Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(7)
Registration No. 333-265997
Prospectus Supplement
(To Prospectus dated July 1, 2022)
(To Prospectus dated July 1, 2022)
OFFICE PROPERTIES INCOME TRUST
![[MISSING IMAGE: lg_officeproperties-4c.jpg]](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001456772/000110465924078594/lg_officeproperties-4c.jpg)
1,406,952 Common Shares of Beneficial Interest
Offered by Selling Shareholders
Offered by Selling Shareholders
This prospectus supplement relates to the potential resale from time to time of some or all of the 1,406,952 of the common shares of beneficial interest, par value $.01 per share, or our common shares, of Office Properties Income Trust that we issued to the selling shareholders identified in this prospectus supplement, or the selling shareholders, pursuant to the Support Agreement dated June 10, 2024 between us and the selling shareholders, or the Support Agreement, as further described herein.
The registration of the offer and sale of our common shares covered by this prospectus supplement does not necessarily mean that the selling shareholders will offer or sell all or any of our common shares. Our common shares offered hereby by the selling shareholders, or their pledgees, donees, transferees or other successors in interest, may be sold from time to time directly or indirectly through one or more broker-dealers or agents, and in one or more public or private transactions. Our common shares may be sold in one or more transactions at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of the sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale or at negotiated prices. These sales may be effected in transactions, which may involve crosses or block transactions. If our common shares are sold through broker-dealers or agents, the selling shareholders will be responsible for the commissions. Each selling shareholder is solely responsible for its fees and expenses relating to or arising from its sale of the common shares hereunder. The timing and amount of any sale is within the sole discretion of the selling shareholders, subject to certain restrictions. See the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” for more information.
We will not receive any proceeds from any sale of common shares by the selling shareholders. We have agreed to bear the expenses in connection with the registration of our common shares to be offered by this prospectus supplement by the selling shareholders other than any commissions relating to the sale of common shares and their fees and expenses relating to or arising from their sale of the common shares hereunder, which will be borne by the selling shareholders.
Our common shares are listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “OPI.” On July 5, 2024, the last reported sale price of our common shares on Nasdaq was $1.99.
Investing in our securities involves risks that are described in the “Risk Factors” section on page 2 of the accompanying prospectus, as well as the risks described in the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, or our Annual Report.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
To assist us in complying with certain federal income tax requirements applicable to real estate investment trusts, our declaration of trust includes certain restrictions relating to the ownership and transfer of our shares of beneficial interest, including an ownership limit of 9.8%, in number of shares or value, of the issued and outstanding shares of beneficial interest, subject to certain exceptions. In addition, in order to assist us in preserving our ability to use our net operating losses and other tax benefits to reduce our future taxable income, our bylaws include an ownership limit of 5% of our outstanding common shares, subject to certain exceptions. See “Description of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of our Declaration of Trust and Bylaws — Restrictions on Transfer and Ownership of Shares” on page 26 of the accompanying prospectus and our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 13, 2024 for more information about these restrictions.
The date of this prospectus supplement is July 9, 2024.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prospectus Supplement
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of the offering of our common shares by the selling shareholders, and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus. The second part is the accompanying prospectus, which gives more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. The rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, allow us to incorporate by reference information into this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement may add to, update or change the information in the accompanying prospectus. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in the accompanying prospectus or in any document incorporated by reference that was filed with the SEC before the date of this prospectus supplement, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. If any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date, for example, a document incorporated by reference in the accompanying prospectus, the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. See “Information Incorporated by Reference.”
This prospectus supplement does not contain all of the information that is important to you. Before making a decision to invest in our common shares, you should read both this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information” in the accompanying prospectus before investing in our common shares.
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any related free writing prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representation. Neither we nor the selling shareholders have authorized anyone to provide you with information in addition to or different from that contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any related free writing prospectus. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you.
This prospectus supplement is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. You should assume that the information in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front of the applicable document, that the information appearing in any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date of that free writing prospectus, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any related free writing prospectus, or any sale of a security. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
References herein to “we,” “us,” “our,” or “the Company” refer to Office Properties Income Trust and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.
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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY
This summary highlights certain information about us, this offering and selected information contained elsewhere in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before deciding whether to invest in our common shares. For a more complete understanding of the Company and this offering, you should read and consider carefully the more detailed information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” of the accompanying prospectus and in our Annual Report, as well as any amendment or update to our risk factors reflected in subsequent filings that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. See “Information Incorporated by Reference.”
Overview
We are a real estate investment trust, or REIT, organized under Maryland law. As of March 31, 2024, our wholly owned properties were comprised of 151 properties and we had noncontrolling ownership interests of 51% and 50% in two unconsolidated joint ventures that owned three properties containing approximately 471,000 rentable square feet. As of March 31, 2024, our properties are located in 30 states and the District of Columbia and contain approximately 20,293,000 rentable square feet. As of March 31, 2024, our properties were leased to 261 different tenants with a weighted average remaining lease term (based on annualized rental income) of approximately 6.6 years. The U.S. government is our largest tenant, representing approximately 20.2% of our annualized rental income as of March 31, 2024. The term annualized rental income as used herein is defined as the annualized contractual base rents from our tenants pursuant to our lease agreements as of March 31, 2024, plus straight line rent adjustments and estimated recurring expense reimbursements to be paid to us, and excluding lease value amortization.
Our principal executive offices are located at Two Newton Place, 255 Washington Street, Suite 300, Newton, Massachusetts 02458-1634, and our telephone number is (617) 219-1440. Our website address is www.opireit.com, which contains information concerning us. Information included or referred to on, or otherwise accessible through, our website is not incorporated by reference or otherwise a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.
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ABOUT THE OFFERING
This prospectus supplement relates to the potential resale from time to time of some or all of the 1,406,952 of our common shares that we issued to the selling shareholders identified in this prospectus supplement, including their pledgees, donees, transferees, or other successors in interest, pursuant to the Support Agreement and in connection with the Amended Exchange Offers (as defined below). We will not receive any proceeds from any sale of common shares by the selling shareholders. See “Use of Proceeds,” “Selling Shareholders” and “Plan of Distribution” for additional information concerning this offering. Investing in the common shares involves a high degree of risk. See the risks that are described in the “Risk Factors” section on page 2 of the accompanying prospectus, as well as the risks described in the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, or our Annual Report. Our common shares are listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “OPI.”
WARNING CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other securities laws that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These statements may include words such as “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “estimate”, “will”, “may” and negatives or derivatives of these or similar expressions.
Forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations, are based on judgments and assumptions, are inherently uncertain and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from expected future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in those forward-looking statements. Some of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following:
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Our ability to make required payments on our debt or refinance our debts as they mature or otherwise become due,
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Our ability to maintain sufficient liquidity, including the availability of borrowings under our revolving credit facility and our ability to obtain new debt financing, and otherwise manage leverage,
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Our ability to comply with the terms of our debt agreements and meet financial covenants,
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Our ability to effectively raise and balance our use of debt and equity capital,
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The extent to which changes and trends in office space utilization and needs, including due to remote work arrangements, continue to impact demand for office space at our properties,
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Whether our tenants will renew or extend their leases and not exercise early termination options pursuant to their leases or that we will obtain replacement tenants on terms as favorable to us as our prior leases,
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Our ability to increase or maintain occupancy at our properties on terms desirable to us, and our ability to increase rents when our leases expire or renew,
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Competition within the commercial real estate industry, particularly in those markets in which our properties are located,
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The impact of unfavorable market and commercial real estate industry conditions due to high interest rates, prolonged high inflation, labor market challenges, supply chain disruptions, volatility in the public equity and debt markets and in commercial real estate markets, generally and in the sectors we operate, geopolitical instability and tensions, economic downturns or a possible recession or changes in real estate utilization, among other things, on us and our tenants,
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The likelihood that our tenants will pay rent or be negatively impacted by continuing unfavorable market and commercial real estate industry conditions or government budget constraints,
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Our ability to manage our capital expenditures and other operating costs effectively and to maintain and enhance our properties and their appeal to tenants,
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The financial strength of our tenants,
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Our ability to sell properties at prices we target,
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Our tenant and geographic concentration,
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Risks and uncertainties regarding the costs and timing of development, redevelopment and repositioning activities, including as a result of prolonged high inflation, cost overruns, supply chain challenges, labor shortages, construction delays or inability to obtain necessary permits or volatility in the commercial real estate markets,
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Our ability to acquire properties that realize our targeted returns,
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Our credit ratings,
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Our ability to pay distributions to our shareholders and to maintain or increase the amount of such distributions,
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The ability of our manager, The RMR Group LLC, or RMR, to successfully manage us,
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Compliance with, and changes to, federal, state and local laws and regulations, accounting rules, tax laws and similar matters,
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The impact of any U.S. government shutdown or failure to increase the government debt ceiling on our ability to collect rents and pay our operating expenses, debt obligations and distributions to shareholders on a timely basis,
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Actual and potential conflicts of interest with our related parties, including our Managing Trustees, RMR, Sonesta International Hotels Corporation, or Sonesta, and others affiliated with them,
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Limitations imposed by and our ability to satisfy complex rules to maintain our qualification for taxation as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes,
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Acts of terrorism, outbreaks of pandemics or other public health safety events or conditions, war or other hostilities, global climate change or other manmade or natural disasters beyond our control, and
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Other matters.
These risks, uncertainties, and other factors are not exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with other cautionary statements that are included in our periodic filings. The information contained in our filings with the SEC, including under the caption “Risk Factors” of the accompanying prospectus, in our Annual Report and in our other periodic reports, or incorporated herein or therein, identifies important factors that could cause differences from the forward-looking statements in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Our filings with the SEC are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
You should not place undue reliance upon our forward-looking statements.
Except as required by law, we do not intend to update or change any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
This prospectus supplement relates to the potential resale from time to time of some or all of the 1,406,952 of our common shares that we issued to the selling shareholders identified in this prospectus supplement, including their pledgees, donees, transferees, or other successors in interest, pursuant to the Support Agreement and in connection with the Amended Exchange Offers. We will not receive any proceeds from any sales of our common shares by the selling shareholders.
We have agreed to bear the expenses in connection with the registration of our common shares to be offered by this prospectus supplement by the selling shareholders.
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SELLING SHAREHOLDERS
We issued our common shares to the selling shareholders pursuant to the Support Agreement and in connection with our previously announced private exchange offers (as amended to date, the Amended Exchange Offers) to exchange our outstanding senior unsecured notes due 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2031 (such notes, collectively, are referred to as the Existing Notes) for up to an aggregate principal amount of $610,000,000 of new 9.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2029, or the New Notes, and related guarantees pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in an Offering Memorandum, dated as of May 1, 2024, as amended by our press releases dated May 20, 2024, May 23, 2024 and June 10, 2024, or the Offering Memorandum. Pursuant to the Support Agreement, the selling shareholders agreed to tender an aggregate principal amount of approximately $432,016,000 of Existing Notes in the Amended Exchange Offers, consisting of approximately $41,546,000 of Existing Notes due 2025, $68,053,000 of Existing Notes due 2026, $142,536,000 of Existing Notes due 2027 and $179,881,000 of Existing Notes due 2031 in exchange for the Company issuing common shares to the selling shareholders in a private placement, on or promptly after the issuance date of the New Notes. Pursuant to the terms of the Support Agreement, we have issued 1,406,952 common shares in aggregate to the selling shareholders.
Other than as described above, none of the selling shareholders have had a material relationship with the Company within the past three years.
The following table sets forth, without regard to any limitations on ownership:
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the number of common shares beneficially owned by the selling shareholders prior to the sale of our common shares covered by this prospectus supplement;
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the number of common shares to be offered by such selling shareholder and to be beneficially owned by the selling shareholders following the assumed sale of all common shares covered by this prospectus supplement; and
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the percentage of our issued and outstanding common shares beneficially owned by the selling shareholders prior to and following the assumed sale of all common shares covered by this prospectus supplement (if more than one percent).
The information presented regarding the selling shareholders is based, in part, on information the selling shareholders provided to us specifically for use in this prospectus supplement. The selling shareholders may sell all, some or none of its shares in this offering. See “Plan of Distribution.” We may supplement this prospectus supplement from time to time in the future to update or change the selling shareholders list and the number of common shares that may be offered and sold by the selling shareholders. The registration for resale of our common shares does not necessarily mean that the selling shareholders will sell all or any of our common shares. In addition, the selling shareholders may have sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of, or may sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of, at any time and from time to time, common shares in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, after the date on which it provided the information set forth in the table below.
Beneficial ownership for the purposes of the table below is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. These rules generally provide that a person is the beneficial owner of securities if such person has or shares the power to vote or direct the voting thereof, or to dispose or direct the disposition thereof or has the right to acquire such powers within 60 days. We believe, based on information supplied by the selling shareholders, that the selling shareholders have sole voting and dispositive power with respect to our common shares reported as beneficially owned by them. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes to the table below, we believe that none of the selling shareholders is a broker-dealers or an affiliate of a broker-dealer. To the extent any selling shareholder is, or is affiliated with, a broker-dealer, it could be deemed to be, under SEC Staff interpretations, an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act.
Because the selling shareholders are not obligated to sell our common shares, we cannot estimate the number of common shares that the selling shareholders will hold upon consummation of any such sales. For purposes of the following table, we have assumed the sale of all of our common shares that may be offered for sale pursuant to this prospectus supplement. Percentage of beneficial ownership is based on 50,280,863 common shares outstanding as of July 5, 2024. Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, this prospectus
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supplement and the registration statement also covers any additional common shares that may become issuable in connection a share dividend, share split or other similar transaction effected without our receiving any cash or other value, which results in an increase in the number of common shares outstanding.
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Shares
Beneficially Owned Before the Offering |
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Number of
Shares that May Be Offered Hereby(1) |
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Shares
Beneficially Owned After the Offering |
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Name and Address of Selling Stockholder
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Number
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Percentage
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Number
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Percentage
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Redwood Capital Management(2)
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| | | | 489,684 | | | | | | 0.97% | | | | | | 489,684 | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
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Helix Strategic Fund LP(3)
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| | | | 401,372 | | | | | | 0.80% | | | | | | 401,372 | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
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BlackRock, Inc.(4)
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| | | | 267,353 | | | | | | 0.53% | | | | | | 267,353 | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
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Whitebox Advisors LLC(5)
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| | | | 157,646 | | | | | | 0.31% | | | | | | 157,646 | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
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Cetus Capital VI, LP(6)
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| | | | 90,897 | | | | | | 0.18% | | | | | | 90,897 | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
(1)
No other common shares, including, without limitation, common shares acquired in the open market, are being offered under this prospectus supplement.
(2)
Shares are held by Redwood Drawdown Master Fund III, LP, Redwood Master Fund, LTD and Redwood Opportunity Master Fund, LTD (the “Redwood Funds”). Ruben Kliksberg, as the CEO of Redwood Capital Management, LLC, the investment manager of the Redwood Funds, may be deemed to indirectly beneficially own the securities reported. Mr. Kliksberg disclaims beneficial ownership of the securities beneficially owned by the Redwood Funds, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. Each shareholder’s address is 250 West 55th Street, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10019. Each of the reporting persons has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to these shares.
(3)
Jonathan Heller, as the control person of Helix Strategic Fund LP, may be deemed to indirectly beneficially own the securities reported. Mr. Heller disclaims beneficial ownership of the securities beneficially owned by Helix Strategic Fund LP, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. The address of the business office of Helix Strategic Fund LP is 545 Madison Ave., 8th Floor, New York, NY 10022.
(4)
The registered holders of the referenced shares to be registered are the following funds and accounts under management by subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc.: AMP WHOLESALE HIGH YIELD BOND FUND, ENTE NAZIONALE DI PREVIDENZA ED ASSISTE -NZA DEI MEDICI E DEGLI ODONTOIATRI, IMCO GLOBAL CREDIT LP, ISHARES $ HIGH YIELD CORPORATE BOND FUND ESG PARIS ALIGNED CLIMATE UCITS ETF, ISHARES BROAD USD HIGH YIELD CORPORATE BOND ETF, ISHARES CORE TOTAL USD BOND MARKET ETF, ISHARES CORE 1-5 YEAR USD BOND ETF, ISHARES CORE 5-10 YEAR USD BOND ETF, ISHARES FALLEN ANGELS USD BOND ETF, ISHARES GLOBAL HIGH YIELD CORP BOND GBP HEDGED UCITS ETF (DIST), ISHARES GLOBAL HIGH YIELD CORP BOND CHF HEGED UCITS ETF (DIST), ISHARES GLOBAL HIGH YIELD CORP BOND UCITS ETF USD (DIST), ISHARES IBONDS 2025 TERM HIGH YIELD AND INCOME ETF, ISHARES IBOXX $ HIGH YIELD CORPORATE BOND ETF, ISHARES II] PLC — ISHARES BROAD $ HIGH YIELD CORPORATE BOND UCITS ETF, ISHARES US & INTL HIGH YIELD CORP BOND ETF, ISHARES US HIGH YIELD BOND INDEX ETF (CAD-HEDGED), ISHARES USD HIGH YIELD CORP BOND UCITS ETF USD (DIST), ISHARES USD SHORT DURATION HIGH YIELD CORP BOND UCITS ETF USD (DIST), ISHARES 0-5 YEAR HIGH YIELD CORPORATE BOND ETF, THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT, THE US HIGH YIELD BOND INDEX NON-LENDABLE FUND B, THE US HIGH YIELD FALLEN ANGEL INDEX FUND, UBS FUND MANAGEMENT (SWITZERLAND) AG ON BEHALF OF KYBURG INSTITUTIONAL FUND, VELLIV PENSION & LIVSFORSIKRING A/S. BlackRock, Inc. is the ultimate parent holding company of such subsidiaries. On behalf of such subsidiaries, the applicable portfolio managers, as managing directors (or in other capacities) of such entities, and/or the applicable investment committee members of such funds and accounts, have voting and investment power over the shares held by the funds and accounts which are the registered holders of the referenced shares. Such portfolio managers and/or investment committee members expressly disclaim beneficial ownership of all
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shares held by such funds and accounts. The address of such funds and accounts, such subsidiaries and such portfolio managers and/or investment committee members is 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001. Shares shown include only the securities being registered for resale and may not incorporate all shares deemed to be beneficially held by the registered holders or BlackRock, Inc.
(5)
Shares are held by Whitebox Multi-Strategy Partners, L.P., Whitebox Relative Value Partners, L.P., Whitebox GT Fund, LP and Pandora Select Partners, L.P. (the “Whitebox Funds”). Whitebox Advisors LLC is the investment manager of the Whitebox Funds and has the power to vote and dispose of the securities described in the table above. Whitebox Advisors LLC is owned by the following members: Robert Vogel, Jacob Mercer, Nick Stukas, Brian Lutz, Paul Roos, Simon Waxley and Blue Owl GP Stakes II (A), LP, a non-voting member, and such individuals and entity disclaim beneficial ownership of the securities described in the table above held by the Whitebox Funds, except to the extent of his or its direct or indirect economic interest in Whitebox Advisors LLC or the selling shareholders. The address of the business office of each Whitebox Fund and Whitebox Advisors LLC is 3033 Excelsior Blvd., Suite 500, Minneapolis, MN 55416.
(6)
Robert Davis and Richard Maybaum, as the control persons of Cetus Capital VI, LP, may be deemed to indirectly beneficially own the securities reported. Mr. Davis and Mr. Maybaum each disclaim beneficial ownership of the securities beneficially owned by Cetus Capital VI, LP, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. The address of the business office of Cetus Capital VI, LP is 8 Sound Shore Drive, Suite 303, Greenwich, CT 06830.
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
The selling shareholders may sell all or a portion of our common shares held by them and offered hereby from time to time, in one or more transactions, directly or through one or more broker-dealers or agents. As used in this prospectus supplement, the term “selling shareholders” includes any pledgees, donees, transferees or other successors in interest of the selling shareholders after the date of this prospectus supplement. We have agreed to bear the expenses in connection with the registration of our common shares to be offered by this prospectus supplement by the selling shareholders. The selling shareholders are responsible for any commissions relating to the sale of common shares and their fees and expenses relating to or arising from their sale of the common shares hereunder. Our common shares may be sold in one or more transactions at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of the sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, at negotiated prices or such other price as the selling shareholders determine from time to time. These sales may be effected in transactions, which may involve crosses or block transactions, pursuant to one or more of the following methods:
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on any national securities exchange or quotation service on which our common shares may be listed or quoted at the time of sale;
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in the over-the-counter market;
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in transactions otherwise than on these exchanges or systems or in the over-the-counter market;
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through the writing or settlement of options, whether such options are listed on an options exchange or otherwise;
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ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers;
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block trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell our common shares as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;
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purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account;
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an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange;
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privately negotiated transactions;
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directly to multiple purchasers or a single purchaser;
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short sales;
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broker-dealers may agree with the selling shareholders to sell a specified number of such shares at a stipulated price per share;
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a combination of any such methods of sale; and
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any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law, other than an underwritten offering.
The selling shareholders may also sell common shares under Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, if available, rather than under this prospectus supplement. In addition, the selling shareholders may transfer our common shares by other means not described in this prospectus supplement. If the selling shareholders effect such transactions by selling common shares to or through broker-dealers or agents, such broker-dealers or agents may receive commissions from the selling shareholders or commissions from purchasers of our common shares for whom they may act as agent or to whom they may sell as principal (which discounts, concessions or commissions as to particular broker-dealers or agents may be in excess of those customary in the types of transactions involved). In connection with sales of our common shares or otherwise, the selling shareholders may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers, which may in turn engage in short sales of our common shares in the course of hedging in positions they assume. The selling shareholders may also sell common shares short and deliver common shares covered by this prospectus supplement to close out short positions and to return borrowed shares in connection with such short sales. The selling shareholders may also loan or pledge common shares to broker-dealers that in turn may sell such shares.
The selling shareholders may pledge or grant a security interest in some or all of our common shares owned by them and, if they default in the performance of their secured obligations, the pledgees or secured
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parties may offer and sell our common shares from time to time pursuant to this prospectus supplement. The selling shareholders also may transfer and donate our common shares in other circumstances in which case the pledgees, transferees, donees, or other successors in interest will be the selling beneficial owners for purposes of this prospectus supplement.
To the extent required by the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, the selling shareholders and any broker-dealer participating in the distribution of our common shares may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any commission paid to any such broker-dealer may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act. At a time a particular offering of our common shares is made, an additional prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, if required, may be distributed that will set forth the number of common shares being offered, the method of distribution and the terms of the offering, including the name or names of any dealers or agents, the purchase price paid and any commissions. In order to comply with the securities laws of some states, if applicable, our common shares may be sold in these jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states, our common shares may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale or an exemption from registration or qualification requirements is available and is complied with.
The selling shareholders and any other person participating in such distribution will be subject to applicable provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, including, without limitation, to the extent applicable, Regulation M of the Exchange Act, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of our common shares by the selling shareholders and any other participating person. To the extent applicable, Regulation M may also restrict the ability of any person engaged in the distribution of our common shares to engage in market-making activities with respect to our common shares. All of the foregoing may affect the marketability of our common shares and the ability of any person or entity to engage in market-making activities with respect to our common shares.
To the extent applicable, we will make copies of this prospectus supplement (as it may be supplemented or amended from time to time) available to the selling shareholders for the purpose of satisfying the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act. The selling shareholders may indemnify any broker-dealer that participates in transactions involving the sale of the shares against certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act.
We will not receive any proceeds from sales of any common shares by the selling shareholders.
We cannot assure you that the selling shareholders will sell all or any portion of our common shares offered hereby. We are registering the resale of shares of our common shares to provide the selling shareholders with freely tradable securities, but the registration of such shares does not necessarily mean that any of such shares will be offered or sold by the selling shareholders pursuant to this prospectus supplement or at all.
To the extent required, this prospectus supplement may be amended and/or supplemented from time to time to describe a specific plan of distribution.
S-10
LEGAL MATTERS
The validity of the common shares being offered by this prospectus supplement will be passed upon by Duane Morris LLP, Baltimore, Maryland. Sullivan & Worcester LLP also has passed upon our qualification and taxation as a REIT in an opinion filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are a part. Sullivan & Worcester LLP also represents RMR, which is our manager, Sonesta, and certain of their affiliates and related parties on various matters.
EXPERTS
The financial statements of Office Properties Income Trust as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, and the effectiveness of Office Properties Income Trust’s internal control over financial reporting have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports. Such financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance upon the reports of such firm given their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, we maintain a website that contains information about us at www.opireit.com. The information found on, or otherwise accessible through, this website is not incorporated into, and does not form a part of, this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any other report or document we file with or furnish to the SEC.
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3, using an automatic “shelf” registration process, of which this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus forms a part. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do 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 the Company and the securities registered hereby, you should read the entire registration statement and the additional information described under “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” below. Statements contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to, or incorporated by reference in, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not necessarily complete and, where that contract is an exhibit to the registration statement, each statement is qualified in all respects by the exhibit to which the reference relates. You should review the complete contract or other document to evaluate these statements.
S-11
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to documents previously filed with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and information that we subsequently file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below which were filed with the SEC under the Exchange Act:
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the information identified as incorporated by reference under Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, from our definitive Proxy Statement for our 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders dated April 4, 2024; and
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the description of our common shares contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A dated June 30, 2016, as updated by the description of our common shares filed as Exhibit 4.14 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, including any further amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating that description.
We also incorporate by reference each of the following documents that we file (excluding current reports or portions thereof that are “furnished” under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items) with the SEC after the date of this prospectus supplement but before the termination of this offering:
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reports filed under Sections 13(a) and (c) of the Exchange Act;
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definitive proxy or information statements filed under Section 14 of the Exchange Act in connection with any subsequent shareholders’ meeting; and
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any reports filed under Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
References in this prospectus supplement to documents or information incorporated by reference shall include documents that are deemed to be incorporated by reference herein pursuant to Item 12 of our Registration Statement on Form S-3, as amended, of which this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus form a part.
Any information in future filings that is meant to supersede or modify any existing statement in this prospectus supplement will so supersede or modify the statement as appropriate.
You may request a copy of any of these filings (excluding exhibits other than those which we specifically incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus), at no cost, by writing, or telephoning us at the following address:
Investor Relations
Office Properties Income Trust
Two Newton Place
255 Washington Street, Suite 300
Newton, Massachusetts 02458-1634
(617) 219-1410
Office Properties Income Trust
Two Newton Place
255 Washington Street, Suite 300
Newton, Massachusetts 02458-1634
(617) 219-1410
S-12
PROSPECTUS
OFFICE PROPERTIES INCOME TRUST
Debt Securities, Common Shares of Beneficial Interest,
Preferred Shares of Beneficial Interest, Depositary Shares and Warrants
Preferred Shares of Beneficial Interest, Depositary Shares and Warrants
We or our selling security holders may offer, issue and sell, from time to time, in one or more offerings:
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debt securities;
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common shares of beneficial interest;
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preferred shares of beneficial interest;
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depositary shares; and
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warrants.
The securities described in this prospectus may be offered and sold separately or in any combination, and may include convertible or exchangeable securities.
This prospectus describes some of the general terms that may apply to these securities. The specific amounts and terms of any securities to be offered, issued or sold, and the identity of any selling security holders, will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement may also add to, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement as well as the documents incorporated by reference in such documents before you decide to invest in any of these securities.
We or our selling security holders may offer and sell these securities to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, on a continuous or delayed basis. The prospectus supplement for each offering will describe the terms of the plan of distribution and set forth the names of any underwriters, dealers or agents involved in the sale of the securities. Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will not receive any proceeds from the sale of securities sold by any selling security holder.
Our common shares of beneficial interest are listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “OPI.” If any other securities offered by this prospectus will be listed on a securities exchange, such listing will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Investment in our securities involves risks, including those described under “Risk Factors” beginning on page 2 of this prospectus. You should carefully read and consider these risk factors and the risk factors included in the reports that we file under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in any prospectus supplement relating to specific offerings of securities and in other documents that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is July 1, 2022.
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
References in this prospectus to “we,” “us,” “our” or “OPI” mean Office Properties Income Trust and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires.
This prospectus is part of an “automatic shelf” registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, as a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Under this shelf registration process, we or our selling security holders may, from time to time, offer, issue and sell any of the securities or any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in such amounts and on such terms as set forth in a prospectus supplement in one or more offerings.
This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities that may be offered, which is not meant to be a complete description of each security. Each time we offer, issue or sell securities hereunder, or any selling security holder offers or sells securities hereunder, we or such selling security holder, as applicable, will provide a prospectus supplement that contains specific information about the amounts and terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add to, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Information Incorporated By Reference.” If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the applicable prospectus supplement.
You should rely only on the information provided or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any relevant prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. Neither we nor any selling security holder will make an offer of the securities in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful. You should assume that the information in this prospectus and any relevant prospectus supplement, as well as the information in any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated into this prospectus and any relevant prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the date of the documents containing the information.
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OUR COMPANY
We are a real estate investment trust, or REIT, organized under Maryland law. As of March 31, 2022, our wholly owned properties were comprised of 174 properties and we had noncontrolling ownership interests of 51% and 50% in two unconsolidated joint ventures that own three properties containing approximately 444,000 rentable square feet. As of March 31, 2022, our properties are located in 32 states and the District of Columbia and contain approximately 22,941,000 rentable square feet. As of March 31, 2022, our properties were leased to 298 different tenants with a weighted average remaining lease term (based on annualized rental income) of approximately 6.1 years. The U.S. government is our largest tenant, representing approximately 19.4% of our annualized rental income as of March 31, 2022. The term annualized rental income as used herein is defined as the annualized contractual base rents from our tenants pursuant to our lease agreements as of March 31, 2022, plus straight line rent adjustments and estimated recurring expense reimbursements to be paid to us, and excluding lease value amortization.
Our principal executive offices are located at Two Newton Place, 255 Washington Street, Suite 300, Newton, Massachusetts 02458-1634, and our telephone number is (617) 219-1440. Our website is www.opireit.com. The content of our website, and any information that is linked to our website (other than our filings with the SEC that are expressly incorporated by reference, as set forth under “Information Incorporated by Reference”), is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and you should not consider it a part of this prospectus.
RISK FACTORS
Investing in our securities involves risks. You should carefully review the risk factors contained under the heading “Risk Factors” in our then most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, or our Annual Report, and any subsequent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Current Report on Form 8-K filed (and not furnished) by us with the SEC subsequent to the last day of the fiscal year covered by our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which risk factors are incorporated by reference in this prospectus, the information contained under the heading “Warning Concerning Forward-Looking Statements” in this prospectus or under any similar heading in any applicable prospectus supplement or in any document incorporated herein or therein by reference, any specific risk factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in any applicable prospectus supplement or in any document incorporated herein or therein by reference and the other information contained in, or incorporated by reference in, this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement before making an investment decision. If any such risks occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially harmed, the market price of our securities could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.
WARNING CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, including the documents that are incorporated herein by reference, contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other securities laws. Also, whenever we use words such as “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “estimate”, “will”, “may” and negatives or derivatives of these or similar expressions, we are making forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon our present intent, beliefs or expectations, but forward-looking statements are not guaranteed to occur and may not occur. Forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus relate to various aspects of our business, including:
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The duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on us and our tenants and our tenants’ ability and willingness to pay us rent,
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Our expectations about the financial strength of our tenants,
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The likelihood that our rents will increase when we renew or extend our leases or enter new leases,
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Our belief that we are in a position to opportunistically recycle and deploy capital,
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Our expectations that the diversity and other characteristics of our property portfolio and our financial resources will result in our ability to successfully withstand the COVID-19 pandemic,
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The likelihood that our tenants will renew or extend their leases and not exercise early termination options pursuant to their leases or that we will obtain replacement tenants, on terms as favorable to us as our prior leases,
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The likelihood that our tenants will be negatively affected by cyclical economic conditions or government budget constraints and, if so, the impact that may have on their ability and willingness to lease our properties and pay us rent,
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Our ability to successfully execute our capital recycling program,
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The expectation that, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, leasing activity may remain volatile until office property market conditions meaningfully improve and stabilize,
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Our ability to pay distributions to our shareholders and to maintain or increase the amount of such distributions,
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Our expectations regarding occupancy at our properties,
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Our expectations regarding our future financial performance including funds from operations, or FFO, normalized funds from operations, or Normalized FFO, or net operating income, or NOI,
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Our expectations regarding demand for leased space,
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Our expectations regarding capital expenditures,
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Our expectation that there will be opportunities for us to acquire, and that we will acquire, additional properties primarily leased to single or majority tenants and tenants with high credit quality characteristics,
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Our expectations regarding the costs and timing of our development, redevelopment and repositioning activities,
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Our ability to compete for acquisitions and tenancies effectively,
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Our sales and acquisitions of properties,
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Our policies and plans regarding investments, financings and dispositions,
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Our ability to appropriately balance our use of debt and equity capital,
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The future availability of borrowings under our revolving credit facility,
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Our ability to raise debt or equity capital,
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Our ability to pay interest on and principal of our debt,
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Our ability to maintain sufficient liquidity during the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and any resulting economic downturn,
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Our credit ratings,
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Our expectation that we benefit from our relationships with The RMR Group LLC, or RMR,
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The credit qualities of our tenants,
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Our qualification for taxation as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the IRC,
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Changes in federal or state tax laws, and
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Other matters.
Our actual results may differ materially from those contained in or implied by our forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. Risks, uncertainties and other factors that could have a material adverse effect on our forward-looking statements and upon our business, results of operations, financial condition, FFO, Normalized FFO, NOI, cash flows, liquidity and prospects include, but are not limited to:
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The impact of conditions in the economy, including the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, increasing interest rates, inflation and a possible recession, and the capital markets on us and our tenants,
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Competition within the real estate industry, particularly in those markets in which our properties are located,
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The impact of changes in the real estate needs and financial conditions of our tenants,
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Compliance with, and changes to, federal, state and local laws and regulations, accounting rules, tax laws and similar matters,
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The impact of any U.S. government shutdown on our ability to collect rents or pay our operating expenses, debt obligations and distributions to shareholders on a timely basis,
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Actual and potential conflicts of interest with our related parties, including our Managing Trustees, RMR, Sonesta International Hotels Corporation, or Sonesta, and others affiliated with them,
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Limitations imposed on our business and our ability to satisfy complex rules in order for us to maintain our qualification for taxation as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and
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Acts of terrorism, war or other hostilities, outbreaks of pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, or other manmade or natural disasters beyond our control.
For example:
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Our ability to make or sustain distributions to our shareholders and to make payments of principal and interest on our indebtedness depends upon a number of factors, including our receipt of rent from our tenants, our future earnings, the capital costs we incur to lease our properties and our working capital requirements. We may be unable to pay our debt obligations or to maintain our current rate of distributions on our common shares and future distributions may be reduced or eliminated,
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Our ability to grow our business and increase our distributions depends in large part upon our ability to buy properties and lease them for rents, less their property operating costs, that exceed our capital costs. We may be unable to identify properties that we want to acquire, and we may fail to reach agreement with the sellers and complete the purchases of any properties we want to acquire. In addition, any properties we may acquire may not provide us with rents less property operating costs that exceed our capital costs or achieve our expected returns,
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We may fail to maintain, or we may elect to change our distribution rate. Our Board of Trustees considers many factors when setting distribution rates, including our historical and projected income, Normalized FFO, cash available for distribution, the then current and expected needs and availability of cash to pay our obligations and fund our investments, distributions which may be required to be paid to maintain our qualification for taxation as a REIT and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Trustees. Accordingly, future distribution rates may be increased or decreased and there is no assurance as to the rate at which future distributions will be paid,
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We expect to selectively sell properties from time to time when we determine our continued ownership or ongoing required capital expenditures will not achieve desired returns or when we believe we can successfully pursue more desirable opportunities than retaining those properties. We cannot be sure we will sell any of these properties or what the terms of any sales may be or that we will acquire replacement properties that improve our asset quality or our ability to increase our distributions to shareholders,
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We may not receive the amounts we expect for properties we seek to sell,
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We may not succeed in managing leverage at levels we believe are appropriate,
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Some of our tenants may not renew expiring leases or they may exercise their rights, if any, to vacate their space before the stated expirations of their leases, and we may be unable to obtain new tenants to maintain or increase the historical occupancy rates of, or rents from, our properties,
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Rents that we can charge at our properties may decline upon renewals or expirations because of changing market conditions or otherwise,
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Leasing for some of our properties depends on a single or majority tenant and we may be adversely affected by the bankruptcy, insolvency, a downturn of business or a lease termination of such single or majority tenant at these properties,
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Our belief that there is a likelihood that tenants may renew or extend our leases prior to their expirations whenever they have made significant investments in the leased properties, or because those properties may be of strategic importance to them, may not be realized,
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Our belief that our recent leasing activity and negotiations for vacant or expiring space may suggest that there is an improving demand environment for office space may be incorrect or the demand for office space may decrease,
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Overall new leasing volume may remain volatile. In addition, if the COVID-19 pandemic and current inflationary conditions continue for an extended period or worsen, our tenants may become unable to pay rent or they may elect to not renew their leases with us. Further, some of our government leases provide the tenant with certain rights to terminate their lease early. Budgetary and other fiscal pressures may result in some governmental tenants terminating their leases early or not renewing their leases. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused changes in workplace practices, including increased remote work arrangements. To the extent those practices become permanent or further increase, leasing demand for office space may decline. As a result of these factors, our tenant retention levels could decline and we may experience reduced rent or incur increased costs under future new or renewal leases,
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Our belief that we are well positioned to opportunistically recycle and deploy capital may not be realized. We may fail to identify and execute on opportunities to deploy capital and any deployment of capital we may make may not result in the returns that we expect,
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Our perception that activity prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic suggested that the government had begun to shift its leasing strategy to include longer term leases and that the government was actively exploring 10 to 20 year lease terms at renewal, in some instances, may mistakenly imply that these activities are indicative of a trend or broader change in government leasing strategy or practices that will recommence after the COVID-19 pandemic ends. Further, even if such a trend or change were to recommence, that trend or change may not be sustained by the government,
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Contingencies in our acquisition and sale agreements, if any, may not be satisfied and any expected acquisitions and sales and any related lease arrangements we expect to enter may not occur, may be delayed or the terms of such transactions or arrangements may change,
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We expect to pursue accretively growing our property portfolio. However, we may not succeed in making acquisitions that are accretive and future acquisitions could be dilutive,
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The competitive advantages we believe we have may not in fact exist or provide us with the advantages we expect. We may fail to maintain any of these advantages or our competition may obtain or increase their competitive advantages relative to us,
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We intend to conduct our business activities in a manner that will afford us reasonable access to capital for investment and financing activities. However, we may not succeed in this regard and we may not have reasonable access to capital,
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Continued availability of borrowings under our revolving credit facility is subject to our satisfying certain financial covenants and other credit facility conditions that we may be unable to satisfy,
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Actual costs under our revolving credit facility will be higher than the stated rate plus a premium because of fees and expenses associated with such debt,
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The interest rates payable under our floating rate debt obligations depend upon our credit ratings. If our credit ratings are downgraded, our borrowing costs will increase,
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Our ability to access debt capital and the cost of our debt capital will depend in part on our credit ratings. If our credit ratings are downgraded, we may not be able to access debt capital or the debt capital we can access may be expensive,
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We may be unable to repay our debt obligations when they become due,
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The maximum borrowing availability under our revolving credit facility may be increased to up to $1.95 billion in certain circumstances; however, increasing the maximum borrowing availability under our revolving credit facility is subject to our obtaining additional commitments from lenders, which may not occur,
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We have the option to extend the maturity date of our revolving credit facility upon payment of a fee and meeting other conditions; however, the applicable conditions may not be met,
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We may incur significant costs to prepare a property for tenancy, particularly for single or majority tenant properties,
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We may spend more for capital expenditures than we currently expect or than we had planned when the project was commenced, including as a result of inflation, supply chain challenges or otherwise, and we plan to spend more for capital expenditures than we have in the past,
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We may fail to obtain development rights or entitlements that we may seek for development and other projects we may wish to conduct at our properties,
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Our existing joint ventures and any additional joint ventures we may enter into in the future may not be successful,
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Any development, redevelopment or repositioning projects we undertake may be unsuccessful, may require greater capital expenditures or other costs than we project or may take significant time to complete, including as a result of inflation, supply chain challenges or otherwise,
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We believe that we are well positioned to weather the present COVID-19 pandemic conditions in the economy and the real estate industry. However, the full extent of the future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to us is unknown and we may not realize similar or better operating results in the future,
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The business and property management agreements between us and RMR have continuing 20 year terms. However, those agreements permit early termination in certain circumstances. Accordingly, we cannot be sure that these agreements will remain in effect for continuing 20 year terms,
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We expect that we will benefit from RMR’s Environmental, Social and Governance, or ESG, program and initiatives. However, we may not realize the benefits we expect from such program and initiatives and we or RMR may not succeed in meeting existing or future standards regarding ESG,
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We believe that our relationships with our related parties, including RMR, Sonesta and others affiliated with them, may benefit us and provide us with competitive advantages in operating and growing our business. However, the advantages we believe we may realize from these relationships may not materialize, and
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It is difficult to accurately estimate leasing related obligations and costs of property development, redevelopment or repositioning and tenant improvement costs. Our unspent leasing related obligations and development, redevelopment or repositioning costs may cost more and may take longer to complete than we currently expect or than we planned when the project was commenced, and we may incur increased amounts for these and similar purposes in the future.
Currently unexpected results could occur due to many different circumstances, some of which are beyond our control, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, economic conditions, including increasing interest rates, high inflation and a possible recession, changes in our tenants’ needs for leased space, the ability of the U.S. and state governments to approve spending bills to fund their obligations, acts of terrorism, war or other hostilities, natural disasters, climate change and climate related events or changes in capital markets or the economy generally.
The information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and in our Annual Report or in our other filings with the SEC, including under the caption “Risk Factors”, or incorporated herein or therein, identifies other important factors that could cause differences from our forward-looking statements. Our filings with the SEC are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
You should not place undue reliance upon our forward-looking statements.
Except as required by law, we do not intend to update or change any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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STATEMENT CONCERNING LIMITED LIABILITY
The Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust establishing Office Properties Income Trust, dated June 8, 2009, as amended, as filed with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland, provides that no trustee, officer, shareholder, employee or agent of Office Properties Income Trust shall be held to any personal liability, jointly or severally, for any obligation of, or claim against, Office Properties Income Trust. All persons dealing with Office Properties Income Trust in any way shall look only to the assets of Office Properties Income Trust for the payment of any sum or the performance of any obligation.
USE OF PROCEEDS
Unless otherwise described in a prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds that we receive from the sale of any securities covered by this prospectus for general business purposes, which may include acquiring and investing in additional properties and the repayment of borrowings under our revolving credit facility or other debt. Until we apply the proceeds from a sale of securities covered by this prospectus to their stated purposes, we may invest those proceeds in short term investments, including repurchase agreements, some or all of which may not be investment grade.
Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will not receive any of the proceeds of the sale by any selling security holder of securities covered by this prospectus.
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
References in this “Description of Debt Securities” section to “we,” “us,” “our” or “OPI” mean Office Properties Income Trust and not any of its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires. The following is a summary of some general terms and provisions of debt securities that we may offer by this prospectus. Because it is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. If you want more information, you should read our Indenture dated July 20, 2017, as from time to time hereafter amended, supplemented or otherwise modified, or our 2017 Indenture, our Indenture (as successor to Select Income REIT) dated February 3, 2015, as from time to time hereafter amended, supplemented or otherwise modified, or our 2015 Indenture, and, together with our 2017 Indenture, our Indentures, or the forms of indentures which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. If we issue debt securities, we will file any additional final indentures, and any supplemental indentures or officer’s certificates related to the particular series of debt securities issued, with the SEC, and you should read those documents for further information about the terms and provisions of such debt securities. See “Where You Can Find More Information.” This summary is also subject to and qualified by reference to the descriptions of the particular terms of our debt securities to be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement may add to, update or change the terms of such debt securities from those described below.
The debt securities sold under this prospectus will be direct obligations of OPI and, unless otherwise stated in a prospectus supplement, will not be obligations of any of our subsidiaries. Such debt obligations may be secured or unsecured, and may be senior or subordinated indebtedness. Our debt securities will be issued under one or more indentures between us and a trustee, including, if applicable, our Indentures. Any indenture will be subject to and governed by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, or the Trust Indenture Act. The statements made in this prospectus relating to our Indentures and any future indentures and the debt securities to be issued under the indentures are summaries of certain anticipated provisions of the indentures and are not complete.
General
We may issue debt securities that rank “senior,” “senior subordinated” or “junior subordinated,” and which may be convertible into another security. The debt securities that we refer to as “senior” will be direct obligations of OPI and will rank equally and ratably in right of payment with our other indebtedness that is not subordinated, without giving effect to collateral arrangements. We may issue debt securities that will be subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment in full of our senior debt, as defined in the applicable prospectus supplement, and may rank equally and ratably with our other senior subordinated indebtedness, if any, without giving effect to collateral arrangements. We refer to these as “senior subordinated” securities.
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We may also issue debt securities that may be subordinated in right of payment to the senior subordinated securities. These would be “junior subordinated” securities. We have filed with the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, three separate forms of indenture, one for the senior securities (including our Indentures), one for the senior subordinated securities and one for the junior subordinated securities.
We may issue debt securities without limit as to aggregate principal amount, in one or more series, in each case as we establish in one or more supplemental indentures. We need not issue all debt securities of one series at the same time. Unless we otherwise provide, we may reopen a series, without the consent of the holders of the series, for issuances of additional securities of that series.
Our Indentures provide, and we anticipate that any future indentures will provide, that we may, but need not, designate more than one trustee under an indenture, each with respect to one or more series of debt securities. Any trustee under any indenture may resign or be removed with respect to one or more series of debt securities, and we may appoint a successor trustee to act with respect to any such series.
The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms relating to the series of debt securities we will offer, including, where applicable, the following:
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the title and series designation and whether they are senior securities, senior subordinated securities or junior subordinated securities;
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the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities offered and any limit on the aggregate principal amount of that series that may be authenticated and delivered;
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the percentage of the principal amount at which we will issue the debt securities and, if other than the principal amount of the debt securities, the portion of the principal amount of the debt securities payable upon maturity of the debt securities;
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if convertible, the initial conversion price, the conversion period and any other terms governing such conversion;
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the stated maturity date;
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any fixed or variable interest rate or rates per annum;
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whether such interest will be payable in cash or additional debt securities of the same series or will accrue and increase the aggregate principal amount outstanding of such series;
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the place where principal, premium, if any, and interest will be payable and where the debt securities can be surrendered for transfer, exchange or conversion;
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the date from which interest may accrue and any interest payment dates and any related record dates;
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any sinking fund requirements;
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any provisions for redemption or repurchase, including the redemption or repurchase price;
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whether the debt securities are denominated or payable in U.S. dollars, a foreign currency or units of two or more currencies;
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whether the amount of payments of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities may be determined with reference to an index, formula or other method and the manner in which such amounts shall be determined;
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the events of default and covenants of the debt securities, to the extent different from or in addition to those described in this prospectus;
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whether we will issue the debt securities in certificated or book-entry form;
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whether the debt securities will be in registered or bearer form and, if in registered form, the denominations, if other than $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof, or, if in bearer form, the denominations and terms and conditions relating thereto;
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whether we will issue any of the debt securities in permanent global form and, if so, the terms and conditions, if any, upon which interests in the global security may be exchanged, in whole or in part, for the individual debt securities represented by the global security;
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any addition or change to the provisions relating to the defeasance or covenant defeasance provisions of, or the satisfaction and discharge of, the debt securities;
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whether we will pay additional amounts on the debt securities in respect of any tax, assessment or governmental charge and, if so, whether we will have the option to redeem the debt securities instead of making this payment;
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the subordination provisions, if any, relating to the debt securities;
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if the debt securities are to be issued upon the exercise of warrants, the time, manner and place for such debt securities to be authenticated and delivered;
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any restriction or condition on the transferability of debt securities;
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any addition or change to the provisions related to compensation and reimbursement of the trustee which applies to the debt securities;
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any addition or change to the provisions related to supplemental indentures both with and without the consent of the holders;
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provisions, if any, granting special rights to holders upon the occurrence of specified events;
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any addition or change to the events of default which applies to any debt securities and any change in the right of the trustee or the requisite holders of such debt securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable pursuant to the indenture;
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any addition or change to the covenants set forth in the indenture, or described in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement with respect to such series of debt securities; and
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any other terms of debt securities of such series (which terms will not be inconsistent with the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, but may modify, amend, supplement or delete any of the terms of the indenture, including those described in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, with respect to such series).
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement any material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the debt securities offered by such prospectus supplement.
We may issue debt securities at less than the principal amount payable at maturity. We refer to these securities as “original issue discount” securities. If material or applicable, we will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement special U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to original issue discount securities.
Except as may be described in any prospectus supplement, our Indentures do not, and any future indentures will not, contain any other provisions that would limit our ability to incur indebtedness or that would afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event of a highly leveraged or similar transaction involving us or in the event of a change in control. You should review carefully the applicable prospectus supplement for information with respect to events of default and covenants applicable to the debt securities being offered.
Denominations, Interest, Registration and Transfer
Unless otherwise described in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue debt securities of any series that are registered securities in minimum denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof, other than global securities, which may be of any denomination.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will pay the interest, principal and any premium at the corporate trust office of the trustee or, at our option, we may make payment of interest by check mailed to the address of the person entitled to the payment as it appears in the applicable register or by wire transfer of funds to that person at an account maintained within the United States or, in the case of global securities, in accordance with the procedures of the depositary for such securities.
If we do not punctually pay or otherwise provide for interest on any interest payment date, the defaulted interest will be paid either:
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to the person in whose name the debt security is registered at the close of business on a special record date the trustee will fix; or
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in any other lawful manner, all as the applicable indenture describes.
You may have your debt securities divided into more debt securities of smaller authorized denominations or combined into fewer debt securities of larger authorized denominations, as long as the total principal amount is not changed. We call this an “exchange.”
You may exchange or transfer debt securities at the office of the applicable trustee. The trustee acts as our agent for registering debt securities in the names of holders and transferring debt securities. We may change this appointment to another entity or perform this role ourselves. The entity performing the role of maintaining the list of registered holders is called the “registrar.” The registrar will also perform transfers.
You will not be required to pay a service charge to transfer or exchange debt securities, but you may be required to pay for any tax or other governmental charge associated with the exchange or transfer. The registrar will make the transfer or exchange only if it is satisfied with your proof of ownership.
Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets
We may not consolidate with or merge into any other person or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any other person (other than one of our direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries), and we may not permit any other person (other than one of our direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries) to consolidate with or merge into us, unless:
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we are the surviving entity or, in case we consolidate with or merge into another person, the person formed by such consolidation or merger is, or in case we convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any person, such acquiring person is, an entity organized and validly existing under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia and expressly assumes, by a supplemental indenture executed and delivered to the trustee, in form satisfactory to the trustee, the due and punctual payment of the principal of and any premium and interest on all applicable debt securities issued under the applicable indenture and the performance or observance of every covenant of the applicable indenture on our part to be performed or observed;
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immediately after giving effect to such transaction, and treating any indebtedness which becomes an obligation of us or any of our subsidiaries as a result of such transaction as having been incurred by us or such subsidiary at the time of such transaction, no event of default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an event of default, in each case under the applicable indenture, has happened and is continuing; and
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we have delivered to the trustee an officer’s certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease and, if a supplemental indenture is required in connection with such transaction, such supplemental indenture comply with the applicable indenture provisions described in this paragraph and that all conditions precedent provided for in the applicable indenture relating to such transaction have been complied with.
Events of Default and Related Matters
Events of Default. The term “event of default” for any series of debt securities means any of the following:
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we do not pay the principal of or any premium on a debt security of that series when due;
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we do not pay interest on a debt security of that series within 30 days after its due date;
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we do not deposit any sinking fund payment for that series within 30 days after its due date;
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we remain in breach of any other covenant of the applicable indenture (other than a covenant added to the indenture solely for the benefit of another series) for 60 days after we receive a notice of default specifying the breach and requiring that it be remedied. Only the trustee or holders of at least a majority in principal amount of outstanding debt securities of the affected series may send the notice;
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we experience specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization; or
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any other event of default described in the applicable prospectus supplement occurs.
Remedies if an Event of Default Occurs. If an event of default has occurred and has not been cured, the trustee or the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the affected series may declare the entire principal amount of all the debt securities of that series to be due and payable immediately. If an event of default occurs because we experience specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal amount of all the debt securities of that series will be automatically accelerated and become immediately due and payable, without any action by the trustee or any holder. At any time after the trustee or the holders have accelerated any series of debt securities, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the affected series may, under certain circumstances, rescind and annul such acceleration.
Except in cases of default where the trustee has some special duties, the trustee is not required to take any action under the applicable indenture at the request of any holders unless the holders offer the trustee reasonable protection from expenses and liability. We refer to this as an “indemnity.” If reasonable indemnity is provided, the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the relevant series may direct the time, method and place of conducting any lawsuit or other formal legal action seeking any remedy available to the trustee. These majority holders may also direct the trustee in performing any other action under the applicable indenture, subject to certain limitations.
Before you bypass the trustee and bring your own lawsuit or other formal legal action or take other steps to enforce your rights or protect your interests relating to the applicable indenture or debt securities issued under such indenture, the following must occur:
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you must give the trustee written notice that an event of default has occurred and is continuing;
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the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of all outstanding debt securities of the relevant series must make a written request that the trustee take action because of the default and must offer reasonable indemnity to the trustee against the cost and other liabilities of taking that action; and
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the trustee must have not taken action for 60 days after receipt of the notice, request and offer of indemnity and must have not received from the holders of a majority in principal amount of all outstanding debt securities of the relevant series other conflicting directions within such 60 day period.
However, you are entitled at any time to bring a lawsuit for the payment of money due on your debt security after its due date.
Every year we will furnish to the trustee a written statement by certain of our officers certifying that, to their best knowledge, we are in compliance with the applicable indenture and the debt securities, or else specifying any default.
Modification of an Indenture
There are three types of changes we can make to the indentures and our debt securities:
Changes Requiring Your Approval. First, we cannot make certain changes to the indentures and our debt securities without the approval of each holder of debt securities affected by the change. The following is a list of those types of changes:
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change the stated maturity of the principal of, or interest on, a debt security;
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reduce the principal of, or the rate of interest on, a debt security;
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reduce the amount of any premium due upon redemption;
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reduce the amount of principal of an original issue discount security payable upon acceleration of its maturity;
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change the currency or place of payment on a debt security;
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impair a holder’s right to sue for payment on or after the stated maturity of a debt security;
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in the case of a subordinated debt security, modify the subordination provisions of such debt security in a manner that is adverse to the holders;
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reduce the percentage of holders of debt securities whose consent is needed to modify or amend an indenture;
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reduce the percentage of holders of debt securities whose consent is needed to waive compliance with certain provisions of an indenture or certain defaults and their consequences;
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waive past defaults in the payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities or in respect of any covenant or provision that cannot be modified or amended without the approval of each holder of the debt securities; or
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modify any of the foregoing provisions.
Changes Requiring Majority Approval. Second, certain changes require the approval of holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the affected series. We require the same majority vote to obtain a waiver of a past default. However, we cannot obtain a waiver of a payment default or any other aspect of an indenture or the debt securities listed in the first category described above under “— Changes Requiring Your Approval” without the consent of each holder of debt securities affected by the waiver.
Changes Not Requiring Approval. Third, certain changes do not require any approval of holders of debt securities. These include:
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to evidence the assumption by a successor obligor of our obligations;
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to add to our covenants for the benefit of holders of debt securities of all or any series or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us;
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to add any additional events of default for the benefit of holders of all or any series of debt securities;
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to add to or change any provisions necessary to permit or facilitate the issuance of debt securities in bearer form, registrable or not registrable as to principal, and with or without interest coupons, or to permit or facilitate the issuance of debt securities in uncertificated form;
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to add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions, so long as such addition, change or elimination does not apply to any debt security of any existing series of debt security entitled to the benefit of such provision or modify the rights of the holder of any such debt security with respect to such provision or such addition, change or elimination only becomes effective when there is no such security outstanding;
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to add guarantees of or to secure all or any series of the debt securities;
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to establish the forms or terms of debt securities of any series;
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to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment of a successor trustee;
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to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision in the applicable indenture which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision contained therein or to conform the terms of the indenture that are applicable to a series of debt securities to the description of the terms of such debt securities in the offering memorandum, prospectus supplement or other offering document applicable to such debt securities at the time of initial sale thereof;
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to permit or facilitate the defeasance or satisfaction and discharge of debt securities of any series; provided that such action does not adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities in any material respect;
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to prohibit the authentication and delivery of additional series of debt securities;
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to add to or change or eliminate any provision as shall be necessary or desirable in accordance with any amendments to the Trust Indenture Act;
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to comply with the rules of any applicable depositary; or
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to change anything that does not adversely affect the interests of the holders of debt securities of any series in any material respect.
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Further Details Concerning Approval. Debt securities are not considered outstanding, and therefore the holders thereof are not eligible to vote or consent or give their approval or take other action under the applicable indenture, if we have deposited or set aside in trust for you money for their payment or redemption or if we or one of our affiliates own them. Debt securities are also not considered to be outstanding, and therefore the holders thereof are not eligible to vote or consent or give their approval or take other action under the applicable indenture if they have been fully defeased or discharged, as described below under “— Discharge, Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance — Discharge” or “— Full Defeasance.”
Discharge, Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
Discharge. We may discharge our obligations to holders of any series of debt securities that have become due and payable or will become due and payable at their stated maturity within one year, or are to be called for redemption within one year, by depositing or causing to be deposited with the trustee, in trust, funds in the applicable currency in an amount sufficient to pay the debt securities of such series, including any premium and interest to the date of such deposit (in the case of debt securities which have become due and payable) or to such stated maturity or redemption date, as applicable.
Full Defeasance. We can, under particular circumstances, effect a full defeasance of any series of debt securities. By this we mean we can legally release ourselves from any payment or other obligations on the debt securities if, among other things, we put in place the arrangements described below to pay those debt securities and deliver certain certificates and opinions to the trustee:
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we must irrevocably deposit (or cause to be deposited), in trust, for the benefit of all direct holders of the debt securities of such series money or government obligations (or, in some circumstances, depository receipts representing such government obligations), or a combination thereof, that will provide funds in an amount sufficient to pay the debt securities of such series, including any premium and interest on the debt securities of such series at their stated maturity or applicable redemption date (a “government obligation” for these purposes means, with respect to any series of debt securities, securities that are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof and are (1) direct obligations of the government that issued the currency in which such series is denominated (or, if such series is denominated in euros, the direct obligations of any government that is a member of the European Monetary Union) for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged or (2) obligations of a person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of such government the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by such government); and
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we must deliver to the trustee a legal opinion stating that the current U.S. federal income tax law has changed or an Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, ruling has been issued, in each case to the effect that holders of the outstanding debt securities of such series will not recognize gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such full defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such full defeasance had not occurred.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following rights and obligations will survive full defeasance:
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your right to receive payments from the trust when payments are due;
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our obligations relating to registration and transfer of debt securities and lost or mutilated certificates; and
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our obligations to maintain a payment office and to hold moneys for payment in trust.
Covenant Defeasance. Under current U.S. federal income tax law, we can make the same type of deposit described above with respect to a series of debt securities and be released from the obligations imposed by most of the covenants with respect to such series and provisions of the applicable indenture with respect to such series, and we may omit to comply with those covenants and provisions without creating an event of default. This is called “covenant defeasance.”
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If we accomplish covenant defeasance, the following provisions of an indenture and the debt securities of such series would no longer apply:
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most of the covenants applicable to such series of debt securities and any events of default for failure to comply with those covenants;
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any subordination provisions; and
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certain other events of default as set forth in any prospectus supplement.
Conversion and Exchange Rights
The terms and conditions, if any, upon which the debt securities are convertible into or exchangeable for common or preferred shares, other debt securities or other property will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Such terms will include whether the debt securities are convertible into or exchangeable for common or preferred shares, other debt securities or other property, the conversion or exchange price (or manner of calculation thereof), the conversion or exchange period, whether conversion or exchange will be at the option of the holders, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion or exchange price, provisions affecting conversion or exchange in the event of the redemption of such debt securities and any restrictions on conversion or exchange, including restrictions directed at maintaining our qualification for taxation as a REIT under the IRC.
Subordination
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms and conditions, if any, upon which any series of senior subordinated securities or junior subordinated securities is subordinated to debt securities of another series or to our other indebtedness. The terms will include a description of:
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the indebtedness ranking senior to the debt securities being offered;
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the restrictions, if any, on payments to the holders of the debt securities being offered while a default with respect to the senior indebtedness is continuing;
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the restrictions, if any, on payments to the holders of the debt securities being offered following an event of default with respect to such debt securities; and
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provisions requiring holders of the debt securities being offered to remit payments to holders of senior indebtedness.
Global Debt Securities
We may issue the debt securities of a series in whole or in part in the form of one or more registered global securities that we will deposit with a depositary or with a nominee for a depositary identified in the applicable prospectus supplement and registered in the name of such depositary or nominee. In such case, we will issue one or more registered global securities denominated in an amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of all of the debt securities of the series to be issued and represented by such registered global security or securities.
Unless and until it is exchanged in whole or in part for debt securities in definitive registered form, a registered global security may not be transferred except as a whole:
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by the depositary for such registered global security to its nominee;
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by a nominee of the depositary to the depositary or another nominee of the depositary; or
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by the depositary or its nominee to a successor of the depositary or a nominee of the successor.
The prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities will describe the specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to any portion of such series represented by a registered global security. We currently anticipate that the following provisions will apply to all depositary arrangements for debt securities:
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ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be limited to persons that have accounts with the depositary for the registered global security, those persons being referred to as “participants,” or persons that may hold interests through participants;
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upon the issuance of a registered global security, the depositary for the registered global security will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the participants’ accounts with the respective principal amounts of the debt securities represented by the registered global security beneficially owned by the participants;
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any dealers, underwriters or agents participating in the distribution of the debt securities will designate the accounts to be credited; and
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ownership of any beneficial interest in the registered global security will be shown on, and the transfer of any ownership interest will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary for the registered global security (with respect to interests of participants) and on the records of participants (with respect to interests of persons holding through participants).
The laws of some states may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of the securities in definitive form. These laws may limit the ability of those persons to own, transfer or pledge beneficial interests in registered global securities.
So long as the depositary for a registered global security, or its nominee, is the registered owner of the registered global security, the depositary or the nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the debt securities represented by the registered global security for all purposes under the applicable indenture. Except as set forth below, owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security:
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will not be entitled to have the debt securities represented by a registered global security registered in their names;
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will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the debt securities in the definitive form; and
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will not be considered the owners or holders of the debt securities under the applicable indenture.
Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a registered global security must rely on the procedures of the depositary for the registered global security and, if the person is not a participant, on the procedures of a participant through which the person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder under the applicable indenture.
We understand that under currently existing industry practices, if we request any action of holders or if an owner of a beneficial interest in a registered global security desires to give or take any action that a holder is entitled to give or take under an indenture, the depositary for the registered global security would authorize the participants holding the relevant beneficial interests to give or take the action, and those participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through those participants to give or take the action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners holding through them.
We will make payments of principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on debt securities represented by a registered global security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee to the depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owners of the registered global security. Neither we nor any trustee or any other agent of us or a trustee will be responsible or liable for any aspect of the records relating to, or payments made on account of, beneficial ownership interests in the registered global security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to the beneficial ownership interests.
We expect that the depositary for any debt securities represented by a registered global security, upon receipt of any payments of principal and premium, if any, and interest, if any, in respect of the registered global security, will immediately credit participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the registered global security as shown on the records of the depositary. We also expect that standing customer instructions and customary practices will govern payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in the registered global security held through the participants, as is now the case with the securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.” We also expect that any of these payments will be the responsibility of the participants.
No registered global security may be exchanged in whole or in part for debt securities registered, and no transfer of a registered global security in whole or in part may be registered, in the name of any person
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other than the depositary for such registered global security, unless (1) such depositary notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary for such registered global security or has ceased to be a clearing agency registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and we fail to appoint an eligible successor depositary within 90 days, (2) an event of default shall have occurred and be continuing with respect to such debt securities, or (3) circumstances, if any, exist in addition to or in lieu of the foregoing as have been specified for that purpose in an applicable prospectus supplement. In any such case, the affected registered global security may be exchanged in whole or in part for debt securities in definitive form and the applicable trustee will register any such debt securities in such name or names as such depositary directs.
We currently anticipate that certain registered global securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, or DTC, and will be registered in the name of Cede & Co., as the nominee of DTC. DTC has advised us that DTC is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law, a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. DTC holds securities that its participants, or direct participants, deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the post-trade settlement among direct participants of sales and other securities transactions in deposited securities, through electronic computerized book-entry transfers and pledges between direct participants’ accounts. This eliminates the need for physical movement of securities certificates. Direct participants include both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations. DTC is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, or DTCC. DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies and clearing corporations that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and its direct participants are on file with the SEC. The information in this paragraph concerning DTC and DTC’s book-entry system has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy thereof. In the event registered global securities are deposited with, or on behalf of, a depositary other than DTC, we will describe additional or differing terms of the depositary arrangements in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to that particular series of debt securities.
We may also issue bearer debt securities of a series in the form of one or more global securities, referred to as “bearer global securities.” We currently anticipate that we will deposit these bearer global securities with a common depositary for Euroclear Bank SA/NV and Clearstream Banking, société anonyme, or with a nominee for the depositary identified in the prospectus supplement relating to that series. The prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities represented by a bearer global security will describe the specific terms and procedures, including the specific terms of the depositary arrangement and any specific procedures for the issuance of debt securities in definitive form in exchange for a bearer global security, with respect to the portion of the series represented by a bearer global security.
Neither we nor any trustee assumes any responsibility for the performance by DTC or any other depositary or its participants of their respective obligations, including obligations that they have under the rules and procedures that govern their operations.
Governing Law
Our Indentures and any future indentures and our debt securities issued thereunder are and will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
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DESCRIPTION OF SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST
References in this “Description of Shares of Beneficial Interest” section to “we,” “us” or “our” mean Office Properties Income Trust and not any of its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires. The following description of the terms of our shares of beneficial interest is only a summary. For a complete description, please refer to our declaration of trust and bylaws, which have previously been filed with the SEC and are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and this summary is qualified in its entirety thereby.
Our declaration of trust authorizes us to issue up to an aggregate of 200,000,000 shares of beneficial interest, all of which are currently designated as common shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value per share, or common shares. As of June 30, 2022, we had 48,455,075 common shares issued and outstanding. As of the date of this prospectus, no other class or series of shares of beneficial interest has been established and is outstanding.
Our declaration of trust contains a provision permitting our Board of Trustees, without any action by our shareholders, to amend our declaration of trust to increase or decrease the total number of shares of beneficial interest or the number of shares of any class or series that we have authority to issue. Our declaration of trust further authorizes our Board of Trustees to reclassify any unissued shares of any class or series from time to time by setting the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of that class or series or any new class or series of shares created by our Board of Trustees. We believe that giving these powers to our Board of Trustees will provide us with increased flexibility in structuring possible future financings and acquisitions and in meeting other business needs which might arise. Although our Board of Trustees has no intention at the present time of doing so, it could authorize us to issue a class or series of shares of beneficial interest that could, depending upon the terms of the class or series, delay or prevent a change in control.
Common Shares
The following is a summary of some general terms and provisions of our common shares. Because it is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. If you want more information, you should read our declaration of trust and bylaws, copies of which have been filed with the SEC. See “Where You Can Find More Information.” This summary is also subject to and qualified by reference to the description of the particular terms of common shares described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Except as otherwise described in the applicable prospectus supplement, and subject to the preferential rights of any other class or series of shares then outstanding or which may be issued, and to the ownership restrictions described below, holders of our common shares are entitled:
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to receive distributions on our common shares if, as and when authorized by our Board of Trustees and declared by us out of assets legally available for distribution (as determined by our Board of Trustees); and
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to share ratably in our assets legally available for distribution to our shareholders (as determined by our Board of Trustees) 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 declaration of trust regarding the restriction on the transfer of shares of beneficial interest, each outstanding common share entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, including the election of Trustees. Holders of our common shares do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of Trustees.
Holders of our common shares have no preference, conversion, exchange, sinking fund, redemption or appraisal rights, or preemptive rights to subscribe for any of our securities.
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement any material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the common shares offered by such prospectus supplement.
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For additional information about our common shares, including the potential effects that provisions in our declaration of trust and bylaws may have in delaying or preventing a change in our control, see “Description of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Declaration of Trust and Bylaws” below.
Preferred Shares
The following is a summary of the general terms and provisions of the preferred shares that we may offer by this prospectus. We may issue preferred shares in one or more classes or series; each class or series of preferred shares will have its own rights and preferences. We will describe in a prospectus supplement (1) the specific terms of the class or series of any preferred shares offered through that prospectus supplement and (2) any general terms outlined in this section that will not apply to such preferred shares. Because this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. If you want more information, you should read our declaration of trust, including any applicable articles supplementary, and bylaws, copies of which have been filed with the SEC. See “Where You Can Find More Information.” This summary is also subject to and qualified by reference to the description of the particular terms of our securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement. The prospectus supplement may add to, update or change the terms of such securities from those described below.
General. Our declaration of trust authorizes our Board of Trustees to determine the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of any preferred shares.
The preferred shares will have the distribution, liquidation, redemption, voting and conversion rights described in this section unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement. The liquidation preference is not indicative of the price at which the preferred shares will actually trade on or after the date of issuance. You should read the prospectus supplement relating to the particular class or series of the preferred shares for specific terms, including:
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the distinctive designation of the applicable class or series of preferred shares and the number of shares that will constitute the class or series;
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the initial offering price of such preferred shares;
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relative ranking and preference of such preferred shares as to distribution rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs;
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the distribution rate or rates (or method of calculation) on that class or series, the distribution periods, the date(s) on which distributions will be payable and whether the distributions will be cumulative, noncumulative or partially cumulative, and, if cumulative, the dates from which the distributions will start to cumulate;
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any redemption or sinking fund provisions of that class or series;
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any voting rights;
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any conversion or exchange provisions;
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any other specific terms, preferences, rights, limitations or restrictions of such preferred shares;
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any limitations on issuance of any class or series of preferred shares ranking senior to or on a parity with such preferred shares as to distribution rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs;
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any procedures for any auction and remarketing;
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any listing of such preferred shares on any securities exchange; and
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any limitations on record or beneficial ownership and restrictions on transfer, including those as may be appropriate to preserve our qualification for taxation as a REIT under the IRC.
Holders of our preferred shares have no preemptive rights to subscribe for any of our securities.
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement any material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred shares offered by such prospectus supplement.
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The issuance of preferred shares, the issuance of rights to purchase preferred shares or the possibility of the issuance of preferred shares or such rights could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in our control. In addition, the rights of holders of common shares will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of holders of any preferred shares that we have issued or may issue in the future.
For additional information about our preferred shares, including the potential effects that provisions in our declaration of trust and bylaws may have in delaying or preventing a change in our control, see “Description of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Declaration of Trust and Bylaws” below.
As described under “Description of Depositary Shares,” we may, at our option, elect to offer depositary shares evidenced by depositary receipts. If we elect to do this, each depositary receipt will represent a fractional interest in a share of the class or series of the preferred shares issued and deposited with a depositary. The applicable prospectus supplement will specify that fractional interest.
Rank. Unless our Board of Trustees otherwise determines and we so specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, we expect that the preferred shares will, with respect to distribution rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, rank senior to all our common shares.
Distributions. Holders of preferred shares of each class or series will be entitled to receive cash and/or share distributions at the rates and on the dates shown in the applicable prospectus supplement, subject to the terms of the preferred shares. We will pay each distribution to holders of record as they appear on our share transfer books on the record dates fixed by our Board of Trustees. In the case of preferred shares represented by depositary receipts, the records of the depositary referred to under “Description of Depositary Shares” will determine the persons to whom distributions are payable.
We will not authorize or pay any distributions on a class or series of preferred shares or set aside funds for the payment of distributions if restricted or prohibited by law, or if the terms of any of our agreements, including agreements relating to our indebtedness or our other classes or series of preferred shares, prohibit that authorization, payment or setting aside of funds or provide that the authorization, payment or setting aside of funds is a breach of or a default under that agreement. We are now, and may in the future become, a party to agreements which restrict or prevent the payment of distributions on, or the purchase or redemption of, our shares of beneficial interest, including preferred shares. These restrictions may be indirect, such as covenants which require us to maintain specified levels of net worth or assets.
Distributions on any class or series of preferred shares may be cumulative, noncumulative or partially cumulative, as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. Cumulative distributions will be cumulative from and after the date shown in the applicable prospectus supplement. If our Board of Trustees fails to authorize a distribution that is noncumulative, the holders of the applicable class or series will have no right to receive, and we will have no obligation to pay, a distribution in respect of the applicable distribution period, whether or not distributions on that class or series are declared payable in the future.
We refer to our common shares or other shares, now or hereafter issued, that rank junior to an applicable class or series of preferred shares with respect to distribution rights as junior shares. To the extent that the applicable class or series is entitled to a cumulative distribution, we may not declare or pay any distributions, or set aside any funds for the payment of distributions, on junior shares, or redeem or otherwise acquire junior shares, unless we also have declared and either paid or set aside for payment the full cumulative distributions on such class or series of preferred shares and on all our other class or series of preferred shares ranking senior to or on a parity with such class or series of preferred shares for all past distribution periods. The preceding sentence does not prohibit:
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distributions payable in junior shares or options, warrants or rights to subscribe for or purchase junior shares;
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conversions into or exchanges for junior shares;
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pro rata offers to purchase or a concurrent redemption of all, or a pro rata portion of, the outstanding preferred shares of such class or series and any other class or series of shares ranking on a parity with such class or series of preferred shares with respect to distribution rights and rights upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up; or
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our redemption, purchase or other acquisition of shares under incentive, benefit or share purchase plans for Trustees, officers or employees, or others performing or providing similar services, for the purposes of enforcing restrictions upon ownership and transfer of our equity securities contained in our declaration of trust or bylaws or our redemption or other acquisition of rights issued under any shareholder rights plan we may adopt.
To the extent an applicable class or series of preferred shares is noncumulative, we need only declare, and pay or set aside for payment, the distribution for the then current distribution period, before making distributions on or acquiring junior shares.
Unless full cumulative distributions on a class or series of preferred shares have been or are contemporaneously declared and either paid or set aside for payment for all past distribution periods, no distributions (other than in junior shares) may be declared or paid or set aside for payment on any other class or series of preferred shares ranking on a parity with such class or series with respect to distribution rights. When distributions are not paid in full upon a class or series of preferred shares and any other class or series ranking on a parity with such class or series with respect to distribution rights, all distributions declared upon such class or series and any class or series ranking on a parity with such class or series with respect to distribution rights shall be allocated pro rata so that the amount of distributions declared per share on such class or series and such other shares shall in all cases bear to each other the same ratio that the accrued distributions per share on such class or series and such other shares bear to each other.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will credit any distribution payment made on an applicable class or series, including any capital gain distribution, first against the earliest accrued but unpaid distribution due with respect to the class or series.
Redemption. We may have the right or may be required to redeem one or more classes or series of preferred shares, in whole or in part, in each case upon the terms, if any, and at the times and at the redemption prices shown in the applicable prospectus supplement.
If a class or series of preferred shares is subject to mandatory redemption, we will specify in the applicable prospectus supplement the number of shares we are required to redeem, when those redemptions start, the redemption price and any other terms and conditions affecting the redemption. The redemption price will include all accrued and unpaid distributions, except in the case of noncumulative preferred shares. The redemption price may be payable in cash or other property, as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. If the redemption price for preferred shares of any class or series is payable only from the net proceeds of our issuance of shares of beneficial interest, the terms of the preferred shares may provide that, if no shares of beneficial interest shall have been issued or to the extent the net proceeds from any issuance are insufficient to pay in full the aggregate redemption price then due, the preferred shares will automatically and mandatorily be converted into shares of beneficial interest pursuant to conversion provisions specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Liquidation Preference. The applicable prospectus supplement will specify the liquidation preference of the applicable class or series. Upon our voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, before any distribution may be made to the holders of our common shares or any other shares of beneficial interest ranking junior in the distribution of assets upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, to the applicable class or series, the holders of that class or series will be entitled to receive, out of our assets legally available for distribution to shareholders, liquidating distributions in the amount of the liquidation preference, plus an amount equal to all distributions accrued and unpaid. In the case of a noncumulative applicable class or series, accrued and unpaid distributions include only the then current distribution period. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, if liquidating distributions have been made in full to all holders of preferred shares, our remaining assets will be distributed among the holders of any other shares of beneficial interest ranking junior to the preferred shares upon liquidation, according to their rights and preferences and in each case according to their number of shares.
If, upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, our available assets are insufficient to pay the amount of the liquidating distributions on all outstanding shares of that class or series and the corresponding amounts payable on all equally ranking shares of beneficial
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interest upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, then the holders of that class or series and all other equally ranking shares of beneficial interest shall share ratably in the distribution in proportion to the full liquidating distributions to which they would otherwise be entitled.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, after payment of the full amount of the liquidating distribution to which they are entitled, the holders of a class or series of preferred shares will have no right or claim to any of our remaining assets. Neither the sale, lease, transfer or conveyance of all or substantially all of our property or business, nor the merger or consolidation of us into or with any other entity or the merger or consolidation of any other entity into or with us or a statutory share exchange by us, shall be deemed to constitute the dissolution, liquidation or winding up of our affairs. In determining whether a distribution (other than upon voluntary or involuntary dissolution), by dividend, redemption or other acquisition of shares or otherwise, is permitted under Maryland law, amounts that would be needed, if we were to be dissolved at the time of the distribution, to satisfy the preferential rights upon dissolution of the holders of a class or series of preferred shares will not be added to our total liabilities.
Voting Rights. Holders of our preferred shares will not have any voting rights, except as described below or as otherwise from time to time specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of our preferred shares (voting separately as a single class, together with all other classes or series of preferred shares with similar voting rights) will be entitled to elect two additional Trustees to our Board of Trustees at our next annual meeting of shareholders and at each subsequent annual meeting if at any time distributions on the applicable class or series are in arrears for six consecutive quarterly periods. If the applicable class or series has a cumulative distribution, the right to elect additional Trustees described in the preceding sentence shall remain in effect until we declare and pay or set aside for payment all distributions accrued and unpaid on the applicable class or series. If the applicable class or series does not have a cumulative distribution, the right to elect additional Trustees described above shall remain in effect until we declare and pay or set aside for payment distributions accrued and unpaid on four consecutive quarterly periods on the applicable class or series. In the event the preferred shareholders are so entitled to elect Trustees, the entire Board of Trustees will be increased by two Trustees.
Unless otherwise provided for in an applicable class or series, so long as any preferred shares are outstanding, we may not, without the affirmative vote or consent of a majority of the shares of each affected class or series of preferred shares outstanding at that time:
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authorize, create or increase the authorized or issued amount of any class or series of shares of beneficial interest ranking senior to that class or series of preferred shares with respect to distribution and liquidation rights;
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reclassify any authorized shares of beneficial interest into a class or series of shares of beneficial interest ranking senior to that class or series of preferred shares with respect to distribution and liquidation rights;
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create, authorize or issue any security or obligation convertible into or evidencing the right to purchase any shares of beneficial interest ranking senior to that class or series of preferred shares with respect to distribution and liquidation rights; and
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amend, alter or repeal the provisions of our declaration of trust or any articles supplementary relating to that class or series of preferred shares, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, in a manner that materially and adversely affects the class or series of preferred shares.
The authorization, creation or increase of the authorized or issued amount of any class or series of shares of beneficial interest ranking on parity or junior to a class or series of preferred shares with respect to distribution and liquidation rights will not be deemed to materially and adversely affect that class or series. Further, with respect to any merger, consolidation or similar event, so long as a class or series of preferred shares remains outstanding with the terms thereof materially unchanged or the holders of shares of that class or series receive shares of the successor with substantially identical rights, taking into account that, upon the occurrence of such event, we may not be the surviving entity, the occurrence of such event will not be deemed to materially and adversely affect that class or series.
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The foregoing voting provisions will not apply if all of the outstanding shares of the class or series of preferred shares with the right to vote have been redeemed or called for redemption and sufficient funds have been deposited in trust for the redemption either at or prior to the act triggering these voting rights.
As more fully described under “Description of Depositary Shares” below, if we elect to issue depositary shares, each representing a fraction of a preferred share of a class or series, each depositary share will in effect be entitled to a fraction of a vote.
Conversion and Exchange Rights. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms and conditions, if any, upon which you may, or we may require you to, convert or exchange preferred shares of any class or series into common shares or any other class or series of shares of beneficial interest or debt securities or other property. The terms will include the number of common shares or other securities or property into which the preferred shares are convertible or exchangeable, the conversion or exchange price (or the manner of determining it), the conversion or exchange period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be at the option of the holders of the class or series or at our option, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange upon the redemption of shares of the class or series.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common shares is Equiniti Trust Company. The transfer agent and registrar for each class or series of preferred shares that may be issued and sold pursuant to this prospectus will be designated in the applicable prospectus supplement.
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES
General
References in this “Description of Depositary Shares” section to “we,” “us” or “our” mean Office Properties Income Trust and not any of its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires. The following is a summary of the general terms and provisions of the depositary shares that we may offer by this prospectus. Because it is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. If you want more information, you should read the form of deposit agreement and depositary receipts, which will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part prior to an offering of depositary shares. See “Where You Can Find More Information.” This summary is also subject to and qualified by reference to the descriptions of the particular terms of our securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will describe in a prospectus supplement (1) the specific terms of the depositary shares offered through that prospectus supplement and (2) any general terms outlined in this section that will not apply to such depositary shares. The applicable prospectus supplement also may add to, update or change the terms of such securities from those described below.
We may, at our option, elect to offer fractional interests in preferred shares, rather than whole preferred shares. If we exercise this option, we will appoint a depositary to issue depositary receipts representing those fractional interests. Preferred shares of each class or series represented by depositary shares will be deposited under a separate deposit agreement between us and the depositary. The prospectus supplement relating to a series of depositary shares will show the name and address of the depositary. Subject to the terms of the applicable deposit agreement, each owner of depositary shares will be entitled to all of the distribution, voting, conversion, redemption, liquidation and other rights and preferences of the preferred shares represented by those depositary shares.
Depositary receipts issued pursuant to the applicable deposit agreement will evidence ownership of depositary shares. Upon surrender of depositary receipts at the office of the depositary, and upon payment of the charges provided in and subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, a holder of depositary shares will be entitled to receive the preferred shares underlying the surrendered depositary receipts.
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement any material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the depositary shares offered by such prospectus supplement.
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Distributions
The depositary will be required to distribute all cash distributions received in respect of the applicable preferred shares to the record holders of depositary receipts evidencing the related depositary shares, in proportion to the number of depositary receipts owned by such holders on the relevant record date, which will be the same date as the record date fixed by us for the distribution paid on the applicable preferred shares.
If the distribution is other than in cash, a depositary will be required to distribute property received by it to the record holders of depositary receipts entitled thereto, unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make the distribution. In that case, the depositary may, with our approval, sell the property and distribute the net proceeds from the sale to the holders.
Depositary shares that represent preferred shares converted or exchanged will not be entitled to distributions. The deposit agreement will also contain provisions relating to the manner in which any subscription or similar rights we offer to holders of the preferred shares will be made available to holders of depositary shares. All distributions will be subject to obligations of holders to file proofs, certificates and other information and to pay certain charges and expenses to the depositary.
Withdrawal of Preferred Shares
You may receive the number of whole preferred shares and any money or other property represented by your depositary receipts after surrendering the depositary receipts at the corporate trust office of the depositary. Partial preferred shares will not be issued. If the depositary shares that you surrender exceed the number of depositary shares that represent the number of whole preferred shares you wish to withdraw, then the depositary will deliver to you at the same time a new depositary receipt evidencing the excess number of depositary shares. Once you have withdrawn your preferred shares, you will not be entitled to re-deposit those preferred shares under the deposit agreement in order to receive depositary shares. We do not expect that there will be any public trading market for withdrawn preferred shares.
Redemption of Depositary Shares
If we redeem a class or series of the preferred shares underlying the depositary shares, the depositary will redeem those depositary shares from the proceeds received by it. The depositary will mail notice of redemption not less than 30 and not more than 60 days before the date fixed for redemption to the record holders of the depositary receipts evidencing the depositary shares being redeemed at their addresses appearing in the depositary’s books. The redemption price per depositary share will be equal to the applicable fraction of the redemption price per share payable with respect to the class or series of the preferred shares. The redemption date for depositary shares will be the same as that of the preferred shares. If we are redeeming less than all of the depositary shares, the depositary will select the depositary shares we are redeeming by lot or pro rata as the depositary may determine.
After the date fixed for redemption, the depositary shares called for redemption will no longer be deemed outstanding. All rights of the holders of the depositary shares and the related depositary receipts will cease at that time, except the right to receive the money or other property to which the holders of depositary shares were entitled upon redemption. Receipt of the money or other property is subject to surrender to the depositary of the depositary receipts evidencing the redeemed depositary shares.
Voting of the Preferred Shares
Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of the applicable preferred shares are entitled to vote, a depositary will be required to mail the information contained in the notice of meeting to the record holders of the applicable depositary receipts. Each record holder of depositary receipts on the record date, which will be the same date as the record date for voting preferred shares, will be entitled to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the amount of preferred shares represented by the holder’s depositary shares. If you do not instruct the depositary how to vote your shares, the depositary will abstain from voting those shares. The depositary will not be responsible for any failure to carry out an instruction to vote or for the effect of any such vote made so long as the action or inaction of the depositary is in good faith and is not the result of the depositary’s gross negligence or willful misconduct.
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Liquidation Preference
Upon our liquidation, whether voluntary or involuntary, each holder of depositary shares will be entitled to the fraction of the liquidation preference accorded each preferred share represented by the depositary shares, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Conversion or Exchange of Preferred Shares
The depositary shares will not themselves be convertible into or exchangeable for common shares, preferred shares or any of our other securities or property. Nevertheless, if so specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the depositary receipts may be surrendered by holders to the applicable depositary with written instructions to it to instruct us to cause conversion or exchange of the preferred shares represented by the depositary shares. Similarly, if so specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may require you to surrender all of your depositary receipts to the applicable depositary upon our requiring the conversion or exchange of the preferred shares represented by the depositary shares. We will agree that, upon receipt of the instruction and any amounts payable in connection with the conversion or exchange, we will cause the conversion or exchange using the same procedures as those provided for delivery of preferred shares to effect the conversion or exchange. If you are converting or exchanging only a part of the depositary shares, the depositary will issue you a new depositary receipt for any unconverted or unexchanged depositary shares.
Amendment and Termination of a Deposit Agreement
We and the applicable depositary are permitted to amend the provisions of the depositary receipts and the deposit agreement. However, the holders of a majority of the applicable depositary shares then outstanding must approve any amendment that adds or increases fees or charges or prejudices an important right of holders. Every holder of an outstanding depositary receipt at the time any amendment becomes effective, by continuing to hold the receipt, will be bound by the applicable deposit agreement, as amended.
Any deposit agreement may be terminated by us upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice to the applicable depositary if (1) the termination is necessary to preserve our qualification for taxation as a REIT under the IRC or (2) a majority of each class or series of preferred shares affected by the termination consents to the termination. When either event occurs, the depositary will be required to deliver or make available to each holder of depositary receipts, upon surrender of the depositary receipts held by the holder, the number of whole or fractional preferred shares as are represented by the depositary shares evidenced by the depositary receipts, together with any other property held by the depositary with respect to the depositary receipts. In addition, a deposit agreement will automatically terminate if:
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all depositary shares have been redeemed;
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there shall have been a final distribution in respect of the related preferred shares in connection with our liquidation and the distribution has been made to the holders of depositary receipts evidencing the depositary shares representing the preferred shares; or
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each related preferred share shall have been converted or exchanged into securities not represented by depositary shares.
Charges of a Depositary
We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of a deposit agreement. In addition, we will pay the fees and expenses of a depositary in connection with the initial deposit of the preferred shares and any redemption of preferred shares. However, holders of depositary receipts will pay any transfer or other governmental charges and the fees and expenses of a depositary for any duties the holders request to be performed that are outside of those expressly provided for in the applicable deposit agreement.
Resignation and Removal of Depositary
A depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its election to do so. In addition, we may at any time remove a depositary. Any resignation or removal will take effect when we appoint a successor
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depositary and it accepts the appointment. We must appoint a successor depositary within 60 days after delivery of the notice of resignation or removal. A depositary must be a bank or trust company having its principal office in the United States that has a combined capital and surplus of at least $50 million.
Miscellaneous
The depositary will be required to forward to holders of depositary receipts any reports and communications from us that it receives with respect to the related preferred shares. Holders of depository receipts will be able to inspect the transfer books of the depository and the list of holders of depositary receipts upon reasonable notice.
Neither we nor the depositary will be liable if the depositary is prevented from or delayed in performing its obligations under a deposit agreement by law or any circumstances beyond its control. Our obligations and those of the depositary under a deposit agreement will be limited to performing duties in good faith and without gross negligence or willful misconduct. Neither we nor the depositary will be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in respect of any depositary receipts, depositary shares or related preferred shares unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. We and the depositary will be permitted to rely on written advice of counsel or accountants, on information provided by persons presenting preferred shares for deposit, by holders of depositary receipts, or by other persons believed in good faith to be competent to give the information, and on documents believed in good faith to be genuine and signed by a proper party.
If the depositary receives conflicting claims, requests or instructions from any holders of depositary receipts, on the one hand, and us, on the other hand, the depositary shall be entitled to act on the claims, requests or instructions received from us.
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS
References in this “Description of Warrants” section to “we,” “us” or “our” mean Office Properties Income Trust and not any of its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires. The following is a summary of the general terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer by this prospectus. Because it is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. If you want more information, you should read the forms of warrants and the warrant agreement which will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part prior to an offering of warrants. See “Where You Can Find More Information.” This summary is also subject to and qualified by reference to the descriptions of the particular terms of our securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will describe in a prospectus supplement (1) the specific terms of the warrants offered through that prospectus supplement and (2) any general terms outlined in this section that will not apply to such warrants. The applicable prospectus supplement also may add to, update or change the terms of such securities from those described below.
We may issue, together with any other securities being offered or separately, warrants entitling the holder to purchase from or sell to us, or to receive from us the cash value of the right to purchase or sell, debt securities, preferred shares, depositary shares or common shares. We and a warrant agent will enter a warrant agreement pursuant to which the warrants will be issued. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants. We will file a copy of the forms of warrants and the warrant agreement with the SEC at or before the time of the offering of the applicable series of warrants.
In the case of each series of warrants, the applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of the warrants being offered thereby. These include the following, if applicable:
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the offering price;
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the currencies in which such warrants are being offered;
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the number of warrants offered;
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the securities underlying the warrants;
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the exercise price, the procedures for exercise of the warrants and the circumstances, if any, that will cause the warrants to be automatically exercised;
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the date on which the warrants will expire;
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the rights, if any, we have to redeem the warrants;
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the name of the warrant agent; and
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the other terms of the warrants.
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement any material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the warrants offered by such prospectus supplement.
Warrants may be exercised at the appropriate office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Before the exercise of warrants, holders will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon exercise and will not be entitled to payments made to holders of those securities.
The warrant agreement may be amended or supplemented without the consent of the holders of the warrants to which the amendment or supplement applies to effect changes that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the warrants and that do not adversely affect the interests of the holders of the warrants. However, any amendment that materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of warrants will not be effective unless the holders of a majority of the applicable warrants then outstanding approve the amendment. Every holder of an outstanding warrant at the time any amendment becomes effective, by continuing to hold the warrant, will be bound by the applicable warrant agreement as amended thereby. The prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of warrants may provide that certain provisions of the warrants, including the securities for which they may be exercisable, the exercise price and the expiration date may not be altered without the consent of the holder of each warrant.
DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW
AND OF OUR DECLARATION OF TRUST AND BYLAWS
AND OF OUR DECLARATION OF TRUST AND BYLAWS
We are organized as a Maryland REIT. The following is a summary of our declaration of trust and bylaws and material provisions of Maryland law applicable to Maryland REITs, or the Maryland REIT Law. Because it is a summary, it does not contain all the information that may be important to you. If you want more information, you should read our declaration of trust and bylaws, copies of which are filed with the SEC, or refer to the provisions of the Maryland REIT Law.
Restrictions on Transfer and Ownership of Shares
Our declaration of trust provides that no person may own, or be deemed to own by virtue of the attribution provisions of the IRC, or beneficially own under Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, more than 9.8% in value or in number, whichever is more restrictive, of shares of any class or series of our outstanding shares of beneficial interest, including our common shares. Our declaration of trust further prohibits (a) any person from beneficially or constructively owning our shares if that ownership would result in our being “closely held” under Section 856(h) of the IRC or otherwise cause us to fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT and (b) any person from transferring our shares if the transfer would result in our shares being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons.
Our Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion, may exempt a person, prospectively or retroactively, from the share ownership limitation if, in its discretion, it determines (1) the ownership of shares by such person would not result in our being “closely held” under Section 856(h) of the IRC or otherwise failing to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the IRC; (2) such person does not and will not own, actually or constructively, an interest in one of our tenants (or a tenant of any entity which we own or control) that would cause us to own, actually or constructively, more than a 9.8% interest in the tenant; (3) the ownership of shares in excess of the ownership limit pursuant to the exception requested would not cause a default under the terms of any contract to which we or any of our subsidiaries are party or reasonably expect to become a party; and (4) the ownership of shares in excess of the ownership limit is in our best interest. In connection with any requested exemption, our Board of Trustees may require such rulings from the IRS or opinions of counsel as it deems advisable in order to determine or ensure our qualification for taxation as a REIT under the IRC and such representations, undertakings and agreements it deems necessary or advisable in order for it to make the foregoing determinations.
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In determining whether to grant an exemption, our Board of Trustees may consider, among other factors, the following:
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the general reputation and moral character of the person requesting the exemption;
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whether the person’s ownership of shares would be direct or through ownership attribution;
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whether the person’s ownership of shares would interfere with the conduct of our business, including our ability to acquire additional properties;
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whether granting an exemption would adversely affect any of our existing contractual arrangements or business policies;
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whether the person requesting an exemption has been approved as an owner by all regulatory or other governmental authorities that have jurisdiction over us; and
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whether the person requesting an exemption is attempting a change in control or to affect our policies in a way in which our Board of Trustees, in its discretion, considers adverse to our or our shareholders’ best interests.
Any attempted transfer of our shares which, if effective, would result in our shares being owned by fewer than 100 persons shall be void ab initio, and the intended transferee shall acquire no rights in such shares.
If a person attempts a transfer of our shares of beneficial interest in violation of the other ownership limitations described above, then our Board of Trustees is authorized and empowered to deem that number of shares which would cause the violation (a) to be automatically transferred to a trust, or the Charitable Trust, for the exclusive benefit of one or more charitable beneficiaries designated by us or (b) to the fullest extent provided by law, to be void ab initio. A transfer to the Charitable Trust will be deemed to be effective as of the close of business on the business day prior to the date of our Board of Trustees’ determination to have such transfer occur or at such other time determined by our Board of Trustees. The prohibited owner will generally not acquire any rights in these excess shares (except to the extent provided below upon sale of the shares), will not benefit economically from ownership of any excess shares, will have no rights to distributions, will not possess any rights to vote and, to the extent permitted by law, will have no claim, cause of action or other recourse against the purported transferor of such shares. Subject to Maryland law, the trustee of the Charitable Trust will have the authority to rescind as void any vote cast by the prohibited owner prior to our discovery that the shares have been transferred to the Charitable 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 action, then the trustee will not have the authority to rescind and recast the vote. Any dividend or other distribution paid prior to our discovery that shares have been transferred to the Charitable Trust will be paid by the recipient to the trustee of the Charitable Trust. Any dividend or other distribution authorized but unpaid will be paid when due to the trustee of the Charitable Trust. Any dividend or other distribution paid to the trustee of the Charitable Trust will be held in trust for the charitable beneficiary.
Unless otherwise directed by our Board of Trustees, within 20 days of receiving notice from us that our shares have been transferred to the Charitable Trust, or as soon thereafter as practicable, the trustee of the Charitable Trust will sell such shares (together with the right to receive distributions with respect to such shares) to a person designated by the trustee of the Charitable Trust whose ownership of the shares will not violate the ownership limitations set forth in our declaration of trust. Upon such sale, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee of the Charitable Trust will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the prohibited owner and to the beneficiary of the Charitable Trust as follows:
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the prohibited owner will receive the lesser of:
(1) the net price paid by the prohibited owner for the shares or, if the prohibited owner did not give value for the shares in connection with the event causing the shares to be held in the Charitable Trust, for example, a gift, devise or other similar transaction, the market price (as defined in our declaration of trust) of the shares on the day of the event causing the shares to be transferred to the Charitable Trust, less our and the charitable trustee’s costs, expenses and compensation described below; and
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(2) the net sales proceeds received by the trustee from the sale or other disposition of the shares held in the Charitable Trust.
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any net sale proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the prohibited owner shall be paid to the charitable beneficiary, less the costs, expenses and compensation of the Charitable Trust and trustee.
If a prohibited owner sells shares that are deemed to have been transferred to the Charitable Trust, then:
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those shares will be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the Charitable Trust; and
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to the extent that the prohibited owner received an amount for those shares that exceeds the amount that the prohibited owner was entitled to receive from a sale by the trustee of the Charitable Trust, the prohibited owner must promptly pay the excess to the trustee of the Charitable Trust upon demand.
Also, shares of beneficial interest held in the Charitable 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:
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the price per share in the transaction that resulted in the transfer to the Charitable Trust or, in the case of a devise, gift or other similar transaction, the market price per share on the day of the event causing that transfer; and
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the market price on the date we or our designee accepts the offer.
In either of the above cases, the price per share will be less our and the trustee’s costs, expenses and compensation described below.
We will have the right to accept the offer until the trustee has sold the shares held in the Charitable Trust. The net proceeds of the sale to us will be distributed to the prohibited owner in the amount determined pursuant to the above provisions.
Any person who acquires or attempts or intends to acquire beneficial or constructive ownership of any shares of beneficial interest that will or may violate the foregoing share ownership limitations, or any person who would have owned shares that resulted in a transfer to a Charitable Trust, is required to immediately give written notice to us of such event, or in the case of such a proposed or attempted transaction, give at least 15 days’ prior written notice, and to provide to us such other information as we may request.
Every owner of 5% or more of any class or series of our shares is required to give written notice to us within 30 days after the end of each taxable year, and also within three business days after we so request, stating the name and address of the owner, the number of shares of each class and series of our shares which the owner beneficially owns and a description of the manner in which those shares are held. Any such owner who holds our shares as nominee for another person who is required to include distributions on our shares in his or her gross income (the actual owner) is required to give written notice to us stating the name and address of the actual owner and the number of each class and series of our shares of the actual owner with respect to whom the holder of our shares is nominee. Each shareholder is required to provide us with such information as we may request, in good faith, in order to determine our qualification for taxation as a REIT under the IRC, to determine our compliance with other applicable laws or requirements of any governmental authority and compliance with such share ownership limitations.
Our declaration of trust provides that the trustee of the Charitable Trust is entitled to reasonable compensation for its services, as determined by agreement between our Board of Trustees and the trustee of the Charitable Trust, and is entitled to be indemnified for its costs and expenses reasonably incurred in connection with conducting its duties and satisfying its obligations under our declaration of trust. Any such compensation, costs and expenses may be funded from the Charitable Trust or by us and, if funded by us, we are entitled to reimbursement on a first priority basis from the Charitable Trust.
We are also entitled, without limiting a shareholder’s other obligations under our declaration of trust and bylaws, to collect from the Charitable Trust our costs and expenses incurred in the process of enforcing the ownership limitations contained in our declaration of trust.
The restrictions in our declaration of trust described above will not preclude the settlement of any transaction entered into through the facilities of any national securities exchange or automated interdealer
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quotation system. Our declaration of trust provides, however, that the fact that the settlement of any transaction occurs will not negate the effect of any of the foregoing limitations and any transferee in this kind of transaction will be subject to all of the provisions and limitations described above.
All certificates evidencing our shares and any share statements for our uncertificated shares shall bear legends referring to the foregoing restrictions or, instead of a legend, the certificate may state that we will furnish a full statement about certain restrictions on transferability to a shareholder on request and without charge.
The restrictions on transfer and ownership in our declaration of trust are intended to assist with our compliance with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the IRC and otherwise to promote our orderly governance. These restrictions do not apply to RMR or its affiliates.
Trustees
Our declaration of trust and bylaws provide that our Board of Trustees may change the number of Trustees, but there may be not less than three Trustees. As of the date of this prospectus, our Board of Trustees consists of nine Trustees.
Pursuant to our declaration of trust and bylaws, each Trustee is elected by our shareholders to serve until the next annual meeting of the shareholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified.
There is no cumulative voting in the election of Trustees. Except as may be mandated by any applicable law or the listing requirements of the principal exchange on which our common shares are listed, and subject to the provisions of any class or series of our shares of beneficial interest which may be hereafter created, a plurality of all the votes cast by holders of shares of beneficial interest then outstanding and entitled to vote thereon at a meeting of shareholders duly called and at which a quorum is present is required to elect a Trustee.
In case of failure to elect Trustees at an annual meeting of shareholders, the incumbent Trustees will hold over and continue to direct the management of our business and affairs until they resign or their successors are elected and qualify. In the event of a vacancy on our Board of Trustees, including a vacancy caused by a resignation of a Trustee or by an increase in the number of Trustees, the vacancy may be filled only by a majority of the remaining Trustees, even if the remaining Trustees do not constitute a quorum, for the remaining term of the class in which the vacancy exists and until a successor is elected and qualifies. Our declaration of trust and bylaws provide that a Trustee may be removed (1) only for cause, at a meeting of our shareholders properly called for that purpose, by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 75% of our common shares then outstanding and entitled to vote in the election of such Trustee, or (2) with or without cause by the affirmative vote of not less than 75% of the remaining Trustees. This provision precludes shareholders from removing our incumbent Trustees unless they can obtain the requisite affirmative vote of shares. Any shareholders proposing to remove one or more Trustees must meet all of the requirements in our bylaws for a nomination of a Trustee at an annual meeting of shareholders or a proposal of other business at a meeting of shareholders, as described below under “— Advance Notice of Trustee Nominations and New Business; Procedures of Special Meetings of Shareholders.”
Under our bylaws, a Trustee must be at least 21 years of age, not under legal disability, have substantial expertise or experience relevant to our business (as determined by our Board of Trustees), not have been convicted of a felony and meet the qualifications of an Independent Trustee or a Managing Trustee. An “Independent Trustee” is one who is not an employee of our Manager (as defined in our declaration of trust), who is not involved in our day to day activities, who meets the qualifications of an independent trustee under our declaration of trust and who meets the qualifications of an independent director under the applicable rules of the principal securities exchange on which our common shares are listed for trading and the SEC, as those requirements may be amended from time to time. A “Managing Trustee” is one who has been an employee, officer or director of our Manager or involved in our day to day activities for at least one year prior to his or her election. A majority of the Trustees holding office shall at all times be Independent Trustees, except for temporary periods due to vacancies. If the number of Trustees, at any time, is set at less than five, at least one Trustee will be a Managing Trustee. So long as the number of Trustees shall be five or greater, at least two Trustees will be Managing Trustees.
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Advance Notice of Trustee Nominations and New Business; Procedures of Special Meetings of Shareholders
Annual Meetings of Shareholders. Our bylaws provide that nominations of individuals for election to our Board of Trustees and proposals of other business to be considered at an annual meeting of shareholders may be made (1) in our notice of the meeting by or at the direction of our Board of Trustees or otherwise properly brought before the meeting by or at the direction of our Board of Trustees, or (2) by a shareholder who is entitled to vote at the meeting, is entitled to make nominations or proposals and has complied with the advance notice procedures or the proxy access procedures set forth in our bylaws.
Under our bylaws, a shareholder’s written notice of nominations of individuals (outside of the proxy access procedures as described below) for election to our Board of Trustees or proposal of other business to be considered at an annual meeting of shareholders must be delivered to our Secretary at our principal executive offices not later than 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the 120th day nor earlier than the 150th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of the proxy statement for the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that if the annual meeting is called for a date that is more than 30 days earlier or later than the first anniversary of the date of the preceding year’s annual meeting, the notice must be delivered by not later than 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the 10th day following the earlier of the day on which (1) notice of the date of the annual meeting is mailed or otherwise made available or (2) public announcement of the date of the annual meeting is first made by us. Neither the postponement or adjournment of an annual meeting, nor the public announcement of such postponement or adjournment, commences a new time period (or extends any time period) for the giving of a shareholder’s notice.
Our bylaws set forth procedures for submission of nominations of individuals (outside of the proxy access procedures as described below) for election to our Board of Trustees and other proposals by our shareholders for consideration at an annual meeting of shareholders, including, among other things:
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requiring that any one or more shareholders wishing to make a nomination or proposal of other business have continuously owned our shares of beneficial interest entitled to vote in the election of Trustees or propose other business for at least three years as of the date of the giving of the notice of the proposed nomination or proposal of other business, the record date for determining the shareholders entitled to vote at the meeting and the time of the annual meeting, with the aggregate shares owned by such shareholder(s) as of each such date during such three year period representing at least 1% of our shares of beneficial interest, that the shareholder(s) hold a certificate evidencing the aggregate number of shares of beneficial interest owned at the time of submitting a notice as of each such date, and that the shareholder(s) submit the proposal to our Secretary in accordance with the requirements of our bylaws;
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providing that the advance notice provisions in our bylaws are the exclusive means for shareholders to make nominations or propose business for consideration at an annual meeting of our shareholders, except as provided under the proxy access provisions of our bylaws, or our proxy access provisions, or to the extent of matters which are required to be presented to our shareholders by applicable law, which have been properly presented in accordance with the requirements of such law;
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requiring certain information and documentation be provided regarding any proposed nominee for election to our Board of Trustees by the proposing shareholder(s);
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requiring certain information be provided with respect to any business other than the election of Trustees that the shareholder(s) propose(s) to bring before a meeting of our shareholders;
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requiring certain information and documentation be provided as to the proposing shareholder(s) and certain of its (their) affiliates; and
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providing that the proposing shareholder(s) is (are) responsible for ensuring compliance with the advance notice provisions and that neither we, our Board of Trustees, any committee of our Board of Trustees nor any of our officers has any duty to request clarification or updating information or to inform the proposing shareholder(s) of any defect in the notice of the proposing shareholder(s).
Special Meetings of Shareholders. With respect to special meetings of shareholders, our bylaws provide that only business brought before the meeting pursuant to our notice of the meeting by or at the direction of our Board of Trustees or otherwise properly brought before the meeting by or at the direction of our Board
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of Trustees may be considered at such meeting. Nominations of individuals for election to our Board of Trustees may be made at a special meeting of shareholders at which Trustees are to be elected pursuant to our notice of meeting, by or at the direction of our Board of Trustees, or, provided that our Board of Trustees has determined that Trustees will be elected at such special meeting, by a shareholder who is a shareholder of record both at the time of giving of the notice provided for in our bylaws through and including the time of the special meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and has complied with the advance notice procedures set forth in our bylaws. Under our bylaws, if we call a special meeting of shareholders for the purpose of electing one or more Trustees, any one or more shareholders may nominate an individual or individuals (as the case may be) for election to our Board of Trustees if the shareholder(s) satisfies the ownership, holding and certificate requirements required by our bylaws, as described above, for submitting nominations for consideration at an annual meeting of shareholders. To be timely, a shareholder’s notice must be delivered not earlier than the 150th day prior to such special meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the later of (1) the 120th day prior to such special meeting or (2) the 10th day following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of the special meeting. Neither the postponement or adjournment of a special meeting, nor the public announcement of such postponement or adjournment, shall commence a new time period for the giving of a shareholder’s notice.
Proxy Access Nominations
Our bylaws contain proxy access provisions which permit any shareholder or group of up to 20 shareholders owning at least 3% of our outstanding shares of beneficial interest continuously for at least three years to nominate and include up to a specified number of Trustee nominees in our proxy materials for an annual meeting of shareholders. The maximum number of shareholder nominees permitted under these proxy access provisions shall not exceed the greater of two or 20% of the total number of Trustees in office as of the last day on which a shareholder nomination may be delivered; provided, however, that if we have a classified Board of Trustees and the size of our Board of Trustees is less than nine Trustees, the permitted number of shareholder nominees shall be reduced so that it does not exceed one-half of the number of Trustees to be elected at the meeting rounded down to the nearest whole number (but not lowered as a result of this proviso to less than one).
Under our proxy access provisions, a shareholder’s written notice of nominations of individuals for election to our Board of Trustees to be included in our proxy statement for an annual meeting must be delivered to our Secretary at our principal executive offices not less than 120 days nor earlier than 150 days prior to the anniversary of the date of the proxy statement for the immediately preceding annual meeting of shareholders. Neither the postponement or adjournment of an annual meeting, nor the public disclosure of such postponement or adjournment, commences a new time period (or extends any time period) for the giving of a shareholder’s written notice.
The proxy access provisions in our bylaws set forth procedures for submission of nominations of individuals for election to our Board of Trustees to be included in our proxy statement for an annual meeting, including, among other things:
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requiring that any shareholder or group of up to 20 shareholders wishing to make a nomination (i) have continuously owned a number of our shares of beneficial interest that represents at least 3% of our outstanding shares of beneficial interest for at least three years, (ii) continue to own the requisite shares through the date of the annual meeting and (iii) meet all other requirements of our proxy access provisions;
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requiring certain information and documentation be provided regarding any proposed nominee for election to our Board of Trustees by the nominating shareholder(s);
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requiring certain information, documentation, representations and undertakings be provided as to and/or by the nominating shareholder(s), including that the nominating shareholder(s) did not acquire and is (are) not holding any of our shares or other securities for the purpose or with the intent to change or influence control of us;
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providing that the nominating shareholder(s) is (are) responsible for ensuring compliance with our proxy access provisions; and
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providing that our proxy access provisions provide the exclusive method for a shareholder to include nominees for election to our Board of Trustees in our proxy materials.
Any shareholder nominee who is included in our proxy materials for a particular meeting but either (i) subsequently withdraws from or becomes ineligible or unavailable for election at such meeting or (ii) does not receive at least 20% of the votes cast in favor of such shareholder nominee’s election, will be ineligible for nomination under the proxy access provisions in our bylaws for the next two annual meetings. Such ineligibility under such proxy access provisions will not prevent any shareholder from otherwise nominating any person to our Board of Trustees pursuant to and in accordance with the advance notice provisions of our bylaws.
Meetings of Shareholders; Voting by Shareholders
Under our declaration of trust and bylaws, our annual meetings of shareholders will be held at a date and time set by our Board of Trustees. Meetings of our shareholders, including the annual meeting and any special meetings, may be called only by our Board of Trustees, provided that, if there are no Trustees, our officers shall call a special meeting of the shareholders for the purpose of electing Trustees.
Whenever shareholders are required or permitted to take any action by a vote, the action may only be taken by a vote at a shareholders meeting. Under our bylaws, shareholders do not have the right to take any action by written consent. With respect to matters brought before a meeting of shareholders other than the election of Trustees, except where a different voting standard is required by any applicable law, the listing requirements of the principal securities exchange on which our common shares are listed or a specific provision of our declaration of trust, 75% of all common shares entitled to vote at the meeting shall be required to approve the matter unless such matter has been previously approved by our Board of Trustees, in which case the vote required for approval is a majority of votes cast at the meeting.
Under our declaration of trust, subject to the provisions of any class or series of our shares then outstanding, our shareholders are entitled to vote on the following matters: (1) the election of Trustees and the removal of Trustees; (2) any amendment to our declaration of trust; (3) termination of the Trust; (4) merger or consolidation of the Trust to the extent required by the Maryland REIT Law or the sale or disposition of substantially all our assets, in each case, to the extent a shareholder vote is required under the Maryland REIT Law, provided that any such action described in items (2) – (4) has first been approved by our Board of Trustees; and (5) such other matters with respect to which our Board of Trustees has adopted a resolution declaring that a proposed action is advisable and directing that the matter be submitted to our shareholders for approval or ratification. Our shareholders will also be entitled to vote on such matters as may be required by our declaration of trust, bylaws or applicable law.
Liability and Indemnification of Trustees and Officers
The Maryland REIT Law permits a Maryland REIT to include in its declaration of trust a provision limiting the liability of its trustees and officers to the REIT and its shareholders for money damages except for liability resulting from (1) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (2) active and deliberate dishonesty by the trustee or officer that was established by a final judgment as being material to the cause of action adjudicated. Our declaration of trust contains a provision which eliminates the liability of our Trustees and officers to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
The Maryland REIT Law also permits a Maryland REIT to indemnify and advance expenses to its trustees, officers, employees and agents to the same extent permitted by the Maryland General Corporation Law, or the MGCL, for directors and officers of Maryland corporations. The MGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its 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 are threatened to be made, a party by reason of their service in those capacities. However, a Maryland corporation is not permitted to provide this type of indemnification if the following is established:
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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.
Under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify a director or officer in a suit by the corporation or in its right in which the director or officer was adjudged liable to the corporation or in a suit in which the director or officer was adjudged liable on the basis that a 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 the corporation or in its right, or for a judgment of liability on the basis that a personal benefit was improperly received, is limited to expenses. The MGCL permits a corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation’s receipt of the following:
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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 the corporation; and
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a written undertaking by him or her, or on his or her behalf, to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that this standard of conduct was not met.
Our declaration of trust authorizes us, and our bylaws require us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, to indemnify, without requiring a preliminary determination of ultimate entitlement to indemnification, (1) any present or former Trustee or officer of us who is made or threatened to be made a party to a proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity or (2) any individual who, while a Trustee or officer of us and, at our request, serves or has served as a trustee, director, officer or partner of another REIT, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to a proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity and to pay or reimburse their reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding. Our bylaws also permit us to indemnify and advance expenses to any person who served any predecessor of ours in the capacities described above and any present or former shareholder, employee or agent of us or any such predecessor. Except with respect to proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification, we are only required to indemnify our Trustees and officers as described above in connection with a proceeding initiated by any such person against us if such proceeding was authorized by our Board of Trustees.
We have also entered into indemnification agreements with our Trustees and officers providing for procedures for indemnification by us to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law and advancements by us of certain expenses and costs relating to claims, suits or proceedings arising from their service to us. We also maintain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance for our Trustees and officers.
The SEC has expressed the opinion that indemnification of trustees, officers or persons otherwise controlling a company for liabilities arising under the Securities Act is against public policy and is therefore unenforceable.
Shareholder Liability
Under the Maryland REIT Law, a shareholder is generally not personally liable for the obligations of a REIT formed under Maryland law solely as a result of his or her status as a shareholder. Our declaration of trust provides that no shareholder will be personally liable for any debt, claim, demand, judgment or obligation of any kind of ours by reason of being a shareholder. While we intend to conduct our business in a manner designed to minimize potential shareholder liability, we can give no assurance that you can avoid liability in all instances in all jurisdictions. We have not provided in the past and do not intend to provide insurance covering these risks to our shareholders.
Our declaration of trust and bylaws provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, each shareholder is liable to us for, and shall indemnify and hold harmless us and our affiliates from and against, all costs, expenses, penalties, fines or other amounts, including without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ and other
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professional fees, whether third party or internal, arising from a shareholder’s breach of or failure to fully comply with any covenant, condition or provision of our declaration of trust or bylaws (including the advance notice provisions of our bylaws) or any action by or against us in which the shareholder is not the prevailing party, and shall pay such amounts on demand, together with interest on such amounts.
Arbitration and Exclusive Forum
Our declaration of trust and bylaws provide that, with certain exceptions noted below, any party to a dispute, claim or controversy brought by a shareholder against us or any Trustee, officer, manager, agent or employee of us on such shareholder’s own behalf, on behalf of us or on behalf of any series or class of shares or shareholders, including derivative and class actions, all of which are referred to as disputes, may demand that the dispute be resolved through binding and final arbitration in accordance with the procedures set forth in our bylaws. If any party (including us) unilaterally makes an arbitration demand, arbitration of the dispute will be mandatory for all other parties to the dispute. These arbitration provisions do not apply to a request for a declaratory judgment or similar action regarding the meaning, interpretation or validity of any provision of our declaration of trust or our bylaws, in which case the exclusive forum provisions of our bylaws, which are described below, apply. Our shareholders agree, by virtue of becoming shareholders, that they are bound by our governing documents, including the arbitration provisions, as they may be amended from time to time. However, by agreeing to the arbitration provisions of our governing documents, our shareholders will not be deemed to have waived compliance by us with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
The arbitration provisions of our bylaws require the arbitration of such a dispute to be conducted in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association, or the AAA, as modified in such bylaws. With limited exceptions, each party to such an arbitration is required to bear its own costs in the arbitration, and the arbitrators may not render an award that would include shifting of such costs or, in a derivative case, award any portion of our award to the claimant or the claimant’s attorneys. Our bylaws provide that an arbitration award may be appealed pursuant to the AAA’s Optional Arbitration Rules and that, following expiration of the appeal period, the award of the arbitrators or, in the case of an appeal, the award of the appeal tribunal, shall be final and binding on the parties and shall be the sole and exclusive remedy between the parties relating to the dispute.
We believe that the arbitration provisions in our governing documents are enforceable under both state and federal law. Maryland state courts have upheld arbitration bylaws of REITs organized under the laws of Maryland. While no court has specifically addressed the enforceability of provisions in the governing documents of U.S. public companies that require their shareholders to arbitrate federal securities law claims against them, the Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld agreements to arbitrate other federal statutory claims, including those that implicate important federal policies. Nonetheless, some academics, legal practitioners and others are of the view that mandatory arbitration provisions in the governing documents of U.S. public companies for disputes arising under the federal securities laws are inconsistent with Section 14 of the Securities Act, other federal securities laws or the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are not enforceable with respect to such disputes. Our shareholders, or others, may challenge the enforceability of the arbitration provisions of our bylaws, and it is possible that these provisions may ultimately be determined to be unenforceable.
The exclusive forum provision of our bylaws provides that the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, or the Circuit Court, is the sole and exclusive forum for: (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us; (2) any action asserting a claim for breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any Trustee, officer, manager, agent, or employee of us to us or our shareholders; (3) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our Trustees, officers, manager, agents or employees arising pursuant to Maryland law, our declaration of trust or our bylaws brought by or on behalf of a shareholder either on such shareholder’s behalf, on our behalf, or on behalf of any series or class of shares or shareholders, including claims relating to the meaning, interpretation, effect, validity, performance or enforcement of our declaration of trust or our bylaws; or (4) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our Trustees, officers, manager, agents or employees that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine of the State of Maryland. The exclusive forum provision of our bylaws does not apply to any action for which the Circuit Court does not have jurisdiction or to a dispute that has been referred to binding arbitration in accordance with our bylaws. The exclusive
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forum provision of our bylaws does not establish exclusive jurisdiction in the Circuit Court for claims that arise under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal securities laws if there is exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction in the federal courts.
The arbitration and exclusive forum provisions of our governing documents may limit the ability of our shareholders to pursue litigation against us, or our Trustees, officers, manager, agents or employees in courts that such shareholders consider favorable, which may discourage them from bringing such litigation. In addition, as described above, the arbitration provisions of our governing documents may limit the ability to collect attorneys’ fees or other damages in such litigation, which may discourage attorneys from agreeing to represent parties wishing to commence such a proceeding.
Transactions with Affiliates
Our declaration of trust allows us to enter into contracts and transactions of any kind with any person, including any of our Trustees, officers, employees or agents or any person affiliated with them. Other than general legal principles applicable to self-dealing by Trustees and interested Trustee transactions, there are no prohibitions in our declaration of trust or bylaws which would prohibit dealings between us and our affiliates.
Regulatory Compliance and Disclosure
Our bylaws provide that any shareholder who, by virtue of such shareholder’s ownership of our shares of beneficial interest or actions taken by the shareholder affecting us, triggers the application of any requirement or regulation of any federal, state, municipal or other governmental or regulatory body on us or any of our subsidiaries shall promptly take all actions necessary and fully cooperate with us to ensure that such requirements or regulations are satisfied without restricting, imposing additional obligations on or in any way limiting the business, assets, operations or prospects of us or any of our subsidiaries. If the shareholder fails or is otherwise unable to promptly take such actions so as to cause satisfaction of such requirements or regulations, such shareholder shall promptly divest a sufficient number of our shares necessary to cause the application of such requirement or regulation to not apply to us or any of our subsidiaries. If the shareholder fails to cause such satisfaction or divest itself of such sufficient number of our shares by not later than the 10th day after triggering such requirement or regulation referred to in the bylaws, then any of our shares beneficially owned by such shareholder at and in excess of the level triggering the application of such requirement or regulation shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be deemed to constitute shares held in violation of the ownership limitations set forth in our declaration of trust. Also, our bylaws provide that if the shareholder who triggers the application of any regulation or requirement fails to satisfy the requirements or regulations or to take curative actions within such 10 day period, we may take all other actions which our Board of Trustees deems appropriate to require compliance or to preserve the value of our assets, and we may charge the offending shareholder for our costs and expenses as well as any damages which may result.
Our bylaws also provide that if a shareholder, by virtue of such shareholder’s ownership of our shares of beneficial interest or its receipt or exercise of proxies to vote shares owned by other shareholders, would not be permitted to vote such shareholder’s shares or proxies for such shares in excess of a certain amount pursuant to applicable law but our Board of Trustees determines that the excess shares or shares represented by the excess proxies are necessary to obtain a quorum, then such shareholder shall not be entitled to vote any such excess shares or proxies, and instead such excess shares or proxies may, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be voted by the Manager (as defined in our declaration of trust) or another person designated by our Board of Trustees, in proportion to the total shares otherwise voted on such matter.
Business Combinations
The MGCL contains a provision which regulates business combinations with interested shareholders. This provision applies to REITs formed under Maryland law like us. Under the MGCL, business combinations such as mergers, consolidations, share exchanges, or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities between a REIT formed under Maryland law and an interested shareholder or an affiliate of an interested shareholder are prohibited for five years after the
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most recent date on which the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. Under the MGCL the following persons are deemed to be interested shareholders:
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any person who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the voting power of the REIT’s outstanding voting shares; or
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an affiliate or associate of the REIT who, at any time within the two year period immediately prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding voting shares of the REIT.
After the five year prohibition period has ended, a business combination between a REIT and an interested shareholder generally must be recommended by the board of trustees of the REIT and must receive the following shareholder approvals:
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the affirmative vote of at least 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding voting shares of the REIT; and
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the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting shares other than shares held by the interested shareholder with whom or with whose affiliate or associate the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested shareholder.
The shareholder approvals discussed above are not required if the REIT’s shareholders receive the minimum price set forth in the MGCL for their shares and the consideration is received in cash or in the same form as previously paid by the interested shareholder for its shares.
The foregoing provisions of the MGCL do not apply, however, to business combinations that are approved or exempted by our Board of Trustees prior to the time that the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. A person is not an interested shareholder under the statute if the board of trustees approves in advance the transaction by which that shareholder otherwise would have become an interested shareholder. The board of trustees may provide that its approval is subject to compliance with any terms and conditions determined by the board of trustees. Our Board of Trustees has adopted a resolution that any business combination between us and any other person is exempted from the provisions of the MGCL described in the preceding paragraphs, provided that the business combination is first approved by our Board of Trustees, including the approval of a majority of the members of our Board of Trustees who are not affiliates or associates of the interested shareholder. This resolution, however, may be altered or repealed in whole or in part at any time.
Control Share Acquisitions
The MGCL contains a provision which regulates control share acquisitions. This provision applies to REITs formed under Maryland law like us. The MGCL provides that control shares of a REIT formed under Maryland law acquired in a control share acquisition have no voting rights except to the extent that the acquisition is approved by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding shares owned by the acquiror, by officers or by trustees who are employees of the trust. Control shares are voting shares, which, if aggregated with all other such shares previously acquired by the acquiror, or in respect of which the acquiror is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquiror to exercise voting power in electing trustees 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.
An acquiror must obtain the necessary shareholder approval each time it acquires control shares in an amount sufficient to cross one of the thresholds noted above.
Control shares do not include shares which the acquiring person is entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained shareholder approval or shares acquired directly from the REIT. The MGCL provides for certain exceptions from the definition of control share acquisition.
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A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition, upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth in the statute, including an undertaking to pay the expenses of the meeting, may compel the board of trustees of the REIT to call a special meeting of shareholders 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 REIT may itself present the matter at any shareholders 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 MGCL, then the REIT may redeem for fair value any or all of the control shares, except those for which voting rights have previously been approved. The right of the REIT to redeem control shares is subject to conditions and limitations. Fair value is 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 acquiror or of any meeting of shareholders at which the voting rights of the shares are considered and not approved. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a shareholders meeting and the acquiror becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other shareholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquiror in the control share acquisition.
The control share acquisition statute of the MGCL does not apply to the following:
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shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the REIT is a party to the transaction; or
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acquisitions approved or exempted by a provision in the declaration of trust or bylaws of the REIT adopted before the acquisition of shares.
Our bylaws contain a provision exempting any and all acquisitions by any person of our common shares from the control share acquisition statute. This provision may be amended or eliminated at any time in the future.
Subtitle 8
Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL permits a Maryland REIT with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent trustees to elect to be subject, by provision in its declaration of trust or bylaws or a resolution of its board of trustees and notwithstanding any contrary provision in the declaration of trust or bylaws, to any or all of five provisions:
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a classified board;
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a two-thirds vote requirement for removing a trustee;
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a requirement that the number of trustees be fixed only by vote of the trustees;
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a requirement that a vacancy on the board be filled only by the remaining trustees in office and for the replacement trustee to serve for the remainder of the full term of the class of trustees in which the vacancy occurred; and
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a majority requirement for the calling of a shareholder requested special meeting of shareholders.
Through other provisions in our declaration of trust and bylaws unrelated to Subtitle 8, we (1) require the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 75% of all of the votes entitled to be cast in the election of such Trustee for the removal of any Trustee from our Board of Trustees, which removal will be allowed only for cause, subject to conditions, (2) vest in our Board of Trustees the exclusive power to fix the number of our Trustees, (3) require that only our Board of Trustees may fill vacancies on our Board of Trustees, and (4) vest in our Board of Trustees the exclusive power to call meetings of our shareholders.
Amendments to Our Declaration of Trust, Dissolution and Mergers
Under the Maryland REIT Law, a Maryland REIT generally cannot dissolve, amend its declaration of trust, convert or merge unless these actions are approved by at least two-thirds of all shares entitled to be cast on the matter. The Maryland REIT Law allows a trust’s declaration of trust to set a lower percentage, so long as the percentage is not less than a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Our
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declaration of trust provides for approval of any of the foregoing actions by a majority of all votes entitled to be cast on these actions provided the action has been approved by 60% of our Board of Trustees, including 60% of our Independent Trustees. Our declaration of trust further provides that if permitted in the future by Maryland law, the majority required to approve any of the foregoing actions which have been approved by 60% of our Board of Trustees, including 60% of our Independent Trustees, will be the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the matter. Under the Maryland REIT Law, a declaration of trust may permit the trustees by a two-thirds vote to amend the declaration of trust from time to time to qualify as a REIT under the IRC or the Maryland REIT Law without the affirmative vote or written consent of the shareholders. Our declaration of trust permits this type of action by our Board of Trustees. Our declaration of trust also permits our Board of Trustees to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares that we may issue and to effect changes in our unissued shares, as described more fully above, without shareholder approval, and provides that, to the extent permitted in the future by Maryland law, our Board of Trustees may amend any other provision of our declaration of trust without shareholder approval. The Maryland REIT Law provides that a majority of our entire Board of Trustees, without action by the shareholders, may, among other things, amend our declaration of trust to change the name or other designation, or the par value, of any class or series of our shares and the aggregate par value of our shares. Our declaration of trust and bylaws also provide that our bylaws may only be amended by our Board of Trustees.
Anti-Takeover Effect of Maryland Law and of Our Declaration of Trust and Bylaws
The following provisions in our declaration of trust and bylaws and in Maryland law could delay or prevent a change in our control:
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the prohibition in our declaration of trust of any shareholder other than excepted holders, including RMR and its affiliates, from owning more than 9.8% in value or in number, whichever is more restrictive, of any class or series of our outstanding shares, including our common shares;
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shareholder voting rights and standards for the election of Trustees and other matters which generally require larger majorities for approval of actions which are not approved by our Trustees than for actions which are approved by our Trustees;
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the authority of our Board of Trustees, and not our shareholders, to adopt, amend or repeal our bylaws and to fill vacancies on our Board of Trustees;
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the fact that only our Board of Trustees, or if there are no Trustees, our officers, may call shareholder meetings and that shareholders are not entitled to act without a meeting;
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required qualifications for an individual to serve as a Trustee and a requirement that certain of our Trustees be Managing Trustees and other Trustees be Independent Trustees;
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limitations on the ability of, and various requirements that must be satisfied in order for, our shareholders to propose nominees for election to our Board of Trustees and propose other business to be considered at a meeting of our shareholders;
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the requirement that an individual Trustee may be removed by our shareholders, with cause, by the affirmative vote of holders of not less than 75% of our common shares entitled to vote in the election of such Trustee or, with or without cause, by the affirmative vote of not less than 75% of the remaining Trustees;
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the authority of our Board of Trustees to adopt certain amendments to our declaration of trust without shareholder approval, including the authority to increase or decrease the number of authorized shares, to create new classes or series of shares (including a class or series of shares that could delay or prevent a transaction or a change in our control that might involve a premium for our shares or otherwise be in the best interests of our shareholders), to increase or decrease the number of shares of any class or series, and to classify or reclassify any unissued shares from time to time by setting or changing the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to distributions, qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption of our shares or any new class or series of shares created by our Board of Trustees;
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the requirement that amendments to our declaration of trust may be made only if approved by 60% of our Trustees, including 60% of our Independent Trustees;
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the business combination provisions of the MGCL, if the applicable resolution of our Board of Trustees is rescinded or if our Board’s approval of a combination is not obtained; and
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the control share acquisition provisions of the MGCL, if the provision in our bylaws exempting acquisitions of our shares from such provisions is amended or eliminated.
In addition, the agreement governing our revolving credit facility, or our credit agreement, also contains change in control provisions, which are further described below, and our business and property management agreements with RMR contain provisions that allow for termination for convenience and termination for a performance reason but require the payment of a termination fee, as further described in those agreements.
For all of these reasons, among others, our shareholders may be unable to realize a change of control premium for any of our shares they own or otherwise effect a change of our policies.
Liability of Shareholders for Breach of Restrictions on Ownership
Our credit agreement provides that a change in our control, as defined in that agreement and including RMR ceasing to act as our business and property manager, constitutes a default under such agreement, and a default under the agreement could result in a cross-default under our senior unsecured notes or our other debt. If a breach of the ownership limitations or other provisions of our declaration of trust or bylaws results in a default under our credit agreement or our other debt or other costs or expenses we may incur as a result of the breach, the shareholder or shareholders causing the breach may be liable to us and may be liable to our other shareholders for damages. These damages may be in addition to the loss of beneficial ownership and voting rights of the shares owned by the breaching shareholder or shareholders, as described above, and these damages may be material.
SELLING SECURITY HOLDERS
Selling security holders are persons or entities that, directly or indirectly, have acquired or will from time to time acquire from us, securities of the type described in this prospectus in various private or other transactions. These selling security holders may from time to time offer and sell the securities pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement.
Information regarding the selling security holders, where applicable, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement, in a post-effective amendment, or in filings we make with the SEC under the Exchange Act which are incorporated herein by reference.
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We or our selling security holders may sell the securities to one or more underwriters for public offering and sale by them or may sell the securities to investors directly or through agents or through a combination of any of these methods of sale. Any underwriter or agent involved in the offer and sale of the securities will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. We or our selling security holders may engage in “at the market offerings,” within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act, to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, on an exchange or otherwise. We or our selling security holders also may, from time to time, authorize underwriters acting as our or their agents to offer and sell the securities upon the terms and conditions as are set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. In connection with the sale of securities, underwriters may be deemed to have received compensation from us or our selling security holders in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and may also receive commissions from purchasers of securities for whom they may act as agent. Underwriters may sell securities to or through dealers, and the dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent.
Any underwriting compensation paid by us or our selling security holders to underwriters or agents in connection with the offering of securities offered by means of this prospectus, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers, will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions, under the Securities Act. Underwriters, dealers and agents may be entitled, under agreements entered into with us or our selling security holders, to indemnification against and contribution toward civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, any securities issued hereunder (other than common shares) will be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters or agents to or through whom such securities are sold by us or our selling security holders for public offering and sale may make a market in such securities, but such underwriters or agents will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot assure you as to the liquidity of the trading market for any such securities.
We or our selling security holders may enter into derivative transactions with third parties or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or our selling security holders or borrowed from us, our selling security holders or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of shares, and may use securities received from us or our selling security holders in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of shares. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
From time to time, one or more of the selling security holders may pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in some or all of the securities owned by them. The pledgees, secured parties or persons to whom the securities have been hypothecated will, upon foreclosure in the event of default, be deemed to be selling security holders. The number of the initial selling security holder’s securities offered under this prospectus will decrease as and when any pledgee, secured party or other person takes such actions. The plan of distribution for that selling security holder’s securities will otherwise remain unchanged. In addition, a selling security holder may, from time to time, sell the securities short, and, in those instances, this prospectus may be delivered in connection with the short sales and the securities offered under this prospectus may be used to cover short sales.
We will not receive any proceeds from sales of any securities by the selling security holders. We cannot assure you that the selling security holders will sell all or any portion of their securities, if any, covered by this prospectus.
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In connection with an offering of securities, the underwriters may engage in stabilizing and syndicate covering transactions. These transactions may include overallotments or short sales of the securities, which involves sales of securities in excess of the principal amount of securities to be purchased by the underwriters in an offering, which creates a short position for the underwriters. Covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover short positions. Stabilizing transactions consist of certain bids or purchases of securities made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the securities while the offering is in progress. Any of these activities may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the securities being offered. They may also cause the price of the securities being offered to be higher than the price that otherwise would exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions on Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, they may discontinue them at any time.
The underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the offer of securities covered by this prospectus, or their affiliates or associates, may engage in transactions with and perform services for us or our selling security holders and our or their affiliates in the ordinary course of business for which they may have received or receive customary fees and reimbursement of expenses.
LEGAL MATTERS
Unless otherwise specified in connection with the particular offering of any securities, Sullivan & Worcester LLP, as to certain matters of New York law, and Venable LLP, as to certain matters of Maryland law, will pass upon the validity of the offered securities for us. Sullivan & Worcester LLP has passed upon certain tax matters in an opinion filed with the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Sullivan & Worcester LLP also represents RMR, our manager, and certain of its affiliates on various matters.
EXPERTS
The financial statements and the related financial statement schedule of Office Properties Income Trust as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2021, incorporated in this prospectus by reference from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports. Such financial statements and financial statement schedule are incorporated by reference in reliance upon the reports of Deloitte & Touche LLP given their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
The consolidated financial statements of Office Properties Income Trust for the year ended December 31, 2019 appearing in Office Properties Income Trust’s Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2021, 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.
The statement of revenue and certain expenses (the historical summary) of 1K Fulton (the Property) for the year ended December 31, 2020, incorporated in this prospectus by reference from the Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed by Office Properties Income Trust on August 30, 2021, has been audited by Baker Newman & Noyes LLC, independent auditors, as stated in their report thereon, incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statement has been so incorporated in this prospectus in reliance upon such report and upon the authority of such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. This prospectus is part of a registration statement and does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement. You can review our SEC filings and the registration statement by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by accessing our website at www.opireit.com. Website addresses are included in this prospectus as textual references only and the information in such websites, and any information that
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is linked to our website (other than our filings with the SEC that are expressly incorporated by reference as set forth under “Information Incorporated by Reference”), is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus or related registration statement.
INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus. Statements in this prospectus regarding the contents of any contract or other document may not be complete. You should refer to the copy of the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement. Later information filed with the SEC will update and supersede information we have included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any filings made after the date of the initial filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part made with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act until the offering of the securities made by this prospectus is completed or terminated (other than, in each case, documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules, including under Items 2.02 and 7.01 (and any related Item 9.01) of Form 8-K):
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our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 28, 2021, as amended by our Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed on August 30, 2021, April 12, 2022, June 17, 2022 and July 1, 2022;
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the information identified as incorporated by reference under Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, from our definitive Proxy Statement for our 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders dated April 12, 2022; and
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the description of our common shares contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed on June 30, 2016, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating that description.
We will provide you with a copy of the information we have incorporated by reference, excluding exhibits other than those which we specifically incorporate by reference in this prospectus. You may obtain this information at no cost by writing or telephoning us at: Two Newton Place, 255 Washington Street, Suite 300, Newton, Massachusetts, 02458-1634, (617) 219-1410, Attention: Investor Relations.
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