Description of Registrants Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

EX-4.5 2 ck0001528985-ex45_514.htm EX-4.5 ck0001528985-ex45_514.htm

Exhibit 4.5

 

INLAND REAL ESTATE INCOME TRUST, INC., A MARYLAND CORPORATION

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK

We are a corporation formed under the laws of the State of Maryland.  Many of your rights as a stockholder are governed by Maryland law, including the Maryland General Corporation Law, and our charter and bylaws.  The following summarizes certain terms of our common stock as described in our charter and bylaws, which are included as exhibits to our annual and periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and to which you should refer for a full description.  

 

Authorized Stock

Our charter authorizes us to issue up to 1,460,000,000 shares of common stock and 40,000,000 shares of preferred stock.  Our charter contains a provision permitting the board, without any action by the stockholders, to classify or reclassify any unissued shares of common or preferred stock into one or more classes or series by setting or changing the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption of any new class or series of shares of stock.  In addition, our charter permits our board, without any action by the stockholders, to amend the charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares or the number of shares of any class or series of stock that we have the authority to issue.  We believe that the power of our board to issue additional authorized but unissued shares of common stock or preferred stock and to classify or reclassify shares of common or preferred stock will provide us with increased flexibility in structuring possible future financings and acquisitions and in meeting other business needs which might arise.  

 

Common Stock

Subject to the preferential rights of any class or series of preferred stock and to the provisions of our charter regarding the restriction on the transfer of shares of our common stock, holders of our common stock will be entitled to receive distributions if authorized by our board and declared by us and to share ratably in our assets available for distribution to the stockholders in the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up.

Each outstanding share of our common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including votes to elect directors.  There is no cumulative voting in the election of directors, which means that the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock will be able to elect all of the directors nominated for election.

Holders of our common stock have no conversion, sinking fund, redemption or exchange rights, have no preemptive rights to subscribe for any securities we may offer or issue in the future and have no appraisal rights unless our board of directors determines that appraisal rights apply, with respect to all or any classes or series of shares, to one or more transactions occurring after the date of such determination in connection with which stockholders would otherwise be entitled to exercise appraisal rights.

Under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation generally cannot dissolve, amend its charter, merge (except as permitted by law), sell all or substantially all of its assets, engage in a share exchange or engage in


similar transactions outside the ordinary course of business, unless approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders holding at least two-thirds of the shares entitled to vote on the matter.  However, a Maryland corporation may provide in its charter for approval of these matters by a lesser percentage, but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.  Our charter provides for a majority vote in these situations.

Under our charter and bylaws, the presence in person or by proxy by the holders of 50% of our outstanding shares entitled to vote will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at a meeting of our stockholders.  Under our charter and bylaws, the election of directors requires a majority of all the votes present in person or by proxy at a meeting of our stockholders at which a quorum is present.  Stockholders may also, upon the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of stock then outstanding and entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, remove any director with or without cause.

 

Preferred Stock

Subject to certain restrictions set forth in our charter, we may issue shares of our preferred stock in the future in one or more series as authorized by our board.  Prior to issuing the shares of any series, our board is required by Maryland law and our charter to fix the terms, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption for each series.  Because our board has the power to establish the preferences, powers and rights of each series of preferred stock, it may, without any consideration or approval by our stockholders, provide the holders of any series of preferred stock with preferences, powers and rights, voting or otherwise, senior to the rights of holders of our common stock, in each case subject to certain transfer and ownership restrictions contained in our charter.  The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us, including an extraordinary transaction such as merger, tender offer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets that might provide a premium price for holders of our common stock.  

 

Distributions

We may pay distributions during a given period in an aggregate amount that exceeds our cash flow from operations for that period, determined in accordance with GAAP.  As a result, we may pay distributions from sources other than cash flows from operations.  Specifically, some or all of our distributions for any period in which our cash flow from operations is not sufficient may be paid from retained cash flow, from borrowings, from cash flow from investing activities, including the net proceeds from the sale of our assets, or from the net proceeds of this offering.  We have not limited the amount of monies from any of these sources that may be used to fund distributions.

If our cash flow from operations is not sufficient to pay distributions for any particular period, we also may fund distributions from, among other things, cash that we receive in the form of advances or contributions from our business manager or Inland Real Estate Investment Corporation (IREIC) or from the cash retained by us in the case that our business manager defers, accrues or waives all, or a portion, of its business management fee or its right to be reimbursed for certain expenses.   A deferral, accrual or waiver of any fee owed to our business manager will have the effect of increasing cash flow from operations for the relevant period because we do not have to use cash to pay any fee or reimbursement which was deferred, accrued or waived during the relevant period.  Any fee or reimbursement that was


deferred or accrued, or any amounts advanced, that we later pay or reimburse, will have the effect of reducing cash flow from operations for the applicable period in which we pay or reimburse these amounts.  We will not, however, be required to pay interest on any fee or reimbursement that was previously deferred or accrued.  Neither our business manager nor IREIC has any obligation to provide us with advances or contributions, and our business manager is not obligated to defer, accrue or waive any portion of its business management fee or reimbursements.  Further, there is no assurance that these other sources will be available to fund distributions.    

We will not make distributions-in-kind, except for: distributions of readily marketable securities; distributions of beneficial interests in a liquidating trust established for our dissolution and the liquidation of our assets in accordance with the terms of our charter; or distributions of in-kind property which meet all of the following conditions: our board advises each stockholder of the risks associated with direct ownership of the in-kind property; our board offers each stockholder the election of receiving in-kind property distributions; and we distribute in-kind property only to those stockholders who accept our offer.

 

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is DST Systems, Inc.

 

Book Entry System

Our charter provides that we may not issue certificates representing shares of our common stock unless expressly authorized by our board.  As a result we anticipate that all shares of our common stock will be issued only in book entry form.  This means that, except to the extent expressly authorized by our board, we will not issue actual stock certificates to any holder of our common stock.  The use of book entry only registration protects stockholders against loss, theft or destruction of stock certificates and reduces offering costs.  Once we accept a subscription to purchase shares of our common stock, we create an account in our book entry registration system and credit the principal amount of the subscription to the individual’s account.  We will send each stockholder a book entry receipt indicating acceptance of his or her subscription.  All issuances of common stock through our distribution reinvestment plan also are made only in book entry form.

 

Restrictions on Issuance of Securities

We may not issue:

 

common stock which is redeemable;

 

debt securities unless the debt service coverage, on a pro forma basis after giving effect to the issuance of the debt securities, calculated as of the end of our most recently completed fiscal quarter, is equal to or greater than 1.0.  For these purposes, “debt service coverage” means the ratio equal to annualized net income for the latest quarterly period divided by aggregate debt service.  Aggregate debt service means, for these purposes, the aggregate amount of interest expense, principal amortization and other charges payable with respect to our outstanding borrowings and indebtedness, whether secured or unsecured, including all loans, senior debt and junior debt;


 

options or warrants to purchase stock to IREIC, director(s) or any affiliates, including our business manager and real estate managers, except on the same terms as sold (if any are sold) to the general public (excluding for these purposes underwriting fees, commissions and discounts) and in an amount not to exceed 9.8% in value of our outstanding stock or more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our outstanding common stock on the date of grant of any options or warrants unless waived by the board and in aggregate amount not to exceed 10% of the outstanding shares of common stock or any other shares of stock having the right to elect directors on the date of grant of such options or warrants; or

 

stock on a deferred payment basis or similar arrangement.

 

Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer

Our charter, subject to some exceptions, prohibits any person from acquiring or holding, directly or indirectly, more than 9.8% in value of our outstanding stock or more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the aggregate outstanding shares of common stock.  This limit may be further reduced if our board of directors waives this limit for certain holders, including The Inland Group, LLC and its affiliates.  Our board of directors, in its sole discretion, may exempt (prospectively or retroactively) a person from these ownership limits, unless granting the exemption would result in us being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code) or otherwise would result in us failing to qualify as a real estate investment trust (REIT) under the Code, including if the person seeking the exemptions owns, directly or indirectly, an interest in any of our tenants (or in a tenant of any entity owned or controlled by us) that would cause us to own, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the interests in the tenant.  Our board may require a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service or an opinion of counsel, in either case in form and substance satisfactory to our board of directors in its sole discretion, in order to determine or ensure our status as a REIT.

In addition, our charter prohibits any person from beneficially or constructively owning shares of our stock that would result in us being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code or otherwise failing to qualify as a REIT.  Our charter further provides that any transfer of our stock that would result in our stock being beneficially owned by fewer than one hundred persons will be void.  Any person who acquires or attempts or intends to acquire beneficial or constructive ownership of our stock that will or may violate any of the foregoing restrictions on transferability and ownership, or any person who would have owned shares of our stock that resulted in a transfer of shares to the trust, is required to give us notice immediately and to provide us with such other information as we may request in order to determine the effect of the transfer on our status as a REIT.  The foregoing restrictions on transferability and ownership will not apply if our board determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT or that compliance is no longer required for us to qualify as a REIT.

If any transfer of shares of our stock is attempted that, if effective, would result in any person violating the transfer or ownership limitations described above, our charter provides that either the number of shares of our stock causing the person to violate the limitations will be automatically placed in a trust for the exclusive benefit of one or more charitable beneficiaries within the meaning of 501(c)(3) of the Code or, if placement of the shares in a trust would not effectively prevent the loss of our qualification as a REIT or the transfer would result in our stock being beneficially owned by fewer than one hundred persons, then the attempted transfer itself will be deemed null and void.  The proposed transferee that exceeds the ownership limits will not acquire any rights in these shares.  The automatic transfer is deemed


effective as of the close of business on the business day prior to the date of the transfer violating these restrictions.  Shares of stock held in the trust will continue to be treated as issued and outstanding.  The proposed transferee will not benefit economically from ownership of any shares of stock held in the trust, will have no rights to dividends or other distributions and will not have any rights to vote or other rights attributable to the shares of stock held in the trust.  The trustee of the trust will have all voting rights and rights to dividends or other distributions with respect to shares of stock held in the trust.  The voting rights and rights to dividends or other distributions will be exercised for the exclusive benefit of the charitable beneficiary.  Any dividend or other distribution paid prior to our discovery that shares of stock have been transferred to the trustee will be paid by the recipient of the dividend or other distribution to the trustee upon demand, and any dividend or other distributions authorized but unpaid will be paid when due to the trustee.  Subject to Maryland law, effective as of the date that such shares of stock have been transferred to the trust, the trustee will have the authority in its sole discretion: (1) to rescind as void any vote cast by the proposed transferee prior to our discovery that the shares have been transferred to the trust; and (2) to recast the vote in accordance with the desires of the trustee acting for the benefit of the charitable beneficiary.  However, if we have already taken irreversible corporate action, then the trustee will not have the authority to rescind and recast the vote.

Within twenty days of receiving notice from us that shares have been transferred to the trust, the trustee must sell the shares to a person or group, designated by the trustee, whose ownership of the shares will not violate the ownership limitations.  Upon the sale, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the proposed transferee and to the charitable beneficiary as follows.  The proposed transferee will receive the lesser of: (1) the price paid for the shares by the proposed transferee or, if the proposed transferee did not give value for the shares in connection with the event causing the shares to be held in the trust (e.g., a gift, devise or other such transaction), the market price, as defined in our charter, of the shares on the day of the event causing the shares to be held in the trust; and (2) the price per share received by the trustee from the sale or other disposition of the shares held in the trust.  The trustee may reduce the amount payable to the proposed transferee by the amount of dividends and other distributions which have been paid to the proposed transferee and are owed by the proposed transferee to the trustee.  Sale proceeds exceeding the amount payable to the proposed transferee will be paid immediately to the charitable beneficiary.  If, prior to our discovery that shares of stock have been transferred to the trust, the shares are sold by the proposed transferee, then the shares will be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the trust; and if to the extent that the proposed transferee received an amount for the shares exceeding the amount that the proposed transferee was entitled to receive, the excess will be paid to the trustee upon demand.

In addition, shares of our stock held in the trust will be deemed to have been offered for sale to us or our designees, at a price per share equal to the lesser of: (1) the price per share in the transaction that resulted in the transfer to the trust, or, in the case of a devise or gift, the market price at the time of the devise or gift; and (2) the market price on the date we, or our designate, accept such offer.  We can accept this offer until the trustee has sold the shares held in the trust.  Upon a sale to us, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee will distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the proposed transferee.  The trustee may reduce the amount payable to the proposed transferee by the amount of dividends and other distributions which have been paid to the proposed transferee and are owed by the proposed transferee to the trustee.  Any net sales proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the proposed transferee will be immediately paid to the charitable beneficiary.

Our charter requires all persons who own 5% or more, or any lower percentage required by the Code or the regulations thereunder, of our outstanding common and preferred stock, within thirty days after the


end of each taxable year, to provide to us written notice stating their name and address, the number of shares of common and preferred stock they beneficially own directly or indirectly, and a description of how the shares are held.  In addition, each beneficial owner must provide us with any additional information as we may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of their beneficial ownership on our status as a REIT to ensure compliance with the 9.8% ownership limit.  In addition, each stockholder will, upon demand, be required to provide us any information as we may request, in good faith, in order to determine our status as a REIT and to comply with the requirements of any taxing authority or governmental authority or to determine such compliance.

 

Certain Provisions of Maryland Corporate Law and Our Charter and Bylaws

The following paragraphs summarize provisions of Maryland corporate law and the material terms of our charter and bylaws.  The following summary does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the Maryland General Corporation Law and our charter and bylaws.  

Business Combinations. Under the Maryland Business Combination Act, completion of a business combination (including a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities) between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder or an affiliate of an interested stockholder is prohibited for five years following the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder.  Maryland law defines an interested stockholder as any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock or an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding stock of the corporation.  A person is not an interested stockholder if, prior to the most recent time at which the person would otherwise have become an interested stockholder, the board of directors of the Maryland corporation approved the transaction which otherwise would have resulted in the person becoming an interested stockholder.  The board of directors may condition its approval on the person complying with terms and conditions determined by the board.  Following the five-year period, any business combination with that interested stockholder must be recommended by the board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:

 

80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation; and

 

two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of the corporation other than shares held by the interested stockholder with whom (or with whose affiliate) the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder, unless, among other conditions, the corporation’s common stockholders receive consideration at least equal to the highest price paid by the interested stockholder for its shares and the consideration is received in cash or in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares.

These provisions of Maryland law do not apply, however, to business combinations that are approved or exempted by our board prior to the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder.  As permitted under Maryland law, business combinations involving us and The Inland Group or any of its affiliates, including our business manager, are exempt from the Maryland business combination statute.  


Control Share Acquisition. The Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act provides that shares of a Maryland corporation acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights except to the extent approved by the corporation’s stockholders by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding shares owned by: (1) the acquiring person; (2) the corporation’s officers; and (3) employees of the corporation who are also directors.  “Control shares” mean voting shares which, if aggregated with all other voting shares owned by an acquiring person, or which the acquiring person can exercise or direct the exercise of voting power, would entitle the acquiring person to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power of shares of the corporation in electing directors (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy) within one of the following ranges of voting power:

 

one-tenth or more but less than one-third of all voting power;

 

one-third or more but less than a majority of all voting power; or

 

a majority or more of all voting power.

Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval.  A “control share acquisition” occurs when, subject to some exceptions, a person directly or indirectly acquires ownership or the power to direct the exercise of voting power of issued and outstanding control shares.  A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition, upon satisfaction of certain conditions, including an undertaking to pay expenses, may compel our board to call a special meeting of stockholders to be held within fifty days after that person’s demand upon the corporation to consider the voting rights to be accorded to the control shares.  If no request for a meeting is made, we may present the question at any stockholders’ meeting.

If voting rights are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the statute, then, subject to some statutory conditions and limitations, the corporation may redeem any or all of the control shares (except those for which voting rights have previously been approved) for fair value determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquirer or of any meeting of stockholders at which the voting rights of such shares are considered and not approved.  If voting rights for control shares are approved at a stockholders meeting and the acquirer becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other stockholders may exercise appraisal rights and be entitled to receive in cash the fair value for their shares of stock.  The fair value of the shares as determined for these purposes may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquirer in the control share acquisition.

The Control Share Acquisition Act does not apply to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is party to the transaction or to acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation.  Our bylaws exempt acquisitions of our stock by any person from the limits imposed by the Control Share Acquisition Act.

Subtitle 8.  Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the Maryland General Corporation Law permits a Maryland corporation with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent directors to elect to be subject, by provision in its charter or bylaws or a resolution of its board of directors, to any or all of five provisions:

 

a classified board;

 

a two-thirds vote requirement for removing a director;

 

a requirement that the number of directors be fixed only by vote of the directors;


 

a requirement that a vacancy on the board be filled only by the remaining directors and for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred; and

 

a majority requirement for the calling of a special meeting of stockholders.

Through provisions in our charter and bylaws unrelated to Subtitle 8, we already vest in the board the exclusive power to fix the number of directorships.