Cousins Properties Announces Results of Third Quarter Dividend Elections

ATLANTA -- Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE: CUZ) announced today the results of the shareholders’ elections relating to Cousins’ third quarter common stock dividend of $0.15 per share declared by its Board of Directors on July 15, 2009.

The dividend will consist of approximately $2,617,000 in cash and 676,000 shares of common stock.

 The amount of cash elected to be received was greater than the cash limit of 33.34% of the total value of the dividend or approximately $2,617,000, and therefore, shareholders who elected to receive all cash will receive a combination of cash and stock.

The number of shares included in the dividend is calculated based on the $7.73 average closing price per share of Cousins’ common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on September 3, September 4, and September 8, 2009. The dividend of $0.15 per share will be paid as follows:

---to shareholders electing to receive the dividend in all stock, Cousins will pay the entire dividend in common stock;

---to shareholders either electing to receive the dividend in all cash or failing to make an election, Cousins will pay the dividend in the form of $0.051 per share in cash and $0.099 per share in common stock; and Cousins will pay fractional shares in cash.

Registered shareholders with questions regarding the dividend election may call American Stock Transfer & Trust Co., Cousins’ transfer agent, at 1-800-937-5449. If your shares are held through a bank, broker or nominee and you have questions regarding the dividend election, please contact your bank, broker or nominee.

The issuance of approximately 676,000 shares of Cousins’ common stock pursuant to this dividend resulted in an effective increase of 1.3% in shares of common stock outstanding on the record date of August 3, 2009. Share and per share information will be adjusted in subsequent financial information, beginning with Cousins’ third quarter earnings release, to reflect this increase in shares of common stock.

Contact: Cameron Golden, 404-407-1984, camerongolden@cousinsproperties.com
http://www.cousinsproperties.com/

Fitch: Liquidity for U.S. Equity REITs Slowly on the Mend

Fitch Ratings-NY-11 September 2009: Access to unsecured debt is improving for U.S. equity REITs, according to Fitch Ratings in a new report.

Though concentrated among select issuers, the upswing has been taking place since the second quarter of this year. If more REITs are able to gain access to unsecured debt over time, Fitch may revise its Outlook on the U.S. equity REIT sector to Stable from Negative.

Given the demonstrated ability by many REITs to raise common equity through follow-on offerings coupled with unsecured bond issuance activity, Fitch’s rating actions over the near term will be driven by REITs’ liquidity positions along with other credit considerations collectively, as opposed to liquidity primarily.

‘Though liquidity may be more of a concern for certain REITs with more sizeable shortfalls, liquidity across the U.S. equity REIT sector is mproving modestly,’ said Steven Marks, (top right photo) Managing Director and U.S. REIT Group Head. ‘Maintaining a liquidity surplus remains a key factor for Fitch’s equity REIT ratings.’

REIT Unsecured bond issuance volume and terms have improved materially, with 62% of $6.7 billion in unsecured bond issuance year-to-date taking place after June 30, 2009.

Credit spreads over comparable treasuries on
such transactions narrowed by 235 basis points at issuance relative to transactions prior to June 30, 2009, enabling more opportunities for transactions acceptable to REITs.

Additionally, after June 30, 2009, REITs raised approximately $1.5 billion in equity offerings, bringing equity issuance across the sector to $14.4 billion year-to-date. ‘The market’s acceptance of these transactions has enabled REITs to reduce leverage, as well as strengthen liquidity,’ said Marks.

 ‘However, REITs may be reluctant to continue such issuance due to the impact of further dilution to the extent such offerings are more defensive or liquidity-enhancing, as opposed to acquisition-driven, which is a concern.’

The CMBS market faces continued challenges while pension funds, insurance companies and other secured lenders are reducing secured lending activity. Despite this, REITs continue to demonstrate access to the mortgage financing market.

While most REITs are refinancing mortgages on more onerous terms, secured lenders’ asset and sponsor selectivity has favored publicly-traded REITs’ portfolios. As such, Fitch has enhanced its approach towards analyzing REIT liquidity by including sensitivities addressing various scenarios of refinancing prospects for REITs’ upcoming secured debt maturities.

The median of REITs’ liquidity cover, defined as sources of liquidity divided by uses of liquidity for the projection period of July 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2011 is 1.1 times.

This level indicates that most REITs with investment grade ratings have liquidity surpluses over the next two and a half years, which is beyond the 12-to-24 month timeframe Fitch has typically assessed.

‘REITs are not immune from recent headline risk regarding ongoing commercial real estate fundamental challenges,’ said Marks. ‘However, REITs are set apart from other commercial property owners from a contingent liquidity standpoint.’

Contact:
Steven Marks,  +1-212-908-9161, Sean Pattap,  +1-212-908-0642 or Joseph Engelken,  +1-212-908-0569, New York.

Media Relations: Sandro Scenga, New York, Tel: +1 212-908-0278; sandro.scenga@fitchratings.com

Citi’s Office Campus in Jacksonville, FL Chosen as World’s Top Corporate Facility for 2008-2009

SANTA ANA, CA – Financial services leader Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) announced today that the Building Owners and Managers Association International named the Citi Jacksonville Office Campus in Jacksonville, Florida, “The Office Building of the Year” in the Corporate Facility category for 2008-2009. The campus is owned by Citi and managed by Grubb & Ellis Management Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of leading real estate services and investment firm Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE).

TOBY winners were recognized for excellence in office building management and operations in specific categories of building size or type. To win the international award, the office buildings first won both local and regional competitions. Judging was based on community impact, tenant/employee relations programs, energy management systems, accessibility for disabled people, emergency evacuation procedures, building personnel training programs and overall quality indicators. Now in its 24th year, the TOBY Awards Program is recognized as one of the most prestigious and comprehensive programs in the commercial real estate industry.

“This award is a reflection of the culture we have built together, the work we do in the community, and the difference we make in the lives of others,” said Citi’s Jacksonville Site President Kristi Bageant-Epperson, Head of Branch Services for Citibank North America. “I am so proud of this Jacksonville team. I also want to thank and recognize Sheila Cribb, her Citi Realty Services team, and the Grubb & Ellis team, led by Senior Facility Manager Kim Newhouse for all they do for our campus.”

Grubb & Ellis Management Services has managed Citi’s Jacksonville Office Campus since it was built in 2004. “We are fortunate to have a close working relationship with Citi,” said Newhouse. “We are excited and proud to have teamed with Citi in earning the highest TOBY recognition possible, as well as to manage the first building in Jacksonville to have received the award.”

Grubb & Ellis Management Services’ national facility management relationship with Citi is led by Nanci D’Alessandro, Vice President and National Accounts Manager. Joseph Swingle, Executive Managing Director, Global Client Services, leads Grubb & Ellis teams delivering facility management services to the company’s national accounts.

The Citi Campus stretches across 628,000 square feet and consists of four, three-story interconnected buildings and two additional stand-alone buildings. Citi’s 4,800 employees enjoy the benefits of a state-of-the-art childcare facility, an on-site health and fitness center, medical center, full service café, and a 3.5 acre wildlife habitat. The campus is also registered with the U.S. Green Building Council, pursuing a LEED for Existing Buildings certification, for leadership in energy and environmental design.

This is the second year in a row a Grubb & Ellis Management Services-managed property has won the International TOBY in the Corporate Facility category – the Sony Building located in New York won the award last year.

Founded in 1907, the Building Owners and Managers Association International is an international federation of more than 100 local associations and affiliated organizations. The 17,000-plus members of BOMA International own or manage more than 9 billion square feet of commercial properties in North America and abroad. BOMA’s mission is to enhance the human, intellectual and physical assets of the commercial real estate industry through advocacy, education, research, standards and information. On the Web at www.boma.org.

Contacts:

Erin Mays, 734.223.8288, erin.mays@grubb-ellis.com
Janis Tarter, 415.658.4256, janis.tarter@citi.com

Plymart Building in Stockbridge, GA to be Sold by Auction

ATLANTA, GA, SEPTEMBER 11, 2009 – Sperry Van Ness Interstate Auction Company announced today that it has been hired by Four Corners Realty LLC to sell via auction the former PlyMart Building Supply Center located at 2700 N. Highway 42 in Stockbridge, Georgia. The auction is scheduled onsite on September 24 at 1 p.m.

The property consist of two warehouse distribution buildings encompassing 52,135 square feet with office/showroom space on 9.40 acres of land containing 540 feet of Road Frontage on Highway 42.

The property is currently zoned M-1, ideal for many industrial tenants and users. The property will be offered as 3 separate tracts and/or combined as 1 or 2 tracts. Additional information on the auction can be found at http://www.interstateauction.com/.

According to Four Corner’s CEO Randy Mahaffey, “We really hate to sell the Henry County location – it was one of our best stores, and we had hoped to keep it. However, we have to sell some property immediately, and we felt that this particular location would have the most appeal to buyers.”

With over $400 million in annual sales, PlyMart was one of the largest building supply companies in Atlanta, supplying home builders with the materials to build Atlanta’s neighborhoods for 38 years.

PlyMart supplied Atlanta area builders lumber and other materials on credit. When lenders pulled the plug on new home financing, builders were unable to pay PlyMart and the firm was forced into Chapter 11 in July 2008.

“Auctions are the most efficient way for a property owner to sell in an uncertain market,” said John Johnson,(top right photo)  CCIM, managing director of Sperry Van Ness Interstate Auction. “Instead of lowering your price incrementally until you find what the market will bear, an auction starts low and moves up through competitive bidding until all but one bidder drops out.”

Contact: David Ebeling, Ebeling Communications, (949) 278-7851, david@ebelingcomm.com

Arbor Closes $825,000 Fannie Mae DUS® Small Loan for Brownlee Villas Apartments in Atlanta, GA

Uniondale, NY (September 10, 2009) - Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC (“Arbor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, announced the recent funding of a $825,000 loan under the Fannie Mae DUS® Loan product line for the 34-unit complex known as Brownlee Villas Apartments in Atlanta, GA.

The 10-year loan amortizes on a 30-year schedule and carries a note rate of 5.90 percent.

The loan was originated by Alexander Kaushansky, (top left photo) Director, in Arbor’s full-service New York, NY office. “Arbor was pleased to deliver for this client in this challenging market,” said Kaushansky.

Contact: Ingrid Principe, P: 516.506.4298, F: 516.542.2555, http://www.arbor.com/
Follow us on Twitter @ arbor1

Stan Johnson Co. completes sale of IHOP Ground Lease in Harvey, LA

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Stan Johnson Company, one of the nation’s premier net lease brokerage firms, has completed the sale of 0.97 acre land parcel 100% leased to IHOP Restaurant located at 1719 Manhattan Blvd. in Harvey, LA to a 1031 private investor for an undisclosed purchase price.

Hunter Jaggard and Daniel Herrold in the Houston office of Stan Johnson Company represented the seller,

Weingarten Realty Trust. John Davidson with Four Corners Commercial Realty Partners represented the buyer in the transaction.

“We had a very positive response in our marketing efforts,” said Jaggard. “In fact, we received an offer in our first week of marketing from the buyer that ultimately closed on the deal.”

The property is located at Manhattan Place shopping center on Manhattan Boulevard, one of the key retail corridors in New Orleans’ West Bank. The center, encompassing 258,317 square feet, is currently 98 percent leased with anchors such as Target, Stage and Ross.

Contact:  David Ebeling, Ebeling Communications, (949) 278-7851, david@ebelingcomm.com

Cambridge Realty Capital Chairman Jeff Davis Co-Authors Article on Senior Living Property Sector

CHICAGO, IL--How the senior living property sector is perceived by the institutional investor is explored in an article published in a recent issue of the Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management.

The article, co-signed by Elaine Worzala (bottom left) of Clemson University, Judith F. Karofsky of Madison, Wisconsin-based Real Estate Insites LLC, and Cambridge Realty Capital Companies Chairman Jeffrey A. Davis, (top right photo)  provides both an academic and business perspective on the subject.

The authors point out that the demand for real estate products designed with elderly end-users in mind is growing. They also note that the risk/return profiles of these investments are shifting.

According to an executive summary prepared by the authors, the aim of the research was to shed light on the perceived risks and returns associated with the specific types of investments available in the senior housing sector at this time.

Members of the Pension Real Estate Association were queried to learn how they view this property sector compared with alternative real estate investments and more traditional institutional investments, such as stocks and bonds.

The researchers learned that institutional investors do not appear to be investing in most of the seniors housing product available because they perceive it to have relatively high risk compared to more traditional real estate investments or alternative investments like international real estate.

The authors provide an in-depth analysis of the major senior housing sub-sectors and offer recommendations regarding what can be done to improve investor perceptions.

The complete Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management article is posted in the Papers and Presentations section of the Resource Center tab on the www.cambridgecap.com website.

Contact: Evan Washington, Phone: (312) 521-7603, Fax: (312) 357-1611, E-Mail: ew@cambridgecap.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CambridgeCap

Marcus & Millichap Sells 51-Acre, Multi-Family Development Site in North Port, FL

NORTH PORT, FL, September 9, 2009 – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has announced the sale of Largo Preserve, (centered photo below) a 51.86 acre multi-family development site located in North Port, FL, according to Bryn D. Merrey, Regional Manager of the firm’s Tampa office. The asset commanded a sales price of $1,900,000.


Paul Bouldin, ( bottom left photo) Senior Associate, spearheaded the effort with Dorothy Jackman, (top right photo)  Vice President Investments and Michael Harris, Investment Associate in Marcus & Millichap’s Tampa office.

As part of Marcus & Millichap’s Special Assets Services division, focused on lender-controlled commercial real estate assets, together they were exclusively engaged to market the property on behalf of the seller, a financial institution. The buyer, a department of the county government, was secured and represented by Paul Bouldin.

Largo Preserve is located at 1416 Passover Street in North Port, Florida.

“We have been very successful in assisting a number of lenders with their distressed assets," Bouldin said. "Our reputation with lenders across Florida has grown, along with our pool of buyers seeking these types of opportunities.

"Marcus & Millichap’s unique platform is providing ways to clear transactions where others have been unable to bridge the gap between bids and asking prices. Largo Preserve was a failed 480-lot town home community taken back by the lending bank. The county government unit that bought the property plans to retain it for future uses."

Press Contact: Bryn D. Merrey, Regional Manager, Tampa, (813) 387-4700

Ramada Brand Opens First Hotel in Russia; Now Present in 48 Countries

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (Sept. 10, 2009) – Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company with more than 7,000 hotels under 11 brands, today announced the continued expansion of its Ramada® hotel chain with the opening the brand’s first hotel in Russia: the 156-room Ramada Yekaterinburg (top right photo)..

Owned by Mayak Corporation Ltd. and managed by Sophos Hotels, the property is the brand’s fifth hotel to open in a new market in the past year and gives the brand a presence in 48 countries.

“Ramada hotels continue to have the most diverse global presence of any Wyndham Hotel Group brand, with close to 350 of the chain’s nearly 900 properties located in key destinations outside the United States,” said Michael Poynter, (middle left photo)  Wyndham Hotel Group senior vice president and managing director, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “The brand’s entrance into Yekaterinburg, one of Russia’s largest and most vibrant cities, is a testament to its powerful international appeal.”

Situated three and a half miles from Kotsovo International Airport, the six-story Ramada Yekaterinburg (bottom right map) consists of 132 guestrooms, 24 suites and six cottage apartments. Highlights of the hotel include complimentary airport and city shuttles, state-of-the art business and fitness centers, heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools, sauna, full-service restaurant, three bars and night club. Rooms feature high-speed wireless Internet access and 32-inch flat-screen televisions.

Yekaterinburg-based Mayak Corporation Ltd., a 20-year old private construction and property development company, specializes in commercial real-estate and has worked with numerous major international partners. Most recently, the company has placed a strong focus on working with Wyndham Hotel Group to develop a presence in the central and Eastern Europe hotel market. More information is available at http://www.ural-mayak.ru/.

Switzerland-based Sophos Hotels SA, a privately held hotel management company specializing in a commitment to efficiency and value through a lightweight and proactive structure, currently manages over a dozen hotels throughout Central and Eastern Europe, including the Days Inn Lourdes.


Additional information is available at http://www.sophoshotels.com/.

Wyndham Hotel Group, part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), encompasses more than 7,000 hotels and 590,000 rooms under the hotel brands: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Ramada®, Days Inn®, Super 8®, Wingate by Wyndham®, Baymont Inn & Suites®, Microtel Inns & Suites®, Hawthorn Suites®, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge® and Knights Inn®.

All hotels are independently owned and operated excluding certain Wyndham and international Ramada hotels which are managed by our affiliate or through a joint venture partner. Wyndham Hotel Group is based in Parsippany, N.J. Additional information is available at http://www.wyndhamworldwide.com/.

CONTACT: Christine Da Silva, 973-753-6590, christine.dasilva@wyndhamworldwide.com

HFF closes $89.5M sale of Pittsburgh’s Cranberry Woods Office Park and arranges financing for buyer

PITTSBURGH, PA – The Pittsburgh office of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) announced today that it has closed the sale of and arranged financing for Cranberry Woods Office Park,(bottom right photo)  a four-building office complex in northern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

HFF executive managing directors Gerard Sansosti and John Pelusi (top left photo) and managing director Nick Matt (top right photo)  led the investment sales team exclusively on behalf of the seller, Kennedy Associates Real Estate Counsel, on behalf of the Multi-Employer Property Trust.

Other members of the marketing team included senior managing director Glenn Whitmore (HFF New York) (middle right photo) and managing director Jaime Fink (HFF Chicago) (bottom left  photo) 


An affiliate of McKnight Development Corporation, owned by the Pittsburgh-based Rudolph Family, purchased Cranberry Woods for $89.5 million.

In addition, HFF worked on behalf of the buyer to arrange the $48 million first mortgage through a co-lending relationship between First Commonwealth Bank and First Merit Bank. The loan was structured as a five-year, 6.35% fixed-rate financing. A mezzanine loan provided by the seller was also part of the transaction.

Completed between 1999 and 2007, Cranberry Woods Office Park totals 452,913 square feet within four, four-story buildings. All of the properties are fully leased and key tenants include Cellco (a subsidiary of Verizon), McKesson, Westinghouse (a subsidiary of Toshiba) and Network Appliance, Inc.

The buildings are located at 500, 600, 700 and 800 Cranberry Woods at the confluence of Interstates 79 and 76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) and Routes 19 and 228 in Cranberry Township approximately 20 miles north of Pittsburgh.

“Cranberry Woods is considered the premier Class A office complex in the Pittsburgh MSA therefore it’s no surprise that it was the largest office sale transaction in western Pennsylvania thus far in 2009,” said Sansosti.

Kennedy Associates Real Estate Counsel, LP, a full-service registered real estate investment advisor, brings over 30 years of entrepreneurial real estate investment expertise to a select number of public, corporate and Taft-Hartley retirement systems, as well as major university endowments. Kennedy has invested in and managed $13 billion in development, redevelopment, and existing properties.

The Rudolph family, together with their partner Chuck Perlow, own McKnight Realty Partners, a leading real estate investment and development company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.


McKnight, through its affiliates, own several million square feet of prime property in the northeastern United States.

Contacts:

Gerard T. Sansosti, HFF Executive Managing Director, (412) 281-8714, gsansosti@hfflp.com      

Nicholas P. Matt, HFF Managing Director,  (412) 281-8714, nmatt@hfflp.com         

 Kristen M. Murphy, HFF Associate  Director, Marketing, (713) 852-3500, krmurphy@hfflp.com

HFF arranges $32.2M financing for Austin, TX luxury multi-housing high-rise

HOUSTON, TX – The Houston office of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) announced today that it has arranged $32.2 million in financing for AMLI on 2nd, (bottom left photo) a 19-story, 231-unit, Class A+ multi-housing development with approximately 41,000 square feet of ground floor retail in downtown Austin, Texas.

 

HFF executive managing director Scott Galloway and director Matt Kafka (top right photo) worked on behalf of AMLI Residential Properties to secure the seven-year, adjustable-rate loan through Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation).



AMLI Residential Properties, a national firm focused on the development, acquisition and management of luxury apartment communities, currently owns and operates 21,000 units.

Located at 421 West 3rd Street, AMLI on 2nd is situated within the “vibrant” 2nd Street retail district within walking distance of numerous area attractions including restaurants and entertainment venues and the Lady Bird Lake hike and bike trail.

The property was built in 2007, and offers one- and two-bedroom units with views of the downtown skyline, Westlake Hills and Lady Bird Lake. Community amenities include a fitness center, sky deck with pool and barbeque grills, business center, resident lounge and garage parking for both residential and retail tenants.

“AMLI on 2nd is truly a first-class development with tremendous views of the entire city and a fantastic amenity package. The property is well-positioned to take advantage of its live, work, play location in the rapidly growing Austin CBD,” said Kafka.

Contacts:

Matthew Kafka, HFF Director, (713) 852-3500, mkafka@hfflp.com

Kristen M. Murphy, HFF Associate Director, Marketing, (713) 852-3500, krmurphy@hfflp.com

Arbor Closes $18.1M Fannie Mae DUS® Loan for 2025 Seward Apts. in Bronx, NY

Uniondale, NY (Sept.  9, 2009) - Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC (“Arbor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, announced the recent funding of a $18,100,000 loan under the Fannie Mae DUS® Loan product line for the 154-unit apartment complex known as 2025 Seward in Bronx, NY.

The 10-year loan amortizes on a 30-year schedule and carries a note rate of 5.90 percent.

 

The loan was originated by Alexander Kaushansky (top right photo) , Director in Arbor’s full-service office in New York, NY office “The borrower received competitive terms through Arbor’s Fannie Mae DUS® program,” said Kaushansky. “We were able to deliver on all of the client’s requests and look forward to continuing this partnership for future transactions.”

Contact:  Ingrid Principe, P: 516.506.4298, F: 516.542.2555, http://www.arbor.com/
Follow us on Twitter @ arbor1

Ramada Strikes First Management Agreements for Three Hotels in Thailand

HONG KONG (Sept. 9, 2009) – Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company with approximately 7,000 hotels and 11 brands, today announced the signing of the company’s first management agreements in Bangkok, Thailand.

Currently under development, the properties include the 188-room Ramada Encore Soi 10 – Bangkok, (middle right photo) owned by Nai Chan Estate Co. Ltd., the 98-room Ramada Hotel & Suites Soi 12 – Bangkok, (top left photo) owned by Sookjai Condominium Co. Ltd. and the 150-room Ramada Bangkok Sukhumvit, (bottom left photo) owned by Asset Lifestyle Co. Ltd.

“Bangkok is the center of economic development and the most prosperous part of Thailand, making it an ideal destination for the growth of the global Ramada brand,” said Tom Monahan, Wyndham Hotel Group executive vice president of international development.

“These new hotels will further the brand’s reach and clearly position Ramada as a strong, vibrant and leading brand in the country.”

While the three properties are the company’s first managed hotels in Thailand, Wyndham Hotel Group has a managed portfolio of 27 Wyndham Hotels and Resorts properties around the globe, including the 162-room Wyndham Grand London Chelsea Harbour in London; the 600-room Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico and the recently opened 588-room Wyndham Xiamen in Xiamen, China.

Located in the Sukhumvit area, a thriving commercial and entertainment hub in Bangkok, the Ramada Encore Soi 10 – Bangkok property will be an 8-floor, new-build hotel featuring a fitness center and swimming pool as well as a meeting room with accommodations for 40 people.

The property is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2010. The 11-story Ramada Hotel & Suites Soi 12 - Bangkok hotel is located at Soi 12 Sukhumvit Road.

Amenities will include a full-service restaurant, rooftop bar, lobby lounge, fitness center and swimming pool.

The hotel is expected to open in the first quarter of 2010.The 37-story Ramada Bangkok Sukhumvit is located at the junction between Sukhumvit Road and Soi 23, 30 meters from the Asok BTS sky train station.

CONTACT: Christine Da Silva, 973-753 6590, christine.dasilva@wyndhamworldwide.com

Annaly Capital Management and Its FIDAC and RCap Securities Units Expand Management Team

NEW YORK, NY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 2009-- Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE: NLY) today announced the addition of several new members to its management team over the last several months.

They are involved in a range of activities at Annaly and its wholly-owned subsidiaries RCap Securities, Inc., a broker-dealer, and Fixed Income Discount Advisory Company, a registered investment advisor.

“Annaly continues to grow the scope of its asset management and broker dealer activities,” said Michael A.J. Farrell, (top right photo) Chairman, CEO and President of Annaly, “and I am pleased that we are able to add such capable professionals to help drive that growth."

The new personnel include:

Kevin Keyes, Managing Director—Capital Markets. Mr. Keyes has 19 years of experience in the capital markets, most recently as head of global real estate, technology and clean energy capital markets at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Robert Karner, Executive Vice President and Head of Investments for CreXus Investment Corp. Mr. Karner has over 25 years of experience in commercial real estate finance, most recently as co-head of Morgan Stanley’s domestic CMBS syndication desk.

Jeff Conti, Executive Vice President and Head of Underwriting for CreXus Investment Corp. Mr. Conti has over 20 years of experience in commercial real estate finance, most notably as a managing director in the fixed income and real estate group of TIAA-CREF, where he was a regional head of commercial mortgage originations.

Laura Zwak DeMare, Executive Vice President. Ms. DeMare has 18 years of experience in financial markets, most recently as head of global marketing for distressed structured products at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Mary Rooney, Executive Vice President. Ms. Rooney has 20 years of experience as a financial markets strategist, research analyst and economist, most recently as the head of global credit strategy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Anthony Green, Deputy General Counsel. Mr. Green was a partner at the law firm K&L Gates LLP in Washington, D.C.

John Frost, Vice President. Mr. Frost has over 25 years of experience in fixed income and equity lending activities. He has managed trading operations, trading positions and client relationships for these activities, most recently at Morgan Stanley.

Mike Iannetta, Vice President. Mr. Iannetta’s career spans over 20 years of experience in securities lending activities, predominantly at Morgan Stanley.

Contact: Annaly Capital Management, Inc., Investor Relations, 1-888-8Annaly,

HFF closes sale of Doubletree Hotel Coconut Grove in Miami

MIAMI, FL – The Miami office of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) announced today that it has closed the sale of the Doubletree Hotel Coconut Grove, (top right photo) a 196-room waterfront hotel in Miami, Florida.


The HFF investment sales team was led by senior managing directors Dan Peek (bottom right photo) and Dan Carlo (middle left photo) who marketed the property on behalf of the seller, GE Asset Management.




Finvarb Group, a Miami-based real estate development firm, purchased the hotel and will convert the property to a Courtyard by Marriott following a planned extensive renovation.

The property is located at 2649 South Bayshore Drive in the Coconut Grove area of Miami. It is situated within walking distance of the Coconut Grove Convention Center and the CocoWalk entertainment center that features numerous outdoor shopping and dining venues.



Renovated in 2004, the Doubletree Hotel Coconut Grove has 9,000 square feet of meeting space, a restaurant and lobby bar, outdoor heated pool, fitness center, business center and two lighted tennis courts.

“The Doubletree Hotel Coconut Grove offered investors the opportunity to acquire an exceptional hotel with in-place cash flow, an attractive conversion opportunity and a location that is virtually irreplaceable," said Peek.


" There are no comparable sites for hotel development in the area and given the significant costs of constructing hotels in the Miami market, the below replacement cost pricing of this hotel was appealing to investors interested in renovating, repositioning and reflagging the hotel."

“During the Doubletree sale process, we saw the beginning of what is continuing in other transactions we have in the market today – a significant demand for value-add hotel investment opportunities and an expanding pool of lenders prepared to finance transactions,” added Peek.




Contacts:

Daniel C. Peek, HFF Senior Managing Director, (305) 448 1333, dpeek@hfflp.com
Kristen M. Murphy, HFF Associate Director, Marketing, (713) 852-3500, krmurphy@hfflp.com