Simon Property Group, Inc. is a Delaware corporation that operates as a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust, or REIT, under the Internal Revenue Code. Simon Property Group, L.P., or the Operating Partnership, is our majority-owned partnership subsidiary that owns all of our real estate properties. In this report, the terms "we", "us" and "our" refer to Simon Property Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
We own, develop and manage retail real estate properties, which consist primarily of regional malls, Premium Outlet® Centers, The Mills®, and community/lifestyle centers. As of December 31, 2009, we owned or held an interest in 321 income-producing properties in the United States, which consisted of 162 regional malls, 41 Premium Outlet Centers, 67 community/lifestyle centers, 36 properties acquired in the 2007 acquisition of The Mills Corporation, or the Mills acquisition, and 15 other shopping centers or outlet centers in 41 states and Puerto Rico. Of the 36 properties acquired in The Mills portfolio, 16 of these properties are The Mills, 16 are regional malls, and four are community centers. We also own an interest in one parcel of land held in the United States for future development. Internationally, as of December 31, 2009, we had ownership interests in 51 European shopping centers (France, Italy and Poland), eight Premium Outlet Centers in Japan, one Premium Outlet Center in Mexico, and one Premium Outlet Center in South Korea. Also, through joint venture arrangements we have a 24% interest in two shopping centers in Italy currently under development. On February 4, 2010, we and our partner entered into a definitive agreement to sell all of the interests in Simon Ivanhoe S.à.r.l, or Simon Ivanhoe, which owns seven shopping centers located in France and Poland.
For a description of our operational strategies and developments in our business during 2009, see the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" section of the 2009 Annual Report to Shareholders filed as Exhibit 13.1 to this Form 10-K.
Other Policies
The following is a discussion of our investment policies, financing policies, conflict of interest policies and policies with respect to certain other activities. One or more of these policies may be amended or rescinded from time to time without a stockholder vote.
Investment Policies
While we emphasize equity real estate investments, we may, at our discretion, invest in mortgages and other real estate interests consistent with our qualification as a REIT. We do not currently intend to invest to a significant extent in mortgages or deeds of trust; however, we hold a mortgage note which results in us receiving 100% of the economics of a property. We may invest in participating or convertible mortgages if we conclude that we may benefit from the cash flow or any appreciation in the value of the property.
We may invest in securities of other entities engaged in real estate activities or securities of other issuers. However, any of these investments would be subject to the percentage ownership limitations and gross income tests necessary for REIT qualification. These REIT limitations mean that we cannot make an investment that would cause our real estate assets to be less than 75% of our total assets. In addition, at least 75% of our gross income must be derived directly or indirectly from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property, including "rents from real property," dividends from other REITs and, in certain circumstances, interest from certain types of temporary investments. At least 95% of our income must be derived from such real property investments, and from dividends, interest and gains from the sale or dispositions of stock or securities or from other combinations of the foregoing.
Subject to REIT limitations, we may invest in the securities of other issuers in connection with acquisitions of indirect interests in real estate. Such an investment would normally be in the form of general or limited partnership or membership interests in special purpose partnerships and limited liability companies that own one or more properties. We may, in the future, acquire all or substantially all of the securities or assets of other REITs, management companies or similar entities where such investments would be consistent with our investment policies.
We must comply with the covenants contained in our financing agreements that limit our ratio of debt to total assets or market value, as defined. For example, the Operating Partnership's lines of credit and the indentures for the Operating Partnership's debt securities contain covenants that restrict the total amount of debt of the Operating Partnership to 65%, or 60% in relation to certain debt, of total assets, as defined under the related arrangement, and secured debt to 50% of total assets. In addition, these agreements contain other covenants requiring compliance with financial ratios. Furthermore, the amount of debt that we may incur is limited as a practical matter by our desire to maintain acceptable ratings for our equity securities and the debt securities of the Operating Partnership.
If our Board of Directors determines to seek additional capital, we may raise such capital through additional equity offerings, debt financing, creating joint ventures with existing ownership interests in properties, retention of cash flows or a combination of these methods. Our ability to retain cash flows is limited by the requirement for REITs to distribute at least 90% of their taxable income. We must also take into account taxes that would be imposed on undistributed taxable income. If the Board of Directors determines to raise additional equity capital, it may, without stockholder approval, issue additional shares of common stock or other capital stock. The Board of Directors may issue a number of shares up to the amount of our authorized capital in any manner and on such terms and for such consideration as it deems appropriate. Such securities may be senior to the outstanding classes of common stock. Such securities also may include additional classes of preferred stock, which may be convertible into common stock. Existing stockholders have no preemptive right to purchase shares in any subsequent offering of our securities. Any such offering could dilute a stockholder's investment in us.
We expect most future borrowings would be made through the Operating Partnership or its subsidiaries. We might, however, incur borrowings that would be reloaned to the Operating Partnership. Borrowings may be in the form of bank borrowings, publicly and privately placed debt instruments, or purchase money obligations to the sellers of properties. Any such indebtedness may be secured or unsecured. Any such indebtedness may also have full or limited recourse to the borrower or cross-collateralized with other debt, or may be fully or partially guaranteed by the Operating Partnership. Although we may borrow to fund the payment of dividends, we currently have no expectation that we will regularly be required to do so.
On December 8, 2009, the Operating Partnership entered into a new $3.565 billion unsecured revolving corporate credit facility which replaced its $3.5 billion unsecured credit facility, or the Credit Facility, which expired on January 11, 2010. The new credit facility contains an accordion feature allowing the maximum borrowing capacity to expand to $4.0 billion. The new credit facility matures on March 31, 2013. We issue debt securities through the Operating Partnership, but we may issue our debt securities which may be convertible into capital stock or be accompanied by warrants to purchase capital stock. We also may sell or securitize our lease receivables. The proceeds from any borrowings or financings may be used for one or more of the following:
• financing acquisitions;
• developing or redeveloping properties;
• refinancing existing indebtedness;
• working capital or capital improvements; or
• meeting the income distribution requirements applicable to REITs, if we have income without the receipt of cash sufficient to enable us to meet such distribution requirements.
We may also finance acquisitions through the following:
• issuance of shares of common stock or preferred stock;
• issuance of additional units of limited partnership interest in the Operating Partnership;
• issuance of preferred units of the Operating Partnership;
• issuance of other securities; or
• sale or exchange of ownership interests in properties.
The ability of the Operating Partnership to issue units of limited partnership interest to transferors of properties or other partnership interests may defer gain recognition for tax purposes by the transferor. It may also be advantageous for us since there are ownership limits that restrict the number of shares of our capital stock that investors may own.
We do not have a policy limiting the number or amount of mortgages that may be placed on any particular property. Mortgage financing instruments, however, usually limit additional indebtedness on such properties. We also have covenants on our unsecured debt that limit our total secured debt.
Typically, we invest in or form special purpose entities to assist us in obtaining permanent financing at attractive terms. Permanent financing may be structured as a mortgage loan on a single property, or on a group of properties, and generally requires us to provide a mortgage interest on the property in favor of an institutional third party, as a joint venture with a third party, or as a securitized financing. For securitized financings, we create special purpose entities to own the properties. These special purpose entities are structured so that they would not be consolidated with us in the event we would ever become subject to a bankruptcy proceeding. We decide upon the structure of the financing based upon the best terms then available to us and whether the proposed financing is consistent with our other business objectives. For accounting purposes, we include the outstanding securitized debt of special purpose entities owning consolidated properties as part of our consolidated indebtedness.
Conflict of Interest Policies
We maintain policies and have entered into agreements designed to reduce or eliminate potential conflicts of interest. We have adopted governance principles governing our affairs and the Board of Directors, as well as written charters for each of the standing Committees of the Board of Directors. In addition, we have a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which applies to all of our officers, directors, and employees. At least a majority of the members of our Board of Directors must qualify as independent under the listing standards for New York Stock Exchange companies and cannot be affiliated with the Simon family who are significant stockholders and/or unitholders in the Operating Partnership. Any transaction between us and the Simons, including property acquisitions, service and property management agreements and retail space leases, must be approved by a majority of our non-affiliated directors.
The sale by the Operating Partnership of any property that it owns may have an adverse tax impact on the Simons and the other limited partners of the Operating Partnership. In order to avoid any conflict of interest between Simon Property and the limited partners of the Operating Partnership, our charter requires that at least six of our independent directors must authorize and require the Operating Partnership to sell any property it owns. Any such sale is subject to applicable agreements with third parties. Noncompetition agreements executed by each of the Simons contain covenants limiting the ability of the Simons to participate in certain shopping center activities in North America.
Policies With Respect To Certain Other Activities
We intend to make investments which are consistent with our qualification as a REIT, unless the Board of Directors determines that it is no longer in our best interests to so qualify as a REIT. The Board of Directors may make such a determination because of changing circumstances or changes in the REIT requirements. We have authority to offer shares of our capital stock or other securities in exchange for property. We also have authority to repurchase or otherwise reacquire our shares or any other securities. We may issue shares of our common stock, or cash at our option, to holders of units of limited partnership interest in the Operating Partnership in future periods upon exercise of such holders' rights under the Operating Partnership agreement. Our policy prohibits us from making any loans to our directors or executive officers for any purpose. We may make loans to the joint ventures in which we participate.
Competition
The retail industry is dynamic and competitive. We compete with numerous merchandise distribution channels including regional malls, outlet centers, community/lifestyle centers, and other shopping centers in the United States and abroad. Internet retailing sites and catalogs also provide retailers with distribution options beyond existing brick and mortar retail properties and the numerous projects in development by commercial developers, real estate companies and other owners of retail real estate. The existence of competitive alternatives could have a material adverse effect on our ability to lease space and on the level of rents we can obtain. This results in competition for both the tenants to occupy the properties that we develop and manage as well as for the acquisition of prime sites (including land for development and operating properties). We believe that there are numerous factors that make our properties highly desirable to retailers including:
• the quality and diversity of our properties;
• our management and operational expertise;
• our extensive experience and relationships with retailers and lenders;
• our mall marketing initiatives and consumer focused strategic corporate alliances; and
• our ability to reduce the total occupancy cost of our tenants.
Certain Activities
During the past three years, we have:
• issued 6,133,556 shares of common stock upon the exchange of units of limited partnership interest of the Operating Partnership, or units;
• issued 753,824 restricted shares of common stock, net of forfeitures, under The Simon Property Group 1998 Stock Incentive Plan, or the 1998 Plan;
• issued 694,981 shares of common stock upon exercise of stock options under the 1998 Plan;
• purchased 595,000 shares of common stock;
• issued 5,203,763 shares of common stock upon the conversion of 6,502,979 shares of Series I 6% Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock, or Series I preferred stock;
• issued 11,876,076 shares of common stock as part of the quarterly dividends to common stockholders;
• issued 23,000,000 shares of common stock in a public offering at a public offering price of $50.00 per share;
• issued 17,250,000 shares of common stock in a public offering at a public offering price of $31.50 per share;
• redeemed all of the outstanding 3,000,000 shares of Series G preferred stock;
• issued 812,381 shares of Series I preferred stock upon the exchange of Series I 6% Convertible Perpetual Preferred Units;
• issued 4,000 shares of common stock upon conversion and retirement of all 4,000 shares of Class C common stock;
• borrowed a maximum amount of $2.6 billion under the prior Credit Facility; the outstanding amount of borrowings under this facility as of December 31, 2009 was $446.1 million, all related to the U.S. dollar equivalent of Euro and Yen-denominated borrowings;
• entered into our new $3.565 billion credit facility on December 8, 2009;
• provided annual reports containing financial statements certified by our independent registered public accounting firm and quarterly reports containing unaudited financial statements to our security holders;
• not made loans to other entities or persons, including our officers and directors, other than to certain joint venture properties;
• not invested in the securities of other issuers for the purpose of exercising control, other than the Operating Partnership, certain wholly-owned subsidiaries and to acquire interests in real estate;
• not underwritten securities of other issuers; and
• not engaged in the purchase and sale or turnover of investments for the purpose of trading.
Employees
At January 5, 2010, we and our affiliates employed approximately 5,200 persons at various properties and offices throughout the United States, of which approximately 1,900 were part-time. Approximately 1,000 of these employees were located at our corporate headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana and 100 were located at our Chelsea offices in Roseland, New Jersey.