DOC, §1A diff (2015 → 2016)

ITEM 1A. Risk Factors The section below discusses the most significant risk factors that may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. As set forth below, we believe that the risks we face generally fall into the following categories: · risks related to our business and operations; · risks related to our capital structure and market conditions; · risks related to other events; and · risks related to tax, including REIT-related risks. Risks Related to Our Business and Operations We depend on one tenant and operator, Brookdale, for a significant percentage of our revenues and net operating income. Continuing adverse developments, including operational challenges, in Brookdale’s business and affairs or financial condition would likely have a materially adverse effect on us. We manage our facilities utilizing RIDEA and triple-net lease (“lease arrangements”) structures. As of December 31, 2016, Brookdale leased or managed 212 senior housing facilities that we own and 16 SHOP facilities owned by our unconsolidated joint venture pursuant to long-term lease and management agreements. Properties managed by Brookdale under RIDEA structures as of December 31, 2016, accounted for 18% of our gross segment assets. Services provided by our managers in facilities managed under a RIDEA structure are primarily paid for by the residents directly or through private insurance and are less reliant on government reimbursement programs. We report the resident level fees and services revenues and corresponding operating expenses in our consolidated financial statements. In addition to our RIDEA structures with Brookdale, our leases with respect to Brookdale as a tenant accounted for 12% of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2016. Although we have various rights as the property owner under our management agreements, we rely on Brookdale’s personnel, expertise, technical resources and information systems, proprietary information, good faith and judgment to manage our related senior living operations efficiently and effectively. We also rely on Brookdale to set appropriate resident fees, manage occupancy, provide accurate and complete property-level financial results for these senior housing communities in a timely manner and otherwise operate them in compliance with the terms of our management agreements and all applicable laws and regulations. In its capacity as a manager in the RIDEA structures, Brookdale does not lease our properties and, therefore, our exposure to its credit risk is in a different manner as compared to a triple-net tenant. Brookdale has experienced significant challenges in integrating its July 2014 acquisition of Emeritus Corp. and has been adversely affected by increased competition that has negatively impacted occupancy rates and, in certain cases, Brookdale has offered additional discounts and incentives to residents. Brookdale, as well as our other operators, has also experienced labor expense pressure and increased labor turnover. In its capacity as a triple-net tenant, we depend on Brookdale to pay all insurance, tax, utilities, maintenance and repair expenses in connection with the leased properties. We depend on adequate maintenance and repair of the properties to remain competitive and attract and retain patients and residents. Adverse developments in Brookdale’s business and related declining rent coverage ratios have increased its credit risk. If these adverse developments result in prolonged inadequate property maintenance or improvements, or impair Brookdale’s access to capital necessary for maintenance or improvements, it could lead to a significant reduction in occupancy rates and market rents, which would likely have a materially adverse effect on us. Brookdale’s operational challenges and potential adverse developments in its business, affairs and financial results could significantly divert management’s attention, increase employee turnover, and impair its ability to manage the properties or its operations efficiently and effectively. This could ultimately result in, among other adverse events, acceleration of Brookdale’s indebtedness, impairment of its continued access to capital, the enforcement of default remedies by its counterparties or the commencement of insolvency proceedings by or against it under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In addition, Brookdale depends on private sources for its revenues and the ability of its patients and residents to pay its fees. For example, costs associated with independent and assisted living services are not generally reimbursable under governmental reimbursement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Accordingly, Brookdale depends on attracting seniors with appropriate levels of income and assets, which may be affected by many factors including prevailing economic and market trends, consumer confidence and demographics. Consequently, if Brookdale fails to effectively conduct its operations, or to maintain and improve our properties, it would adversely affect its business reputation and its ability to attract and retain patients and residents in our properties, which would have a materially adverse effect on its and our business, results of operations and financial condition. Brookdale also relies on reimbursements from governmental programs for a portion of its revenues. Changes in reimbursement policies and other governmental regulation, such as potential changes to, or repeal of, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, along with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the “Affordable Care Act”) that may result from the new presidential administration, may result in reductions in Brookdale’s revenues, operations and cash flows and affect its ability to meet its obligations to us. For a further discussion of the legislation and regulation that are applicable to us and our tenants, operators and borrowers, see “-Legislation and Regulation-The requirements of, or changes to, governmental reimbursement programs such as Medicare or Medicaid, may adversely affect our tenants’, operators’ and borrowers’ ability to meet their financial and other contractual obligations to us.” While Brookdale generally has also agreed to indemnify us for various claims, litigation and liabilities arising in connection with its business, it may have insufficient assets, income, access to financing and/or insurance coverage to enable them to satisfy its indemnification obligations. The inability, unwillingness or other failure of Brookdale under its lease agreements and RIDEA structures to meet its obligations to us could materially reduce our cash flow, net operating income and results of operations and have other materially adverse effects on our business, results of operations and financial condition. The bankruptcy, insolvency or financial deterioration of one or more of our major tenants, operators or borrowers may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. We lease our properties directly to operators in most cases, and in certain other cases, we lease to third party tenants who enter into long-term management agreements with operators to manage the properties. We are also a direct or indirect lender to various tenants and operators. We have very limited control over the success or failure of our tenants’ and operators’ businesses. Any of our tenants or operators may experience a downturn in its business that materially weakens its financial condition. As a result, they may fail to make payments when due. Although we generally have arrangements and other agreements that give us the right under specified circumstances to terminate a lease, evict a tenant or operator, or demand immediate repayment of certain obligations to us, we may determine not to do so if we believe that enforcement of our rights would be more detrimental to our business than seeking alternative approaches. A downturn in any of our tenants’ or operators’ businesses could ultimately lead to bankruptcy if it is unable to timely resolve the underlying causes, which may be largely outside of its control. Bankruptcy and insolvency laws afford certain rights to a party that has filed for bankruptcy or reorganization that may render certain of these remedies unenforceable, or, at the least, delay our ability to pursue such remedies and realize any recoveries in connection therewith. For example, we cannot evict a tenant or operator solely because of its bankruptcy filing. A debtor has the right to assume, or to assume and assign to a third party, or to reject its executory contracts and unexpired leases in a bankruptcy proceeding. If a debtor were to reject its leases with us, obligations under such rejected leases would cease. The claim against the rejecting debtor would be an unsecured claim, which would be limited by the statutory cap set forth in the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This statutory cap may be substantially less than the remaining rent actually owed under the lease. In addition, a debtor may also assert in bankruptcy proceedings that leases should be re-characterized as financing agreements, which could result in our being deemed a lender instead of a landlord. A lender’s rights and remedies, as compared to a landlord’s, generally are materially more unfavorable. Furthermore, the automatic stay provisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code would preclude us from enforcing our remedies unless we first obtain relief from the court having jurisdiction over the bankruptcy case. This would effectively limit or delay our ability to collect unpaid rent, and we may ultimately not receive any payment at all. In addition, we would likely be required to fund certain expenses and obligations (e.g., real estate taxes, insurance, debt costs and maintenance expenses) to preserve the value of our properties, avoid the imposition of liens on our properties or transition our properties to a new tenant, operator or manager. Additionally, we lease many of our facilities to healthcare providers who provide long-term custodial care to the elderly. Evicting these operators for failure to pay rent while the facility is occupied may involve specific procedural or regulatory requirements and may not be successful. Even if eviction is possible, we may determine not to do so due to reputational or other risks. Bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings may also result in increased costs to the operator and significant management distraction. If we are unable to transition affected properties, they could experience prolonged operational disruption, leading to lower occupancy rates and further depressed revenues. Publicity about the operator’s financial condition and insolvency proceeds may also negatively impact their and our reputations, decreasing customer demand and revenues. Any or all of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, results of operations and cash flows. These risks would be magnified where we lease multiple properties to a single operator under a master lease, as an operator failure or default under a master lease would expose us to these risks across multiple properties. Additionally, the financial weakness or other inability of our tenants, operators or borrowers to make payments or comply with certain other lease obligations may affect our compliance with certain covenants contained in our debt securities, credit facilities and the mortgages on the properties leased or managed by such borrowers, tenants and operators, or otherwise adversely affect our results of operations. Under certain conditions, defaults under the underlying mortgages may result in cross default under our other indebtedness. Although we may be able to secure amendments under the applicable agreements in those circumstances, the bankruptcy of a borrower, tenant or operator may result in less favorable borrowing terms than currently available, delays in the availability of funding or other materially adverse consequences. Increased competition and market and legislative changes have resulted and may further result in lower net revenues for some of our tenants, operators and borrowers and may affect their ability to meet their financial and other contractual obligations to us. The healthcare industry is highly competitive. The occupancy levels at, and rental income from, our facilities are dependent on our ability and the ability of our tenants, operators and borrowers to compete with other tenants and operators on a number of different levels, including the quality of care provided, reputation, the physical appearance of a facility, price, the range of services offered, family preference, alternatives for healthcare delivery, the supply of competing properties, physicians, staff, referral sources, location, and the size and demographics of the population in the surrounding area. In addition, our tenants, operators and borrowers face an increasingly competitive labor market for skilled management personnel and nurses. An inability to attract and retain skilled management personnel and nurses and other trained personnel could negatively impact the ability of our tenants, operators and borrowers to meet their obligations to us. A shortage of nurses or other trained personnel or general inflationary pressures on wages may force tenants, operators and borrowers to enhance pay and benefits packages to compete effectively for skilled personnel, or to use more expensive contract personnel, but they be unable to offset these added costs by increasing the rates charged to residents. Any increase in labor costs and other property operating expenses or any failure by our tenants, operators or borrowers to attract and retain qualified personnel could adversely affect our cash flow and have a materially adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our tenants, operators and borrowers also compete with numerous other companies providing similar healthcare services or alternatives such as home health agencies, life care at home, community-based service programs, retirement communities and convalescent centers. This competition, which is due, in part, to over-development in some segments in which we invest, has caused the occupancy rate of newly constructed buildings to slow and the monthly rate that many newly built and previously existing facilities were able to obtain for their services to decrease. Our tenants, operators and borrowers may be unable to achieve occupancy and rate levels, and to manage their expenses, in a way that will enable them to meet all of their obligations to us. Further, many competing companies may have resources and attributes that are superior to those of our tenants, operators and borrowers. Our tenants, operators and borrowers may encounter increased competition that could limit their ability to maintain or attract residents or expand their businesses or to manage their expenses, either of which could materially adversely affect their ability to meet their financial and other contractual obligations to us, potentially decreasing our revenues and impairing our assets and/or increasing collection and dispute costs. In addition, our operators’ revenues are determined by a number of factors, including licensed bed capacity, occupancy, the healthcare needs of residents, the rate of reimbursement, and or a decrease the income or assets of seniors in the regions in which we operate. For example, due to generally increased vulnerability to illness, occupancy at our senior housing facilities could significantly decrease in the event of a severe flu season, an epidemic or any other widespread illness. Additionally, new and evolving payor and provider programs in the United States, including but not limited to Medicare Advantage, Dual Eligible, Accountable Care Organizations, and Bundled Payments, have resulted in reduced reimbursement rates, average length of stay and average daily census, particularly for higher acuity patients. Furthermore, the new presidential administration and new Congress has introduced uncertainty in the direction of the healthcare regulatory landscape and we cannot predict the impact of any regulatory or legislative changes on the industry or our ability to compete effectively therein. See the risks described under “-Legislation and Regulation-The requirements of, or changes to, governmental reimbursement programs such as Medicare or Medicaid, may adversely affect our tenants’, operators’ and borrowers’ ability to meet their financial and other contractual obligations to us.” Competition may make it difficult to identify and purchase, or develop, suitable healthcare facilities to grow our investment portfolio, to finance acquisitions on favorable terms, or to retain or attract tenants and operators. We face significant competition from other REITs, investment companies, private equity and hedge fund investors, sovereign funds, healthcare operators, lenders, developers and other institutional investors, some of whom may have greater resources and lower costs of capital than we do. Increased competition makes it more challenging for us to identify and successfully capitalize on opportunities that meet our business goals and could improve the bargaining power of property owners seeking to sell, thereby impeding our investment, acquisition and development activities. Similarly, our properties face competition for tenants and operators from other properties in the same market, which may affect our ability to attract and retain tenants and operators, or may reduce the rents we are able to charge. If we cannot capitalize on our development pipeline, identify and purchase a sufficient quantity of healthcare facilities at favorable prices, finance acquisitions on commercially favorable terms, or attract and retain profitable tenants and operators, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected. We depend on investments in the healthcare property sector, making our profitability more vulnerable to a downturn or slowdown in that specific sector than if we were investing in multiple industries. We concentrate our investments in the healthcare property sector. As a result, we are subject to risks inherent to investments in a single industry. A downturn or slowdown in the healthcare property sector would have a greater adverse impact on our business than if we had investments in multiple industries. Specifically, a downturn in the healthcare property sector could negatively impact the ability of our tenants, operators and borrowers to meet their obligations to us, as well as the ability to maintain rental and occupancy rates. This could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, a downturn in the healthcare property sector could adversely affect the value of our properties and our ability to sell properties at prices or on terms acceptable to us. In addition, real estate investments are relatively illiquid. Our ability to quickly sell or exchange any of our properties in response to changes in the performance of our properties or economic and other conditions is limited. We may be unable to recognize full value for any property that we seek to sell for liquidity reasons. Our inability to respond rapidly to changes in the performance of our investments could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we are exposed to the risks inherent in concentrating investments in real estate, and in particular, health care industries. Changes within the life science industry may adversely impact our revenues and results of operations. Our life science investments could be adversely affected if the life science industry is impacted by an economic, financial, or banking crisis or if the life science industry migrates from the U.S. to other countries or to areas outside of primary markets in South San Francisco and San Diego. Also, some of our properties may be better suited for a particular life science industry client tenant and could require modification before we are able to re-lease vacant space to another life science industry client tenant. Generally, our properties may not be suitable for lease to traditional office client tenants without significant expenditures on renovations. Our ability to negotiate contractual rent escalations on future leases and to achieve increases in rental rates will depend upon market conditions and the demand for life science properties at the time the leases are negotiated and the increases are proposed. Many life science entities have completed mergers or consolidations. Mergers or consolidations of life science entities in the future could reduce the amount of rentable square footage requirements of our client tenants and prospective client tenants, which may adversely impact our revenues from lease payments and results of operations. The hospitals on whose campuses our MOBs are located and their affiliated healthcare systems could fail to remain competitive or financially viable, which could adversely impact their ability to attract physicians and physician groups to our MOBs and our other facilities that serve the healthcare industry. Our MOBs and other facilities that serve the healthcare industry depend on the viability of the hospitals on whose campuses our MOBs are located and their affiliated healthcare systems in order to attract physicians and other healthcare-related users. The viability of these hospitals, in turn, depends on factors such as the quality and mix of healthcare services provided, competition, demographic trends in the surrounding community, market position and growth potential, as well as the ability of the affiliated healthcare systems to provide economies of scale and access to capital. If a hospital whose campus is located on or near one of our MOBs is unable to meet its financial obligations, and if an affiliated healthcare system is unable to support that hospital, the hospital may not be able to compete successfully or could be forced to close or relocate, which could adversely impact its ability to attract physicians and other healthcare-related users. Because we rely on our proximity to and affiliations with these hospitals to create tenant demand for space in our MOBs, their inability to remain competitive or financially viable, or to attract physicians and physician groups, could adversely affect our MOB operations and have a materially adverse effect on us. In addition, the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act and related regulations and uncertainty regarding potential replacement legislation, could result in significant changes to the scope of insurance coverage and reimbursement policies, which could put negative pressure on the operations and revenues of our MOBs. We may be unable to maintain or expand our relationships with our existing and future hospital and health system clients. The success of our medical office portfolio depends, to a large extent, on past, current and future relationships with hospitals and their affiliated health systems. We invest significant amounts of time in developing relationships with both new and existing clients. If we fail to maintain these relationships, including through a lack of responsiveness, failure to adapt to the current market and employment of individuals with adequate experience, our reputation and relationships will be harmed and we may lose business to competitors. If our relationships with hospitals and their affiliated health systems deteriorate, it could have a materially adverse effect on us. Economic and other conditions that negatively affect geographic areas from which a greater percentage of our revenues is recognized could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. For the year ended December 31, 2016, 26% of our revenue was derived from properties located in California, which is also where substantially all of our life-science portfolio is located. As a result, we may be subject to increased exposure to adverse conditions affecting the state, including downturns in the local economies or changes in local real estate conditions, increased competition or decreased demand, changes in state-specific legislation and local climate events and natural disasters (such as earthquakes, wildfires and hurricanes), which could cause significant disruption in our businesses in the region, harm our ability to compete effectively, result in increased costs and divert more management attention, any or all of which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. If we must replace any of our tenants or operators, we may have difficulty identifying replacements and we may be required to incur substantial renovation costs to make certain of our healthcare properties suitable for other tenants and operators. We cannot predict whether our tenants will renew existing leases beyond their current term. If we or our tenants terminate or do not renew the leases for our properties, we would attempt to reposition those properties with another tenant or operator. Healthcare facilities are typically highly customized and may not be easily adapted to non-healthcare-related uses. The improvements generally required to conform a property to healthcare use, such as upgrading electrical, gas and plumbing infrastructure, are costly and at times tenant-specific and may be subject to regulatory requirements. A new or replacement tenant or operator may require different features in a property, depending on that tenant’s or operator’s particular business. In addition, infrastructure improvements for life science facilities typically are significantly more costly than improvements to other property types, and we may be unable to recover part or all of these higher costs. Therefore, if a current tenant or operator is unable to pay rent and/or vacates a property, we may incur substantial expenditures to modify a property and experience delays before we are able to secure another tenant or operator or to accommodate multiple tenants or operators. These expenditures or renovations and delays may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, we may fail to identify suitable replacements or enter into leases or other arrangements with new tenants or operators on a timely basis or on terms as favorable to us as our current leases, if at all. We may be required to fund certain expenses and obligations such as real estate taxes, debt costs and maintenance expenses, to preserve the value of, and avoid the imposition of liens on, our properties while they are being repositioned. In addition, we may incur certain obligations and liabilities, including obligations to indemnify the replacement tenant or operator, which could have a materially adverse effect on us. We face additional risks associated with property development and redevelopment that can render a project less profitable or not profitable at all and, under certain circumstances, prevent completion of development activities once undertaken. Property development is a component of our growth strategy. For example, in October 2016 we commenced the third phase of The Cove at Oyster Point, our newest life science development in South San Francisco. At December 31, 2016, our actual investment and estimated commitments under our development and redevelopment platforms, including land held for development, represented approximately $673 million, or 4% of our total assets. Large-scale, ground-up development of healthcare properties presents additional risks for us, including risks that: · a development opportunity may be abandoned after expending significant resources resulting in the loss of deposits or failure to recover expenses already incurred; · the development and construction costs of a project may exceed original estimates due to increased interest rates and higher materials, transportation, labor, leasing or other costs, which could make the completion of the development project less profitable; · the project may not be completed on schedule as a result of a variety of factors that are beyond our control, including natural disasters, labor conditions, material shortages, regulatory hurdles, civil unrest and acts of war, which can result in increases in construction costs and debt service expenses or provide tenants or operators with the right to terminate pre-construction leases; and · occupancy rates and rents at a newly completed property may not meet expected levels and could be insufficient to make the property profitable. Any of the foregoing risks could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Our use of joint ventures may limit our flexibility with jointly owned investments. We have and may continue in the future to develop and/or acquire properties in joint ventures with other persons or entities when circumstances warrant the use of these structures. Our participation in joint ventures is subject to risks that may not be present with other methods of ownership, including: · we could experience an impasse on certain decisions because we do not have sole decision-making authority, which could require us to expend additional resources on resolving such impasses or potential disputes, including litigation or arbitration; · our joint venture partners could have investment and financing goals that are not consistent with our objectives, including the timing, terms and strategies for any investments, and what levels of debt to incur or carry; · our ability to transfer our interest in a joint venture to a third party may be restricted and the market for our interest may be limited; · our joint venture partners may be structured differently than us for tax purposes, and this could create conflicts of interest and risk to our REIT status; · our joint venture partners might become bankrupt, fail to fund their share of required capital contributions or fail to fulfill their obligations as a joint venture partner, which may require us to infuse our own capital into the venture on behalf of the partner despite other competing uses for such capital; and · our joint venture partners may have competing interests in our markets that could create conflict of interest issues. Any of the foregoing risks could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. From time to time, we acquire other companies, and if we are unable to successfully integrate these operations, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected. Acquisitions require the integration of companies that have previously operated independently. Successful integration of the operations of these companies depends primarily on our ability to consolidate operations, systems, procedures, properties and personnel, and to eliminate redundancies and costs. We may encounter difficulties in these integrations. Potential difficulties associated with acquisitions include our ability to effectively monitor and manage our expanded portfolio of properties, the loss of key employees, the disruption of our ongoing business or that of the acquired entity, possible inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies, and the assumption of unexpected liabilities, including: · liabilities relating to the cleanup or remediation of undisclosed environmental conditions; · unasserted claims of vendors, residents, patients or other persons dealing with the seller; · liabilities, claims and litigation, whether or not incurred in the ordinary course of business, relating to periods prior to our acquisition; · claims for indemnification by general partners, directors, officers and others indemnified by the seller; · claims for return of government reimbursement payments; and · liabilities for taxes relating to periods prior to our acquisition. In addition, the acquired companies and their properties may fail to perform as expected, including in respect of estimated cost savings. Inaccurate assumptions regarding future rental or occupancy rates could result in overly optimistic estimates of future revenues. Similarly, we may underestimate future operating expenses or the costs necessary to bring properties up to standards established for their intended use or for property improvements. If we have difficulties with any of these areas, or if we later discover additional liabilities or experience unforeseen costs relating to our acquired companies, we might not achieve the economic benefits we expect from our acquisitions, and this may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. From time to time we have made, and we may seek to make, one or more material acquisitions, which may involve the expenditure of significant funds. We regularly review potential transactions in order to maximize stockholder value. Our review process may require significant management attention and a potential transaction could be abandoned or rejected by us or the other parties involved after we expend significant resources and time. In addition, future acquisitions may require the issuance of securities, the incurrence of debt, assumption of contingent liabilities or incurrence of significant expenditures, each of which could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, the financing required for such acquisitions may not be available on commercially favorable terms or at all. Our tenants, operators and borrowers face litigation and may experience rising liability and insurance costs. In some states, advocacy groups have been created to monitor the quality of care at healthcare facilities, and these groups have brought litigation against the tenants and operators of such facilities. Also, in several instances, private litigation by patients, residents or “whistleblowers” has sought, and sometimes resulted in, large damage awards. See “-The requirements of, or changes to, governmental reimbursement programs such as Medicare or Medicaid, may adversely affect our tenants’, operators’ and borrowers’ ability to meet their financial and other contractual obligations to us.” The effect of this litigation and other potential litigation may materially increase the costs incurred by our tenants, operators and borrowers for monitoring and reporting quality of care compliance. In addition, their cost of liability and medical malpractice insurance can be significant and may increase or not be available at a reasonable cost so long as the present healthcare litigation environment continues. Cost increases could cause our tenants and operators to be unable to make their lease or mortgage payments or fail to purchase the appropriate liability and malpractice insurance, or cause our borrowers to be unable to meet their obligations to us, potentially decreasing our revenues and increasing our collection and litigation costs. In addition, as a result of our ownership of healthcare facilities, we may be named as a defendant in lawsuits arising from the alleged actions of our tenants or operators, for which claims such tenants and operators have agreed to indemnify us, but which may require unanticipated expenditures on our part. Furthermore, although our leases and agreements provide us with certain information rights with respect to our tenants and operators, one or more of our tenants may be or become party to pending litigation or investigation to which we are unaware or do not have a right to participate or evaluate. In such cases, we would be unable to determine the potential impact of such litigation or investigation on our tenants or our business or results. Moreover, negative publicity of any of our operators’ or tenants’ litigation, other legal proceedings or investigations may also negatively impact their and our reputation, resulting in lower customer demand and revenues, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow. We, through our subsidiaries, enter into management contracts with third party eligible independent contractors to manage some of our facilities whereby we assume additional operational risks and are subject to additional regulation and liability. RIDEA structures at the year ended December 31, 2016, accounted for 24% of our gross segment assets. RIDEA permits REITs, such as us, to lease healthcare facilities that we own or partially own to a TRS, provided that our TRS hires an independent qualifying management company to operate the facility. Under the RIDEA lease structure, the independent qualifying management company receives a management fee from our TRS for operating the facility as an independent contractor. As the owner of the facility contracting out operational responsibility, we assume more of the operational risk relative to other structures because we lease our facility to our own partially- or wholly-owned subsidiary rather than a third party operator. Our resulting revenues therefore depend more on occupancy rates, the rates charged to residents and the ability to control operating expenses. Our TRS, and hence we, are responsible for any operating deficits incurred by the facility. The operator, which would be our TRS when we use a RIDEA lease structure, of a healthcare facility is generally required to be the holder of the applicable healthcare license. This licensing requirement subjects our TRS and us (through our ownership interest in our TRS) to various regulatory laws, including those described above. Most states regulate and inspect healthcare facility operations, patient care, construction and the safety of the physical environment. If one or more of our healthcare real estate facilities fails to comply with applicable laws, our TRS, if it holds the healthcare license and is the entity enrolled in government health care programs, could be subject to penalties including loss or suspension of license, certification or accreditation, exclusion from government healthcare programs (i.e., Medicare, Medicaid), administrative sanctions, civil monetary penalties, and in certain instances, criminal penalties. Additionally, if our TRS holds the healthcare license, it could have exposure to professional liability claims arising out of an alleged breach of the applicable standard of care rules. In addition, rents from this TRS structure are treated as qualifying rents from real property if (i) they are paid pursuant to an arms-length lease of a “qualified healthcare property” with the TRS and (ii) the manager qualifies as an “eligible independent contractor,” as defined in the Code. If either of these conditions is not satisfied, then the rents will not be qualifying rents. The requirements of, or changes to, governmental reimbursement programs such as Medicare or Medicaid, may adversely affect our tenants’, operators’ and borrowers’ ability to meet their financial and other contractual obligations to us. Certain of our tenants, operators and borrowers are affected, directly or indirectly, by an extremely complex set of federal, state and local laws and regulations pertaining to governmental reimbursement programs. These laws and regulations are subject to frequent and substantial changes that are sometimes applied retroactively. See “Item 1 - Business-Government Regulation, Licensing and Enforcement” above. For example, to the extent that our tenants, operators or borrowers receive a significant portion of their revenues from governmental payors, primarily Medicare and Medicaid, they are generally subject to, among other things: · statutory and regulatory changes; · retroactive rate adjustments; · recovery of program overpayments or set-offs; · federal, state and local litigation and enforcement actions; · administrative proceedings; · policy interpretations; · payment or other delays by fiscal intermediaries or carriers; · government funding restrictions (at a program level or with respect to specific facilities); and · interruption or delays in payments due to any ongoing governmental investigations and audits at such properties. The failure to comply with the extensive laws, regulations and other requirements applicable to their business and the operation of our properties could result in, among other challenges: (i) becoming ineligible to receive reimbursement from governmental reimbursement programs; (ii) bans on admissions of new patients or residents; (iii) civil or criminal penalties; and (iv) significant operational changes. These laws and regulations are enforced by a variety of federal, state and local agencies and can also be enforced by private litigants through, among other things, federal and state false claims acts, which allow private litigants to bring qui tam or “whistleblower” actions. For example, we have provided a loan to Tandem Health Care (“Tandem”), a property company with ownership interests in 69 facilities totaling 6,924 beds (see Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). The sole operator of Tandem’s facilities, Consulate Health Care (“Consulate”), is facing a qui tam or “whistleblower” action alleging that Consulate overbilled the federal government and the State of Florida (United States of America v. CMC II, LLC, et al, U.S. District Court, M.D. Florida). Trial commenced on January 17, 2017 and we are unable to assess a likely outcome. However, a negative outcome could have a materially adverse effect on Consulate, which in turn could have a resulting materially adverse effect on Tandem’s ability to meet its debt service obligations to us. Regardless of the ultimate outcome, our tenants, operators and borrowers could be adversely affected by the resources required to respond to an investigation or other enforcement action. In such event, the results of operations and financial condition of our tenants and the results of operations of our properties operated by those entities could be materially adversely affected, which, in turn, could have a materially adverse effect on us. We are unable to predict future federal, state and local regulations and legislation, including the Medicare and Medicaid statutes and regulations, or the intensity of enforcement efforts with respect to such regulations and legislation, and any changes in the regulatory framework could have a materially adverse effect on our tenants and operators, which, in turn, could have a materially adverse effect on us. Sometimes, governmental payors freeze or reduce payments to healthcare providers, or provide annual reimbursement rate increases that are smaller than expected, due to budgetary and other pressures. Healthcare reimbursement will likely continue to be of significant importance to federal and state authorities. We cannot make any assessment as to the ultimate timing or the effect that any future legislative reforms may have on our tenants’, operators’ and borrowers’ costs of doing business and on the amount of reimbursement by government and other third-party payors. The failure of any of our tenants, operators or borrowers to comply with these laws and regulations, and significant limits on the scope of services reimbursed and on reimbursement rates and fees, could materially adversely affect their ability to meet their financial and contractual obligations to us. Furthermore, executive orders and legislation may repeal the Affordable Care Act and related regulations in whole or in part. We also anticipate that Congress, state legislatures, and third-party payors may continue to review and assess alternative healthcare delivery and payment systems and may propose and adopt legislation or policy changes or implementations effecting additional fundamental changes in the healthcare system. We cannot quantify or predict the likely impact of these possible changes on our business model, prospects, financial condition or results of operations. Legislation to address federal government operations and administration decisions affecting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could have a materially adverse effect on our tenants’, operators’ and borrowers’ liquidity, financial condition or results of operations. Congressional consideration of legislation pertaining to the federal debt ceiling, the Affordable Care Act, tax reform and entitlement programs, including reimbursement rates for physicians, could have a materially adverse effect on our tenants’, operators’ and borrowers’ liquidity, financial condition or results of operations. In particular, reduced funding for entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid may result in increased costs and fees for programs such as Medicare Advantage Plans and additional reductions in reimbursements to providers. Amendments to or repeal of the Affordable Care Act and decisions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could impact the delivery of services and benefits under Medicare, Medicaid or Medicare Advantage Plans and could affect our tenants and operators and the manner in which they are reimbursed by such programs. Such changes could have a materially adverse effect on our tenants’, operators’ and borrowers’ liquidity, financial condition or results of operations, which could adversely affect their ability to satisfy their obligations to us and could have a materially adverse effect on us. Tenants and operators that fail to comply with federal, state, local and international laws and regulations, including licensure, certification and inspection requirements, may cease to operate or be unable to meet their financial and other contractual obligations to us. Our tenants, operators and borrowers are subject to or impacted by extensive, frequently changing federal, state, local and international laws and regulations. These laws and regulations include, among others: laws protecting consumers against deceptive practices; laws relating to the operation of our properties and how our tenants and operators conduct their business, such as fire, health and safety and privacy laws; federal and state laws affecting hospitals, clinics and other healthcare communities that participate in both Medicare and Medicaid that mandate allowable costs, pricing, reimbursement procedures and limitations, quality of services and care, food service and physical plants, and similar foreign laws regulating the healthcare industry; resident rights laws (including abuse and neglect laws) and fraud laws; anti-kickback and physician referral laws; the ADA and similar state and local laws; and safety and health standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or similar foreign agencies. Certain of our properties may also require a license, registration and/or certificate of need to operate. Our tenants’, operators’ or borrowers’ failure to comply with any of these laws, regulations or requirements could result in loss of accreditation, denial of reimbursement, imposition of fines, suspension or decertification from government healthcare programs, loss of license or closure of the facility and/or the incurrence of considerable costs arising from an investigation or regulatory action, which may have an adverse effect on facilities owned by or mortgaged to us, and therefore may materially adversely impact us. See “Item 1 - Business-Government Regulation, Licensing and Enforcement-Healthcare Licensure and Certificate of Need” above. Our tenants in the life science industry face high levels of regulation, expense and uncertainty. Life science tenants, particularly those involved in developing and marketing pharmaceutical products, are subject to certain unique risks, including the following: · some of our tenants require significant outlays of funds for the research, development, clinical testing and manufacture of their products and technologies. If private investors, the government or other sources of funding are unavailable to support such activities, a tenant’s business may be adversely affected or fail; · the research, development, clinical testing, manufacture and marketing of some of our tenants’ products require federal, state and foreign regulatory approvals which may be costly or difficult to obtain, may take several years and be subject to delay, require valuation through clinical trials and the use of substantial resources, and may often be unpredictable; · even after a life science tenant gains regulatory approval and market acceptance, the product may still present significant regulatory and liability risks, including, among others, the possible later discovery of safety concerns and other defects and potential loss of approvals, competition from new products and the expiration of patent protection for the product; · our tenants with marketable products may be adversely affected by healthcare reform and the reimbursement policies of government or private healthcare payors; · dependence on the commercial success of certain products, which may be reliant on the efficacy of the products, acceptance of the products among doctors and patients, negative publicity and the negative results or safety signals from the clinical trials of competitors which may reduce demand or prompt regulatory actions; and · our tenants may be unable to adapt to the rapid technological advances in the industry and to adequately protect their intellectual property under patent, copyright or trade secret laws and defend against third party claims of intellectual property violations. If our tenants’ businesses are adversely affected, they may have difficulty making payments to us, which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. We may be unable to successfully foreclose on the collateral securing our real estate-related loans, and even if we are successful in our foreclosure efforts, we may be unable to successfully operate, occupy or reposition the underlying real estate, which may adversely affect our ability to recover our investments. If a tenant or operator defaults under one of our mortgages or mezzanine loans, we may have to foreclose on the loan or protect our interest by acquiring title to the collateral and thereafter making substantial improvements or repairs in order to maximize the property’s investment potential. In some cases, the collateral consists of the equity interests in an entity that directly or indirectly owns the applicable real property or interests in operating facilities and, accordingly, we may not have full recourse to assets of that entity, or that entity may have incurred unexpected liabilities. Tenants, operators or borrowers may contest enforcement of foreclosure or other remedies, seek bankruptcy protection against our exercise of enforcement or other remedies and/or bring claims for lender liability in response to actions to enforce mortgage obligations. Foreclosure-related costs, high loan-to-value ratios or declines in the value of the facility may prevent us from realizing an amount equal to our mortgage or mezzanine loan upon foreclosure, and we may be required to record a valuation allowance for such losses. Even if we are able to successfully foreclose on the collateral securing our real estate-related loans, we may inherit properties for which we may be unable to expeditiously secure tenants or operators, if at all, or we may acquire equity interests that we are unable to immediately resell due to limitations under the securities laws, either of which would adversely affect our ability to fully recover our investment. Required regulatory approvals can delay or prohibit transfers of our healthcare facilities. Transfers of healthcare facilities to successor tenants or operators may be subject to regulatory approvals or ratifications, including, but not limited to, change of ownership approvals and Medicare and Medicaid provider arrangements that are not required for transfers of other types of commercial operations and other types of real estate. The replacement of any tenant or operator could be delayed by the regulatory approval process of any federal, state or local government agency necessary for the transfer of the facility or the replacement of the operator licensed to manage the facility. If we are unable to find a suitable replacement tenant or operator upon favorable terms, or at all, we may take possession of a facility, which might expose us to successor liability, require us to indemnify subsequent operators to whom we might transfer the operating rights and licenses, or require us to spend substantial time and funds to preserve the value of the property and adapt the facility to other uses, all of which may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Risks Related to Our Capital Structure and Market Conditions We rely on external sources of capital to fund future capital needs, and if access to such capital is unavailable on acceptable terms or at all, it could have a materially adverse effect on our ability to meet commitments as they become due or make future investments necessary to grow our business. We may not be able to fund all future capital needs, including capital expenditures, debt maturities and other commitments, from cash retained from operations. If we are unable to obtain enough internal capital, we may need to rely on external sources of capital (including debt and equity financing) to fulfill our capital requirements. Our access to capital depends upon a number of factors, some of which we have little or no control over, including but not limited to: · general availability of capital, including less favorable terms, rising interest rates and increased borrowing costs; · the market price of the shares of our equity securities and the credit ratings of our debt and any preferred securities we may issue; · the market’s perception of our growth potential and our current and potential future earnings and cash distributions; · our degree of financial leverage and operational flexibility; · the financial integrity of our lenders, which might impair their ability to meet their commitments to us or their willingness to make additional loans to us, and our inability to replace the financing commitment of any such lender on favorable terms, or at all; · the stability of the market value of our properties; · the financial performance and general market perception of our tenants and operators; · changes in the credit ratings on U.S. government debt securities or default or delay in payment by the United States of its obligations; · issues facing the healthcare industry, including, but not limited to, healthcare reform and changes in government reimbursement policies; and · the performance of the national and global economies generally. If access to capital is unavailable on acceptable terms or at all, it could have a materially adverse impact on our ability to fund operations, repay or refinance our debt obligations, fund dividend payments, acquire properties and make the investments needed to grow our business. Adverse changes in our credit ratings could impair our ability to obtain additional debt and equity financing on favorable terms, if at all, and negatively impact the market price of our securities, including our common stock. Our credit ratings can affect the amount and type of capital we can access, as well as the terms of any financing we may obtain. We may be unable to maintain our current credit ratings, and in the event that our current credit ratings deteriorate, we would likely incur higher borrowing costs, and it may be more difficult or expensive to obtain additional financing or refinance existing obligations and commitments. Also, a downgrade in our credit ratings would trigger additional costs or other potentially negative consequences under our current and future credit facilities and debt instruments. The credit ratings of our senior unsecured debt are based on, among other things, our operating performance, liquidity and leverage ratios, overall financial position, level of indebtedness and pending or future changes in the regulatory framework applicable to our operators and our industry. Our level of indebtedness may increase and materially adversely affect our future operations. Our outstanding indebtedness as of December 31, 2016, was approximately $9.2 billion. We may incur additional indebtedness in the future, including in connection with the development or acquisition of assets, which may be substantial. Any significant additional indebtedness could negatively affect the credit ratings of our debt and require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow to interest and principal payments due on our indebtedness. Greater demands on our cash resources may reduce funds available to us to pay dividends, conduct development activities, make capital expenditures and acquisitions or carry out other aspects of our business strategy. Increased indebtedness can also make us more vulnerable to general adverse economic and industry conditions and create competitive disadvantages for us compared to other companies with relatively lower debt levels. Increased future debt service obligations may limit our operational flexibility, including our ability to finance or refinance our properties, contribute properties to joint ventures or sell properties as needed. Covenants in our debt instruments limit our operational flexibility, and breaches of these covenants could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The terms of our current secured and unsecured debt instruments and other indebtedness that we may incur in the future, require or will require us to comply with a number of customary financial and other covenants, such as maintaining leverage ratios, minimum tangible net worth requirements, REIT status and certain levels of debt service coverage. Our continued ability to incur additional debt and to conduct business in general is subject to compliance with these financial and other covenants, which limit our operational flexibility. For example, mortgages on our properties contain customary covenants such as those that limit or restrict our ability, without the consent of the lender, to further encumber or sell the applicable properties, or to replace the applicable tenant or operator. Breaches of certain covenants may result in defaults under the mortgages on our properties and cross-defaults under certain of our other indebtedness, even if we satisfy our payment obligations to the respective obligee. Covenants that limit our operational flexibility as well as defaults resulting from the breach of any of these covenants could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. An increase in interest rates could increase interest cost on new debt and existing variable rate debt and could materially adversely impact our ability to refinance existing debt, sell assets and conduct acquisition, investment and development activities. Since the most recent recession, the U.S. Federal Reserve has taken actions which have resulted in low interest rates prevailing in the marketplace for a historically long period of time. In December 2016, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point. At this point, it is uncertain what impact the December rate increase might have on us. Additionally, market interest rates may continue to increase, and the increase may materially and negatively affect us. If interest rates increase, so could our interest costs for any variable rate debt and for new debt. This increased cost could make the financing of any acquisition and development activity more costly. Rising interest rates could limit our ability to refinance existing debt when it matures, or cause us to pay higher interest rates upon refinancing and increase interest expense on refinanced indebtedness. In addition, an increase in interest rates could decrease the amount third parties are willing to pay for our assets, thereby limiting our ability to reposition our portfolio promptly in response to changes in economic or other conditions. We manage a portion of our exposure to interest rate risk by accessing debt with staggered maturities and through the use of derivative instruments, primarily interest rate swap agreements. However, no amount of hedging activity can fully insulate us from the risks associated with changes in interest rates. Swap agreements involve risk, including that counterparties may fail to honor their obligations under these arrangements, that these arrangements may not be effective in reducing our exposure to interest rate changes, that the amount of income we earn from hedging transactions may be limited by federal tax provisions governing REITs and that these arrangements may cause us to pay higher interest rates on our debt obligations than would otherwise be the case. Failure to hedge effectively against interest rate risk, if we choose to engage in such activities, could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Volatility, disruption or uncertainty in the financial markets may impair our ability to raise capital, obtain new financing or refinance existing obligations and fund real estate and development activities. The global financial markets have experienced and may continue to undergo periods of significant volatility, disruption and uncertainty. While economic conditions have improved since the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009, economic growth has at times been slow and uneven and the strength and sustainability of an economic recovery is challenging and uncertain. Increased or prolonged market disruption, volatility or uncertainty could materially adversely impact our ability to raise capital, obtain new financing or refinance our existing obligations as they mature and fund real estate and development activities. Market volatility could also lead to significant uncertainty in the valuation of our investments and those of our joint ventures, which may result in a substantial decrease in the value of our properties and those of our joint ventures. As a result, we may be unable to recover the carrying amount of such investments and the associated goodwill, if any, which may require us to recognize impairment charges in earnings. We may be adversely affected by fluctuations in currency exchange rates. We may pursue growth opportunities in international markets where the U.S. dollar is not the denominated currency. The ownership of investments located outside of the United States subjects us to risk from fluctuations in exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. A significant change in the value of the British pound sterling (“GBP”) may have a materially adverse effect on our financial position, debt covenant ratios, results of operations and cash flow. We may attempt to manage the impact of foreign currency exchange rate changes through the use of derivative contracts or other methods. For example, we currently utilize GBP denominated liabilities as a natural hedge against our GBP denominated assets. Additionally, we executed currency swap contracts to hedge the risk related to a portion of the forecasted interest receipts on these investments. However, no amount of hedging activity can fully insulate us from the risks associated with changes in foreign currency exchange rates, and the failure to hedge effectively against foreign currency exchange rate risk, if we choose to engage in such activities, could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, any international currency gain recognized with respect to changes in exchange rates may not qualify under the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test that we must satisfy annually in order to qualify and maintain our status as a REIT. Risks Related to Other Events We are subject to certain provisions of Maryland law and our charter relating to business combinations which may prevent a transaction that may otherwise be in the interest of our stockholders. The Maryland Business Combination Act provides that unless exempted, a Maryland corporation may not engage in business combinations, including a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities with an “interested stockholder” or an affiliate of an interested stockholder for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder became an interested stockholder, and thereafter unless specified criteria are met. An interested stockholder is generally a person owning or controlling, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the voting power of the outstanding voting stock of a Maryland corporation. Unless our Board of Directors takes action to exempt us, generally or with respect to certain transactions, from this statute in the future, the Maryland Business Combination Act will be applicable to business combinations between us and other persons. In addition to the restrictions on business combinations contained in the Maryland Business Combination Act, our charter also contains restrictions on business combinations. Our charter requires that, except in certain circumstances, “business combinations,” including a merger or consolidation, and certain asset transfers and issuances of securities, with a “related person,” including a beneficial owner of 10% or more of our outstanding voting stock, be approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 90% of our outstanding voting stock. The restrictions on business combinations provided under Maryland law and contained in our charter may delay, defer or prevent a change of control or other transaction even if such transaction involves a premium price for our common stock or our stockholders believe that such transaction is otherwise in their best interests. Unfavorable resolution of litigation matters and disputes could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. From time to time, we are involved in legal proceedings, lawsuits and other claims. We may also be named as defendants in lawsuits arising out of our alleged actions or the alleged actions of our tenants and operators for which such tenants and operators have agreed to indemnify, defend and hold us harmless. An unfavorable resolution of any such litigation may have a materially adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Regardless of the outcome, litigation or other legal proceedings may result in substantial costs, disruption of our normal business operations and the diversion of management attention. We may be unable to prevail in, or achieve a favorable settlement of, any pending or future legal action against us. See Item 3 - Legal Proceedings of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Loss of our key personnel could temporarily disrupt our operations and adversely affect us. We depend on the efforts of our executive officers, and competition for these individuals is intense. Although they are covered by our Executive Severance Plan and Change in Control Plan, which provide many of the benefits typically found in executive employment agreements, none of our executive chairman, chief executive officer or incoming chief financial officer have employment agreements with us. We cannot assure you that they, or our president who does have an employment agreement with us, will remain employed with us. The loss or limited availability of the services of any of our executive officers, or our inability to recruit and retain qualified personnel in the future, could, at least temporarily, have a materially adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and the value of our common stock. We may experience uninsured or underinsured losses, which could result in a significant loss of the capital invested in a property, lower than expected future revenues or unanticipated expense. We maintain comprehensive insurance coverage on our properties with terms, conditions, limits and deductibles that we believe are adequate and appropriate given the relative risk and costs of such coverage, and we regularly review our insurance coverage. However, a large number of our properties are located in areas exposed to earthquake, windstorm, flood and other natural disasters and may be subject to other losses. In particular, our life science portfolio is concentrated in areas known to be subject to earthquake activity. While we purchase insurance coverage for earthquake, windstorm, flood and other natural disasters that we believe is adequate in light of current industry practice and analyses prepared by outside consultants, such insurance may not fully cover such losses. These losses can result in decreased anticipated revenues from a property and the loss of all or a portion of the capital we have invested in a property. Following these events, we may remain liable for any mortgage debt or other financial obligations related to the property. The insurance market for such exposures can be very volatile, and we may be unable to purchase the limits and terms we desire on a commercially reasonable basis in the future. In addition, there are certain exposures for which we do not purchase insurance because we do not believe it is economically feasible to do so or where there is no viable insurance market. If one of our properties experiences a loss that is uninsured or that exceeds policy coverage limits, we could lose our investment in the damaged property as well as the anticipated future cash flows from such property. If the damaged property is subject to recourse indebtedness, we could continue to be liable for the indebtedness even if the property is irreparably damaged. In addition, even if damage to our properties is covered by insurance, a disruption of business caused by a casualty event may result in loss of revenues for us. Any business interruption insurance may not fully compensate them or us for such loss of revenue. Environmental compliance costs and liabilities associated with our real estate-related investments may be substantial and may materially impair the value of those investments. Federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations may require us, as a current or previous owner of real estate, to investigate and clean up certain hazardous or toxic substances or petroleum released at a property. We may be held liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for property damage and for investigation and cleanup costs incurred by the third parties in connection with the contamination. The costs of cleanup and remediation could be substantial. In addition, some environmental laws create a lien on the contaminated site in favor of the government for damages and the costs it incurs in connection with the contamination. Although we currently carry environmental insurance on our properties in an amount that we believe is commercially reasonable and generally require our tenants and operators to indemnify us for environmental liabilities they cause, such liabilities could exceed the amount of our insurance, the financial ability of the tenant or operator to indemnify us or the value of the contaminated property. As the owner of a site, we may also be held liable to third parties for damages and injuries resulting from environmental contamination emanating from the site. We may also experience environmental liabilities arising from conditions not known to us. The cost of defending against these claims, complying with environmental regulatory requirements, conducting remediation of any contaminated property, or paying personal injury or other claims or fines could be substantial and could have a materially adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, the presence of contamination or the failure to remediate contamination may materially adversely affect our ability to use, sell or lease the property or to borrow using the property as collateral. We rely on information technology in our operations, and any material failure, inadequacy, interruption or security failure of that technology could harm our business. We rely on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit and store electronic information, and to manage or support a variety of business processes, including financial transactions and records, and maintaining personal identifying information and tenant and lease data. We purchase some of our information technology from vendors, on whom our systems depend. We rely on commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide security for the processing, transmission and storage of confidential tenant and customer data, including individually identifiable information relating to financial accounts. Although we have taken steps to protect the security of our information systems and the data maintained in those systems, it is possible that our safety and security measures will not prevent the systems’ improper functioning or damage, or the improper access or disclosure of personally identifiable information such as in the event of cyber-attacks. Security breaches, including physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses, attacks by hackers and similar breaches, can create system disruptions, shutdowns or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. The risk of security breaches has generally increased as the number, intensity and sophistication of attacks have increased. In some cases, it may be difficult to anticipate or immediately detect such incidents and the damage they cause. Any failure to maintain proper function, security and availability of our information systems could interrupt our operations, damage our reputation, subject us to liability claims or regulatory penalties and could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Risk Related to Tax, including REIT-Related Risks Loss of our tax status as a REIT would substantially reduce our available funds and would have materially adverse consequences for us and the value of our common stock. Qualification as a REIT involves the application of numerous highly technical and complex provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), for which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations, as well as the determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control. We intend to continue to operate in a manner that enables us to qualify as a REIT. However, our qualification and taxation as a REIT depend upon our ability to meet, through actual annual operating results, asset diversification, distribution levels and diversity of stock ownership, the various qualification tests imposed under the Code. For example, to qualify as a REIT, at least 95% of our gross income in any year must be derived from qualifying sources, and we must make distributions to our stockholders aggregating annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, excluding net capital gains. In addition, new legislation, regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could change the tax laws or interpretations of the tax laws regarding qualification as a REIT, or the federal income tax consequences of that qualification, in a manner that is materially adverse to our stockholders. Accordingly, there is no assurance that we have operated or will continue to operate in a manner so as to qualify or remain qualified as a REIT. If we lose our REIT status, we will face serious tax consequences that will substantially reduce the funds available to make payments of principal and interest on the debt securities we issue and to make distributions to stockholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT: · we will not be allowed a deduction for distributions to stockholders in computing our taxable income; · we will be subject to corporate-level income tax, including any applicable alternative minimum tax, on our taxable income at regular corporate rates; · we could be subject to increased state and local income taxes; and · unless we are entitled to relief under relevant statutory provisions, we will be disqualified from taxation as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we fail to qualify as a REIT. As a result of all these factors, our failure to qualify as a REIT could also impair our ability to expand our business and raise capital and could materially adversely affect the value of our common stock. The present federal income tax treatment of REITs may be modified, possibly with retroactive effect, by legislative, judicial or administrative action at any time, which could affect the federal income tax treatment of an investment in us. The federal income tax rules dealing with REITs constantly are under review by persons involved in the legislative process, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) and the U.S. Treasury Department, which results in statutory changes as well as frequent revisions to regulations and interpretations. Revisions in federal tax laws and interpretations thereof could affect or cause us to change our investments and commitments and affect the tax considerations of an investment in us. We could have potential deferred and contingent tax liabilities from corporate acquisitions that could limit, delay or impede future sales of our properties. If, during the five-year period beginning on the date we acquire certain companies, we recognize a gain on the disposition of any property acquired, then, to the extent of the excess of (i) the fair market value of such property as of the acquisition date over (ii) our adjusted income tax basis in such property as of that date, we will be required to pay a corporate-level federal income tax on this gain at the highest regular corporate rate. There can be no assurance that these triggering dispositions will not occur, and these requirements could limit, delay or impede future sales of our properties. In addition, the IRS may assert liabilities against us for corporate income taxes for taxable years prior to the time that we acquire certain companies, in which case we will owe these taxes plus interest and penalties, if any. There are uncertainties relating to the calculation of non-REIT tax earnings and profits (“E&P”) in certain acquisitions, which may require us to distribute E&P. In order to remain qualified as a REIT, we are required to distribute to our stockholders all of the accumulated non-REIT E&P of certain companies that we acquire, prior to the close of the first taxable year in which the acquisition occurs. Failure to make such E&P distributions would result in our disqualification as a REIT. The determination of the amount to be distributed in such E&P distributions is a complex factual and legal determination. We may have less than complete information at the time we undertake our analysis, or we may interpret the applicable law differently from the IRS. We currently believe that we have satisfied the requirements relating to such E&P distributions. There are, however, substantial uncertainties relating to the determination of E&P, including the possibility that the IRS could successfully assert that the taxable income of the companies acquired should be increased, which would increase our non-REIT E&P. Moreover, an audit of the acquired company following our acquisition could result in an increase in accumulated non-REIT E&P, which could require us to pay an additional taxable distribution to our then-existing stockholders, if we qualify under rules for curing this type of default, or could result in our disqualification as a REIT. Thus, we might fail to satisfy the requirement that we distribute all of our non-REIT E&P by the close of the first taxable year in which the acquisition occurs. Moreover, although there are procedures available to cure a failure to distribute all of our E&P, we cannot now determine whether we will be able to take advantage of these procedures or the economic impact on us of doing so. Recent tax legislation impacts certain U.S. federal income tax rules applicable to REITs and could adversely affect our current tax positions. The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (the “Act”) contains changes to certain aspects of the U.S. federal income tax rules applicable to us. The Act is the most recent example of changes to the REIT rules, and additional legislative changes may occur that could adversely affect our current tax positions. The Act modifies various rules that apply to our ownership of, and business relationship with, our TRSs and reduces the maximum allowable value of our assets attributable to TRSs from 25% to 20% which could impact our ability to enter into future investments. The Act makes permanent the reduction of the recognition period (from ten years to five years) during which an entity that converted from a corporation to a REIT or was acquired by a REIT is subject to a corporate-level tax on built-in gains recognized during such period, which could influence the types of investments we enter into in the future. The Act also makes multiple changes related to the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act, or FIRPTA, expands prohibited transaction safe harbors and qualifying hedges, and repeals the preferential dividend rule for public REITs previously applicable to us. Lastly, the Act adjusts the way we may calculate certain earnings and profits calculations to avoid double taxation at the stockholder level, and expands the types of qualifying assets and income for purposes of the REIT requirements. The provisions enacted by the Act could result in changes in our tax positions or investments, and future legislative changes related to those rules described above could have a materially adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition. Our international investments and operations may result in additional tax-related risks. We have investments and operations in the United Kingdom, and may further expand internationally. International expansion presents tax-related risks that are different from those we face with respect to our domestic properties and operations. These risks include, but are not limited to: · international currency gain recognized with respect to changes in exchange rates may not always qualify under the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test that we must satisfy annually in order to qualify and maintain our status as a REIT; · challenges with respect to the repatriation of foreign earnings and cash; and · challenges of complying with foreign tax rules (including the possible revisions in tax treaties or other laws and regulations, including those governing the taxation of our international income). Our charter contains ownership limits with respect to our common stock and other classes of capital stock. Our charter contains restrictions on the ownership and transfer of our common stock and preferred stock that are intended to assist us in preserving our qualification as a REIT. Under our charter, subject to certain exceptions, no person or entity may own, actually or constructively, more than 9.8% (by value or by number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding shares of our common stock or any class or series of our preferred stock. Additionally, our charter has a 9.9% ownership limitation on the direct or indirect ownership of our voting shares, which may include common stock or other classes of capital stock. Our Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may exempt a proposed transferee from either ownership limit. The ownership limits may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders. ITEM 1B.