Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)
Registration File No. 333-179647
PROSPECTUS
12,000,000 Shares
Common Stock
American Capital
Mortgage Investment Corp. is a Maryland corporation that invests in, finances and manages a leveraged portfolio of mortgage-related investments, which we define to include agency mortgage investments, non-agency mortgage investments and other
mortgage-related investments. We are externally managed and advised by American Capital MTGE Management, LLC, an indirect subsidiary of American Capital, LLC, which is a wholly-owned portfolio company of American Capital, Ltd. American Capital, Ltd.
(NASDAQ:ACAS) is a publicly-traded private equity firm and global asset manager with $68 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2011.
Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MTGE. On March 13, 2012, the last reported price of our common stock was $22.47 per share.
We will elect to be taxed, and intend to qualify, as a real estate investment trust for federal income tax purposes. Shares of our common
stock are subject to ownership limitations that are intended, among other things, to assist us in qualifying and maintaining our qualification as a real estate investment trust. Our charter contains certain restrictions relating to the ownership and
transfer of our common or capital stock, including a 9.8% ownership limit, subject to certain exceptions. See Description of Capital StockRestrictions on Ownership and Transfer of Our Capital Stock.
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See
Risk Factors
beginning on
page 5 of this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus for a discussion of these risks. Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of
these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The underwriters
have agreed to purchase our common stock from us at a price of $21.55 per share, which will result in approximately $258.3 million of total net proceeds to us, after deducting estimated offering expenses related to this offering. The underwriters
may offer our common stock in transactions on The NASDAQ Global Select Market, in the over-the-counter market or through negotiated transactions at market prices or at negotiated prices. See Underwriting.
We have granted the underwriters the right to purchase up to an additional 1,791,650 shares of our common stock from us at a price of
$21.55 per share within 30 days after the date of this prospectus solely to cover over-allotments, if any.
The underwriters
expect to deliver shares to purchasers on or about March 19, 2012.
Joint
Book-Running Managers
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Citigroup
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Credit Suisse
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Deutsche Bank Securities
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UBS Investment Bank
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Wells Fargo Securities
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The date of this prospectus is March 13, 2012.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
You may rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference into this
prospectus, and any free writing prospectus prepared by us. We and the underwriters have not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different from or additional to that contained in this prospectus. If anyone provides you with
different or additional information, you should not rely on it.
No action is being taken in any jurisdiction outside
the United States to permit a public offering of our common stock or possession or distribution of this prospectus in such jurisdiction. Persons who come into possession of this prospectus in jurisdictions outside the United States are required to
inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions as to this offering and the distribution of this prospectus to that jurisdiction. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference
into this prospectus, and any free writing prospectus prepared by us is accurate only as of their respective dates or on the date or dates that are specified in such documents. Our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and
prospects may have changed since those dates.
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Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
We make forward-looking statements in this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein that are
subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business and our financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. They also include,
among other things, statements concerning anticipated revenues, income or loss, dividends, capital structure or other financial terms, as well as statements regarding subjects that are forward-looking by their nature, such as:
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use of proceeds from this offering;
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our investment and financing strategies and the success of these strategies;
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our ability to obtain future financing arrangements;
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our understanding of our competition and our ability to compete effectively;
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our projected operating results;
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our ability to deploy effectively and timely the net proceeds of this offering;
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market and industry trends;
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the effect of government regulation and general economic trends on our business;
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estimates relating to our future distributions;
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our hedging activities;
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our ability to maintain our exclusion from the definition of investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or
the Investment Company Act;
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the impact of technology on our operations and business.
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The forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account the information currently available to us. These beliefs, assumptions
and expectations may change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our
forward-looking statements. You should carefully consider these risks when you make a decision concerning an investment in our common stock, along with the following factors, among others, that may cause actual results to vary from our
forward-looking statements:
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the factors referenced in this prospectus, including those set forth under the section captioned Risk Factors and incorporated by
reference herein;
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general volatility of the securities markets in which we invest and the market price of our common stock;
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our reliance on American Capital MTGE Management, LLC, or our Manager, and potential conflicts of interest in our relationship with our Manager;
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our limited operating history;
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changes in our business or investment strategy;
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changes in interest rate spreads or the yield curve;
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availability, terms and deployment of debt and equity capital;
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availability of qualified personnel;
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the degree and nature of our competition;
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increased prepayments of the mortgage loans underlying our agency securities;
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risks associated with our hedging activities;
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our use of leverage and our dependence on repurchase agreements and other short-term borrowings to finance our mortgage-related investments;
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changes in governmental regulations, tax rates and similar matters;
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defaults on our investments;
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changes in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles;
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legislative and regulatory changes (including changes to laws governing the taxation of real estate investment trusts, or REITs, or applicable
exemptions from the Investment Company Act);
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availability of investment opportunities in mortgage-related investments;
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our ability to qualify and maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and limitations imposed on our business by our status
as a REIT;
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general volatility in capital markets;
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the adequacy of our cash reserves and working capital;
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the timing of cash flows, if any, from our investment portfolio; and
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other risks associated with investing in mortgage-related investments, including changes in our industry, interest rates, the debt securities markets,
the general economy or the finance and real estate markets specifically.
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When we use words such as
will, plan, may, shall, believe, expect, anticipate, project, intend, estimate, goal, objective, or
similar expressions, we intend to identify forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this prospectus. Any forward looking statement speaks only as of the
date on which it is made. New risks and uncertainties arise over time, and it is not possible for us to predict those events or how they may effect us. Except as required by law, we are not obligated to, and do not intend to, update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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Prospectus Summary
This summary highlights key information contained elsewhere or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This summary is not
complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in shares of our common stock. Before making a decision to invest in our common stock, you should read carefully the more detailed information set forth
under Risk Factors and the other information included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and the information set forth under the caption Where You Can Find More Information. Except where the context suggests
otherwise, in this prospectus we, us, our, MTGE and the Company refer to American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp., a Maryland corporation and its subsidiary, our Manager
refers to American Capital MTGE Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and American Capital refers to American Capital, Ltd., a Delaware corporation. Unless indicated otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes
no exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option.
Our Company
We were incorporated in Maryland on March 15, 2011 and commenced operations on August 9, 2011 following the completion of our
initial public offering, or IPO, of 8.0 million shares of common stock. Concurrent with our IPO, American Capital purchased 2.0 million shares of our common stock in a private placement. We are externally managed by American Capital MTGE
Management, LLC, or our Manager, an affiliate of American Capital. Our Manager is an indirect subsidiary of a wholly-owned portfolio company of American Capital. Because we have no employees, our Manager is responsible for administering our business
activities and day-to-day operations, subject to the supervision of our Board of Directors. Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MTGE.
We invest in, finance and manage a leveraged portfolio of mortgage-related investments, which we define to include agency mortgage
investments, non-agency mortgage investments and other mortgage-related investments. Agency mortgage investments include residential mortgage pass-through certificates and collateralized mortgage obligations, or CMOs, structured from residential
mortgage pass-through certificates for which the principal and interest payments are guaranteed by a government-sponsored entity, or GSE, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association, or Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage
Corporation, or Freddie Mac, or by a U.S. Government agency, such as the Government National Mortgage Association, or Ginnie Mae. Non-agency mortgage investments include residential mortgage-backed securities, or RMBS, backed by residential
mortgages that are not guaranteed by a GSE or U.S. Government agency. Non-agency mortgage investments may also include prime and non-prime residential mortgage loans. Other mortgage-related investments may include commercial mortgage-backed
securities, or CMBS, commercial mortgage loans, mortgage-related derivatives and other mortgage-related investments.
We
operate so as to qualify to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Internal Revenue Code. As such, we are required to distribute annually at least 90% of our taxable net
income. As long as we qualify as a REIT, we will generally not be subject to U.S. federal or state corporate taxes on our taxable net income to the extent that we distribute all of our annual taxable net income to our stockholders.
Our objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns to our stockholders over the long-term through a combination of dividends
and net book value appreciation. In pursuing this objective, we rely on our Managers expertise to construct and manage a diversified mortgage investment portfolio by identifying asset classes that, when properly financed and hedged, are
designed to produce attractive returns across a variety of market conditions and economic cycles, considering the risks associated with owning such investments. We fund our investments primarily through short-term borrowings structured as repurchase
agreements. Since our IPO on
1
August 9, 2011, we have paid dividends to our stockholders of $10 million in the aggregate and as of December 31, 2011 had retained earnings of $9.7 million.
Recent Developments
On
March 5, 2012, our Board of Directors declared a first quarter dividend of $0.90 per share payable on April 27, 2012 to stockholders of record as of March 15, 2012, with an ex-dividend date of March 13, 2012. The shares of common stock purchased in
this offering will be delivered after the record date and thus will not receive this dividend.
Summary Risk Factors
An investment in shares of our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks highlighted below,
under the section entitled Risk Factors beginning on page 5, under the section entitled Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk beginning on page 6, and in the documents incorporated by reference herein
before investing in our common stock.
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There are conflicts of interest in our relationship with our Manager and with American Capital.
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We have no employees and are completely dependent upon our Manager. Our Manager also has no employees and relies upon certain personnel of our
Managers parent company or American Capital to conduct our day-to-day operations pursuant to an administrative services agreement. We may not find suitable replacements for our Manager and these personnel if the management agreement and the
administrative services agreement are terminated or such personnel are no longer available to us. We are not a party to the administrative services agreement. Therefore, we do not have any recourse against American Capital or the parent company of
our Manager if they do not fulfill their obligations under the administrative services agreement or elect to assign the agreement to an affiliate.
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Our Manager and American Capital do not have extensive experience in acquiring or financing non-agency mortgage investments and other mortgage-related
investments.
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Our strategy involves significant leverage, which increases the risk that we may incur substantial losses.
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The non-agency mortgage loans in which we may invest and that underlie the non-agency mortgage-backed securities, or MBS, in which we invest may be
subject to delinquency, foreclosure and loss, which could result in significant losses to us.
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Investments in non-investment grade RMBS or CMBS may be illiquid, may have a higher risk of default, and may not produce current returns.
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Actions of the U.S. Government, including the U.S. Congress, Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury and other governmental and regulatory bodies, to stabilize
or reform the financial markets may not achieve the intended effect and may adversely affect our business.
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To the extent that we invest in agency securities that are guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, we are subject to the risk that these GSEs may not
be able to satisfy fully their guarantee obligations or that these guarantee obligations may be repudiated, which may adversely affect the value of our investment portfolio and our ability to sell or finance these securities.
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Failure to procure adequate repurchase agreement financing or to renew or replace existing repurchase agreement financing as it matures (to which risk
we are specifically exposed due to the short-term nature of the repurchase agreement financing employ) would adversely affect our results of operations.
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Pursuant to the terms of borrowings under master repurchase agreements, we are subject to margin calls that could result in defaults or force us to
sell assets under adverse market conditions or through foreclosure.
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An increase in our borrowing costs would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
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Differences in timing of interest rate adjustments on adjustable rate assets or the tenor of fixed rate assets we acquire and our borrowings may
adversely affect our profitability.
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Because we may invest in fixed-rate securities, an increase in interest rates may adversely affect our net book value or our net interest income.
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Our hedging strategies may not be successful in mitigating our exposure to market risks, including interest rate, prepayment and credit risk.
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Loss of our exemption from regulation pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act, would adversely affect
us.
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If we do not qualify as a REIT or fail to remain qualified as a REIT, we will be subject to tax as a regular corporation and could face a substantial
tax liability, which would reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
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Our Corporate
Information
Our and our Managers principal place of business is located at 2 Bethesda Metro Center, 14th Floor,
Bethesda, Maryland 20814, and our telephone number is (301) 968-9220. Our Internet address is
http://www.MTGE.com
. The information found on, or otherwise accessible through, our website is not incorporated into, and does not form a part
of, this prospectus or any other report or document we file with or furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC.
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The Offering
Common stock offered by us
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12,000,000 shares (plus up to an additional 1,791,650 shares that we may issue and sell upon the exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option)
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Common stock outstanding after this offering
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22,012,100 shares, based upon 10,012,100 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 13, 2012
(1)
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Use of proceeds
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We intend to deploy the net proceeds from this offering on a leveraged basis to invest in our targeted assets as market conditions warrant, which include agency mortgage investments, non-agency
mortgage investments and other mortgage-related investments.
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Depending on the availability of our targeted investments, we may temporarily invest the net proceeds in readily marketable, short-term, interest-bearing investments,
including money market accounts, consistent with our intention to qualify as a REIT. These temporary investments are expected to provide a lower net return than we hope to achieve from our targeted investments.
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Ownership and transfer restrictions
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In order to assist us in complying with the limitations on the concentration of ownership of a REIT imposed by the Internal Revenue Code, our charter generally prohibits any stockholder from
beneficially or constructively owning more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our common or capital stock. Our Board of Directors has granted American Capital and Sentry REIT Fund exemptions from this
ownership limitation. Please see Description of Capital StockRestrictions on Ownership and Transfer of Our Capital Stock.
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Risk Factors
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Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See Risk Factors beginning on page 5 of this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference into this
prospectus for a discussion of these risks.
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NASDAQ trading symbol
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MTGE
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(1)
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Assumes no exercise of the
underwriters option to purchase up to an additional 1,791,650 shares of our common stock solely to cover over-allotments, if any. Does not include 88,000 shares of our common stock that are available for future grant under our equity incentive
plan.
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Risk Factors
An investment in shares of our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully
consider all of the risks described in the section entitled Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period from August 9, 2011 (commencement of operations) through December 31, 2011, which is incorporated by
reference herein, as well as the other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. If any of the risks discussed therein actually occur, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations could be
materially adversely affected. If this were to occur, the value of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. See Where You Can Find More Information and Incorporation of Certain Documents by
Reference. In connection with the forward-looking statements that appear in this prospectus, you should also carefully review the cautionary statements in the section of this prospectus entitled Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements.
Use of Proceeds
We estimate that the net proceeds that we receive from this offering will be approximately $258.3 million (or approximately $296.9
million if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full), in each case after deducting the estimated offering expenses payable by us of approximately $325,000.
We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering on a leveraged basis to invest in our targeted assets as market conditions warrant,
which include agency mortgage investments, non-agency mortgage investments and other mortgage-related investments.
Depending
on the availability of our targeted investments, we may temporarily invest the net proceeds in readily marketable, short-term, interest-bearing investments, including money market accounts, consistent with our intention to qualify as a REIT. These
temporary investments are expected to provide a lower net return than we hope to achieve from our targeted assets.
Distributions
The following table sets forth the cash distributions declared per share of common stock during each
fiscal quarter since the completion of our IPO on August 9, 2011.
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Cash Distributions
Declared
Per Share
of Common Stock
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2012
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First quarter
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$
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0.90
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2011
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Fourth quarter
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$
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0.80
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Third quarter
(1)
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$
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0.20
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(1)
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August 9, 2011 (commencement of operations) through September 30, 2011.
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Please see the section entitled Federal Income Tax ConsiderationsAnnual Distribution Requirements beginning on
page 19 of this prospectus.
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Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Market risk is the exposure to loss resulting from changes in market factors such as interest rates, foreign currency
exchange rates, commodity prices and equity prices. The primary market risks that we are exposed to are interest rate risk, prepayment risk, spread risk, liquidity risk, credit risk, extension risk and inflation risk.
Interest Rate Risk
Interest rate risk is highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international
economic and political considerations and other factors beyond our control.
Changes in the general level of interest rates
can affect our net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income earned on interest-earning assets and the interest expense incurred in connection with our interest-bearing liabilities, by affecting the spread between our
interest-earning assets and interest bearing liabilities. Changes in the general level of interest rates can also affect our periodic settlements of interest rate swaps and the value of our interest rate swaps which impact our net income. Changes in
the level of interest rates can also affect the rate of prepayments of our securities and the value of the securities that constitute our investment portfolio, which affects our net income and ability to realize gains from the sale of these assets
and impacts our ability and the amount that we can borrow against these securities.
We may utilize a variety of financial
instruments in order to limit the effects of changes in interest rates on our operations, including interest rate swap agreements, interest rate swaptions, interest rate cap or floor contracts and futures or forward contracts. We may also purchase
or short to-be-announced forward contracts, or TBA securities, U.S. Treasury securities and U.S. Treasury futures contracts, purchase or write put or call options on TBA securities or we may invest in other types of mortgage derivative securities,
such as interest-only securities, and synthetic total return swaps. When we use these types of derivatives to hedge the risk of interest-earning assets or interest-bearing liabilities, we may be subject to certain risks, including the risk that
losses on a hedge position will reduce the funds available for payments to holders of our common stock and that the losses may exceed the amount we invested in the instruments.
Our profitability and the value of our investment portfolio (including derivatives used for economic hedging purposes) may be adversely
affected during any period as a result of changing interest rates including changes in forward yield curves. The following table quantifies the estimated changes in net interest income (including the net interest income on Linked Transactions
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and periodic settlements of interest rate swaps) and the fair value
of the investment portfolio (including derivatives used for economic hedging purposes) should interest rates go up or down by 50 and 100 basis points, assuming the yield curves of the rate shocks will be parallel to each other and the current yield
curve. These estimates were compiled using a combination of third-party services, market data and internal models. All changes in income and value are measured as percentage changes from the projected net interest income and investment portfolio
value at the base interest rate scenario. The base interest rate scenario assumes interest rates as of December 31, 2011. Given the low level of interest rates, we also apply a floor of 0% for all anticipated interest rates included in our
assumptions, such that any hypothetical interest rate decrease would have a limited positive impact on our funding costs beyond a certain level. However, because estimated prepayment speeds are impacted to a lesser degree by this floor, it is
expected that an increase in our prepayment speeds as a result of a hypothetical interest rate decrease would result in an acceleration of our premium amortization and could result in reinvestment of such prepaid principal into lower yielding
assets.
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A Linked Transaction occurs if we finance the purchase of securities with repurchase agreements with the same counterparty from whom the securities are
purchased and both transactions are entered into contemporaneously or in contemplation of each other; the transactions are presumed not to meet sale accounting criteria and we will account for the purchase of such securities and the repurchase
agreement on a net basis and record a forward purchase commitment to purchase securities at fair value on our consolidated balance sheet in the line item Linked Transactions, at fair value.
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Actual results could differ materially from estimates, especially in the current market
environment. The accuracy of the projected securities prices relies on assumptions that define specific securities spreads and varying prepayment assumptions at projected interest rate levels. To the extent that these estimates or other assumptions
do not hold true, which is likely in a period of high price volatility, actual results will likely differ materially from projections and could be larger or smaller than the estimates in the table below. Moreover, if different models were employed
in the analysis, materially different projections could result. In addition, the table below also does not include the impact of leverage, which generally has the effect of increasing the impact of the percentage change in projected portfolio value
on stockholders equity by a factor of leverage plus one. Lastly, while the table below reflects the estimated impact of interest rate increases and decreases on a static portfolio, we may from time to time sell any of our investment securities
or reposition our economic hedges as a part of our overall management of our investment portfolio.
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Change in Interest Rate
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Percentage Change
in
Projected Net
Interest Income
(1)
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Percentage Change
in
Projected
Portfolio Value,
with Effect of
Derivatives
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+100 basis points
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(10.9
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)%
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(0.7
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)%
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+50 basis points
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(4.0
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)%
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(0.2
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)%
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-50 basis points
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(1.9
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)%
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(0.2
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)%
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-100 basis points
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(11.5
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)%
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(0.8
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)%
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(1)
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Includes the effect on Linked Transactions and interest rate swaps.
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Prepayment Risk
Premiums and discounts associated with the
purchase of agency securities and non-agency securities of higher credit quality are amortized or accreted into interest income over the projected lives of the securities, including contractual payments and estimated prepayments using the interest
method. Changes to the GSEs underwriting standards, further modifications to existing U.S. government sponsored programs such as the Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP, or the implementation of new programs could materially impact
prepayment speeds. In addition, GSE buyouts of loans in imminent risk of default, loans that have been modified, or loans that have defaulted will generally be reflected as prepayments on agency securities and also increase the uncertainty around
these estimates. Our policy for estimating prepayment speeds for calculating the effective yield is to evaluate published prepayment data for similar securities, market consensus and current market conditions. If the actual prepayment experienced
differs from our estimate of prepayments, we will be required to make an adjustment to the amortization or accretion of premiums and discounts that would have an impact on future income.
Spread Risk
Our investment securities are reflected at their
estimated fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported in earnings. As of December 31, 2011, the fair value of these securities was $1.8 billion. When the market spread between the yield on our mortgage-backed securities and U.S.
treasury securities or swap rates widens, the value of our net assets could decline, creating what we refer to as spread risk. The spread risk associated with our securities and the resulting fluctuations in fair value of these securities can occur
independent of interest rates and may relate to other factors impacting the mortgage and fixed income markets such as liquidity changes in required rates of return on different assets, or changes in risk premiums associated different types of
assets.
Liquidity Risk
The primary liquidity risk for us arises from financing long-term assets with shorter-term borrowings in the form of repurchase agreements. Our assets that are pledged to secure repurchase agreements
are mortgage-backed securities and cash. As of December 31, 2011, we had unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of $57.4 million and unpledged securities of $31.9 million, excluding net unsettled purchases and sales of securities,
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available to meet margin calls on our repurchase agreements, derivative instruments and for other corporate purposes. However, should the value of our securities pledged as collateral
suddenly decrease, margin calls relating to our repurchase agreements could increase, causing an adverse change in our liquidity position. As such, there is no assurance that we will always be able to renew (or roll) our repurchase
agreements. In addition, our counterparties have the option to increase our haircuts (margin requirements) on the assets we pledge against repurchase agreements, thereby reducing the amount that can be borrowed against an asset even if they
agree to renew or roll the repurchase agreement. Significantly higher haircuts can reduce our ability to leverage our portfolio or even force us to sell assets, especially if correlated with asset price declines or faster prepayment rates on
our assets.
Credit Risk
We are exposed to credit risk related to our non-agency investments and certain derivative transactions. We accept credit exposure at levels we deem prudent as an integral part of our diversified
investment strategy. Therefore, we may retain all or a portion of the credit risk on our non-agency investments. We seek to manage this risk through prudent asset selection, pre-acquisition due diligence, post-acquisition performance monitoring,
sale of assets where we have identified negative credit trends and the use of various types of credit enhancements. We may also use non-recourse financing, which limits our exposure to credit losses to the specific pool of mortgages subject to the
non-recourse financing. Our overall management of credit exposure may also include the use of credit default swaps or other financial derivatives that we believe are appropriate. Additionally, we intend to vary the percentage mix of our non-agency
mortgage investments and agency mortgage investments in an effort to actively adjust our credit exposure and to improve the risk/return profile of our investment portfolio. There is no guarantee our efforts to manage credit risk will be successful
and we could suffer significant losses if credit performance is worse than our expectations or if economic conditions worsen.
Extension
Risk
The projected weighted-average life and the duration (or interest rate sensitivity) of our investments is based
on our Managers assumptions regarding the rate at which the borrowers will prepay the underlying mortgage loans or default on their loans. In general, we use interest rate swaps to help manage our funding cost on our investments in the event
that interest rates rise. These swaps allow us to reduce our funding exposure on the notional amount of the swap for a specified period of time by establishing a fixed rate to pay in exchange for receiving a floating rate that generally tracks
our financing costs under our repurchase agreements.
However, if prepayment rates decrease in a rising interest rate
environment, the average life or duration of our fixed-rate assets generally extends. This could have a negative impact on our results from operations, as our interest rate swap maturities are fixed and will, therefore, cover a smaller
percentage of our funding exposure on our mortgage assets to the extent that their average lives increase due to slower prepayments. This situation may also cause the market value of our securities collateralized by fixed rate mortgages to decline
by more than otherwise would be the case while most of our hedging instruments (with the exception of short TBA mortgage positions, interest-only securities and certain other supplemental hedging instruments) would not receive any incremental
offsetting gains. In extreme situations, we may be forced to sell assets to maintain adequate liquidity, which could cause us to incur realized losses.
Inflation Risk
Virtually all of our assets and liabilities are
interest rate sensitive in nature. As a result, interest rates and other factors influence our performance more so than does inflation. Changes in interest rates do not necessarily correlate with inflation rates or changes in inflation rates.
Further, our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and our distributions are determined by our Board of Directors based primarily by our net income as calculated for income
tax purposes. In each case, our activities and balance sheet are measured with reference to historical cost and/or fair market value without considering inflation.
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Description of Our Investment Guidelines and Certain Other
Policies
Our Investment Committee and Investment Guidelines
Our Manager has established an investment committee, whose role is to monitor the performance of our Manager with respect to our
investment guidelines and investment strategy, to monitor our investment portfolio and to monitor our compliance requirements related to our intention to qualify as a REIT and to remain exempt from registration as an investment company under the
Investment Company Act. The investment committee meets as frequently as it believes is required to maintain prudent oversight of our investment activities. Our Board of Directors receives an investment report and reviews our investment portfolio and
related compliance with the investment guidelines on at least a quarterly basis. Our Board of Directors does not review or approve individual investments, but receives notification in the event that we operate outside of our operating policies or
investment guidelines.
Our Board of Directors has approved the following investment guidelines:
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no investment shall be made that would cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes;
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no investment shall be made that would cause us to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act;
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prior to entering into any proposed investment transaction with American Capital or any of its affiliates, a majority of our independent directors must
approve the terms of the transaction; and
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our investment portfolio shall not consist of predominantly whole-pool agency securities for so long as we are managed by an affiliate of American
Capital.
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The investment committee may change these investment guidelines at any time with the approval of
our Board of Directors (which must include a majority of our independent directors), but without any approval from our stockholders.
Our
Policies with Respect to Certain Other Activities
If our Board of Directors determines that additional funding is required
and/or beneficial to our strategy, we may raise funds through additional offerings of equity or debt securities or the retention of cash flow (subject to provisions in the Internal Revenue Code concerning distribution requirements and the taxability
of undistributed REIT taxable income) or a combination of these methods. In the event that we decide to raise additional equity capital, our Board of Directors has the authority, without stockholder approval, to issue additional common stock or
preferred stock in any manner and on such terms and for such consideration as it deems appropriate, at any time.
We may offer
equity or debt securities in exchange for property and to repurchase or otherwise reacquire our shares and may engage in such activities in the future.
In addition, we finance the acquisition of investments with traditional forms of financing, such as repurchase and financing agreements. Our Board of Directors receives an investment report and reviews
our investment portfolio and related compliance with the investment guidelines on at least a quarterly basis. We do not plan to make loans to other persons.
We engage in the purchase and sale of investments. We do not plan to underwrite the securities of other issuers or to invest in the securities of other issuers for the purpose of exercising control.
Our Board of Directors may change any of these policies without prior notice or a vote of our stockholders.
We are subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and
we file, and we will continue to file, periodic reports and proxy statements and make available to our stockholders annual reports containing audited financial information for each year and quarterly reports for the first three quarters of each
fiscal year containing unaudited interim financial information.
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Description of Capital Stock
The following is a summary of the rights and preferences of our common stock and related provisions of our charter and bylaws. The
following summary description of our stock does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Maryland General Corporation Law, or MGCL, and our charter and our bylaws. We encourage you to read carefully this entire
prospectus, our charter and bylaws and the other documents we refer to for a more complete understanding of our capital stock. Copies of our charter and bylaws are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
Please see the section entitled Where You Can Find More Information.
General
Our charter provides that we may issue up to 300,000,000 shares of common stock and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, both having par
value $0.01 per share. Our charter authorizes our Board of Directors to amend our charter, with the approval of a majority of the entire Board of Directors and without stockholder approval, to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of
stock that we are authorized to issue or the number of authorized shares of stock of any class or series. As of March 13, 2012, 10,012,100 shares of our common stock were issued and outstanding and no shares of preferred stock were issued and
outstanding. Under Maryland law, our stockholders are not generally liable for our debts or obligations.
Common Stock
All of the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus will be duly authorized, fully paid and nonassessable. Subject to the
preferential rights, if any, of holders of any other class or series of our stock and to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, holders of outstanding shares of our common stock are entitled
to receive dividends on such shares of common stock out of assets legally available therefor if, as and when authorized by our Board of Directors and declared by us, and the holders of outstanding shares of our common stock will be entitled to share
ratably in our assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, after payment of or adequate provision for all of our known debts and liabilities.
Subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock and except as may otherwise be
specified in the terms of any class or series of common stock, each outstanding share of common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election of directors, and, except as may be
provided with respect to any other class or series of our stock, the holders of shares of our common stock will possess the exclusive voting power. There is no cumulative voting in the election of directors, and directors are elected by a plurality
of the votes cast in the election of directors. Consequently, the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock can elect all of the directors then standing for election, and the holders of the remaining shares will not be able
to elect any directors.
Holders of shares of our common stock have no preference, conversion, exchange, sinking fund,
redemption or appraisal rights and have no preemptive rights to subscribe for any securities of our company. Subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, shares of our common stock have
equal dividend, liquidation and other rights.
Under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation generally cannot dissolve, amend its
charter, merge or consolidate with another entity, sell all or substantially all of its assets or engage in a statutory share exchange unless the action is advised by the board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders
entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, unless a lesser percentage (but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) is specified in the corporations charter. Our
charter provides that these actions (other than amendments to the provisions of our charter related to the removal of a director or amendments to the vote required to amend such provisions, which must be approved by at least two-thirds of the votes
entitled to be cast on the amendment) must be approved by a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.
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Maryland law also permits a corporation to transfer all or substantially all of its assets
without the approval of its stockholders to an entity owned, directly or indirectly, by the corporation. Because our operating assets may be held by our wholly-owned subsidiaries, these subsidiaries may be able to merge or transfer all or
substantially all of their assets without the approval of our stockholders.
Power to Reclassify Unissued Shares of Our Stock
Our charter authorizes our Board of Directors to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of our common or preferred
stock into other classes or series of stock, including one or more classes or series of stock that have priority over our common stock with respect to voting rights, dividends or upon liquidation, and authorize us to issue the newly classified
shares. Prior to the issuance of shares of each new class or series, our Board of Directors is required by Maryland law and by our charter to set, subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our
stock, the preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption for each class or series. Our Board of Directors may take
these actions without stockholder approval unless stockholder approval is required by the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our securities may be listed or traded. Therefore, our Board of Directors could authorize
the issuance of shares of common or preferred stock with terms and conditions that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control or other transaction that might involve a premium price for shares of our common stock
or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders. No shares of preferred stock are presently outstanding, and we have no present plans to issue any shares of preferred stock.
Power to Increase or Decrease Authorized Shares of Stock and Issue Additional Shares of Common and Preferred Stock
Our charter authorizes our Board of Directors, with the approval of a majority of the entire Board of Directors and without stockholder approval, to amend our charter to increase or decrease the aggregate
number of shares of stock, or the number of shares of any class or series of stock, that we are authorized to issue.
We
believe that the power of our Board of Directors to approve amendments to our charter to increase or decrease the number of authorized shares of stock, to authorize us to issue additional authorized but unissued shares of common or preferred stock
and to classify or reclassify unissued shares of common or preferred stock and thereafter to authorize us to issue such classified or reclassified shares of stock will provide us with increased flexibility in structuring possible future financings
and acquisitions and in meeting other needs that might arise. Although our Board of Directors does not intend to do so, it could authorize us to issue a class or series of stock that could, depending upon the terms of the particular class or series,
delay, defer or prevent a change in control or other transaction that might involve a premium price for shares of our common stock or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.
Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer of Our Capital Stock
In order to
qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code for each taxable year beginning after December 31, 2011, our shares of capital stock must be beneficially owned by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months or
during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Also, for our taxable years beginning after December 31, 2011, no more than 50% of the value of our outstanding shares of capital stock may be owned, directly or constructively, by five or
fewer individuals (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code to include certain entities) during the second half of any taxable year.
Our charter, subject to certain exceptions, contains restrictions on the value and number of shares of our capital stock that a person may own. Our charter provides that (subject to certain exceptions
described below) no person may beneficially or constructively own, or be deemed to own by virtue of the attribution provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our common
or capital stock. Pursuant to our charter, our Board of Directors has the power to increase or decrease
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the percentage of common or capital stock that a person may beneficially or constructively own. However, any decreased stock ownership limit will not apply to any person whose percentage
ownership of our common or capital stock, as the case may be, is in excess of such decreased stock ownership limit until that persons percentage ownership of our common or capital stock, as the case may be, equals or falls below the decreased
stock ownership limit. Until such a persons percentage ownership of our common or capital stock, as the case may be, falls below such decreased stock ownership limit, any further acquisition of common or capital stock, as the case may be, will
be in violation of the decreased stock ownership limit.
Our charter also prohibits any person from beneficially or
constructively owning shares of our capital stock that would result in our being closely held under Section 856(h) of the Internal Revenue Code or otherwise cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT and from transferring shares of our
capital stock if the transfer would result in our capital stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons. In addition, no such person may own an interest in any tenant that would cause us to own, actually or constructively, more than a
9.9% interest in such tenant. Any person who acquires or attempts or intends to acquire beneficial or constructive ownership of shares of our capital stock that will or may violate any of the foregoing restrictions on transferability and ownership,
or who is the intended transferee of shares of our capital stock that are transferred to the trust (as described below), is required to give written notice immediately to us (or, in the case of an attempted or proposed transaction, give us at least
15 days prior written notice) of such event and provide us with such other information as we may request in order to determine the effect of such transfer on our qualification as a REIT. The foregoing restrictions on transferability and ownership
will not apply if our Board of Directors determines that it is no longer in our best interests to qualify as a REIT.
Our
Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may exempt a person from the foregoing restrictions. The person seeking an exemption must provide to our Board of Directors such representations and undertakings as our Board of Directors may deem
reasonably necessary to conclude that granting the exemption will not cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT. Our Board of Directors may also require a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, or an opinion of counsel in order to determine
or ensure our qualification as a REIT in the context of granting such exemption. Our Board of Directors has granted American Capital and Sentry REIT Fund exemptions from the 9.8% ownership limitations.
Any attempted transfer of our capital stock which, if effective, would result in a violation of the foregoing restrictions will cause the
number of shares causing the violation (rounded up to the nearest whole share) to be automatically transferred to a trust for the exclusive benefit of one or more charitable beneficiaries, and the proposed transferee will not acquire any rights in
such shares. The automatic transfer will be deemed to be effective as of the close of business on the business day (as defined in our charter) prior to the date of the transfer. If, for any reason, the transfer to the trust does not occur or would
not prevent a violation of the restrictions on ownership contained in our charter, our charter provides that the purported transfer will be void ab initio. Shares of our capital stock held in the trust will be issued and outstanding shares. The
proposed transferee will not benefit economically from ownership of any shares of our capital stock held in the trust, will have no rights to dividends and no rights to vote or other rights attributable to the shares of capital stock held in the
trust. The trustee of the trust will have all voting rights and rights to dividends or other distributions with respect to shares held in the trust. These rights will be exercised for the exclusive benefit of the charitable beneficiary. Any dividend
or other distribution paid prior to our discovery that shares of capital stock have been transferred to the trust must be paid by the recipient to the trustee upon demand. Any dividend or other distribution authorized but unpaid will be paid when
due to the trustee. Any dividend or other distribution paid to the trustee will be held in trust for the charitable beneficiary. Subject to Maryland law, the trustee will have the authority to rescind as void any vote cast by the proposed transferee
prior to our discovery that the shares have been transferred to the trust and to recast the vote in accordance with the desires of the trustee acting for the benefit of the charitable beneficiary. However, if we have already taken irreversible
corporate action, then the trustee will not have the authority to rescind and recast the vote.
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Within 20 days of receiving notice from us that shares of our capital stock have been
transferred to the trust, the trustee will sell the shares to a person designated by the trustee, whose ownership of the shares will not violate the above ownership limitations. Upon such sale, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the
shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the proposed transferee and to the charitable beneficiary as follows: the proposed transferee will receive the lesser of (1) the price paid by the
proposed transferee for the shares or, if the proposed transferee did not give value for the shares in connection with the event causing the shares to be held in the trust (e.g., a gift, devise or other similar transaction), the market price (as
defined in our charter) of the shares on the day of the event causing the shares to be held in the trust and (2) the price received by the trustee from the sale or other disposition of the shares. Any net sale proceeds in excess of the amount
payable to the proposed transferee will be paid immediately to the charitable beneficiary. If, prior to our discovery that shares of our capital stock have been transferred to the trust, the shares are sold by the proposed transferee, then
(1) the shares will be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the trust and (2) to the extent that the proposed transferee received an amount for the shares that exceeds the amount the proposed transferee was entitled to receive, the excess
must be paid to the trustee upon demand.
In addition, shares of our capital stock held in the trust will be deemed to have
been offered for sale to us, or our designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (1) the price per share in the transaction that resulted in the transfer to the trust (or, in the case of a devise or gift, the market price at the time
of the devise or gift) and (2) the market price on the date we, or our designee, accept the offer. We will have the right to accept the offer until the trustee has sold the shares. Upon a sale to us, the interest of the charitable beneficiary
in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the proposed transferee.
Every owner of 5% or more (or such lower percentage as required by the Internal Revenue Code or the regulations promulgated thereunder)
of our outstanding shares of capital stock, including shares of our common stock, within 30 days after the end of each taxable year, is required to give written notice to us stating the name and address of such owner, the number of shares of our
capital stock that the owner beneficially owns and a description of the manner in which the shares are held. Each owner is required to provide to us such additional information as we may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of the
beneficial ownership on our qualification as a REIT and to ensure compliance with the ownership limitations. In addition, each such owner is required to, upon demand, provide to us such information as we may request, in good faith, to determine our
qualification as a REIT and to comply with the requirements of any taxing authority or governmental authority or to determine such compliance and to ensure compliance with the 9.8% ownership limitations in our charter.
These ownership limitations could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for our
common stock or might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our shares of common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. The principal business address of
Computershare Trust Company, N.A. is P.O. Box 43010, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-3010.
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Certain Provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law and
Our Charter and Bylaws
The following is a summary of certain provisions of Maryland law and our charter and bylaws.
This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the MGCL, our charter and our bylaws. Copies of our charter and bylaws are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a
part. See Where You Can Find More Information.
Our Board of Directors
Our charter and bylaws provide that the number of directors we have may be established only by our Board of Directors but may never be
less than the minimum number required by the MGCL, and our bylaws provide that the number of our directors may not be more than 15. Our bylaws also provide that the number of directors shall not be increased by 50% or more in any twelve-month period
without the approval of at least 66% of the entire Board of Directors. Subject to the terms of any class or series of preferred stock, vacancies on our Board of Directors may be filled only by a majority of the remaining directors, even if the
remaining directors do not constitute a quorum, and any director elected to fill a vacancy will hold office for the remainder of the full term of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred and until his or her successor is duly elected and
qualifies.
Each of our directors is elected by our stockholders to serve until the next annual meeting of our stockholders
and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies. Holders of shares of common stock have no right to cumulative voting in the election of directors, and directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast in the election of directors.
Consequently, at each annual meeting of our stockholders, the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock entitled to vote are able to elect all of our directors.
Removal of Directors
Our charter provides that, subject to the rights of
holders of one or more classes or series of preferred stock to elect or remove one or more directors, a director may be removed only for cause (as defined in our charter) and only by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes entitled
to be cast generally in the election of directors. This provision, when coupled with the exclusive power of our Board of Directors to fill vacancies on our Board of Directors, precludes stockholders from removing incumbent directors except for cause
and upon a substantial affirmative vote and filling the vacancies created by such removal with their own nominees.
Business Combinations
Under the MGCL, certain business combinations (including a merger, consolidation, statutory share exchange or,
in certain circumstances, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities) between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder (defined generally as any person who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 10% or
more of the voting power of the corporations outstanding voting stock or an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time during 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) or an affiliate of such an interested stockholder are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder.
Thereafter, any such business combination must generally be recommended by the board of directors of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least (a) 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding voting
stock of the corporation and (b) 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, unless, among other conditions, the corporations common stockholders receive a minimum price (as defined in the MGCL) for their shares and the consideration is
received in cash or in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares. A person is not an interested stockholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which the person
otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. A corporations board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance with any terms and conditions determined by the board of directors.
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Pursuant to the statute, our Board of Directors has by resolution exempted business
combinations between us and American Capital and its affiliates, and between us and any other person, provided that in the latter case the business combination is first approved by our Board of Directors (including a majority of our directors who
are not affiliates or associates of such person). Consequently, the five-year prohibition and the supermajority vote requirements will not apply to business combinations between us and any person described above, and, as a result, any person
described above may be able to enter into business combinations with us that may not be in the best interests of our stockholders, without compliance with the supermajority vote requirements and other provisions of the statute. We cannot assure you
that our Board of Directors will not amend or repeal this resolution in the future.
Control Share Acquisitions
The MGCL provides that a holder of control shares of a Maryland corporation acquired in a control share
acquisition has no voting rights with respect to such shares except to the extent approved by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by stockholders entitled to vote generally in the election of directors
other than the person who has made or proposes to make the control share acquisition, an officer of the corporation or an employee of the corporation who is also a director of the corporation.
Control shares are voting shares of stock that, if aggregated with all other such shares of stock owned by the acquirer, or
in respect of which the acquirer is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges
of voting power:
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one-tenth or more but less than one-third;
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one-third or more but less than a majority; or
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a majority or more of all voting power.
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Control shares do not include shares that the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval or shares acquired directly from the corporation. A
control share acquisition means the acquisition of issued and outstanding control shares, subject to certain exceptions.
A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition, upon satisfaction of certain conditions (including an undertaking to pay expenses and making an acquiring person
statement as described in the MGCL), may compel the board of directors to call a special meeting of stockholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights of the shares. If no request for a meeting is made, the
corporation may itself present the question at any stockholders meeting.
If voting rights are not approved at the meeting or
if the acquiring person does not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the statute, then, subject to certain conditions and limitations, the corporation may redeem any or all of the control shares (except those for which
voting rights have previously been approved) for fair value determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquirer or as of any meeting of stockholders
at which the voting rights of such shares are considered and not approved. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a stockholders meeting and the acquirer becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all
other stockholders may exercise appraisal rights, unless our charter or bylaws provide otherwise. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of such appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquirer
in the control share acquisition.
The control share acquisition statute does not apply to shares acquired in a merger,
consolidation or statutory share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation.
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Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute any and
all acquisitions by any person of shares of our stock. This provision can be amended or eliminated at any time in the future by our Board of Directors.
Subtitle 8
Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL permits a Maryland
corporation with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent directors to elect to be subject, by provision in its charter or bylaws or a resolution of its board of directors and notwithstanding any
contrary provision in the charter or bylaws, to any or all of five provisions of the MGCL which provide, respectively, for:
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a two-thirds vote requirement for removing a director;
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a requirement that the number of directors be fixed only by vote of the board of directors;
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a requirement that a vacancy on the board be filled only by the remaining directors in office and (if the board is classified) for the remainder of the
full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred; and
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a majority requirement for the calling of a stockholder-requested special meeting of stockholders.
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Our charter provides that, at such time as we are able to make a Subtitle 8 election, vacancies on our Board of Directors may be filled
only by the remaining directors, and any director elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the remainder of the directorship in which such vacancy occurred and until a successor is elected and qualifies. Through provisions in our charter and bylaws
unrelated to Subtitle 8, we already (1) require the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast not less than two-thirds of all of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors for the removal of any director from
the Board of Directors, which may also only be for cause, (2) vest in the board the exclusive power to fix the number of directorships and (3) require, unless called by our chair of the Board of Directors, our chief executive officer, or
our Board of Directors, the written request of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all votes entitled to be cast at such a meeting to call a special meeting.
Meetings of Stockholders
Pursuant to our bylaws, a meeting of our
stockholders for the election of directors and the transaction of any business will be held annually on a date and at the time and place set by our Board of Directors, beginning in 2012. The chair of our Board of Directors, our chief executive
officer or our Board of Directors may call a special meeting of our stockholders. Subject to the provisions of our bylaws, a special meeting of our stockholders to act on any matter that may properly be brought before a meeting of our stockholders
must also be called by our secretary upon the written request of the stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on such matter at the meeting and containing the information required by our bylaws. Our secretary
will inform the requesting stockholders of the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and delivering the notice of meeting (including our proxy materials), and the requesting stockholder must pay such estimated cost before our secretary is required
to prepare and deliver the notice of the special meeting.
Amendment to Our Charter and Bylaws
Except for amendments to the provisions of our charter relating to the removal of a director, and amendments to the vote required to amend
these provisions (each of which must be advised by our Board of Directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) and provisions only requiring the
approval of our Board of Directors, our charter generally may be amended only if the amendment is first advised by our Board of Directors and thereafter approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes
entitled to be cast on the matter.
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Our Board of Directors has the exclusive power to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of
our bylaws and to make new bylaws.
Advance Notice of Director Nominations and New Business
Our bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of our stockholders, nominations of individuals for election to our Board of
Directors and the proposal of other business to be considered by our stockholders may be made only (1) pursuant to our notice of the meeting, (2) by or at the direction of our Board of Directors or (3) by any stockholder who was a
stockholder of record both at the time of giving the notice required by our bylaws and at the time of the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting on such business or in the election of such nominee and has provided notice to us within the
time period, and containing the information and other materials, specified in the advance notice provisions of our bylaws.
With respect to special meetings of stockholders, only the business specified in our notice of meeting may be brought before the meeting.
Nominations of individuals for election to our Board of Directors may be made only (1) by or at the direction of our Board of Directors or (2) provided that the meeting has been called for the purpose of electing directors, by any
stockholder who was a stockholder of record both at the time of giving the notice required by our bylaws and at the time of the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each such nominee and has provided notice to us within
the time period, and containing the information and other materials, specified in the advance notice provisions of our bylaws.
Indemnification and Limitation of Liability of Directors and Officers
Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages, except for
liability resulting from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty that is established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action. Our charter
contains a provision that eliminates the liability of our directors and officers to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
The MGCL requires us (unless our charter provides otherwise, which our charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any
proceeding to which he or she is made a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity. The MGCL permits us to indemnify our present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and
reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:
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the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (1) was committed in bad faith or
(2) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty;
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the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or
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in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.
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Under the MGCL, we may not indemnify a director or officer in a suit by us or on our behalf in which the
director or officer was adjudged liable to us or in a suit in which the director or officer was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received. A court may order indemnification if it determines that the director or
officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, even though the director or officer did not meet the prescribed standard of conduct or was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received. However,
indemnification for an adverse judgment in a suit by us or on our behalf, or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, is limited to expenses.
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In addition, the MGCL permits us to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer
upon our receipt of:
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a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for
indemnification by us; and
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a written undertaking by or on behalf of the director or officer to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by us if it is ultimately determined that the
director or officer did not meet the standard of conduct.
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Our charter authorizes us to obligate ourselves,
and our bylaws obligate us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, to indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, pay or reimburse reasonable
expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to:
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any present or former director or officer who is made or threatened to be made a party to a proceeding by reason of his or her service in that
capacity; or
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any individual who, while a director or officer of our company and at our request, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner, manager,
member or trustee of another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or any 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.
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Our charter and bylaws also permit us to indemnify and
advance expenses to any person who served a predecessor of ours in any of the capacities described above and any employee or agent of our company or a predecessor of our company.
REIT Qualification
Our charter provides that our Board of Directors may
authorize us to revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without approval of our stockholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interests to continue to qualify as a REIT.
Effects of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Charter and Bylaws
Our charter and bylaws and Maryland law contain provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a change in control or other transaction that
might involve a premium price for shares of our common stock or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders, including business combination provisions, supermajority vote requirements and advance notice requirements for director
nominations and stockholder proposals. Likewise, if the provision in our bylaws opting out of the control share acquisition provisions of the MGCL were rescinded or if we were to opt in to the classified board or other provisions of Subtitle 8,
these provisions of the MGCL could have similar anti-takeover effects.
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Federal Income Tax Considerations
The following is a summary of the material federal income tax consequences of an investment in common stock of American Capital Mortgage
Investment Corp. For purposes of this section under the heading Federal Income Tax Considerations, references to American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp., we, our and us mean only
American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp. and not its subsidiaries or other lower-tier entities, except as otherwise indicated. This summary is based upon the Internal Revenue Code, the regulations promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department,
rulings and other administrative pronouncements issued by the IRS, and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect, and all of which are subject to differing interpretations or to change, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be
given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any of the tax consequences described below. The summary is also based upon the assumption that we will operate American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp.
and its subsidiaries and affiliated entities in accordance with their applicable organizational documents or partnership agreements. This summary is for general information only and is not tax advice. The Internal Revenue Code provisions governing
the federal income tax treatment of REITs and their stockholders are highly technical and complex, and this summary is qualified in its entirety by the express language of applicable Internal Revenue Code provisions, Treasury regulations promulgated
thereunder and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof. This summary does not address all possible tax considerations that may be material to an investor and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Moreover, this summary does not
purport to discuss all aspects of federal income taxation that may be important to a particular investor in light of its investment or tax circumstances, or to investors subject to special tax rules, such as:
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financial institutions;
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regulated investment companies;
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partnerships and trusts;
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persons who hold our stock on behalf of other persons as nominees;
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persons who receive our stock through the exercise of employee stock options or otherwise as compensation;
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persons holding our stock as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion transaction, synthetic security or
other integrated investment;
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persons whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;
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persons subject to the alternative minimum tax;
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persons subject to the mark-to-market method of accounting for their securities; and
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except to the extent discussed below, tax-exempt organizations and foreign investors.
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This summary assumes that investors will hold their common stock as a capital asset, which generally means as property held for
investment. If a partnership, including for this purpose any entity that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of
the partner and the activities of the partnership. An investor that is a partnership and the partners in such partnership should consult their tax advisors about the federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of
our common stock.
The federal income tax treatment of holders of our common stock depends in some instances on
determinations of fact and interpretations of complex provisions of federal income tax law for which no clear precedent or authority may be available. In addition, the tax consequences to any particular
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stockholder of holding our common stock will depend on the stockholders particular tax circumstances. For example, a stockholder that is a partnership or trust that has issued an equity
interest to certain types of tax-exempt organizations may be subject to a special entity-level tax if we make distributions attributable to excess inclusion income. See Taxation of American Capital Mortgage Investment
Corp.Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income below. A similar tax may be payable by persons who hold our stock as nominees on behalf of certain types of tax-exempt organizations. You are urged to consult your tax advisor
regarding the federal, state, local, and foreign income and other tax consequences to you in light of your particular investment or tax circumstances of acquiring, holding, exchanging, or otherwise disposing of our common stock.
Taxation of American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp.
We will elect to be taxed as a REIT, commencing with our initial taxable year ending December 31, 2011, upon the filing of our federal income tax return for such year. We believe that we have been
organized, and expect to operate, in such a manner, as to qualify for taxation as a REIT.
The law firm of Skadden, Arps,
Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP has acted as our tax counsel in connection with this offering and our formation and election to be taxed as a REIT. In connection with this offering of our common stock, we have received an opinion of Skadden,
Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP to the effect that, commencing with our initial taxable year ended December 31, 2011, we have been organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the
Internal Revenue Code, and our actual method of operation through the date of the opinion has enabled, and our proposed method of operation will enable, us to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT for our taxable years
ending December 31, 2012 and subsequent years. It must be emphasized that the opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is based on various assumptions relating to our organization and operation, and will be conditioned upon
fact-based representations and covenants made by our management regarding our organization, assets, and income, and the present and future conduct of our business operations. The opinion is expressed as of the date issued and will not cover
subsequent periods. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP will have no obligation to advise us or our stockholders of any subsequent change in the matters stated, represented or assumed, or of any subsequent change in the applicable law.
You should be aware that opinions of counsel are not binding on the IRS, and no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge the conclusions set forth in such opinions.
While we have operated and intend to continue to operate so that we will continue to qualify as a REIT, given the highly complex nature
of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations, and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances, no assurance can be given by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP or by us that we will qualify
as a REIT for any particular year. Qualification and taxation as a REIT depends on our ability to meet on a continuing basis, through actual operating results, distribution levels, and diversity of stock and asset ownership, various qualification
requirements imposed upon REITs by the Internal Revenue Code, the compliance with which will not be reviewed by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Our ability to qualify as a REIT also requires that we satisfy certain asset tests,
some of which depend upon the fair market values of assets that we own directly or indirectly. Such values may not be susceptible to a precise determination. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of our operations for any
taxable year will satisfy such requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.
Taxation of REITs in
General
As indicated above, our qualification and taxation as a REIT depends upon our
ability to meet, on a continuing basis, various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Internal Revenue Code. The material qualification requirements are summarized below under Requirements for
QualificationGeneral. While we have operated and intend to continue to operate so that we qualify as a REIT, no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge our qualification, or that we will be able to operate in accordance
with the REIT requirements in the future. See Failure to Qualify below.
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Provided that we qualify as a REIT, we will generally be entitled to a deduction for
dividends that we pay and therefore will not be subject to federal corporate income tax on our taxable income that is currently distributed to our stockholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the double taxation at the corporate
and stockholder levels that generally results from investment in a corporation. In general, the income that we generate is taxed only at the stockholder level upon a distribution to our stockholders.
For tax years through 2012, most domestic stockholders that are individuals, trusts or estates are taxed on corporate dividends at a
maximum rate of 15% (the same as long-term capital gains). With limited exceptions, however, dividends from us or from other entities that are taxed as REITs are generally not eligible for this rate and will continue to be taxed at rates applicable
to ordinary income, which will be as high as 35% through 2012, and as high as 39.6% thereafter. See Taxation of StockholdersTaxation of Taxable Domestic StockholdersDistributions below.
Any net operating losses, foreign tax credits and other tax attributes generally do not pass through to our stockholders, subject to
special rules for certain items such as the capital gains that we recognize. See Taxation of Stockholders below.
If we qualify as a REIT, we will nonetheless be subject to federal tax in the following circumstances:
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We will be taxed at regular corporate rates on any undistributed taxable income, including undistributed net capital gains.
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We may be subject to the alternative minimum tax on our items of tax preference, including any deductions of net operating losses.
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If we have net income from prohibited transactions, which are, in general, sales or other dispositions of inventory or property held primarily for sale
to customers in the ordinary course of business, other than foreclosure property, such income will be subject to a 100% tax. See Prohibited Transactions and Foreclosure Property below.
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If we derive excess inclusion income from an interest in certain mortgage loan securitization structures (
i.e.
, a taxable
mortgage pool or a residual interest in a real estate mortgage investment conduit, or REMIC), we could be subject to corporate level federal income tax at a 35% rate to the extent that such income is allocable to specified types of tax-exempt
stockholders known as disqualified organizations that are not subject to unrelated business income tax. See Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income below.
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If we fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as discussed below, but nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT
because we satisfy other requirements, we will be subject to a 100% tax on an amount based on the magnitude of the failure, as adjusted to reflect the profit margin associated with our gross income.
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If we violate the asset tests (other than certain de minimis violations) or other requirements applicable to REITs, as described below, and yet
maintain our qualification as a REIT because there is reasonable cause for the failure and other applicable requirements are met, we may be subject to a penalty tax. In that case, the amount of the penalty tax will be at least $50,000 per failure,
and, in the case of certain asset test failures, will be determined as the amount of net income generated by the assets in question multiplied by the highest corporate tax rate (currently 35%) if that amount exceeds $50,000 per failure.
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If we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (a) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (b) 95% of our REIT
capital gain net income for such year, and (c) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we would be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the sum of (i) the amounts that we
actually distributed, and (ii) the amounts we retained and upon which we paid income tax at the corporate level.
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If we elect to treat property that we acquire in connection with a foreclosure of a mortgage loan or certain leasehold terminations as
foreclosure property, we may thereby avoid the 100% tax on gain
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from a resale of that property (if the sale would otherwise constitute a prohibited transaction), but the income from the sale or operation of the property may be subject to corporate income tax
at the highest applicable rate (currently 35%).
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We may be required to pay monetary penalties to the IRS in certain circumstances, including if we fail to meet record keeping requirements intended to
monitor our compliance with rules relating to the composition of a REITs stockholders, as described below in Requirements for QualificationGeneral.
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A 100% tax may be imposed on transactions between us and a taxable REIT subsidiary, or TRS, that do not reflect arms length terms.
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If we acquire appreciated assets from a corporation that is not a REIT (
i.e.
, a corporation taxable under subchapter C of the Internal Revenue
Code) in a transaction in which the adjusted tax basis of the assets in our hands is determined by reference to the adjusted tax basis of the assets in the hands of the subchapter C corporation, we may be subject to tax on such appreciation at the
highest corporate income tax rate then applicable if we subsequently recognize gain on a disposition of any such assets during the ten-year period following their acquisition from the subchapter C corporation.
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The earnings of any subsidiary that is a subchapter C corporation, including any TRSs, may be subject to federal corporate income tax.
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In addition, we and our subsidiaries may be subject to a variety of taxes, including state, local, and
foreign income, property and other taxes on our assets and operations. We could also be subject to tax in situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.
Requirements for QualificationGeneral
The Internal Revenue
Code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust or association:
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that is managed by one or more trustees or directors;
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(2)
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the beneficial ownership of which is evidenced by transferable shares, or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest;
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(3)
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that would be taxable as a domestic corporation but for the special Internal Revenue Code provisions applicable to REITs;
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(4)
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that is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company subject to specific provisions of the Internal Revenue Code;
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(5)
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the beneficial ownership of which is held by 100 or more persons;
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(6)
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in which, during the last half of each taxable year, not more than 50% in value of the outstanding stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer
individuals (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code to include specified tax-exempt entities);
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(7)
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that meets other tests described below, including with respect to the nature of its income and assets; and
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(8)
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that makes an election to be a REIT for the current taxable year or has made such an election for a previous taxable year that has not been terminated or revoked.
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The Internal Revenue Code provides that conditions (1) through (4) must be met during the entire
taxable year, and that condition (5) must be met during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Conditions (5) and (6) need not be met during a corporations
initial tax year as a REIT (which, in our case, was 2011). Our charter provides restrictions regarding the ownership and transfers of our stock, which are intended to assist us in satisfying the stock ownership requirements described in conditions
(5) and (6) above.
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To monitor compliance with the stock ownership requirements, we generally are required to
maintain records regarding the actual ownership of our stock. To do so, we must demand written statements each year from the record holders of significant percentages of our stock pursuant to which the record holders must disclose the actual owners
of the stock (
i.e.
, the persons required to include our dividends in their gross income). We must maintain a list of those persons failing or refusing to comply with this demand as part of our records. We could be subject to monetary
penalties if we fail to comply with these record keeping requirements. If you fail or refuse to comply with the demands, you will be required by Treasury regulations to submit a statement with your tax return disclosing your actual ownership of our
stock and other information.
In addition, a corporation generally may not elect to become a REIT unless its taxable year is
the calendar year. We have adopted December 31 as our year end, and thereby satisfy this requirement.
The Internal
Revenue Code provides relief from violations of the REIT gross income requirements, as described below under Income Tests, in cases where a violation is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect, and other requirements are
met, including the payment of a penalty tax that is based upon the magnitude of the violation. In addition, certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code extend similar relief in the case of certain violations of the REIT asset requirements (see
Asset Tests below) and other REIT requirements, again provided that the violation is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, and other conditions are met, including the payment of a penalty tax. If we fail to satisfy any
of the various REIT requirements, there can be no assurance that these relief provisions would be available to enable us to maintain our qualification as a REIT, and, if such relief provisions are available, the amount of any resultant penalty tax
could be substantial.
Effect of Subsidiary Entities
Ownership of Partnership Interests
. If we are a partner in an entity that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, Treasury regulations provide that we are deemed to own our
proportionate share of the partnerships assets, and to earn our proportionate share of the partnerships income, for purposes of the asset and gross income tests applicable to REITs. Our proportionate share of a partnerships assets
and income is based on our capital interest in the partnership (except that for purposes of the value prong of the 10% asset test described below, our proportionate share of the partnerships assets is based on our proportionate interest in the
equity and certain debt securities issued by the partnership). In addition, the assets and gross income of the partnership are deemed to retain the same character in our hands. Thus, our proportionate share of the assets and items of income of any
of our subsidiary partnerships will be treated as our assets and items of income for purposes of applying the REIT requirements.
Disregarded Subsidiaries
. If we own a corporate subsidiary that is a qualified REIT subsidiary, that subsidiary is generally disregarded for federal income tax purposes, and all of the
subsidiarys assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit are treated as our assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit, including for purposes of the gross income and asset tests applicable to REITs. A
qualified REIT subsidiary is any corporation, other than a TRS (as described below) that is directly or indirectly wholly-owned by a REIT. Other entities that are wholly-owned by us, including single member limited liability companies that have not
elected to be taxed as corporations for federal income tax purposes, are also generally disregarded as separate entities for federal income tax purposes, including for purposes of the REIT income and asset tests. Disregarded subsidiaries, along with
any partnerships in which we hold an equity interest, are sometimes referred to herein as pass-through subsidiaries.
In the event that a disregarded subsidiary of ours ceases to be wholly-ownedfor example, if any equity interest in the subsidiary is acquired by a person other than us or another disregarded
subsidiary of oursthe subsidiarys separate existence would no longer be disregarded for federal income tax purposes. Instead, the subsidiary would have multiple owners and would be treated as either a partnership or a taxable
corporation. Such an event could, depending on the circumstances, adversely affect our ability to satisfy the various asset and gross income requirements applicable to REITs, including the requirement that REITs generally may not own, directly or
indirectly, more than 10% of the securities of another corporation. See Asset Tests and Income Tests below.
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Taxable Subsidiaries
. In general, we may jointly elect with a subsidiary corporation,
whether or not wholly-owned, to treat such subsidiary corporation as a TRS. We generally may not own more than 10% of the securities of a taxable corporation, as measured by voting power or value, unless we and such corporation elect to treat such
corporation as a TRS. The separate existence of a TRS or other taxable corporation is not ignored for federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, a TRS or other taxable corporation generally is subject to corporate income tax on its earnings, which
may reduce the cash flow that we and our subsidiaries generate in the aggregate, and may reduce our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
We are not treated as holding the assets of a TRS or other taxable subsidiary corporation or as receiving any income that the subsidiary earns. Rather, the stock issued by a taxable subsidiary to us is an
asset in our hands, and we treat the dividends paid to us from such taxable subsidiary, if any, as income. This treatment can affect our income and asset test calculations, as described below. Because we do not include the assets and income of TRSs
or other taxable subsidiary corporations in determining our compliance with the REIT requirements, we may use such entities to undertake indirectly activities that the REIT rules might otherwise preclude us from doing directly or through
pass-through subsidiaries. For example, we may use TRSs or other taxable subsidiary corporations to conduct activities that give rise to certain categories of income such as management fees or to conduct activities that, if conducted by us directly,
would be treated in our hands as prohibited transactions. We may also use a TRS to earn income in respect of mortgage servicing rights.
The TRS rules limit the deductibility of interest paid or accrued by a TRS to its parent REIT to assure that the TRS is subject to an appropriate level of corporate taxation. Accordingly, if we lend money
to a TRS, the TRS may be unable to deduct all or a part of the interest paid on that loan, and the lack of an interest deduction could result in a material increase in the amount of tax paid by the TRS. Further, the rules impose a 100% excise tax on
transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT or the REITs tenants that are not conducted on an arms-length basis. We intend that any transaction with our TRSs will be conducted on an arms-length basis.
We may hold a significant amount of assets in one or more TRSs, subject to the limitation that securities in TRSs may not represent more
than 25% of our assets. In general, we intend that loans that we originate or buy with an intention of selling in a manner that might expose us to a 100% tax on prohibited transactions will be originated or sold by a TRS. We anticipate
that the TRS through which any such sales are made may be treated as a dealer for federal income tax purposes. As a dealer, the TRS may in general mark all the loans it holds on the last day of each taxable year to their market value, and may
recognize ordinary income or loss on such loans with respect to such taxable year as if they had been sold for that value on that day. In addition, the TRS may further elect to be subject to the mark-to-market regime described above in the event
that the TRS is properly classified as a trader as opposed to a dealer for federal income tax purposes.
Income
Tests
In order to qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy two gross income requirements on an annual basis. First, at least
75% of our gross income for each taxable year, excluding gross income from sales of inventory or dealer property in prohibited transactions and certain hedging transactions, generally must be derived from investments relating to real
property or mortgages on real property, including interest income derived from mortgage loans secured by real property (including, generally, agency mortgage investments, RMBS, CMBS, and certain other types of MBS), rents from real
property, dividends received from other REITs, and gains from the sale of real estate assets, as well as specified income from temporary investments. Second, at least 95% of our gross income in each taxable year, excluding gross income from
prohibited transactions and certain hedging transactions, must be derived from some combination of income that qualifies under the 75% gross income test described above, as well as other dividends, interest, and gain from the sale or disposition of
stock or securities, which need not have any relation to real property. Income and gain from certain hedging transactions will be excluded from both the numerator and the denominator for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests. See
Derivatives and Hedging Transactions below.
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Interest income constitutes qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross
income test (as described above) to the extent that the obligation upon which such interest is paid is secured by a mortgage on real property. If we receive interest income with respect to a mortgage loan that is secured by both real property and
other property, and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property on the date that we acquired or originated the mortgage loan, the interest income will be apportioned
between the real property and the other collateral, and our income from the arrangement will qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test only to the extent that the interest is allocable to the real property. In addition, in certain cases
(unless a safe harbor applies pursuant to IRS guidance), the modification of a debt instrument could result in the conversion of the interest paid on the instrument from qualifying income to wholly or partially non-qualifying income, which may
require that we dispose of the debt instrument or contribute it to our TRS in order to satisfy the income tests described above. Moreover, the IRS has taken the position that, for purposes of the REIT income tests, the principal amount of a loan is
equal to its face amount, even in situations where the loan was acquired at a significant discount. Under this position, a portion of the income generated by the instrument would not qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Even if a loan
is not secured by real property, or is undersecured, the income that it generates may nonetheless qualify for purposes of the 95% gross income test.
To the extent that the terms of a loan provide for contingent interest that is based on the cash proceeds realized upon the sale of the property securing the loan (a shared appreciation
provision), income attributable to the participation feature will be treated as gain from the sale of the underlying property, which generally will be qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests provided that the
property is not held as inventory or dealer property. To the extent that we derive interest income from a mortgage loan, or income from the rental of real property where all or a portion of the amount of interest or rental income payable is
contingent, such income generally will qualify for purposes of the gross income tests only if it is based upon the gross receipts or sales, and not the net income or profits, of the borrower or lessee. This limitation does not apply, however, where
the borrower or lessee leases substantially all of its interest in the property to tenants or subtenants, to the extent that the rental income derived by the borrower or lessee, as the case may be, would qualify as rents from real property had we
earned the income directly.
We may invest in RMBS whose principal and interest payments are guaranteed by a U.S. Government
agency, such as Ginnie Mae, or a GSE that are pass-through certificates. We expect that these agency pass-through certificates will be treated as interests in grantor trusts for federal income tax purposes. We will be treated as owning an undivided
beneficial ownership interest in the mortgage loans held by the grantor trust. The interest on such mortgage loans will be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test to the extent that the obligation is secured by real property, as
discussed above. We also may invest in CMOs representing interests in agency pass-through certificates, RMBS that are not issued or guaranteed by a U.S. Government agency or a GSE, and CMBS. We expect that our investments in CMOs, non-agency RMBS
and CMBS will be treated as interests in REMICs for federal income tax purposes. In the case of CMOs, RMBS and CMBS treated as interests in a REMIC, such interests will generally qualify as real estate assets and income derived from REMIC interests
will generally be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests described above. If less than 95% of the assets of a REMIC are real estate assets, however, then only a proportionate part of our interest in the REMIC
and income derived from the interest will qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test. In addition, some REMIC securitizations include imbedded interest rate swap or cap contracts or other derivative instruments that potentially could produce
non-qualifying income for the holder of the related REMIC securities. We expect that substantially all of our income from agency mortgage investments, RMBS, CMBS, and other mortgage loans will be qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross
income tests. See below under Asset Tests for a discussion of the effect of such investments on our qualification as a REIT.
We purchase and sell agency mortgage investments through TBAs and recognize income or gains from the disposition of those TBAs, through dollar roll transactions or otherwise, and may continue to do so in
the future. While there is no direct authority with respect to the qualification of income or gains from dispositions of TBAs
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as gains from the sale of real property (including interests in real property and interests in mortgages on real property) or other qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, we
treat income and gains from our TBAs as qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, based on an opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP substantially to the effect that, for purposes of the 75% gross income
test, any gain recognized by us in connection with the settlement of our TBAs should be treated as gain from the sale or disposition of the underlying agency mortgage investments. Opinions of counsel are not binding on the IRS, and no assurance can
be given that the IRS will not successfully challenge the conclusions set forth in such opinions. In addition, as noted above, the opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is based on various assumptions relating to our TBAs and
is conditioned upon fact-based representations and covenants made by our management regarding our TBAs. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert that such income is not qualifying income. If the IRS were to successfully challenge the
opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, we could be subject to a penalty tax or we could fail to qualify as a REIT if a sufficient portion of our income consists of income or gains from the disposition of TBAs.
We may invest in mezzanine loans, which are loans secured by equity interests in an entity that directly or indirectly owns real
property, rather than by a direct mortgage of the real property. The IRS has issued Revenue Procedure 2003-65, which provides a safe harbor applicable to mezzanine loans. Under the Revenue Procedure, if a mezzanine loan meets each of the
requirements contained in the Revenue Procedure, (1) the mezzanine loan will be treated by the IRS as a real estate asset for purposes of the asset tests described below, and (2) interest derived from the mezzanine loan will be treated as
qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Although the Revenue Procedure provides a safe harbor on which taxpayers may rely, it does not prescribe rules of substantive tax law. We intend to structure any investments in
mezzanine loans in a manner that complies with the various requirements applicable to our qualification as a REIT. To the extent that any of our mezzanine loans do not meet all of the requirements for reliance on the safe harbor set forth in the
Revenue Procedure, however, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not challenge the tax treatment of these loans.
We
may hold certain participation interests, including B-notes, in mortgage loans and mezzanine loans. Such interests in an underlying loan are created by virtue of a participation or similar agreement to which the originator of the loan is a party,
along with one or more participants. The borrower on the underlying loan is typically not a party to the participation agreement. The performance of this investment depends upon the performance of the underlying loan, and if the underlying borrower
defaults, the participant typically has no recourse against the originator of the loan. The originator often retains a senior position in the underlying loan, and grants junior participations which absorb losses first in the event of a default by
the borrower. We believe that our participation interests will qualify as real estate assets for purposes of the REIT asset tests described below, and that the interest that we will derive from such investments will be treated as qualifying mortgage
interest for purposes of the 75% income test. The appropriate treatment of participation interests for federal income tax purposes is not entirely certain, however, and no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge our treatment of our
participation interests. In the event of a determination that such participation interests do not qualify as real estate assets, or that the income that we will derive from such participation interests does not qualify as mortgage interest for
purposes of the REIT asset and income tests, we could be subject to a penalty tax, or could fail to qualify as a REIT. See Taxation of REITs in General, Requirements for QualificationGeneral,
Asset Tests and Failure to Qualify.
We may invest in construction loans, the interest
from which will be qualifying income for purposes of the REIT income tests, provided that the loan value of the real property securing the construction loan is equal to or greater than the highest outstanding principal amount of the construction
loan during any taxable year, and other requirements are met. For purposes of construction loans, the loan value of the real property is the fair market value of the land plus the reasonably estimated cost of the improvements or developments (other
than personal property) which will secure the loan and which are to be constructed from the proceeds of the loan. There can be no assurance that the IRS would not successfully challenge our estimate of the loan value of the real property and our
treatment of the construction loans for purposes of the REIT income and assets tests, which may cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT.
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Rents received by us, if any, will qualify as rents from real property in
satisfying the gross income requirements described above only if several conditions are met. If rent is partly attributable to personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property, the portion of the rent that is attributable to the
personal property will not qualify as rents from real property unless it constitutes 15% or less of the total rent received under the lease. In addition, the amount of rent must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits
of any person. Amounts received as rent, however, generally will not be excluded from rents from real property solely by reason of being based on fixed percentages of gross receipts or sales. Moreover, for rents received to qualify as rents
from real property, we generally must not operate or manage the property or furnish or render services to the tenants of such property, other than through an independent contractor from which we derive no revenue. We are permitted,
however, to perform services that are usually or customarily rendered in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and which are not otherwise considered rendered to the occupant of the property. In addition, we may directly
or indirectly provide non-customary services to tenants of our properties without disqualifying all of the rent from the property if the payments for such services does not exceed 1% of the total gross income from the property. For purposes of this
test, we are deemed to have received income from such non-customary services in an amount at least 150% of the direct cost of providing the services. Moreover, we are generally permitted to provide services to tenants or others through a TRS without
disqualifying the rental income received from tenants for purposes of the income tests. Also, rental income will qualify as rents from real property only to the extent that we do not directly or constructively hold a 10% or greater interest, as
measured by vote or value, in the lessees equity.
We may directly or indirectly receive distributions from TRSs or
other corporations that are not REITs or qualified REIT subsidiaries. These distributions generally are treated as dividend income to the extent of the earnings and profits of the distributing corporation. Such distributions will generally
constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, but not for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any dividends that we receive from a REIT, however, will be qualifying income for purposes of both the 95% and 75% gross
income tests.
Fees will generally be qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests if they are
received in consideration for entering into an agreement to make a loan secured by real property and the fees are not determined by income and profits. Other fees generally will not be qualifying income for purposes of either gross income test and
will not be favorably counted for purposes of either gross income test. Any fees earned by a TRS will not be included for purposes of the gross income tests.
Any income or gain that we or our pass-through subsidiaries derive from instruments that hedge certain risks, such as the risk of changes in interest rates, will be excluded from gross income for purposes
of the 75% and 95% gross income tests, provided that specified requirements are met, including the requirement that the instrument is entered into during the ordinary course of our business, the instrument hedges risks associated with indebtedness
issued by us or our pass-through subsidiary that is incurred to acquire or carry real estate assets (as described below under Asset Tests), and the instrument is properly identified as a hedge along with the risk that
it hedges within prescribed time periods. Income and gain from all other hedging transactions will not be qualifying income for either the 95% or 75% gross income test. See Derivatives and Hedging Transactions below.
Certain foreign currency gains are excluded from gross income for purposes of one or both of the gross income tests. Real estate
foreign exchange gain will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Real estate foreign exchange gain generally includes foreign currency gain attributable to any item of income or gain that is qualifying income
for purposes of the 75% gross income test, foreign currency gain attributable to the acquisition or ownership of (or becoming or being the obligor under) obligations secured by mortgages on real property or on interest in real property and certain
foreign currency gain attributable to certain qualified business units of a REIT. Passive foreign exchange gain will be excluded from gross income for purposes of the 95% gross income test. Passive foreign exchange gain
generally includes real estate foreign exchange gain as described above, and also includes foreign currency gain attributable to any item of income or
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gain that is qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test and foreign currency gain attributable to the acquisition or ownership of (or becoming or being the obligor under)
obligations. Because passive foreign exchange gain includes real estate foreign exchange gain, real estate foreign exchange gain is excluded from gross income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income test. These exclusions for real estate
foreign exchange gain and passive foreign exchange gain do not apply to foreign currency gain derived from dealing, or engaging in substantial and regular trading, in securities. Such gain is treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of both the
75% and 95% gross income tests.
If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year,
we may still qualify as a REIT for such year if we are entitled to relief under applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These relief provisions will be generally available if (1) our failure to meet these tests was due to reasonable
cause and not due to willful neglect and (2) following our identification of the failure to meet the 75% or 95% gross income test for any taxable year, we file a schedule with the IRS setting forth each item of our gross income for purposes of
the 75% or 95% gross income test for such taxable year in accordance with Treasury regulations yet to be issued. It is not possible to state whether we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions in all circumstances. If these relief
provisions are inapplicable to a particular set of circumstances, we will not qualify as a REIT. As discussed above under Taxation of REITs in General, even where these relief provisions apply, the Internal Revenue Code imposes a
tax based upon the amount by which we fail to satisfy the particular gross income test.
The Secretary of the Treasury has
been given broad authority to determine whether particular items of gain or income qualify or not under the 75% and 95% gross income tests, or are to be excluded from the measure of gross income for such purposes.
Asset Tests
At
the close of each calendar quarter, we must also satisfy four tests relating to the nature of our assets. First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must be represented by some combination of real estate assets, cash, cash
items, U.S. government securities, and, under some circumstances, stock or debt instruments purchased with new capital. For this purpose, real estate assets include interests in real property, such as land, buildings, leasehold interests in real
property, stock of other corporations that qualify as REITs, and some types of MBS and mortgage loans, as well as interests in real property and stock of other corporations that qualify as REITs. Assets that do not qualify for purposes of the 75%
asset test are subject to the additional asset tests described below.
Second, the value of any one issuers securities
that we own may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets. Third, we may not own more than 10% of any one issuers outstanding securities, as measured by either voting power or value. The 5% and 10% asset tests do not apply to securities
of TRSs and qualified REIT subsidiaries and the value prong of the 10% asset test does not apply to straight debt having specified characteristics and to certain other securities described below. Solely for purposes of the 10% asset
test, the determination of our interest in the assets of a partnership or limited liability company in which we own an interest will be based on our proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership or limited liability company,
excluding for this purpose certain securities described in the Internal Revenue Code. Fourth, the aggregate value of all securities of TRSs that we hold may not exceed 25% of the value of our total assets.
Notwithstanding the general rule, as noted above, that for purposes of the REIT income and asset tests, we are treated as owning our
proportionate share of the underlying assets of a subsidiary partnership, if we hold indebtedness issued by a partnership, the indebtedness will be subject to, and may cause a violation of, the asset tests unless the indebtedness is a qualifying
mortgage asset, or other conditions are met. Similarly, although stock of another REIT is a qualifying asset for purposes of the REIT asset tests, any non-mortgage debt that is issued by another REIT may not so qualify (such debt, however, will not
be treated as a security for purposes of the value prong of the 10% asset test, as explained below).
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Certain securities will not cause a violation of the value prong of the 10% asset test
described above. Such securities include instruments that constitute straight debt, which includes, among other things, securities having certain contingency features. A security does not qualify as straight debt where a REIT
(or a controlled TRS of the REIT) owns other securities of the same issuer which do not qualify as straight debt, unless the value of those other securities constitute, in the aggregate, 1% or less of the total value of that issuers
outstanding securities. In addition to straight debt, the Internal Revenue Code provides that certain other securities will not violate the value prong of the 10% asset test. Such securities include (1) any loan made to an individual or an
estate, (2) certain rental agreements pursuant to which one or more payments are to be made in subsequent years (other than agreements between a REIT and certain persons related to the REIT under attribution rules), (3) any obligation to
pay rents from real property, (4) securities issued by governmental entities that are not dependent in whole or in part on the profits of (or payments made by) a non-governmental entity, (5) any security (including debt securities) issued
by another REIT, and (6) any debt instrument issued by a partnership if the partnerships income is of a nature that it would satisfy the 75% gross income test described above under Income Tests. In applying the 10% asset
test, a debt security issued by a partnership is not taken into account to the extent, if any, of the REITs proportionate interest in the equity and certain debt securities issued by that partnership.
We may invest in RMBS whose principal and interest payments are guaranteed by a U.S. Government agency, such as Ginnie Mae, or a GSE,
that are pass-through certificates. We expect that these agency pass-through certificates will be treated as interests in grantor trusts for federal income tax purposes. We will be treated as owning an undivided beneficial ownership interest in the
mortgage loans held by the grantor trust.
We also may invest in CMOs representing interests in agency pass-through
certificates, RMBS that are not issued or guaranteed by a U.S. Government agency or a GSE, and CMBS. We expect that our investments in CMOs, non-agency RMBS and CMBS will be treated as interests in REMICs for federal income tax purposes. Such
interests will generally qualify as real estate assets, and income derived from REMIC interests will generally be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the REIT income tests described above. If less than 95% of the assets of a REMIC are real
estate assets, however, then only a proportionate part of our interest in the REMIC and income derived from the interest qualifies for purposes of the REIT asset and income tests.
To the extent that we hold mortgage participations or MBS that do not represent REMIC interests, such assets may not qualify as real
estate assets, and the income generated from them might not qualify for purposes of either or both of the REIT income requirements, depending upon the circumstances and the specific structure of the investment. Our ability to invest in those assets
may be limited by our intention to qualify as a REIT.
In addition, in certain cases (unless a safe harbor applies pursuant to
IRS guidance), the modification of a debt instrument or, potentially, an increase in the value of a debt instrument that we acquired at a significant discount, could result in the conversion of the instrument from a qualifying real estate asset to a
wholly or partially non-qualifying asset that must be contributed to a TRS or disposed of in order for us to satisfy the asset tests described above.
In addition, certain of our mezzanine loans may qualify for the safe harbor in Revenue Procedure 2003-65 pursuant to which certain loans secured by a first priority security interest in ownership
interests in a partnership or limited liability company will be treated as qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% real estate asset test and the 10% asset test. See Income Tests above. We may make some mezzanine loans that do
not qualify for that safe harbor and that do not qualify as straight debt securities or for one of the other exclusions from the definition of securities for purposes of the value prong of the 10% asset test. We intend to
make such investments in such a manner as not to fail the asset tests described above.
We enter into sale and repurchase
agreements under which we nominally sell certain of our investments to a counterparty and simultaneously enter into an agreement to repurchase the sold assets in exchange for a purchase price that reflects a financing charge. We believe that we will
generally be treated for REIT asset and income test purposes as the owner of the collateral that are the subject of any such agreement notwithstanding that such
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agreements may transfer record ownership of the assets to the counterparty during the term of the agreement. It is possible, however, that the IRS could assert that we did not own such collateral
during the term of the sale and repurchase agreement, in which case we could fail to qualify as a REIT.
We purchase and sell
agency mortgage investments through TBAs and may continue to do so in the future. While there is no direct authority with respect to the qualification of TBAs as real estate assets or Government securities for purposes of the 75% asset test, we
treat our TBAs as qualifying assets for purposes of the REIT asset tests, based on an opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP substantially to the effect that, for purposes of the REIT asset tests, our ownership of a TBA should
be treated as ownership of the underlying agency mortgage investments. Opinions of counsel are not binding on the IRS, and no assurance can be given that the IRS will not successfully challenge the conclusions set forth in such opinions. In
addition, as noted above, the opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is based on various assumptions relating to our TBAs and is conditioned upon fact-based representations and covenants made by our management regarding our
TBAs. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert that such assets are not qualifying assets. If the IRS were to successfully challenge the opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, we could be subject to a penalty
tax or we could fail to qualify as a REIT if a sufficient portion of our assets consists of TBAs.
We do not expect to obtain
independent appraisals to support our conclusions as to the value of our total assets, or the value of any particular security or securities. Moreover, values of some assets, including instruments issued in securitization transactions, may not be
susceptible to a precise determination, and values are subject to change in the future. Furthermore, the proper classification of an instrument as debt or equity for federal income tax purposes may be uncertain in some circumstances, which could
affect the application of the REIT asset requirements. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not contend that our interests in our subsidiaries or in the securities of other issuers will not cause a violation of the REIT asset
tests.
Certain relief provisions are available to allow REITs to satisfy the asset requirements, or to maintain REIT
qualification notwithstanding certain violations of the asset and other requirements. One such provision allows a REIT which fails one or more of the asset requirements to nevertheless maintain its REIT qualification if (1) the REIT provides
the IRS with a description of each asset causing the failure, (2) the failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, (3) the REIT pays a tax equal to the greater of (a) $50,000 per failure, and (b) the product of the
net income generated by the assets that caused the failure multiplied by the highest applicable corporate tax rate (currently 35%), and (4) the REIT either disposes of the assets causing the failure within six months after the last day of the
quarter in which it identifies the failure, or otherwise satisfies the relevant asset tests within that time frame. In the case of de minimis violations of the 10% and 5% asset tests, a REIT may maintain its qualification despite a violation of such
requirements if (1) the value of the assets causing the violation does not exceed the lesser of 1% of the REITs total assets, and $10,000,000, and (2) the REIT either disposes of the assets causing the failure within six months after
the last day of the quarter in which it identifies the failure, or the relevant tests are otherwise satisfied within that time frame.
If we fail to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a calendar quarter, such a failure would not cause us to lose our REIT qualification if we (1) satisfied the asset tests at the close of the
preceding calendar quarter and (2) the discrepancy between the value of our assets and the asset requirements was not wholly or partly caused by an acquisition of non-qualifying assets, but instead arose from changes in the market value of our
assets. If the condition described in (2) were not satisfied, we still could avoid disqualification by eliminating any discrepancy within 30 days after the close of the calendar quarter in which it arose or by making use of relief provisions
described below.
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Annual Distribution Requirements
In order to qualify as a REIT, we are required to distribute dividends, other than capital gain dividends, to our stockholders in an
amount at least equal to:
(a) the sum of
(1) 90% of our REIT taxable income, computed without regard to our net capital gains and the deduction for
dividends paid, and
(2) 90% of our net income, if any, (after tax) from foreclosure property (as described
below), minus
(b) the sum of specified items of non cash income.
We generally must make these distributions in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if declared before
we timely file our tax return for the year and if paid with or before the first regular dividend payment after such declaration. In order for distributions to be counted as satisfying the annual distribution requirements for REITs, and to provide us
with a REIT-level tax deduction, the distributions must not be preferential dividends. A dividend is not a preferential dividend if the distribution is (1) pro rata among all outstanding shares of stock within a particular class,
and (2) in accordance with the preferences among different classes of stock as set forth in our organizational documents.
To the extent that we distribute at least 90%, but less than 100%, of our REIT taxable income, as adjusted, we will be
subject to tax at ordinary corporate tax rates on the retained portion. We may elect to retain, rather than distribute, our net long-term capital gains and pay tax on such gains. In this case, we could elect for our stockholders to include their
proportionate shares of such undistributed long-term capital gains in income, and to receive a corresponding credit for their share of the tax that we paid. Our stockholders would then increase their adjusted basis of their stock by the difference
between (a) the amounts of capital gain dividends that we designated and that they include in their taxable income, minus (b) the tax that we paid on their behalf with respect to that income.
To the extent that in the future we may have available net operating losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may reduce
the amount of distributions that we must make in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. Such losses, however, will generally not affect the character, in the hands of our stockholders, of any distributions that are actually made as
ordinary dividends or capital gains. See Taxation of StockholdersTaxation of Taxable Domestic StockholdersDistributions below.
If we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (a) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (b) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year, and
(c) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we would be subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the sum of (x) the amounts actually distributed, and (y) the amounts of
income we retained and on which we paid corporate income tax.
Due to the nature of the assets in which we will invest, we may
be required to recognize taxable income from those assets in advance of our receipt of cash flow on or proceeds from disposition of such assets, and may be required to report taxable income in early periods that exceeds the economic income
ultimately realized on such assets.
We may acquire debt instruments in the secondary market for less than their face amount.
The discount at which such debt instruments are acquired may reflect doubts about their ultimate collectibility rather than current market interest rates. The amount of such discount will nevertheless generally be treated as market
discount for federal income tax purposes. Accrued market discount is generally recognized as taxable income when and to the extent that any payment of principal is made on the debt instrument. Payments on residential mortgage loans are
ordinarily made monthly, and consequently accrued market discount may have to be included in income each
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month as if the debt instrument were assured of ultimately being collected in full. If we collect less on the debt instrument than our purchase price plus the market discount we had previously
reported as income, we may not be able to benefit from any offsetting loss deductions.
Some of the debt instruments or MBS
that we acquire may have been issued with original issue discount. In general, we will be required to accrue original issue discount based on the constant yield to maturity of the debt instruments or MBS, and to treat it as taxable income in
accordance with applicable federal income tax rules even though smaller or no cash payments are received on such debt instrument. As in the case of the market discount discussed in the preceding paragraph, the constant yield in question will be
determined and we will be taxed based on the assumption that all future payments due on the debt instruments or MBS in question will be made, with consequences similar to those described in the previous paragraph if all payments on the debt
instruments or MBS are not made.
In addition, we may acquire discounted debt investments that are subsequently modified by
agreement with the borrower. If the amendments to the outstanding debt are significant modifications under the applicable Treasury regulations, the modified debt will be considered to have been reissued to us in a debt-for-debt exchange
with the borrower. In that event, we may be required to recognize taxable gain to the extent the principal amount of the modified debt exceeds our adjusted tax basis in the unmodified debt, even if the value of the debt or the payment expectations
have not changed. Following such a taxable modification of a non-publicly traded loan, we would hold the modified loan with a cost basis equal to its principal amount for federal tax purposes. To the extent that such modifications are made with
respect to a debt instrument held by a TRS that is treated as a dealer or trader and that makes an election to use mark-to-market accounting, such TRS would be required at the end of each taxable year, including the taxable year in which any such
modification were made, to mark the modified debt instrument to its fair market value as if the debt instrument were sold. In that case, the TRS could recognize a loss at the end of the taxable year in which the modifications were made to the extent
that the fair market value of such debt instrument at such time was less than the instruments tax basis.
In addition,
in the event that any debt instruments or MBS acquired by us are delinquent as to mandatory principal and interest payments, or in the event payments with respect to a particular debt instrument are not made when due, we may nonetheless be required
to continue to recognize the unpaid interest as taxable income. Similarly, we may be required to accrue interest income with respect to subordinated MBS at the stated rate regardless of whether corresponding cash payments are received.
Finally, we may be required under the terms of indebtedness that we incur to use cash received from interest payments to make principal
payments on that indebtedness, with the effect of recognizing income but not having a corresponding amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
Due to each of these potential timing differences between income recognition or expense deduction and cash receipts or disbursements, there is a significant risk that we may have substantial taxable
income in excess of cash available for distribution. In that event, in order to meet the distribution requirements, it might be necessary for us to arrange for short-term, or possibly long-term, borrowings, or to pay distributions in the form of
taxable in-kind distributions of property. Alternatively, we may declare a taxable distribution payable in cash or stock at the election of each stockholder, where the aggregate amount of cash to be distributed in such distribution may be subject to
limitation. In such case, for federal income tax purposes, the amount of the distribution paid in stock will be equal to the amount of cash that could have been received instead of stock.
We may be able to rectify a failure to meet the distribution requirements for a year by paying deficiency dividends to
stockholders in a later year, which may be included in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. In this case, we may be able to avoid losing REIT qualification or being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends. We will be
required to pay interest and a penalty based on the amount of any deduction taken for deficiency dividends.
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Prohibited Transactions
Net income that we derive from a prohibited transaction is subject to a 100% tax. The term prohibited transaction generally
includes a sale or other disposition of property (other than foreclosure property, as discussed below) that is held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business by us, or by a borrower that has issued a shared
appreciation mortgage or similar debt instrument to us. We intend to conduct our operations so that no asset that we own (or are treated as owning) will be treated as, or as having been, held for sale to customers, and that a sale of any such asset
will not be treated as having been in the ordinary course of our business. Whether property is held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business depends on the particular facts and circumstances. No
assurance can be given that any property that we sell will not be treated as property held for sale to customers, or that we can comply with certain safe-harbor provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that would prevent such treatment. The 100% tax
does not apply to gains from the sale of property that is held through a TRS or other taxable corporation, although such income will be subject to tax in the hands of the corporation at regular corporate rates. We intend to structure our activities
to avoid transactions that are prohibited transactions.
Foreclosure Property
Foreclosure property is real property and any personal property incident to such real property (1) that we acquire as the result of
having bid in the property at foreclosure, or having otherwise reduced the property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law, after a default (or upon imminent default) on a lease of the property or a mortgage loan held by us and
secured by the property, (2) for which we acquired the related loan or lease at a time when default was not imminent or anticipated, and (3) with respect to which we made a proper election to treat the property as foreclosure property. We
generally will be subject to tax at the maximum corporate rate (currently 35%) on any net income from foreclosure property, including any gain from the disposition of the foreclosure property, other than income that constitutes qualifying income for
purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any gain from the sale of property for which a foreclosure property election has been made will not be subject to the 100% tax on gains from prohibited transactions described above, even if the property would
otherwise constitute inventory or dealer property. To the extent that we receive any income from foreclosure property that does not qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test, we intend to make an election to treat the related property as
foreclosure property.
Foreign Investments
We and our subsidiaries may hold investments in and pay taxes to foreign countries. Taxes that we pay in foreign jurisdictions may not be passed through to, or used by, our stockholders as a foreign tax
credit or otherwise. Our foreign investments might also generate foreign currency gains and losses. Certain foreign currency gains would be excluded from gross income for purposes of one or both of the gross income tests, as discussed above. See
above under Income Tests.
Derivatives and Hedging Transactions
We and our subsidiaries may enter into hedging transactions with respect to interest rate exposure on one or more of our assets or
liabilities. Any such hedging transactions could take a variety of forms, including the use of derivative instruments such as interest rate swap contracts, interest rate cap or floor contracts, futures or forward contracts, including short positions
in TBA contracts, and options. Except to the extent provided by Treasury regulations, any income from a hedging transaction we enter into (1) in the normal course of our business primarily to manage risk of interest rate or price changes or
currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets, which is clearly identified and described as specified in Treasury regulations before
the close of the day on which it was acquired, originated, or entered into, and satisfies other identification requirements, including gain from the sale or disposition of such a transaction, and (2) primarily to manage risk of currency
fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% gross income tests
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(or any asset that produces such income), which is clearly identified as such before the close of the day in which it was entered into will not constitute gross income for purposes of the 75% or
95% gross income test. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions is likely to be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of both of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. We intend to
structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT. We may conduct some or all of our hedging activities through a TRS or other corporate entity, the income from which may be subject to federal income
tax, rather than by participating in the arrangements directly or through pass-through subsidiaries. No assurance can be given, however, that our hedging activities will not give rise to income that does not qualify for purposes of either or both of
the REIT gross income tests, or that our hedging activities will not adversely affect our ability to satisfy the REIT qualification requirements.
Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income
An entity, or a
portion of an entity, may be classified as a taxable mortgage pool (TMP) under the Internal Revenue Code if
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substantially all of its assets consist of debt obligations or interests in debt obligations,
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more than 50% of those debt obligations are real estate mortgages or interests in real estate mortgages as of specified testing dates,
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the entity has issued debt obligations (liabilities) that have two or more maturities, and
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the payments required to be made by the entity on its debt obligations (liabilities) bear a relationship to the payments to be received by
the entity on the debt obligations that it holds as assets.
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Under regulations issued by the U.S. Treasury
Department, if less than 80% of the assets of an entity (or a portion of an entity) consist of debt obligations, these debt obligations are considered not to constitute substantially all of its assets, and therefore the entity would not
be treated as a TMP. Our financing and securitization arrangements may give rise to TMPs, with the consequences as described below.
Where an entity, or a portion of an entity, is classified as a TMP, it is generally treated as a taxable corporation for federal income tax purposes. In the case of a REIT, a portion of a REIT, or a
disregarded subsidiary of a REIT that is a TMP, however, special rules apply. The TMP is not treated as a corporation that is subject to corporate income tax, and the TMP classification does not directly affect the tax status of the REIT. Rather,
the consequences of the TMP classification would, in general, except as described below, be limited to the stockholders of the REIT.
A portion of the REITs income from the TMP arrangement, which might be non-cash accrued income, could be treated as excess inclusion income. Under IRS guidance, the REITs excess
inclusion income, including any excess inclusion income from a residual interest in a REMIC, must be allocated among its stockholders in proportion to distributions paid. The REIT is required to notify stockholders of the amount of excess
inclusion income allocated to them. A stockholders share of excess inclusion income:
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cannot be offset by any net operating losses otherwise available to the stockholder,
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is subject to tax as unrelated business taxable income in the hands of most types of stockholders that are otherwise generally exempt from federal
income tax, and
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results in the application of federal income tax withholding at the maximum rate (30%), without reduction for any otherwise applicable income tax
treaty or other exemption, to the extent allocable to most types of foreign stockholders.
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See Taxation of
Stockholders below. Under IRS guidance, to the extent that excess inclusion income is allocated to a tax-exempt, record-name stockholder of a REIT that is not subject to unrelated business income tax (such as a government entity or charitable
remainder trust), the REIT may be subject to tax on this income at the
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highest applicable corporate tax rate (currently 35%). In that case, the REIT could reduce distributions to such stockholders by the amount of such tax paid by the REIT attributable to such
stockholders ownership. Treasury regulations provide that such a reduction in distributions does not give rise to a preferential dividend that could adversely affect the REITs compliance with its distribution requirements. See
Annual Distribution Requirements above. The manner in which excess inclusion income is calculated, or would be allocated to stockholders, including allocations among shares of different classes of stock, is not clear under current
law. As required by IRS guidance, we intend to make such determinations using a reasonable method. Tax-exempt investors, foreign investors and taxpayers with net operating losses should carefully consider the tax consequences described above, and
are urged to consult their tax advisors.
To the extent that common stock owned by disqualified organizations is
held by a broker or other nominee, the broker/dealer or other nominees would be liable for a tax at the highest corporate tax rate on the portion of our excess inclusion income allocable to the common stock held by the broker/dealer or other nominee
on behalf of the disqualified organizations. A RIC or other pass-through entity owning our common stock will be subject to tax at the highest corporate tax rate on any excess inclusion income allocated to its record name owners that are
disqualified organizations.
If a subsidiary partnership of ours that we do not wholly-own, directly or through
one or more disregarded entities, were a TMP, the foregoing rules would not apply. Rather, the partnership that is a TMP would be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, and potentially would be subject to corporate income tax or
withholding tax. In addition, this characterization would alter our income and asset test calculations, and could adversely affect our compliance with those requirements. We intend to monitor the structure of any TMPs in which we have an interest to
ensure that they will not adversely affect our status as a REIT.
Failure to Qualify
If we fail to satisfy one or more requirements for REIT qualification other than the income or asset tests, we could avoid
disqualification if our failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect and we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure. Relief provisions are available for failures of the income tests and asset tests, as described above in
Income Tests and Asset Tests.
If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable
year, and the relief provisions described above do not apply, we would be subject to tax, including any applicable alternative minimum tax, on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. We cannot deduct distributions to stockholders in any year
in which we are not a REIT, nor would we be required to make distributions in such a year. In this situation, to the extent of current and accumulated earnings and profits, distributions to domestic stockholders that are individuals, trusts and
estates will generally be taxable at capital gains rates (through 2012). In addition, subject to the limitations of the Internal Revenue Code, corporate distributees may be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Unless we are entitled to
relief under specific statutory provisions, we would also be disqualified from re-electing to be taxed as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we lost qualification. It is not possible to state whether, in all
circumstances, we would be entitled to this statutory relief.
Tax Aspects of Investments in Partnerships
General
We may
hold investments through entities that are classified as partnerships for federal income tax purposes. In general, partnerships are pass-through entities that are not subject to federal income tax. Rather, partners are allocated their
proportionate shares of the items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of a partnership, and are potentially subject to tax on these items, without regard to whether the partners receive a distribution from the partnership. We will include in
our income our proportionate share of these partnership items for purposes of the various REIT income tests and in computation of our REIT taxable income. Moreover, for purposes of the REIT asset tests, we will include in our calculations our
proportionate share of any assets held by subsidiary partnerships. Our proportionate share of a partnerships assets and income is based on our capital
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interest in the partnership (except that for purposes of the value prong of the 10% asset test, our proportionate share is based on our proportionate interest in the equity and certain debt
securities issued by the partnership). See Taxation of American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp.Effect of Subsidiary EntitiesOwnership of Partnership Interests above.
Entity Classification
Any investment in partnerships involves special tax considerations, including the possibility of a challenge by the IRS of the status of any subsidiary partnership as a partnership, as opposed to an
association taxable as a corporation, for federal income tax purposes. If any of these entities were treated as an association for federal income tax purposes, it would be taxable as a corporation and therefore could be subject to an entity-level
tax on its income. In such a situation, the character of our assets and items of gross income would change and could preclude us from satisfying the REIT asset tests or the gross income tests as discussed above in Taxation of American
Capital Mortgage Investment Corp.Asset Tests and Income Tests, and in turn could prevent us from qualifying as a REIT, unless we are eligible for relief from the violation pursuant to relief provisions described above.
See Taxation of American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp.Asset Tests, Income Tests and Failure to Qualify, above, for discussion of the effect of failure to satisfy the REIT tests for a
taxable year, and of the relief provisions. In addition, any change in the status of any subsidiary partnership for tax purposes might be treated as a taxable event, in which case we could have taxable income that is subject to the REIT distribution
requirements without receiving any cash.
Tax Allocations with Respect to Partnership Properties
Under the Internal Revenue Code and the Treasury regulations, income, gain, loss and deduction attributable to appreciated or depreciated
property that is contributed to a partnership in exchange for an interest in the partnership must be allocated for tax purposes so that the contributing partner is charged with, or benefits from, the unrealized gain or unrealized loss associated
with the property at the time of the contribution. The amount of the unrealized gain or unrealized loss is generally equal to the difference between the fair market value of the contributed property at the time of contribution, and the adjusted tax
basis of such property at the time of contribution (a book-tax difference). Such allocations are solely for federal income tax purposes and do not affect the book capital accounts or other economic or legal arrangements among the
partners.
To the extent that any of our subsidiary partnerships acquire appreciated (or depreciated) properties by way of
capital contributions from its partners, allocations would need to be made in a manner consistent with these requirements. Where a partner contributes cash to a partnership at a time that the partnership holds appreciated (or depreciated) property,
the Treasury regulations provide for a similar allocation of these items to the other (
i.e.
, non-contributing) partners. These rules may apply to a contribution that we make to any subsidiary partnerships of the cash proceeds received in
offerings of our stock. As a result, the partners of our subsidiary partnerships, including us, could be allocated greater or lesser amounts of depreciation and taxable income in respect of a partnerships properties than would be the case if
all of the partnerships assets (including any contributed assets) had a tax basis equal to their fair market values at the time of any contributions to that partnership. This could cause us to recognize, over a period of time, taxable income
in excess of cash flow from the partnership, which might adversely affect our ability to comply with the REIT distribution requirements discussed above.
Taxation of Stockholders
Taxation of Taxable Domestic Stockholders
Distributions
. So long as we qualify as a REIT, the distributions that we make to our taxable domestic
stockholders out of current or accumulated earnings and profits that we do not designate as capital gain dividends will generally be taken into account by stockholders as ordinary income and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction
for corporations. With limited exceptions, our dividends are not eligible for taxation at the preferential income tax rates (
i.e.
, the 15% maximum federal rate through 2012) for qualified dividends received
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by domestic stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates from taxable C corporations. Such stockholders, however, are taxed at the preferential rates on dividends designated by and
received from REITs to the extent that the dividends are attributable to
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income retained by the REIT in the prior taxable year on which the REIT was subject to corporate level income tax (less the amount of tax),
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dividends received by the REIT from TRSs or other taxable C corporations, or
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income in the prior taxable year from the sales of built-in gain property acquired by the REIT from C corporations in carryover basis
transactions (less the amount of corporate tax on such income).
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Distributions that we designate as capital
gain dividends will generally be taxed to our stockholders as long-term capital gains, to the extent that such distributions do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year, without regard to the period for which the stockholder that
receives such distribution has held its stock. We may elect to retain and pay taxes on some or all of our net long-term capital gains, in which case provisions of the Internal Revenue Code will treat our stockholders as having received, solely for
tax purposes, our undistributed capital gains, and the stockholders will receive a corresponding credit for taxes that we paid on such undistributed capital gains. See Taxation of American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp.Annual
Distribution Requirements above. Corporate stockholders may be required to treat up to 20% of some capital gain dividends as ordinary income. Long-term capital gains are generally taxable at maximum federal rates of 15% (through 2012) in the
case of stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates, and 35% in the case of stockholders that are corporations. Capital gains attributable to the sale of depreciable real property held for more than 12 months are subject to a 25% maximum
federal income tax rate for taxpayers who are taxed as individuals, to the extent of previously claimed depreciation deductions.
Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will generally represent a return of capital and will not be taxable to a stockholder to the extent that the amount of such
distributions does not exceed the adjusted basis of the stockholders shares in respect of which the distributions were made. Rather, the distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of the stockholders shares. To the extent that such
distributions exceed the adjusted basis of a stockholders shares, the stockholder generally must include such distributions in income as long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the shares have been held for one year or less. In
addition, any distribution that we declare in October, November or December of any year and that is payable to a stockholder of record on a specified date in any such month will be treated as both paid by us and received by the stockholder on
December 31 of such year, provided that we actually pay the distribution before the end of January of the following calendar year.
To the extent that we have available net operating losses and capital losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may reduce the amount of distributions that we must make in order to comply
with the REIT distribution requirements. See Taxation of American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp.Annual Distribution Requirements above. Such losses, however, are not passed through to stockholders and do not offset income
of stockholders from other sources, nor would such losses affect the character of any distributions that we make, which are generally subject to tax in the hands of stockholders to the extent that we have current or accumulated earnings and profits.
If excess inclusion income from a TMP or REMIC residual interest is allocated to any stockholder, that income will be taxable
in the hands of the stockholder and would not be offset by any net operating losses of the stockholder that would otherwise be available. See Taxation of American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp.Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess
Inclusion Income above. As required by IRS guidance, we intend to notify our stockholders if a portion of a distribution paid by us is attributable to excess inclusion income.
Dispositions of Our Stock
. In general, capital gains recognized by individuals, trusts and estates upon the sale or disposition of
our stock will be subject to a maximum federal income tax rate of 15% (through 2012) if
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the stock is held for more than one year, and will be taxed at ordinary income rates (of up to 35% through 2012) if the stock is held for one year or less. Gains recognized by stockholders that
are corporations are subject to federal income tax at a maximum rate of 35%, whether or not such gains are classified as long-term capital gains. Capital losses recognized by a stockholder upon the disposition of our stock that was held for more
than one year at the time of disposition will be considered long-term capital losses, and are generally available only to offset capital gain income of the stockholder but not ordinary income (except in the case of individuals, who may offset up to
$3,000 of ordinary income each year). In addition, any loss upon a sale or exchange of shares of our stock by a stockholder who has held the shares for six months or less, after applying holding period rules, will be treated as a long-term capital
loss to the extent of distributions that we make that are required to be treated by the stockholder as long-term capital gain. A pro rata redemption of our stock may be treated as a dividend for tax purposes notwithstanding the fact that the number
of shares held by a holder may be reduced as a result of such a redemption. See Taxation of StockholdersTaxation of Taxable Domestic StockholdersDistributions above.
If an investor recognizes a loss upon a subsequent disposition of our stock or other securities in an amount that exceeds a prescribed
threshold, it is possible that the provisions of Treasury regulations involving reportable transactions could apply, with a resulting requirement to separately disclose the loss-generating transaction to the IRS. These regulations,
though directed towards tax shelters, are broadly written, and apply to transactions that would not typically be considered tax shelters. The Internal Revenue Code imposes significant penalties for failure to comply with these
requirements. You should consult your tax advisor concerning any possible disclosure obligation with respect to the receipt or disposition of our stock or securities, or transactions that we might undertake directly or indirectly. Moreover, you
should be aware that we and other participants in the transactions in which we are involved (including their advisors) might be subject to disclosure or other requirements pursuant to these regulations.
Taxation of Foreign Stockholders
The following is a summary of certain federal income and estate tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our stock applicable to non-U.S. holders. A non-U.S. holder is any person
other than:
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a citizen or resident of the United States,
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a corporation (or entity treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes) created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the
United States, or of any state thereof, or the District of Columbia,
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an estate, the income of which is includable in gross income for federal income tax purposes regardless of its source, or
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a trust if a United States court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more United States
fiduciaries have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust.
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If a partnership,
including for this purpose any entity that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities
of the partnership. An investor that is a partnership and the partners in such partnership should consult their tax advisors about the federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common stock. The following
discussion is based on current law, and is for general information only. It addresses only selected, and not all, aspects of federal income and estate taxation.
In General
. For most foreign investors, investment in a REIT that invests principally in mortgage loans and MBS is not the most tax-efficient way to invest in such assets. That is because receiving
distributions of income derived from such assets in the form of REIT dividends subjects most foreign investors to withholding taxes that direct investment in those asset classes, and the direct receipt of interest and principal payments with respect
to them, would not. The principal exceptions are foreign sovereigns and their agencies and instrumentalities, which may be exempt from withholding taxes on REIT dividends under the Internal Revenue Code, and certain foreign
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pension funds or similar entities able to claim an exemption from withholding taxes on REIT dividends under the terms of a bilateral tax treaty between their country of residence and the United
States.
Ordinary Dividends
. The portion of dividends received by non-U.S. holders that is (1) payable out of our
earnings and profits, (2) not attributable to our capital gains and (3) not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. holder, will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless reduced or
eliminated by treaty. Reduced treaty rates and other exemptions are not available to the extent that income is attributable to excess inclusion income allocable to the foreign stockholder. Accordingly, we will withhold at a rate of 30% on any
portion of a dividend that is paid to a non-U.S. holder and attributable to that holders share of our excess inclusion income. See Taxation of American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp.Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess
Inclusion Income above. As required by IRS guidance, we intend to notify our stockholders if a portion of a dividend paid by us is attributable to excess inclusion income.
In general, non-U.S. holders will not be considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business solely as a result of their ownership of
our stock. In cases where the dividend income from a non-U.S. holders investment in our stock is, or is treated as, effectively connected with the non-U.S. holders conduct of a U.S. trade or business, the non-U.S. holder generally will
be subject to federal income tax at graduated rates, in the same manner as domestic stockholders are taxed with respect to such dividends. Such income must generally be reported on a U.S. income tax return filed by or on behalf of the non-U.S.
holder. The income may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax in the case of a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation.
Non-Dividend Distributions
. Unless our stock constitutes a U.S. real property interest (a USRPI), distributions that
we make which are not dividends out of our earnings and profits will not be subject to U.S. income tax. If we cannot determine at the time a distribution is made whether or not the distribution will exceed current and accumulated earnings and
profits, the distribution will be subject to withholding at the rate applicable to dividends. The non-U.S. holder may seek a refund from the IRS of any amounts withheld if it is subsequently determined that the distribution was, in fact, in excess
of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. If our stock constitutes a USRPI, as described below, distributions that we make in excess of the sum of (a) the stockholders proportionate share of our earnings and profits, and
(b) the stockholders basis in its stock, will be taxed under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (FIRPTA) at the rate of tax, including any applicable capital gains rates, that would apply to a domestic
stockholder of the same type (e.g., an individual or a corporation, as the case may be), and the collection of the tax will be enforced by a refundable withholding tax at a rate of 10% of the amount by which the distribution exceeds the
stockholders share of our earnings and profits.
Capital Gain Dividends
. Under FIRPTA, a distribution that we
make to a non-U.S. holder, to the extent attributable to gains from dispositions of USRPIs that we held directly or through pass-through subsidiaries, or USRPI capital gains, will, except as described below, be considered effectively connected with
a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. holder and will be subject to U.S. income tax at the rates applicable to U.S. individuals or corporations, without regard to whether we designate the distribution as a capital gain dividend. See above under
Taxation of StockholdersTaxation of Foreign StockholdersOrdinary Dividends, for a discussion of the consequences of income that is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. In addition, we will be required to
withhold tax equal to 35% of the maximum amount that could have been designated as USRPI capital gains dividends. Distributions subject to FIRPTA may also be subject to a 30% branch profits tax in the hands of a non-U.S. holder that is a
corporation. A distribution is not a USRPI capital gain if we held an interest in the underlying asset solely as a creditor. Capital gain dividends received by a non-U.S. holder that are attributable to dispositions of our assets other than USRPIs
are not subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax, unless (1) the gain is effectively connected with the non-U.S. holders U.S. trade or business, in which case the non-U.S. holder would be subject to the same treatment as U.S.
holders with respect to such gain, or (2) the non-U.S. holder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a tax home in the United States, in which case
the non-U.S. holder will incur a 30% tax on his capital gains.
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A capital gain dividend that would otherwise have been treated as a USRPI capital gain will
not be so treated or be subject to FIRPTA, and generally will not be treated as income that is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, and instead will be treated in the same manner as an ordinary dividend (see Taxation of
Foreign StockholdersOrdinary Dividends above), if (1) the capital gain dividend is received with respect to a class of stock that is regularly traded on an established securities market located in the United States, and (2) the
recipient non-U.S. holder does not own more than 5% of that class of stock at any time during the year ending on the date on which the capital gain dividend is received. We anticipate that our common stock will continue to be regularly
traded on an established securities exchange following this offering.
Dispositions of Our Stock
. Unless our
stock constitutes a USRPI, a sale of our stock by a non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. taxation under FIRPTA. Our stock will not be treated as a USRPI if less than 50% of our assets throughout a prescribed testing period consist
of interests in real property located within the United States, excluding, for this purpose, interests in real property solely in a capacity as a creditor. Because MBS and mortgage loans generally do not constitute USRPIs, it is not currently
anticipated that our stock will constitute a USRPI. However, we cannot assure you that our stock will not become a USRPI. It should be noted that a pro rata redemption of our stock may be treated as a distribution for tax purposes notwithstanding
the fact that the number of shares held by a holder may be reduced as a result of such a redemption. See Taxation of StockholdersTaxation of Foreign StockholdersOrdinary Dividends, Non-Dividend Distributions
and Capital Gain Dividends above.
Even if the foregoing 50% test is not met, our stock nonetheless will not
constitute a USRPI if we are a domestically controlled qualified investment entity. A domestically controlled qualified investment entity includes a REIT, less than 50% of value of which is held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. holders
at all times during a specified testing period. We believe that we are, and will be, a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity, and that a sale of our stock should not be subject to taxation under FIRPTA. However, no assurance can be
given that we are or will remain a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity.
In the event that we are not a
domestically controlled qualified investment entity, but our stock is regularly traded, as defined by applicable Treasury regulations, on an established securities market, a non-U.S. holders sale of our common stock nonetheless
would not be subject to tax under FIRPTA as a sale of a USRPI, provided that the selling non-U.S. holder held 5% or less of our outstanding common stock at all times during the five-year period ending on the date of the sale. We expect that our
common stock will continue to be regularly traded on an established securities market following this offering.
If gain on the
sale of our stock were subject to taxation under FIRPTA, the non-U.S. holder would be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return and would be subject to the same treatment as a U.S. stockholder with respect to such gain, subject to applicable
alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of non-resident alien individuals, and the purchaser of the stock could be required to withhold 10% of the purchase price and remit such amount to the IRS.
Gain from the sale of our stock that would not otherwise be subject to FIRPTA will nonetheless be taxable in the United States to a
non-U.S. holder in two cases: (1) if the non-U.S. holders investment in our stock is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business conducted by such non-U.S. holder, the non-U.S. holder will be subject to the same treatment as a
U.S. stockholder with respect to such gain, or (2) if the non-U.S. holder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a tax home in the United States,
the nonresident alien individual will be subject to a 30% tax on the individuals capital gain. In addition, even if we are a domestically controlled qualified investment entity, upon disposition of our stock (subject to the 5% exception
applicable to regularly traded stock described above), a non-U.S. holder may be treated as having gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI if the non-U.S. holder (1) disposes of our common stock within a 30-day period preceding the
ex-dividend date of a distribution, any portion of which, but for the disposition, would have been treated as gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI and (2) acquires, or enters into a contract or option to acquire, other shares of our common
stock within 30 days after such ex-dividend date.
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Other Withholding Rules
. After December 31, 2013, withholding at a rate of 30%
will be required on dividends in respect of, and after December 31, 2014, withholding at a rate of 30% will be required on gross proceeds from the sale of, shares of our stock held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including
investment funds), unless such institution enters into an agreement with the Secretary of the Treasury to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to shares in, and accounts maintained by, the institution to the extent such shares or
accounts are held by certain U.S. persons or by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons. Accordingly, the entity through which our shares are held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is
required. Similarly, after December 31, 2013, dividends in respect of, and after December 31, 2014, gross proceeds from the sale of, our shares held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity will be subject to withholding at a
rate of 30%, unless such entity either (i) certifies to us that such entity does not have any substantial U.S. owners or (ii) provides certain information regarding the entitys substantial U.S. owners, which
we will in turn provide to the Secretary of the Treasury. Non-U.S. stockholders are encouraged to consult with their tax advisers regarding the possible implications of these rules on their investment in our stock.
Estate Tax
. If our stock is owned or treated as owned by an individual who is not a citizen or resident (as specially defined for
federal estate tax purposes) of the United States at the time of such individuals death, the stock will be includable in the individuals gross estate for federal estate tax purposes, unless an applicable estate tax treaty provides
otherwise, and may therefore be subject to federal estate tax.
Taxation of Tax-Exempt Stockholders
Tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit sharing trusts and individual retirement accounts, generally are
exempt from federal income taxation. Such entities, however, may be subject to taxation on their unrelated business taxable income (UBTI). While some investments in real estate may generate UBTI, the IRS has ruled that dividend
distributions from a REIT to a tax-exempt entity generally do not constitute UBTI. Based on that ruling, and provided that (1) a tax-exempt stockholder has not held our stock as debt financed property within the meaning of the
Internal Revenue Code (
i.e.
, where the acquisition or holding of the property is financed through a borrowing by the tax-exempt stockholder), and (2) our stock is not otherwise used in an unrelated trade or business, distributions that
we make and income from the sale of our stock generally should not give rise to UBTI to a tax-exempt stockholder.
To the
extent that we are (or a part of us, or a disregarded subsidiary of ours, is) a TMP, or if we hold residual interests in a REMIC, a portion of the distributions paid to a tax-exempt stockholder that is allocable to excess inclusion income may be
treated as UBTI. If, however, excess inclusion income is allocable to some categories of tax-exempt stockholders that are not subject to UBTI, we might be subject to corporate level tax on such income, and, in that case, may reduce the amount of
distributions to those stockholders whose ownership gave rise to the tax. See Taxation of American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp.Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income above. As required by IRS guidance, we
intend to notify our stockholders if a portion of a distribution paid by us is attributable to excess inclusion income.
Tax-exempt stockholders that are social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts, and
qualified group legal services plans exempt from federal income taxation under Sections 501(c)(7), (c)(9), (c)(17) and (c)(20) of the Internal Revenue Code are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally require such stockholders to
characterize distributions that we make as UBTI.
In certain circumstances, a pension trust that owns more than 10% of our
stock could be required to treat a percentage of the distributions as UBTI, if we are a pension-held REIT. We will not be a pension-held REIT unless (1) we are required to look through one or more of our pension trust
stockholders in order to satisfy the REIT closely held test and (2) either (i) one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our stock, or (ii) one or more pension trusts, each individually holding more than 10% of the value of
our stock, collectively owns more than 50% of the value of our stock. Certain restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock
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generally should prevent a tax-exempt entity from owning more than 10% of the value of our stock, and generally should prevent us from becoming a pension-held REIT.
Tax-exempt stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the federal, state, local and foreign income and other tax
consequences of owning our common stock.
Other Tax Considerations
Legislative or Other Actions Affecting REITs
The present federal
income tax treatment of REITs may be modified, possibly with retroactive effect, by legislative, judicial or administrative action at any time. The REIT rules are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS
and the U.S. Treasury Department which may result in statutory changes as well as revisions to regulations and interpretations. Changes to the federal tax laws and interpretations thereof could adversely affect an investment in our stock.
State, Local and Foreign Taxes
We and our subsidiaries and stockholders may be subject to state, local or foreign taxation in various jurisdictions, including those in which we or they transact business, own property or reside. We may
own properties located in numerous jurisdictions, and may be required to file tax returns in some or all of those jurisdictions. Our state, local or foreign tax treatment and that of our stockholders may not conform to the federal income tax
treatment discussed above. We may pay foreign property taxes, and dispositions of foreign property or operations involving, or investments in, foreign property may give rise to foreign income or other tax liability in amounts that could be
substantial. Any foreign taxes that we incur do not pass through to stockholders as a credit against their federal income tax liability. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the application and effect of state, local and
foreign income and other tax laws on an investment in our stock.
42
Underwriting
Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., UBS Securities LLC, and Wells Fargo
Securities, LLC are acting as joint book-running managers of this offering and as representatives of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions stated in the underwriting agreement dated as of the date of this prospectus, each
underwriter named below has agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to that underwriter, the number of shares of our common stock set forth opposite the underwriters name.
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Underwriters
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Number of Shares
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Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
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2,400,000
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Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
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2,400,000
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Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
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2,400,000
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UBS Securities LLC
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2,400,000
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Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
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2,400,000
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|
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Total
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12,000,000
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The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the shares of
common stock included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other customary conditions. The underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the shares (other than those covered by the over-allotment option
described below) if they purchase any of the shares.
The underwriters have agreed to purchase the shares of common stock from
us at a price of $21.55 per share, which will result in net proceeds to us, after deducting estimated expenses related to this offering, of approximately $258.3 million assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the underwriters,
and $296.9 million assuming full exercise of the over-allotment option.
The underwriters propose to offer the common shares
offered hereby from time to time for sale in one or more transactions on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, in the over-the-counter market, through negotiated transactions or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related
to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices, subject to receipt of acceptance by them and subject to their right to reject any order in whole or in part. The underwriters may effect such transactions by selling the common shares to or
through dealers and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or purchasers of common shares for whom they may act as agents or to whom they may sell as principal.
The difference between the price at which the underwriters purchase shares and the price at which the underwriters resells
such shares may be deemed underwriting compensation. Additionally, we have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for their expenses in an amount of up to $10,000, which may be incurred in connection with the review by Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority, Inc. of the terms of the shares offered hereby.
We have granted the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30
days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to additional 1,791,650 shares of common stock at the offering price. The underwriters may exercise the option solely for the purposes of covering over-allotments, if any, in connection with this
offering. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter must purchase a number of additional shares approximately proportionate to that underwriters initial purchase commitment.
No Sales of Similar Securities
We have agreed that, for a period of 30 days after the date of this prospectus, we will not, without the prior written consent of the representatives, dispose of or hedge any shares of our common stock or
any securities
43
convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock, except for (1) any shares, or options to purchase shares that may be granted pursuant to our existing equity incentive plan,
(2) any shares issued pursuant to any dividend reinvestment plan, or (3) any shares issued in any merger or acquisition transaction.
Our Manager and each of our executive officers and directors have agreed that, for a period of 30 days after the date of this prospectus, they will not, without the prior written consent of the
representatives, dispose of or hedge any shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock, subject to certain exceptions. However, in the event that either (1) during the last 17 days of this
30-day lock-up period, we release earnings results or material news or a material event relating to us occurs, or (2) prior to the expiration of the lock-up period, we announce that we will release earnings results
during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the lock-up period, then, in either case, the expiration of the lock-up will be extended to the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of the release of the
earnings results or the occurrence of the material news or event, as applicable, unless the representatives waive, in writing, such an extension.
The representatives may, in their sole discretion, release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice. There are no present agreements between the
representatives, our Manager, any of our executive officers or directors or us to release any of them or us from these lock-up agreements. However, we cannot predict the circumstances or timing under which these restrictions may be waived.
Listing
Our
common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MTGE.
Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty
Bids
In connection with the offering, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., on behalf of the underwriters, may purchase and sell
shares of our common stock in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, syndicate covering transactions and stabilizing transactions. Short sales involve syndicate sales of common stock in excess of the number of shares to be
purchased by the underwriters in the offering, which creates a syndicate short position. Covered short sales are sales of shares made in an amount up to the number of shares represented by the underwriters over-allotment option. In
determining the source of shares to close out the covered syndicate short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase
shares through the over-allotment option. Transactions to close out the covered syndicate short involve either purchases of the common stock in the open market after the distribution has been completed or the exercise of the over-allotment option.
The underwriters may also make naked short sales of shares in excess of the over-allotment option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares of common stock in the open market. A naked short position
is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. Stabilizing
transactions consist of bids for or purchases of shares in the open market while the offering is in progress.
The
underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. repurchases shares originally sold by that syndicate member in order to cover
syndicate short positions or make stabilizing purchases.
Any of these activities may have the effect of preventing or
retarding a decline in the market price of our common stock. They may also cause the price of our common stock to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may
conduct these transactions on The NASDAQ Global Select Market or in the over-the-counter market, or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, they may discontinue them at any time.
44
We estimate that our expenses of this offering will be $325,000.
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained by one or more of the underwriters. The
representatives may agree to allocate a number of shares to underwriters for sale to their online brokerage account holders. The representatives will allocate shares to underwriters that may make Internet distributions on the same basis as other
allocations. In addition, shares may be sold by the underwriters to securities dealers who resell shares to online brokerage account holders.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, or contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to
make in that respect.
Potential Conflicts of Interest
In the ordinary course of business, the underwriters and their affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and
financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their
affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in
such securities and instruments.
In addition, in the ordinary course of business, the underwriters or their affiliates have
engaged and may in the future engage in various financing, commercial banking and investment banking services with, and provide financial advisory services to, us and our affiliates, for which they have received or may receive customary fees and
expenses, including acting as underwriters for our equity offerings. We have entered into master repurchase agreements with Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., UBS Securities and Wells
Fargo Securities, LLC and its affiliate. We have also entered into ISDA master agreements with affiliates of Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC. Furthermore, we have entered into master
securities forward transaction agreements with Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
Sales Outside the United States
No action has been taken in any
jurisdiction (except in the United States) that would permit a public offering of our common stock, or the possession, circulation or distribution of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any other material relating to us or our
common stock in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, the shares may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, and none of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any other offering
material or advertisements in connection with our common stock may be distributed or published, in or from any country or jurisdiction except in compliance with any applicable rules and regulations of any such country or jurisdiction.
Each of the underwriters may arrange to sell the common stock offered hereby in certain jurisdictions outside the United States, either
directly or through affiliates, where they are permitted to do so. In that regard, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC may arrange to sell securities in certain jurisdictions through an affiliate, Wells Fargo Securities International Limited, or WFSIL.
WFSIL is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company and an affiliate of Wells Fargo Securities, LLC. WFSIL is a U.K. incorporated investment firm regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Wells Fargo Securities is the
trade name for certain corporate and investment banking services of Wells Fargo & Company and its affiliates, including Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and WFSIL.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area
In relation
to each member state of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a relevant member state), with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus
45
Directive is implemented in that relevant member state (the relevant implementation date), an offer of shares described in this prospectus may not be made to the public in that relevant member
state prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the shares that has been approved by the competent authority in that relevant member state or, where appropriate, approved in another relevant member state and notified to the competent
authority in that relevant member state, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that, with effect from and including the relevant implementation date, an offer of securities may be offered to the public in that relevant member state
at any time:
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to any legal entity that is authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose
is solely to invest in securities;
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to any legal entity that has two or more of (1) an average of at least 250 employees during the last financial year; (2) a total balance
sheet of more than 43,000,000 and (3) an annual net turnover of more than 50,000,000, as shown in its last annual or consolidated accounts;
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to fewer than 100 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined below) subject to obtaining the prior consent of the
representatives for any such offer; or
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in any other circumstances that do not require the publication of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.
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Each purchaser of shares described in this prospectus located within a relevant member state will be deemed
to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive. For purposes of this provision, the expression an offer to the public in any
relevant member state means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the securities, as the
expression may be varied in that member state by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that member state, and the expression Prospectus Directive means Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any relevant implementing measure in
each relevant member state.
The sellers of the shares have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of
shares through any financial intermediary on their behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters with a view to the final placement of the shares as contemplated in this prospectus. Accordingly, no purchaser of the shares, other than the
underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of the shares on behalf of the sellers or the underwriters.
Notice to Prospective
Investors in the United Kingdom
This prospectus is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the
United Kingdom that are qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive that are also (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000
(Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the Order) or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (each such person being referred to as
a relevant person). This prospectus and its contents are confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or disclosed by recipients to any other persons in the United Kingdom. Any person in the
United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.
Notice to Prospective
Investors in Switzerland
This prospectus does not constitute an issue prospectus pursuant to Article 652a or Article 1156
of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO) and the shares will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Therefore, the prospectus may not comply with the disclosure standards of the CO and/or the listing rules (including any prospectus
schemes) of the SIX Swiss Exchange. Accordingly, the shares may not be offered to the public in or from Switzerland, but only to a selected and limited circle of investors, which do not subscribe to the shares with a view to distribution.
46
Notice to Prospective Investors in Taiwan
The shares have not been and will not be registered with the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan, the Republic of China pursuant to
relevant securities laws and regulations and may not be offered or sold in Taiwan, the Republic of China through a public offering or in circumstances which constitute an offer within the meaning of the Securities and Exchange Act of Taiwan, the
Republic of China that requires a registration or approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan, the Republic of China. No person or entity in Taiwan, the Republic of China has been authorized to offer or sell the shares in Taiwan, the
Republic of China.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Arab Emirates
This offering has not been approved or licensed by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Securities and
Commodities Authority of the UAE and/or any other relevant licensing authority in the UAE including any licensing authority incorporated under the laws and regulations of any of the free zones established and operating in the territory of the UAE,
in particular the DFSA, a regulatory authority of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). This offering does not constitute a public offer of securities in the UAE, DIFC and/or any other free zone in accordance with the
Commercial Companies Law, Federal Law No 8 of 1984 (as amended), DFSA Offered Securities Rules and NASDAQ Dubai Listing Rules, accordingly, or otherwise. The shares may not be offered to the public in the UAE and/or any of the free zones.
The shares may be offered and issued only to a limited number of investors in the UAE or any of its free zones who qualify as
sophisticated investors under the relevant laws and regulations of the UAE or the free zone concerned.
Ireland
This prospectus supplement and any other material in relation to the common stock described herein is only being distributed in Ireland:
(a) in circumstances which do not require the publication of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3(2) of
Directive 2003/71/EC as amended by Directive 2010/73/EC;
(b) in compliance with the provisions of the
Irish Companies Acts 1963-2009; and
(c) in compliance with the provisions of the European Communities
(Markets in Financial Instruments) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 60 of 2007) (as amended), and in accordance with any codes or rules of conduct and any conditions or requirements, or any other enactment, imposed or approved by the Central
Bank of Ireland with respect to anything done by them in relation to the common units.
Netherlands
Shares of our common stock will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in the Netherlands, other than:
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(a)
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with a minimum denomination of 50,000 or the equivalent in another currency per investor;
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(b)
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for a minimum consideration of 50,000 or the equivalent in another currency per investor;
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(c)
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to fewer than 100 individuals or legal entities other than Qualified Investors (see below); or
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(d)
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solely to Qualified Investors,
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all within the meaning of Article 4 of the Financial Supervision Act Exemption Regulation (
Vrijstellingsregeling Wet op het financieel
toezicht
) and Article 1:12 and Article 5:3 of the Financial Supervision Act (
Wet op het financieel toezicht
, FSA).
In respect of the offer, the fund is not required to obtain a licence pursuant to the FSA and is not subject to supervision pursuant to Part 4, Conduct of Business Supervision of financial
undertakings and Part 2, Prudential Supervision of Financial Undertakings.
47
Legal Matters
Certain legal matters in connection with this offering including the validity of the shares being offered by this prospectus will be
passed upon for us by Venable LLP, Baltimore, Maryland, and certain tax matters, will be passed upon for us by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, New York, New York. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be
passed upon for the underwriters by Hunton & Williams LLP.
Experts
The consolidated financial statements of American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp. appearing in American Capital Mortgage Investment
Corp.s Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the period from August 9, 2011 (commencement of operations) through December 31, 2011 have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in
their report thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and
auditing.
Where You Can Find More Information
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-11, including exhibits and schedules filed with the registration
statement of which this prospectus is a part, under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of common stock to be sold in this offering. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and
exhibits and schedules to the registration statement. For further information with respect to our company and the shares of common stock to be sold in this offering, reference is made to the registration statement, including the exhibits and
schedules to the registration statement. We also file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC.
Copies of the registration statement, including the exhibits and schedules to the registration statement, and such other reports or other information that we file with the SEC may be examined without
charge at the public reference room of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20549. Information about the operation of the public reference room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0300. Copies of all or a portion of the
registration statement may be obtained from the public reference room of the SEC upon payment of prescribed fees. Our SEC filings, including our registration statement, are also available to you for free on the SECs website at
www.sec.gov
.
Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference information into this prospectus which has been previously filed, which means
that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, except for any information superseded by
information included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We have filed the documents listed below with the SEC (File No. 001-35260) under the Exchange Act and these documents are incorporated herein by reference:
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our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period from August 9, 2011 (commencement of operations) through December 31, 2011, filed on
February 21, 2012; and
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the description of our common stock set forth in our registration statement on Form 8-A/A, filed on August 2, 2011, and any amendment or
report filed for the purpose of updating such description.
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48
We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this
prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus (other than the exhibits to such documents which are not specifically incorporated
by reference herein); we will provide this information at no cost to the requester upon written or oral request to American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp., 2 Bethesda Metro Center, 14th Floor, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, telephone number
(301) 968-9300. You may also obtain copies of this information by visiting our website at
http://www.MTGE.com
.
49
12,000,000 Shares
Common Stock
Prospectus
Citigroup
Credit Suisse
Deutsche Bank Securities
UBS Investment Bank
Wells Fargo Securities
March 13, 2012
MTGE Investment Corp. (NASDAQ:MTGE)
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