2008 through April 30, 2008. Subsequently, we modified the payment date to the 2nd day following each month-end to stockholders of record at the close of business each day during the applicable period. The distribution was calculated based on stockholders of record each day during the applicable period at a rate of $0.00178082191 per day, and equaled a daily amount that, if paid each day for a 365-day period, equaled a 6.5% annualized rate based on the share price of $10.00. On November 5, 2008, the Board of Directors of American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. (the “Company”) approved an increase in its annual cash distribution from $.65 to $.67, paid monthly. Based on a $10.00 share price, this 20-basis point increase, effective January 2, 2009, will result in an annualized distribution rate of 6.7%. For the period from January 1, 2008 through October 20, 2009 distributions paid totaled $2,414,456, inclusive of $933,631 of common shares issued under the distribution reinvestment plan. As of October 20, 2009, cash used to pay our distributions was entirely generated from funds received from operating activities and fee waivers from our Advisor. Our distributions have not been paid from any other sources. We have continued to pay distributions to our shareholders each month since our initial dividend payment. On October 5, 2009, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a special distribution of $0.05 per share payable to shareholders of record on December 31, 2009. This special distribution will be paid in January 2010, and shall be paid in addition to the current annualized distribution of $0.67 per share. In the event we do not have enough cash to make distributions in the future, we may borrow, use proceeds from this offering, issue additional securities or sell assets in order to fund distributions.

 
8

 

See the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Shares — Distribution Policy and Distributions” for a description of our distributions.
 
Listing or Liquidation
 
We will seek to list our shares of common stock for trading on the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ Stock Market or any successor exchange or market when and if our independent directors believe listing would be in the best interest of our stockholders. However, at this time, we have no intention to list our shares. We do not anticipate that there will be any market for our common stock unless and until our shares are listed. If we do not list our shares of common stock on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ Stock Market by December 1, 2018, we intend to either:
 
 
·
seek stockholder approval of an extension or amendment of this listing deadline; or
 
 
·
seek stockholder approval of the liquidation of our corporation.
 
If we seek and do not obtain stockholder approval of an extension or amendment to the listing deadline, we intend then to adopt a plan of liquidation and commence an orderly liquidation of our properties.
 
Distribution Reinvestment Plan
 
Pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan, you may have the distributions you receive from us reinvested in additional shares of our common stock. The purchase price per share under our distribution reinvestment plan will be the higher of 95% of the fair market value per share as determined by our board of directors and $9.50 per share. No sales commissions or dealer manager fees will be paid on shares sold under our distribution reinvestment plan. If you participate in the distribution reinvestment plan, you will not receive the cash from your distributions, other than special distributions that are designated by our board of directors. As a result, you may have a tax liability with respect to your share of our taxable income, but you will not receive cash distributions to pay such liability. We may terminate the distribution reinvestment plan at our discretion at any time upon ten days prior written notice to you. Additionally, we will be required to discontinue sales of shares under the distribution reinvestment plan on the earlier of January 25, 2011, which is three years from the effective date of this offering, or the date we sell all of the shares registered for sale under the distribution reinvestment plan, unless we file a new registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable states. We reserve the right to reallocate the shares of our common stock we are offering between the primary offering and the distribution reinvestment plan.
 

 
9

 

Share Repurchase Program
 
Our board of directors has adopted a share repurchase program that enables our stockholders to sell their shares to us in limited circumstances. Our share repurchase program permits you to sell your shares back to us after you have held them for at least one year, subject to the significant conditions and limitations described below
 
Our common stock is currently not listed on a national securities exchange and we will not seek to list our stock until such time as our independent directors believe that the listing of our stock would be in the best interest of our stockholders. In order to provide stockholders with the benefit of interim liquidity, stockholders who have held their shares for at least one year and who purchased their shares from us or received the shares through a non-cash transaction, not in the secondary market, may present all or a portion consisting of the holder’s shares to us for repurchase at any time in accordance with the procedures outlined below. At that time, we may, subject to the conditions and limitations described below, redeem the shares presented for repurchase for cash to the extent that we have sufficient funds available to us to fund such repurchase. We will not pay to our board of directors, advisor or its affiliates any fees to complete any transactions under our share repurchase program.
 
During the term of this offering and any subsequent public offering of our shares, the purchase price per share will depend on the length of time you have held such shares as follows: after one year from the purchase date — 96.25% of the amount you actually paid for each share; and after two years from the purchase date - 97.75% of the amount you actually paid for each share; and after three years from the purchase date — 100% of the amount you actually paid for each share; (in each case, as adjusted for any stock dividends, combinations, splits, recapitalizations and the like with respect to our common stock). At any time we are engaged in an offering of shares, the per share price for shares purchased under our repurchase plan will always be equal to or lower than the applicable per share offering price. Thereafter, the per share purchase price will be based on the greater of $10.00 or the then-current net asset value of the shares as determined by our board of directors (as adjusted for any stock dividends, combinations, splits, recapitalizations and the like with respect to our common stock). Our board of directors will announce any purchase price adjustment and the time period of its effectiveness as a part of its regular communications with our stockholders. Our board of directors shall use the following criteria for determining the net asset value of the shares: value of our assets (estimated market value) less the estimated market value of our liabilities, divided by the number of shares. The Board, with advice from the Advisor, (i) will make internal valuations of the market value of its assets based upon the current capitalization rates of similar properties in the market, recent transactions for similar properties acquired by the Company and any extensions, cancellations, modifications or other material events affecting the leases, changes in rents or other circumstances related to such properties, (ii) review internal appraisals prepared by the Advisor following standard commercial real estate appraisal practice and (iii) every three years or earlier, in rotation will have all of the properties appraised by an external appraiser. Upon the death or disability of a stockholder, upon request, we will waive the one-year holding requirement. Shares repurchased in connection with the death or disability of a stockholder will be repurchased at a purchase price equal to the price actually paid for the shares during the offering, or if not engaged in the offering, the per share purchase price will be based on the greater of $10.00 or the then-current net asset value of the shares as determined by our board of directors (as adjusted for any stock dividends, combinations, splits, recapitalizations and the like with respect to our common stock). In addition, we may waive the holding period in the event of a stockholder’s bankruptcy or other exigent circumstances.
 
On November 12, 2008, the Company’s board of directors modified the Share Repurchase Program (“SRP”) to fund purchases under the SRP, not only from the Distribution Reinvestment Plan (“DRIP”), but also from operating funds of the Company. Accordingly, purchases under the SRP, subject to the terms of the SRP, may be funded from the proceeds from the sale of shares under the DRIP, from proceeds of the sale of shares in a public offering, and with other available allocated operating funds. However, purchases under the SRP by the Company will be limited in any calendar year to 5% of the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the prior year. The other terms and conditions of the SRP remain unchanged.
 
We will redeem our shares on the last business day of the month following the end of each quarter. Requests for repurchases must be received on or prior to the end of the quarter in order for us to repurchase the shares as of the end of the next month. You may withdraw your request to have your shares repurchased at any time prior to the last day of the applicable quarter. Shares presented for repurchase will continue to earn daily distributions up to and including the repurchase date.
 
Our board of directors may choose to amend, suspend or terminate our share repurchase program upon 30 days notice at any time.
 
Description of Shares
 
Uncertificated Shares
 
Our board of directors has authorized the issuance of shares of our stock without certificates. We expect that, unless and until our shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ Stock Market, we will not issue shares in certificated form. Our transfer agent maintains a stock ledger that contains the name and address of each stockholder and the number of shares that the stockholder holds. With respect to uncertificated stock, we will continue to treat the stockholder registered on our stock ledger as the owner of the shares until the record owner and the new owner delivers a properly executed stock transfer form to us, along with a fee to cover reasonable transfer costs, in an amount determined by our board of directors. We will provide the required form to you upon request. The transfer will be effective and the transferee of the shares will be recognized as the holder of such shares within five business days of our receipt of the required documentation, subject to restrictions in our charter. If the transferor (original owner) is participating in the Share Repurchase Program at the time of transfer, then distributions owed and paid after the transfer date will be paid in the form of cash and not reinvested in additional shares. The transferor will continue to earn dividends up to and including the transfer date.
 

 
10

 

Stockholder Voting Rights and Limitations
 
We hold annual meetings of our stockholders for the purpose of electing our directors and conducting other business matters that may be presented at such meetings. We may also call special meetings of stockholders from time to time. You are entitled to one vote for each share of common stock you own at any of these meetings.
 
Restriction on Ownership and Transfer
 
Our charter contains restrictions on ownership and transfer of the shares that, among other restrictions, prevent any one person from owning more than 9.8% in value of the aggregate of the outstanding shares of our stock or from owning any class or more than 9.8% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of any class of series of our outstanding shares of that class or series of stock, unless exempted by our board of directors. For a more complete description of the shares, including this and other restrictions on the ownership and transfer of our shares, please see the “Description of Shares” section of this prospectus. Our charter also limits your ability to transfer your shares to prospective stockholders unless (a) they meet the minimum suitability standards regarding income or net worth, which are described in the “Suitability Standards” section immediately following the cover page of this prospectus, and (b) the transfer complies with minimum purchase requirements, which are described above in the sections entitled “Suitability Standards” and “How to Subscribe.”
 

 
11

 

RISK FACTORS
 
An investment in our common stock involves various risks and uncertainties. You should carefully consider the following risk factors in conjunction with the other information contained in this prospectus before purchasing our common stock. The risks discussed in this prospectus can adversely affect our business, operating results, prospects and financial condition. These risks could cause the value of our common stock to decline and could cause you to lose all or part of your investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face but do represent those risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to our business, operating results, prospects and financial condition. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business.
 
Risks Related to an Investment in American Realty Capital Trust, Inc.
 
Except as described herein, we have no prior operating history or established financing sources, and the prior performance of real estate investment programs sponsored by affiliates of our advisor may not be an indication of our future results.
 
Except as described in this prospectus, we have no operating history and you should not rely upon the past performance of other real estate investment programs sponsored by affiliates of our advisor to predict our future results. We were incorporated on August 17, 2007. We have limited investments in real estate or otherwise. Although Mr. Schorsch, Mr. Kahane and other members of our advisor’s management have significant experience in the acquisition, finance, management and development of commercial real estate, the prior performance of real estate investment programs sponsored by affiliates of Mr. Schorsch, Mr. Kahane and our advisor may not be indicative of our future results.
 
You should consider our prospects in light of the risks, uncertainties and difficulties frequently encountered by companies that are, like us, in their early stage of development. To be successful in this market, we must, among other things:
 
 
·
identify and acquire investments that further our investment strategies;
 
 
·
increase awareness of the American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. name within the investment products market;
 
 
·
expand and maintain our network of licensed securities brokers and other agents;
 
 
·
attract, integrate, motivate and retain qualified personnel to manage our day-to-day operations;
 
 
·
respond to competition for our targeted real estate properties and other investments as well as for potential investors; and
 
 
·
continue to build and expand our operations structure to support our business.
 
We cannot guarantee that we will succeed in achieving these goals, and our failure to do so could cause you to lose all or a portion of your investment.
 
Please also see herein the section entitled “Adverse Business Developments and Conditions.”
 
Because this is a blind pool offering, you will not have the opportunity to evaluate all of our investments before we make them, which makes an investment in us more speculative.
 
Other than as described in the “Investment Objectives and Policies” section herein, we have not yet acquired or identified any investments that we may make. Additionally, we will not provide you with information to evaluate our investments prior to our acquisition of properties. We will seek to invest substantially all of the offering proceeds available for investment, after the payment of fees and expenses, in the acquisition of freestanding, single-tenant commercial properties net leased to investment grade or other creditworthy tenants. We may also, in the discretion of our advisor, invest in other types of real estate or in entities that invest in real estate. We will acquire or invest in properties located only in the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In addition, our advisor may make or invest in mortgage, bridge or mezzanine loans or participations therein on our behalf if our board of directors determines, due to the state of the real estate market or in order to diversify our investment portfolio or otherwise, that such investments are advantageous to us. We have established policies relating to the creditworthiness of tenants of our properties, but our board of directors will have wide discretion in implementing these policies, and you will not have the opportunity to evaluate potential tenants. For a more detailed discussion of our investment policies, see the “Investment Objectives and Policies — Acquisition and Investment Policies” section of this prospectus.
 

 
12

 

There is no public trading market for our shares and there may never be one; therefore, it will be difficult for you to sell your shares.
 
There currently is no public market for our shares and there may never be one. If you are able to find a buyer for your shares, you may not sell your shares unless the buyer meets applicable suitability and minimum purchase standards. Our charter also prohibits the ownership of more than 9.8% of the aggregate of our stock or of any class or series of our stock by a single investor, unless exempted by our board of directors, which may inhibit large investors from desiring to purchase your shares. Moreover, our share repurchase program includes numerous restrictions that would limit your ability to sell your shares to us. Our board of directors may reject any request for repurchase of shares, or amend, suspend or terminate our share repurchase program upon 30 days’ notice. Therefore, it will be difficult for you to sell your shares promptly or at all. If you are able to sell your shares, you will likely have to sell them at a substantial discount to the price you paid for the shares. It also is likely that your shares would not be accepted as the primary collateral for a loan. You should purchase the shares only as a long-term investment because of the illiquid nature of the shares. See “Suitability Standards,” “Description of Shares — Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer” and “Share Repurchase Program” elsewhere for a more complete discussion on the restrictions on your ability to transfer your shares.
 
If we, through American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, are unable to find suitable investments, then we may not be able to achieve our investment objectives or pay distributions.
 
Our ability to achieve our investment objectives and to pay distributions is dependent upon the performance of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, our advisor, in acquiring of our investments, selecting tenants for our properties and securing independent financing arrangements. We currently do not own any properties or have any operations, financing or investments. Except for investors who purchase shares in this offering after such time as this prospectus is supplemented to describe one or more identified investments, you will have no opportunity to evaluate the terms of transactions or other economic or financial data concerning our investments. You must rely entirely on the management ability of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and the oversight of our board of directors. We cannot be sure that American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC will be successful in obtaining suitable investments on financially attractive terms or that, if it makes investments on our behalf, our objectives will be achieved. If we, through American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, are unable to find suitable investments, we will hold the proceeds of this offering in an interest-bearing account, invest the proceeds in short-term, investment-grade investments or, if we cannot find at least one suitable investment within one year after we reach our minimum offering, and if our board of directors determines it is in our best interests, liquidate. In such an event, our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders would be adversely affected.
 
We may suffer from delays in locating suitable investments, which could adversely affect our ability to make distributions and the value of your investment.
 
We could suffer from delays in locating suitable investments, particularly as a result of our reliance on our advisor at times when management of our advisor is simultaneously seeking to locate suitable investments for other affiliated programs. Delays we encounter in the selection, acquisition and, in the event we develop properties, development of income-producing properties, likely would adversely affect our ability to make distributions and the value of your overall returns. In such event, we may pay all or a substantial portion of our distributions from the proceeds of this offering or from borrowings in anticipation of future cash flow, which may constitute a return of your capital. Distributions from the proceeds of this offering or from borrowings also could reduce the amount of capital we ultimately invest in properties. This, in turn, would reduce the value of your investment. In particular, where we acquire properties prior to the start of construction or during the early stages of construction, it will typically take several months to complete construction and rent available space. Therefore, you could suffer delays in the receipt of cash distributions attributable to those particular properties. If American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC is unable to obtain suitable investments, we will hold the proceeds of this offering in an interest-bearing account or invest the proceeds in short-term, investment-grade investments. If we cannot invest proceeds from this offering within a reasonable amount of time, or if our board of directors determines it is in the best interests of our stockholders, we will return the uninvested proceeds to investors.
 
If we are unable to raise substantial funds, we will be limited in the number and type of investments we may make, the value of your investment in us will fluctuate with the performance of the specific properties we acquire.
 
This offering is being made on a best efforts basis, whereby the brokers participating in the offering are only required to use their best efforts to sell our shares and have no firm commitment or obligation to purchase any of the shares. As a result, the amount of proceeds we raise in this offering may be substantially less than the amount we would need to achieve a broadly diversified property portfolio. If we are unable to raise substantially more than the minimum offering amount, we will make fewer investments resulting in less diversification in terms of the number of investments owned, the geographic regions in which our investments are located and the types of investments that we make. In such event, the likelihood of our profitability being affected by the performance of any one of our investments will increase. For example, in the event we only sell a small amount in excess of 750,000 shares, we may be able to make only a few investments. If we only are able to make a few investments, we would not achieve any asset diversification. Additionally, we are not limited in the number or size of our investments or the percentage of net proceeds we may dedicate to a single investment. Your investment in our shares will be subject to greater risk to the extent that we lack a diversified portfolio of investments. In addition, our inability to raise substantial funds would increase our fixed operating expenses as a percentage of gross income, and our financial condition and ability to pay distributions could be adversely affected.
 

 
13

 

If our advisor loses or is unable to obtain key personnel, our ability to implement our investment strategies could be delayed or hindered, which could adversely affect our ability to make distributions and the value of your investment.
 
Our success depends to a significant degree upon the contributions of certain of our executive officers and other key personnel of our advisor, including Nicholas S. Schorsch and William M. Kahane, each of whom would be difficult to replace. Our advisor does not have an employment agreement with any of these key personnel and we cannot guarantee that all, or any particular one, will remain affiliated with us and/or our advisor. If any of our key personnel were to cease their affiliation with our advisor, our operating results could suffer. Further, we do not intend to separately maintain key person life insurance on Mr. Schorsch or any other person. We believe that our future success depends, in large part, upon our advisor’s ability to hire and retain highly skilled managerial, operational and marketing personnel. Competition for such personnel is intense, and we cannot assure you that our advisor will be successful in attracting and retaining such skilled personnel. If our advisor loses or is unable to obtain the services of key personnel, our ability to implement our investment strategies could be delayed or hindered, and the value of your investment may decline.
 
Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to recover claims against our officers, directors and our advisor are limited, which could reduce your and our recovery against them if they cause us to incur losses.
 
Maryland law provides that a director has no liability in that capacity if he or she performs his or her duties in good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the corporation’s best interests and with the care that an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. Our charter, in the case of our directors, officers, employees and agents, and the advisory agreement, in the case of our advisor, generally require us to indemnify our directors, officers, employees and agents and our advisor and its affiliates for actions taken by them in good faith and without negligence or misconduct. Additionally, our charter limits the liability of our directors and officers subject to the conditions imposed by Maryland law, subject to the limitations required by the Statement of Policy Regarding Real Estate Investment Trusts published by the North American Securities Administrators Associations, also known as the NASAA REIT Guidelines. Although our charter does not allow us to exonerate and indemnify our directors and officers to a greater extent than permitted under Maryland law and the NASAA REIT Guidelines, we and our stockholders may have more limited rights against our directors, officers, employees and agents, and our advisor and its affiliates, than might otherwise exist under common law, which could reduce your and our recovery against them. In addition, we may be obligated to fund the defense costs incurred by our directors, officers, employees and agents or our advisor in some cases which would decrease the cash otherwise available for distribution to you. See the section captioned “Management — Limited Liability and Indemnification of Directors, Officers, Employees and Other Agents” elsewhere herein.
 
Risks Related to Conflicts of Interest
 
We will be subject to conflicts of interest arising out of our relationships with our advisor and its affiliates, including the material conflicts discussed below. The “Conflicts of Interest” section of this prospectus provides a more detailed discussion of the conflicts of interest between us and our advisor and its affiliates, and our policies to reduce or eliminate certain potential conflicts.
 
American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC will face conflicts of interest relating to the purchase and leasing of properties, and such conflicts may not be resolved in our favor, which could adversely affect our investment opportunities.
 
Affiliates of our advisor may sponsor other real estate investment programs in the future. We may buy properties at the same time and/or in the same geographic areas as one or more of the other American Realty Capital-sponsored programs managed by officers and key personnel of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. There is a risk that American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC will choose a property that provides lower returns to us than a property purchased by another American Realty Capital-sponsored program. We cannot be sure that officers and key personnel acting on behalf of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and on behalf of managers of other American Realty Capital-sponsored programs will act in our best interests when deciding whether to allocate any particular property to us. Also, we may acquire properties from, or sell properties to, other American Realty Capital-sponsored programs, and although we will do so consistent with our investment procedures, objectives and policies, transactions entered between us and our affiliates will not be subject to arm’s-length negotiations, which could mean that the acquisitions may be on terms less favorable to us than those negotiated with unaffiliated parties. However, our charter provides that the purchase price of any property acquired from an affiliate may not exceed its fair market value as determined by a qualified independent appraiser selected by our independent directors. In addition, a majority of our directors, including a majority of independent directors, who have no financial interest in the transaction, must determine that the transaction is fair and reasonable to us and that the transaction is at a price to us not greater than the cost to our affiliate or, if the price to us exceeds the cost paid by our affiliate, that there is substantial justification for the excess cost. Furthermore, if one of the other American Realty Capital-sponsored programs attracts a tenant that we are competing for, we could suffer a loss of revenue due to delays in locating another suitable tenant. You will not have the opportunity to evaluate the manner in which these conflicts of interest are resolved before or after making your investment. Similar conflicts of interest may apply if our advisor determines to make or purchase mortgage, bridge or mezzanine loans or participations therein on our behalf, since other American Realty Capital-sponsored programs may be competing with us for these investments.
 
 
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American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC faces conflicts of interest relating to joint ventures, which could result in a disproportionate benefit to the other venture partners at our expense.
 
We may enter into joint ventures with other American Realty Capital-sponsored programs for the acquisition, development or improvement of properties. American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC may have conflicts of interest in determining which American Realty Capital-sponsored program should enter into any particular joint venture agreement. The co-venturer may have economic or business interests or goals that are or may become inconsistent with our business interests or goals. In addition, American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC may face a conflict in structuring the terms of the relationship between our interests and the interest of the affiliated co-venturer and in managing the joint venture. Since American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its affiliates will control both the affiliated co-venturer and, to a certain extent, us, agreements and transactions between the co-venturers with respect to any such joint venture will not have the benefit of arm’s-length negotiation of the type normally conducted between unrelated co-venturers, which may result in the co-venturer receiving benefits greater than the benefits that we receive. In addition, we may assume liabilities related to the joint venture that exceeds the percentage of our investment in the joint venture.
 
American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its officers and employees and certain of our key personnel face competing demands relating to their time, and this may cause our operating results to suffer.
 
American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its officers and employees and certain of our key personnel and their respective affiliates are key personnel, general partners and sponsors of other real estate programs having investment objectives and legal and financial obligations similar to ours and may have other business interests as well. Because these persons have competing demands on their time and resources, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time between our business and these other activities. All of our executive officers will spend at least a majority of their time involved in our operations and Messrs. Budko, Block and Weil will spend substantially all of their time involved in our operations. However, during times of intense activity in other programs and ventures, they may devote less time and fewer resources to our business than is necessary or appropriate. If this occurs, the returns on our investments may suffer.
 
Our officers face conflicts of interest related to the positions they hold with affiliated entities, which could hinder our ability to successfully implement our business strategy and to generate returns to you.
 
Each of our executive officers, including Nicholas S. Schorsch, who also serves as the chairman of our board of directors, and William M. Kahane, president and chief operating officer, also are officers of our advisor, our property manager, our dealer manager and other affiliated entities. As a result, these individuals owe fiduciary duties to these other entities and their stockholders and limited partners, which fiduciary duties may conflict with the duties that they owe to us or our stockholders. Their loyalties to these other entities could result in actions or inactions that are detrimental to our business, which could harm the implementation of our business strategy and our investment and leasing opportunities. Conflicts with our business and interests are most likely to arise from involvement in activities related to (a) allocation of new investments and management time and services between us and the other entities, (b) our purchase of properties from, or sale of properties, to affiliated entities, (c) the timing and terms of the investment in or sale of an asset, (d) development of our properties by affiliates, (e) investments with affiliates of our advisor, (f) compensation to our advisor, and (g) our relationship with our dealer manager and property manager. If we do not successfully implement our business strategy, we may be unable to generate cash needed to make distributions to you and to maintain or increase the value of our assets.
 

 
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American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC faces conflicts of interest relating to the incentive fee structure under our advisory agreement, which could result in actions that are not necessarily in the long-term best interests of our stockholders.
 
Under our advisory agreement, American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or its affiliates will be entitled to fees that are structured in a manner intended to provide incentives to our advisor to perform in our best interests and in the best interests of our stockholders. However, because our advisor does not maintain a significant equity interest in us and is entitled to receive substantial minimum compensation regardless of performance, our advisor’s interests are not wholly aligned with those of our stockholders. In that regard, our advisor could be motivated to recommend riskier or more speculative investments in order for us to generate the specified levels of performance or sales proceeds that would entitle our advisor to fees. In addition, our advisor’s or its affiliates’ entitlement to fees upon the sale of our assets and to participate in sale proceeds could result in our advisor recommending sales of our investments at the earliest possible time at which sales of investments would produce the level of return that would entitle the advisor to compensation relating to such sales, even if continued ownership of those investments might be in our best long-term interest. Our advisory agreement will require us to pay a performance-based termination fee to our advisor or its affiliates in the event that we terminate the advisor prior to the listing of our shares for trading on an exchange or, absent such listing, in respect of its participation in net sales proceeds. To avoid paying this fee, our independent directors may decide against terminating the advisory agreement prior to our listing of our shares or disposition of our investments even if, but for the termination fee, termination of the advisory agreement would be in our best interest. In addition, the requirement to pay the fee to the advisor or its affiliates at termination could cause us to make different investment or disposition decisions than we would otherwise make, in order to satisfy our obligation to pay the fee to the terminated advisor. Moreover, our advisor will have the right to terminate the advisory agreement upon a change of control of our company and thereby trigger the payment of the performance fee, which could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing the change of control.
 
There is no separate counsel for us and our affiliates, which could result in conflicts of interest.
 
Proskauer Rose LLP acts as legal counsel to us and also represents our advisor and some of its affiliates. There is a possibility in the future that the interests of the various parties may become adverse and, under the Code of Professional Responsibility of the legal profession, Proskauer Rose LLP may be precluded from representing any one or all of such parties. If any situation arises in which our interests appear to be in conflict with those of our advisor or its affiliates, additional counsel may be retained by one or more of the parties to assure that their interests are adequately protected. Moreover, should a conflict of interest not be readily apparent, Proskauer Rose LLP may inadvertently act in derogation of the interest of the parties which could affect our ability to meet our investment objectives.
 
We may have increased exposure to liabilities from litigation as a result of our participation in the Section 1031 Exchange Program, which increases the risks you face as a stockholder.
 
An affiliate of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, our advisor, has developed a program to facilitate real estate acquisitions for persons (“1031 Participants”) who seek to reinvest proceeds from a real estate sale and qualify that reinvestment for like-kind exchange treatment under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 1031 Exchange Program”). The program is described in greater detail under “Investment Objectives and Criteria — Acquisition and Investment Policies — Section 1031 Exchange Program.” The Section 1031 Exchange Program involves a private placement of co-tenancy interests in real estate. There are significant tax and securities disclosure risks associated with these private placement offerings of co-tenancy interests to 1031 Participants. For example, in the event that the Internal Revenue Service conducts an audit of the purchasers of co tenancy interests and successfully challenges the qualification of the transaction as a like-kind exchange, purchasers of co-tenancy interests may file a lawsuit against the entity offering the co- tenancy interests and its sponsors. We anticipate providing certain financial guarantees, described in “Investment Objectives and Policies — Section 1031 Exchange Program,” in the event co-tenancy interests in such offerings are not sold and could therefore be named in or otherwise required to defend against lawsuits brought by 1031 Participants. Any amounts we are required to expend for any such litigation claims may reduce the amount of funds available for distribution to you. In addition, disclosure of any such litigation may limit our future ability to raise additional capital through the sale of stock or borrowings.
 
We are subject to risks associated with co-tenancy arrangements that are not otherwise present in a real estate investment; these risks could reduce the value of our co-tenancy investments and your overall return.
 
Our participation in the Section 1031 Exchange Program involves an obligation to purchase any co-tenancy interests in a property that remain unsold at the completion of a Section 1031 Exchange Program private placement offering. Accordingly, we could be required to purchase the unsold co-tenancy interests and thus become subject to the risks of ownership of properties in a co-tenancy arrangement with unrelated third parties.
 

 
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Ownership of co-tenancy interests involves risks not otherwise present with an investment in real estate such as the following:
 
 
·
the risk that a co-tenant may at any time have economic or business interests or goals that are inconsistent with our business interests or goals;
 
 
·
the risk that a co-tenant may be in a position to take action contrary to our instructions or requests or contrary to our policies or objectives; or
 
 
·
the possibility that a co-tenant might become insolvent or bankrupt, which may be an event of default under mortgage loan financing documents, or allow the bankruptcy court to reject the tenants-in-common agreement or management agreement entered into by the co-tenants owning interests in the property.
 
Any of the above might subject a property to liabilities in excess of those contemplated and thus reduce your returns. In the event that our interests become adverse to those of the other co-tenants, we may not have the contractual right to purchase the co-tenancy interests from the other co-tenants. Even if we are given the opportunity to purchase such co-tenancy interests in the future, we cannot guarantee that we will have sufficient funds available at the time to purchase co-tenancy interests from the 1031 Participants. We might want to sell our co-tenancy interests in a given property at a time when the other cotenants in such property do not desire to sell their interests. Therefore, we may not be able to sell our interest in a property at the time we would like to sell. In addition, we anticipate that it will be much more difficult to find a willing buyer for our co-tenancy interests in a property than it would be to find a buyer for a property we owned entirely.
 
Our participation in the Section 1031 Exchange Program may limit our ability to borrow funds in the future; this could reduce the number of investments we can make and limit our ability to make distributions to you.
 
Institutional lenders may view our obligations under agreements to acquire unsold co-tenancy interests in properties as a contingent liability against our cash or other assets, which may limit our ability to borrow funds in the future. Lenders providing lines of credit may restrict our ability to draw on our lines of credit by the amount of our potential obligation. Further, our lenders may view such obligations in such a manner as to limit our ability to borrow funds based on regulatory restrictions on lenders that limit the amount of loans they can make to any one borrower. These events could limit our operating flexibility and our ability to make distributions to you.
 
Risks Related to This Offering and Our Corporate Structure
 
The limit on the number of shares a person may own may discourage a takeover that could otherwise result in a premium price to our stockholders.
 
Our charter, with certain exceptions, authorizes our directors to take such actions as are necessary and desirable to preserve our qualification as a REIT. Unless exempted by our board of directors, no person may own more than 9.8% in value of the aggregate our outstanding stock or more than 9.8% in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of any class or series of our outstanding shares. This and other restrictions in our charter on the ownership and transfer of our stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us, including an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our common stock. See the “Description of Shares — Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer” section of this prospectus.
 
Our charter permits our board of directors to issue stock with terms that may subordinate the rights of common stockholders or discourage a third party from acquiring us in a manner that might result in a premium price to our stockholders.
 
Our charter permits our board of directors to issue up to 250,000,000 shares of stock. In addition, our board of directors, without any action by our stockholders, may amend our charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares or the number of shares of any class or series of stock that we have authority to issue. Our board of directors may classify or reclassify any unissued preferred stock and establish the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of repurchase of any such stock. Thus, our board of directors could authorize the issuance of preferred stock with terms and conditions that could have a priority as to distributions and amounts payable upon liquidation over the rights of the holders of our common stock. Preferred stock could also have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us, including an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our common stock. See the “Description of Shares — Preferred Stock” section of this prospectus.
 

 
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Maryland law prohibits certain business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us to be acquired and may limit your ability to exit the investment.
 
Under Maryland law, “business combinations” between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder or an affiliate of an interested stockholder are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. These business combinations include a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. An interested stockholder is defined as:
 
 
·
any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s shares; or
 
 
·
an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding voting stock of the corporation.
 
A person is not an interested stockholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which he or she otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. However, in approving a transaction, the board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the board.
 
After the five-year prohibition, any business combination between the Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder generally must be recommended by the board of directors of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:
 
 
·
80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation; and
 
 
·
two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of the corporation other than shares held by the interested stockholder with whom or with whose affiliate the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder.
 
These super-majority vote requirements do not apply if the corporation’s stockholders receive a minimum price, as defined under Maryland law, for their shares in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares. The business combination statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by the board of directors prior to the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Pursuant to the statute, our board of directors has exempted any business combination involving American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or any affiliate of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. Consequently, the five-year prohibition and the super-majority vote requirements will not apply to business combinations between us and American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or any affiliate of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. As a result, American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and any affiliate of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC may be able to enter into business combinations with us that may not be in the best interest of our stockholders, without compliance with the super-majority vote requirements and the other provisions of the statute. The business combination statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer. For a more detailed discussion of the Maryland laws governing us and the ownership of our shares of common stock, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Shares — Business Combinations.”
 
Maryland law also limits the ability of a third-party to buy a large stake in us and exercise voting power in electing directors.
 
The Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act provides that “control shares” of a Maryland corporation acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights except to the extent approved by the corporation’s disinterested stockholders by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Shares of stock owned by interested stockholders, that is, by the acquirer, by officers or by directors who are employees of the corporation, are excluded from shares entitled to vote on the matter. “Control shares” are voting shares of stock that would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within specified ranges of voting power. Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval. A “control share acquisition” means the acquisition of control shares. The control share acquisition statute does not apply (a) to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or (b) to acquisitions approved or exempted by the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation. Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the Control Share Acquisition act any and all acquisitions of our common stock by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or any affiliate of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. This statute could have the effect of discouraging offers from third parties to acquire us and increasing the difficulty of successfully completing this type of offer by anyone other than our affiliates or any of their affiliates. For a more detailed discussion on the Maryland laws governing control share acquisitions, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Shares — Control Share Acquisitions.”
 

 
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If we are required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we could not continue our business, which may significantly reduce the value of your investment.
 
We are not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (Investment Company Act), pursuant to an exemption in Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act and certain No-Action Letters from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Pursuant to this exemption, (a) at least 55% of our assets must consist of real estate fee interests or loans secured exclusively by real estate or both; (b) at least 25% of our assets must consist of loans secured primarily by real estate (this percentage will be reduced by the amount by which the percentage in (a) above is increased); and (c) up to 20% of our assets may consist of miscellaneous investments. We intend to monitor compliance with these requirements on an ongoing basis. If we were obligated to register as an investment company, we would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the Investment Company Act imposing, among other things:
 
 
·
limitations on capital structure;
 
 
·
restrictions on specified investments;
 
 
·
prohibitions on transactions with affiliates; and
 
 
·
compliance with reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy disclosure and other rules and regulations that would significantly change our operations.
 
In order to maintain our exemption from regulation under the Investment Company Act, we must engage primarily in the business of buying real estate, and these investments must be made within a year after the offering ends. If we are unable to invest a significant portion of the proceeds of this offering in properties within one year of the termination of the offering, we may avoid being required to register as an investment company by temporarily investing any unused proceeds in government securities with low returns. This would reduce the cash available for distribution to investors and possibly lower your returns.
 
To maintain compliance with the Investment Company Act exemption, we may be unable to sell assets we would otherwise want to sell and may need to sell assets we would otherwise wish to retain. In addition, we may have to acquire additional income or loss generating assets that we might not otherwise have acquired or may have to forgo opportunities to acquire interests in companies that we would otherwise want to acquire and would be important to our investment strategy. If we were required to register as an investment company but failed to do so, we would be prohibited from engaging in our business, and criminal and civil actions could be brought against us. In addition, our contracts would be unenforceable unless a court were to require enforcement, and a court could appoint a receiver to take control of us and liquidate our business.
 
You are bound by the majority vote on matters on which you are entitled to vote, and therefore, your vote on a particular matter may be superseded by the vote of others.
 
You may vote on certain matters at any annual or special meeting of stockholders, including the election of directors. However, you will be bound by the majority vote on matters requiring approval of a majority of the stockholders even if you do not vote with the majority on any such matter.
 
If you do not agree with the decisions of our board of directors, you only have limited control over changes in our policies and operations and may not be able to change such policies and operations.
 
Our board of directors determines our major policies, including our policies regarding investments, financing, growth, debt capitalization, REIT qualification and distributions. Our board of directors may amend or revise these and other policies without a vote of the stockholders. Under the Maryland General Corporation Law and our charter, our stockholders have a right to vote only on the following:
 
 
·
the election or removal of directors;
 

 
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·
amendments of our charter (including a change in our investment objectives), except certain amendments that do not adversely affect the rights, preferences and privileges of our stockholders;
 
 
·
our liquidation or dissolution;
 
 
·
a reorganization of our company, as provided in our charter; and
 
 
·
mergers, consolidations or sales or other dispositions of substantially all of our assets, as provided in our charter.
 
All other matters are subject to the discretion of our board of directors.
 
Our board of directors may change our investment policies without stockholder approval, which could alter the nature of your investments.
 
Our charter requires that our independent directors review our investment policies at least annually to determine that the policies we are following are in the best interest of the stockholders. These policies may change over time. The methods of implementing our investment policies may also vary, as new real estate development trends emerge and new investment techniques are developed. Our investment policies, the methods for their implementation, and our other objectives, policies and procedures may be altered by our board of directors without the approval of our stockholders. As a result, the nature of your investment could change without your consent.
 
You are limited in your ability to sell your shares pursuant to our share repurchase program and may have to hold your shares for an indefinite period of time.
 
Our board of directors may amend the terms of our share repurchase program without stockholder approval. Our board of directors also is free to suspend or terminate the program upon 30 days notice or to reject any request for repurchase. In addition, the share repurchase program includes numerous restrictions that would limit your ability to sell your shares. Generally, you must have held your shares for at least one year in order to participate in our share repurchase program. If our board of directors authorizes a repurchase from legally available funds, we will limit the number of shares repurchased pursuant to our share repurchase program as follows: (a) during any calendar year, the number of shares we will redeem will be limited to the proceeds in the distribution reinvestment plan (shares requested for repurchase upon the death of a stockholder will not be subject to this limitation); and (b) funding for the repurchase of shares will be limited to the net proceeds we receive from the sale of shares under our distribution reinvestment plan. These limits might prevent us from accommodating all repurchase requests made in any year. See the “Description of Shares — Share Repurchase Program” section of this prospectus for more information about the share repurchase program. These restrictions severely limit your ability to sell your shares should you require liquidity, and limit your ability to recover the value you invested or the fair market value of your shares.
 
We established the offering price on an arbitrary basis; as a result, the actual value of your investment may be substantially less than what you pay.
 
Our board of directors has arbitrarily determined the selling price of the shares consistent with comparable real estate investment programs in the market, and such price bears no relationship to our book or asset values, or to any other established criteria for valuing issued or outstanding shares. Because the offering price is not based upon any independent valuation, the offering price is not indicative of the proceeds that you would receive upon liquidation.
 
Because the dealer manager is one of our affiliates, you will not have the benefit of an independent review of the prospectus or us customarily performed in underwritten offerings.
 
The dealer manager, Realty Capital Securities, LLC, is one of our affiliates and will not make an independent review of us or the offering. Accordingly, you will have to rely on your own broker-dealer to make an independent review of the terms of this offering. If your broker-dealer does not conduct such a review, you will not have the benefit of an independent review of the terms of this offering. Further, the due diligence investigation of us by the dealer manager cannot be considered to be an independent review and, therefore, may not be as meaningful as a review conducted by an unaffiliated broker-dealer or investment banker.
 

 
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Your interest in us will be diluted if we issue additional shares.
 
Existing stockholders and potential investors in this offering do not have preemptive rights to any shares issued by us in the future. Our charter currently authorizes us to issue up to 250,000,000 shares of stock, of which 240,000,000 shares are designated as common stock and 10,000,000 are designated as preferred stock.
 
Subject to any limitations set forth under Maryland law, our board of directors may increase the number of authorized shares of stock, increase or decrease the number of shares of any class or series of stock designated, or reclassify any unissued shares without the necessity of obtaining stockholder approval. All of such shares may be issued in the discretion of our board of directors. Existing stockholders and investors purchasing shares in this offering likely will suffer dilution of their equity investment in us, in the event that we (a) sell shares in this offering or sell additional shares in the future, including those issued pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan, (b) sell securities that are convertible into shares of our common stock, (c) issue shares of our common stock in a private offering of securities to institutional investors, (d) issue shares of our common stock upon the exercise of the options granted to our independent directors, (e) issue shares to our advisor, its successors or assigns, in payment of an outstanding fee obligation as set forth under our advisory agreement, or (f) issue shares of our common stock to sellers of properties acquired by us in connection with an exchange of limited partnership interests of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P., existing stockholders and investors purchasing shares in this offering will likely experience dilution of their equity investment in us. In addition, the partnership agreement for American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. contains provisions that would allow, under certain circumstances, other entities, including other American Realty Capital-sponsored programs, to merge into or cause the exchange or conversion of their interest for interests of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. Because the limited partnership units of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. may, in the discretion of our board of directors, be exchanged for shares of our common stock, any merger, exchange or conversion between American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. and another entity ultimately could result in the issuance of a substantial number of shares of our common stock, thereby diluting the percentage ownership interest of other stockholders. Because of these and other reasons described in this “Risk Factors” section, you should not expect to be able to own a significant percentage of our shares.
 
Payment of fees to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its affiliates reduces cash available for investment and distribution.
 
American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its affiliates will perform services for us in connection with the offer and sale of the shares, the selection and acquisition of our investments, and the management and leasing of our properties, the servicing of our mortgage, bridge or mezzanine loans, if any, and the administration of our other investments. They are paid substantial fees for these services, which reduces the amount of cash available for investment in properties or distribution to stockholders. For a more detailed discussion of the fees payable to such entities in respect of this offering, see the “Management Compensation” section of this prospectus.
 
We may be unable to pay or maintain cash distributions or increase distributions over time.
 
There are many factors that can affect the availability and timing of cash distributions to stockholders. Distributions will be based principally on cash available from our operations. The amount of cash available for distributions is affected by many factors, such as our ability to buy properties as offering proceeds become available, rental income from such properties, and our operating expense levels, as well as many other variables. Actual cash available for distributions may vary substantially from estimates. We cannot assure you that we will be able to pay or maintain our current anticipated level of distributions or that distributions will increase over time. We cannot give any assurance that rents from the properties will increase, that the securities we buy will increase in value or provide constant or increased distributions over time, or that future acquisitions of real properties, mortgage, bridge or mezzanine loans or any investments in securities will increase our cash available for distributions to stockholders. Our actual results may differ significantly from the assumptions used by our board of directors in establishing the distribution rate to stockholders. We may not have sufficient legally available cash from operations to make a distribution required to qualify for or maintain our REIT status. We may increase borrowing or use proceeds from this offering to make distributions, each of which could be deemed to be a return of your capital. We may make distributions from the proceeds of this offering or from borrowings in anticipation of future cash flow. Any such distributions will constitute a return of capital and may reduce the amount of capital we ultimately invest in properties and negatively impact the value of your investment. For a description of the factors that can affect the availability and timing of cash distributions to stockholders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Shares — Distributions Policy.”
 

 
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We will not calculate the net asset value per share for our shares until 18 months after completion of our last offering, therefore, you will not be able to determine the net asset value of your shares on an on-going basis during this offering and for a substantial period of time thereafter.
 
Until 18 months after the termination of this offering or the termination of any subsequent offering of our shares, we intend to use the offering price of shares in our most recent offering as the per share value (unless we have made a special distribution to stockholders of net sales proceeds from the sale of one or more properties prior to the date of determination of the per share value, in which case we will use the offering price less the per share amount of the special distribution).  Beginning 18 months after the completion of the last offering of our shares (excluding offerings under our distribution reinvestment plan), our board of directors will determine the value of our properties and our other assets based on such information as our board determines appropriate, which may or may not include independent valuations of our properties or of our enterprise as a whole. We will disclose this net asset value to stockholders in our filings with the SEC. Therefore, you will not be able to determine the net asset value of your shares on an on-going basis during this offering. See “Investment by Tax-Exempt Entities and ERISA Considerations Annual or More Frequent Valuation Requirement.”
 
General Risks Related to Investments in Real Estate
 
Our operating results will be affected by economic and regulatory changes that have an adverse impact on the real estate market in general, and we cannot assure you that we will be profitable or that we will realize growth in the value of our real estate properties.
 
Our operating results are subject to risks generally incident to the ownership of real estate, including:
 
 
·
changes in general economic or local conditions;
 
 
·
changes in supply of or demand for similar or competing properties in an area;
 
 
·
changes in interest rates and availability of permanent mortgage funds that may render the sale of a property difficult or unattractive;
 
 
·
changes in tax, real estate, environmental and zoning laws; and
 
 
·
periods of high interest rates and tight money supply.
 
These and other reasons may prevent us from being profitable or from realizing growth or maintaining the value of our real estate properties.
 
Many of our properties will depend upon a single tenant for all or a majority of their rental income, and our financial condition and ability to make distributions may be adversely affected by the bankruptcy or insolvency, a downturn in the business, or a lease termination of a single tenant.
 
We expect that many of our properties will be occupied by only one tenant or will derive a majority of their rental income from one tenant and, therefore, the success of those properties will be materially dependent on the financial stability of such tenants. Lease payment defaults by tenants could cause us to reduce the amount of distributions we pay. A default of a tenant on its lease payments to us would cause us to lose the revenue from the property and force us to find an alternative source of revenue to meet any mortgage payment and prevent a foreclosure if the property is subject to a mortgage. In the event of a default, we may experience delays in enforcing our rights as landlord and may incur substantial costs in protecting our investment and re-letting the property. If a lease is terminated, there is no assurance that we will be able to lease the property for the rent previously received or sell the property without incurring a loss. A default by a tenant, the failure of a guarantor to fulfill its obligations or other premature termination of a lease, or a tenant’s election not to extend a lease upon its expiration, could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and our ability to pay distributions.
 
If a tenant declares bankruptcy, we may be unable to collect balances due under relevant leases.
 
Any of our tenants, or any guarantor of a tenant’s lease obligations, could be subject to a bankruptcy proceeding pursuant to Title 11 of the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such a bankruptcy filing would bar all efforts by us to collect pre-bankruptcy debts from these entities or their properties, unless we receive an enabling order from the bankruptcy court. Post-bankruptcy debts would be paid currently. If a lease is assumed, all pre-bankruptcy balances owing under it must be paid in full. If a lease is rejected by a tenant in bankruptcy, we would have a general unsecured claim for damages. If a lease is rejected, it is unlikely we would receive any payments from the tenant because our claim is capped at the rent reserved under the lease, without acceleration, for the greater of one year or 15% of the remaining term of the lease, but not greater than three years, plus rent already due but unpaid. This claim could be paid only in the event funds were available, and then only in the same percentage as that realized on other unsecured claims.
 

 
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A tenant or lease guarantor bankruptcy could delay efforts to collect past due balances under the relevant leases, and could ultimately preclude full collection of these sums. Such an event could cause a decrease or cessation of rental payments that would mean a reduction in our cash flow and the amount available for distributions to you. In the event of a bankruptcy, we cannot assure you that the tenant or its trustee will assume our lease. If a given lease, or guaranty of a lease, is not assumed, our cash flow and the amounts available for distributions to you may be adversely affected.
 
A high concentration of our properties in a particular geographic area, or that have tenants in a similar industry, would magnify the effects of downturns in that geographic area or industry.
 
We expect that our properties will be diverse according to geographic area and industry of our tenants. However, in the event that we have a concentration of properties in any particular geographic area, any adverse situation that disproportionately affects that geographic area would have a magnified adverse effect on our portfolio. Similarly, if our tenants are concentrated in a certain industry or industries, any adverse effect to that industry generally would have a disproportionately adverse effect on our portfolio.
 
If a sale-leaseback transaction is re-characterized in a tenant’s bankruptcy proceeding, our financial condition could be adversely affected.
 
We may enter into sale-leaseback transactions, whereby we would purchase a property and then lease the same property back to the person from whom we purchased it. In the event of the bankruptcy of a tenant, a transaction structured as a sale-leaseback may be re-characterized as either a financing or a joint venture, either of which outcomes could adversely affect our business. If the sale-leaseback were re-characterized as a financing, we might not be considered the owner of the property, and as a result would have the status of a creditor in relation to the tenant. In that event, we would no longer have the right to sell or encumber our ownership interest in the property. Instead, we would have a claim against the tenant for the amounts owed under the lease, with the claim arguably secured by the property. The tenant/debtor might have the ability to propose a plan restructuring the term, interest rate and amortization schedule of its outstanding balance. If confirmed by the bankruptcy court, we could be bound by the new terms, and prevented from foreclosing our lien on the property. If the sale-leaseback were re-characterized as a joint venture, our lessee and we could be treated as co-venturers with regard to the property. As a result, we could be held liable, under some circumstances, for debts incurred by the lessee relating to the property. Either of these outcomes could adversely affect our cash flow and the amount available for distributions to you.
 
Properties that have vacancies for a significant period of time could be difficult to sell, which could diminish the return on your investment.
 
A property may incur vacancies either by the continued default of tenants under their leases or the expiration of tenant leases. If vacancies continue for a long period of time, we will suffer reduced revenues which may result in less cash to be distributed to stockholders. In addition, because properties’ market values depend principally upon the value of the properties’ leases, the resale value of properties with prolonged vacancies could suffer, which could further reduce your return.
 
We may obtain only limited warranties when we purchase a property and would have only limited recourse in the event our due diligence did not identify any issues that lower the value of our property.
 
The seller of a property often sells such property in its “as is” condition on a “where is” basis and “with all faults,” without any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use or purpose. In addition, purchase agreements may contain only limited warranties, representations and indemnifications that will only survive for a limited period after the closing. The purchase of properties with limited warranties increases the risk that we may lose some or all of our invested capital in the property as well as the loss of rental income from that property.
 
We may be unable to secure funds for future tenant improvements or capital needs, which could adversely impact our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders.
 
When tenants do not renew their leases or otherwise vacate their space, it is usual that, in order to attract replacement tenants, we will be required to expend substantial funds for tenant improvements and tenant refurbishments to the vacated space. In addition, although we expect that our leases with tenants will require tenants to pay routine property maintenance costs, we will likely be responsible for any major structural repairs, such as repairs to the foundation, exterior walls and rooftops. We will use substantially all of this offering’s gross proceeds to buy real estate and pay various fees and expenses. We intend to reserve only 0.1% of the gross proceeds from this offering for future capital needs. Accordingly, if we need additional capital in the future to improve or maintain our properties or for any other reason, we will have to obtain financing from other sources, such as cash flow from operations, borrowings, property sales or future equity offerings. These sources of funding may not be available on attractive terms or at all. If we cannot procure additional funding for capital improvements, our investments may generate lower cash flows or decline in value, or both.
 

 
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Our inability to sell a property when we desire to do so could adversely impact our ability to pay cash distributions to you.
 
The real estate market is affected by many factors, such as general economic conditions, availability of financing, interest rates and other factors, including supply and demand, that are beyond our control. We cannot predict whether we will be able to sell any property for the price or on the terms set by us, or whether any price or other terms offered by a prospective purchaser would be acceptable to us. We cannot predict the length of time needed to find a willing purchaser and to close the sale of a property.
 
We may be required to expend funds to correct defects or to make improvements before a property can be sold. We cannot assure you that we will have funds available to correct such defects or to make such improvements. Moreover, in acquiring a property, we may agree to restrictions that prohibit the sale of that property for a period of time or impose other restrictions, such as a limitation on the amount of debt that can be placed or repaid on that property. These provisions would restrict our ability to sell a property.
 
We may not be able to sell our properties at a price equal to, or greater than, the price for which we purchased such property, which may lead to a decrease in the value of our assets.
 
Many of our leases will not contain rental increases over time. Therefore, the value of the property to a potential purchaser may not increase over time, which may restrict our ability to sell a property, or in the event we are able to sell such property, may lead to a sale price less than the price that we paid to purchase the property.
 
We may acquire or finance properties with lock-out provisions, which may prohibit us from selling a property, or may require us to maintain specified debt levels for a period of years on some properties.
 
Lock-out provisions, which preclude pre-payments of a loan, could materially restrict us from selling or otherwise disposing of or refinancing properties. These provisions would affect our ability to turn our investments into cash and thus affect cash available for distributions to you. Lock out provisions may prohibit us from reducing the outstanding indebtedness with respect to any properties, refinancing such indebtedness on a non-recourse basis at maturity, or increasing the amount of indebtedness with respect to such properties. Lock-out provisions could impair our ability to take other actions during the lock-out period that could be in the best interests of our stockholders and, therefore, may have an adverse impact on the value of the shares, relative to the value that would result if the lock-out provisions did not exist. In particular, lock-out provisions could preclude us from participating in major transactions that could result in a disposition of our assets or a change in control even though that disposition or change in control might be in the best interests of our stockholders.
 
Rising expenses could reduce cash flow and funds available for future acquisitions.
 
Any properties that we buy in the future will be, subject to operating risks common to real estate in general, any or all of which may negatively affect us. If any property is not fully occupied or if rents are being paid in an amount that is insufficient to cover operating expenses, we could be required to expend funds with respect to that property for operating expenses. The properties will be subject to increases in tax rates, utility costs, operating expenses, insurance costs, repairs and maintenance and administrative expenses. While we expect that many of our properties will be leased on a triple-net-lease basis or will require the tenants to pay all or a portion of such expenses, renewals of leases or future leases may not be negotiated on that basis, in which event we may have to pay those costs. If we are unable to lease properties on a triple-net-lease basis or on a basis requiring the tenants to pay all or some of such expenses, or if tenants fail to pay required tax, utility and other impositions, we could be required to pay those costs which could adversely affect funds available for future acquisitions or cash available for distributions.
 
Adverse economic conditions will negatively affect our returns and profitability.
 
Our operating results may be affected by the following market and economic challenges, which may result from a continued or exacerbated general economic slow down experienced by the nation as a whole or by the local economics where our properties may be located:
 

 
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·
poor economic conditions may result in tenant defaults under leases;
 
 
·
re-leasing may require concessions or reduced rental rates under the new leases; and
 
 
·
increased insurance premiums may reduce funds available for distribution or, to the extent such increases are passed through to tenants, may lead to tenant defaults. Increased insurance premiums may make it difficult to increase rents to tenants on turnover, which may adversely affect our ability to increase our returns.
 
The length and severity of any economic downturn cannot be predicted. Our operations could be negatively affected to the extent that an economic downturn is prolonged or becomes more severe.
 
If we suffer losses that are not covered by insurance or that are in excess of insurance coverage, we could lose invested capital and anticipated profits.
 
Generally, each of our tenants will be responsible for insuring its goods and premises and, in some circumstances, may be required to reimburse us for a share of the cost of acquiring comprehensive insurance for the property, including casualty, liability, fire and extended coverage customarily obtained for similar properties in amounts that our advisor determines are sufficient to cover reasonably foreseeable losses. Tenants of single-user properties leased on a triple-net-lease basis typically are required to pay all insurance costs associated with those properties. Material losses may occur in excess of insurance proceeds with respect to any property, as insurance may not be sufficient to fund the losses. However, there are types of losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, such as losses due to wars, acts of terrorism, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, pollution or environmental matters, which are either uninsurable or not economically insurable, or may be insured subject to limitations, such as large deductibles or co-payments. Insurance risks associated with potential terrorism acts could sharply increase the premiums we pay for coverage against property and casualty claims. Additionally, mortgage lenders in some cases have begun to insist that commercial property owners purchase specific coverage against terrorism as a condition for providing mortgage loans. It is uncertain whether such insurance policies will be available, or available at reasonable cost, which could inhibit our ability to finance or refinance our potential properties. In these instances, we may be required to provide other financial support, either through financial assurances or self-insurance, to cover potential losses. We may not have adequate, or any, coverage for such losses. The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 is designed for a sharing of terrorism losses between insurance companies and the federal government, and has been renewed until December 31, 2014. We cannot be certain how this act will impact us or what additional cost to us, if any, could result. If such an event damaged or destroyed one or more of our properties, we could lose both our invested capital and anticipated profits from such property.
 
Real estate related taxes may increase and if these increases are not passed on to tenants, our income will be reduced.
 
Some local real property tax assessors may seek to reassess some of our properties as a result of our acquisition of the property. Generally, from time to time our property taxes increase as property values or assessment rates change or for other reasons deemed relevant by the assessors. An increase in the assessed valuation of a property for real estate tax purposes will result in an increase in the related real estate taxes on that property. Although some tenant leases may permit us to pass through such tax increases to the tenants for payment, there is no assurance that renewal leases or future leases will be negotiated on the same basis. Increases not passed through to tenants will adversely affect our income, cash available for distributions, and the amount of distributions to you.
 
CC&Rs may restrict our ability to operate a property.
 
Some of our properties are contiguous to other parcels of real property, comprising part of the same commercial center. In connection with such properties, there are significant covenants, conditions and restrictions, known as “CC&Rs,” restricting the operation of such properties and any improvements on such properties, and related to granting easements on such properties. Moreover, the operation and management of the contiguous properties may impact such properties. Compliance with CC&Rs may adversely affect our operating costs and reduce the amount of funds that we have available to pay distributions.
 
Our operating results may be negatively affected by potential development and construction delays and resultant increased costs and risks.
 
While we do not currently intend to do so, we may use proceeds from this offering to acquire and develop properties upon which we will construct improvements. We will be subject to uncertainties associated with re-zoning for development, environmental concerns of governmental entities and/or community groups, and our builder’s ability to build in conformity with plans, specifications, budgeted costs, and timetables. If a builder fails to perform, we may resort to legal action to rescind the purchase or the construction contract or to compel performance. A builder’s performance may also be affected or delayed by conditions beyond the builder’s control. Delays in completion of construction could also give tenants the right to terminate preconstruction leases. We may incur additional risks when we make periodic progress payments or other advances to builders before they complete construction. These and other such factors can result in increased costs of a project or loss of our investment. In addition, we will be subject to normal lease-up risks relating to newly constructed projects. We also must rely on rental income and expense projections and estimates of the fair market value of property upon completion of construction when agreeing upon a price at the time we acquire the property. If our projections are inaccurate, we may pay too much for a property, and our return on our investment could suffer.
 

 
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While we do not currently intend to do so, we may invest in unimproved real property. Returns from development of unimproved properties are also subject to risks associated with re-zoning the land for development and environmental concerns of governmental entities and/or community groups. Although we intend to limit any investment in unimproved property to property we intend to develop, your investment nevertheless is subject to the risks associated with investments in unimproved real property.
 
If we contract with an affiliated development company for newly developed property, we cannot guarantee that our earnest money deposit made to the development company will be fully refunded.
 
While we currently do not have an affiliated development company, our sponsor and/or its affiliates may form a development company. In such an event, we may enter into one or more contracts, either directly or indirectly through joint ventures with affiliates or others, to acquire real property from an affiliate of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC that is engaged in construction and development of commercial real properties. Properties acquired from an affiliated development company may be either existing income-producing properties, properties to be developed or properties under development. We anticipate that we will be obligated to pay a substantial earnest money deposit at the time of contracting to acquire such properties. In the case of properties to be developed by an affiliated development company, we anticipate that we will be required to close the purchase of the property upon completion of the development of the property by our affiliate. At the time of contracting and the payment of the earnest money deposit by us, our development company affiliate typically will not have acquired title to any real property. Typically, our development company affiliate will only have a contract to acquire land, a development agreement to develop a building on the land and an agreement with one or more tenants to lease all or part of the property upon its completion. We may enter into such a contract with our development company affiliate even if at the time of contracting we have not yet raised sufficient proceeds in our offering to enable us to close the purchase of such property. However, we will not be required to close a purchase from our development company affiliate, and will be entitled to a refund of our earnest money, in the following circumstances:
 
 
·
our development company affiliate fails to develop the property;
 
 
·
all or a specified portion of the pre-leased tenants fail to take possession under their leases for any reason; or
 
 
·
we are unable to raise sufficient proceeds from our offering to pay the purchase price at closing.
 
The obligation of our development company affiliate to refund our earnest money will be unsecured, and no assurance can be made that we would be able to obtain a refund of such earnest money deposit from it under these circumstances since our development company affiliate may be an entity without substantial assets or operations. However, our development company affiliate’s obligation to refund our earnest money deposit may be guaranteed by American Realty Capital Properties, LLC, our property manager, which will enter into contracts to provide property management and leasing services to various American Realty Capital-sponsored programs, including us, for substantial monthly fees. As of the time American Realty Capital Properties, LLC may be required to perform under any guaranty, we cannot assure that American Realty Capital Properties, LLC will have sufficient assets to refund all of our earnest money deposit in a lump sum payment. If we were forced to collect our earnest money deposit by enforcing the guaranty of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC, we will likely be required to accept installment payments over time payable out of the revenues of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC operations. We cannot assure you that we would be able to collect the entire amount of our earnest money deposit under such circumstances. See “Investment Objectives and Policies — Acquisition and Investment Policies.”
 
Competition with third parties in acquiring properties and other investments may reduce our profitability and the return on your investment.
 
We compete with many other entities engaged in real estate investment activities, including individuals, corporations, bank and insurance company investment accounts, other REITs, real estate limited partnerships, and other entities engaged in real estate investment activities, many of which have greater resources than we do. Larger REITs may enjoy significant competitive advantages that result from, among other things, a lower cost of capital and enhanced operating efficiencies. In addition, the number of entities and the amount of funds competing for suitable investments may increase. Any such increase would result in increased demand for these assets and therefore increased prices paid for them. If we pay higher prices for properties and other investments, our profitability will be reduced and you may experience a lower return on your investment.
 

 
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Our properties face competition that may affect tenants’ ability to pay rent and the amount of rent paid to us may affect the cash available for distributions and the amount of distributions.
 
Our properties typically are, and we expect will be, located in developed areas. Therefore, there are and will be numerous other properties within the market area of each of our properties that will compete with us for tenants. The number of competitive properties could have a material effect on our ability to rent space at our properties and the amount of rents charged. We could be adversely affected if additional competitive properties are built in locations competitive with our properties, causing increased competition for customer traffic and creditworthy tenants. This could result in decreased cash flow from tenants and may require us to make capital improvements to properties that we would not have otherwise made, thus affecting cash available for distributions, and the amount available for distributions to you.
 
Delays in acquisitions of properties may an have adverse effect on your investment.
 
There may be a substantial period of time before the proceeds of this offering are invested. Delays we encounter in the selection, acquisition and/or development of properties could adversely affect your returns. Where properties are acquired prior to the start of construction or during the early stages of construction, it will typically take several months to complete construction and rent available space. Therefore, you could suffer delays in the payment of cash distributions attributable to those particular properties.
 
Costs of complying with governmental laws and regulations, including those relating to environmental matters, may adversely affect our income and the cash available for any distributions.
 
All real property and the operations conducted on real property are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and human health and safety. These laws and regulations generally govern wastewater discharges, air emissions, the operation and removal of underground and above-ground storage tanks, the use, storage, treatment, transportation and disposal of solid and hazardous materials, and the remediation of contamination associated with disposals. Environmental laws and regulations may impose joint and several liability on tenants, owners or operators for the costs to investigate or remediate contaminated properties, regardless of fault or whether the acts causing the contamination were legal. This liability could be substantial. In addition, the presence of hazardous substances, or the failure to properly remediate these substances, may adversely affect our ability to sell, rent or pledge such property as collateral for future borrowings.
 
Some of these laws and regulations have been amended so as to require compliance with new or more stringent standards as of future dates. Compliance with new or more stringent laws or regulations or stricter interpretation of existing laws may require material expenditures by us. Future laws, ordinances or regulations may impose material environmental liability. Additionally, our tenants’ operations, the existing condition of land when we buy it, operations in the vicinity of our properties, such as the presence of underground storage tanks, or activities of unrelated third parties may affect our properties. In addition, there are various local, state and federal fire, health, life-safety and similar regulations with which we may be required to comply, and that may subject us to liability in the form of fines or damages for noncompliance. Any material expenditures, fines, or damages we must pay will reduce our ability to make distributions and may reduce the value of your investment.
 
State and federal laws in this area are constantly evolving, and we intend to monitor these laws and take commercially reasonable steps to protect ourselves from the impact of these laws, including obtaining environmental assessments of most properties that we acquire; however, we will not obtain an independent third-party environmental assessment for every property we acquire. In addition, any such assessment that we do obtain may not reveal all environmental liabilities or that a prior owner of a property did not create a material environmental condition not known to us. The cost of defending against claims of liability, of compliance with environmental regulatory requirements, of remediating any contaminated property, or of paying personal injury claims would materially adversely affect our business, assets or results of operations and, consequently, amounts available for distribution to you. See “Investment Objectives and Policies — Environmental Matters.”
 

 
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If we sell properties by providing financing to purchasers, defaults by the purchasers would adversely affect our cash flows.
 
If we decide to sell any of our properties, we intend to use our best efforts to sell them for cash. However, in some instances we may sell our properties by providing financing to purchasers. When we provide financing to purchasers, we will bear the risk that the purchaser may default, which could negatively impact our cash distributions to stockholders. Even in the absence of a purchaser default, the distribution of the proceeds of sales to our stockholders, or their reinvestment in other assets, will be delayed until the promissory notes or other property we may accept upon the sale are actually paid, sold, refinanced or otherwise disposed of. In some cases, we may receive initial down payments in cash and other property in the year of sale in an amount less than the selling price and subsequent payments will be spread over a number of years. If any purchaser defaults under a financing arrangement with us, it could negatively impact our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders.
 
Our recovery of an investment in a mortgage, bridge or mezzanine loan that has defaulted may be limited.
 
There is no guarantee that the mortgage, loan or deed of trust securing an investment will, following a default, permit us to recover the original investment and interest that would have been received absent a default. The security provided by a mortgage, deed of trust or loan is directly related to the difference between the amount owed and the appraised market value of the property. Although we intend to rely on a current real estate appraisal when we make the investment, the value of the property is affected by factors outside our control, including general fluctuations in the real estate market, rezoning, neighborhood changes, highway relocations and failure by the borrower to maintain the property. In addition, we may incur the costs of litigation in our efforts to enforce our rights under defaulted loans.
 
Our costs associated with complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act may affect cash available for distributions.
 
Our properties will be subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (the “Disabilities Act”). Under the Disabilities Act, all places of public accommodation are required to comply with federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. The Disabilities Act has separate compliance requirements for “public accommodations” and “commercial facilities” that generally require that buildings and services, including restaurants and retail stores, be made accessible and available to people with disabilities. The Disabilities Act’s requirements could require removal of access barriers and could result in the imposition of injunctive relief, monetary penalties, or, in some cases, an award of damages. We will attempt to acquire properties that comply with the Disabilities Act or place the burden on the seller or other third party, such as a tenant, to ensure compliance with the Disabilities Act. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to acquire properties or allocate responsibilities in this manner. If we cannot, our funds used for Disabilities Act compliance may affect cash available for distributions and the amount of distributions to you.
 
Economic conditions may adversely affect our income.
 
U.S. and international markets are currently experiencing increased levels of volatility due to a combination of many factors, including decreasing values of home prices, limited access to credit markets, higher fuel prices, less consumer spending and fears of a national and global recession. The effects of the current market dislocation may persist as financial institutions continue to take the necessary steps to restructure their business and capital structures. As a result, this economic downturn has reduced demand for space and removed support for rents and property values. Since we cannot predict when the real estate markets will recover, the value of our properties may decline if current market conditions persist or worsen.
 
Net leases may not result in fair market lease rates over time.
 
We expect a large portion of our rental income to come from net leases, which generally provide the tenant greater discretion in using the leased property than ordinary property leases, such as the right to freely sublease the property, to make alterations in the leased premises and to terminate the lease prior to its expiration under specified circumstances. Furthermore, net leases typically have longer lease terms and, thus, there is an increased risk that contractual rental increases in future years will fail to result in fair market rental rates during those years. As a result, our income and distributions to our stockholders could be lower than they would otherwise be if we did not engage in net leases.
 
Our real estate investments may include special use single tenant properties that may be difficult to sell or re-lease upon tenant defaults or early lease terminations.
 
We focus our investments on commercial and industrial properties, including special use single tenant properties. These types of properties are relatively illiquid compared to other types of real estate and financial assets. This illiquidity will limit our ability to quickly change our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions. With these properties, if the current lease is terminated or not renewed or, in the case of a mortgage loan, if we take such property in foreclosure, we may be required to renovate the property or to make rent concessions in order to lease the property to another tenant or sell the property. In addition, in the event we are forced to sell the property, we may have difficulty selling it to a party other than the tenant or borrower due to the special purpose for which the property may have been designed. These and other limitations may affect our ability to sell or re-lease properties and adversely affect returns to you.
 

 
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Risks Associated with Debt Financing
 
We may incur mortgage indebtedness and other borrowings, which may increase our business risks.
 
We expect that in most instances, we will acquire real properties by using either existing financing or borrowing new funds. In addition, we may incur mortgage debt and pledge all or some of our real properties as security for that debt to obtain funds to acquire additional real properties. We may borrow if we need funds to satisfy the REIT tax qualification requirement that we distribute at least 90% of our annual REIT taxable income to our stockholders. We may also borrow if we otherwise deem it necessary or advisable to assure that we maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes.
 
Our advisor believes that utilizing borrowing is consistent with our investment objective of maximizing the return to investors. There is no limitation on the amount we may borrow against any single improved property. However, under our charter, we are required to limit our borrowings to 75% of the greater of the aggregate cost (before deducting depreciation or other non-cash reserves) or the aggregate fair market value of our gross assets as of the date of any borrowing, unless excess borrowing is approved by a majority of the independent directors. Our borrowings will not exceed 300% of our net assets, unless the excess is approved by a majority of our independent directors, which is the maximum level of indebtedness permitted under the NASAA REIT Guidelines. We expect that during the period of this offering we will request that our independent directors approve borrowings in excess of this limitation since we will then be in the process of raising our equity capital to acquire our portfolio. As a result, we expect that our debt levels will be higher until we have invested most of our capital.
 
If there is a shortfall between the cash flow from a property and the cash flow needed to service mortgage debt on a property, then the amount available for distributions to stockholders may be reduced. In addition, incurring mortgage debt increases the risk of loss since defaults on indebtedness secured by a property may result in lenders initiating foreclosure actions. In that case, we could lose the property securing the loan that is in default, thus reducing the value of your investment. For tax purposes, a foreclosure of any of our properties would be treated as a sale of the property for a purchase price equal to the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage. If the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage exceeds our tax basis in the property, we would recognize taxable income on foreclosure, but would not receive any cash proceeds. In such event, we may be unable to pay the amount of distributions required in order to maintain our REIT status. We may give full or partial guarantees to lenders of mortgage debt to the entities that own our properties. When we provide a guaranty on behalf of an entity that owns one of our properties, we will be responsible to the lender for satisfaction of the debt if it is not paid by such entity. If any mortgages contain cross-collateralization or cross-default provisions, a default on a single property could affect multiple properties. If any of our properties are foreclosed upon due to a default, our ability to pay cash distributions to our stockholders will be adversely affected which could result in our losing our REIT status and would result in a decrease in the value of your investment.
 
Current state of debt markets could have a material adverse impact on our earnings and financial condition
 
The domestic and international commercial real estate debt markets are currently experiencing volatility as a result of certain factors including the tightening of underwriting standards by lenders and credit rating agencies and the significant inventory of unsold Collateralized Mortgage Backed Securities in the market.  This is resulting in lenders increasing the cost for debt financing. Should the overall cost of borrowings increase, either by increases in the index rates or by increases in lender spreads, we will need to factor such increases into the economics of future acquisitions. This may result in future acquisitions generating lower overall economic returns and potentially reducing future cash flow available for distribution. If these disruptions in the debt markets persist, our ability to borrow monies to finance the purchase of, or other activities related to, real estate assets will be negatively impacted. If we are unable to borrow monies on terms and conditions that we find acceptable, we likely will have to reduce the number of properties we can purchase, and the return on the properties we do purchase may be lower. In addition, we may find it difficult, costly or impossible to refinance indebtedness which is maturing
 

 
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The recent dislocations in the debt markets has reduced the amount of capital that is available to finance real estate, which, in turn, (a) will no longer allow real estate investors to rely on capitalization rate compression to generate returns and (b) has slowed real estate transaction activity, all of which may reasonably be expected to have a material impact, favorable or unfavorable, on revenues or income from the acquisition and operations of real properties and mortgage loans. Investors will need to focus on market-specific growth dynamics, operating performance, asset management and the long-term quality of the underlying real estate.
 
In addition, the state of the debt markets could have an impact on the overall amount of capital investing in real estate which may result in price or value decreases of real estate assets. Although this may benefit us for future acquisitions, it could negatively impact the current value of our existing assets.
 
High mortgage rates may make it difficult for us to finance or refinance properties, which could reduce the number of properties we can acquire and the amount of cash distributions we can make.
 
If we place mortgage debt on properties, we run the risk of being unable to refinance the properties when the loans come due, or of being unable to refinance on favorable terms. If interest rates are higher when the properties are refinanced, we may not be able to finance the properties and our income could be reduced. If any of these events occur, our cash flow would be reduced. This, in turn, would reduce cash available for distribution to you and may hinder our ability to raise more capital by issuing more stock or by borrowing more money.
 
Lenders may require us to enter into restrictive covenants relating to our operations, which could limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
 
In connection with providing us financing, a lender could impose restrictions on us that affect our distribution and operating policies and our ability to incur additional debt. Loan documents we enter into may contain covenants that limit our ability to further mortgage the property, discontinue insurance coverage or replace American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC as our advisor. These or other limitations may adversely affect our flexibility and our ability to achieve our investment and operating objectives.
 
Increases in interest rates could increase the amount of our debt payments and adversely affect our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.
 
We expect that we will incur indebtedness in the future. To the extent that we incur variable rate debt, increases in interest rates would increase our interest costs, which could reduce our cash flows and our ability to pay distributions to you. In addition, if we need to repay existing debt during periods of rising interest rates, we could be required to liquidate one or more of our investments in properties at times that may not permit realization of the maximum return on such investments.
 
We have broad authority to incur debt, and high debt levels could hinder our ability to make distributions and could decrease the value of your investment.
 
Our charter generally limits us to incurring debt no greater than 75% of the greater of the aggregate cost (before deducting depreciation or other non-cash reserves) or the aggregate fair market value of all of our assets as of the date of any borrowing, unless any excess borrowing is approved by a majority of our independent directors and disclosed to our stockholders in our next quarterly report, along with a justification for such excess borrowing. We expect that during the period of this offering we will request that our independent directors approve borrowings in excess of this limitation since we will then be in the process of raising our equity capital to acquire our portfolio. As a result, we expect that our debt levels will be higher until we have invested most of our capital. High debt levels would cause us to incur higher interest charges, would result in higher debt service payments, and could be accompanied by restrictive covenants. These factors could limit the amount of cash we have available to distribute and could result in a decline in the value of your investment.
 
Federal Income Tax Risks
 
Failure to qualify as a REIT would adversely affect our operations and our ability to make distributions.
 
We have elected to be taxed as a REIT beginning with the tax year ending December 31, 2008. In order for us to qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy certain requirements set forth in the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations and various factual matters and circumstances that are not entirely within our control. We intend to structure our activities in a manner designed to satisfy all of these requirements. However, if certain of our operations were to be recharacterized by the Internal Revenue Service, such recharacterization could jeopardize our ability to satisfy all of the requirements for qualification as a REIT. Proskauer Rose LLP, our legal counsel, has rendered its opinion that we will qualify as a REIT, based upon our representations as to the manner in which we are and will be owned, invest in assets and operate, among other things. However, our qualification as a REIT will depend upon our ability to meet, through investments, actual operating results, distributions and satisfaction of specific rules, the various tests imposed by the Internal Revenue Code. Proskauer Rose LLP will not review these operating results or compliance with the qualification standards on an ongoing basis. This means that we may fail to satisfy the REIT requirements in the future. Also, this opinion represents Proskauer Rose LLP’s legal judgment based on the law in effect as of the date of this prospectus. Proskauer Rose LLP’s opinion is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service or the courts and we will not apply for a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service regarding our status as a REIT. Future legislative, judicial or administrative changes to the federal income tax laws could be applied retroactively, which could result in our disqualification as a REIT.
 

 
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If we fail to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year, we will be subject to federal income tax on our taxable income at corporate rates. In addition, we would generally be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year of losing our REIT status. Losing our REIT status would reduce our net earnings available for investment or distribution to stockholders because of the additional tax liability. In addition, distributions to stockholders would no longer qualify for the dividends paid deduction, and we would no longer be required to make distributions. If this occurs, we might be required to borrow funds or liquidate some investments in order to pay the applicable tax.
 
Re-characterization of sale-leaseback transactions may cause us to lose our REIT status.
 
We may purchase properties and lease them back to the sellers of such properties. While we will use our best efforts to structure any such sale-leaseback transaction so that the lease will be characterized as a “true lease,” thereby allowing us to be treated as the owner of the property for federal income tax purposes, the IRS could challenge such characterization. In the event that any sale-leaseback transaction is challenged and re-characterized as a financing transaction or loan for federal income tax purposes, deductions for depreciation and cost recovery relating to such property would be disallowed. If a sale-leaseback transaction were so recharacterized, we might fail to satisfy the REIT qualification “asset tests” or the “income tests” and, consequently, lose our REIT status effective with the year of recharacterization. Alternatively, the amount of our REIT taxable income could be recalculated which might also cause us to fail to meet the distribution requirement for a taxable year.
 
You may have tax liability on distributions you elect to reinvest in our common stock.
 
If you participate in our distribution reinvestment plan, you will be deemed to have received, and for income tax purposes will be taxed on, the amount reinvested in common stock to the extent the amount reinvested was not a tax-free return of capital. As a result, unless you are a tax-exempt entity, you may have to use funds from other sources to pay your tax liability on the value of the common stock received.
 
In certain circumstances, we may be subject to federal and state income taxes as a REIT, which would reduce our cash available for distribution to you.
 
Even if we qualify and maintain our status as a REIT, we may be subject to federal income taxes or state taxes. For example, net income from the sale of properties that are “dealer” properties sold by a REIT (a “prohibited transaction” under the Internal Revenue Code) will be subject to a 100% tax. We may not be able to make sufficient distributions to avoid excise taxes applicable to REITs. We may also decide to retain income we earn from the sale or other disposition of our property and pay income tax directly on such income. In that event, our stockholders would be treated as if they earned that income and paid the tax on it directly. However, stockholders that are tax-exempt, such as charities or qualified pension plans, would have no benefit from their deemed payment of such tax liability. We may also be subject to state and local taxes on our income or property, either directly or at the level of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. or at the level of the other companies through which we indirectly own our assets. Any federal or state taxes we pay will reduce our cash available for distribution to you.
 
Legislative or regulatory action could adversely affect investors.
 
Because our operations are governed to a significant extent by the federal tax laws, new legislative or regulatory action could adversely affect investors.
 
You are urged to consult with your own tax advisor with respect to the status of legislative, regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our common stock. You should also note that our counsel’s tax opinion assumes that no legislation will be enacted after the date of this prospectus that will be applicable to an investment in our shares.
 

 
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Foreign purchasers of our common stock may be subject to FIRPTA tax upon the sale of their shares.
 
A foreign person disposing of a U.S. real property interest, including shares of a U.S. corporation whose assets consist principally of U.S. real property interests, is generally subject to the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax of 1980, as amended, known as FIRPTA, on the gain recognized on the disposition. Such FIRPTA tax does not apply, however, to the disposition of stock in a REIT if the REIT is “domestically controlled.” A REIT is “domestically controlled” if less than 50% of the REIT’s stock, by value, has been owned directly or indirectly by persons who are not qualifying U.S. persons during a continuous five-year period ending on the date of disposition or, if shorter, during the entire period of the REIT’s existence. We cannot assure you that we will qualify as a “domestically controlled” REIT. If we were to fail to so qualify, gain realized by foreign investors on a sale of our shares would be subject to FIRPTA tax, unless our shares were traded on an established securities market and the foreign investor did not at any time during a specified testing period directly or indirectly own more than 5% of the value of our outstanding common stock. See “Federal Income Tax Considerations — Special Tax Considerations for Non-U.S. Stockholders — Sale of our Shares by a Non-U.S. Stockholder.”
 
In order to avoid triggering additional taxes and/or penalties, if you intend to invest in our shares through pension or profit-sharing trusts or IRAs, you should consider additional factors.
 
If you are investing the assets of a pension, profit-sharing, 401(k), Keogh or other qualified retirement plan or the assets of an IRA in our common stock, you should satisfy yourself that, among other things:
 
 
·
your investment is consistent with your fiduciary obligations under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code;
 
 
·
your investment is made in accordance with the documents and instruments governing your plan or IRA, including your plan’s investment policy;
 
 
·
your investment satisfies the prudence and diversification requirements of ERISA;
 
 
·
your investment will not impair the liquidity of the plan or IRA;
 
 
·
your investment will not produce UBTI for the plan or IRA;
 
 
·
you will be able to value the assets of the plan annually in accordance with ERISA requirements; and
 
 
·
your investment will not constitute a prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code.
 
For a more complete discussion of the foregoing risks and other issues associated with an investment in shares by retirement plans, please see the “Investment by Tax-Exempt Entities and ERISA Considerations” section of this prospectus.
 

 
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
 
Certain statements contained in this registration statement, other than historical facts, may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. We intend for all such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act, as applicable by law. Such statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies, and prospects and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, as well as known and unknown risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. Therefore, such statements are not intended to be a guarantee of our performance in future periods. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” or other similar words. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date this report is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We make no representation or warranty (express or implied) about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements contained in this registration statement, and we do not undertake to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Any forward-looking statements are subject to unknown risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of this registration statement.
 

 
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ESTIMATED USE OF PROCEEDS
 
The following table sets forth information about how we intend to use the proceeds raised in this offering, assuming that we sell the maximum offering of 150,000,000 shares of common stock pursuant to this offering. Many of the figures set forth below represent management’s best estimate since they cannot be precisely calculated at this time. Assuming a maximum offering, we expect that approximately 87.115% of the money that stockholders invest will be used to buy real estate or make other investments and approximately 0.1% will be used for working capital, while the remaining approximately 12.885% will be used to pay expenses and fees including the payment of fees to Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, our advisor, and Realty Capital Securities, LLC, our dealer manager.

   
Maximum Offering Amount (1)
   
Minimum Offering Amount (2)
   
Percent
 
Gross Offering Proceeds
    1,500,000,000       7,500,000       100  
Less Public Offering Expenses:
                       
Selling Commissions and Dealer Manager Fee (3)
    150,000,000       750,000       10.0  
Organization and Offering Expenses (4)
    22,500,000       112,500       1.5  
Amount Available for Investment (5)
    1,327,500,000       6,637,500       88.5  
Acquisition and Development:
                       
Acquisition Fees (6)
    13,275,000       66,375       0.885  
Acquisition Expenses (7)
    6,000,000       30,000       0.4  
Initial Working Capital Reserve (8)
    1,500,000       7,500       0.1  
Amount Invested in Properties (9)
    1,306,725,000       6,533,625       87.115  
________________
 
 
(1)
Assumes the maximum offering is sold, which includes 150,000,000 shares offered to the public at $10.00 per share. No effect is given to the 25,000,000 shares offered pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan at $9.50 per share.

 
(2)
Assumes the minimum offering is sold, which includes 750,000 shares offered to the public at $10.00 per share. No effect is given to the shares offered pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan.

 
(3)
Includes selling commissions equal to 7% of aggregate gross offering proceeds, which commissions may be reduced for volume discounts described in “Plan of Distribution – Volume Discounts”  herein, and a dealer manager fee equal to 3% of aggregate gross offering proceeds, both of which are payable to the dealer manager, an affiliate of our advisor. The dealer manager, in its sole discretion, may reallow selling commissions of up to 7% of gross offering proceeds to other broker-dealers participating in this offering attributable to the shares sold by them and may reallow its dealer manager fee up to 2.5% of gross offering proceeds in marketing fees and 0.5% of gross offering proceeds in “bona fide” due diligence expenses (identified in an itemized invoice of their actual costs) to broker-dealers participating in this offering based on such factors including the participating broker-dealer’s level of marketing support, level of due diligence review and success of its sales efforts, each as compared to those of the other participating broker-dealers. Additionally, we will not pay a selling commission or a dealer manager fee on shares purchased pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan. See the “Plan of Distribution” section of this prospectus for a description of the volume discount provisions.

 
(4)
Organization and offering expenses consist of reimbursement of actual legal, accounting, printing and other accountable offering expenses, including amounts to reimburse American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, our advisor, for marketing, salaries and direct expenses of its employees, and employees of its affiliates while engaged in registering and marketing the shares (including, without limitation, development of marketing materials and marketing presentations, and participating in due diligence, training seminars and educational conferences) and other marketing, coordination, administrative oversight and organization costs, other than selling commissions and the dealer manager fee. American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its affiliates are responsible for the payment of organization and offering expenses, other than selling commissions and the dealer manager fee, to the extent they exceed 1.5% of gross offering proceeds, without recourse against or reimbursement by us; provided, however, that in no event will we pay or reimburse organization and offering expenses in excess of 10% of the gross offering proceeds. We currently estimate that approximately $22,500,000 of organization and offering costs will be incurred if the maximum offering of 150,000,000 shares is sold.


 
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(5)
Until required in connection with the acquisition and/or development of properties, substantially all of the net proceeds of the offering and, thereafter, any working capital reserves we may have, may be invested in short-term, highly-liquid investments including government obligations, bank certificates of deposit, short-term debt obligations and interest-bearing accounts.

 
(6)
Acquisition fees are defined generally as fees and commissions paid by any party to any person in connection with identifying, reviewing, evaluating, investing in and the purchase, development or construction of properties. We will pay to our advisor, acquisition fees of 1% of the gross purchase price of each property acquired, which for purposes of this table we have assumed is an aggregate amount equal to our estimated amount invested in properties. Acquisition fees do not include acquisition expenses. For purposes of this table, we have assumed that no financing is used to acquire properties or other real estate assets.

 
(7)
Acquisition expenses include legal fees and expenses, travel expenses, costs of appraisals, nonrefundable option payments on property not acquired, accounting fees and expenses, title insurance premiums and other closing costs, personnel costs and miscellaneous expenses relating to the selection, acquisition and development of real estate properties. For purposes of this table, we have assumed expenses of 0.5% of average invested assets, which for purposes of this table we have assumed is our estimated amount invested in properties; however, expenses on a particular acquisition may be higher. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the total of all acquisition expenses and acquisition fees payable with respect to a particular property or investment shall be reasonable, and shall not exceed an amount equal to 4% of the gross purchase price of the property, or in the case of a mortgage loan 4% of the funds advanced, unless a majority of our directors (including a majority of our independent directors) not otherwise interested in the transaction approve fees and expenses in excess of this limit and determine the transaction to be commercially competitive, fair and reasonable to us.

 
(8)
Working capital reserves typically are utilized for extraordinary expenses that are not covered by revenue generation of the property, such as tenant improvements, leasing commissions and major capital expenditures. Alternatively, a lender may require its own formula for escrow of working capital reserves. Because we expect most of our leases will be “net” leases, as described elsewhere herein, we do not expect to maintain significant working capital reserves.

 
(9)
Includes amounts anticipated to be invested in properties net of fees, expenses and initial working capital reserves.


 
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MANAGEMENT
 
General
 
We operate under the direction of our board of directors, the members of which are accountable to us and our stockholders as fiduciaries. The board is responsible for the overall management and control of our affairs. The board has retained American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC to manage our day-to-day affairs and the acquisition and disposition of our investments, subject to the board’s supervision. As described in greater detail under “Our Advisor,” below, our advisor will be responsible (with the approval of the independent directors, in the case of the purchase of a property from an affiliate) for making investment decisions where the purchase price of a particular property is less than $15,000,000 and the investment does not exceed stated leverage limitations. Where such leverage limitations are exceeded or where the purchase price is equal to or greater than $15,000,000, investment decisions will be made by our board of directors.
 
Our charter has been reviewed and ratified by our entire board of directors, including the independent directors. This ratification by our board of directors is required by the Statement of Policy Regarding Real Estate Investment Trusts published by the North American Securities Administrators Association, also known as the NASAA REIT Guidelines.
 
Our charter and bylaws provide that the number of our directors may be established by a majority of the entire board of directors, and after we commence this offering may not be fewer than three nor more than nine. Our charter provides that, after we commence this offering, a majority of the directors must be independent directors, except for a period of up to 60 days after the death, resignation or removal of an independent director. An “independent director” is a person who is not one of our officers or employees or an officer or employee of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or its affiliates or any other real estate investment trust organized by our sponsor or advised by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, has not otherwise been affiliated with such entities for the previous two years and does not serve as a director of more than three REITs organized by any principal executive or advised by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. Of our five directors, three are considered independent directors. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or officers, or officers of our advisor. Each director must have at least three years of relevant experience demonstrating the knowledge and experience required to successfully acquire and manage the type of assets being acquired by us. At least one of the independent directors must have at least three years of relevant real estate experience and at least one of our independent directors must be a financial expert with at least three years of relevant financial experience. Currently, substantially all of our directors has substantially in excess of three years of relevant real estate experience.
 
Each director will serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. Although the number of directors may be increased or decreased, a decrease will not have the effect of shortening the term of any incumbent director.
 
Any director may resign at any time and may be removed with or without cause by the stockholders upon the affirmative vote of at least a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at a meeting properly called for the purpose of the proposed removal.
 
Any vacancy created by an increase in the number of directors or the death, resignation, removal, adjudicated incompetence or other incapacity of a director may be filled only by a vote of a majority of the remaining directors. Independent directors shall nominate replacements for vacancies in the independent director positions. If at any time there are no directors in office, successor directors shall be elected by the stockholders. Each director will be bound by the charter and the bylaws.
 
The directors are not required to devote all of their time to our business and are only required to devote the time to our affairs as their duties require. The directors meet quarterly or more frequently if necessary. Our directors are not required to devote a substantial portion of their time to discharge their duties as our directors. Consequently, in the exercise of their responsibilities, the directors heavily rely on our advisor. Our directors have a fiduciary duty to our stockholders to supervise the relationship between us and our advisor. The board is empowered to fix the compensation of all officers that it selects and approve the payment of compensation to directors for services rendered to us in any other capacity.
 
Our board of directors has established policies on investments and borrowing, the general terms of which are set forth in this prospectus. The directors may establish further policies on investments and borrowings and are required to monitor our administrative procedures, investment operations and performance to ensure that the policies are fulfilled and are in the best interest of our stockholders.
 

 
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The independent directors are responsible for reviewing our fees and expenses on at least an annual basis and with sufficient frequency to determine that the expenses incurred are in the best interest of the stockholders. In addition, a majority of the directors, including a majority of the independent directors who are not otherwise interested in the transaction, must determine that any transaction with American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or its affiliates is fair and reasonable to us. The independent directors also are responsible for reviewing the performance of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and determining that the compensation to be paid to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC is reasonable in relation to the nature and quality of services to be performed and that the provisions of the advisory agreement are being carried out. Specifically, the independent directors consider factors such as:
 
 
·
the amount of the fees paid to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or its affiliates in relation to the size, composition and performance of our investments;
 
 
·
the success of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC in generating appropriate investment opportunities;
 
 
·
rates charged to other REITs, and other investors by advisors performing similar services;
 
 
·
additional revenues realized by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its affiliates through their relationship with us, whether we pay them or they are paid by others with whom we do business;
 
 
·
the quality and extent of service and advice furnished by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC;
 
 
·
the performance of our investment portfolio, including income, conservation or appreciation of capital, frequency of problem investments and competence in dealing with distress situations; and
 
 
·
the quality of our portfolio relative to the investments generated by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or its affiliates for its other clients.
 
Neither our advisor or any of its affiliates nor any director may vote or consent to the voting of shares of our common stock they now own or hereafter acquire on matters submitted to the stockholders regarding either (a) the removal of such director or American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC as our advisor, or (b) any transaction between us and American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, such director or any of their respective affiliates.
 
Committees of the Board of Directors
 
Our entire board of directors considers all major decisions concerning our business, including property acquisitions. However, our bylaws provide that our board must establish an audit committee composed of three independent directors (one of whom must be an expert in the field of finance) and may establish an Executive Committee, a Compensation Committee or such other committees as the board believes appropriate. The board will appoint the members of the committee in the board’s discretion. Our bylaws require that a majority of the members of each committee of our board other than the audit committee be comprised of independent directors. Our board of directors has established and adopted charters for an audit committee, a conflicts committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee.
 
Audit Committee
 
Our board of directors has established an audit committee, which consists of our three independent directors. The audit committee, by approval of at least a majority of the members, selects the independent registered public accounting firm to audit our annual financial statements, reviews with the independent registered public accounting firm the plans and results of the audit engagement, approves the audit and non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm, reviews the independence of the independent registered public accounting firm, considers the range of audit and non-audit fees and reviews the adequacy of our internal accounting controls. Our board of directors has adopted a charter for the audit committee that sets forth its specific functions and responsibilities. The financial statements contained in the prospectus were audited by our independent registered public accounting firm who were not approved or selected by an audit committee containing any independent directors. Also, the financial statements were not reviewed by independent directors.
 
Executive Officers and Directors
 
We have provided below certain information about our executive officers and directors, all of whom, other than the Independent Directors, are employees only of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and not of any other of the affiliates.
 
Name
 
Age
 
Position(s)
Nicholas S. Schorsch
 
48
 
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer
William M. Kahane
 
61
 
President, Chief Operating Officer, Treasurer and Director
Peter M. Budko
 
49
 
Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer
Brian S. Block
 
37
 
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Michael Weil
 
42
 
Executive Vice President and Secretary
Leslie D. Michelson
 
58
 
Independent Director
William G. Stanley
 
54
 
Independent Director
Robert H. Burns
 
79
 
Independent Director
 
 
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Nicholas S. Schorsch has served as the chairman of the board and chief executive officer of our company since our formation. He also has been the chief executive officer of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC, and American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC since its formation. Prior to his current position with our company, from September 2006 to July 2007, Mr. Schorsch was Chief Executive Officer of an affiliate, American Realty Capital, a real estate investment firm. Mr. Schorsch founded and formerly served as President, CEO and Vice-Chairman of American Financial Realty Trust (“AFR”) since its inception as a REIT in September 2002 until August 2006. American Financial Realty Trust is a publicly traded REIT that invests exclusively in offices, operation centers, bank branches, and other operating real estate assets that are net leased to tenants in the financial service industry such as banks and insurance companies. Through American Financial Resource Group and its successor corporation, now American Financial Realty Trust, Mr. Schorsch has executed in excess of 1,000 acquisitions, both in acquiring businesses and real estate property with transactional value of approximately $5 billion. In 2003, Mr. Schorsch received an Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst & Young. From 1995 to September 2002, Mr. Schorsch served as CEO and President of American Financial Resource Group (“AFRG”), AFR’s predecessor, a private equity firm founded for the purpose of acquiring operating companies and other assets in a number of industries. In 1998, Mr. Schorsch was engaged in operating Arlington Cemetery and several other AFRG highly specialized enterprises when he learned that First Union Corporation was divesting 105 bank branches. He offered to buy the entire portfolio and approximately one month later Mr. Schorsch had closed on all 105 branches. Prior to this transaction, it was very unusual to buy a portfolio of this magnitude without first “cherry-picking” the best locations. Prior to AFRG, Mr. Schorsch served as President of a non-ferrous metal product manufacturing business, Thermal Reduction. He successfully built the business through mergers and acquisitions and ultimately sold his interests to Corrpro (NYSE) in 1994.
 
William M. Kahane has served as President, chief operating officer and treasurer of our company since its formation. He has been active in the structuring and financial management of commercial real estate investments for over 25 years. He is also president, chief operating officer and treasurer of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC and American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. Mr. Kahane began his career as a real estate lawyer practicing in the public and private sectors from 1974-1979. From 1981-1992 Mr. Kahane worked at Morgan Stanley & Co., specializing in real estate, becoming a Managing Director in 1989. In 1992, Mr. Kahane left Morgan Stanley to establish a real estate advisory and asset sales business known as Milestone Partners which continues to operate and of which Mr. Kahane is currently the Chairman. Mr. Kahane worked very closely with Mr. Schorsch while a trustee at AFRT (2003 to 2006), during which time Mr. Kahane served as Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees. Mr. Kahane has been a Managing Director of GF Capital Management & Advisors LLC, a New York-based merchant banking firm, where he directs the firm’s real estate investments since 2001. GF Capital offers comprehensive wealth management services through its subsidiary TAG Associates LLC, a leading multi-client family office and portfolio management services company with approximately $5 billion of assets under management. Mr. Kahane also was on the Board of Directors of Catellus Development Corp., an NYSE growth-oriented real estate development company, where he served as Chairman.
 
Peter M. Budko has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of our company since its formation. He also is executive vice president and chief investment officer of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, American Realty Capital Properties, LLC and Realty Capital Securities, LLC. Prior to his current position, from January 2007 to July 2007, Mr. Budko was Chief Operating Officer of an affiliated American Realty Capital real estate investment firm. Mr. Budko founded and formerly served as Managing Director and Group Head of the Structured Asset Finance Group, a division of Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC from 1997-2006. The Structured Asset Finance Group structures and invests in real estate that is net leased to corporate tenants. While at Wachovia, Mr. Budko acquired over $5 billion of net leased real estate assets. From 1987-1997, Mr. Budko worked in the Corporate Real Estate Finance Group at NationsBank Capital Market (predecessor to Bank of America Securities) becoming head of the group in 1990.
 
Brian S. Block has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since September 2007. He is also Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of American Realty Capital, LLC and American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. Mr. Block is responsible for the accounting, finance and reporting functions at ARC. He has extensive experience in SEC reporting requirements as well as REIT tax compliance matters. Mr. Block has been instrumental in developing ARC’s infrastructure and positioning the organization for growth. Mr. Block began his career in public accounting at Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen from 1994 to 2000. Subsequently, Mr. Block was the Chief Financial Officer of a venture capital-backed technology company for several years prior to joining AFRT in 2002. While at AFRT, Mr. Block served as Chief Accounting Officer from 2003 to 2007 and oversaw the financial, administrative and reporting functions of the organization. He is a certified public accountant and is a member of the AICPA and PICPA. Mr. Block serves on the REIT Committee of the Investment Program Association.
 

 
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Michael Weil has served as our Executive Vice President and Secretary since May 2007. He also is executive vice president and chief financial officer of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. He was formerly the Senior Vice President of Sales and Leasing for American Financial Realty Trust (AFR, from April 2004 to October 2006), where he was responsible for the disposition and leasing activity for a 33 million square foot portfolio. Under the direction of Mr. Weil, his department was the sole contributor in the increase of occupancy and portfolio revenue through the sales of over 200 properties and the leasing of over 2.2 million square feet, averaging 325,000 square feet of newly executed leases per quarter. After working at AFR, from October 2006 to May 2007, Mr. Weil was managing director of Milestone Partners Limited and prior to joining AFR, from July 1987 to April 2004, Mr. Weil was president of Plymouth Pump & Systems Co.
 
Leslie D. Michelson was appointed as an Independent Director of our company on January 22, 2008. Mr. Michelson has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Private Health Management, a retainer-based primary care medical practice management company since April 2007. Mr. Michelson served as Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the world’s largest private source of prostate cancer research funding, from April 2002 until December 2006 and currently serves on its Board of Directors. Mr. Michelson served on the Board of Directors of Catellus Development Corp. (a publicly traded national mixed-use and retail developer) from 1997 until 2004 when the company was sold to ProLogis. Mr. Michelson was a member of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors for 5 years. From April 2001 to April 2002, he was an investor in, and served as an advisor or director of, a portfolio of entrepreneurial healthcare, technology and real estate companies. From March 2000 to August 2001, he served as Chief Executive Officer and as a director of Acurian, Inc., an Internet company that accelerates clinical trials for new prescription drugs. From 1999 to March 2000, Mr. Michelson served as an adviser of Saybrook Capital, LLC, an investment bank specializing in the real estate and health care industries. From June 1998 to February 1999, Mr. Michelson served as Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Protocare, Inc., a manager of clinical trials for the pharmaceutical industry and disease management firm. From 1988 to 1998, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Value Health Sciences, Inc., an applied health services research firm he co-founded. Since June 2004 and through the present, he has been and is a director of Nastech Pharmaceutical Company Inc., a NASDAQ-traded biotechnology company focused on innovative drug delivery technology, Highlands Acquisition Company, a AMEX-traded special purpose acquisition company, and Landmark Imaging, a privately held imaging center. Also since June 2004 and through the present, he has been and is a Director of ALS-TDI, a philanthropy dedicated to curing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Mr. Michelson received his B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University in 1973 and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1976.
 
William G. Stanley was appointed as an Independent Director of our company on January 22, 2008. Mr. Stanley is the founder and managing member of Stanley Laman Securities, LLC (SLS), a FINRA member broker-dealer, since 2004, and the founder and president of The Stanley-Laman Group, Ltd (SLG), a registered investment advisor for high net worth clients since 1997. SLG has built a multi-member staff which critically and extensively studies the research of the world’s leading economists and technical analysts to support its tactical approach to portfolio management. Over its history, SLG and SLS have assembled a unique and impressive array of intellectual property in the investment, estate, tax and business planning arenas and boasts a portfolio management returns that rivals or exceeds top global managers. Additionally SLG counts some of the countries wealthiest and most successful business owners and entrepreneurs as its clients. Mr. Stanley has been Managing Member of Stanley Laman Securities, LLC from 2004 to the present and President of the Stanley-Laman Group, Ltd. Mr. Stanley has earned designations as a Chartered Financial Consultant, Chartered Life Underwriter, and received his Masters of Financial Sciences from the American College in 1997. From 1977 to 1979, Mr. Stanley served as a District Field Representative at General Electric Capital. From 1979 to 1986, Mr. Stanley was a Senior Vice President at Capital Analysts (CA) of Radnor, Pennsylvania, a national investment advisory firm. From 1986 to 1991, Mr. Stanley was Senior Vice President at First Capital Analysts (CA Affiliate). Stanley’s practice within CA was to serve the ultra high net worth private business owners and investors and specialized in bringing creative investment and planning trends to his clients. In the early 1980’s Mr. Stanley identified the emergence of cable television, real estate syndications, equipment leasing, mutual funds, and high yield bonds as investment trends. Mr. Stanley rose quickly within CA and became a national production leader. At 30, he chaired the CA National Field Advisory Board. As the Chair of that Board, Mr. Stanley brought the interest in technology and creativity that was forged at GE to CA. CA employed teams consisting of lawyers, accountants and other financial specialists to support their integrated approach to investment and tax planning.
 

 
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Robert H. Burns was appointed as an Independent Director of our company on January 22, 2008. Mr. Burns is a hotel industry veteran with an international reputation and over thirty years of hotel, real estate, food and beverage and retail experience. Mr. Burns founded and built the luxurious Regent International Hotels brand, which he sold in 1992.
 
From 1970 to 1992, Mr. Burns served as chairman and chief executive officer of Regent International Hotels, where he was personally involved in all strategic and major operating decisions. In this connection, Mr. Burns and his team of professionals performed site selection, obtained land use and zoning approvals, performed all property due diligence, financed each project by raising both equity and arranging debt, oversaw planning, design and construction of each hotel property, and managed each asset. Each Regent hotel typically contained a significant food and beverage element and high-end retail component, frequently including luxury goods such as clothing, jewelry, and well as retail shops. In fact, Mr. Burns is extremely familiar with the retail landscape as his flagship hotel in Hong Kong was part of a mixed-use complex anchored by a major enclosed shopping center connected to the Regent Hong Kong. Thus, Mr. Burns has over forty (40) years as a manager and principal acquiring, financing, developing and operating properties.
 
Mr. Burns opened the first Regent hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1970. From 1970 to 1979, the company opened and managed a number of prominent hotels, but gained truly international recognition in 1980 with the opening of The Regent Hong Kong, which brought a new dimension in amenities and service to hotels in the city and attracted attention throughout the world. It was in this way that the hotel innovatively combined the Eastern standard of service excellence with the Western standard of luxurious spaces. In all, Mr. Burns developed over 18 major hotel projects including the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City, the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan, Italy, and the Four Seasons Hotel in Bali, Indonesia.
 
Mr. Burns currently serves as Chairman of Barings’ Chrysalis Emerging Markets Fund (since 1991) and as a director of Barings’ Asia Pacific Fund (since 1986). Additionally, he is a member of the executive committee of the board of directors of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City (since 2000), and chairs the Robert H. Burns Foundation which he founded in 1992 and which funds the education of Asian students at American schools. Mr. Burns frequently lectures at Stanford Business School.
 
Mr. Burns was chairman and co-founder of the World Travel and Tourism Council (1994 to 1996), a forum for business leaders in the travel and tourism industry. With Chief Executives of some one hundred of the world’s leading travel and tourism companies as its members, WTTC has a unique mandate and overview on all matters related to travel and tourism. He served as a faculty member at the University of Hawaii (1963 to 1994) and as president of the Hawaii Hotel Association (1968 to 1970).
 
Mr. Burns began his career in Sheraton’s Executive Training Program in 1958, and advanced rapidly within Sheraton and then within Westin Hotels (1962 to 1963). He later spent eight years with Hilton International Hotels (1963 to 1970).
 
Mr. Burns graduated from the School of Hotel Management at Michigan State University (1958), and the University of Michigan’s Graduate School of Business (1960), after serving three years in the U.S. Army in Korea. For the past 5 years Mr. Burns has devoted his time to owning and operating Villa Feltrinelli on Lago di Garda, in Northern Italy, a small, luxury hotel, and working on developing hotel projects in Asia, focusing on Vietnam and China.
 
Compensation of Directors
 
We pay to each of our independent directors a retainer of $25,000 per year, plus $2,000 for each board or board committee meeting the director attends in person ($2,500 for attendance by the chairperson of the audit committee at each meeting of the audit committee) and $250 for each meeting the director attends by telephone. In the event there is a meeting of the board and one or more committees in a single day, the fees will be limited to $2,500 per day ($3,000 for the chairperson of the audit committee if there is a meeting of such committee). In addition, we have reserved 1,000,000 shares of common stock for future issuance upon the exercise of stock options that may be granted to our independent directors pursuant to our stock option plan (described below). We have granted each of our independent directors options to purchase 6,000 shares of common stock.  Three thousand shares were granted to them on the date such independent director was elected as a director and an additional 3,000 were granted at the first annual stockholders meeting. The independent directors shall receive additional 3,000-share option grants on the date of each annual meeting of stockholders, each with an exercise price equal to $10.00 per share during such time as we are offering shares to the public at $10.00 per share and thereafter at 100% of the then-current fair market value per share. The independent directors received their second options to purchase 3,000 shares at the 2009 annual stockholders’ meeting.  The total number of options granted will not exceed 10% of the total outstanding shares at the time of grant. All directors receive reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at meetings of our board of directors. If a director is also an employee of American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. or American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or their affiliates, we do not pay compensation for services rendered as a director.
 

 
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Name
 
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($)
 
Option Awards ($)
Independent
Directors (2)
 
$25,000 yearly retainer; $2,000 for all meetings personally attended by the directors and $250 for each meeting attended via telephone. (1)
 
We have granted each of our independent directors options to purchase 6,000 shares of common stock. An initial 3,000 options were granted to them on the date such independent director was elected as a director. Such options have an exercise price equal to $10.00 per share and vest after two years from the date of grant. Nonqualified options will be granted on the date of each annual stockholder meeting to purchase 3,000 shares of common stock at $10.00 per share until the termination of the initial public offering, and thereafter, at fair market value.  Accordingly, a second grant of 3,000 options occurred in connection with our initial annual shareholders meeting.
________________
 
 
(1)
If there is a board meeting and one or more committee meetings in one day, the director’s fees shall not exceed $2,500 ($3,000 for the chairperson of the audit committee if there is a meeting of such committee).

 
(2)
An independent director who is also an audit committee chairperson will receive an additional $500 for personal attendance of all audit committee meetings.

Stock Option Plan
 
We have adopted a stock option plan under which our independent directors are eligible to receive annual nondiscretionary awards of nonqualified stock options. Our stock option plan is designed to enhance our profitability and value for the benefit of our stockholders by enabling us to offer independent directors stock-based incentives, thereby creating a means to raise the level of equity ownership by such individuals in order to attract, retain and reward such individuals and strengthen the mutuality of interests between such individuals and our stockholders.
 
We have authorized and reserved 1,000,000 shares of our common stock for issuance under our stock option plan. The board of directors may make appropriate adjustments to the number of shares available for awards and the terms of outstanding awards under our stock option plan to reflect any change in our capital structure or business, stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets.
Our stock option plan provides for the automatic grant of a nonqualified stock option to each of our independent directors, without any further action by our board of directors or the stockholders, to purchase 3,000 shares of our common stock on the date of each annual stockholder’s meeting. The exercise price for all stock options granted under our stock option plan will be fixed at $10.00 per share until the termination of our initial public offering, and thereafter the exercise price for stock options granted to our independent directors will be equal to the last sales price reported for a share on the last business day preceding the annual meeting of stockholders. It is intended that the exercise price for options granted under our stock option plan will be at least 100% of the fair market value of our common stock as of the date the option is granted.  The term of each such option will be 10 years. Options granted to non-employee directors will vest and become exercisable on the second anniversary of the date of grant, provided that the independent director is a director on the board of directors on that date.  As of October 20, 2009, we have granted the independent directors options to purchase 6,000 shares of common stock under the stock option plan.
  
Notwithstanding any other provisions of our stock option plan to the contrary, no stock option issued pursuant thereto may be exercised if such exercise would jeopardize our status as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. The total number of options granted will not exceed 10% of the total outstanding shares at the time of grant.
 
Compliance with the American Jobs Creation Act
 
As part of our strategy for compensating our independent directors, we have issued, and we intend to issue, options to purchase our common stock under our independent directors’ stock option plan, which is described above. This method of compensating individuals may possibly be considered to be a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code.
 

 
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Under Section 409A, “nonqualified deferred compensation plans” must meet certain requirements regarding the timing of distributions or payments and the timing of agreements or elections to defer payments, and must also prohibit any possibility of acceleration of distributions or payments, as well as certain other requirements. Stock options with an exercise price that is less than the fair market value of the underlying stock as of the date of grant would be considered a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan.”
 
If Section 409A applies to any of the awards issued under the plan, or if Section 409A applies to any other arrangement or agreement that we may make, and if such award, arrangement or agreement does not meet the timing and other requirements of Section 409A, then (a) all amounts deferred for all taxable years under the award, arrangement or agreement would be currently includible in the gross income of the recipient of such award or of such deferred amount to the extent not subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture and not previously included in the gross income of the recipient, (b) interest at the underpayment rate plus 1% would be imposed on the underpayments that would have occurred had the compensation been includible in income when first deferred (or, if later, when not subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture) would be imposed upon the recipient and (c) a 20% additional tax would be imposed on the recipient with respect to the amounts required to be included in the recipient’s income. Furthermore, if the affected individual is our employee, we would be required to withhold federal income taxes on the amount deferred but includible in income due to Section 409A, although there may be no funds currently being paid to the individual from which we could withhold such taxes. We would also be required to report on an appropriate form (W-2 or 1099) amounts which are deferred, whether or not they meet the requirements of Section 409A, and if we fail to do so, penalties could apply.
 
We do not intend to issue any award, or enter into any agreement or arrangement that would be considered a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” under Section 409A, unless such award, agreement or arrangement complies with the timing and other requirements of Section 409A. It is our current belief, based upon the statute, the regulations issued under Section 409A and legislative history, the options we have granted and that we currently intend to implement will not be subject to taxation under Section 409A because the options will not be considered a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan.” Nonetheless, there can be no assurances that any options award, agreement or arrangement which we have entered into will not be affected by Section 409A, or that any such award, agreement or arrangement will not be subject to income taxation under Section 409A.
 
Limited Liability and Indemnification of Directors, Officers, Employees and Other Agents
 
Except as set forth below, our charter and bylaws limit the personal liability of our directors and officers to us and our stockholders for monetary damages and require us to indemnify and pay or reimburse the reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to:
 
 
·
any individual who is a present or former director or officer of the company and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity;
 
 
·
any individual who, while a director or officer of the company and at the request of the company, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, or trustee of another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity; and
 
 
·
our advisor and of any of its affiliates, acting as an agent of the company.
 
Our charter provides that a director, our advisor or any of its affiliates will be indemnified by us for losses suffered by it and held harmless for losses suffered by us only if all of the following conditions are met:
 
 
·
the director, our advisor or its affiliate has determined, in good faith, that the course of conduct which caused the loss or liability was in our best interest;
 
 
·
the director, our advisor or its affiliate was acting on our behalf or performing services for us; and
 
 
·
the liability or loss was not the result of (A) negligence or misconduct by the director (other than an independent director), our advisor or its affiliate or (B) gross negligence or willful misconduct by an independent director.
 
In addition, any indemnification or any agreement to hold harmless is recoverable only out of our assets and not from the stockholders. Indemnification could reduce the legal remedies available to us and the stockholders against the indemnified individuals.
 

 
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This provision does not reduce the exposure of directors and officers to liability under federal or state securities laws, nor does it limit the stockholder’s ability to obtain injunctive relief or other equitable remedies for a violation of a director’s or an officer’s duties to us or our stockholders, although the equitable remedies may not be an effective remedy in some circumstances.
 
Our charter also prohibits us from providing indemnification for losses and liabilities arising from alleged violations of federal or state securities laws unless one or more of the following conditions are met:
 
 
·
there has been a successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving alleged securities law violations as to the particular indemnitee;
 
 
·
such claims have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction as to the particular indemnitee; or
 
 
·
a court of competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against a particular indemnitee and finds that indemnification of the settlement and the related costs should be made, and the court considering the request for indemnification has been advised of the position of the SEC and of the published position of any state securities regulatory authority in which securities of us were offered or sold as to indemnification for violation of securities laws.
 
Our charter further prohibits us from paying or reimbursing the reasonable legal expenses and other costs incurred by a director, our advisor or any affiliate of our advisor, in advance of final disposition of a proceeding, unless:
 
 
·
the proceeding relates to acts or omissions with respect to the performance of duties or services on our behalf;
 
 
·
the director, our advisor or its affiliate provides us with a written affirmation of his, her or its good faith belief that he, she or it has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification;
 
 
·
the proceeding was initiated by a third party who is not a stockholder or, if initiated by a stockholder acting in his or her capacity as such, a court of competent jurisdiction approves such reimbursement or advancement of expenses; and
 
 
·
the director, our advisor or its affiliate provides us with a written undertaking to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by us, together with the applicable legal rate of interest if it is ultimately determined that the director, our advisor or its affiliate did not comply with the requisite standard of conduct.
 
Provided the above conditions are met, we have also agreed to indemnify and hold harmless our advisor and its affiliates performing services for us from any loss or liability arising out of the performance of its/their obligations under the advisory agreement. As a result, we and our stockholders may be entitled to a more limited right of action than we and you would otherwise have if these indemnification rights were not included in the charter and bylaws or the advisory agreement.
 
In addition to the limitations imposed by our charter, Maryland law provides that a Maryland corporation may not limit the liability of directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders if such liability results from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment and which is material to the cause of action.
 
Maryland law also allows directors and officers to be indemnified against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and expenses actually incurred in a proceeding unless the following can be established:
 
 
·
the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the cause of action adjudicated in the proceeding and was committed in bad faith or was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty;
 
 
·
the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or
 
 
·
with respect to any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe his or her act or omission was unlawful.
 
We have been informed that the SEC and some states’ securities commissions take the position that indemnification against liabilities arising under the Securities Act is against public policy and unenforceable.
 
The general effect to investors of any arrangement under which any controlling person, director or officer of us is insured or indemnified against liability is a potential reduction in distributions resulting from our payment of premiums associated with insurance. In addition, indemnification could reduce the legal remedies available to us and our stockholders against the officers and directors.
 

 
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The Advisor
 
Our advisor is American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. Our officers and two of our directors also are officers, key personnel and/or members of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC has contractual responsibility to us and our stockholders pursuant to the advisory agreement. American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC is indirectly wholly-owned and controlled by Messrs. Schorsch and Kahane and certain other executives.
The officers and key personnel of our advisor are as follows:
 
Name
 
Age
 
Position(s)
 
Nicholas S. Schorsch
 
 
48
 
 
Chief Executive Officer
 
William M. Kahane
 
 
61
 
 
President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer
 
Peter M. Budko
 
 
49
 
 
Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer
 
Brian S. Block
 
 
37
 
 
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
 
Michael Weil
 
 
42
 
 
Executive Vice President and Secretary
 
Louisa Quarto
 
 
41
 
 
Senior Vice President

The backgrounds of Messrs. Schorsch, Kahane, Budko, Block and Weil are described in the “Management — Executive Officers and Directors” section of this prospectus. The background of Ms Quarto is described in the “Management — Affiliated Companies — Dealer Manager” section of this prospectus. 
In addition to the directors and key personnel listed above, American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC employs personnel who have extensive experience in selecting and managing commercial properties similar to the properties sought to be acquired by us. As of the date of this prospectus our advisor is the sole limited partner of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P.
 
The Advisory Agreement
 
Many of the services to be performed by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC in managing our day-to-day activities are summarized below. This summary is provided to illustrate the material functions that we expect American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC will perform for us as our advisor, and it is not intended to include all of the services that may be provided to us by third parties. Under the terms of the advisory agreement, American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC will undertake to use its commercially reasonable best efforts to present to us investment opportunities consistent with our investment policies and objectives as adopted by our board of directors. In its performance of this undertaking, American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, either directly or indirectly by engaging an affiliate, shall, among other duties and subject to the authority of our board of directors:
 
 
·
find, evaluate, present and recommend to us investment opportunities consistent with our investment policies and objectives;
 
 
·
serve as our investment and financial advisor and provide research and economic and statistical data in connection with our assets and our investment policies;
 
 
·
provide the daily management and perform and supervise the various administrative functions reasonably necessary for our management and operations;
 

 
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·
investigate, select, and, on our behalf, engage and conduct business with such third parties as the advisor deems necessary to the proper performance of its obligations under the advisory agreement;
 
 
·
consult with our officers and board of directors and assist the board of directors in the formulating and implementing of our financial policies;
 
 
·
structure and negotiate the terms and conditions of our real estate acquisitions, sales or joint ventures;
 
 
·
review and analyze each property’s operating and capital budget;
 
 
·
acquire properties and make investments on our behalf in compliance with our investment objectives and policies;
 
 
·
survey local brokers and agents to determine market rates fees charged by management and leasing companies for similar services provided by the property manager;
 
 
·
arrange, structure and negotiate financing and refinancing of properties;
 
 
·
enter into leases of property and service contracts for assets and, to the extent necessary, perform all other operational functions for the maintenance and administration of such assets, including the servicing of mortgages; and
 
 
·
prepare and review on our behalf, with the participation of one designated principal executive officer and principal financial officer, all reports and returns required by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Internal Revenue Service and other state or federal governmental agencies.
 
The advisor may not acquire any property with a purchase price that is equal to or greater than $15,000,000 or finance any such acquisition, on our behalf, without the prior approval of a majority of our board of directors. The actual terms and conditions of transactions involving investments in such properties will be determined in the sole discretion of the advisor, subject at all times to such board of directors approval. Conversely, the advisor may acquire any real property with purchase price that is lower than $15,000,000, or finance any such acquisition, on our behalf, without the prior approval of the board of directors (unless the purchase is from an affiliate, in which case the independent directors shall approve the purchase), if the following conditions are satisfied: (a) the investment in the property would not, if consummated, violate our investment guidelines, (b) the investment in the property would not, if consummated, violate any restrictions on indebtedness; and (c) the consideration to be paid for such properties does not exceed the fair market value of such properties, as determined by a qualified independent real estate appraiser selected by the advisor.
 
The advisory agreement has a one-year term ending January 25, 2010, and may be renewed for an unlimited number of successive one-year periods. Additionally, either party may terminate the advisory agreement without penalty immediately upon a change of control of us, or upon 60 days’ written notice without penalty. If we elect to terminate the agreement, we must obtain the approval of a majority of our independent directors. In the event of the termination of our advisory agreement, our advisor is required to cooperate with us and take all reasonable steps requested by us to assist our board of directors in making an orderly transition of the advisory function.
 
We pay American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC a yearly asset management fee equal to 1% of the gross purchase price of our assets. We also pay American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC acquisition fees equal to 1% of the gross purchase price of each property or asset that we acquire, along with reimbursement of acquisition expenses. We also pay to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC a finance coordination fee equal to 1% of the amount available and/or outstanding under any debt financing that we obtain and use for the acquisition of properties and other investments or that is assumed, directly or indirectly, in connection with the acquisition of properties. Additionally, we are required to pay to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or its affiliates fees based on a percentage of proceeds or stock value upon our sale of assets or the listing of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ Stock Market, but only if, in the case of our sale of assets, our investors have received a return of their net capital (original share purchase price reduced by prior distributions of proceeds from the sale or refinancing of REIT assets) invested and an 6% annual cumulative, non-compounded return or, in the case of the listing of our common stock, the market value of our common stock plus the distributions paid to our investors exceeds the sum of the total amount of capital raised from investors plus the amount of cash flow necessary to generate an 6% annual cumulative, non-compounded return to investors. Upon termination of the Advisory Agreement, we may be required to pay to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or its affiliates a similar performance fee if American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC would have been entitled to a subordinated participation in net sale proceeds had the portfolio been liquidated (based on an independent appraised value of the portfolio) on the date of termination.
 
American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its officers, employees and affiliates engage in other business ventures and, as a result, their resources are not dedicated exclusively to our business. However, pursuant to the advisory agreement, American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC is required to devote sufficient resources to our administration to discharge its obligations. American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC currently has approximately 35 paid employees as of October 20, 2009. However, certain of these employees may dedicate a portion of his or her time providing services to affiliates of our advisor. Our advisor is responsible for a pro rata portion of each employee’s compensation based upon the approximate percentage of time the employee dedicates to our advisor. American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC may assign the advisory agreement to an affiliate upon approval of a majority of our independent directors. We may assign or transfer the advisory agreement to a successor entity; provided that at least a majority of our independent directors determines that any such successor advisor possesses sufficient qualifications to perform the advisory function and to justify the compensation payable to the advisor. Our independent directors will base their determination on the general facts and circumstances that they deem applicable, including the overall experience and specific industry experience of the successor advisor and its management. Other factors that will be considered are the compensation to be paid to the successor advisor and any potential conflicts of interest that may occur.
 
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The fees payable to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or its affiliates under the advisory agreement are described in further detail in the section captioned “Management Compensation” below. We also describe in that section our obligation to reimburse American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC for organization and offering expenses, administrative and management services, and payments made by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC to third parties in connection with potential acquisitions.
 
Affiliated Companies
 
American Realty Capital II, LLC
 
Upon termination of the Advisory Agreement, American Realty Capital II, LLC may be entitled to a performance fee if American Realty Capital II, LLC would have been entitled to a subordinated participation in net sale proceeds had the portfolio been liquidated (based on an independent appraised value of the portfolio) on the date of termination. Under our charter, we could not increase these success-based fees without the approval of a majority of our independent directors, and any increase in the subordinated participation in net sale proceeds would have to be reasonable. Our charter provides that such incentive fee is “presumptively reasonable” if it does not exceed 15% of the balance of such net proceeds remaining after investors have received a return of their net capital contributions and an 6% per year cumulative, non-compounded return.
 
American Realty Capital II, LLC cannot earn both the subordinated participation in net sale proceeds and the subordinated incentive listing fee. The subordinated participation in net sale proceeds or the subordinated listing fee, as the case may be, will be paid in the form of a non-interest bearing promissory note that will be repaid from the net sale proceeds of each sale after the date of the termination or listing. At the time of such sale, we may, however, at our discretion, pay all or a portion of such promissory note with shares of our common stock or cash. If shares are used for payment, we do not anticipate that they will be registered under the Securities Act and, therefore, will be subject to restrictions on transferability. Any portion of the subordinated participation in net sale proceeds that American Realty Capital II, LLC receives prior to our listing will offset the amount otherwise due pursuant to the subordinated incentive listing fee. In no event will the amount paid to American Realty Capital II, LLC under the promissory note, if any, exceed the amount considered presumptively reasonable by the NASAA REIT Guidelines.
 
If at any time the shares become listed on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ Stock Market, we will negotiate in good faith with American Realty Capital II, LLC a fee structure appropriate for an entity with a perpetual life. Our independent directors must approve the new fee structure negotiated with American Realty Capital II, LLC. The market value of our outstanding stock will be calculated based on the average market value of the shares issued and outstanding at listing over the 30 trading days beginning 180 days after the shares are first listed or included for quotation. We have the option to pay the subordinated incentive listing fee in the form of stock, cash, a promissory note or any combination thereof. In the event the subordinated incentive listing fee is earned by American Realty Capital II, LLC as a result of the listing of the shares, any previous payments of the subordinated participation in net sale proceeds will offset the amounts due pursuant to the subordinated incentive listing fee, and we will not be required to pay American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC any further subordinated participation in net sale proceeds.
 
Property Manager
Our properties are managed and leased initially by American Realty Capital Properties, LLC, our property manager. American Realty Capital Properties, LLC is indirectly wholly-owned and controlled by Messrs. Schorsch and Kahane. Nicholas S. Schorsch serves as chief executive officer of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. William M. Kahane serves as its president and treasurer. Peter M. Budko serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. Brian S. Block serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. Michael Weil serves as Executive Vice President and Secretary of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. See the “Conflicts of Interest” section of this prospectus.

 
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American Realty Capital Properties, LLC was organized in 2007 to lease and manage properties that we or our affiliated entities acquire. In accordance with the property management and leasing agreement, we pay to American Realty Capital Properties, LLC a property management fee (a) 2% of gross revenues from our single tenant properties and (b) 4% of gross revenues from our multi-tenant properties. In addition, we pay leasing commissions to American Realty Capital Properties, LLC based upon the customary leasing commission applicable to the geographic location of the property; provided however, that the aggregate of all property management and leasing fees paid to the property manager plus all payments to third parties may not exceed the amount that other nonaffiliated management and leasing companies generally charge for similar services in the same geographic location. American Realty Capital Properties, LLC derives substantially all of its income from the property management and leasing services it performs for us and other American Realty Capital-sponsored programs.
 
The company intends to build a portfolio comprised almost entirely of triple-net (NNN) (1) and double-net (NN) (2) leased real estate. Given the terms of these leases, tenant improvements will almost always be the responsibility of the tenant. There may be limited circumstances where tenant improvements become the landlord’s responsibility, e.g., Governmental Services Administration (GSA) leases, at which point the property manager will have to seek approval from our advisors on our behalf pursuant to the terms of the Advisory Agreement prior to providing tenant improvement services. In the event that American Realty Capital Properties, LLC assists a tenant with tenant improvements, a separate fee may be charged to, and payable by, us. This fee will not exceed 5% of the cost of the tenant improvements. The property manager will only provide these services if it does not cause any of our income from the applicable property to be treated as other than rents from real property for purposes of the applicable REIT requirements described under “Federal Income Tax Considerations” below.
                                         
 
1
Triple-net leases typically require the tenant to pay all costs associated with a property in addition to the base rent and percentage rent, if any.
 
2
Double-net leases typically have the landlord responsible for the roof and structure, or other aspects of the property, while the tenant is responsible for all remaining expenses associated with the property.
 
The property management agreement among American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P., American Realty Capital Trust, Inc. and American Realty Capital Properties, LLC has a one-year term ending January 25, 2009, and is subject to successive one-year renewals unless American Realty Capital Properties, LLC provides written notice of its intent to terminate 30 days’ prior to the expiration of the initial or renewal term. We may also terminate the agreement upon 30 days’ prior written notice in the event of negligence or misconduct by the property manager.
 
American Realty Capital Properties, LLC hires, directs and establishes policies for employees who have direct responsibility for the operations of each property we acquire, which may include, but is not be limited to, on-site managers and building and maintenance personnel. Certain employees of the property manager may be employed on a part-time basis and also may be employed by our advisor or certain companies affiliated with it.
 
The property manager also directs the purchase of equipment and supplies, and supervises all maintenance activity, for our properties. The management fees paid to the property manager cover, without additional expense to us, all of the property manager’s general overhead costs. The principal office of the property manager is located at 106 Old York Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046.
 
Dealer Manager
 
Realty Capital Securities, LLC, our dealer manager, is a member firm of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Realty Capital Securities, LLC was organized on August 29, 2007 for the purpose of participating in and facilitating the distribution of securities of real estate programs sponsored by American Realty Capital Trust, Inc., its affiliates and its predecessors.
 
Realty Capital Securities, LLC provides certain wholesaling, sales, promotional and marketing assistance services to us in connection with the distribution of the shares offered pursuant to this prospectus. It may also sell a limited number of shares at the retail level. The compensation we will pay to Realty Capital Securities, LLC in connection with this offering is described in the section of this prospectus captioned “Management Compensation.” See also “Plan of Distribution — Compensation We Will Pay for the Sale of Our Shares.”

 
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Realty Capital Securities, LLC is controlled by Messrs. Schorsch and Kahane and certain other officers. Realty Capital Securities, LLC is an affiliate of both our advisor and the property manager. See “Conflicts of Interest.”
 
The current officers of Realty Capital Securities, LLC are:
 
Name
 
Age
 
Position(s)
 
Nicholas Corvinus
 
 
62
 
 
Chief Executive Officer
 
Louisa Quarto
 
 
41
 
 
Co-President
 
Bradford Watt
 
 
50
 
 
Co-President
 
Kamal Jafarnia
 
 
43
 
 
Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer

The backgrounds of Messrs. Corvinus, Jafarnia and Watt and Ms Quarto are described below:
 
Nicholas Corvinus, age 62, joined American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and Realty Capital Securities, LLC, in April 2008 and currently serves as CEO of Realty Capital Securities, LLC. Mr. Corvinus brings more than 30 years of financial industry experience in sales, business development and commercial real estate to Realty Capital Securities, LLC. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President at Behringer Harvard. Additionally, Mr. Corvinus has over 15 years experience at Putnam Retail Management where he last served as Managing Director and was responsible for developing new business, building key relationships with wirehouses and broker-dealers and increasing sales and product recognition. Mr. Corvinus holds FINRA Series 7, 63 and 24 licenses.
 
Louisa Quarto, age 41, joined Realty Capital Securities, LLC as Senior Vice President, Key Accounts and Compliance in April 2008 and became Co-President in July 2009. Ms Quarto served as Chief Compliance Officer for Realty Capital Securities, LLC from May 2008 until February 2009. She is also a Senior Vice President of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. Ms Quarto’s responsibilities include overseeing national accounts, operations and compliance activities for Realty Capital Securities. From February 1996 through April 2008 Ms Quarto was with W. P. Carey & Co. LLC, most recently as Executive Director and Chief Management Officer of Carey Financial, LLC, the broker-dealer subsidiary of W. P. Carey, where she managed relationships with the broker-dealers that were part of the CPA® REIT selling groups. Ms Quarto earned a Bachelor of Arts from Bucknell University and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from The Stern School of Business at New York University. She holds FINRA Series 7, 63 and 24 licenses and is a member of the Investment Program Association’s (“IPA”) Executive Committee, its Board of Trustees and serves as the IPA’s Treasurer and Chair of its Finance Committee.
 
Bradford Watt, age 50, joined Realty Capital Securities, LLC as Executive Vice President and National Sales Director in September 2008 and became Co-President in July 2009. Mr. Watt also serves as President and Managing Director of American Realty Capital Exchange, LLC (“ARCX”) where he is responsible for structuring and distributing the ARCX’s diversified co-ownership and single-owner 1031 programs.   Prior to joining American Realty Capital Mr. Watt served as Managing Director and President of Applied Capital Advisors, LLC (“ACA”), an integrated real estate advisory services firm specializing in advising and arranging high-quality real estate portfolios (separately managed accounts) for high net worth and ultra high net worth investors. Prior to forming ACA, Mr. Watt served as Managing Director and Executive Vice President of Cole 1031 Exchange Advisors (“Cole”). Before his tenure at Cole, Mr. Watt held senior positions with Inland Securities Corp. and was Chief Operating Officer for CNL Income and Growth Funds. Mr. Watt has over 25 years experience in structuring, marketing, and managing private and public real estate investment programs. He holds FINRA Series 7, 63 and 24 licenses.
 
Kamal Jafarnia, age 43, is Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Realty Capital Securities and is Senior Vice President for American Realty Capital. Mr. Jafarnia joined Realty Capital Securities in November 2008 and became its Chief Compliance Officer in February 2009. Mr. Jafarnia has more than 15 years experience both as an attorney and as a compliance professional, including 10 years of related industry experience in financial services. Before joining American Realty Capital, he served as Executive Vice President of Franklin Square Capital Partners and as Chief Compliance Officer of FB Income Advisor, LLC, the registered investment adviser to Franklin Square’s proprietary offering, where he was responsible for overseeing the regulatory compliance programs for the firm. Prior to Franklin Square Capital Partners, Mr. Jafarnia was Assistant General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Behringer Harvard and Behringer Securities, LP, respectively, where he coordinated the selling group due diligence and oversaw the regulatory compliance efforts. Prior to Behringer Harvard, Mr. Jafarnia worked as Vice President of CNL Capital Markets, Inc. and Chief Compliance Officer of CNL Fund Advisors, Inc.   Mr. Jafarnia earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and his law degree from Temple University School of Law in Philadelphia, PA. He is currently participating in the Masters of Laws degree program in Securities and Finance Regulation at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC. Mr. Jafarnia holds FINRA Series 6, 7, 24, 63 and 65 licenses.
 

 
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Investment Decisions
 
The primary responsibility for the investment decisions of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its affiliates, the negotiation for these investments, and the property management and leasing of these investment properties resides with Nicholas S. Schorsch, William M. Kahane, Peter M. Budko, Brian S. Block and Michael Weil. American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC seeks to invest in commercial properties on our behalf that satisfy our investment objectives. To the extent we invest in properties, a majority of the directors will approve the consideration paid for such properties based on the fair market value of the properties. If a majority of independent directors so determines, or if an asset is acquired from our advisor, one or more of our directors, our sponsor or any of their affiliates, the fair market value will be determined by a qualified independent real estate appraiser selected by the independent directors. In addition, the advisor may purchase on our account, without the prior approval of the board of directors, properties whose purchase price is less than $15,000,000 (unless the purchase is from an affiliate, in which case the independent directors shall approve the purchase), if the following conditions are satisfied:
 
 
·
The investment in the property would not, if consummated, violate our investment guidelines;
 
 
·
The investment in the property would not, if consummated, violate any restrictions on indebtedness; and
 
 
·
The consideration to be paid for such properties does not exceed the fair market value of such properties, as determined by a qualified independent real estate appraiser selected by the advisor and acceptable to the independent directors.
 
Appraisals are estimates of value and should not be relied on as measures of true worth or realizable value. We will maintain the appraisal in our records for at least five years, and copies of each appraisal will be available for review by stockholders upon their request.
 
Effective March 31, 2009, the Board of Directors approved the recommendation of the officers of the Company that the Company not pursue any opportunities to acquire real property from an entity affiliated with its advisor, American Realty Capital Advisor, LLC. The foregoing recommendation shall be reviewed annually by the Board of Directors.
 
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
 
Advisory Agreement.   We have entered into an Advisory Agreement with American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, whereby American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC will manage our day-to-day operations. In return, we will pay to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC an asset management fee equal to 1% of the gross purchase price of our assets. We also will pay to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC 1% of the gross purchase price of each property or asset that we acquire, as an acquisition fee, along with reimbursement of acquisition expenses. We also will pay to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC a financing coordination fee equal to 1% of the amount available under any debt financing that we obtain and use for the acquisition of properties and other investments. Additionally, we will be required to pay to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or its affiliates fees based on a percentage of proceeds or stock value upon our sale of assets or the listing of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange or The Nasdaq Stock Market, but only if, in the case of our sale of assets, our investors have received a return of their net capital invested and an 6% annual cumulative, non-compounded return or, in the case of the listing or quotation of our common stock, the market value of our common stock plus the distributions paid to our investors exceeds the sum of the total amount of capital raised from investors plus the amount of cash flow necessary to generate an 6% annual cumulative, non-compounded return to investors.
 

 
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Nicholas S. Schorsch, our chief executive officer and chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Schorsch also is the chief executive officer of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. William M. Kahane, our President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer is the President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. Along with certain executives, Mr. Schorsch and Mr. Kahane are indirect owners of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. Peter M. Budko, our executive vice president and chief investment officer, is the executive vice president and chief investment officer of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. Brian S. Block, our executive vice president and chief financial officer, is the senior vice president and chief financial officer of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. Michael Weil, our executive vice president and secretary is the executive vice president and secretary of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC. For a further description of this agreement, see “Management — The Advisory Agreement” and “Management Compensation.” See also “Conflicts of Interest.”
 
Property Management Agreement.  We entered into a Property Management Agreement with American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. We will pay to American Realty Capital Properties, LLC fees equal to (a) 2.0% from our single tenant properties and (b) 4% of the gross revenues from our multi-tenant properties. In addition, we will pay leasing commissions to American Realty Capital Properties, LLC based upon the customary leasing commissions applicable to the geographic location of the property, subject to certain limits. Nicholas S. Schorsch, our chief executive officer and chairman of our board of directors, is the chief executive officer of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. William M. Kahane, our President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer is the President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. Mr. Schorsch and Mr. Kahane are indirect owners of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. Peter M. Budko, our executive vice president and chief investment officer, is the executive vice president and chief investment officer of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. Brian S. Block, our executive vice president and chief financial officer, is the senior vice president and chief financial officer of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. Michael Weil, our executive vice president and secretary is the executive vice president and secretary of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC. For a further description of this agreement, see “Management — Affiliated Companies — Property Manager” and “Management Compensation.” See also “Conflicts of Interest.”
 
Dealer Manager Agreement.  We entered into a Dealer Manager Agreement with Realty Capital Securities, LLC, our dealer manager. We will pay to Realty Capital Securities, LLC 7% of the gross offering proceeds from this offering, except that no selling commissions will be paid on shares sold under our distribution reinvestment plan. Realty Capital Securities, LLC may reallow all of the selling commission to participating broker-dealers. Realty Capital Securities, LLC also will waive the selling commission with respect to shares sold by an investment advisory representative. Additionally, we will pay to Realty Capital Securities, LLC a dealer manager fee equal to 3% of the gross offering proceeds sold through broker-dealers. Realty Capital Securities, LLC may reallow all or part of the dealer manager fee to participating broker-dealers. We will not pay a dealer manager fee for shares purchased through our distribution reinvestment plan. Nicholas S. Schorsch, our chief executive officer and a member of our board of directors, indirectly and together with Mr. Kahane owns a majority of the ownership and voting interests of Realty Capital Securities, LLC. William M. Kahane, our president and a member of our board of directors, indirectly and together with Mr. Schorsch owns a majority of the ownership and voting interests of Realty Capital Securities, LLC. Louisa Quarto and Bradford Watt are the co-presidents and secretaries of Realty Capital Securities, LLC. For a further description of this agreement, see “Management — Affiliated Companies — Dealer Manager,” “Management Compensation” and “Plan of Distribution.” See also “Conflicts of Interest.”
   
American Realty Capital II, LLC.  Upon termination of the Advisory Agreement, American Realty Capital II, LLC may be entitled to a performance fee if American Realty Capital II, LLC would have been entitled to a subordinated participation in net sale proceeds had the portfolio been liquidated (based on an independent appraised value of the portfolio) on the date of termination. Under our charter, we could not increase these success-based fees without the approval of a majority of our independent directors, and any increase in the subordinated participation in net sale proceeds would have to be reasonable. Our charter provides that such incentive fee is “presumptively reasonable” if it does not exceed 15% of the balance of such net proceeds remaining after investors have received a return of their net capital contributions and an 6% per year cumulative, non-compounded return. The payment of these fees to American Realty Capital II, LLC is related to our successful performance because of the fact that American Realty Capital II, LLC would receive this fee only if it is entitled to a subordinated participation in the net proceeds at the liquidation of the portfolio. The “subordinated participation in net sale proceeds,” also known as the “promote,” is a success-based performance fee. It is meant to motivate the Advisor to obtain the highest possible selling price for the property. The fee is calculated as 15% of the remaining net sale proceeds after the investors have received a return of their net capital invested and a 6% annual cumulative, non-compounded return. If the Advisor does not succeed in achieving a purchase price that would result in an annual cumulative non-compounded return greater than 6%, then the Advisor would not earn this incentive fee.
 

 
50

 

American Realty Capital Exchange, LLC.  American Realty Capital Exchange, LLC (“ARCX”) is a subsidiary of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC (the “Advisor”). Persons selling real estate held for investment often seek to reinvest the proceeds of that sale in another real estate investment in an effort to obtain favorable tax treatment under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. As a result of demand in the marketplace for this type of offering, our Advisor has developed a program to facilitate these transactions, referred to as like-kind exchanges. ARCX will acquire real estate to be owned in co-tenancy arrangements with persons desiring to engage in such like-kind exchanges (“1031 Participants”). ARCX will acquire the subject property or portfolio of properties and, either concurrently with or following such acquisition, prepare and market a private placement memorandum for the sale of co-tenancy interests in that property. See “Section 1031 Exchange Program” within the prospectus.
 

 
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MANAGEMENT COMPENSATION
 
We have no paid employees. American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, our advisor, and its affiliates manages our day-to-day affairs. The following table summarizes all of the compensation and fees we pay to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its affiliates, including amounts to reimburse their costs in providing services. The selling commissions may vary for different categories of purchasers. See “Plan of Distribution.” This table assumes the shares are sold through distribution channels associated with the highest possible selling commissions and dealer manager fee. No effect is given to any shares sold through our distribution reinvestment plan.

Type of Compensation (1)
 
Determination of Amount
 
Estimated Amount for
Minimum Offering (750,000 shares)/
Maximum Offering
(150,000,000 shares) (2)
  
 
Offering Stage
 
  
Selling Commissions — Realty Capital Securities, LLC (3)
 
We will pay to Realty Capital Securities, LLC 7% of the gross offering proceeds before reallowance of commissions earned by participating broker-dealers, except that no selling commission is payable on shares sold under our distribution reinvestment plan. Realty Capital Securities, LLC, our dealer manager, will reallow 100% of commissions earned to participating broker-dealers.
 
$525,000 / $105,000,000
Dealer Manager Fee — Realty Capital Securities, LLC (3)
 
We will pay to Realty Capital Securities, LLC 3% of the gross offering proceeds before reallowance to participating broker-dealers, except that no dealer manager fee is payable on shares sold under our distribution reinvestment plan. Realty Capital Securities, LLC may reallow all or a portion of its dealer manager fee to participating broker-dealers. See “Plan of Distribution.”
 
$225,000 / $45,000,000
Reimbursement of Other Organization and Offering Expenses — American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC (4)
 
We will reimburse American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC up to 1.5% of our gross offering proceeds. American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC will incur or pay our organization and offering expenses (excluding selling commissions and the dealer manager fee). We will then reimburse American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC for these amounts up to 1.5% of aggregate gross offering proceeds.
 
$112,500 / $22,500,000
  
 
Acquisition and Operations Stage
 
  
Acquisition Fees — American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC (5) (6)
 
We will pay to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC 1% of the contract purchase price of each property or asset.
 
$66,375 / $13,275,000
Acquisition Expenses — American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC (7)
 
We will reimburse our advisor for acquisition expenses (including, personnel costs) incurred in the process of acquiring property. We expect these expenses to be approximately 0.5% of the purchase price of each property (8) . In no event will the total of all fees and acquisition expenses payable with respect to a particular property or investment exceed 4% of the contract purchase price.
 
$30,000 / $6,000,000
Asset Management Fee — American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC (9)
 
We will pay to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC a yearly fee equal to 1% of the contract purchase price of all the properties payable semiannually based on assets held by us on the measurement date, adjusted for appropriate closing dates for individual property acquisitions.
 
Actual amounts are dependent upon the aggregate asset value of our properties and, therefore, cannot be determined at the present time. Because the fee is based on a fixed percentage of aggregate asset value there is no limit on the aggregate amount of these fees.
 
 
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Type of Compensation (1)
 
Determination of Amount
 
Estimated Amount for
Minimum Offering (750,000 shares)/
Maximum Offering
(150,000,000 shares) (2)
  
 
Offering Stage
 
  
Property Management Fees — American Realty Capital Properties, LLC (10) (16)
 
We will pay to American Realty Capital Properties, LLC (a) 2% of the gross revenues from our single tenant properties and (b) 4% of the gross revenues from our multi-tenant properties, plus reimbursement of American Realty Capital Properties, LLC’ costs of managing the properties. In the event that American Realty Capital Properties, LLC assists a tenant with tenant improvements, a separate fee may be charged to, and payable by, us. This fee will not exceed 5% of the cost of the tenant improvements.
 
Actual amounts are dependent upon the gross revenues from properties and, therefore, cannot be determined at the present time. Because the fee is based on a fixed percentage of the gross revenue and/or market rates, there is no limit on the aggregate amount of these fees.
Leasing Commissions — American Realty Capital Properties, LLC (11) (16)
 
We will pay to American Realty Capital Properties, LLC prevailing market rates. American Realty Capital Properties, LLC may also receive a fee for the initial leasing of newly constructed properties, which generally would equal one month’s rent.
 
Actual amounts are dependent upon prevailing market rates in the geographic regions in which we acquire property and, therefore, cannot be determined at the present time. There is no limit on the aggregate amount of these commissions.
Financing Coordination Fee — American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC (7)
 
For services in connection with the origination or refinancing of any debt financing we obtain and use to acquire properties or to make other permitted investments, or that is assumed, directly or indirectly, in connection with the acquisition of properties, we will pay our advisor a financing coordination fee equal to 1% of the amount available and/or outstanding under such financing; provided, however, that our advisor will not be entitled to a financing coordination fee in connection with the refinancing of any loan secured by any particular property that was previously subject to a refinancing in which our advisor received such a fee. Financing coordination fees payable from loan proceeds from permanent financing will be paid to our advisor as we acquire and/or assume such permanent financing. However, no acquisition fees will be paid on the investments of loan proceeds from any line of credit until such time as we have invested all net offering proceeds.
 
Actual amounts are dependent on the amount of any debt financing or refinancing and, therefore, cannot be determined at the present time. Because the fee is based on a fixed percentage of any debt financing, there is no limit on the aggregate amount of these fees.
Operating Expenses — American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC (11)
 
We will reimburse the expenses incurred by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC in connection with its provision of administrative services, including related personnel costs, subject to the limitation that we will not reimburse our advisor for any amount by which the operating expenses (including the asset management fee) at the end of the four preceding fiscal quarters exceeds the greater of (a) 2% of average invested assets, or (b) 25% of net income other than any additions to reserves for depreciation, bad debt or other similar non-cash reserves and excluding any gain from the sale of assets for that period.
 
Actual amounts are dependent upon the expenses incurred and, therefore, cannot be determined at the present time.
  
 
Liquidation/Listing Stage
 
  

 
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Type of Compensation (1)
 
Determination of Amount
 
Estimated Amount for
Minimum Offering (750,000 shares)/
Maximum Offering
(150,000,000 shares) (2)
  
 
Offering Stage
 
  

Real Estate Commissions — American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or its Affiliates (12)
 
For substantial assistance in connection with the sale of properties, we will pay our advisor or its affiliates a brokerage commission paid on the sale of property, not to exceed the lesser of one-half of reasonable customary and competitive real estate commission or 3% of the contract price of each property sold (inclusive of commissions paid to third party brokers); provided, however, in no event may the real estate commissions paid to our advisor, its affiliates and unaffiliated third parties exceed 6% of the contract sales price.
 
Actual amounts are dependent upon the contract price of properties sold and, therefore, cannot be determined at the present time. Because the commission is based on a fixed percentage of the contract price for a sold property, there is no limit on the aggregate amount of these commissions.
Subordinated Participation in Net Sale Proceeds — American Realty Capital II, LLC (14) (15)
 
After investors have received a return of their capital contributions invested and an 6% annual cumulative, non- compounded return, then American Realty Capital II, LLC is entitled to receive 15% of remaining net sale proceeds. We cannot assure you that we will provide this 6% return, which we have disclosed solely as a measure for our advisor’s and its affiliates incentive compensation.
 
Actual amounts are dependent upon results of operations and, therefore, cannot be determined at the present time. There is no limit on the aggregate amount of these payments.
Subordinated Incentive Listing Fee — American Realty Capital II, LLC (13) (14) (15)
 
Upon listing our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ Stock Market, our advisor is entitled to a fee equal to 15% of the amount, if any, by which (a) the market value of our outstanding stock plus distributions paid by us prior to listing, exceeds (b) the sum of the total amount of capital raised from investors and the amount of cash flow necessary to generate an 6% annual cumulative, non-compounded return to investors. We have no intent to list our shares at this time. We cannot assure you that we will provide this 6% return, which we have disclosed solely as a measure for our advisor’s and its affiliates incentive compensation.
 
Actual amounts are dependent upon total equity and debt capital we raise and results of operations and, therefore, cannot be determined at the present time. There is no limit on the aggregate amount of this fee.
________________
 
(1)
We will pay all fees, commissions and expenses in cash, other than the subordinated participation in net sales proceeds and incentive listing fees with respect to which we may pay to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC in cash, common stock, a promissory note or any combination of the foregoing, as we may determine in our discretion.

(2)
The estimated maximum dollar amounts are based on the sale of a maximum of 150,000,000 shares to the public at $10.00 per share and the sale of 25,000,000 shares at $9.50 per share pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan.

(3)
Selling commissions and, in some cases, the dealer manager fee, will not be charged with regard to shares sold to or for the account of certain categories of purchasers. See “Plan of Distribution.” Selling commissions and the dealer manager fee will not be charged with regard to shares purchased pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan.

(4)
These organization and offering expenses include all expenses (other than selling commissions and the dealer manager fee) to be paid by us in connection with the offering, including our legal, accounting, printing, mailing and filing fees, charges of our escrow holder, due diligence expense reimbursements to participating broker-dealers and amounts to reimburse American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC for its portion of the salaries of the employees of its affiliates who provide services to our advisor and other costs in connection with administrative oversight of the offering and marketing process and preparing supplemental sales materials, holding educational conferences and attending retail seminars conducted by broker-dealers. Our advisor will be responsible for the payment of all such organization and offering expenses to the extent such expenses exceed 1.5% of the aggregate gross proceeds of this offering.


 
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(5)
This estimate assumes the amount of proceeds available for investment is equal to the gross offering proceeds less the public offering expenses, and we have assumed that no financing is used to acquire properties or other real estate assets. Our board’s investment policies limit our ability to purchase property if the total of all acquisition fees and expenses relating to the purchase exceeds 4% of the contract purchase price unless a majority of our directors (including a majority of our independent directors) not otherwise interested in the transaction approve fees and expenses in excess of this limit and determine the transaction to be commercially competitive, fair and reasonable to us.

(6)
Included in the computation of such fees will be any real estate commission, acquisition and advisory fee, development fee, construction fee, non-recurring management fee, loan fees, financing coordination fees or points or any fee of a similar nature, which in the aggregate will not exceed 6% of the sale price of such property or properties.

(7)
Actual gross amounts determined on a leveraged basis are dependent upon the aggregate purchase price of our properties and, therefore, cannot be determined at the present time.

(8)
Based on the Sponsors’ experience with the acquisitions completed by American Financial Realty Trust and our acquisitions completed to date, acquisition expenses are generally 0.5% of the purchase price of each property.

(9)
Aggregate asset value will be equal to the aggregate value of our assets (other than investments in bank accounts, money markets funds or other current assets) at cost before deducting depreciation, bad debts or other similar non-cash reserves and without reduction for any debt relating to such assets at the date of measurement, except that during such periods in which our board of directors is determining on a regular basis the current value of our net assets for purposes of enabling fiduciaries of employee benefit plans stockholders to comply with applicable Department of Labor reporting requirements, aggregate asset value is the greater of (a) the amount determined pursuant to the foregoing or (b) our assets’ aggregate valuation most recently established by our board without reduction for depreciation, bad debts or other similar non-cash reserves and without reduction for any debt secured by or relating to such assets.

(10)
The property management and leasing fees payable to American Realty Capital Properties, LLC are subject to the limitation that the aggregate of all property management and leasing fees paid to American Realty Capital Properties, LLC and its affiliates plus all payments to third parties for property management and leasing services may not exceed the amount that other non-affiliated property management and leasing companies generally charge for similar services in the same geographic location. Additionally, all property management and leasing fees, including both those paid to American Realty Capital Properties, LLC and third parties, are subject to the limit on total operating expenses as described on the following two pages. American Realty Capital Properties, LLC may subcontract its duties for a fee that may be less than the fee provided for in our property management agreement with American Realty Capital Properties, LLC.
   
(11)
We may reimburse our advisor in excess of that limit in the event that a majority of our independent directors determine, based on unusual and non-recurring factors, that a higher level of expense is justified. In such an event, we will send notice to each of our stockholders within 60 days after the end of the fiscal quarter for which such determination was made, along with an explanation of the factors our independent directors considered in making such determination. We will not reimburse our advisor for personnel costs in connection with services for which the advisor receives acquisition fees or real estate commissions.
   
 
We lease a portion of our office space from an affiliate of our advisor and share the space with other American Realty Capital-related entities. The amount we will pay under the lease will be determined on a monthly basis based upon on the allocation of the overall lease cost to the approximate percentage of time, size of the area that we utilize and other resources allocated to us.
   
(12)
Although we are most likely to pay real estate commissions to American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC or an affiliate in the event of our liquidation, these fees may also be earned during our operational stage.

(13)
Upon termination of the Advisory Agreement, American Realty Capital II, LLC may be entitled to a similar performance fee if American Realty Capital II, LLC would have been entitled to a subordinated participation in net sale proceeds had the portfolio been liquidated (based on an independent appraised value of the portfolio) on the date of termination. Under our charter, we could not increase these success-based fees without the approval of a majority of our independent directors, and any increase in the subordinated participation in net sale proceeds would have to be reasonable. Our charter provides that such incentive fee is “presumptively reasonable” if it does not exceed 15% of the balance of such net proceeds remaining after investors have received a return of their net capital contributions and an 6% per year cumulative, non-compounded return.
 
American Realty Capital II, LLC cannot earn both the subordinated participation in net sale proceeds and the subordinated incentive listing fee. The subordinated participation in net sale proceeds or the subordinated listing fee, as the case may be, will be paid in the form of a non-interest bearing promissory note that will be repaid from the net sale proceeds of each sale after the date of the termination or listing. At the time of such sale, we may, however, at our discretion, pay all or a portion of such promissory note with shares of our common stock or cash. If shares are used for payment, we do not anticipate that they will be registered under the Securities Act and, therefore, will be subject to restrictions on transferability. Any portion of the subordinated participation in net sale proceeds that American Realty Capital II, LLC receives prior to our listing will offset the amount otherwise due pursuant to the subordinated incentive listing fee. In no event will the amount paid to American Realty Capital II, LLC under the promissory note, if any, exceed the amount considered presumptively reasonable by the NASAA REIT Guidelines.

 
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(14)
If at any time the shares become listed on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ Stock Market, we will negotiate in good faith with American Realty Capital II, LLC a fee structure appropriate for an entity with a perpetual life. Our independent directors must approve the new fee structure negotiated with American Realty Capital II, LLC. The market value of our outstanding stock will be calculated based on the average market value of the shares issued and outstanding at listing over the 30 trading days beginning 180 days after the shares are first listed or included for quotation. We have the option to pay the subordinated incentive listing fee in the form of stock, cash, a promissory note or any combination thereof. In the event the subordinated incentive listing fee is earned by American Realty Capital II, LLC as a result of the listing of the shares, any previous payments of the subordinated participation in net sale proceeds will offset the amounts due pursuant to the subordinated incentive listing fee, and we will not be required to pay American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC any further subordinated participation in net sale proceeds.

(15)
Our charter and the Partnership Agreement of American Realty Capital Operating Partnership, L.P. provide that before any subordinated participation in net sales proceeds or subordinated incentive listing fee is paid to American Realty Capital II, LLC, the shareholders of our stock have to receive a 6% cumulative non-compounded return on their original purchase price for their shares.

(16)
All fees and commissions under the Property Management Agreement will be no less favorable than fees and commissions from transactions with unaffiliated third parties performing property management for double and triple net leases.
 
American Realty Capital II, LLC cannot earn both the subordinated participation in net sale proceeds and the subordinated incentive listing fee. The subordinated participation in net sale proceeds or the subordinated listing fee, as the case may be, will be paid in the form of a non-interest bearing promissory note that will be repaid from the net sale proceeds of each sale after the date of the termination or listing. We may, after such note is issued however, at our discretion, pay all or a portion of such promissory note with shares of our common stock or cash. If shares are used for payment, we do not anticipate that they will be registered under the Securities Act and, therefore, will be subject to restrictions on transferability. Any portion of the subordinated participation in net sale proceeds that American Realty Capital II, LLC receives prior to our listing will offset the amount otherwise due pursuant to the subordinated incentive listing fee. In no event will the amount paid to American Realty Capital II, LLC under the promissory note, if any, exceed the amount considered presumptively reasonable by the NASAA REIT Guidelines.
 
At least a majority of our independent directors must determine, from time to time but at least annually, that our total fees and expenses are reasonable in light of our investment performance, net assets, net income and the fees and expenses of other comparable unaffiliated REITs. Each such determination will be reflected in the minutes of our board of directors. The total operating expenses (as defined in the NASAA REIT Guidelines) of the company will not exceed, in any fiscal year, the greater of 2% of the Average Invested Assets (as defined in the NASAA REIT Guidelines) or 25% of Net Income (as defined in the NASAA REIT Guidelines), unless our independent directors find that, based on unusual and non-recurring factors, a higher level of expense is justified for that year. Our independent directors shall also supervise the performance of our advisor and the compensation that we pay to it to determine that the provisions of our advisory agreement are being carried out.
 
Each such determination will be recorded in the minutes of our board of directors and based on the factors set forth below and other factors that the independent directors deem relevant:
 
 
·
the size of the advisory fee in relation to the size, composition and profitability of our portfolio;
 
 
·
the success of American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC in generating opportunities that meet our investment objectives;
 
 
·
the rates charged to other REITs, especially similarly structured REITs, and to investors other than REITs by advisors performing similar services;
 
 
·
additional revenues realized by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC through its relationship with us;
 
 
·
the quality and extent of service and advice furnished by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC;
 
 
·
the performance of our investment portfolio, including income, conservation or appreciation of capital, frequency of problem investments and competence in dealing with distress situations; and
 
 
·
the quality of our portfolio in relationship to the investments generated by American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC for the account of other clients.
 

 
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Since American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC and its affiliates are entitled to differing levels of compensation for undertaking different transactions on our behalf, such as the property management fees for operating our properties and the subordinated participation in net sale proceeds, our advisor has the ability to affect the nature of the compensation it receives by undertaking different transactions. However, American Realty Capital Advisors, LLC is obligated to exercise good faith and integrity in all its dealings with respect to our affairs pursuant to the advisory agreement. See “Management — The Advisory Agreement.”
 

 
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STOCK OWNERSHIP
 
The following table shows, as of the date of October 20, 2009, the amount of our common stock beneficially owned by (a) any person who is known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares, (b) members of our board of directors and proposed directors, (c) our executive officers, and (d) all of our directors and executive officers as a group.
 
   
Common Stock
Beneficially Owned (2)
Name of Beneficial Owner (1)
 
Number of Shares of Common Stock
 
Percentage of
Class