Edgar Filing: ARBOR REALTY TRUST INC

AMENDMENT NO. 3 TO FORM S-11

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 3, 2004

Registration No. 333-110472

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Amendment No. 3

FORM S-11

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Governing Instruments)

333 Earle Ovington Boulevard

Suite 900

Uniondale, New York 11553

(516) 832-8002

(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

Frederick C. Herbst

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.

333 Earle Ovington Boulevard

Suite 900

Uniondale, New York 11553

(516) 832-7408

(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

Copies to:


David J. Goldschmidt Fred White, III Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Four Times Square New York, New York 10036-6522 (212) 735-3000		Eric S. Haueter James O’Connor Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP 787 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10019 (212) 839-5300

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this registration statement becomes effective.

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o

If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434, check the following box. o

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE






	Proposed Maximum
	Aggregate			Amount of
Title of Securities Being Registered	Offering Price			Registration Fee


Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, being registered for sale by Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.		$	(1)(2)		$

Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, being registered for sale by the selling stockholders(3)			(2)(3)		$

Total		$150,000,000(1)(2)			$12,398.13	(4)


(1)	Includes shares that the underwriters have the option to purchase from us to cover over-allotments, if any.


(2)	Estimated solely for the purpose of computing the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(o) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.


(3)	469,000 shares of common stock are being registered for sale by the selling stockholders, including 34,000 shares of common stock to be issued upon exercise of warrants.



(4)	Of this amount, $11,670.23 was paid in connection with the initial filing of this registration statement on November 13, 2003 and $727.90 was paid in connection with the filing of the registration statement on February 5, 2004.

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission acting, pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Registration Statement contains a prospectus for an underwritten offering of shares of our common stock, together with separate pages relating to a prospectus for a concurrent direct offering of our common stock to C. Michael Kojaian who has expressed an interest in purchasing shares of our common stock. The complete prospectus for the underwritten offering of our common stock follows immediately. Following the prospectus for the underwritten offering are the alternate front and back pages for the prospectus relating to the direct offering of common stock to Mr. Kojaian.

The complete prospectus for each of the underwritten offering and the direct offering to Mr. Kojaian will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance with Rule 424 under the Securities Act of 1933.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed or supplemented. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.


PROSPECTUS

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED MARCH 3, 2004

(ARBOR REALTY TRUST LOGO) Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.

Common Stock

This is our initial public offering. We are offering shares of our common stock and the selling stockholders are offering 469,000 shares of our common stock. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by the selling stockholders.

We expect the public offering price to be between $ and $ per share. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock. We intend to apply to list our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “ .”

Investing in our common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 19 for a discussion of these risks.


	•	We have a limited operating history and may not operate successfully.

	•	Historical consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus include expenses that would not have been incurred had we operated as a separate entity during the periods presented and exclude the management fees payable pursuant to the management agreement.

	•	We are substantially controlled by Arbor Commercial Mortgage and its controlling equity owner, Mr. Kaufman.

	•	We are dependent on our manager with whom we have conflicts of interest.

	•	Our directors have approved very broad investment guidelines for our manager and do not approve each investment decision made by our manager.

	•	We depend on key personnel with long standing business relationships, the loss of whom could threaten our ability to operate our business successfully.

	•	We may be unable to generate sufficient revenue from operations to pay our operating expenses and to pay dividends to our stockholders.


	•	We may need to borrow funds under our credit facilities in order to satisfy our REIT distribution requirements.



	•	Failure to maintain an exemption from the Investment Company Act would adversely affect our results of operations.


	•	If Arbor Commercial Mortgage ceases to be our manager, the financial institutions providing our credit facilities may not provide future financing to us.


	•	If we do not qualify as a REIT or fail to remain qualified as a REIT, we will be subject to tax as a regular corporation and could face substantial tax liability.


	•	Our charter generally does not permit ownership in excess of 9.6% of our common or capital stock, and attempts to acquire our capital stock in excess of these limits are ineffective without prior approval from our board of directors.


	Per Share	Total

Public Offering Price	$	$
Underwriting Discount(1)	$	$
Proceeds, before expenses, to Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.(1)	$	$
Proceeds, before expenses, to Selling Stockholders	$	$


(1)	See “Underwriting — Directed Shares” for information with respect to shares that may be sold under the directed share program.

Delivery of the shares of common stock will be made on or about , 2004.

We have granted the underwriters an option to purchase from us a maximum of additional shares of our common stock to cover over-allotment of shares exercisable at any time until 30 days after the date of this prospectus.

The underwriters have reserved up to 5% of the shares of common stock for our directors, officers, employees, and officers and employees of Arbor Commercial Mortgage and their families, and other persons associated with us who express an interest in purchasing these shares of common stock in this offering, at the public offering price. For more information, see “Underwriting — Directed Shares.”

Concurrently with this offering, we are also offering, at the public offering price, an aggregate of shares of our common stock to one of our directors, C. Michael Kojaian who has expressed an interest in purchasing shares of our common stock. The shares to be offered to Mr. Kojaian represent approximately % of the total number of shares to be offered in both offerings (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option).

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission, nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Wachovia Securities UBS Investment Bank

Sole Book-Running and Joint-Lead Manager

Joint-Lead Manager

JMP Securities

The date of this prospectus is , 2004.

TABLE OF CONTENTS


EXPLANATORY NOTE
Our Structure
Summary Risk Factors
Restrictions on Ownership of Stock
Distribution Policy
Preferred Stock
Tax Status
Conflicts of Interest
Private Placement
The Offering
Summary Selected Consolidated Financial Information of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Summary Selected Consolidated Financial Information of the Structured Finance Business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC and Subsidiaries
RISK FACTORS
	Risks Related to Our Business
	Risks Related to Conflicts of Interest
	Risks Related to Our Status as a REIT
	Risks Related to the Offering
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
USE OF PROCEEDS
DISTRIBUTION POLICY
SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE STRUCTURED FINANCE BUSINESS OF ARBOR COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
	Overview
	Sources of Operating Revenues
	Gain on Sale of Loans and Real Estate and Income from Equity Affiliates
	Significant Accounting Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies
	Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
	Results of Operations
	Liquidity and Capital Resources
	Related Party Transactions
	Recent Developments
	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF THE STRUCTURED FINANCE BUSINESS OF ARBOR COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
	Overview and Basis of Presentation
	Sources of Operating Revenues
	Gain on Sale of Loans and Real Estate and Income from Equity Affiliates
	Significant Accounting Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies
	Results of Operations
	Liquidity and Capital Resources
	Related Party Transactions
	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC.
	Industry Overview
	Our Business Strategy
	Our Investment Guidelines
	Our Investment Strategy
	Our Real Estate Assets
	Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s Retained Interests in Our Investments
	Operations
	Our Asset Management Operations
	Operating Policies and Strategies
	Our Operating Partnership
	Competition
	Employees
	Legal Proceedings
OUR MANAGER AND THE MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
	Manager
	Officers of Our Manager
	The Management Agreement
	Management Services
	Management Fees and Incentive Compensation
	Mr. Kaufman’s Non-Competition Agreement
	Origination Period
MANAGEMENT
	Our Directors and Executive Officers
	Corporate Governance -- Board of Directors and Committees
	Executive Compensation
	Mr. Kaufman’s Non-Competition Agreement
	Stock Incentive Plan
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AND LOCK-UP AGREEMENTS
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
	Conflicts of Interest with Our Manager
	Formation Transactions
	Related Party Loans and Investments
	Other Relationships and Related Transactions
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
DESCRIPTION OF STOCK
	General
	Authorized Stock
	Common Stock
	Preferred Stock
	Special Voting Preferred Stock
	Warrants
	Power to Increase Authorized Stock and Issue Additional Shares of our Common Stock and Preferred Stock
	Restrictions on Transfer
	Transfer Agent and Registrar
SECURITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
IMPORTANT PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW AND OF OUR CHARTER AND BYLAWS
	The Board of Directors
	Removal of Directors
	Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
	Business Combinations
	Control Share Acquisitions
	Amendment to Our Charter
	Advance Notice of Director Nominations and New Business
	Anti-Takeover Effect of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Charter and Bylaws
OUR OPERATING PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
	Management
	Transferability of Interests
	Capital Contributions and Borrowings
	Redemption Rights
	Operations
	Allocations
	Distributions
	Amendments
	Exculpation and Indemnification of the General Partner
	Term
	Tax Matters
FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
	Taxation of Arbor Realty
	Tax Aspects of Investments in Partnerships
	Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders
	Other Tax Considerations
ERISA CONSIDERATIONS
SELLING STOCKHOLDERS
LEGAL MATTERS
EXPERTS
CHANGE IN ACCOUNTANTS
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
INDEX TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
INDEX TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE STRUCTURED FINANCE BUSINESS OF ARBOR COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES
CREDIT AND SECURITY AGREEMENT
LOAN PURCHASE AND REPURCHASE AGREEMENT
MASTER REPURCHASE AGREEMENT
ASSIGNMENT AND ASSUMPTION AGREEMENT
LETTER FROM GRANT THORNTON LLP
CONSENT OF GRANT THORNTON LLP
CONSENT OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP

TABLE OF CONTENTS


		Page

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY			1
	Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.		1
	Our Business Strategy		2
	Our Manager		3
	Our Corporate History		7
	Our Structure		8
	Summary Risk Factors		9
	Restrictions on Ownership of Stock		10
	Distribution Policy		10
	Preferred Stock		11
	Tax Status		11
	Conflicts of Interest		12
	Private Placement		12
	The Offering		14
	Summary Selected Consolidated Financial Information of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries		16
	Summary Selected Consolidated Financial Information of the Structured Finance Business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC and Subsidiaries		17
RISK FACTORS			19
	Risks Related to Our Business		19
	Risks Related to Conflicts of Interest		28
	Risks Related to Our Status as a REIT		30
	Risks Related to the Offering		33
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS			38
USE OF PROCEEDS			39
DISTRIBUTION POLICY			39
CAPITALIZATION			41
DILUTION			42
SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES			43
SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE STRUCTURED FINANCE BUSINESS OF ARBOR COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES			44
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES			46
	Overview		46
	Significant Accounting Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies		47
	Results of Operations		49
	Liquidity and Capital Resources		50
	Contractual Commitments		53
	Related Party Transactions		55
	Recent Developments		57
	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk		57


		Page

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF THE STRUCTURED FINANCE BUSINESS OF ARBOR COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES			59
	Overview and Basis of Presentation		59
	Significant Accounting Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies		60
	Results of Operations		62
	Pro Forma Effect of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s Asset Contribution on Results of Operations		65
	Liquidity and Capital Resources		67
	Related Party Transactions		67
	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk		69
ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC			70
	Industry Overview		71
	Our Business Strategy		71
	Our Investment Guidelines		72
	Our Investment Strategy		73
	Our Real Estate Assets		74
	Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s Retained Interests in Our Investments		90
	Operations		90
	Operating Policies and Strategies		93
	Our Operating Partnership		96
	Competition		96
	Employees		96
	Legal Proceedings		97
OUR MANAGER AND THE MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT			98
	Manager		98
	Officers of Our Manager		99
	The Management Agreement		100
MANAGEMENT			111
	Our Directors and Executive Officers		111
	Corporate Governance — Board of Directors and Committees		113
	Director Compensation		114
	Executive Compensation		114
	Mr. Kaufman’s Non-Competition Agreement		116
	Stock Incentive Plan		116
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AND LOCK-UP AGREEMENTS			118
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS			120
	Conflicts of Interest with Our Manager		120
	Formation Transactions		120
	Related Party Loans and Investments		122
	Equity Investments in our Borrowers		123
	Other Relationships and Related Transactions		123
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT			125
DESCRIPTION OF STOCK			128
	General		128
	Authorized Stock		128


		Page

	Common Stock		128
	Preferred Stock		129
	Special Voting Preferred Stock		129
	Warrants		130
	Power to Increase Authorized Stock and Issue Additional Shares of our Common Stock and Preferred Stock		130
	Restrictions on Transfer		131
	Transfer Agent and Registrar		133
SECURITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE			134
IMPORTANT PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW AND OF OUR CHARTER AND BYLAWS			136
	The Board of Directors		136
	Removal of Directors		136
	Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors		136
	Business Combinations		137
	Control Share Acquisitions		138
	Amendment to Our Charter		139
	Advance Notice of Director Nominations and New Business		139
	Anti-Takeover Effect of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Charter and Bylaws		139
OUR OPERATING PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT			140
	Management		140
	Transferability of Interests		140
	Capital Contributions and Borrowings		141
	Redemption Rights		142
	Operations		143
	Allocations		143
	Distributions		143
	Amendments		144
	Exculpation and Indemnification of the General Partner		144
	Term		145
	Tax Matters		145
FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS			146
	Taxation of Arbor Realty		147
	Taxation of REITs in General		147
	Tax Aspects of Investments in Partnerships		157
	Taxation of Stockholders		159
	Other Tax Considerations		163
ERISA CONSIDERATIONS			164
SELLING STOCKHOLDERS			166
UNDERWRITING			168
LEGAL MATTERS			171
EXPERTS			171
CHANGE IN ACCOUNTANTS			172
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			172

iii


	Page

INDEX TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES		F-1
INDEX TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE STRUCTURED FINANCE BUSINESS OF ARBOR COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES		F-21

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with different or additional information. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, the securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom or from whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation of an offer in such jurisdiction. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of this prospectus. Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any distribution of securities pursuant to this prospectus shall, under any circumstances, create any implication that there has been no change in the information set forth in this prospectus or in our affairs since the date of this prospectus.

Until , 2004, (25 days after the commencement of this offering), all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This delivery is in addition to the dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights information more fully described elsewhere in this prospectus and contains the material terms of this offering. However, you should read this entire prospectus carefully before deciding to invest in our common stock. Unless otherwise mentioned or unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this prospectus to (a) “we,” “us,” “our,” or similar references mean Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including Arbor Realty Limited Partnership, our operating partnership, and (b) “Arbor Commercial Mortgage”, or “our manager” means Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC.

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.

We are a specialized real estate finance company investing in real estate-related bridge and mezzanine loans, preferred equity and, in limited cases, discounted mortgage notes and other real estate-related assets, which we collectively refer to as structured finance investments. Our objective is to maximize the difference between the yield on our investments and the cost of financing these investments to generate cash available for distribution, facilitate capital appreciation and maximize total return to our stockholders. We commenced operations in July 2003 and conduct substantially all of our operations through our operating partnership, Arbor Realty Limited Partnership. We intend to elect to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, under the Internal Revenue Code and generally will not be subject to federal taxes on our income to the extent we distribute our income to our stockholders and maintain our qualification as a REIT.

We actively pursue lending and investment opportunities with property owners and developers who need interim financing until permanent financing can be obtained. Our structured finance investments generally have maturities of two to five years, depending on the type, have extension options when appropriate, and generally require a balloon payment of principal at maturity. Our financings typically range in size from $1 million to $30 million, with interest rates ranging from 4.00% to 7.00% over 30-day LIBOR for mezzanine financings and 3.00% to 5.00% over 30-day LIBOR for bridge financings. Borrowers in the market for these types of loans include owners or developers who seek either to acquire or refurbish real estate or pay down debt and reposition a property for permanent financing. Our investment program emphasizes the following categories of real estate related activities:



	•	*Bridge Financing* — We offer bridge financing products to borrowers who are typically seeking short term capital to be used in an acquisition of property. The borrower has usually identified an undervalued asset that has been under-managed and/or is located in a recovering market. From the borrower’s perspective, shorter term bridge financing is advantageous because it allows time to improve the property value through repositioning the property without encumbering it with restrictive long term debt. The bridge loans we make are predominantly secured by first mortgage liens on the property. Borrowers usually use the proceeds of a conventional mortgage loan to repay a bridge loan.



	•	*Mezzanine Financing* — We offer mezzanine loans, which are loans subordinate to a conventional first mortgage loan and senior to the borrower’s equity in a transaction. Our mezzanine financing may take the form of loans secured by pledges of ownership interests in entities that directly or indirectly control the real property or subordinated loans secured by second mortgage liens on the property. We may also require additional collateral such as personal guarantees, letters of credit and/or additional collateral unrelated to the property.


	•	*Preferred Equity Investments* — We provide financing by making preferred equity investments in entities that directly or indirectly own real property. In cases where the terms of a first mortgage prohibit additional liens on the ownership entity, investments structured as preferred equity interests in the entity owning the property serve as viable financing substitutes. With preferred equity investments, we typically become a special limited partner or member in the ownership entity.


	•	*Other Investments* — We may engage in other investment activities, including the purchase of discounted first lien mortgage notes from other lenders and opportunistic investments including the acquisition of properties. Typically, these transactions, which may be conducted through taxable subsidiaries, are analyzed with the expectation that, upon property repositioning or renovation, they will be sold to achieve a significant return on invested capital.

We borrow against or leverage our investments to the extent consistent with our investment guidelines in order to increase the size of our portfolio and potential returns to our stockholders. We generate profits to the extent interest and fee income exceed interest expense, loan losses and operating expenses. We also generate profits from gains on investments.

We are externally managed and advised by Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC. Our manager is a national commercial real estate finance company operating through 15 offices in the United States, specializing in debt and equity financing for multi-family and commercial real estate. We believe Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s experience and reputation positions it to originate attractive investment opportunities for us. Our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage was developed to capitalize on synergies with Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s origination infrastructure, existing business relationships and management expertise.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage has granted us a right of first refusal to pursue all structured finance investment opportunities identified by Arbor Commercial Mortgage. We have agreed not to pursue, and to allow Arbor Commercial Mortgage to pursue, any real estate opportunities other than structured finance transactions. This has historically included providing and servicing multi-family and commercial mortgage loans under Fannie Mae, Federal Housing Administration and conduit commercial lending programs, which we believe will offer customer relationship synergies to our business. Our portfolio currently contains loans and investments that we originated and loans and investments that we purchased from third parties or from affiliates.

We have a senior management team with significant industry experience. Mr. Ivan Kaufman, the chief executive officer of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, and Mr. Frederick Herbst, the chief financial officer of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, also serve as our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, respectively. Mr. Kaufman is the former co-founder and chairman of Arbor National Holdings.

As of December 31, 2003, our portfolio had an aggregate outstanding balance of $323.5 million with a weighted average interest rate of 7.49%. This balance was comprised of $158.8 million of bridge loans with a weighted average interest rate of 5.43%, $129.3 million of mezzanine loans with a weighted average interest rate of 9.91%, $33.4 million of preferred equity investments with a weighted average interest rate of 7.33%, and $2.0 million of other investments with a weighted average interest rate of 7.39%. Our borrowings against our portfolio at December 31, 2003 totaled $172.5 million and had a weighted average interest rate of 3.40%.

Our Business Strategy

We believe the financing of multi-family and commercial real estate offers significant growth opportunities that demand customized financing solutions.


	•	Consolidation in the financial services industry has reduced the number of companies providing multi-family and commercial real estate financing products.

	•	We believe this consolidation has led to a trend among remaining institutions to focus on larger, more standardized transactions.

	•	The growth of a market for securitized commercial real estate pools has provided a new source of financing for real estate assets.

companies as their primary source for commercial real estate financing, have benefited from our flexible underwriting standards. This flexibility has created significant demand for our bridge, mezzanine and other forms of innovative financing.

Our principal business objectives are to invest in bridge and mezzanine loans, preferred equity and other real estate-related assets and actively manage our portfolio in order to generate cash available for distribution, facilitate capital appreciation and maximize total return to our stockholders. We believe we can achieve these objectives through the following business and growth strategies:


	•	Provide customized financing;

	•	Focus on a niche market in smaller loan balances;

	•	Execute transactions rapidly;

	•	Manage and maintain credit quality;

	•	Use Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s relationships with existing borrowers and origination infrastructure;

	•	Offer broader products and expand customer base; and


	•	Leverage the experience of the executive officers and employees of Arbor Commercial Mortgage and us.

Our asset management group is integrated into the underwriting and structuring process for all transactions in order to enhance the credit quality of our originations before transactions close. We believe that after closing, our asset management group’s experience in managing complex restructurings, refinancings and asset dispositions will help to improve the credit quality and yield on managed investments. We also believe our asset management group’s involvement in our credit underwriting process helps to mitigate investment risk after the closing of a transaction.

Our Manager

Arbor Commercial Mortgage is a national commercial real estate finance company founded in 1993 as a subsidiary of Arbor National Holdings, Inc., an originator and servicer of single-family residential mortgage loans. Our chief executive officer, Mr. Ivan Kaufman, is also Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s chief executive officer and its controlling equity owner, and was the co-founder, chairman and majority shareholder of Arbor National Holdings. Under Mr. Kaufman’s direction, Arbor National Holdings grew to 25 branches in 11 states and funded more than $4 billion in loans in its last full year of operations. Arbor National Holdings became a public company in 1992 and was sold to BankAmerica in 1995.

In connection with the sale of Arbor National Holdings, Mr. Kaufman purchased its commercial mortgage lending operations and the rights to the “Arbor” name and retained a significant portion of Arbor National Holdings’ senior management team. This senior management team has guided Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s growth from a company originally capitalized with approximately $8 million of equity value, including its partnership interest in Arbor Realty Limited Partnership, to approximately $64 million of equity value as of December 31, 2003. Arbor Commercial Mortgage is now a full service provider of financial services to owners and developers of multi-family and commercial real estate properties. Arbor Commercial Mortgage has derived revenue from the origination for sale and servicing of government-sponsored and conduit mortgage loans for commercial and multi-family real estate properties as well as from the origination of structured finance loans and investments. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated over $800 million in government-sponsored and conduit mortgage loans in 2003. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated over $115 million in structured finance investments from the beginning of 2003 until the contribution of the majority of its structured finance portfolio to us in July 2003. Arbor Commercial Mortgage is currently servicing a portfolio with a principal balance of $3.0 billion, including loans serviced for Arbor Realty Limited Partnership.

Our primary business will be investing in structured finance loans and investments. We do not intend to originate or service government-sponsored investment grade assets, but we may invest in such assets in the future.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s executive officers and employees have extensive experience in originating and managing structured commercial real estate investments. The senior management team has an average of over 20 years experience in the financial services industry. Arbor Commercial Mortgage currently has 129 employees spread among its corporate headquarters in Uniondale, New York, 13 other sales offices located throughout the United States and the servicing administration office in Buffalo, New York.

We pay our manager an annual base management fee based on the equity of our operating partnership, as further discussed below. The amount of the base management fee does not depend on the performance of the services provided by our manager or the types of assets it selects for our investment, but the value of our operating partnership’s equity will be affected by the performance of these assets. We also pay our manager incentive compensation each fiscal quarter. We have paid $587,734 in base management fees to Arbor Commercial Mortgage for management services rendered for the period from June 24, 2003 (inception) to December 31, 2003. Our manager did not earn incentive compensation for the quarters ended September 30, 2003 or December 31, 2003.

The table summarizes the calculation of the base management fee, incentive compensation and other fees and expenses payable to our manager pursuant to the management agreement.


Type	Description and Method of Computation	Payable

Base management fee⁽¹⁾	(1) 0.75% per annum of the first $400 million of our operating partnership’s equity,	Monthly in arrears in cash
	(2) 0.625% per annum of our operating partnership’s equity between $400 million and $800 million, and
	(3) 0.50% per annum of our operating partnership’s equity in excess of $800 million.

Incentive compensation⁽²⁾	(1) 25% of the amount by which: (a) our operating partnership’s funds from operations per operating partnership unit, adjusted for certain gains and losses, exceeds (b) the product of (x) 9.5% per annum or the Ten Year U.S. Treasury Rate plus 3.5%, whichever is greater, and (y) the weighted average of the book value of the net assets contributed by Arbor Commercial Mortgage to our operating partnership per operating partnership unit, $15.00 (representing the offering price per share of our common stock in the private placement)⁽³⁾, the offering price per share of our common stock (including shares of common stock issued upon exercise of warrants or options) in any subsequent offerings (adjusted for any prior capital dividends or distributions) and the issue price per operating partnership unit for subsequent contributions to our operating partnership, multiplied by	Each fiscal quarter, with at least 25% paid in our common stock
	(2) the weighted average of our operating partnership’s outstanding operating partnership units.

Overhead expenses	Compensation of our independent directors, legal, accounting, due diligence tasks and other services that outside professionals perform for us.	Each fiscal quarter in cash

Origination fee income⁽⁴⁾	An amount equal to 100% of the origination fees paid by the borrower to us with respect to each bridge loan and mezzanine loan we originate, up to 1% of the loan’s principal amount.	Upon closing of each loan

Termination fee⁽⁵⁾	If we terminate or elect not to renew the management agreement in order to manage our portfolio internally, we are required to pay a termination fee equal to the base management fee and incentive compensation for the 12-month period preceding the termination.	Upon termination
	If, without cause, we terminate or elect not to renew the management agreement for any other reason, including a change of control of us, we are required to pay a termination fee equal to two times the base management fee and incentive compensation paid for the 12-month period preceding the termination.


(1)	For purposes of calculating the base management fee, our operating partnership’s equity equals the month-end value computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of total partners’ equity in our operating partnership, plus or minus any unrealized gains, losses or other items that do not affect realized net income.

(2)	At least 25% of the incentive compensation paid to our manager will be in the form of shares of our common stock, subject to ownership limitations in our charter. Beginning on January 1, 2004, the incentive compensation will be measured over a full fiscal year, subject to recalculation and potential reconciliation at the end of each fiscal year. We intend to pay our manager each installment of the incentive compensation within sixty (60) days following the last day of the fiscal quarter with respect to which such incentive compensation payment is payable.


(3)	We allocated the $75.00 offering price per unit to the five shares of common stock comprising each unit, resulting in an offering price of $15.00 per share of common stock in the private placement. We did not allocate any value to the one warrant underlying each unit because the warrants have an initial exercise price of $15.00 and they are



	not exercisable, detachable or freely tradable for an indeterminable period of time (i.e., until after the registration and listing of the common stock comprising the units on a national securities exchange or The Nasdaq Stock Market).


(4)	100% of the origination fees paid by the borrower in excess of 1% of the loan’s principal amount are retained by us.

(5)	The management agreement has an initial term of two years and is renewable automatically for an additional one year period every year thereafter, unless terminated with six months’ prior written notice.

Our Corporate History

On July 1, 2003, Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed the majority of its structured finance portfolio to our operating partnership. These initial assets, consisting of 12 bridge loans, five mezzanine loans, five preferred equity investments and two other real estate related investments, were transferred at book value, which approximates fair value, that, at June 30, 2003, represented $213.1 million in assets financed by $169.2 million borrowed under Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s credit facilities and supported by $43.9 million in equity. Simultaneously with Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s contribution of assets, we issued and sold 1,610,000 of our units, each consisting of five shares of common stock and one warrant to purchase an additional share of common stock, in a private offering, which we refer to as the private placement.

In connection with its contribution of the initial assets, Arbor Commercial Mortgage arranged for us to have substantially similar credit facilities as those used by Arbor Commercial Mortgage to finance these assets. In exchange for the asset contribution, we issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage approximately 3.1 million operating partnership units, each of which Arbor Commercial Mortgage may redeem for one share of our common stock or an equivalent amount in cash, at our election, and approximately 629,000 warrants, each of which entitles Arbor Commercial Mortgage to purchase one additional operating partnership unit at an initial exercise price of $15.00. The operating partnership units and warrants for additional operating partnership units issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage were valued at approximately $43.9 million at July 1, 2003, based on the price offered to investors in our units in the private placement. Each of the approximately 3.1 million operating partnership units received by Arbor Commercial Mortgage is paired with one share of our special voting preferred stock that entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders. As operating partnership units are redeemed for shares of our common stock or cash, an equivalent number of shares of special voting preferred stock will be redeemed and cancelled. See “Description of Stock — Special Voting Preferred Stock.” As a result of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s asset contribution and the related formation transactions, Arbor Commercial Mortgage owns approximately a 28% limited partnership interest in our operating partnership and the remaining 72% interest in our operating partnership is owned by us. After giving effect to this offering and the concurrent offering to C. Michael Kojaian, one of our directors, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will own approximately a % interest in our operating partnership and we will own the remaining %. In addition, Arbor Commercial Mortgage has approximately 28% of the voting power of our outstanding stock (without giving effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s warrants for additional operating partnership units). After giving effect to this offering and the concurrent offering to Mr. Kojaian, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will have approximately % of the voting power of outstanding stock (without giving effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s warrants for additional operating partnership units).

Our Structure

The following chart shows our structure after giving effect to this offering and the concurrent offering to Mr. Kojaian, which we refer to as the concurrent offerings:

(STRUCTURECHART)



(1)	Upon consummation of the concurrent offerings, investors purchasing shares of our common stock in the concurrent offerings will own % of our outstanding common stock, purchasers of our units in the private placement will own % of our outstanding common stock and grantees of restricted stock pursuant to our stock incentive plan will own the remaining %.


(2)	Holders of Class A and Class B membership interests of Arbor Commercial Mortgage have the same voting rights and are both entitled to distributions in accordance with their percentage ownership interests in the company. However, holders of Class B membership interests cannot transfer their interests or compete with Arbor Commercial Mortgage without the consent of the managing member, Arbor Management, LLC, an entity wholly owned by Mr. Ivan Kaufman and his wife.

(3)	Mr. Kaufman, the Ivan and Lisa Kaufman Family Trust, a trust created by Mr. Kaufman for the benefit of Mr. Kaufman’s family and Arbor Management collectively hold all the outstanding Class A membership interests which constitute 64% of the outstanding membership interests of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. 24% of the outstanding membership interests of Arbor Commercial Mortgage previously held by Mr. Kaufman and the Ivan Kaufman Grantor Retained Trust, of which Mr. Kaufman is a co-trustee, as Class A membership interests have been reclassified as Class B membership interests, effective as of January 1, 2003. Mr. Kaufman, together with the Kaufman entities which include the Ivan and Lisa Kaufman Family Trust, the Ivan Kaufman Grantor Retained Trust and Arbor Management, beneficially own approximately 88% of the outstanding membership interests of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. See “Security Ownership of Beneficial Owners and Management.”

(4)	Messrs. Herbst, Palmier and Weber and Messrs. Martello and Horn, two of our directors, collectively hold 5% of the outstanding membership interests in Arbor Commercial Mortgage as Class B membership interests. In addition, Mr. Martello also serves as (a) trustee of the Ivan and Lisa Kaufman Family Trust and (b) co-trustee, along with Mr. Kaufman, of the Ivan Kaufman Grantor Retained Annuity Trust.


(5)	Arbor Commercial Mortgage holds 3,146,724 shares of our special voting preferred stock which will entitle it to % of the voting power of our outstanding stock upon consummation of the concurrent offerings. These shares of special voting preferred

stock are paired with 3,146,724 operating partnership units held by Arbor Commercial Mortgage and will be redeemed upon redemption of these operating partnership units. Assuming the redemption of all Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s operating partnership units for shares of our common stock after the consummation of the concurrent offerings, Arbor Commercial Mortgage would retain % of the voting power of our outstanding stock. The % figure does not give effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s 629,345 warrants for additional operating partnership units, each of which is exercisable for an additional partnership unit that will be paired with one share of our special voting preferred stock. Assuming Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s exercise of all warrants for additional operating partnership units paired with shares of our special voting preferred stock after the consummation of the concurrent offerings, it would have a % partnership interest in our operating partnership and % of the voting power of our outstanding stock.



(6)	We hold our % partnership interest, representing a voting and economic interest in our operating partnership, through two wholly owned subsidiaries, Arbor Realty GPOP, Inc., the holder of a 0.1% general partner interest, and Arbor Realty LPOP, Inc., the holder of a % limited partner interest upon consummation of the concurrent offerings. Our only material subsidiaries are Arbor Realty Limited Partnership, Arbor Realty GPOP, Inc., Arbor Realty LPOP, Inc. and Arbor Realty Funding, LLC.



(7)	Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s % partnership interest, representing a voting and economic interest in our operating partnership, does not give effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s 629,345 warrants for additional operating partnership units, each of which is exercisable for an additional partnership unit that will be paired with one share of our special voting preferred stock. Arbor Commercial Mortgage may acquire up to 3,776,069 shares of our common stock upon redemption of its operating partnership units (including 629,345 operating partnership units issuable upon exercise of warrants for additional operating partnership units) should we elect to issue shares of our common stock upon such redemption.

Summary Risk Factors

An investment in our common stock involves a number of risks. You should consider carefully the risks discussed below and under “Risk Factors” beginning on page 19 before purchasing our common stock.


	•	We have a limited operating history and may not operate successfully.


	•	Historical consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus include expenses that would not have been incurred had we operated as a separate entity during the periods presented and exclude the management fees payable pursuant to the management agreement.



	•	We are substantially controlled by Arbor Commercial Mortgage and its controlling equity owner, Mr. Kaufman.



	•	We are dependent on our manager with whom we have conflicts of interest.



	•	Our directors have approved very broad investment guidelines for our manager and do not approve each investment decision made by our manager.



	•	Our manager has broad discretion to invest funds and may acquire structured finance assets where the investment returns are substantially below expectations or that result in net operating losses.



	•	We depend on key personnel with long standing business relationships, the loss of whom could threaten our ability to operate our business successfully.



	•	We may be unable to invest excess equity capital on acceptable terms or at all, which would adversely affect our operating results.



	•	We invest in multi-family and commercial real estate loans, which involve a greater risk of loss than single family loans.



	•	Volatility of values of multi-family and commercial properties may adversely affect our loans and investments.


	•	We may be unable to generate sufficient revenue from operations to pay our operating expenses and to pay dividends to our stockholders.


	•	We may need to borrow funds under our credit facilities in order to satisfy our REIT distribution requirements.



	•	Failure to maintain an exemption from the Investment Company Act would adversely affect our results of operations.


	•	If Arbor Commercial Mortgage ceases to be our manager pursuant to the management agreement, the financial institutions providing our credit facilities may not provide future financing to us.

	•	If we do not qualify as a REIT or fail to remain qualified as a REIT, we will be subject to tax as a regular corporation and could face substantial tax liability.


	•	There is no public market for our common stock, and there may be no market for our common stock after the completion of the concurrent offerings.


	•	Our charter generally does not permit ownership in excess of 9.6% of our common or capital stock, and attempts to acquire our capital stock in excess of these limits are ineffective without prior approval from our board of directors.

Restrictions on Ownership of Stock

In order for us to maintain our qualification as a REIT under the Code, not more than 50% (by value) of our outstanding shares of capital stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code to include certain entities). For the purpose of preserving our REIT qualification, our charter generally prohibits direct or indirect ownership of more than 9.6% of the outstanding shares of capital stock. Our board of directors may, however, in its discretion, exempt a person from this ownership limitation, and, as a condition to such exemption, may require a satisfactory ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, an opinion of counsel (as to our continued REIT status) and/or certain representations and undertakings from such person. We granted Arbor Commercial Mortgage and Ivan Kaufman, as its controlling equity owner, an exemption from this ownership limitation, in connection with Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s acquisition of approximately 3.1 million shares of our special voting preferred stock on July 1, 2003.

Distribution Policy

To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we intend to make regular quarterly distributions to our stockholders of at least 90% of our taxable income, which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Distributions are authorized by our board of directors and declared by us based upon a variety of factors deemed relevant by our directors, and our distribution policy may change in the future. Our ability to make distributions to our stockholders depends, in part, upon our receipt of distributions from our operating partnership, Arbor Realty Limited Partnership, which may depend, in part, upon the performance of our investment portfolio, and, in turn, upon Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s management of our business. In order to maximize the return on our funds, cash generated from operations is generally used to temporarily pay down borrowings under our credit facilities. When making distributions, we generally borrow the required funds by drawing on credit capacity available under our credit facilities. Our distributions have not exceeded cash generated from operations and we do not anticipate that distributions will significantly exceed cash generated from operations in the future. If distributions exceed the amount of cash generated from operations, we may be required to borrow additional funds or sell assets in order to meet our REIT distribution requirements. Distributions to our stockholders are generally taxable to our stockholders as ordinary income, although a portion of these distributions may be designated by us as short-term or long-term capital gains to the extent they are attributable to capital gain income recognized by us, or may constitute a return of capital to the extent they exceed our earnings and profits as determined for tax purposes.

Our charter allows us to issue preferred stock with a preference on distributions. We currently have no intention to issue any such preferred stock with a preference on distributions but if we do, the dividend preference on the preferred stock could limit our ability to make a dividend distribution to our common stockholders.

On November 5, 2003, our board authorized and we declared a dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock, payable with respect to the quarter ending September 30, 2003, to stockholders of record

at the close of business on November 5, 2003. We distributed this dividend on November 18, 2003. On December 19, 2003, our board of directors authorized and we declared a dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock, payable with respect to the quarter ending December 31, 2003, to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 19, 2003. We distributed this dividend on December 30, 2003. Of the dividends paid in 2003, 76% were taxable as ordinary income and 24% represented a return of capital. The portion representing the return of capital arose because the distribution paid, which approximated cash generated from operations, exceeded taxable income for the year.

Preferred Stock

Pursuant to a pairing agreement that we entered into with our operating partnership and our manager, each operating partnership unit issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage and its affiliates in connection with the contribution of the initial assets (including operating partnership units issuable upon the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s warrants) is paired with one share of our special voting preferred stock. No operating partnership unit that is paired with a share of special voting preferred stock may be transferred unless accompanied by such special voting share. A holder of special voting preferred stock is not entitled to any regular or special dividend payments or other distributions, other than a $0.01 per share liquidation preference.

Each share of special voting preferred stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders. Therefore, through its ownership of the “paired” special voting preferred stock, Arbor Commercial Mortgage is currently entitled to a number of votes representing approximately 28% of the voting power of all shares entitled to vote on matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders (without giving effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s warrants). After giving effect to the concurrent offerings, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will have approximately % of the voting power of our outstanding stock (without giving effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s warrants for additional operating partnership units). The holders of special voting preferred stock have no separate class voting rights except as provided by our charter.

Upon redemption of any operating partnership unit that is paired with a share of special voting preferred stock, the share of special voting preferred stock will be redeemed and cancelled by us. Other than the shares of special voting preferred stock to be issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage upon exercise of its warrants for additional operating partnership units, we do not intend to issue operating partnership units that would be paired with shares of our special preferred voting stock in the future.

Tax Status

We intend to elect to be treated as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. To qualify as a REIT, we must meet various tax law requirements, including, among others, requirements relating to the nature of our assets, the sources of our income, the timing and amount of distributions that we make and the composition of our stockholders. As a REIT, we generally are not subject to federal income tax on income that we distribute to our stockholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates, and we may be precluded from qualifying as a REIT for the subsequent four taxable years following the year during which we lost our qualification. Further, even to the extent that we qualify as a REIT, we will be subject to tax at normal corporate rates on net income or capital gains not distributed to our stockholders, and we may be subject to other taxes, including payroll taxes, and state and local income, franchise, property, sales and other taxes. Moreover, we may have subsidiary entities that are subject to federal income taxation and to various other taxes. Any dividends received from us will generally, with limited exceptions, not be eligible for taxation at the preferred capital gain rates that currently apply, pursuant to recently enacted legislation, to dividends received by individuals from taxable corporations. See “Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

Conflicts of Interest

We, our executive officers and Arbor Commercial Mortgage face conflicts of interest because of our relationships with each other. Mr. Ivan Kaufman is our chief executive officer and the chief executive officer of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. Mr. Kaufman and entities controlled by him, or the Kaufman entities, together beneficially own approximately 88% of the outstanding membership interests of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. Mr. Frederick C. Herbst is our chief financial officer and the chief financial officer of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. Mr. Herbst, two of our executive vice presidents, Messrs. Dan Palmier and Fred Weber, and two of our directors, Mr. Joseph Martello and Mr. Walter Horn, collectively, have a minority ownership interest in Arbor Commercial Mortgage. In addition, Mr. Martello serves as trustee of one of the Kaufman entities that owns a majority of the outstanding membership interests in Arbor Commercial Mortgage and co-trustee of another Kaufman entity.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage will continue, among other activities, to originate, acquire and service multi-family and commercial mortgage loans that meet the underwriting and approval guidelines of Fannie Mae, the Federal Housing Administration and conduit commercial lending programs secured by first liens on real property. Accordingly, Messrs. Kaufman and Herbst will devote substantial amounts of their time to operating portions of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s business that do not involve managing us. Further conflicts of interest may arise because Arbor Commercial Mortgage may also provide permanent mortgage financing to real estate concerns to which we have made temporary loans, or because Arbor Commercial Mortgage may have equity interests in real estate concerns that borrow money from us. In addition, Messrs. Palmier and Weber will continue to provide services to Arbor Commercial Mortgage as members of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s executive committee, and may receive fees for originating loans on behalf of Arbor Commercial Mortgage.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage holds a 28% limited partnership interest in our operating partnership as a result of the contribution of the initial assets. After giving effect to the concurrent offerings, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will own approximately a % interest in our operating partnership and we will own the remaining %. Arbor Commercial Mortgage also owns approximately 3.1 million shares of our special voting preferred stock that entitle it to 28% of the voting power of our outstanding stock (without giving effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s warrants). After giving effect to the concurrent offerings, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will have approximately % of the voting power of our outstanding stock (without giving effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s warrants for additional operating partnership units).

We were formed by Arbor Commercial Mortgage and the terms of our management agreement and the contribution of the initial assets were not negotiated at arm’s length. To address some of these conflicts of interest, our charter requires that a majority of our board of directors be independent directors and that a majority of our independent directors make any determinations on our behalf with respect to the relationships or transactions that present a conflict of interest for our directors or officers. Our board of directors has adopted a specific policy that decisions concerning our management agreement, including termination, renewal and enforcement of the management agreement, or our participation in any transactions with Arbor Commercial Mortgage or its affiliates outside of the management agreement, including our ability to purchase securities and mortgage or other assets from or to sell securities and assets to Arbor Commercial Mortgage, must be reviewed and approved by a majority of our independent directors. Finally, our independent directors will periodically review the general investment standards established for the manager under the management agreement.

Private Placement

On July 1, 2003, we issued and sold 1,610,000 of our units, each consisting of five shares of our common stock and one warrant to purchase an additional share of common stock at an initial exercise price of $15.00 per share. 1,327,989 of these units were sold to JMP Securities LLC, as initial purchaser, and were simultaneously resold by JMP Securities in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to persons reasonably believed by JMP Securities

to be “qualified institutional buyers” (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act) and to a limited number of institutional “accredited investors” (as defined in Rule 501 under the Securities Act). The remaining 282,011 units were sold directly by us to individual accredited investors. Certain investors in the private placement included institutions and individuals affiliated with us and JMP Securities. JMP Securities is an underwriter in this offering.

Registration Rights

In connection with the private placement, we entered into a registration rights agreement with JMP Securities. Pursuant to that agreement, we have included in a registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, 435,000 shares of common stock and 34,000 shares of common stock to be issued upon exercise of warrants by the selling stockholders named in this prospectus simultaneously with this offering. These shares of common stock offered by the selling stockholders pursuant to this prospectus are listed under “— The Offering.”

At the time of the private placement we also entered into a registration rights agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage whereby we granted Arbor Commercial Mortgage certain demand and other registration rights with respect to shares of common stock that may be issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage upon redemption of the 3,146,724 operating partnership units issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage and 629,345 operating partnership units issuable to Arbor Commercial Mortgage upon exercise of its warrants for additional operating partnership units.

The Offering



Common stock offered by us in this offering		shares.



Common stock offered by stockholders selling in this offering		469,000 shares.⁽¹⁾



Common stock offered by us to C. Michael Kojaian in the concurrent offering		shares.



Total		shares.



Common stock to be outstanding after the concurrent offerings		shares.⁽²⁾



Offering price		The public offering price of our common stock will be $ per share, for a total of $ million.



Use of proceeds		We estimate that the net proceeds from our sale of shares of common stock in this offering, at the initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the range listed on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting the underwriting discount and other estimated offering expenses, will be approximately $ million. If the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, we estimate that the net proceeds, after deducting the underwriting discount and other estimated offering expenses, of the sale of common stock by us will be approximately $ million.



		We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of 469,000 shares of common stock by the selling stockholders at the initial public offering price of $ per share, after deducting the underwriting discount, will be approximately $ million. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders.



		Concurrently with this offering, we may sell shares at the initial public offering price to Mr. Kojaian who has expressed an interest in purchasing shares of our common stock. We are not paying any underwriting discounts or commissions on these shares. Accordingly, we estimate that our net proceeds from this concurrent offering will be approximately $ million.



		In addition, we estimate that the proceeds we will receive from the exercise of 34,000 warrants by the selling stockholders who propose to offer their underlying shares in this offering will be approximately $510,000.



		We intend to use all of the net proceeds of the concurrent offerings and the exercise of the warrants by the selling stockholders to repay indebtedness under our warehouse credit agreement and master repurchase agreements. We anticipate that


		we will use the additional borrowing capacity created by the repayments under these credit facilities to fund our lending business in connection with newly originated and existing loans in our portfolio as the need arises.


Proposed New York Stock Exchange symbol		“ ”



⁽¹⁾	Includes 34,000 shares to be issued upon the exercise of warrants simultaneously with this offering.



⁽²⁾	The number of shares to be outstanding after the concurrent offerings excludes (a) shares to be issued if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full, (b) 35,500 shares authorized and reserved for issuance under our stock incentive plan and (c) 53,000 shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants held by the selling stockholders that are immediately exercisable upon the consummation of the concurrent offerings.

Summary Selected Consolidated Financial Information

of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries

The following tables present selected historical consolidated financial information as of December 31, 2003 and for the period from June 24, 2003 (inception) to December 31, 2003, which we refer to in this prospectus as the period ended December 31, 2003. The selected historical consolidated financial information presented below under the captions “Consolidated Income Statement Data” and “Consolidated Balance Sheet Data” have been derived from our audited, interim consolidated financial statements and include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring accruals, which management considers necessary for a fair presentation of the historical consolidated financial statements for such period. The information presented under the caption “Consolidated Income Statement Data” for the period ended December 31, 2003 is not necessarily indicative of any other interim period. In addition, since the information presented below is only a summary and does not provide all of the information contained in our historical consolidated financial statements, including the related notes, you should read it in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries” and our historical consolidated financial statements, including the related notes, included elsewhere in this prospectus.


	Period from June 24, 2003
	(inception) to
	December 31, 2003

Consolidated Income Statement Data:
Interest income	$	10,012,449
Other income		156,502
Total revenue		10,168,951
Total expenses		5,452,865
Net income		3,407,919
Earnings per share, basic and diluted⁽¹⁾		0.42
Dividends declared per common share⁽²⁾		0.50


	At December 31,
	2003

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:
Loans and investments, net	$	300,846,001
Related party loans, net		21,131,490
Total assets		338,164,432
Notes payable and repurchase agreements		172,528,471
Total liabilities		183,416,716
Minority interest		43,631,602
Total stockholders’ equity	$	111,116,114


	Period from June 24, 2003
	(inception) to
	December 31, 2003

Other Data:
Total originations	$	186,289,922



(1)	The warrants underlying the units issued in the private placement at $75.00 per unit have an initial exercise price of $15.00 per share and expire on July 1, 2005. This exercise price is equal to the price per share of common stock in the private placement and approximates the market value of our common stock at December 31, 2003. Therefore, the assumed exercise of the warrants were not considered to be dilutive for purposes of calculating diluted earnings per share.



(2)	On November 5, 2003, our board authorized and we declared a dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock, payable with respect to the quarter ending September 30, 2003, to common stockholders of record at the close of business on November 5, 2003. We distributed this dividend on November 18, 2003. On December 19, 2003, our board of directors authorized and we declared a dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock, payable with respect to the quarter ending December 31, 2003, to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 19, 2003. We distributed this dividend on December 30, 2003.

Summary Selected Consolidated Financial Information

of the Structured Finance Business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC and Subsidiaries

On July 1, 2003, Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed a portfolio of structured finance investments and related liabilities to our operating partnership. In addition, certain employees of Arbor Commercial Mortgage became our employees. These assets, liabilities and employees represented a substantial portion of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business.

The tables on the following page present selected historical consolidated financial information of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage at the dates and for the periods indicated. The structured finance business did not operate as a separate legal entity or business division or segment of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, but as an integrated part of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s consolidated business. Accordingly, the statements of revenue and direct operating expenses do not include charges from Arbor Commercial Mortgage for corporate general and administrative expense because Arbor Commercial Mortgage considered such items to be corporate expenses and did not allocate them to individual business units. These expenses included costs for Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s executive management, corporate facilities and overhead costs, corporate accounting and treasury functions, corporate legal matters and other similar costs. The selected consolidated financial information presented under the caption “Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses Data” for the years ended December 31, 2002 and 2001, and the six months ended June 30, 2003 and under the caption “Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities Data” as of December 31, 2002 and 2001 have been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage included elsewhere in this prospectus. The historical consolidated financial information presented under the caption “Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses Data” for the six month period ended June 30, 2003 is not necessarily indicative of the results of any other interim period or the year ended December 31, 2003. The selected consolidated financial information presented under the caption “Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses Data” for the year ended December 31, 2000 and the caption “Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities Data” as of December 31, 2000 have also been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. The selected consolidated financial information presented under the caption “Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses Data” for the years ended December 31, 1999 and 1998 and the caption “Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities Data” as of December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998 have been derived from the unaudited consolidated financial statements of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage.

The selected consolidated financial information presented under the caption “Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses Data” for the six months ended June 30, 2002 have been derived from the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business and include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring accruals, which management considers necessary for a fair presentation of the historical consolidated financial information for such periods. The selected consolidated financial information presented under the caption “Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses Data” for the six month period ended June 30, 2002 are not necessarily indicative of the results of any other interim period or the year ended December 31, 2002.

The consolidated financial statements of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business included in this prospectus represent the consolidated financial position and results of operations of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business during certain periods and at certain dates when Arbor Commercial Mortgage previously held our initial assets, as well as several other structured finance investments that we did not acquire in connection with our formation transactions. See “Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.” Accordingly, the historical financial results of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business are not indicative of our future performance. In addition, since the information presented is only a summary and does not provide all of the information contained in the consolidated financial statements of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business, including related notes, you should read it in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

of the Structured Finance Business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC and Subsidiaries” and the consolidated financial statements of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business, including related notes, contained elsewhere in this prospectus.

Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses Data:



			Six Months
			Ended June 30,					Year Ended December 31,

			2003		2002			2002		2001(1)		2000(1)		1999(1)		1998(1)

					(Unaudited)									(Unaudited)		(Unaudited)
Interest income			$	7,688,465	$	7,482,750		$	14,532,504	$	14,667,916	$	10,707,551	$	6,964,873	$	6,807,617
	Income from real estate held for sale, net of operating expenses			—		—			—		—		—		925,999		1,608,172
	Other income			1,552,414		553,625			1,090,106		1,668,215		652,970		2,838,639		7,064,294
Total revenue				9,240,879		8,036,375			15,622,610		16,336,131		11,360,521		10,729,511		15,480,083
Total direct operating expenses				5,737,688		8,344,302			13,639,755		10,997,800		9,227,274		7,145,469		6,589,274
Revenue in excess of direct operating expenses before gain on sale of loans and real estate and income from equity affiliates				3,503,191		(307,927	)		1,982,855		5,338,331		2,133,247		3,584,042		8,890,809
	Gain on sale of loans and real estate			1,024,268		7,006,432			7,470,999		3,226,648		1,880,825		1,818,299		1,898,558
		Income from equity affiliates		—		601,100			632,350		1,403,014		5,028,835		3,592,398		567,006
Revenue, gain on sale of loans and real estate and income from equity affiliates in excess of direct operating expenses				4,527,459		7,299,605			10,086,204		9,967,993		9,042,907		8,994,739		11,356,373

Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities Data:



	At December 31,

	2002		2001		2000		1999		1998

					(Unaudited)		(Unaudited)		(Unaudited)
Loans and investments, net	$	172,142,511	$	160,183,066	$	85,547,323	$	50,156,022	$	75,604,351
Related party loans, net		15,952,078		15,880,207		—		—		—
Investment in equity affiliates		2,586,026		2,957,072		20,506,417		23,459,586		20,092,793
Total assets		200,563,236		183,713,747		119,110,446		84,751,032		96,537,674
Notes payable and repurchase agreements		141,836,477		132,409,735		70,473,501		47,154,530		58,678,062
Total liabilities		144,280,806		134,086,301		72,266,700		48,025,934		59,193,306
Net assets		56,282,430		49,627,446		46,843,746		36,725,098		37,344,368

Other Data (Unaudited):



	Six Months Ended June 30,				Year Ended December 31,

	2003		2002		2002		2001		2000			1999			1998

Total originations	$	117,965,000	$	30,660,000	$	130,043,000	$	86,700,000	$	108,378,000	(2)	$	120,378,900	(2)	$	230,718,353	(2)


(1)	In June 1998, Arbor Commercial Mortgage entered into a joint venture with SFG I, an affiliate of Nomura Asset Capital Corp., for the purpose of acquiring up to $250 million of structured finance investments. Arbor Commercial Mortgage and SFG I each made 50% of the capital contributions to the joint venture and shared profits equally. Nomura Asset Capital Corp. provided financing to the joint venture in the form of a repurchase agreement. On July 31, 2001, Arbor Commercial Mortgage purchased SFG I’s interest in this venture. This buyout was accounted for by the purchase accounting method. Prior to the purchase, net income from this venture was recorded in income from equity affiliates. The activities of the former joint venture have been included in the statements of revenue and direct operating expenses from the date of acquisition, August 2001. See the consolidated financial statements of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for further information.

(2)	Total originations for 1998, 1999 and 2000 include originations from Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s joint venture with SFG I discussed in footnote 1.

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. was incorporated in the State of Maryland in June 2003. Our principal executive offices are located at 333 Earle Ovington Boulevard, Suite 900, Uniondale, New York 11553. Our telephone number is (516) 832-8002.

RISK FACTORS

An investment in our common stock involves a number of risks. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider all of the risks described below and the other information contained in this prospectus. If any of the risks discussed in this prospectus actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. If this were to occur, the value of our common stock could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

We have a limited operating history and may not operate successfully.

We were organized in June 2003 and have a limited operating history. The results of our operations depend on many factors, including the performance of the initial assets, the availability of opportunities for the acquisition of additional assets, the level and volatility of interest rates, readily accessible short and long term financing, conditions in the financial markets and economic conditions, and we may not operate successfully. We face substantial competition in acquiring suitable investments, which could adversely impact our yields.

Historical consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus include expenses that would not have been incurred had we operated as a separate entity during the periods presented and exclude the management fees payable pursuant to the management agreement.

The historical consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus for the two years ended December 31, 2002 and at December 31, 2002 and 2001 and the six months ended June 30, 2003 and 2002 relate to the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage and may not reflect what our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows would have been had we operated as a separate, stand-alone entity during the periods presented. This historical financial information includes assets in the structured finance portfolio of Arbor Commercial Mortgage that were not contributed to us. It also includes employee compensation and benefit expenses for the costs of originations, underwriting services and the servicing of all our contributed assets that we would not have incurred had we operated as a separate entity during the periods presented because they would have been borne by Arbor Commercial Mortgage under the terms of the management agreement. This historical financial information does not include the management fees that we pay our manager.

Historical consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus present historical financial information for the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage which never operated as a separate business division of Arbor Commercial Mortgage during the periods presented.

The structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage never operated as a separate business division or segment of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. The historical consolidated financial statements of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage presented in this prospectus do not reflect the historical financial information of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s entire business because it operates two business lines in addition to the structured finance business that was contributed to us. These other business lines generate revenues and expenses, which are included in Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s historical financial statements, but are not included in the historical financial information included in this prospectus. We prepared the historical consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus for the two years ended December 31, 2002 and at December 31, 2002 and 2001 and the six months ended June 30, 2003 and 2002 from Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s historical accounting records. The revenues, expenses, assets, liabilities and cash flows during each respective period that pertained to Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business were allocated to us. All of these allocations are based on assumptions that management believes are reasonable under the circumstances. However, these allocations may not be indicative of the revenues, expenses, assets, liabilities and cash flows that would have existed or resulted if we had operated as a separate entity during the periods presented.

We may be unable to invest excess equity capital on acceptable terms or at all, which would adversely affect our operating results.

We may not be able to identify investments that meet our investment criteria and we may not be successful in closing the investments that we identify. Unless and until we identify structured finance investments consistent with our investment criteria, any excess equity capital may be used to repay borrowings under our warehouse credit facility and repurchase agreements, which would not produce a return on capital. In addition, the investments that we acquire with our equity capital may not produce a return on capital. There can be no assurance that we will be able to identify attractive opportunities to invest our equity capital which would adversely affect our results of operations.

We may change our investment strategy without stockholder consent, which may result in riskier investments than our current investments.

We may change our investment strategy and guidelines at any time without the consent of our stockholders, which could result in our making investments that are different from, and possibly riskier than, the investments described in this prospectus. A change in our investment strategy or guidelines may increase our exposure to interest rate and real estate market fluctuations.

We depend on key personnel with long standing business relationships, the loss of whom could threaten our ability to operate our business successfully.

Our future success depends, to a significant extent, upon the continued services of our manager and our employees. In particular, the mortgage lending experience of Mr. Ivan Kaufman and Mr. Fred Weber and the extent and nature of the relationships they have developed with developers of multi-family and commercial properties and other financial institutions are critical to the success of our business. We cannot assure you of their continued employment with Arbor Commercial Mortgage or us. The loss of services of one or more members of our manager’s officers or our officers could harm our business and our prospects.

If we cannot obtain additional financing substantially similar to the credit facilities we currently have, our growth will be limited.

We are generally required to distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our taxable income each year to continue to qualify as a REIT, and we must distribute all of our taxable income in order to avert any corporate income taxes on retained income. As a result, our retained earnings available to fund the origination of new loans are nominal, and we rely upon the availability of additional debt or equity capital to fund these activities. Our long term ability to grow through investment in structured finance assets will be limited if we cannot obtain additional financing substantially similar to the credit facilities we currently have, including interest rates and advance rates. Market conditions may make it difficult to obtain financing on favorable terms or at all.

If Arbor Commercial Mortgage ceases to be our manager pursuant to the management agreement, financial institutions providing our credit facilities may not provide future financing to us.

The financial institutions that finance our investments pursuant to our $250 million warehouse credit facility and our $50 million repurchase agreement require that Arbor Commercial Mortgage manage our operations pursuant to the management agreement as a condition to making advances to us under these credit facilities. Additionally, if Arbor Commercial Mortgage ceases to be our manager, each of the financial institutions under these credit facilities has the right to terminate their facility and their obligation to advance funds to us in order to finance our future investments. If Arbor Commercial Mortgage ceases to be our manager for any reason and we are not able to obtain financing under these credit facilities, our growth may be limited.

The repurchase agreements and credit facilities that we use to finance our investments may require us to provide additional collateral and may leave us without funding should our funding sources file for bankruptcy.

Credit facilities, including repurchase agreements, involve the risk that the market value of the loans pledged or sold by us to the funding source may decline in value, in which case the lending institution may require us to provide additional collateral to pay down a portion of the funds advanced. In addition, in the event that the funding source files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, our loans may become subject to the bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, thus depriving us, at least temporarily, of the benefit of these assets. Such an event could materially adversely affect our results of operations.

Mezzanine loans involve greater risks of loss than senior loans secured by income producing properties.

We invest in mezzanine loans that take the form of subordinated loans secured by second mortgages on the underlying property or loans secured by a pledge of the ownership interests of either the entity owning the property or a pledge of the ownership interests of the entity that owns the interest in the entity owning the property. These types of investments involve a higher degree of risk than long term senior mortgage lending secured by income producing real property because the investment may become unsecured as a result of foreclosure by the senior lender. In the event of a bankruptcy of the entity providing the pledge of its ownership interests as security, we may not have full recourse to the assets of such entity, or the assets of the entity may not be sufficient to satisfy our mezzanine loan. If a borrower defaults on our mezzanine loan or debt senior to our loan, or in the event of a borrower bankruptcy, our mezzanine loan will be satisfied only after the senior debt. As a result, we may not recover some or all of our investment. In addition, mezzanine loans may have higher loan to value ratios than conventional mortgage loans, resulting in less equity in the property and increasing the risk of loss of principal.

Preferred equity investments involve a greater risk of loss than traditional debt financing.

We invest in preferred equity investments, which involve a higher degree of risk than traditional debt financing due to a variety of factors, including that such investments are subordinate to other loans and are not secured by property underlying the investment. Furthermore, should the issuer default on our investment, we would only be able to proceed against the partnership in which we have an interest, and not the property underlying our investment. As a result, we may not recover some or all of our investment.

Mortgage investments that are not United States government insured and non-investment grade mortgage assets involve risk of loss.

We originate and acquire uninsured and non-investment grade mortgage loans and mortgage assets as part of our investment strategy. Such loans and assets include mezzanine loans and bridge loans. While holding such interests, we are subject to risks of borrower defaults, bankruptcies, fraud, losses and special hazard losses that are not covered by standard hazard insurance. In the event of any default under mortgage loans held by us, we bear the risk of loss of principal and non-payment of interest and fees to the extent of any deficiency between the value of the mortgage collateral and the principal amount of the mortgage loan. To the extent we suffer such losses with respect to our investments in mortgage loans, the value of our company and the price of our common stock may be adversely affected.

We invest in multi-family and commercial real estate loans, which involve a greater risk of loss than single family loans.

Our investments include multi-family and commercial real estate loans that are considered to involve a higher degree of risk than single family residential lending because of a variety of factors, including generally larger loan balances, dependency for repayment on successful operation of the mortgaged property and tenant businesses operating therein, and loan terms that include amortization schedules longer than the stated maturity and provide for balloon payments at stated maturity rather than periodic

principal payments. In addition, the value of commercial real estate can be affected significantly by the supply and demand in the market for that type of property.

We may invest in direct ownership of real estate, the value of which may fluctuate.

We may make investments in the direct ownership of real property. In addition, our loans held for investment are generally directly or indirectly secured by a lien on real property that, upon the occurrence of a default on the loan, could result in our acquiring ownership of the property. Investments in real property or real property related assets are subject to varying degrees of risk. The value of each property is affected significantly by its ability to generate cash flow and net income, which in turn depends on the amount of rental income that can be generated net of expenses required to be incurred with respect to the property. The rental income from these properties may be adversely affected by a number of factors, including general economic climate and local real estate conditions, an oversupply of (or a reduction in demand for) space in properties in the areas where particular properties are located and the attractiveness of particular properties to prospective tenants. Net income from properties also is affected by such factors as the cost of compliance with government regulations, including zoning and tax laws, and the potential for liability under applicable laws. Many expenditures associated with properties (such as operating expenses and capital expenditures) cannot be reduced when there is a reduction in income from the properties. Adverse changes in these factors may have a material adverse effect on the ability of our borrowers to pay their loans, as well as on the value that we can realize from properties we own or acquire.

Risks of cost overruns and noncompletion of renovation of the properties underlying rehabilitation loans may materially adversely affect our investment.

The renovation, refurbishment or expansion by a borrower under a mortgaged property involves risks of cost overruns and noncompletion. Estimates of the costs of improvements to bring an acquired property up to standards established for the market position intended for that property may prove inaccurate. Other risks may include rehabilitation costs exceeding original estimates, possibly making a project uneconomical, environmental risks and rehabilitation and subsequent leasing of the property not being completed on schedule. If such renovation is not completed in a timely manner, or if it costs more than expected, the borrower may experience a prolonged impairment of net operating income and may not be able to make payments on our investment.

Participating interests may not be available and, even if obtained, may not be realized.

In connection with the acquisition and origination of certain structured finance assets, we may obtain participating interests, or equity “kickers,” in the owner of the property that entitle us to payments based upon a development’s cash flow, profits or any increase in the value of the development that would be realized upon a refinancing or sale of the development. Competition for participating interests is dependent to a large degree upon market conditions. Participating interests are more difficult to obtain when multi-family and commercial real estate financing is available at relatively low interest rates. In the current interest rate environment, we may have greater difficulty obtaining participating interests. Participating interests are not government insured or guaranteed and are therefore subject to the general risks inherent in real estate investments. Therefore, even if we are successful in originating mortgage loans that provide for participating interests, there can be no assurance that such interests will result in additional payments to us.

Competition in acquiring desirable investments may limit their availability, which could, in turn, negatively affect our ability to maintain our dividend distribution.

We compete in investing in structured finance assets with numerous public and private real estate investment vehicles, such as other REITs, mortgage banks, pension funds, institutional investors and individuals. Structured finance assets are often obtained through a competitive bidding process. Many of our competitors are larger than us, have access to greater capital and other resources, have management

personnel with more experience than our officers or our manager and have other advantages over us and our manager in conducting certain business and providing certain services. Competition may result in higher prices for structured finance assets, lower yields and a narrower spread of yields over our borrowing costs. In addition, competition for desirable investments could delay the investment of our equity capital in desirable assets, which may, in turn, reduce earnings per share and may negatively affect our ability to maintain our dividend distribution. There can be no assurance that we will achieve investment results that will allow any specified level of cash distribution.

Interest rate fluctuations may adversely affect the value of our assets, net income and common stock.

Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political considerations and other factors beyond our control. Interest rate fluctuations present a variety of risks including the risk of a mismatch between asset yields and borrowing rates, variances in the yield curve and fluctuating prepayment rates and may adversely affect our income and value of our common stock.

Prepayment rates can increase, thus adversely affecting yields.

The value of our assets may be affected by prepayment rates on mortgage loans. Prepayment rates on loans are influenced by changes in current interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic and other factors beyond our control, and consequently, such prepayment rates cannot be predicted with certainty. In periods of declining interest rates, prepayments on loans generally increase. If general interest rates decline as well, the proceeds of such prepayments received during such periods are likely to be reinvested by us in assets yielding less than the yields on the assets that were prepaid. In addition, the market value of the structured finance assets may, because of the risk of prepayment, benefit less than other fixed income securities from declining interest rates. Under certain interest rate and prepayment scenarios we may fail to recoup fully our cost of acquisition of certain investments. A portion of our investments require payments of deferred interest upon prepayment or maturity of the investment. This deferred interest will generally discourage a borrower from repaying an investment ahead of its scheduled maturity. We may not be able to structure future investments that contain similar deferred interest payments.

All of the initial assets contributed by Arbor Commercial Mortgage and substantially all of the assets currently in our portfolio do not have prepayment protection. Since July 2003, seven of the investments contributed by Arbor Commercial Mortgage, totaling $61.2 million, were repaid in full prior to maturity.

Refinancing our credit facilities may materially adversely affect our results of operations.

We borrow funds under our credit facilities to fund the origination of our structured finance investments. Our investments may have maturities that are different from the maturities for the credit facilities under which we borrow to finance them. If the credit facilities under which we borrow funds to finance our investments mature and we are required to repay these amounts before the related investment matures, we would have to seek new financing for these investments that may not be on as favorable terms as our existing credit facilities and our net income would be adversely affected.

Changes in market conditions may adversely affect our credit facilities and repurchase agreements.

Credit facilities, including repurchase agreements, involve the risk that the market value of the loans pledged or sold to the funding source by us may decline, in which case the lending institution may require us to provide additional collateral or pay down a portion of the funds advanced. In addition, in the event the funding source files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, our loans may become subject to the bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, thus depriving us, at least temporarily, of the benefit of these assets. Such an event could materially adversely affect our business.

In order to close transactions in a time frame that meets our customers’ needs we may perform underwriting analyses in a very short period of time, which may result in credit decisions based on limited information.

From time to time, we gain a competitive advantage by being able to analyze and close transactions within a very short period of time. Our underwriting guidelines require a thorough analysis of many factors, including the underlying property’s financial performance and condition, geographic market assessment, experience and financial strength of the borrower and future prospects of the property within the market. If we make the decision to extend credit to a borrower prior to the completion of one or more of these analyses, we may fail to identify certain credit risks that we would otherwise have identified.

The geographic concentration of the properties underlying our investments may increase our risk of loss.

We have not established any limit upon the geographic concentration of properties underlying our investments. As a result, properties underlying our investments may be overly concentrated in certain geographic areas, and we may experience losses as a result. As of December 31, 2003, 32%, 14%, 12%, 8% and 8% of the outstanding balance of the structured finance investments we hold had underlying properties in New York, Maryland, Florida, Nevada and New Jersey, respectively. A worsening of economic conditions in these states could have an adverse effect on our business, including reducing the demand for new financings, limiting the ability of customers to pay financed amounts and impairing the value of our collateral.

Volatility of values of multi-family and commercial properties may adversely affect our loans and investments.

Multi-family and commercial property values and net operating income derived from such properties are subject to volatility and may be affected adversely by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, national, regional and local economic conditions (which may be adversely affected by industry slowdowns and other factors); local real estate conditions (such as an oversupply of housing, retail, industrial, office or other commercial space); changes or continued weakness in specific industry segments; construction quality, age and design; demographic factors; retroactive changes to building or similar codes; and increases in operating expenses (such as energy costs). In the event a property’s net operating income decreases, a borrower may have difficulty paying our loan, which could result in losses to us. In addition, decreases in property values reduce the value of the collateral and the potential proceeds available to a borrower to repay our loans, which could also cause us to suffer losses.

We may be unable to generate sufficient revenue from operations to pay our operating expenses and to pay dividends to our stockholders.

As a REIT, we are generally required to distribute at least 90% of our taxable income each year to our stockholders. In order to qualify for the tax benefits accorded to REITs, we intend to pay quarterly dividends and to make distributions to our stockholders in amounts such that we distribute all or substantially all of our taxable income each year, subject to certain adjustments. However, our ability to make distributions may be adversely affected by the risk factors described in this prospectus. In the event of a downturn in our operating results and financial performance or unanticipated declines in the value of our asset portfolio, we may be unable to declare or pay quarterly dividends or make distributions to our stockholders. The timing and amount of dividends are in the sole discretion of our board of directors, which considers, among other factors, our earnings, financial condition, debt service obligations and applicable debt covenants, REIT qualification requirements and other tax considerations and capital expenditure requirements as our board may deem relevant from time to time.

Among the factors that could adversely affect our results of operations and impair our ability to make distributions to our stockholders are:



	•	the profitability of the investment of the net proceeds of the private placement;


	•	our ability to make profitable structured finance investments;

	•	defaults in our asset portfolio or decreases in the value of our portfolio;

	•	the fact that anticipated operating expense levels may not prove accurate, as actual results may vary from estimates; and

	•	increased debt service requirements, including those resulting from higher interest rates on variable rate indebtedness.

A change in any one of these factors could affect our ability to make distributions. If we are not able to comply with the restrictive covenants and financial ratios contained in our credit facilities, our ability to make distributions to our stockholders may also be impaired. We cannot assure you that we will be able to make distributions to our stockholders in the future or that the level of any distributions we make will increase over time.

In addition, distributions to stockholders are generally taxable to our stockholders as ordinary income, but a portion of these distributions may be designated by us as long-term capital gains to the extent they are attributable to capital gain income recognized by us, or may constitute a return of capital to the extent they exceed our earnings and profits as determined for tax purposes.

We may need to borrow funds under our credit facilities in order to satisfy our REIT distribution requirements.

We may need to borrow funds to meet the REIT requirement that we distribute at least 90% of our taxable income each year to our stockholders if our cash flows from operations are not sufficient to cover the distribution requirements or because there are differences in timing between the recognition of taxable income and the actual receipt of income. Our warehouse credit facility and master repurchase agreements allow us to borrow up to a maximum amount against each of our investments financed under these credit facilities. If we have not borrowed the maximum allowable amount against any of these investments, we may borrow funds under our credit facilities up to these maximum amounts in order to satisfy REIT distribution requirements.

In order to maximize the return on our funds, cash generated from operations is generally used to temporarily pay down borrowings. When making distributions, we generally borrow the required funds by drawing on credit capacity available under our credit facilities. To date, our distributions have been funded in this manner and our distributions have not exceeded cash generated from operations. If distributions exceed the amount of cash generated from operations, we may be required to borrow additional funds, which, in turn, would reduce the amount of funds available for other purposes.

Failure to maintain an exemption from the Investment Company Act would adversely affect our results of operations.

We believe that we conduct our business in a manner that allows us to avoid being regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Under Section 3(c) (5) (C), the Investment Company Act exempts entities that are primarily engaged in the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring “mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate.” The staff of the SEC has provided guidance on the availability of this exemption. Specifically, the staff’s position generally requires us to maintain at least 55% of our assets directly in qualifying real estate interests. To constitute a qualifying real estate interest under this 55% requirement, a real estate interest must meet various criteria. Loans that are secured by equity interests in the owners of real property rather than the property itself, direct equity interests in entities that own real property and certain mortgage backed securities may not qualify for purposes of the 55% requirement depending upon the type of entity. Our ownership of these equity interests, therefore, is limited by the provisions of the Investment Company Act. In addition, we could, among other things, be required either (a) to change the manner in which we conduct our operations to avoid being required to register as an investment company

or (b) to register as an investment company, either of which could have an adverse effect on us and the market price of our common stock.

ERISA may restrict investments by plans in our common stock.

A plan fiduciary considering an investment in our common stock should consider, among other things, whether such an investment might constitute or give rise to a prohibited transaction under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code or any substantially similar federal, state or local law and whether an exemption from such prohibited transaction rules is available. See “ERISA Considerations.”

We are subject to various risks related to our use of, and dependence on, debt.

The amount we have to pay on variable rate debt increases as interest rates increase, which may decrease cash available for distribution to stockholders. All of our outstanding debt, which as of December 31, 2003, was $172.5 million, consists of variable rate debt under the warehouse credit agreement and the master repurchase agreements that we use to finance our loans and other investments. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet our debt service obligations. If we do not meet our debt service obligations, we risk the loss of some or all of our assets. Changes in economic conditions or our financial results or prospects could (1) result in higher interest rates on variable rate debt, (2) reduce the availability of debt financing generally or debt financing at favorable rates, (3) reduce cash available for distribution to stockholders and (4) increase the risk that we could be forced to liquidate assets to repay debt, any of which could have a material adverse affect on us.

Our warehouse credit agreement and master repurchase agreements contain covenants which prohibit us from effecting a change in control or disposing of or encumbering assets being financed and restrict us from making any material amendment to our underwriting guidelines without approval of the lender. We are also required to maintain financial ratios under these agreements including minimum net worth, minimum debt-to-equity and minimum liquidity ratios. If we violate these covenants in any of these agreements, we could be required to repay all or a portion of our indebtedness before maturity at a time when we might be unable to arrange financing for such repayment on attractive terms, if at all. Violations of these covenants may result in our being unable to borrow unused amounts under a line of credit, even if repayment of some or all borrowings is not required.

In any event, financial covenants under our current or future debt obligations could impair our business strategies by limiting our ability to borrow beyond certain amounts or for certain purposes.

We leverage our portfolio, which may adversely affect our return on our investments and may reduce cash available for distribution.

We leverage our portfolio through borrowings, generally through the use of warehouse credit facilities and repurchase agreements. The percentage of our leverage varies depending on our ability to obtain credit facilities and the lender’s estimate of the stability of the portfolio’s cash flow. We currently have a policy limiting our leverage to 80% of the value of our assets on an aggregate basis unless approval to exceed the 80% limit is obtained from our board of directors. Our return on our investments and cash available for distribution to our stockholders may be reduced to the extent that changes in market conditions cause the cost of our financing to increase relative to the income that can be derived from the assets acquired.

Our debt service payments reduce the net income available for distributions to stockholders. We may not be able to meet our debt service obligations and, to the extent that we cannot, we risk the loss of some or all of our assets to foreclosure or sale to satisfy our debt obligations.

A decrease in the value of the assets may lead to a requirement that we repay certain borrowings. We may not have the funds available to satisfy such repayments.

A general economic slowdown could have a material effect on our business.

Periods of economic slowdown or recession may be accompanied by declines in real estate values. Delinquencies, foreclosures and losses generally increase during economic slowdowns or recessions. Because a portion of the investments we make are subordinate to other creditors, the rate of delinquencies, foreclosures and losses on our mortgage loans could be higher than those generally experienced in the mortgage lending industry. If our loans go into and remain in default, we may have to foreclose and may incur substantial losses. Because real estate investments are relatively illiquid, our ability to promptly sell one or more investments or properties underlying foreclosed investments in our portfolio may be limited. In addition, any material decline in real estate values would increase the loan to value ratio of loans that we have previously extended, weaken our collateral coverage and increase the possibility of a loss in the event of a borrower default. Any sustained period of increased delinquencies, foreclosures or losses is likely to materially and adversely affect our ability to finance loans in the future. Furthermore, certain international events have caused significant uncertainty in the global financial markets. While the long term effects of these events and their potential consequences are uncertain, they could have a material adverse effect on general economic conditions, consumer confidence and market liquidity.

Liability relating to environmental matters may impact the value of the underlying properties.

Under various federal, state and local laws, an owner or operator of real property may become liable for the costs of removal of certain hazardous substances released on its property. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the release of such hazardous substances. The presence of hazardous substances may adversely affect an owner’s ability to sell real estate or borrow using real estate as collateral. To the extent that an owner of an underlying property becomes liable for removal costs, the ability of the owner to make debt payments may be reduced, which in turn may adversely affect the value of the relevant mortgage asset held by us.

We are substantially controlled by Arbor Commercial Mortgage and its controlling equity owner, Mr. Kaufman.

Mr. Ivan Kaufman is our chairman and chief executive officer and the president and chief executive officer of our manager. Further, Mr. Kaufman and the Kaufman entities together beneficially own approximately 88% of the outstanding membership interests of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. Arbor Commercial Mortgage owns approximately 3.1 million operating partnership units, representing a 28% limited partnership interest in our operating partnership and warrants to purchase 629,345 additional operating partnership units. After giving effect to the concurrent offerings, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will own approximately a % interest in our operating partnership and we will own the remaining % (without giving effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s warrants for additional operating partnership units). The operating partnership units are redeemable, at our election, for shares of our common stock generally on a one-for-one basis. Each of the operating partnership units Arbor Commercial Mortgage owns is paired with one share of our special voting preferred stock, each of which entitle Arbor Commercial Mortgage to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders. Therefore, Arbor Commercial Mortgage is currently entitled to approximately 3.1 million votes, or 28% of the voting power of our outstanding stock. We granted Arbor Commercial Mortgage and Mr. Kaufman, as its controlling equity owner, an exemption from the ownership limitation contained in our charter, in connection with Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s acquisition of approximately 3.1 million shares of our special voting preferred stock on July 1, 2003. After giving effect to the concurrent offerings, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will have approximately % of the voting power of our outstanding stock (without giving effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s warrants for additional operating partnership units). Because of his position with us and our manager and his ability to effectively vote a substantial minority of our outstanding voting stock, Mr. Kaufman has significant influence over our policies and strategy.

We may engage in hedging transactions that may limit our gains or result in losses.

We may use derivatives to hedge our liabilities and this has certain risks, including:


	•	losses on a hedge position may reduce the cash available for distribution to stockholders and such losses may exceed the amount invested in such instruments;

	•	counterparties to a hedging arrangement could default on their obligations; and

	•	we may have to pay certain costs, such as transaction fees or brokerage costs.

Our board of directors has adopted a general policy with respect to our use of interest rate swaps, the purchase or sale of interest rate collars, caps or floors, options, mortgage derivatives and other hedging instruments in order to hedge as much of the interest rate risk as our manager determines is in the best interest of our stockholders, given the cost of such hedges and the need to maintain our status as a REIT. Our board’s policy does not set forth specific policies and procedures for the use of these instruments. We may use these hedging instruments in our risk management strategy to limit the effects of changes in interest rates on our operations. A hedge may not be effective in eliminating all of the risks inherent in any particular position. Our profitability may be adversely affected during any period as a result of the use of derivatives.

Risks Related to Conflicts of Interest

We are dependent on our manager with whom we have conflicts of interest.

We have only eleven employees, including Mr. Fred Weber, Mr. Daniel M. Palmier, Mr. John C. Kovarik and an eight-person asset management group, and are dependent upon our manager, Arbor Commercial Mortgage, to provide services to us that are vital to our operations. Our chairman, chief executive officer and president, Mr. Ivan Kaufman, is also the chief executive officer and president of our manager. Our chief financial officer, Mr. Frederick Herbst, is the chief financial officer of our manager and our secretary and general counsel, Mr. Walter Horn, is the general counsel of our manager. In addition, Mr. Kaufman and the Kaufman entities together beneficially own approximately 88% of the outstanding membership interests of Arbor Commercial Mortgage and Messrs. Herbst, Weber, Palmier, Martello and Horn, collectively hold a 5% ownership interest in Arbor Commercial Mortgage. Mr. Martello also serves as the trustee of one of the Kaufman entities that holds a majority of the outstanding membership interests in Arbor Commercial Mortgage and co-trustee of another Kaufman entity that owns an equity interest in our manager. Arbor Commercial Mortgage holds a 28% limited partnership interest in our operating partnership and 28% of the voting power of our outstanding stock (without giving effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s warrants for additional operating partnership units). Upon consummation of the concurrent offerings, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will hold a % limited partnership interest in our operating partnership and have % of the voting power of our outstanding stock.

We may enter into transactions with Arbor Commercial Mortgage outside the terms of the management agreement with the approval of majority vote of the independent members of our board of directors. Transactions required to be approved by a majority of our independent directors include, but are not limited to, our ability to purchase securities and mortgage and other assets from Arbor Commercial Mortgage or to sell securities and assets to Arbor Commercial Mortgage. Arbor Commercial Mortgage may from time to time provide permanent mortgage loan financing to clients of ours, which will be used to refinance bridge financing provided by us. We and Arbor Commercial Mortgage may also make loans to the same borrower or to borrowers that are under common control. Additionally, our policies and those of Arbor Commercial Mortgage may require us to enter into intercreditor agreements in situations where loans are made by us and Arbor Commercial Mortgage to the same borrower.

We have entered into a management agreement with our manager under which our manager provides us with all of the services vital to our operations other than asset management services. However, the management agreement was not negotiated at arm’s length and its terms, including fees payable, may

not be as favorable to us as if it had been negotiated with an unaffiliated third party. Certain matters relating to our organization also were not approved at arm’s length and the terms of the contribution of assets to us may not be as favorable to us as if the contribution was with an unaffiliated third party.

The results of our operations is dependent upon the availability of, and our manager’s ability to identify and capitalize on, investment opportunities. Our manager’s officers and employees are also responsible for providing the same services for Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s portfolio of investments. As a result, they may not be able to devote sufficient time to the management of our business operations.

Conflicts of interest could arise in transactions where we lend to borrowers in which Arbor Commercial Mortgage holds an equity interest.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage has contributed loans to us that are secured by properties in which Arbor Commercial Mortgage owns equity interests in the borrower. Every transaction that we enter into with an entity in which Arbor Commercial Mortgage holds equity interests raises a potential conflict of interest. Conflicts of interest with respect to these mortgage loans include, among others, decisions regarding (1) whether to waive defaults of such borrower, (2) whether to foreclose on a loan, and (3) whether to permit additional financing on the properties securing our investments other than financing provided by us.

Termination of our management agreement may be costly.

Termination of the management agreement with our manager is difficult and costly. Our management agreement may be terminated by us (1) without cause, after the initial two year period, on six months’ prior written notice and (2) with cause in the event of our manager’s uncured breach of the management agreement, if approved by a majority of our independent directors. If we terminate the management agreement without cause or elect not to renew the management agreement in connection with the decision to manage our portfolio internally, we are required to pay our manager a termination fee equal to the base management fee and the incentive compensation earned during the twelve month period preceding the termination. If we terminate the management agreement without cause (except in a case where we become internally managed) or elect not to renew the management agreement for any other reason, including a change of control of us, we are required to pay our manager a termination fee equal to two times the base management fee and the incentive compensation earned during the twelve-month period preceding the termination. If we terminate without cause and become internally managed, we are required to pay our manager a termination fee equal to the base management fee and the incentive compensation earned during the 12-month period preceding the termination. These provisions may increase the effective cost to us of terminating the management agreement, thereby adversely affecting our ability to terminate our manager without cause.

If our manager terminates the management agreement, we may not be able to find an adequate replacement manager.

At any time after the initial two-year term of the management agreement, our manager may terminate the management agreement without cause or elect not to renew the agreement, without penalty (except in certain cases of a change in control of the manager during the first three years of the management agreement), on six months’ prior written notice to us. In the event of our uncured breach of the management agreement, our manager may also terminate the agreement for cause without penalty. If our manager terminates our agreement, we may not be able to find an adequate replacement manager.

Our directors have approved very broad investment guidelines for our manager and do not approve each investment decision made by our manager.

Our manager is authorized to follow very broad investment guidelines. Our directors will periodically review our investment guidelines and our investment portfolio. However, our board does not review each proposed investment. In addition, in conducting periodic reviews, the directors rely primarily on

information provided to them by our manager. Furthermore, transactions entered into by our manager may be difficult or impossible to unwind by the time they are reviewed by the directors. Our manager has great latitude within the broad investment guidelines in determining the types of assets it may decide are proper investments for us.

Our manager has broad discretion to invest funds and may acquire structured finance assets where the investment returns are substantially below expectations or that result in net operating losses.

Our manager has broad discretion, within the general investment criteria established by our board of directors, to allocate the proceeds of the concurrent offerings and the exercise of the warrants by the selling stockholders and to determine the timing of investment of such proceeds. Such discretion could result in allocation of proceeds to assets where the investment returns are substantially below expectations or that result in net operating losses, which would materially and adversely affect our business, operations and results.

The management compensation structure that we have agreed to with our manager may cause our manager to invest in high risk investments. Our manager is entitled to a base management fee, which is based on the equity of our operating partnership. The amount of the base management fee does not depend on the performance of the services provided by our manager or the types of assets it selects for our investment, but the value of our operating partnership’s equity will be affected by the performance of these assets. Our manager is also entitled to receive incentive compensation based in part upon our achievement of targeted levels of funds from operations. In evaluating investments and other management strategies, the opportunity to earn incentive compensation based on funds from operations may lead our manager to place undue emphasis on the maximization of funds from operations at the expense of other criteria, such as preservation of capital, in order to achieve higher incentive compensation. Investments with higher yield potential are generally riskier or more speculative. This could result in increased risk to the value of our invested portfolio.

Risks Related to Our Status as a REIT

If we do not qualify as a REIT or fail to remain qualified as a REIT, we will be subject to tax as a regular corporation and could face substantial tax liability.

We intend to operate so as to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. However, qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex Internal Revenue Code provisions for which only limited judicial and administrative authorities exist. Even a technical or inadvertent mistake could jeopardize our REIT status. Our continued qualification as a REIT will depend on our satisfaction of certain asset, income, organizational, distribution, stockholder ownership and other requirements on a continuing basis. In particular, our ability to qualify as a REIT depends in part on the relative values of our common and special voting preferred stock, which have not been determined by independent appraisal, are susceptible to fluctuation, and could, if successfully challenged by the IRS, cause us to fail to meet the ownership requirements. In addition, our ability to satisfy the requirements to qualify as a REIT depends in part on the actions of third parties over which we have no control or only limited influence, including in cases where we own a preferred equity interest in an entity that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Furthermore, new tax legislation, administrative guidance or court decisions, in each instance potentially with retroactive effect, could make it more difficult or impossible for us to qualify as a REIT. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any tax year, then:


	•	we would be taxed as a regular domestic corporation, which, among other things, means we would be unable to deduct distributions to stockholders in computing taxable income and would be subject to federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates;

	•	any resulting tax liability could be substantial and would reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to stockholders; and


	•	unless we were entitled to relief under applicable statutory provisions, we would be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the subsequent four taxable years following the year during which we lost our qualification, and thus, our cash available for distribution to stockholders would be reduced for each of the years during which we did not qualify as a REIT.

Even if we remain qualified as a REIT, we may face other tax liabilities that reduce our cash flow.

Even if we remain qualified for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain federal, state and local taxes on our income and assets, including taxes on any undistributed income, tax on income from some activities conducted as a result of a foreclosure, and state or local income, property and transfer taxes, such as mortgage recording taxes. See “Federal Income Tax Considerations — Taxation of Arbor Realty — Taxation of REITs in General.” Any of these taxes would decrease cash available for distribution to our stockholders. In addition, in order to meet the REIT qualification requirements, or to avert the imposition of a 100% tax that applies to certain gains derived by a REIT from dealer property or inventory, we may hold some of our assets through taxable subsidiary corporations.

Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities.

To qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, the nature and diversification of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our stockholders and the ownership of our stock. We may be required to make distributions to stockholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Thus, compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits.

Complying with REIT requirements may force us to liquidate otherwise attractive investments.

To qualify as a REIT we must ensure that at the end of each calendar quarter at least 75% of the value of our assets consists of cash, cash items, government securities and qualified REIT real estate assets. The remainder of our investment in securities (other than government securities and qualified real estate assets) generally cannot include more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer or more than 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer. In addition, in general, no more than 5% of the value of our assets (other than government securities and qualified real estate assets) can consist of the securities of any one issuer, and no more than 20% of the value of our total securities can be represented by securities of one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries. If we fail to comply with these requirements at the end of any calendar quarter, we must correct such failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter to avoid losing our REIT status and suffering adverse tax consequences. As a result, we may be required to liquidate otherwise attractive investments.

Liquidation of collateral may jeopardize our REIT status.

To continue to qualify as a REIT, we must comply with requirements regarding our assets and our sources of income. If we are compelled to liquidate our mortgage and preferred equity investments to satisfy our obligations to our lenders, we may be unable to comply with these requirements, ultimately jeopardizing our status as a REIT.

Complying with REIT requirements may force us to borrow to make distributions to stockholders.

As a REIT, we must generally distribute at least 90% of our annual taxable income, subject to certain adjustments, to our stockholders. To the extent that we satisfy the distribution requirement, but distribute less than 100% of our taxable income, we will be subject to federal corporate income tax on our undistributed taxable income. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax if the actual amount that we pay out to our stockholders in a calendar year is less than a minimum amount specified under federal tax laws.

From time to time, we may generate taxable income greater than our net income for financial reporting purposes due to, among other things, amortization of capitalized purchase premiums, or our taxable income may be greater than our cash flow available for distribution to stockholders (for example, where a borrower defers the payment of interest in cash pursuant to a contractual right or otherwise). If we do not have other funds available in these situations we could be required to borrow funds, sell investments at disadvantageous prices or find another alternative source of funds to make distributions sufficient to enable us to pay out enough of our taxable income to satisfy the REIT distribution requirement and to avoid corporate income tax and the 4% excise tax in a particular year. These alternatives could increase our costs or reduce our equity.

We may be subject to adverse legislative or regulatory tax changes that could reduce the market price of our common stock.

At any time, the federal income tax laws governing REITs or the administrative interpretations of those laws may be amended. Any of those new laws or interpretations may take effect retroactively and could adversely affect us or you as a stockholder. On May 28, 2003, The Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 was enacted, which decreases the tax rate on most dividends paid by corporations to individual investors to a maximum of 15% from current rates, and such rates are retroactive to the beginning of January 2003. REIT dividends, with limited exceptions, will not benefit from the rate reduction, because a REIT’s income generally is not subject to corporate level tax. As such, this legislation could cause shares in non-REIT corporations to be a more attractive investment to individual investors than shares in REITs and could have an adverse effect on the value of our common stock.

Restrictions on share accumulation in REITs could discourage a change of control of us.

In order for us to qualify as a REIT, not more than 50% of the number or value of our outstanding shares of capital stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals during the last half of a taxable year.

In order to prevent five or fewer individuals from acquiring more than 50% of our outstanding shares and a resulting failure to qualify as a REIT, our charter provides that, subject to certain exceptions, no person may own, or be deemed to own by virtue of the attribution provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, more than 9.6% of the aggregate value or number (whichever is more restrictive) of shares of our outstanding common stock or 9.6% by value of our outstanding capital stock. For purposes of this calculation, warrants held by such person will be deemed to have been exercised. The shares most recently acquired by a person that are in excess of these limits will not have any voting rights exercisable by such person. Any attempt to own or transfer shares of our common or preferred stock in excess of the ownership limit without the consent of the board of directors will result in the shares being automatically transferred to a charitable trust (or otherwise be void) and be deemed to have been offered for sale to us for a period subsequent to the acquisition. Any person who acquires shares in excess of these limits is obliged to immediately give written notice to us and provide us with any information we may request in order to determine the effect of the acquisition on our status as a REIT.

While these restrictions are designed to prevent any five individuals from owning more than 50% of our shares, they could also discourage a change in control of our company. These restrictions may also deter tender offers that may be attractive to stockholders or limit the opportunity for stockholders to receive a premium for their shares if an investor makes purchases of shares to acquire a block of shares.

Complying with REIT requirements may limit our ability to hedge effectively.

The REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code may limit our ability to hedge our operations by requiring us to limit our income in each year from qualified hedges, together with any other income not generated from qualified real estate assets, to no more than 25% of our gross income. In addition, we must limit our aggregate income from nonqualified hedging transactions, from our provision of services

and from other non-qualifying sources to no more than 5% of our annual gross income. As a result, we may have to limit our use of advantageous hedging techniques. This could result in greater risks associated with changes in interest rates than we would otherwise want to incur. If we were to violate the 25% or 5% limitations, we would possibly have to pay a penalty tax equal to the amount of income in excess of those limitations, multiplied by a fraction intended to reflect our profitability. If we fail to satisfy the REIT gross income tests, unless our failure was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect, we could lose our REIT status for federal income tax purposes.

Risks Related to the Offering

There may not be an active market for our common stock, which may cause our common stock to trade at a discount and make it difficult to sell the common stock you purchase.

Prior to the concurrent offerings, there has been no public market for our common stock. We cannot assure you that an active trading market for our common stock will develop or be sustained after the concurrent offerings. The initial public offering price for our common stock will be determined by negotiations between the underwriters and us. We cannot assure you that the initial public offering price will correspond to the price at which our common stock will trade in the public market subsequent to the concurrent offerings or that the price of our shares available in the public market will reflect our actual financial performance.

We intend to apply to list our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange. Quotation through the New York Stock Exchange would not ensure that an actual market will develop for our common stock. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to (i) the likelihood that an actual market for our common stock will develop, (ii) the liquidity of any such market, (iii) the ability of any holder to sell shares of our common stock, or (iv) the prices that may be obtained for our common stock.

Our charter generally does not permit ownership in excess of 9.6% of our common or capital stock, and attempts to acquire our capital stock in excess of these limits are ineffective without prior approval from our board of directors.

For the purpose of preserving our REIT qualification, our charter generally prohibits direct or constructive ownership by any person of more than 9.6% (by value or by number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding shares of our common stock or 9.6% (by value) of our outstanding shares of capital stock. For purposes of this calculation, warrants held by such person will be deemed to have been exercised if such exercise would result in a violation. Our charter’s constructive ownership rules are complex and may cause the outstanding stock owned by a group of related individuals or entities to be deemed to be constructively owned by one individual or entity. As a result, the acquisition of less than these percentages of the outstanding stock by an individual or entity could cause that individual or entity to own constructively in excess of these percentages of the outstanding stock and thus be subject to our charter’s ownership limit. Any attempt to own or transfer shares of our common or preferred stock in excess of the ownership limit without the consent of the board of directors will result in the shares being automatically transferred to a charitable trust or otherwise be void.

Maryland takeover statutes may prevent a change of our control. This could depress our stock price.

Under Maryland law, “business combinations” between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder or an affiliate of an interested stockholder are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. These business combinations include a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. The statute permits various exceptions, including business combinations that are exempted by the board of directors before the time that an interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. An interested stockholder is defined as:


	•	any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s shares; 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 voting stock of the corporation.

A person is not an interested stockholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which he otherwise would have become an interested stockholder.

After the five year prohibition, any business combination between the Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder generally must be recommended by the board of directors of the corporation 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.

The business combination statute may prevent or discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer, including potential acquisitions that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders. See “Important Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Charter and Bylaws — Business Combinations” and “— Control Share Acquisitions.”

Our staggered board and other provisions of our charter and bylaws may prevent a change in our control.

Our board of directors is divided into three classes of directors. The current terms of the Class I, Class II and Class III directors will expire in 2004, 2005 and 2006, respectively. Directors of each class are chosen for three year terms upon the expiration of their current terms, and each year one class of directors is elected by the stockholders. The staggered terms of our directors may reduce the possibility of a tender offer or an attempt at a change in control, even though a tender offer or change in control might be in the best interest of our stockholders. In addition, our charter and bylaws also contain other provisions that may delay or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders. See “Important Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Charter and Bylaws.”

Future offerings of debt securities, which would be senior to our common stock upon liquidation, or equity securities, which would dilute the holdings of our existing stockholders and may be senior to our common stock for the purposes of dividend distributions or distributions upon liquidation, may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

In the future we may attempt to increase our capital resources by making additional offerings of debt or equity securities, including commercial paper, medium term notes, senior or subordinated notes and classes of preferred stock or common stock. Upon liquidation, holders of our debt securities and shares of preferred stock and lenders with respect to other borrowings will receive a distribution of our available assets prior to the holders of our common stock. Additional equity offerings may dilute the holdings of our existing stockholders or reduce the market price of our common stock, or both. If we decide to issue preferred stock in addition to our special voting preferred stock already issued, it could have a preference on liquidating distributions or a preference on dividend payments that could limit our ability to make a dividend distribution to the holders of our common stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, our stockholders bear the risk of our future offerings reducing the market price of our common stock and diluting their stock holdings in us.

Securities eligible for future sale may have adverse effects on our share price.

The effect of future sales of our common stock or the availability of our common stock for future sales may affect the market price of our common stock. Prior to the concurrent offerings, 8,199,567 shares of our common stock are outstanding, 1,610,000 shares authorized for issuance upon exercise of the warrants for shares of common stock, 35,500 shares reserved and authorized for issuance under our stock incentive plan and 3,776,069 shares authorized for issuance upon redemption of operating partnership units, including 629,345 operating partnership units issuable upon exercise of warrants for additional operating partnership units. After giving effect to the concurrent offerings, there will be shares of common stock outstanding. Of the shares of our common stock currently outstanding, 435,000 shares of common stock are being registered pursuant to the IPO registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We have agreed to register the remaining 7,615,000 shares comprising our units and 1,576,000 shares underlying warrants comprising our units for resale by the remaining holders of our units within 180 days of the date of this prospectus. We may also register the 149,500 shares of restricted common stock issued to our directors, executive officers, employees and certain employees of Arbor Commercial Mortgage pursuant to our stock incentive plan after the expiration of the 180 day lock-up period for our directors and executive officers. If Arbor Commercial Mortgage redeems its 3,776,069 operating partnership units (including 629,345 operating partnership units issuable upon exercise of warrants for additional operating partnership units) and we elect to issue shares of our common stock upon such redemption, an additional 3,776,069 shares would be eligible for future sale. We have granted registration rights to Arbor Commercial Mortgage relating to the resale of shares of common stock that we may issue upon redemption of its operating partnership units. Furthermore, we satisfy our obligation to pay up to 25% of the incentive compensation payable to our manager under the management agreement with shares of our common stock. The issuance of common stock could cause dilution of our existing common stock and a decrease in the market price.

You should not rely on lock-up agreements in connection with the original offering or this offering to limit the amount of common stock sold into the market.

We will agree with the underwriters not to offer to sell, contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of, loan, pledge or grant any rights with respect to any shares of our common stock, any options or warrants to purchase any shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable for any of our common stock, including our units, for a period of 180 days following the completion of this offering, subject to certain exceptions. Our directors and officers, Arbor Commercial Mortgage and certain members of the senior management of Arbor Commercial Mortgage will agree, with limited exceptions, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, and all selling stockholders and remaining holders of units will agree, with limited exceptions, for a period of 60 days after the date of this prospectus, that they will not, without the prior written consent of Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC, directly or indirectly, offer to sell, sell or otherwise dispose of any shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, shares of our common or our other capital stock, other than the shares of common stock sold by the selling stockholders in this offering.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage and each of the persons serving as our directors and executive officers at the consummation of the private placement also entered into lock-up agreements with respect to their units, common stock, warrants and the shares of common stock issuable upon redemption of operating partnership units restricting the sale of such securities without the consent of JMP Securities until the earlier of 180 days after the date of effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or two years from the consummation of private placement, subject to certain exceptions. Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and JMP Securities, respectively, may, at any time, release all or a portion of the securities subject to the foregoing lock-up provisions. If the restrictions under the lock-up agreements with members of our senior management and directors are waived or terminated, approximately shares and 260,750 units, including 1,303,750 shares of common stock and 260,750 warrants comprising the units, will be available for sale into the market, subject only to applicable securities rules and regulations, which could reduce the market price for our common stock.

We may allocate the net proceeds from the concurrent offerings in ways with which you may not agree.

Our business plan is general in nature and is subject to change based upon changing conditions and opportunities. Our management has significant flexibility in applying the total $ million in net proceeds we expect to receive in the concurrent offerings and from the exercise of warrants by the selling stockholders ($ million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Because the net proceeds is not required to be allocated to any specific investment or transaction, you cannot determine at this time the value or propriety of our application of the proceeds, and you and other stockholders may not agree with our decisions. See “Use of Proceeds” for a more detailed description of how management intends to apply the proceeds from the concurrent offerings.

We have not established a minimum dividend payment level and there are no assurances of our ability to pay dividends in the future.

We intend to pay quarterly dividends and to make distributions to our stockholders in an amount such that all or substantially all of our taxable income in each year, subject to certain adjustments, is distributed. We have not established a minimum dividend payment level and our ability to pay dividends may be adversely affected by the risk factors described in this prospectus. All distributions will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, our financial condition, maintenance of our REIT status and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time. There are no assurances of our ability to pay dividends in the future. In addition, some of our distributions may include a return of capital.

An increase in market interest rates may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

One of the factors that investors may consider in deciding whether to buy or sell shares of our common stock is our dividend rate as a percentage of our share price relative to market interest rates. If the market price of our common stock is based primarily on the earnings and return that we derive from our investments and income with respect to our properties and our related distributions to stockholders, and not from the market value or underlying appraised value of the properties or investments themselves, then interest rate fluctuations and capital market conditions will likely affect the market price of our common stock. For instance, if market rates rise without an increase in our dividend rate, the market price of our common stock could decrease as potential investors may require a higher dividend yield on our common stock or seek other securities paying higher dividends or interest. In addition, rising interest rates would result in increased interest expense on our variable rate debt, thereby adversely affecting cash flow and our ability to service our indebtedness and pay dividends.

Investors in the concurrent offerings will suffer immediate and substantial dilution.

The initial public offering price of our common stock is higher than the net tangible book value per share of our common stock outstanding immediately after the concurrent offerings. Our net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2003 was approximately $ . Net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2003 represents the amount of our total tangible assets minus our total liabilities, divided by the 8,199,567 shares of our common stock that were outstanding on December 31, 2003. Investors who purchase our common stock in the concurrent offerings will pay a price per share that substantially exceeds the net tangible book value per share of our common stock. If you purchase our common stock in the concurrent offerings, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution of $ in the net tangible book value per share of our common stock, based upon the initial public offering price of $ per share. Additional dilution will occur upon the exercise of outstanding options. Investors who purchase our common stock in the concurrent offerings will have purchased % of the shares outstanding immediately after the offering, but will have paid % of the total consideration for those shares.

Broad market fluctuations could negatively impact the market price of our common stock.

The stock market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected the market price of many companies in industries similar or related to ours and that have been unrelated to these companies’ operating performances. These broad market fluctuations could reduce the market price of our common stock. Furthermore, our operating results and prospects may be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors or may be lower than those of companies with comparable market capitalizations, which could lead to a material decline in the market price of our common stock.

Wachovia will receive benefits from this offering in addition to its underwriting discount.

Certain of the net proceeds from the concurrent offerings will be used to repay outstanding indebtedness under a master repurchase agreement with an affiliate of Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC, an underwriter in this offering. See “Use of Proceeds” and “Underwriting.”

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

We make forward looking statements in this prospectus that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business and our financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans, and objectives. They also include, among other things, statements concerning anticipated revenues, income or loss, capital expenditures, dividends, capital structure, or other financial terms, as well as statements regarding the subjects that are forward looking by their nature, such as:


	•	our business strategy;

	•	completion of any pending transactions;

	•	our ability to obtain future financing arrangements;

	•	our understanding of our competition;

	•	our projected operating results;

	•	the operating results presented in the historical consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus;

	•	market trends;

	•	estimates relating to our future dividends;

	•	projected capital expenditures; and

	•	the impact of technology on our operations and business.

The forward looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions, and expectations of our future performance, taking into account the information currently available to us. We do not intend to update our forward looking statements. These beliefs, assumptions, and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our forward looking statements. You should carefully consider this risk when you make a decision concerning an investment in our common stock.

When we use words such as “will likely result,” “may,” “shall,” “will,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “intend,” “estimate,” “goal,” “objective,” or similar expressions, we intend to identify forward looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward looking statements. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds from our sale of shares of common stock in this offering, at the initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the range listed on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting the underwriting discount and other estimated offering expenses, will be approximately $ million. If the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, we estimate that the net proceeds, after deducting the underwriting discount and other estimated offering expenses, of the offering of common stock by us will be approximately $ million. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders.

Concurrently with this offering, we may sell shares of common stock at the initial public offering price to Mr. Kojaian, one of our directors who has expressed an interest in purchasing shares of our common stock. We are not paying any underwriting discounts or commissions on these shares. Accordingly, we estimate that our net proceeds from this concurrent offering will be approximately $ million.

In addition, we estimate that the proceeds we will receive from the exercise of 34,000 warrants by selling stockholders who propose to offer their underlying shares in this offering will be approximately $510,000.

We intend to use all of the net proceeds of the concurrent offerings and the exercise of the warrants by the selling stockholders to repay indebtedness under our warehouse credit agreement and master repurchase agreements. We anticipate that we will use the additional borrowing capacity created by the repayments under these credit facilities to fund our lending business in connection with newly originated and existing loans in our portfolio as the need arises. As of January 31, 2004, $69.6 million was outstanding under our $150 million master repurchase agreement, which matures in December 2006, with a weighted average interest rate of 3.58%. This repurchase agreement is with an affiliate of Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC, an underwriter in this offering. As of January 31, 2004, the outstanding balance under our $100 million master repurchase agreement, which matures on December 31, 2004, was $52.1 million with a weighted average interest rate of 3.3%. As of January 31, 2004, $79.7 million was outstanding under our primary $250 million warehouse credit agreement, which matures on December 31, 2004, with a weighted average interest rate of 3.46%. During the last year, we borrowed money under these facilities to fund our lending business as required in connection with newly originated and existing loans in our portfolio.

DISTRIBUTION POLICY

We have made and intend to make, regular quarterly distributions to our stockholders. To qualify as a REIT we must distribute to our stockholders an amount at least equal to:



	•	90% of our REIT taxable income, determined before the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain (which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principals); plus



	•	90% of the excess of our net income from foreclosure property (as defined in Section 856 of the Internal Revenue Code) over the tax imposed on such income by the Internal Revenue Code; less


	•	any excess non-cash income (as determined under the Internal Revenue Code). See “Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

We are subject to income tax on income that is not distributed and to an excise tax to the extent that certain percentages of our income are not distributed by specified dates. See “Federal Income Tax Considerations.” Income as computed for purposes of the foregoing tax rules will not necessarily correspond to our income as determined for financial reporting purposes.

Distributions are authorized by our board of directors and declared by us based upon a number of factors, including:


	•	actual results of operations;

	•	restrictions under Maryland law;


	•	the timing of the investment of our equity capital;

	•	the amount of funds from operations;

	•	our financial condition;

	•	debt service requirements;

	•	capital expenditure requirements;

	•	our taxable income;

	•	the annual distribution requirements under the REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code;

	•	our operating expenses; and

	•	other factors our directors deem relevant.

Our ability to make distributions to our stockholders depends upon our receipt of distributions from our operating partnership, Arbor Realty Limited Partnership, which may depend, in part, upon the performance of our investment portfolio, and, in turn, from Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s management of our business. Distributions are made in cash to the extent that cash is available for distribution. In order to maximize the return on our funds, cash generated from operations is generally used to temporarily pay down borrowings. When making distributions, we generally borrow the required funds by drawing on credit capacity available under our credit facilities. Our distributions have not exceeded cash generated from operations and we do not anticipate that distributions will significantly exceed cash generated from operations in the future. If distributions exceed the amount of cash generated from operations, we may be required to borrow additional funds or sell assets in order to meet our REIT distribution requirements.

Distributions to stockholders are generally taxable to our stockholders as ordinary income, although a portion of these distributions may be designated by us as short-term or long-term capital gains to the extent they are attributable to capital gain income recognized by us, or may constitute a return of capital to the extent they exceed our earnings and profits as determined for tax purposes. We will furnish annually to each of our stockholders a statement setting forth distributions paid during the preceding year and their federal income tax status. For a discussion of the federal income tax treatment of our distributions, see “Federal Income Tax Considerations — Taxation of Arbor Realty” and “Federal Income Tax Considerations — Taxation of Stockholders.”

We may not be able to generate sufficient revenue from operations to pay distributions to our stockholders. In addition, our directors may change our distribution policy in the future. See “Risk Factors.”

Our charter allows us to issue preferred stock that could have a preference on distributions. We currently have no intention to issue any such preferred stock, but if we do, the dividend preference on the preferred stock could limit our ability to make a dividend distribution to the holders of our common stock. We have previously issued approximately 3.1 million shares of our special voting preferred stock to Arbor Commercial Mortgage which does not have any preferential dividend, except a $0.01 per share liquidation preference upon a liquidation or redemption.

On November 5, 2003, our board authorized and we declared a dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock, payable with respect to the quarter ending September 30, 2003, to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 5, 2003. We distributed this dividend on November 18, 2003. On December 19, 2003, our board of directors authorized a dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock, payable with respect to the quarter ending December 31, 2003, to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 19, 2003. We distributed this dividend on December 30, 2003. Of the dividends paid in 2003, 76% were taxable as ordinary income and 24% represented a return of capital. The portion representing the return of capital arose because the distribution paid, which approximated cash generated from operations, exceeded taxable income for the year.

CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of December 31, 2003, on an actual basis and as adjusted to give effect to the concurrent offerings and the exercise of 34,000 warrants by selling stockholders for shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $15.00 per share, and the application of the estimated net proceeds that we expect to receive from our sale of common stock in the concurrent offerings and the exercise of the warrants as described under “Use of Proceeds.” This table should be read together with “Use of Proceeds,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc., and Subsidiaries” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.



		As of December 31, 2003

		Actual			As Adjusted


		(In thousands, except per
		share data)
Cash and cash equivalents		$	6,116
Long term debt			172,528
Minority interest			43,632
Stockholders’ equity
	Preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, 100,000,000 shares authorized; 3,146,724 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted		31			31
	Common stock, par value $0.01 per share, 500,000,000 shares authorized; 8,199,567 shares issued and outstanding, actual; shares issued and outstanding, as adjusted		82
	Additional paid in capital		112,216
	Distributions in excess of earnings		(692	)		(692	)
	Deferred compensation		(521	)		(521	)
	Total stockholders’ equity	$	111,116
Total capitalization		$	333,392

DILUTION

Our net tangible book value as of December 31, 2003 was approximately $ million, or $ per share of our common stock. Net tangible book value per share represents the amount of our total tangible assets minus our total liabilities, divided by the 8,199,567 shares of our common stock that were outstanding on December 31, 2003. After giving effect to the sale of shares of our common stock in the concurrent offerings, each at the initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the range listed on the cover page of this prospectus, our net tangible book value on December 31, 2003 would have been approximately $ million, or $ per share. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $ per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $ per share to new investors who purchase our common stock in the concurrent offerings at the initial public offering price. The following table shows this immediate per share dilution:


Initial public offering price per share		$

Net tangible book value per share on December 31, 2003, before giving effect to the concurrent offerings	$

Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to the concurrent offerings

Pro forma net tangible book value per share on December 31, 2003, after giving effect to the concurrent offerings

Dilution in pro forma net tangible book value per share to new investors		$

The discussion and table above exclude 49,833 shares of our common stock subject to restricted stock awards, which are not vested.

The following table summarizes, as of December 31, 2003, the differences between the average price per share paid by our existing stockholders and by new investors purchasing shares of common stock in the concurrent offerings at the initial public offering price of $ per share, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us in this offering:

Shares Purchased

Total Consideration

Average

Price Per

Number

Percent

Amount

Percent

Share

Existing stockholders

New investors

Total

If the underwriters fully exercise their over-allotment option, the number of shares of common stock held by existing holders will be reduced to % of the aggregate number of shares of common stock outstanding after the concurrent offerings and the number of shares of common stock held by new investors will be increased to , or %, of the aggregate number of shares of common stock outstanding after the concurrent offerings.

SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

OF ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

The following tables present selected historical consolidated financial information as of December 31, 2003 and for the period ended December 31, 2003. The selected historical consolidated financial information presented below under the captions “Consolidated Income Statement Data” and “Consolidated Balance Sheet Data” have been derived from our audited, interim consolidated financial statements and include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring accruals, which management considers necessary for a fair presentation of the historical consolidated financial statements for such period. The information presented under the caption “Consolidated Income Statement Data” for the period ended December 31, 2003 is not necessarily indicative of any other interim period. In addition, since the information presented below is only a summary and does not provide all of the information contained in our historical consolidated financial statements, including the related notes, you should read it in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries” and our historical consolidated financial statements, including the related notes, included elsewhere in this prospectus.


	Period from June 24, 2003
	(inception) to
	December 31, 2003

Consolidated Income Statement Data:
Interest income	$	10,012,449
Other income		156,502
Total revenue		10,168,951
Total expenses		5,452,865
Net income		3,407,919
Earnings per share, basic and diluted⁽¹⁾		0.42
Dividends declared per common share⁽²⁾		0.50


	At December 31, 2003

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:
Loans and investments, net	$	300,846,001
Related party loans, net		21,131,490
Total assets		338,164,432
Notes payable and repurchase agreements		172,528,471
Total liabilities		183,416,716
Minority interest		43,631,602
Total stockholders’ equity		111,116,114


	Period from June 24, 2003
	(inception) to
	December 31, 2003

Other Data:
Total originations	$	186,289,922



(1)	The warrants underlying the units issued in the private placement at $75.00 per unit have an initial exercise price of $15.00 per share and expire on July 1, 2005. This exercise price is equal to the price per share of common stock in the private placement and approximates the market value of our common stock at December 31, 2003. Therefore, the assumed exercise of the warrants were not considered to be dilutive for purposes of calculating diluted earnings per share.



(2)	On November 5, 2003, our board authorized and we declared a dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock, payable with respect to the quarter ending September 30, 2003, to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 5, 2003. We distributed this dividend on November 18, 2003. On December 19, 2003, our board of directors authorized and we declared a dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock, payable with respect to the quarter ending December 31, 2003, to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 19, 2003. We distributed this dividend on December 30, 2003.

SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE STRUCTURED FINANCE

BUSINESS OF ARBOR COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES

The tables on the following page present selected historical consolidated financial information of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage at the dates and for the periods indicated. The structured finance business did not operate as a separate legal entity or business division or segment of Arbor Commercial Mortgage but as an integrated part of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s consolidated business. Accordingly, the statements of revenue and direct operating expenses do not include charges from Arbor Commercial Mortgage for corporate general and administrative expense because Arbor Commercial Mortgage considered such items to be corporate expenses and did not allocate them to individual business units. These expenses included costs for Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s executive management, corporate facilities and overhead costs, corporate accounting and treasury functions, corporate legal matters and other similar costs. The selected consolidated financial information presented under the caption “Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses Data” for the years ended December 31, 2002 and 2001, and the six months ended June 30, 2003 and under the caption “Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities Data” as of December 31, 2002 and 2001 have been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage included elsewhere in this prospectus. The selected consolidated financial information presented under the caption “Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses Data” for the six month period ended June 30, 2003 is not necessarily indicative of the results of any other interim period or the year ended December 31, 2003. The selected consolidated financial information presented under the caption “Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses Data” for the year ended December 31, 2000 and the caption “Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities Data” as of December 31, 2000 have also been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. The selected consolidated financial information presented under the caption “Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses Data” for the years ended December 31, 1999 and 1998 and the caption “Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities Data” as of December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998 have been derived from the unaudited consolidated financial statements of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage.

Consolidated Statement of Revenue and Direct Operating Expenses Data:



		Six Months Ended
		June 30,					Year Ended December 31,

		2003		2002			2002		2001(1)		2000(1)		1999(1)		1998(1)

				(Unaudited)									(Unaudited)		(Unaudited)
Interest income		$	7,688,465	$	7,482,750		$	14,532,504	$	14,667,916	$	10,707,551	$	6,964,873	$	6,807,617
	Income from real estate held for sale, net of operating expenses		—		—			—		—		—		925,999		1,608,172
	Other income		1,552,414		553,625			1,090,106		1,668,215		652,970		2,838,639		7,064,294
Total revenue			9,240,879		8,036,375			15,622,610		16,336,131		11,360,521		10,729,511		15,480,083
Total direct operating expenses			5,737,688		8,344,302			13,639,755		10,997,800		9,227,274		7,145,469		6,589,274
Revenue in excess of direct operating expenses before gain on sale of loans and real estate and income from equity affiliates			3,503,191		(307,927	)		1,982,855		5,338,331		2,133,247		3,584,042		8,890,809
	Gain on sale of loans and real estate		1,024,268		7,006,432			7,470,999		3,226,648		1,880,825		1,818,299		1,898,558
	Income from equity affiliates		—		601,100			632,350		1,403,014		5,028,835		3,592,398		567,006
Revenue, gain on sale of loans and real estate and income from equity affiliates in excess of direct operating expenses			4,527,459		7,299,605			10,086,204		9,967,993		9,042,907		8,994,739		11,356,373

Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities Data:



	At December 31,

	2002		2001		2000		1999		1998

					(Unaudited)		(Unaudited)		(Unaudited)
Loans and investments, net	$	172,142,511	$	160,183,066	$	85,547,323	$	50,156,022	$	75,604,351
Related party loans, net		15,952,078		15,880,207		—		—		—
Investment in equity affiliates		2,586,026		2,957,072		20,506,417		23,459,586		20,092,793
Total assets		200,563,236		183,713,747		119,110,446		84,751,032		96,537,674
Notes payable and repurchase agreements		141,836,477		132,409,735		70,473,501		47,154,530		58,678,062
Total liabilities		144,280,806		134,086,301		72,266,700		48,025,934		59,193,306
Net assets		56,282,430		49,627,446		46,843,746		36,725,098		37,344,368

Other Data (Unaudited):



	Six Months Ended
	June 30,				Year Ended December 31,

	2003		2002		2002		2001		2000			1999			1998

Total originations	$	117,965,000	$	30,660,000	$	130,043,000	$	86,700,000	$	108,378,000	(2)	$	120,378,900	(2)	$	230,718,353	(2)


(1)	In June 1998, Arbor Commercial Mortgage entered into a joint venture with SFG I, an affiliate of Nomura Asset Capital Corp., for the purpose of acquiring up to $250 million of structured finance investments. Arbor Commercial Mortgage and SFG I each made 50% of the capital contributions to the joint venture and shared profits equally. Nomura Asset Capital Corp. provided financing to the joint venture in the form of a repurchase agreement. On July 31, 2001, Arbor Commercial Mortgage purchased SFG I’s interest in this venture. This buyout was accounted for by the purchase accounting method. Prior to the purchase, net income from this venture was recorded in income from equity affiliates. The activities of the former joint venture have been included in the statements of revenue and direct operating expenses from the date of acquisition, August 2001. See the consolidated financial statements of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for further information.

(2)	Total originations for 1998, 1999 and 2000 include originations from Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s joint venture with SFG I discussed in footnote 1.

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

You should read the following discussion in conjunction with the sections of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors”, “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Selected Consolidated Financial Information of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries” and our historical consolidated financial statements, including related notes, included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Overview

We are a Maryland corporation that was formed in June 2003 to invest in real estate related bridge and mezzanine loans, preferred equity and, in limited cases, discounted mortgage notes and other real estate related assets. We conduct substantially all of our operations through our operating partnership.

Our operating performance is driven primarily by several factors:



	•	Net interest income earned on our investments — Net interest income represents the amount by which the interest income earned on our assets exceeds the interest expense incurred on our borrowings. If the yield earned on our assets increases, this will have a positive impact on earnings. Similarly, if the cost of borrowings decreases, this will have a positive impact on earnings. Net interest income is also directly impacted by the size of our asset portfolio.



	•	Credit quality of our assets — Effective asset and portfolio management is essential to maximizing the performance and value of a real estate/mortgage investment. Maintaining the credit quality of our loans and investments is of critical importance. Loans that do not perform in accordance with their terms may have a negative impact on earnings.



	•	Cost control — We seek to minimize our operating costs, which consist primarily of employee compensation and related costs and other general and administrative expenses. As the size of the portfolio increases, certain of these expenses, particularly employee compensation expenses, may increase.

On July 1, 2003, Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed $213.1 million of structured finance assets and $169.2 million of borrowings supported by $43.9 million of equity in exchange for a commensurate equity ownership in our operating partnership. In addition, certain employees of Arbor Commercial Mortgage were transferred to our operating partnership. These assets, liabilities and employees represent a substantial portion of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business. We are externally managed and advised by Arbor Commercial Mortgage and pay Arbor Commercial Mortgage a management fee in accordance with a management agreement. Arbor Commercial Mortgage will also originate, underwrite and service all structured finance assets on behalf of our operating partnership.

Concurrently with Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s asset contribution, we consummated a private equity offering of units, each consisting of five shares of common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock. The offering price per unit was $75.00, and gross proceeds from the private financing totaled $120.2 million. From the $120.2 million of gross proceeds from the private placement, we repaid $105.6 million of borrowings under our warehouse credit facility and repurchase agreements, purchased two mezzanine loans and one preferred equity investment from Arbor Commercial Mortgage for $6.7 million, paid offering expenses of $7.6 million and funded $0.3 million of operating capital. Gross proceeds from the private financing combined with the concurrent equity contribution by Arbor Commercial Mortgage totaled approximately $164.1 million in equity capital. Offering expenses paid or accrued totaled $10.1 million, resulting in stockholders’ equity and minority interest of $154.0 million as a result of the private placement.

Sources of Operating Revenues

We derive our operating revenues primarily through interest received from making real estate related bridge and mezzanine loans and preferred equity investments. For the period ended December 31, 2003,

interest represented approximately 98% of our total revenues. We provide bridge loans secured by first lien mortgages on the property to borrowers who are typically seeking short term capital to be used in an acquisition of property. The bridge loans we make typically range in size from $1 million to $25 million and have terms of up to seven years. We provide real property owners with mezzanine loans that are secured by pledges of ownership interests in entities that directly or indirectly control the real property or second mortgages. These loans typically range in size from $2 million to $15 million and have terms of up to seven years. We also make preferred equity investments in entities that directly or indirectly own real property.

We also derive operating revenues from other income that represents loan structuring and miscellaneous asset management fees associated with our loans and investments portfolio. For the period ended December 31, 2003, revenue from other income represented approximately 2% of our total revenue.

Gain on Sale of Loans and Real Estate and Income from Equity Affiliates

We may derive income from the gain on sale of loans and real estate. We may acquire (1) real estate for our own investment and, upon stabilization, disposition at an anticipated return and (2) real estate notes generally at a discount from lenders in situations where the borrower wishes to restructure and reposition its short term debt and the lender wishes to divest certain assets from its portfolio.

We may also derive income from equity affiliates relating to joint ventures that were formed with equity partners to acquire, develop and/or sell real estate assets. Such investments are recorded under the equity method. We record our share of net income from the underlying properties in which we invest through these joint ventures.

Significant Accounting Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies

Set forth below is a summary of the accounting policies that management believes are critical to the preparation of the consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus. Certain of the accounting policies used in the preparation of these consolidated financial statements are particularly important for an understanding of the financial position and results of operations presented in the historical consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus and require the application of significant judgment by management and, as a result, are subject to a degree of uncertainty.

Loans and Investments

Loans held for investment are intended to be held to maturity and, accordingly, are carried at cost, net of unamortized loan origination costs and fees, unless such loan or investment is deemed to be impaired. We invest in preferred equity interests that allow us to participate in a percentage of the underlying property’s cash flows from operations and proceeds from a sale or refinancing. At the inception of each such investment, management must determine whether such investment should be accounted for as a loan, joint venture or as real estate. To date, management has determined that all such investments are properly accounted for and reported as loans.

If upon completion of the valuation, the fair value of the underlying collateral securing the impaired loan is less than the net carrying value of the loan, an allowance is created with a corresponding charge to the provision for loan losses. The allowance for each loan is maintained at a level believed adequate by management to absorb probable losses.

Revenue Recognition

Interest Income. Interest income is recognized on the accrual basis as it is earned. In most instances, the borrower pays an additional amount of interest at the time the loan is closed, an origination fee, and deferred interest upon maturity. This additional income, as well as any direct loan origination costs incurred, is deferred and recognized over the life of the related loan as a yield adjustment. Income recognition is suspended for loans when in the opinion of management a full recovery of income and principal becomes doubtful. Income recognition is resumed when the loan becomes contractually current and performance is demonstrated to be resumed. Several of the loans provide for accrual of interest at specified rates, which differ from current payment terms. Interest is recognized on such loans at the accrual rate subject to management’s determination that accrued interest and outstanding principal are ultimately collectible, based on the underlying collateral and operations of the borrower. If management cannot make this determination regarding collectibility, interest income is recognized only upon actual receipt.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued FASB Interpretation No. 46 “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities” (“FIN 46”), which requires a variable interest entity, a VIE, to be consolidated by its primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary is the party that absorbs a majority of the VIE’s anticipated losses and/or a majority of the expected returns.

In December 2003, the FASB revised FIN 46 (“FIN 46-R”), delaying the effective date for certain entities created before February 1, 2003 and making other amendments to clarify the application of the guidance. In adopting FIN 46 and in anticipation of adopting FIN 46-R, we have evaluated our loans and investments and investments in equity affiliates made to entities created after February 1, 2003 to determine whether they are VIE’s. As a result of this evaluation, we determined that our mezzanine loans, preferred equity investments and investments in equity affiliates were potential variable interests. For each of these investments, we have evaluated the sufficiency of the fair value of the entities’ equity investments at risk to absorb losses. For these investments we have determined that the entities have sufficient equity at risk and, accordingly, they are not VIE’s. As such, we have continued to account for the mezzanine loans and preferred equity investments and investments in equity investments as a loan, joint venture or real estate, as appropriate.

We are still in the process of evaluating our investments made into entities created before February 1, 2003 and a definitive conclusion cannot be reached until the evaluation has been completed.

In November 2002, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 45 (“FIN 45”), “Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others,” an interpretation of FASB Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 5 (“SFAS No. 5”), “Accounting for Contingencies,” Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 57, “Related Party Disclosures,” Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 107, “Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments” and rescinded FASB Interpretation No. 34, “Disclosure of Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others, an Interpretation of SFAS No. 5.” It requires that upon issuance of a guarantee, the guarantor must recognize a liability for the fair value of the obligation it assumes under that guarantee regardless of whether it receives separately identifiable consideration (i.e., a premium). The new disclosure requirements were effective December 31, 2002. The adoption of FIN 45 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements, nor is it expected to have a material impact in the future.

Results of Operations

Period from June 24, 2003 (inception) to December 31, 2003

The following table sets forth our results of operations for the period ended December 31, 2003:


			Period from
			June 24, 2003
			(inception) to
			December 31, 2003

Revenue:
	Interest income		$	10,012,449
	Other income			156,502

Total revenue			$	10,168,951

Expenses:
	Interest expense			1,669,731
	Employee compensation and benefits			940,336
		Stock based compensation		1,721,367
		Selling and administrative		533,697
		Management fee		587,734

Total expenses				5,452,865

Income before minority interest				4,716,086
Income allocated to minority interest				1,308,167

Net income			$	3,407,919

Revenue. Interest income was $10.0 million. The average balance of the loan and investment portfolio was $254.9 million during the period ended December 31, 2003. The average yield on these assets was 7.68%.

Other income was $157,000, which represents loan structuring and miscellaneous asset management fees associated with our loans and investments portfolio.

Expenses. Interest expense was $1.7 million. The average balance of debt financing was $92.5 million during the period ended December 31, 2003. The average cost of these borrowings was 3.53%. Our average leverage for the period ended December 31, 2003 was 36%, resulting in our interest margin on a levered basis being 10.27%.

Employee compensation and benefits expense was $940,000, which represents salaries, benefits and incentive compensation for the 12 employees employed by us during the period ended December 31, 2003.

Stock-based compensation expense was $1.7 million. This expense represents the cost of restricted stock granted to certain of our employees, executive officers and directors and certain executive officers and employees of our manager. Of the total shares granted, two-thirds of the shares granted vested immediately and the remaining one-third will vest over three years. The amount of compensation expense recorded for the period ended December 31, 2003 represents the full expense of the vested shares and a ratable portion of the expense of the unvested shares.

Selling and administrative expense was $534,000. This amount is comprised primarily of professional fees, including legal and accounting services.

Management fees were $588,000. This amount represents the base management fee as provided for in the management agreement with our manager. The management agreement also provides for incentive compensation; however, the requirements for incentive compensation were not satisfied and no incentive compensation was recorded in the period.

Income Allocated to Minority Interest. Income allocated to minority interest was $1.3 million. This amount represents the portion of our income allocated to our manager, which owns a 28% limited partnership interest in our operating partnership and is allocated 28% of our income.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity

Liquidity is a measurement of the ability to meet potential cash requirements, including ongoing commitments to repay borrowings, fund and maintain loans and investments and other general business needs. Our primary sources of funds for liquidity consist of funds raised from our private equity offering in July 2003, borrowings under credit agreements, net cash provided by operating activities, repayments of outstanding loans and investments and the issuance of common, convertible and/or preferred equity securities.

To maintain our status as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code, we must distribute annually at least 90% of our taxable income. These distribution requirements limit our ability to retain earnings and thereby replenish or increase capital for operations. However, we believe that our significant capital resources and access to financing will provide us with financial flexibility and market responsiveness at levels sufficient to meet current and anticipated capital requirements, including expected new lending and investment opportunities.

Gross proceeds from the private placement on July 1, 2003 totaled $120.2 million, which combined with Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s equity contribution of $43.9 million, resulted in total contributed capital of $164.1 million. From the $120.2 million of gross proceeds from the private placement, we repaid $105.6 million of borrowings under our warehouse credit facility and repurchase agreements, purchased two mezzanine loans and one preferred equity investment from Arbor Commercial Mortgage for $6.7 million, paid offering expenses of $7.6 million and funded $0.3 million of operating capital. We paid or accrued offering expenses of $10.1 million, resulting in stockholders equity and minority interest of $154.0 million as a result of the private placement.

We also maintain liquidity through one warehouse credit agreement and two master repurchase agreements with three different financial institutions with which Arbor Commercial Mortgage had similar financing facilities and an additional master repurchase agreement that we entered into with another financial institution in December 2003.

We have a $250.0 million warehouse credit agreement with a financial institution, dated as of July 1, 2003, with a term of three years. In the event this facility is not renewed, we have nine months to repay all outstanding advances. In addition to LIBOR-based interest obligations, this warehouse credit facility includes a profit sharing agreement, whereby the institution shares in the net interest spread of the assets financed. The profit sharing component represents the percentage of the net profits earned over the life of a loan that are payable to the lender upon repayment of the underlying investment. Net profits are based on interest income, interest expense and deferred interest payable at repayment of an investment. On January 31, 2004, the outstanding balance under this facility was $79.7 million.

We have a $100.0 million master repurchase agreement with a second financial institution, dated as of November 18, 2002, with a one-year term, renewable annually. This repurchase agreement was assigned from Arbor Commercial Mortgage to us on July 1, 2003. On January 31, 2004, the outstanding balance under this facility was $52.1 million. In February 2004, we entered into an amendment to this repurchase agreement, which extended the term of this facility until December 31, 2004. Under the terms of this amendment, $3.2 million of borrowings related to the CDS Portfolio preferred equity investment must be repaid by March 31, 2004. In addition, the interest rates on the borrowings related to the Schron A preferred equity investment and the Tropical Gardens and Palmetto Villas Apartments bridge loans were adjusted to LIBOR plus 3.50%, 2.25% and 2.50%, respectively. We do not believe the revised terms will have a material impact on our results of operations.

We have a $50.0 million master repurchase agreement with a third financial institution, dated as of July 1, 2003, which matures in November 2005. This facility has not yet been utilized.

We have a $150.0 million master repurchase agreement with a fourth financial institution (which is an affiliate of Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC, an underwriter for this offering), dated as of December 23, 2003 with a term of three years and an interest rate based on LIBOR. As of December 31, 2003, this facility had not been utilized. In December 2003, we entered into a temporary repurchase agreement arrangement with this financial institution to finance three mezzanine loans that were originated in December 2003. In January 2004, we transferred the financing of these three loans from the temporary facility to the $150.0 million facility. As of January 31, 2004, $69.6 million was outstanding under this facility. On March 2, 2004, we amended this facility on a temporary basis. The amendment provides for an increase in the facility size from $150 million to $250 million. Borrowings may be taken up to 100% of our asset amount at a cost of 2.0% greater than the existing cost of funds. To date, no advances have been made subject to this amendment. In the event there are advances under this amendment in the future, we anticipate such advances will be repaid with proceeds from this offering.

The warehouse credit agreement and the three master repurchase agreements require that we pay interest monthly, based on our pricing over LIBOR. The amount of our pricing over LIBOR varies depending upon the structure of the loan or investment financed pursuant to the warehouse credit agreement or the master repurchase agreement. Our pricing over LIBOR is summarized in the table on the following page.

The warehouse credit agreement and the three master repurchase agreements require that we pay down borrowings under these facilities pro-rata as principal payments on our loans and investments are received. In addition, if upon maturity of a loan or investment we decide to grant the borrower an extension option, the financial institutions have the option to extend the borrowings or request payment in full on the outstanding borrowings of the loan or investment extended. The financial institutions also have the right to request immediate payment of any outstanding borrowings on any loan or investment that is at least 60 days delinquent.

We believe our existing sources of funds will be adequate for purposes of meeting our short-term liquidity (within one year) and long-term liquidity needs. These liquidity needs, which are present in the short-term and long-term, include ongoing commitments to repay borrowings, fund future investments, fund operating costs and fund distributions. Our loans and investments, the majority of which have been contributed to us, are financed under existing credit facilities and their credit status is continuously monitored; therefore, these loans and investments are expected to generate a generally stable return. Our ability to meet our long-term liquidity and capital resource requirements is subject to obtaining additional debt and equity financing. If we are unable to renew our sources of financing on substantially similar terms or at all it would have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Any decision by our lenders and investors to enter into such transactions with us will depend upon a number of factors, such as our financial performance, compliance with the terms of our existing credit arrangements, industry or market trends, the general availability of and rates applicable to financing transactions, such lenders’ and investors’ resources and policies concerning the terms under which they make such capital commitments and the relative attractiveness of alternative investment or lending opportunities.

The maximum borrowing capacities, advance rates and other principal terms of our credit facilities are listed below:


	Warehouse			Repurchase			Repurchase			Repurchase
	Facility			Agreement			Agreement			Agreement(1)

Total Facility Amount	$	250,000,000		$	100,000,000		$	50,000,000		$	150,000,000
Sublimits based on Investment Type Bridge Loan Sublimit Amount	$	125,000,000		$	75,000,000		$	50,000,000			N/A
Maximum Advance Rate(2)		85	%(3)		80	%		80	%		70%-80	%(4)
Pricing over LIBOR		2.00	%		2.00	%		1.25	%		1.75%- 2.875	%(4)
Profit Share(5)		20.0	%
Mezzanine Loans/ Preferred Equity Sublimit Amount	$	175,000,000		$	25,000,000		$	50,000,000		$	90,000,000
Maximum Advance Rate(2)		80	%(6)		65	%		75	%		55%-70	%(4)
Pricing over LIBOR		2.75	%		2.75	%		2.50	%		2.10%- 3.225	%(4)
Profit Share(5)		20.0	%
Note Acquisitions Sublimit Amount	$	125,000,000
Maximum Advance Rate(6)		80	%(7)
Pricing over LIBOR		2.50	%
Property Acquisitions Total Line	$	125,000,000
Maximum Advance Rate		80	%
Pricing over LIBOR		2.50	%
Financial Covenants:
Minimum net worth	$	115,000,000	(8)	$	45,000,000	(8)		(9)		$	75,000,000
Leverage (debt to net worth) ratio must not exceed		6 to 1			8 to 1			6 to 1			4 to 1
Minimum Liquidity(10)	$	3,000,000			N/A			N/A		$	15,000,000



	(1)	This repurchase agreement is with an affiliate of Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC, an underwriter in this offering. We have increased our borrowing capacity under this facility on a temporary basis up to $250 million.



	(2)	Advance rates for certain investments funded under the credit facilities are negotiated on an individual basis and may differ from the maximum advance rate listed.



	(3)	Maximum loan amount advanced per bridge loan equal to $20.0 million.



	(4)	Advance rates and pricing over LIBOR vary due to the type of asset financed.



	(5)	Certain investments included in contribution of the initial assets are financed under prior profit sharing agreements between the financial institution and Arbor Commercial Mortgage with profit sharing percentages ranging from 17.5% to 45% of net interest income of the loans and investments financed.



	(6)	Maximum loan amount advanced per mezzanine loan equal to $20.0 million.



	(7)	Maximum loan amount advanced per acquisition equal to $20.0 million.



	(8)	Minimum net worth is defined as net worth of our operating partnership.



	(9)	Minimum net worth is equal to 75% of the highest level reached over the preceding twelve consecutive calendar months.


(10)	Minimum liquidity is defined as liquid assets and available financing under the facilities.

In addition to the financial covenants presented in the table above, our warehouse credit agreement and master repurchase agreements contain covenants that prohibit us from effecting a change in control or disposing of or encumbering assets being financed and restrict us from making any material amendment to our underwriting guidelines without approval of the lender. This offering will not be considered a change in control for purposes of these agreements. Furthermore, the credit facilities include various covenants not deemed to be restrictive including preservation of company existence, conduct of business, compliance with applicable laws, financial statement reporting requirements, maintenance of paper records and files and loan performance and servicing date reporting requirements. If we violate these covenants in any of these agreements, we could be required to repay all or a portion of our indebtedness before maturity at a time when we might be unable to arrange financing for such repayment on attractive terms, if at all. Violations of these covenants may result in our being unable to borrow unused amounts under a line of credit, even if repayment of some or all borrowings is not required. As of December 31, 2003 we are in compliance with all covenants and restrictions.

Contractual Commitments

Pursuant to our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, we pay Arbor Commercial Mortgage an annual base management fee based on the equity of our operating partnership, as further discussed below. The amount of the base management fee does not depend on the performance of the services provided by our manager or the types of assets it selects for our investment, but the value of our operating partnership’s equity will be affected by the performance of these assets. We also pay our manager incentive compensation each fiscal quarter. We have paid $587,734 in base management fees to Arbor Commercial Mortgage for management services rendered for the period ended December 31, 2003. Our manager did not earn incentive compensation for the quarters ended September 30, 2003 or December 31, 2003. The table below summarizes the calculation of the base management fee, incentive compensation and other fees and expenses payable to our manager pursuant to the management agreement.


Type	Description and Method of Computation	Payable

Base management fee⁽¹⁾	(1) 0.75% per annum of the first $400 million of our operating partnership’s equity	Monthly in arrears in cash
	(2) 0.625% per annum of our operating partnership’s equity between $400 million and $800 million, and (3) 0.50% per annum of our operating partnership’s equity in excess of $800 million.
Incentive compensation⁽²⁾	(1) 25% of the amount by which: (a) our operating partnership’s funds from operations per operating partnership unit, adjusted for certain gains and losses, exceeds (b) the product of (x) 9.5% per annum or the Ten Year U.S. Treasury Rate plus 3.5%, whichever is greater, and (y) the weighted average of the book value of the net assets contributed by Arbor Commercial Mortgage to our operating partnership per operating partnership unit, $15.00 (representing the offering price per share of our common stock in the private placement), ⁽³⁾the offering price per share of our common stock (including any shares of common stock issued upon exercise of warrants or options) in any subsequent offerings (adjusted for any prior capital dividends or distributions) and the issue price per operating partnership unit for subsequent contributions to our operating partnership, multiplied by	Each fiscal quarter, with at least 25% paid in our common stock
	(2) the weighted average of our operating partnership’s outstanding operating partnership units.


Type	Description and Method of Computation	Payable

Overhead expenses	Compensation of our independent directors, legal, accounting, due diligence tasks and other services that outside professionals perform for us.	Each fiscal quarter in cash
Origination fee income⁽⁴⁾	An amount equal to 100% of the origination fees paid by the borrower to us with respect to each bridge loan and mezzanine loan we originate, up to 1% of the loan’s principal amount.	Upon closing of each loan
Termination fee⁽⁵⁾	If we terminate or elect not to renew the management agreement in order to manage our portfolio internally, we are required to pay a termination fee equal to the base management fee and incentive compensation for the 12-month period preceding the termination.	Upon termination
	If, without cause, we terminate or elect not to renew the management agreement for any other reason, including a change of control of us, we are required to pay a termination fee equal to two times the base management fee and incentive compensation paid for the 12-month period preceding the termination.


(1)	For purposes of calculating the base management fee, our operating partnership’s equity equals the month-end value computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of total partners’ equity in our operating partnership, plus or minus any unrealized gains, losses or other items that do not affect realized net income.

(2)	At least 25% of the incentive compensation paid to our manager will be in the form of shares of our common stock, subject to ownership limitations in our charter. Beginning on January 1, 2004, the incentive compensation will be measured over a full fiscal year, subject to recalculation and potential reconciliation at the end of each fiscal year. We intend to pay our manager each installment of the incentive compensation within sixty (60) days following the last day of the fiscal quarter with respect to which such incentive compensation payment is payable.


(3)	We allocated the $75.00 offering price per unit to the five shares of common stock comprising each unit, resulting in an offering price of $15.00 per share of common stock in the private placement. We did not allocate any value to the one warrant underlying each unit because the warrants have an initial exercise price of $15.00 and they are not exercisable, detachable or freely tradable for an indeterminable period of time (i.e., until after the registration and listing of the common stock comprising the units on national securities exchange or The Nasdaq Stock Market).


(4)	100% of the origination fees paid by the borrower in excess of 1% of the loan’s principal amount are retained by us.

(5)	The management agreement has an initial term of two years and is renewable automatically for an additional one year period every year thereafter, unless terminated with six months’ prior written notice.

The incentive compensation fee will be measured annually in arrears; provided, however, Arbor Commercial Mortgage shall receive quarterly installments thereof in advance. The quarterly installments will be calculated based on the results for the period of twelve months ending on the last day of the fiscal quarter with respect to which such installment is payable. Each quarterly installment payment will be deemed to be an advance of a portion of the incentive fee payable for the year. At least 25% of this incentive compensation fee is paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage in shares of our common stock. For purposes of determining the number of shares to be paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage to satisfy the common stock portion of the incentive compensation fee, each common share shall have a value equal to the average closing price per common share based on the last twenty days of the fiscal quarter with respect to which the incentive compensation fee is being paid. In the event the calculated incentive compensation fee for the full year is an amount less than the total of the installment payments made to our manager for the year, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will refund to us the amount of such overpayment in cash regardless of whether such installments were paid in cash or common stock. In such case, we would record a negative incentive compensation fee expense in the quarter when such overpayment is determined.

Related Party Transactions

Related Party Loans

Arbor Commercial Mortgage has a 50% non-controlling interest in a joint venture, which was formed to acquire, develop and/or sell real estate assets. At December 31, 2003, Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s investments in this joint venture were approximately $2.6 million. At December 31, 2003, we had a $16.0 million bridge loan outstanding to the joint venture, which is collateralized by a first lien position on a commercial real estate property. There is a limited guarantee on the loan of 50% by our chief executive officer and 50% by the key principal of the joint venture. The loan requires monthly interest payments based on LIBOR and matures in May 2006. We have agreed to provide the borrower with additional mezzanine financing in the amount of up to $8.0 million. The mezzanine financing requires interest payments based on LIBOR and matures in May 2006. The loan will be funded in two equal installments of $4.0 million. The funding will be drawn down as construction progresses. The interest on the first component, which was funded by Arbor Commercial Mortgage in June 2003 and purchased by us in July 2003, will be earned on the full $4.0 million, while the interest on the second component, of which $1.1 million was funded as of December 31, 2003, will be earned as the $4.0 million is drawn down. This additional financing is secured by a second mortgage lien on the property. Interest income recorded from these loans was approximately $486,000, for the period ended December 31, 2003.

Our $16.0 million bridge loan to the joint venture was contributed by Arbor Commercial Mortgage at book value, which approximates fair value. At the time of contribution, Arbor Commercial Mortgage also agreed to provide a limited guaranty of the loan’s principal amount based on any profits realized on its retained 50% interest in the joint venture with the borrower and Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s participating interests in borrowers under three other contributed structured finance assets.

At the time of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s origination of three of the structured finance assets that it contributed to us on July 1, 2003 at book value, which approximates fair value, each of the property owners related to these contributed assets granted Arbor Commercial Mortgage participating interests that share in a percentage of the cash flows of the underlying properties. Upon contribution of the structured finance assets, Arbor Commercial Mortgage retained these participating interests and its 50% non-controlling interest in the joint venture to which it had made the $16.0 million bridge loan. Arbor Commercial Mortgage agreed that if any portion of the outstanding amount of any of these four contributed assets (which had an aggregate balance of $48.3 million as of December 31, 2003) is not paid at the its maturity or repurchase date, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will pay us, subject to the limitation described below, the portion of the unpaid amount of the contributed asset up to the total amount then received by Arbor Commercial Mortgage due to the realization of any profits on its retained interests associated with any other of the four contributed assets. However, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will no longer be obligated to make such payments to us when the remaining accumulated principal amount of the four contributed assets, collectively, falls below $5 million and none of the four contributed assets is in default.

As of December 31, 2003, we had a $13.75 million first mortgage loan and a $1.2 million second mortgage loan, each of which bear interest at a variable rate of one month LIBOR plus 4.25% and mature in March 2004, outstanding to a not-for-profit corporation that holds and manages investment property from the endowment of a private academic institution. Two of our directors are members of the board of trustees of the borrower and that institution. Interest income recorded from these loans was approximately $402,000 for the period ended December 31, 2003.

In addition, Arbor Commercial Mortgage received a brokerage fee for services rendered in arranging a loan facility for a borrower. Arbor Commercial Mortgage credited $146,918 of this brokerage fee to us, representing our proportionate share of the loan facility provided to the borrower. This amount is included in other assets at December 31, 2003, and was received in January 2004.

Related Party Formation Transactions

Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed the majority of its structured finance portfolio to our operating partnership pursuant to a contribution agreement. The contribution agreement contains representations and warranties concerning the ownership and terms of the structured finance assets it contributed and other customary matters. Arbor Commercial Mortgage has agreed to indemnify us and our operating partnership against breaches of those representations and warranties. In connection with its asset contribution Arbor Commercial Mortgage has also agreed to guaranty a portion of the principal amount of four contributed assets in which Arbor Commercial Mortgage has retained a participating interest or a joint venture interest in the borrower.

In exchange for Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s asset contribution, we issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage approximately 3.1 million operating partnership units, each of which Arbor Commercial Mortgage may redeem for one share of our common stock or an equivalent amount in cash, at our election, and approximately 629,000 warrants, each of which entitles Arbor Commercial Mortgage to purchase one additional operating partnership unit at an initial exercise price of $15.00. The operating partnership units and warrants for additional operating partnership units issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage were valued at approximately $43.9 million at July 1, 2003, based on the price offered to investors in our units in the private placement, adjusted for the initial purchaser’s discount. We also granted Arbor Commercial Mortgage certain demand and other registration rights with respect to the shares of common stock issuable upon redemption of its operating partnership units.

Each of the approximately 3.1 million operating partnership units received by Arbor Commercial Mortgage is paired with one share of our special voting preferred stock that entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders. As operating partnership units are redeemed for shares of our common stock or cash an equivalent number of shares of special voting preferred stock will be redeemed and cancelled. As a result of Arbor Commercial Mortgage asset contribution and the related formation transactions, Arbor Commercial Mortgage owns approximately a 28% limited partnership interest in our operating partnership and the remaining 72% interest in our operating partnership is owned by us. In addition, Arbor Commercial Mortgage has approximately 28% of the voting power of our outstanding stock (without giving effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage warrants for additional operating partnership units). Upon consummation of the concurrent offerings, Arbor will hold a % limited partnership interest in our operating partnership and % of the voting power of our outstanding stock.

Under the terms of the management agreement, Arbor Commercial Mortgage is also required to provide us with a right of first refusal with respect to all structured finance transactions identified by Arbor Commercial Mortgage or its affiliates. We have agreed not to pursue, and to allow Arbor Commercial Mortgage to pursue, any real estate opportunities other than structured finance transactions. In addition, Mr. Kaufman has entered into a non-competition agreement with us pursuant to which he has agreed not to pursue structured finance investment opportunities, except as approved by our board of directors.

We and our operating partnership have also entered into a services agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage pursuant to which our asset management group provides asset management services to Arbor Commercial Mortgage. In the event the services provided by our asset management group pursuant to the agreement exceed by more than 15% per quarter the level of activity anticipated by our board of directors, we will negotiate in good faith with our manager an adjustment to our manager’s base

management fee under the management agreement, to reflect the scope of the services, the quantity of serviced assets or the time required to be devoted to the services by our asset management group.

Recent Developments

Since December 31, 2003, we have made six new loans totaling $141.9 million. These new loans are summarized in the table below.

Loan

Amount

Funded

LIBOR

Name

(thousands)

Interest Rate

Initial Term

Loan Type

Floor

1775 Broadway

35,000

LIBOR + 5.75

24 months

Mezzanine

1.75

Volvo Building

5,100

4,640

LIBOR + 6.00

36 months

Bridge

1.50

260 Madison Ave.

30,000

LIBOR + 7.50

24 months

Mezzanine

n/a

60 Spring Street

47,900

40,384

LIBOR + 5.00

12 months

Bridge

1.10

60 Spring Street

11,400

10,316

LIBOR + 6.00

12 months

Mezzanine

1.10

Harrington Farms

12,500

LIBOR + 5.50

24 months

Junior participating interest

n/a

141,900

132,840

Since December 31, 2003, the following loans totaling $17.9 million were repaid in full, including all current and deferred interest, prior to their scheduled maturity:



	•	*Dylan Hotel* — This bridge loan had an outstanding balance of $14.0 million when it was repaid. At that time, we held a balance of $11.9 million on the loan and a third party held a $2.1 million participation interest in the loan.



	•	*60 Spring Street* — This $6.0 million mezzanine loan was originated by us in December 2003. In connection with our refinancing of this mezzanine loan and the existing first mortgage lien, this loan was repaid in full and replaced with the $47.9 million bridge loan and the $11.4 million mezzanine loan described above.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Market risk is the exposure to loss resulting from changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, commodity prices, equity prices and real estate values. The primary market risks that we are exposed to are real estate risk and interest rate risk.

Real Estate Risk

Commercial mortgage assets may be viewed as exposing an investor to greater risk of loss that residential mortgage assets since such assets are typically secured by larger loans to fewer obligors than residential mortgage assets. Multi-family and commercial property values and net operating income derived from such properties are subject to volatility and may be affected adversely by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, national, regional and local economic conditions (which may be adversely affected by industry slowdowns and other factors), local real estate conditions (such as an oversupply of housing, retail, industrial, office or other commercial space); changes or continued weakness in specific industry segments; construction quality, age and design; demographic factors; retroactive changes to building or similar codes; and increases in operating expenses (such and energy costs). In the event net operating income decreases, a borrower may have difficulty repaying our loans, which could result in losses to us. In addition, decreases in property values reduce the value of the collateral and the potential proceeds available to a borrower to repay our loans, which could also cause us to suffer losses. Even when the net operating income is sufficient to cover the related property’s debt service, there can be no assurance that this will continue to be the case in the future.

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political considerations and other factors beyond our control.

Our operating results will depend in large part on differences between the income from our assets and our borrowing costs. Most of our assets and borrowings are variable-rate instruments, based on LIBOR. The objective of this strategy is to minimize the impact of interest rate changes on our net interest income. Many of our loans and borrowings are subject to various interest rate floors. As a result, the impact of a change in interest rates may be different on our interest income than it is on our interest expense. Based on the assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2003, and assuming the balances of these assets and liabilities remain unchanged for the subsequent months, a 1% increase in LIBOR would not materially change our annual net income and cash flows because the principal amount of assets that would be subject to an interest rate adjustment under this scenario are less than the amount of liabilities that would subject to an interest rate adjustment. A 1% decrease in LIBOR would increase our annual net income and cash flows by approximately $1.1 million because the principal amount of assets currently subject to interest rate floors (and, therefore, would not be subject to a downward interest rate adjustment) exceeds the amount of liabilities currently subject to interest rate floors. As the size of the portfolio increases and the percentage of borrowings as a percent of assets increases, a change in interest rates may have a negative impact on our net income.

In the event of a significant rising interest rate environment and/or economic downturn, defaults could increase and result in credit losses to us, which could adversely affect our liquidity and operating results. Further, such delinquencies or defaults could have an adverse effect on the spreads between interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities.

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF THE STRUCTURED FINANCE BUSINESS OF

ARBOR COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE, LLC AND SUBSIDIARIES

You should read the following discussion in conjunction with the sections of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors”, “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Selected Consolidated Financial Information of the Structured Finance Business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC and Subsidiaries” and the historical consolidated financial statements of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, including related notes, included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Overview and Basis of Presentation

On July 1, 2003 Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed a portfolio of structured finance investments and related liabilities to our operating partnership. In addition, certain employees of Arbor Commercial Mortgage related to its structured finance business became our employees. These assets, liabilities and employees represented a substantial portion of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business, which historically invested in real estate related bridge and mezzanine loans, preferred equity and other real estate related assets.

The structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage is not a separate legal entity and the assets and liabilities associated with Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business are components of a larger business. We obtained the information in the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus from Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s consolidated historical accounting records.

The structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage never operated as a separate business segment or division of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, but as an integrated part of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s consolidated business. Accordingly, the statements of revenue and direct operating expenses do not include charges from Arbor Commercial Mortgage for corporate general and administrative expense because Arbor Commercial Mortgage considered such items to be corporate expenses and did not allocate them to individual business units. These expenses included costs for Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s executive management, corporate facilities and overhead costs, corporate accounting and treasury functions, corporate legal matters and other similar costs.

The information in the statements of revenue and direct operating expenses include the revenue and direct operating expenses that relate to the structured finance business. Direct operating expenses include interest expense applicable to the funding costs of the structured finance business loans and investments, salaries and related fringe benefit costs, provision for loan losses and other expenses directly associated with revenue-generating activities. Direct operating expenses also include allocations of certain expenses, such as telephone, office equipment rental and maintenance, office supplies and marketing, which were directly associated with the structured finance business and were allocated based on headcount of the structured finance business in relation to the total headcount of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. All of these allocations are based on assumptions that management believes are reasonable under the circumstances.

The consolidated financial statements in this prospectus do not include a statement of cash flows because the structured finance business did not maintain a separate cash balance. Other than the debt required to fund the loans and investments of the structured finance business, operating activities of the structured finance business were funded by Arbor Commercial Mortgage.

Since the structured finance business never operated as a separate business division or segment of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, the consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus are not intended to be a complete presentation of the historical financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the structured finance business. These consolidated financial statements were prepared for inclusion in the registration statement of which this prospectus is part and do not purport to reflect the financial position or results of operations that would have resulted if the structured finance business had operated as a separate company. The historical consolidated financial information included in this prospectus is not likely to be indicative of our financial position, results of operations or cash flows for any future period. See “Risk Factors — Our historical consolidated financial information is not likely to be indicative of our future performance or financial position as a separate company.”

Sources of Operating Revenues

We derive our operating revenues primarily from interest received from making real estate related bridge and mezzanine loans and preferred equity investments. We provide bridge loans secured by first lien mortgages on the property to borrowers who are typically seeking short term capital to be used in an acquisition of property. The bridge loans we make typically range in size from $1 million to $25 million and have terms of up to seven years. We provide real property owners with mezzanine loans that are secured by pledges of ownership interests in entities that directly or indirectly control the real property or second mortgages. These loans typically range in size from $2 million to $15 million and have terms of up to seven years. We also make preferred equity investments in entities that directly or indirectly own real property. Interest represented 83% and 93% of total revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2003 and June 30, 2002, respectively. Interest represented 93%, 90% and 94% of total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2002, December 31, 2001 and December 31, 2000, respectively.

We also derive operating revenue from other income that includes several types of income that are recorded upon receipt. Certain of our loans and investments provide for additional payments based on the borrower’s operating cash flow, appreciation of the underlying collateral, payments calculated based on timing of when the loan pays off and changes in interest rates. Such amounts are not readily determinable and are recorded as other income upon receipt. Other income also includes the recognition of deferred revenue on loans that prepay, asset management fees related to our loans and investment portfolio and satisfactions on impaired loans in excess of carrying values. Other income represented 17% and 7% of total revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2003 and June 30, 2002, respectively. Other income represented 7%, 10% and 6% of total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2002, December 31, 2001 and December 31, 2000, respectively.

Gain on Sale of Loans and Real Estate and Income from Equity Affiliates

We also derive income from the gain on sale of loans and real estate. We acquire (1) real estate for our own investment and, upon stabilization, disposition at an anticipated return and (2) real estate notes generally at a discount from lenders in situations where the borrower wishes to restructure and reposition its short term debt and the lender wishes to divest certain assets from its portfolio.

In addition, we derive income from equity affiliates relating to joint ventures that Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business formed with equity partners to lend to, acquire, develop and/or sell real estate assets. These investments are recorded under the equity method. We record our share of net income from the underlying properties invested in through these joint ventures.

Significant Accounting Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies

financial statements included in this prospectus and require the application of significant judgment by management and, as a result, are subject to a degree of uncertainty.

Real Estate Owned

Real estate owned represents commercial real estate property that the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage owns and operates. Such assets are not depreciated and are carried at the lower of cost or fair value less cost to sell. Management reviews its real estate assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.

Loans and Investments

Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business historically invested in preferred equity interests that allowed Arbor Commercial Mortgage to participate in a percentage of the underlying property’s cash flows from operations and proceeds from a sale or refinancing. At the inception of each such investment, management must determine whether such investment should be accounted for as a loan, joint venture or as real estate. To date, management has determined that all such investments are properly accounted for and reported as loans.

Specific valuation allowances are established for impaired loans based on the fair value of collateral on an individual loan basis. The fair value of the collateral is determined by an evaluation of operating cash flow from the property during the projected holding period, and estimated sales value computed by applying an expected capitalization rate to the stabilized net operating income of the specific property, less selling costs, discounted at market discount rates. If upon completion of the valuation, the fair value of the underlying collateral securing the impaired loan is less than the net carrying value of the loan, an allowance is created with a corresponding charge to the provision for loan losses. The allowance for each loan is maintained at a level believed adequate by management to absorb probable losses.

Revenue Recognition

The revenue recognition policies for Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business are as follows:

Interest Income. Interest income is recognized on the accrual basis as it is earned. In most instances, the borrower pays an additional amount of interest at the time the loan is closed, an origination fee, and deferred interest upon maturity of the loan. This additional income as well as any direct loan origination costs incurred, is deferred and recognized over the life of the related loan as a yield adjustment. Income recognition is suspended for loans when in the opinion of management a full recovery of income and principal becomes doubtful. Income recognition is resumed when the loan becomes contractually current and performance is demonstrated to be resumed. Several of the loans provide for accrual of interest at specified rates, which differ from current payment terms. Interest is recognized on such loans at the accrual rate subject to management’s determination that accrued interest and outstanding principal are ultimately collectible, based on the underlying collateral and operations of the borrower. If management cannot make this determination regarding collectibility, interest income is recognized only upon actual receipt.

Results of Operations

Six Months Ended June 30, 2003 and 2002

Revenue. The following table sets forth the components of revenue:



	Six Months Ended				Increase/
	June 30,				(Decrease)

	2003		2002		Amount		Percent

Interest income	$	7,688,465	$	7,482,750	$	205,715		3	%
Other income		1,552,414		553,625		998,789		180

Total revenue	$	9,240,879	$	8,036,375	$	1,204,504		15	%

Interest income increased $206,000, or 3%, to $7.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2003 from $7.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2002. This increase was primarily due to a 21% increase in the weighted average balance of loans and investment partially offset by a 15% decrease in the weighted average effective interest rate of loans and investments primarily due to a decline in market interest rates. Most of our loans and investments are variable rate instruments based on LIBOR. The negative impact to interest income as a result of the decrease in market interest rates was partially offset by interest rate floors that were in effect on many of our loans and investments.

Other income increased $1.0 million, or 180%, to $1.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2003 from $554,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2002. This increase was primarily attributable to (a) the partial satisfaction of an impaired loan for an amount $350,000 in excess of the loan’s carrying value resulting in the recognition of other income for this amount (b) increased funds received on paid off loans of $337,000 and (c) increased accelerated amortization of revenue of $390,000 on loans with early payoffs.

Expenses. The following table sets forth the components of direct operating expenses:



	Six Months Ended				Increase/
	June 30,				(Decrease)

	2003		2002		Amount			Percent

Interest expense	$	3,468,275	$	3,370,777	$	97,498			3	%
Employee compensation and benefits		1,751,147		1,410,272		340,875			24
Selling and administrative		458,266		368,253		90,013			24
Provision for loan losses		60,000		3,195,000		(3,135,000	)		(98	)

Total direct operating expenses	$	5,737,688	$	8,344,302	$	(2,606,614	)		(31	)%

Interest expense increased $97,000, or 3%, to $3.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2003 from $3.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2002. This increase is primarily attributable to a 26% increase in the weighted average borrowings partially offset by a 19% decrease in the weighted average effective financing rate primarily due to a decline in market interest rates.

Employee compensation and benefits increased $341,000, or 24%, to $1.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2003 from $1.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2002. This increase reflects increased staffing levels associated with the increased loan and investments opportunities.

Selling and administrative expenses increased $90,000, or 24%, to $458,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2003 from $368,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2002. This increase was primarily attributable to operating expenses incurred in 2003 for a real estate owned asset, and increased marketing expenses associated with the growth of the lending and investment activities.

Provision for loan losses decreased $3.1 million, or 98%, to $60,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2003 from $3.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2002. This decrease was directly attributable to a

$3.1 million provision for loan losses recorded in 2002 prior to this loan being foreclosed and reclassified to real estate owned. This provision was recorded to reflect this asset at its estimated fair value.

Gain on Sale of Loans and Real Estate and Income from Equity Affiliates. The following table sets forth our gain on sale of loans and real estate and income from equity affiliates:



	Six Months Ended				Increase/
	June 30,				(Decrease)

	2003		2002		Amount			Percent

Gain on sale of loans and real estate	$	1,024,268	$	7,006,432	$	(5,982,164	)		(85	)%
Income from equity affiliates		—	$	601,100	$	(601,100	)		—

Gain on sale of loans and real estate decreased $6.0 million, or 85%, to $1.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2003 from $7.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2002. This decrease was primarily attributable to a $6.8 million gain on the sale of a joint venture interest in March 2002 partially offset by a $900,000 gain on the partial liquidation of a joint venture interest in 2003.

Income from equity affiliates for the six months ended June 30, 2002 consist of net income from a joint venture interest recognized prior to the sale of that joint venture interest in March 2002.

Years Ended December 31, 2002 and 2001

Revenue. The following table sets forth the components of revenue:



	Year Ended				Increase/
	December 31,				(Decrease)

	2002		2001		Amount			Percent

Interest income	$	14,532,504	$	14,667,916	$	(135,412	)		(1	)%
Other income		1,090,106		1,668,215		(578,109	)		(35	)

Total revenue	$	15,622,610	$	16,336,131	$	713,521			(4	)%

Interest income decreased $135,000, or 1%, to $14.5 million for 2002 from $14.7 million for 2001. This decrease was primarily due to a 16% decrease in the weighted average effective interest rate of loans and investments primarily due to a decline in market interest rates partially offset by a 17% increase in the weighted average balance of loans and investment. Most of our loans and investments are variable rates instruments based on LIBOR. The negative impact to interest income as a result of the decrease in market interest rates was partially offset by interest rate floors that were in effect on many of our loans and investments.

Other income decreased $578,000, or 35%, to $1.1 million for 2002 from $1.7 million for 2001. This decrease was primarily attributable to decreased extension fees earned of $215,000 and decreased funds received on paid off loans of $361,000.

Expenses. The following table sets forth the components of direct operating expenses:



	Year Ended				Increase/
	December 31,				(Decrease)

	2002		2001		Amount			Percent

Interest expense	$	6,586,640	$	7,029,374	$	(442,734	)		(6	)%
Employee compensation and benefits		2,827,191		2,888,603		(61,412	)		(2	)
Selling and administrative		910,924		839,823		71,101			8
Provision for loan losses		3,315,000		240,000		3,075,000			1,281

Total direct operating expenses	$	13,639,755	$	10,997,800	$	2,641,955			24	%

Interest expense decreased $443,000, or 6%, to $6.6 million for 2002 from $7.0 million for 2001. This decrease is primarily attributable to a 20% decrease in the weighted average effective financing rate due to a decline in market interest rates partially offset by a 17% increase in the weighted average borrowings.

Employee compensation and benefits remained relatively stable from 2001 to 2002.

Selling and administrative expenses increased $71,000, or 8%, to $911,000 for 2002 from $840,000 for 2001. This increase was primarily attributable to increased legal expenses associated with the asset management and restructuring of our loans and investments portfolio.

Provision for loan losses increased $3.1 million, or 1,281%, to $3.3 million for 2002 from $240,000 for 2001. This increase was directly attributable to a $3.1 million provision for possible loan losses recorded in 2002 prior to this loan being foreclosed on and reclassified as real estate owned. This provision was recorded to reflect this asset at its estimated fair value.

Gain on Sale of Loans and Real Estate and Income from Equity Affiliates. The following table sets forth our gain on sale of loans and real estate and income from equity affiliates:



	Year Ended				Increase/
	December 31,				(Decrease)

	2002		2001		Amount			Percent

Gain on sale of loans and real estate	$	7,470,999	$	3,226,648	$	4,244,351			132	%
Income from equity affiliates	$	632,350	$	1,403,014	$	(770,664	)		(55	)%

Gain on sale of loans and real estate increased $4.2 million, or 132%, to $7.5 million for 2002 from $3.2 million for 2001. This increase was primarily attributable to a $6.8 million gain on the sale of a joint venture interest in March 2002 partially offset by a $2.2 million gain from the sale of property from a joint venture interest and a $276,000 decrease in income from the sale of foreclosed loans.

Income from equity affiliates decreased $770,000, or 55%, to $632,000 for 2002 from $1.4 million for 2001. This decrease was primarily attributable to a $868,000 decrease in net income from joint venture interests due to dissolutions of joint ventures in 2001 and 2002, partially offset by a $97,000 increase in net income from other joint venture interest.

Years Ended December 31, 2001 and 2000

Revenue. The following table sets forth the components of revenue:



	Year Ended				Increase/
	December 31,				(Decrease)

	2001		2000		Amount		Percent

Interest income	$	14,667,916	$	10,707,551	$	3,960,365		37	%
Other income		1,668,215		652,970		1,015,245		155

Total revenue	$	16,336,131	$	11,360,521	$	4,975,610		44	%

Interest income increased $4.0 million, or 37%, to $14.7 million for 2001 from $10.7 million for 2000. This increase was primarily due to a 81% increase in the weighted average balance of loans and investment partially offset by a 24% decrease in the weighted average effective interest rate of loans and investments primarily due to a decline in market interest rates.

Other income increased $1.0 million, or 155%, to $1.7 million for 2001 from $653,000 for 2000. This increase was primarily attributable to increased funds received on paid off loans of $900,000.

Expenses. The following table sets forth the components of direct operating expenses:



	Year Ended				Increase/
	December 31,				(Decrease)

	2001		2000		Amount			Percent

Interest expense	$	7,029,374	$	5,518,463	$	1,510,911			27	%
Employee compensation and benefits		2,888,603		3,026,324		(137,721	)		(5	)
Selling and administrative		839,823		442,487		397,336			90
Provision for loan losses		240,000		240,000		—			—

Total direct operating expenses	$	10,997,800	$	9,227,274	$	1,770,526			19	%

Interest expense increased $1.5 million, or 27%, to $7.0 million for 2001 from $5.5 million for 2000. This increase was primarily attributable to a 73% increase in the weighted average borrowings partially offset by a 26% decrease in the weighted average effective financing rate primarily due to a decline in market interest rates.

Employee compensation and benefits decreased $138,000, or 5%, to $2.9 million for 2001 from $3.0 million for 2000. This decrease was primarily attributable to the streamlining of certain levels of management of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business.

Selling and administrative expenses increased $397,000, or 90%, to $840,000 in 2001 from $442,000 for 2000. This increase was primarily attributable to increased legal expenses associated with the asset management and restructuring of our loans and investments portfolio.

Provision for loan losses was stable from 2000 to 2001.

Gain on Sale of Loans and Real Estate and Income from Equity Affiliates. The following table sets forth our gain on sale of loans and real estate and income from equity affiliates:



	Year Ended				Increase/
	December 31,				(Decrease)

	2001		2000		Amount			Percent

Gain on sale of loans and real estate	$	3,226,648	$	1,880,825	$	1,345,823			72	%
Income from equity affiliates	$	1,403,014	$	5,028,835	$	(3,625,821	)		(72	)%

Gain on sale of loans and real estate increased $1.3 million, or 72%, to $3.2 million for 2001 from $1.9 million for 2000. This increase was primarily attributable to a $2.2 million gain from the sale of property from a joint venture interest partially offset by reduced gains on sales of foreclosed loans of $800,000.

Income from equity affiliates decreased $3.6 million, or 72%, to $1.4 million for 2001 from $5.0 million for 2000. This decrease was due to (a) a $3.3 million decrease in net income from a joint venture interest due to the dissolution of the joint venture interest in 2001 and (b) a $353,000 decrease in net income from other joint venture interest.

Pro Forma Effect of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s Asset Contribution on Results of Operations

We were formed in June 2003 to operate as a real estate investment trust and to expand the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. On July 1, 2003, we completed a private placement of our units, each consisting of five shares of our common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of our common stock. Gross proceeds from the private financing totaled $120.2 million. In exchange for a commensurate equity ownership in our operating subsidiary, Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed $213.1 million of structured finance assets subject to $169.2 million of borrowings supported by $43.9 million of equity. These assets and liabilities were contributed at book value, which approximates fair value, and represent 88% of the assets and 98% of the liabilities of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s

structured finance business as of June 30, 2003. In addition, certain employees of Arbor Commercial Mortgage were transferred to us.

We are externally managed and advised by Arbor Commercial Mortgage and pay Arbor Commercial Mortgage a management fee in accordance with the terms of the management agreement. Arbor Commercial Mortgage also sources originations, provides underwriting services and services all structured finance assets on our behalf. As a result, the operating expenses as presented in the historical consolidated financial statements of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business would have been affected had we been formed at an earlier time. Employee compensation and benefits expense would have decreased by $895,811 and $1,518,890 for the six months ended June 30, 2003 and year ended December 31, 2002, respectively, because these costs would have been borne by Arbor Commercial Mortgage under terms of the management agreement. Similarly, selling and administrative expense would have decreased by $65,752 and $127,753 for the six months ended June 30, 2003 and year ended December 31, 2002, respectively.

In accordance with the management agreement, we will pay Arbor Commercial Mortgage a management fee, composed of a base management fee and incentive compensation. The base management fee is 0.75% per annum of the first $400 million of equity. The incentive compensation is equal to 25% of the amount that our funds from operations, adjusted for certain gains and losses, divided by contributed capital, exceeds 9.5% per annum or the Ten Year U.S. Treasury Rate plus 3.5%, whichever is greater.

This pro forma information does not reflect the results of the private financing. However, gross proceeds from the private financing totaled $120.2 million, which combined with Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s equity contribution of $43.9 million, resulted in total contributed capital of $164.1 million. Offering expenses of $10.1 million were paid or accrued by us, resulting in stockholders equity and minority interest of $154.0 million as a result of the private placement.

The pro forma consolidated financial information is limited to adjustments that are directly attributable to the private placement, expected to have a continuing impact on us and are factually supportable. These adjustments are based on the assumption that certain compensation and benefits expenses and certain selling and administrative expenses incurred by the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage would not have been incurred if we had been in operation during the periods presented. The pro forma financial results do not include what the impact would have been had the gross proceeds from the private placement been available to the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage during the entire period. Had these proceeds been available to the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage during the entire period, there would have been an impact on certain revenues and expenses, including the management fees payable pursuant to the management agreement. The management fees are calculated based on such factors as funds from operations and equity of our operating partnership, each as defined in the management agreement. Such amounts represent speculative and forward-looking information that is not factually supportable.

The financial statements of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage include the results of operations of the structured finance business segment of Arbor Commercial Mortgage and are not limited to the results of the structured finance assets that were transferred to Arbor Realty Trust. Accordingly, the results of certain investments in equity affiliates that were not transferred to Arbor Realty Trust have been included in the financial statements of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage because they were included in the structured finance business segment even though the operating results from these equity affiliates have not been material to the structured finance business segment as a whole. In addition, Arbor Commercial Mortgage retained certain transactions in its structured finance portfolio with a net book value of approximately $27.8 million, primarily because they were not deemed to be suitable investments for Arbor Realty Trust. Had these retained assets been excluded from the financial statements of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, additional adjustments to the expense base would have been necessary to estimate what expenses would have been had these assets not been in the portfolio. Such adjustments would have been speculative. Lastly, operating results for assets that matured before the contribution of structured finance assets to

Arbor Realty Trust, but were in the portfolio of assets of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage during the reporting period are also included in these statements.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity is a measurement of the ability to meet potential cash requirements, including ongoing commitments to repay borrowings, fund and maintain loans and investments and other general business needs. On July 1, 2003, Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed a portfolio of structured finance investments and related liabilities to our operating partnership. In addition, certain employees of Arbor Commercial Mortgage became our employees. These assets, liabilities and employees represented a substantial portion of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage.

On July 1, 2003 we completed the private placement, resulting in gross proceeds of $120.2 million. Gross proceeds from the private placement combined with the concurrent equity contribution by Arbor Commercial Mortgage totaled approximately $164.1 in equity capital.

Subsequent to and as a result of the private placement, substantially all of the operations of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage have been conducted by us. Therefore, a description of the liquidity and capital resources of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage is not presented. A description of our liquidity and capital resources is presented in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management’s Discussion & Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries — Liquidity and Capital Resources.”

Related Party Transactions

Related Party Loans

Arbor Commercial Mortgage has a 50% non-controlling interest in a joint venture, which was formed to acquire, develop and/or sell real estate assets. At June 30, 2003, December 31, 2002 and 2001, Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s structured finance business’ investments in this joint venture were approximately $2.6 million, $2.3 million and $1.8 million, respectively. This investment is accounted for under the equity method. At June 30, 2003 and December 31, 2002, Arbor Commercial Mortgage had a $16.0 million bridge loan outstanding to the joint venture, which is collateralized by a first lien position on a commercial real estate property. There is a limited guarantee on the loan of 50% by the chief executive officer of Arbor Commercial Mortgage and 50% by the key principal of the joint venture. The loan requires monthly interest payments based on LIBOR and matures in May 2006. Arbor Commercial Mortgage agreed to provide the borrower with additional mezzanine financing in the amount of up to $8.0 million. The mezzanine financing requires interest payments based on LIBOR and matures in May 2006. The loan will be funded in two equal installments of $4.0 million. The funding will be drawn down as construction progresses. The interest on the first component, which was funded by Arbor Commercial Mortgage in June 2003, will be earned on the full $4.0 million, while the interest on the second component, which has yet to be funded, will be earned as the $4.0 million is drawn down. This additional financing is secured by a second mortgage lien on the property. In addition, an interest and renovation reserve totaling $2.5 million is in place to cover both the bridge and mezzanine loans. Interest income recorded from these loans was approximately $217,000, $449,000 and $148,000 for the periods ended June 30, 2003, December 31, 2002 and 2001, respectively.

In June 2003, Arbor Commercial Mortgage invested approximately $818,000 in exchange for a 12.5% non-controlling interest in two joint ventures, which were formed to acquire, develop and/or sell real estate assets. This investment is accounted for under the equity method. In June, 2003, Arbor Commercial Mortgage made two mezzanine loans secured by a second lien position in the ownership interests of the borrower and the property to these joint ventures totaling $6.0 million outstanding. The loans require monthly interest payments based on LIBOR and mature in May 2006. Interest income recorded from these loans was approximately $8,000 for the period ended June 30, 2003.

Related Party Formation Transactions

In exchange for Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s asset contribution, we issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage approximately 3.1 million operating partnership units, each of which Arbor Commercial Mortgage may redeem for one share of our common stock or an equivalent amount in cash, at our election, and approximately 629,000 warrants, each of which entitles Arbor Commercial Mortgage to purchase one additional operating partnership unit at an initial exercise price of $15.00. The operating partnership units and warrants for additional operating partnership units issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage were valued at approximately $43.9 million at July 1, 2003, based on the price offered to investors in our units in the private placement, adjusted for the initial purchaser’s discount. We have also granted Arbor Commercial Mortgage certain demand and other registration rights with respect to the shares of common stock issuable upon redemption of its operating partnership units.

Each of the approximately 3.1 million operating partnership units received by Arbor Commercial Mortgage is paired with one share of our special voting preferred stock that entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders. As operating partnership units are redeemed for shares of our common stock or cash an equivalent number of shares of special voting preferred stock will be redeemed and cancelled. As a result of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s asset contribution and the related formation transactions, Arbor Commercial Mortgage owns approximately a 28% limited partnership interest in our operating partnership and the remaining 72% interest in our operating partnership is owned by us. In addition, Arbor Commercial Mortgage has approximately 28% of the voting power of our outstanding stock (without giving effect to the exercise of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s warrants for additional operating partnership units).

We and our operating partnership have entered into a management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage pursuant to which Arbor Commercial Mortgage has agreed to provide us with structured finance investment opportunities and loan servicing as well as other services necessary to operate our business. Arbor Commercial Mortgage is also required to provide us with a right of first refusal with respect to all structured finance identified by Arbor Commercial Mortgage or its affiliates. We have agreed not to pursue, and to allow Arbor Commercial Mortgage to pursue, any real estate opportunities other than structured finance transactions. As discussed above in “Management’s Discussion & Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Contractual Commitments,” we have agreed to pay our manager an annual base management fee and incentive compensation each fiscal quarter and share with Arbor Commercial Mortgage a portion of the origination fees that we receive on loans we originate with Arbor Commercial Mortgage pursuant to this agreement.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Since the consummation of the private placement and the related formation transactions, substantially all of the operations of the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage have been conducted by us. Therefore, quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk relating to the structured finance business of Arbor Commercial Mortgage is not presented. A description of market risks relating to our business is presented in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management’s Discussion & Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries — Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.”

ARBOR REALTY TRUST, INC.

We are a specialized real estate finance company investing in real estate-related bridge and mezzanine loans, preferred equity and, in limited cases, discounted mortgage notes and other real estate related assets, which we collectively refer to as structured finance investments. Our objective is to maximize the difference between the yield on our investments and the cost of financing these investments to generate cash available for distribution, facilitate capital appreciation and maximize total return to our stockholders. We commenced operations in July 2003 and conduct substantially all of our operations through our operating partnership, Arbor Realty Limited Partnership. We intend to elect to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, under the Internal Revenue Code and generally will not be subject to federal taxes on our income to the extent we distribute our income to our stockholders and maintain our qualification as a REIT.

On July 1, 2003, Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed the majority of its structured finance portfolio to our operating partnership. These initial assets, consisting of 12 bridge loans, five mezzanine loans, five preferred equity investments and two other real estate related investments, were transferred at book value, which, at June 30, 2003, represented $213.1 million in assets financed by $169.2 million borrowed under Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s credit facilities, giving effect to notes payable equal to the financing amount available for each contributed investment under Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s credit facilities, and supported by $43.9 million in equity.

We are externally managed and advised by Arbor Commercial Mortgage. Our manager is a national commercial real estate finance company operating through 15 regional offices in the United States, specializing in debt and equity financing for multi-family and commercial real estate. We believe Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s experience and reputation positions it to originate attractive investment opportunities for us. Our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage was developed to capitalize on synergies with Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s origination infrastructure, existing business relationships and management expertise.

We believe the financing of multi-family and commercial real estate offers significant growth opportunities that demand customized financing solutions. Arbor Commercial Mortgage has granted us a right of first refusal to pursue all structured finance investment opportunities identified by Arbor Commercial Mortgage. Arbor Commercial Mortgage will continue to provide and service multi-family and commercial mortgage loans under Fannie Mae, Federal Housing Administration and conduit commercial lending programs. We believe that the customer relationships established from these lines of business may generate additional real estate investment opportunities for our business. Our portfolio currently contains loans and investments that we originated and loans and investments that we purchased from third parties or from affiliates.

We have a strong senior management team with significant industry experience. Mr. Ivan Kaufman, the chief executive officer of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, and Mr. Frederick Herbst, the chief financial officer of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, also serve as our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, respectively. Mr. Fred Weber, the head of the structured finance group at Arbor Commercial Mortgage since 1999, is our executive vice president of structured finance. Mr. Daniel M. Palmier, the head of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s asset management group since 1997, is our executive vice president of asset management, and the eight additional employees who comprised the asset management group of Arbor Commercial Mortgage have also joined us. In October 2003, we hired Mr. John C. Kovarik as our chief credit officer. Messrs. Kaufman, Weber, Palmier and Kovarik serve as members of our credit committee, which has the authority to decide whether we will invest in an individual loan or security originated by Arbor Commercial Mortgage.

We believe the asset management group’s involvement in our credit underwriting process helps to mitigate investment risk after the closing of a transaction. The asset management group is integrated into the underwriting and structuring process for all transactions in order to enhance the credit quality of our originations before a transaction closes. We believe that after the closing of structured finance transactions, the asset management group’s experience in managing complex restructurings, refinancings and asset dispositions will help to improve the credit quality and yield on managed investments.

In connection with Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s contribution of the initial assets, Arbor Commercial Mortgage arranged for us to have substantially similar credit facilities as those used by Arbor Commercial Mortgage to finance these assets. In exchange for Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s asset contribution, we issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage approximately 3.1 million operating partnership units, each of which Arbor Commercial Mortgage may redeem for one share of our common stock or an equivalent amount in cash, at our election, and approximately 629,000 warrants, each of which entitles Arbor Commercial Mortgage to purchase one additional operating partnership unit at an initial exercise price of $15. The operating partnership units and warrants for additional operating partnership units issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage were valued at approximately $43.9 million at July 1, 2003, based on the price offered to investors in our units in the private placement, adjusted for the initial purchaser’s discount. Each of the approximately 3.1 million operating partnership units received by Arbor Commercial Mortgage is paired with one share of our special voting preferred stock that entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders. As operating partnership units are redeemed for shares of our common stock or cash an equivalent number of shares of special voting preferred stock will be redeemed and cancelled. See “Description of Stock — Special Voting Preferred Stock.”

Industry Overview

Multi-family and commercial real estate encompasses a wide spectrum of assets including multi-family, office, industrial, retail and hospitality properties. We believe the financing of multi-family and commercial real estate offers significant growth opportunities that demand customized financing solutions.


	•	Consolidation in the financial services industry has reduced the number of companies providing multi-family and commercial real estate financing products.

	•	We believe this consolidation has led to a trend among remaining institutions to focus on larger, more standardized transactions.

	•	The growth of a market for securitized commercial real estate pools has provided a new source of financing for real estate assets.

We believe we have the necessary levels of capital and financial flexibility to compete effectively in today’s rapidly changing market. Our borrowers, who in the past relied on banks and life insurance companies as their primary source for commercial real estate financing, have benefited from our flexible underwriting standards. This flexibility has created significant demand for our bridge, mezzanine and other forms of innovative financing.

Our Business Strategy

We capitalize on this demand by investing in a diversified portfolio of structured finance assets in the multi-family and commercial real estate market. Our principal business objectives are to invest in bridge and mezzanine loans, preferred equity and other real estate related assets and actively manage this portfolio in order to generate cash available for distribution, facilitate capital appreciation and maximize total return to our stockholders. We believe we can achieve these objectives through the following business and growth strategies:



	*Provide Customized Financing.* We provide financing customized to the needs of our borrowers. We target borrowers who have demonstrated a history of enhancing the value of the properties they operate, but whose options may be limited by conventional bank financing and who may benefit from the sophisticated structured finance products we offer. Historically, Arbor Commercial Mortgage has attempted to provide customized loan structures and other financing alternatives to fit the characteristics and purpose of each individual borrower and its financing requirements and we employ a similar strategy.



	*Focus on a Niche Market in Smaller Loan Balances.* We focus on loans with principal amounts under $20 million, which many larger lending firms do not target. We can afford to invest


	the time and effort required to close loans with smaller principal amounts because of our relatively efficient cost structure.


	*Execute Transactions Rapidly.* We act quickly and decisively on proposals, provide commitments and close transactions within a few weeks and sometimes days, if required. We believe that rapid execution attracts opportunities from both borrowers and other lenders that would not otherwise be available. We believe our ability to structure flexible terms and close loans in a timely manner gives us a competitive advantage over lending firms that also serve the market for loans with principal amounts under $20 million.



	*Manage and Maintain Credit Quality.* A critical component of our success in the real estate finance sector is our ability to manage the real estate risk that is underwritten by our manager and us. We actively manage and maintain the credit quality of our portfolio by using the expertise of our asset management group, which has a proven track record of structuring and repositioning structured finance investments to improve the credit quality and yield on managed investments.



	*Use Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s Relationships with Existing Borrowers*. We capitalize on Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s reputation in the commercial real estate finance industry. Arbor Commercial Mortgage has relationships with over 125 distinct borrowers nationwide. Since Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s originators offer Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s senior mortgage loans as well as our structured finance products, we are able to benefit from Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s existing customer base and use its senior lending business as a potential refinance vehicle for our structured finance assets.



	*Offer Broader Products and Expand Customer Base.* We have the ability to offer a larger number of financing alternatives than Arbor Commercial Mortgage has been able to offer to its customers in the past. Our potential borrowers are able to choose from products offering longer maturities and larger principal amounts than Arbor Commercial Mortgage could previously offer.



	*Leverage the Experience of Executive Officers and Employees of Arbor Commercial Mortgage and Us*. Our executive officers and employees, and those of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, have extensive experience originating and managing structured commercial real estate investments. Our senior management team has on average over 20 years experience in the financial services industry. Additionally, our executive officers have prior experience in managing and operating a public company, the predecessor company to Arbor Commercial Mortgage.

Our Investment Guidelines

Our board of directors has adopted general guidelines for our investments and borrowings to the effect that:



	•	no investment will be made that would cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT;



	•	no investment will be made that would cause us to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act;



	•	no more than 25% of our equity, determined as of the date of such investment, will be invested in any single asset;



	•	our leverage will generally not exceed 80% of the value of our assets, in the aggregate; and



	•	we will not co-invest with our manager or any of its affiliates unless (i) our co-investment is otherwise in accordance with these guidelines and (ii) the terms of such co-investment are at least as favorable to us as to our manager or such affiliate (as applicable) making such co-investment.

Our manager is required to seek the approval of a majority of the independent members of our board of directors before we engage in a material transaction with another entity managed by our manager. These investment guidelines may be changed by our board of directors without the approval of our stockholders.

Our Investment Strategy

We actively pursue lending and investment opportunities with property owners and developers who need interim financing until permanent financing can be obtained. We will initially target transactions under $20 million where we believe we have competitive advantages, particularly our lower cost structure and in house capabilities. Our structured finance investments generally have maturities of two to five years, depending on type, have extension options when appropriate, and generally require a balloon payment of principal at maturity. Borrowers in the market for these types of loans include, but are not limited to, owners or developers seeking either to acquire or refurbish real estate or to pay down debt and reposition a property for permanent financing.

We target borrowers with reputations for enhancing value, but whose options are limited by conventional bank financing and can benefit from the sophisticated financing products we offer. Loan structures vary as they are customized to fit the characteristics and purpose of the financing. Our structured finance assets are underwritten in accordance with guidelines designed to evaluate the borrower and its ability to satisfy the repayment conditions of the loan, including an analysis of the various repayment strategies available to the investment. In certain instances, especially in our mezzanine and preferred equity investments, we may underwrite investments based on a stabilized value of the underlying property.

Our investment program emphasizes the following general categories of real estate related activities:



	*Bridge Financing.* We offer bridge financing products to borrowers who are typically seeking short term capital to be used in an acquisition of property. The borrower has usually identified an undervalued asset that has been under managed and/or is located in a recovering market. From the borrower’s perspective, shorter term bridge financing is advantageous because it allows time to improve the property value through repositioning the property without encumbering it with restrictive long term debt.



	The bridge loans we make typically range in size from $1 million to $25 million and are predominantly secured by first mortgage liens on the property. The term of the loan typically is up to five years. Historically, interest rates have ranged from 3.00% to 5.00% over 30-day LIBOR. Additional yield enhancements may include origination fees, deferred interest and participating interests, which are equity interests in the borrower that share in a percentage of the underlying cash flows of the property. Borrowers usually use the proceeds of a conventional mortgage to repay a bridge loan.



	*Mezzanine Financing.* We offer mezzanine financing in the form of loans which are subordinate to a conventional first mortgage loan and senior to the borrower’s equity in a transaction. Our mezzanine financing may take the form of loans secured by pledges of ownership interests in entities that directly or indirectly control the real property or subordinated loans secured by second mortgage liens on the property. We may also require additional collateral such as personal guarantees, letters of credit and/or additional collateral unrelated to the property.



	Our mezzanine loans typically range in size from $5 million to $30 million and have terms of up to seven years. Historically, interest rates have ranged from 4.00% to 7.00% over 30-day LIBOR, occasionally with an interest rate floor. As in the case with our bridge loans, the yield on these investments may be enhanced by prepaid and deferred interest payments, yield look-backs and participating interests.



	We intend to hold our mezzanine loans through our operating partnership or subsidiaries that are pass-through entities for tax purposes. However, we may hold some of our mezzanine loans in a taxable subsidiary corporation if necessary for REIT or other tax compliance.



	*Preferred Equity Investments.* We provide financing by making preferred equity investments in entities that directly or indirectly own real property. In cases where the terms of a first mortgage prohibit additional liens on the ownership entity, investments structured as preferred equity in the


	entity owning the property serve as viable financing substitutes. With preferred equity investments, we typically become a special limited partner or member in the ownership entity.

	*Real Property Acquisitions.* We may purchase existing real estate for repositioning and/or renovation and then disposition at an anticipated significant return. From time to time, we may identify real estate investment opportunities. In these situations, we may act solely on our own behalf or in partnership with other investors. Typically, these transactions are analyzed with the expectation that we will have the ability to sell the property within a one to two year time period, achieving a significant return on invested capital. In connection with these transactions, speed of execution is often the most critical component to success. We may seek to finance a portion of the acquisition price through short term financing. Repayment of the short term financing will either come from the sale of the property or conventional permanent debt.

	*Note Acquisitions.* We may acquire real estate notes from lenders in situations where the borrower wishes to restructure and reposition its short term debt and the lender wishes, for a variety of reasons (such as risk mitigation, portfolio diversification or other strategic reasons), to divest certain assets from its portfolio. These notes will generally be acquired at a discount. In such cases, we intend to use our management resources to resolve any dispute concerning the note or the property securing it and to identify and resolve any existing operational or any other problems at the property. We will then either restructure the debt obligation for immediate resale or sale at a later date or reposition it for permanent financing. In some instances, we may take title to the property underlying the real estate note.


	We borrow against or leverage our investments to the extent consistent with our investment guidelines in order to increase the size of our portfolio and potential returns to our stockholders. We are currently in negotiations with the providers of the credit facilities to provide similar credit facilities and to increase the amounts available under these credit facilities, but there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain additional financing. We may also sell participating interests in our investments.


	In order to meet the REIT qualification requirements, or to avert the imposition of a 100% tax that applies to certain gains derived by a REIT from dealer property or inventory, we may hold some of our assets through taxable subsidiary corporations. See “Federal Income Tax Considerations — Taxation of Arbor Realty.”

Our Real Estate Assets

We own a diversified portfolio of structured finance investments consisting principally of bridge and mezzanine loans as well as preferred equity investments. $151.9 million of $213.1 million of the loan or investment balance of the initial assets contributed by Arbor Commercial Mortgage are currently outstanding and constitute the majority of our existing portfolio. Since the commencement of our operations in July 2003, we have originated structured finance loans and investments and purchased additional loans and investments from Arbor Commercial Mortgage.

At December 31, 2003, we had 33 loans and investments in our portfolio, totaling $324 million. These loans and investments were for 22 multi-family properties, three hotels, two commercial properties, two office properties, two retail properties, one co-op and one residential property. There are no loans that are non-performing within the portfolio. We continue to actively manage every single loan in the portfolio and believe that our strict underwriting and active asset management enable us to maintain the credit quality of our portfolio.

The yield for the period ended December 31, 2003 was 7.68% on average assets of $255 million. This yield is computed by dividing the interest income earned for the period ended December 31, 2003 by the average assets during the period ended December 31, 2003 and annualizing the result. Our cost of funds for the period ended December 31, 2003 was 3.53% on average borrowings of $93 million. This cost of funds is computed by dividing the interest expense incurred during the period ended December 31, 2003 by the average borrowing during the period ended December 31, 2003 and annualizing the results. Our

average equity (average assets less average borrowings) invested for the period ended December 31, 2003 was $162 million, resulting in average leverage for the period ended December 31, 2003 of 36%. The net interest income earned for the period ended December 31, 2003 yielded a 10.27% annualized return on the average equity invested during the period ended December 31, 2003. This yield is computed by dividing the net interest (interest income less interest expense) earned during the period ended December 31, 2003 by the average equity (computed as average assets minus average borrowings) invested during the period ended December 31, 2003 and annualizing the results. As we add more loans and investments to our portfolio, we anticipate our leverage ratio, levered return and level of earnings will increase over time. Our business plan contemplates an increase of our leverage ratio to 65% to 70% over time. However, our leverage will not exceed 80% of the value of our assets in the aggregate unless approval to exceed the 80% limit is obtained from our board of directors.

The table on the following page lists the principal terms of each of our bridge and mezzanine loans, preferred equity investments and other real estate-related assets and the financing relating to each individual investment, each as of December 31, 2003.

OUR REAL ESTATE ASSETS

As of December 31, 2003



Property Information			Investment Information											Funding Information

						Origination		Maturity		Interest Pay	Interest					Interest	Interest			Profit	Advance
Name	Type	Location	Balance(1)			Date		Date		Rate Index	Rate(2)			Balance		Rate Index	Rate(3)			Share(3)	Rate

Bridge Loans:
80 Evergreen Ave	Commercial	Brooklyn, NY	$	4,800,000			10/2003		10/2006	Libor + 4.75%		5.92	%		—	—		—		No		—
130 West 30th	Multifamily	New York, NY	$	16,000,000			9/2001		5/2006	Libor + 2.25%		3.42	%	$	13,600,000	Libor + 2.00%		2.62%		Yes		85.00	%
1025 5th Avenue	Co-op	New York, NY	$	1,100,000			10/2002		10/2004	10.00%		10.00	%		—	—		—		No		—
Concord and Henry	Multifamily	Massachusetts	$	2,899,875			4/2003		4/2004	Libor + 5.50%		7.00	%	$	2,319,900	Libor + 2.00%		3.12%		No		80.00	%
										Floor 7.00%
Dylan Hotel(4)	Hotel	New York, NY	$	14,000,000			3/2003		3/2005	Libor + 5.00%		6.50	%	$	9,800,000	Libor + 2.00%		3.12%		No		70.00	%
										Floor 6.50%
Less: Participation			$	(2,100,000	)					50% of net spread
										less 50% asset mgmt
			$	11,900,000						fee		(3.00	%)					(1.575%	)

												3.50	%					1.575%
Fairfax Gardens Apts	Multifamily	Baltimore, MD	$	6,825,340			12/2003		12/2005	Libor + 6.50%		8.00	%		—	—		—		No		—
										Floor 8.00%
Gainesville Outlet Mall	Retail	Gainesville, TX	$	4,800,000			12/2003		3/2004	Libor + 8.50%		9.67	%		—	—		—		No		—
										Floor 9.50%
Grand Plaza	Multifamily	Las Vegas, Nevada	$	25,140,436			11/2002		12/2004	Libor + 3.00%		5.25	%	$	20,161,344	Libor + 2.00%		3.12%		No		80.19	%
										Floor 5.25%
Indiana Portfolio(5)	Multifamily	Indiana	$	14,809,391			2/2003		3/2004	Libor + 4.25%		5.42	%	$	10,400,000	Libor + 2.25%		3.37%		No		70.23	%
Lakeshore Club Apts — A	Multifamily	Tampa, Florida	$	21,500,000			10/2003		10/2005	Libor + 3.50%		5.00	%		—	Libor + 2.00%		—		Yes		—
										Floor 5.00%
Lakeshore Club Apts — B	Multifamily	Tampa, Florida	$	5,500,000			10/2003		10/2005	Libor + 6.50%		8.50	%		—	Libor + 2.00%		—		Yes		—
										Floor 8.50%
Palmetto Villas Apts	Multifamily	Ontario, California	$	9,130,000			5/2003		4/2005	Libor + 4.00%		5.50	%	$	7,304,000	Libor + 2.00%		3.12%		No		80.00	%
										Floor 5.50%
Partners Portfolio —	Multifamily	Baltimore, Maryland
Tranche A			$	14,200,000			4/2003		5/2006	Libor + 3.50% Floor 5.00%		5.00	%	$	11,983,726	Libor + 2.00%		3.12%		Yes		84.39	%
Tranche B			$	4,725,569			4/2003		5/2006	Libor + 4.50% (Year 1);		6.50	%		—	Libor + 3.00% Libor Floor 2.00%		—		Yes		—
										Libor + 6.50% (Year 2);						Floor 2.00%
										Libor + 7.50% (Year 3) Floor 2.00%
Tropical Gardens	Multifamily	Lauderdale Lakes, FL	$	8,800,000			12/2002		12/2004	Libor + 3.50%		5.50	%	$	7,040,000	Libor + 2.00%		3.12%		No		80.00	%
										Floor 5.50%
Walbridge Terrace	Multifamily	San Francisco, California	$	6,200,000			7/2003		7/2004	Libor + 4.50%		6.00	%	$	5,270,000	Libor + 2.00%		3.12%		No		85.00	%
										Floor 6.00%
Westbury Square	Residential	Westbury, NY	$	450,000			12/2003		7/2004	Libor + 8.00%		12.00	%		—	—		—		No		—
										Floor 12.00%
Bridge Loans — Total			$	158,780,611								5.43	%	$	87,878,970			2.90%



(1)	The balances in this column represent the net balance of each loan and investment which equals the outstanding principal amount of the loan or investment, excluding the unearned portions of revenue, at December 31, 2003.



(2)	Interest rate excludes deferred interest component. See asset descriptions for terms.



(3)	Interest rate does not include deferred interest component due to profit sharing arrangements pursuant to our warehouse facility. See “Management’s Discussion & Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries — Liquidity and Capital Resources” for a description of these profit sharing arrangements.



(4)	This loan, together with all interest due, was repaid in full in January 2004.



(5)	This loan consists of a $13.75 million first mortgage loan and a $1.2 million second mortgage loan, of which $1,059,391 was funded as of December 31, 2003.

OUR REAL ESTATE ASSETS

As of December 31, 2003

Property Information

Investment Information

Origination

Maturity

Interest Pay

Interest

Name

Type

Location

Balance(1)

Date

Rate Index

Rate(2)

Mezzanine Loans:

60 Spring St(4)

Multifamily

New York, NY

5,250,000

12/2003

12/2005

Libor + 6.00%

7.17%

Floor 1.17%

130 West 30th St

Multifamily

New York, NY

5,131,490

6/2003

5/2006

Libor + 7.00%

10.00%

Floor 10.00%

333 E. 34th Street

Multifamily

New York, NY

10,000,000

1/2002

2/2005

Libor + 3.00%

8.00%

Floor: 8.00%

450 West 33rd St

Office

New York, NY

30,000,000

12/2003

1/2006

12.30% Fixed

12.29%

450 West 33rd St

Office

New York, NY

15,000,000

12/2003

1/2006

Libor + 11.50%
Floor 3.00%

13.00%

930 Flushing Ave.

Commercial

Brooklyn, NY

3,500,000

6/2003

6/2006

Libor + 3.50%

5.00%

Floor 5.00%

The Crossings

Multifamily

Glassboro, New Jersey

2,000,000

6/2003

5/2006

Libor + 7.00%

10.00%

Floor 10.00%

James Hotel

Hotel

Scottsdale, Arizona

6,640,000

8/2003

8/2006

Libor + 7.00%
Floor 9.00%
Cap 10.00%

9.00%

Maple Leaf

Multifamily

New Orleans, LA

2,300,000

11/2003

11/2006

Libor + 7.00%

10.00%

Prime Portfolio

Retail

Various

35,000,000

12/2003

1/2006

Libor + 8.50%

9.67%

Floor 9.50%

Schron B

Multifamily

New Jersey

3,000,000

7/2003

4/2005

Libor + 5.25%

6.75%

Floor 6.75%

SMC Portfolio

Multifamily

Baltimore, Maryland

11,520,000

9/2003

9/2005

Libor + 5.50% (Year 1);
Libor + 6.50% (Year 2);
Libor + 7.50% (Year 3)
Libor Floor 2.00%

7.50%

Mezzanine Loans — Total

129,341,490

9.91%

[Additional columns below]

[Continued from above table, first column(s) repeated]



Pr	Funding Information

			Interest		Interest		Profit		Advance
Name	Balance		Rate Index		Rate(3)		Share(3)		Rate

Mezzanine Loans:
60 Spring St(4)		—		—		—		No		—
130 West 30th St		—		Libor + 2.25%		—		Yes		—
				Floor 1.75%
333 E. 34th Street		—		Libor + 4.00%		—		Yes		—
				Libor 2.00%
450 West 33rd St	$	18,866,670		Libor + 2.60%		3.74%		No		62.89%
450 West 33rd St	$	9,433,330		Libor + 2.60%		3.74%		No		62.89%
930 Flushing Ave.		—		—		—		No		—
The Crossings	$	1,700,000		Libor + 3.00%		5.00%		Yes		85.00%
				Libor Floor 2.00%
James Hotel		—		—		—		No		—
Maple Leaf		—		—		—		No		—
Prime Portfolio	$	21,875,000		Libor + 2.50%		3.67%		No		62.50%
Schron B		—		Libor + 4.00%		—		No		—
				Libor Floor 2.00%
SMC Portfolio	$	9,216,000	Libor + 2.75% Libor Floor 1.75%			4.50%		Yes		80.00%
Mezzanine Loans — Total
	$	61,091,000				3.86%



(1)	The balances in this column represent the net balance of each loan and investment which equals the outstanding principal amount of the loan or investment, excluding the unearned portions of revenue, at December 31, 2003.



(2)	Interest rate excludes deferred interest component. See asset descriptions for terms.



(3)	Interest rate does not include deferred interest component due to profit sharing arrangements pursuant to our warehouse facility. See “Management’s Discussion & Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries — Liquidity and Capital Resources” for a description of these profit sharing arrangements.



(4)	This loan, together with all interest due, was repaid in full in January 2004.

OUR REAL ESTATE ASSETS

As of December 31, 2003

Property Information

Investment Information

Origination

Maturity

Interest Pay

Interest

Name

Type

Location

Balance(1)

Date

Rate Index

Rate(2)

Preferred Equity:

CDS Portfolio

Multifamily

Texas

4,253,742

12/1998

1/2005

Libor + 4.50% Floor 9.56%

9.56%

Dutch Village

Multifamily

Baltimore, Maryland

7,074,431

6/2003

11/2006

Libor + 4.50% (Year 1);
Libor + 6.50% (Year 2);
Libor + 7.50% (Year 3)
Libor Floor 2.00%

6.50%

Schron A

Multifamily

New Jersey

19,300,000

6/2003

4/2005

Libor + 5.25%

6.75%

Floor 6.75%

Villages at Gateway

Multifamily

Denver, Colorado

2,800,000

2/2002

3/2004

Libor + 6.00%

10.00%

Floor 10.00%

Preferred Equity — Total

33,428,173

7.33%

Other Investments:

Albion

Hotel

Miami, Florida

1,967,867

3/2001

8/2023

7.39% Fixed

7.39%

Other — Total

1,967,867

7.39%

Total

323,518,140

7.49%

[Additional columns below]

[Continued from above table, first column(s) repeated]



	Funding Information

			Interest Rate	Interest		Profit		Advance
Name	Balance		Index	Rate(3)		Share(3)		Rate

Preferred Equity:
CDS Portfolio	$	3,190,306	Libor + 2.75%		3.87%		No		75.00%
Dutch Village	$	4,686,671	Libor + 3.00% Libor Floor 2.00%		5.00%		Yes		66.25%
Schron A	$	13,907,297	Libor + 2.75%		3.87%		No		72.06%
Villages at Gateway	$	1,774,227	Libor + 2.25%		3.37%		Yes		63.37%
Preferred Equity — Total	$	23,558,501			4.06%

Other Investments:
Albion		—	—		—		No		—
Other — Total	$	0			0.00%

Total	$	172,528,471			3.40%



(1)	The balances in this column represent the net balance of each loan and investment which equals the outstanding principal amount of the loan or investment, excluding the unearned portions of revenue, at December 31, 2003.



(2)	Interest rate excludes deferred interest component. See asset descriptions for terms.



(3)	Interest rate does not include deferred interest component due to profit sharing arrangements pursuant to our warehouse facility. See “Management’s Discussion & Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries — Liquidity and Capital Resources” for a description of these profit sharing arrangements.

A description of the terms and characteristics of each of the investments listed in the table above follows.

Bridge Loans

80 Evergreen. We originated this $4.8 million bridge loan to Stanev Associates, LLC in October 2003. This loan bears a variable rate of interest on one-month LIBOR plus 4.75% and will mature in October 2006. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien on the property. The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for two 12-month periods with no change in the rate of interest. This bridge loan refinanced the $2.5 million mezzanine loan made by Arbor Commercial Mortgage and purchased by us in August 2003 and a $1.6 million first mortgage lien held by a third party lender relating to 80 Evergreen. The borrower used the $2.5 million mezzanine loan proceeds to acquire and make repairs to a 77,680 square foot warehouse/ industrial space located in Brooklyn, New York.

In August 2003, we also purchased a 12.5% preferred interest in two joint ventures which own and operate 80 Evergreen and 930 Flushing Avenue for approximately $818,000. The borrower under the 80 Evergreen bridge loan is an affiliate of the joint ventures.

130 West 30th Street. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated this $16.0 million bridge loan to 130 West 30th, LLC in September 2001 and contributed it to us upon the consummation of the private placement. The borrower used the proceeds to acquire an 18 story office building in New York, New York. It is currently undergoing construction to convert the building from office to residential condominiums using the Arbor Commercial Mortgage mezzanine loan proceeds purchased by us on July 1, 2003.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 2.25%. In connection with Arbor Commercial Mortgage providing the borrower with additional mezzanine financing in June 2003, the maturity date of this bridge loan was extended to May 31, 2006. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien on the property. There is a limited guarantee on the loan of 50% by Mr. Ivan Kaufman and 50% by the key principal of the borrower.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for one 12-month period with no change in the rate of interest.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage holds a 50% membership interest in 130 West 30th, LLC which it did not contribute to us in connection with the asset contribution. This interest is used to partially fund a loan loss guarantee by Arbor Commercial Mortgage. See “— Participating Interests in Our Investments Retained by Arbor Commercial Mortgage” and “Management’s Discussion & Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries — Related Party Transactions — Related Party Loans” elsewhere in this prospectus.

1025 5th Avenue. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated this $1.1 million bridge loan in October 2002 and contributed it to us upon the consummation of the private placement. The borrowers used the loan proceeds to renovate an apartment in a cooperative building in New York, New York.

This loan matures in October 2004 and has an interest rate of 10.00%. Interest payments are due monthly and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. The loan is secured by a pledge of 225 cooperative shares owned by the lessee of the apartment and the apartment lease.

Concord Street & Henry Terrace. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated this $5.0 million bridge loan to Henry Terrace, LLC and 100 Concord St., LLC in April 2003 and contributed it to us upon the consummation of the private placement. The borrowers used the proceeds to refinance an existing loan on a 74 unit multi-family residential property in Worcester, Massachusetts and a commercial property in Framingham, Massachusetts.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 5.50%, with a 7.00% floor, and matures in April 2004. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. In

addition, upon maturity or prepayment of the loan, the borrower must pay deferred interest equal to the greater of 2.00% of the original principal balance or the amount necessary to generate an aggregate annual internal rate of return of 14.00%. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien on the properties.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for one 6-month period with no change in the rate of interest if the loan has an outstanding principal balance of not more than $1.5 million at the time the extension is requested. In December 2003 the borrower made a principal payment of $2.1 million, reducing the outstanding loan balance to $2.9 million.

Dylan Hotel. Arbor Commercial Mortgage refinanced a discounted loan between Debis Financial Services Inc. and Grand Palace Hotel at the Park LLC with a $14.0 million bridge loan to Grand Palace Hotel at the Park LLC in March 2003. Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed this bridge loan to us upon the consummation of the private placement. The borrower is the owner of a 107 room hotel in New York, New York.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of one month LIBOR plus 5.00% with a floor of 6.50%, and matures in March 2005. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity.

In addition, upon maturity of the loan, the borrower must pay deferred interest of 1.00% on the principal repaid. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien on the property.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for one 12-month period for additional interest of 1.00% on the outstanding principal balance upon such extension, but only if the borrower is in compliance with certain financial covenants.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage entered into a participation agreement with BD Hotels, LLC pursuant to which BD Hotels funded $2.1 million of the equity in the loan and is entitled to receive 50% of the net interest received by Arbor Commercial Mortgage, less a 0.50% management fee payable to Arbor Commercial Mortgage.

In January 2004, this bridge loan, together with all interest due, was repaid in full.

Fairfax Gardens. We originated this $6.8 million bridge loan to Greens at Forest Park, LLC in December 2003. The borrower used the proceeds to acquire a 191-unit, garden-style apartment complex located in Baltimore, Maryland and fund a $3.9 million capital improvement program.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 6.50%, with a floor of 8.0%, and matures in December 2005. The borrower paid a 1.25% origination fee on the date the loan closed. In accordance with our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, the first 1.00% was paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage and we retained the remaining 0.25%. Interest payments are due monthly and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. In addition, upon maturity or prepayment of the loan, the borrower must pay deferred interest equal to 1.25% of the principal being paid. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien on the property.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for one 12-month period for additional interest of 1.00% of the original principal balance.

Gainesville Outlet Mall. We originated this $4.8 million bridge loan to Gainesville Outlet Mall, LLC in December 2003. The borrower used the proceeds to acquire the Gainesville Outlet Mall, which is a 315,660 square foot factory outlet center located in Gainesville, Texas.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 8.50% with a floor of 9.50%, with a term of 30 days. The borrower paid a 2.00% origination fee, net of a broker fee, on the date the loan closed. In accordance with our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, the first 1.00% of the origination fee was paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage and we retained the remaining 1.00%. Interest payments are due monthly and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien on the property.

The borrower has executed his option to extend the term of the loan for two 30-day periods at a rate of 12% with a new maturity date of March 2004.

Grand Plaza. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated a $25.5 million bridge loan to Grand Plaza Limited Partnership in November 2002 and contributed it to us upon the consummation of the private placement. The borrower used the loan proceeds to refinance outstanding debt on a 676 unit multifamily residential property located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The current outstanding balance on the loan is approximately $25.1 million.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 3.00%, with a floor of 5.25%, and matures in December 2004. Interest and principal payments are due monthly. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien on the property.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for one 12-month period with no change in the rate of interest.

Indiana Portfolio. In February 2003, Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated a $13.75 million bridge loan to NSH Affordable Housing of Indiana, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that holds and manages investment property from the endowment of the North Shore Hebrew Academy High School. Two of our directors, Mr. Kaufman and Dr. Helmreich, are members of the board of trustees of North Shore Hebrew Academy High School and NSH Affordable Housing of Indiana, Inc. Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed this loan to us upon the consummation of the private placement. The borrower used the loan proceeds to acquire four affordable housing multi family properties located in Evansville, Indianapolis and Marion, Indiana. See “Management’s Discussion & Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries — Related Party Transactions — Related Party Loans.”

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of one month LIBOR plus 4.25% and matures in March 2004. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien on the properties.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage also originated a separate $1.2 million bridge loan to the same borrower to fund renovations on the four properties described above and contributed it to us upon consummation of this offering. This loan also bears interest at a variable rate of one month LIBOR plus 4.25% and matures in March 2004. Interest payments on amounts drawn on the loan are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. As of December 31, 2003, the outstanding principal balance was approximately $1.1 million. This loan is secured by a second mortgage lien on the properties.

Lakeshore Club Apartments. We originated this $27 million bridge loan to Egypt Lake LP in October 2003. The borrower used the proceeds to retire an existing first mortgage lien and our prior mezzanine loan to the borrower. The property recently underwent a $6.6 million renovation.

The loan is tranched into two separate notes with different interest rates. Note A, in the amount of $21.5 million, bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 3.50%, with a floor of 5.00%. Note B, in the amount of $5.5 million, bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 6.50%, with a floor of 8.50%. The loan matures in October 2005. The borrower paid a 1.50% origination fee on both Note A and Note B on the date the loan closed. In accordance with our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, the first 1.00% was paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage and we retained the remaining 0.50% with respect to each tranche. Interest payments are due monthly and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. In addition, upon maturity or prepayment of the loan, the borrower must pay deferred interest of 1.50% of the principal amount being paid. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien, a pledge of 100% of the ownership interest in the borrowing entity, as well as a first loss payment guaranty from the key principals of $5.5 million.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for one 12-month period at the initial interest rate for additional interest of 1% of the outstanding balance of each loan at the time of extension.

Palmetto Villas Apartments. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated this $9.1 million bridge loan to Palmetto Villas Investors, LLC in May 2003 and contributed it to us upon the consummation of the private placement. The borrower used the loan proceeds to acquire and renovate a 134-unit multi-family residential property in Ontario, California.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of one month LIBOR plus 4.00%, with a floor of 5.50%, and matures in April 2005. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. In addition, upon maturity or prepayment of the loan, the borrower must pay deferred interest of 1.00% on the principal repaid. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien on the property.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for two 6-month periods. If the loan is extended the interest rate will increase to one month LIBOR plus 4.50%, with a floor of 6.00%. Additionally, the borrower must pay additional interest of 0.50% on the outstanding principal balance upon each such extension.

Partners Portfolio. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated this $18.9 million bridge loan to SRH/ LA Chesapeake Apartments L.P., SRH/ LA Nottingham, LLC, SRH/ LA Hunter, LLC and SRH/ LA Melvin, LLC in April 2003. Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed this loan to us upon the consummation of the private placement. The borrowers used the loan proceeds to acquire an 834-unit multi-family residential portfolio, consisting of five properties in Baltimore, Maryland and fund a $2.4 million capital improvement program.

The loan has two tranches with different interest rates. Tranche A of the loan, in the amount of $14.2 million, bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 3.50% with a floor of 5.00%. Tranche B of the loan, in the amount of $4.7 million, bears interest at a variable rate of (1) in the first year, LIBOR plus 4.50%, with a floor of 6.50%, (2) in the second year, LIBOR plus 6.50%, with a floor of 8.50% and (3) in the third year, LIBOR plus 7.50%, with a floor of 9.50%. The loan matures in May 2006. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. In addition, upon maturity or prepayment of the loan, the borrowers must pay deferred interest of 1.00% of the principal repaid. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien on three of the properties and a pledge of all the limited partnership interests in the owners of two other properties.

Tropical Gardens Apartments. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated this $8.8 million bridge loan to NHP Tropical Gardens Limited Partnership in December 2002 and contributed it to us upon the consummation of the private placement. The borrower used the loan proceeds to acquire and renovate a 245 unit multi family residential property located in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 3.50%, with a floor of 5.50%, and matures in December 2004. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. In addition, upon maturity or prepayment of the loan, the borrower must pay deferred interest of 1.00% on the principal repaid. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien on the property.

Walbridge Terrace. We originated this $6.2 million bridge loan to Silver Lake Apartments, LLC in July 2003. The borrower used the loan proceeds to repay the existing construction loan and complete construction of this 40-unit senior housing property with 6,500 square feet of ground floor retail space in San Francisco, California.

The loan bears a variable rate of interest of LIBOR plus 4.50%, with a 6.00% floor, and matures in July 2004. The borrower paid a 2.00% origination fee on the date the loan closed. In accordance with our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, the first 1.00% was paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage and we retained the remaining 1.00%. The borrower must pay 1.00% of deferred interest upon the prepayment or maturity of the loan unless the loan is refinanced with permanent financing from Arbor Commercial Mortgage in which case, the deferred interest will be waived, and Arbor Commercial Mortgage will reduce the management fee payable by us to Arbor Commercial Mortgage by an amount equal to 50% of the deferred interest waived. The loan is secured by a first mortgage lien on the property and has been unconditionally guaranteed by key principals of the borrower.

Westbury Square. We originated this $450,000 bridge loan to Westbury Square, LLC in December 2003. The borrower used the proceeds to acquire this 0.45-acre parcel of developed land, in Westbury, New York. The borrower will be seeking construction financing in order to develop loft style Townhouse units on the land.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 8.00%, with a floor of 12.00%, and matures in July 2004. The borrower paid a 2.00% origination fee on the date the loan closed. In accordance with our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, the first 1.00% was paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage and we retained the remaining 1.00%. Interest payments are due monthly and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. The loan is secured by an absolute and unconditional personal guaranty by certain affiliates of the borrower.

Mezzanine Loans

60 Spring St. We originated this $6.0 million mezzanine loan to Spring-Lafayette, LLC in December 2003. Of the $6.0 million loan, $5.25 million was funded to the borrower and $750,000 funded an interest reserve. The borrower used the proceeds to provide additional funding needed to acquire and convert a 13-story office building in New York, New York into 40 residential condominium units and approximately 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 6.00%, with a LIBOR floor of 1.17% and matures in December 2005. The borrower paid a 2.00% origination fee on the date the loan closed. In accordance with our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, the first 1.00% was paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage and we retained the remaining 1.00%. Interest payments are due monthly and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. In addition, upon maturity or prepayment of the loan, the borrower must pay deferred interest equal to the amount necessary to generate a monthly compounded internal rate of return of 12.00%. The loan is secured by a pledge of 100% of the ownership interests in the mortgage borrower, as well as a full recourse guarantee executed by one of the key principals. The loan is subordinate to a first mortgage lien of approximately $45.6 held by a third party lender.

In connection with our refinancing of this mezzanine loan and the first mortgage lien in February 2004, this loan was repaid in full and replaced with a $47.9 million bridge loan and a $11.4 million mezzanine loan made by us. The bridge loan bears a variable rate of interest of LIBOR plus 5.00% with a LIBOR floor of 1.10% and the mezzanine loan bears a variable rate of interest of LIBOR plus 6.00% with a LIBOR floor of 1.10%. The loans mature in January 2005.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for one 12-month period for additional interest of 1.00%.

130 West 30th Street. In connection with Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s refinancing of the $16.0 million bridge loan to 130 West 30th, LLC in June 2003, Arbor Commercial Mortgage agreed to provide the borrower with additional mezzanine financing in the amount of up to $8.0 million. This mezzanine loan matures in May 2006. We purchased this mezzanine loan from Arbor Commercial Mortgage on July 1, 2003 with a portion of the net proceeds from the private placement.

The additional financing will allow for the renovation/ conversion of the office building to residential condominiums. The estimated cost of the construction project is $14.0 million, and it is estimated that the project will be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2004. Additional funds to complete construction are anticipated to come from the sales of the condominium units, cash flow from the operations and partner equity contributions.

The mezzanine financing bears interest at a variable rate of one-month LIBOR plus 7.00%, with a floor of 10.00%, and will be funded in two equal installments of $4.0 million. The two key principals will each contribute $1.0 million before either component is funded. The funding will be drawn down as construction progresses. The interest on the first component, which has been funded, will be earned on the full $4.0 million, while the interest on the second component, of which $1.1 million was funded as of

December 31, 2003 and is earning interest, will be earned as the $4.0 million is drawn down. The unfunded portion of the second component will remain unfunded unless a specified number of condominiums have been sold. The additional financing is secured by a second mortgage lien on the property.

333 East 34th Street. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated this $10.0 million mezzanine loan to 333 East 34th, LLC in January 2002 and contributed it to us upon consummation of the private placement. The borrower used the loan proceeds to acquire and renovate a multi family residential building located in New York. The borrower has converted the New York rental property into condominiums.

The loan bears a variable rate of interest of one month LIBOR plus 5.00%, with a 12.50% floor, and was scheduled to mature in February 2004. The borrower has executed its option to extend the loan for a 12-month period. The borrower has the option to remit interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 3.00% with an 8.00% floor and to accrue the differential interest owed. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. The loan is secured by a pledge of 85% of the membership interests in the borrower, and two affiliates of the borrower have personally guaranteed the loan for up to $1.0 million. The loan is subordinate to a $31.0 million first mortgage lien held by a third party lender.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for two additional 12-month periods, the first of which requires a payment of additional interest of $300,000.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage holds a 15% membership interest in 333 East 34th, LLC, the borrower under the mezzanine loan which it did not contribute to us in connection with the asset contribution. This interest is used to partially fund a loan loss guarantee by Arbor Commercial Mortgage. See “— Participating Interests in Our Investments Retained by Arbor Commercial Mortgage” below.

450 West 33rd Street. In December 2003, we originated a $30 million mezzanine loan to 450 Partners Mezz III LLC, the owner of 100% of the membership interests in 450 Partners Mezz II LLC, and a $15 million mezzanine loan to 450 Partners Mezz II LLC, the owner of 100% of the membership interests in 450 Partners Mezz I LLC. The borrowers used the proceeds from the loans to recapitalize and refinance a 1.7 million-square-foot office building in Manhattan.

The $30 million loan bears interest at a fixed rate of 12.3% and matures in January 2006. The borrower has three options to extend the maturity date of the loan for one year each; no extension fee is required for the exercise of such options. The borrower paid a 1.00% origination fee on the date the loan closed and, in accordance with our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, this amount was paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage. Interest payments are due monthly; beginning in 2005, principal payments are due monthly based on an 18-year amortization schedule; and the remaining principal balance is due in full upon maturity. The mezzanine loan is secured by a pledge, by 450 Partners Mezz III LLC, of 100% of the membership interests in 450 Partners Mezz II LLC. This loan is subordinate to a $200 million first mortgage and a $70 million mezzanine loan with third party lenders and to our $15 million mezzanine loan described below.

The $15 million loan bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 14.92%, with a LIBOR floor of 1.50%, and matures in January 2006. The borrower has three options to extend the maturity date of the loan for one year each; each of such extensions is conditioned on the achievement of a certain net operating income for the property, and each of the second and third extension options requires the payment of a fee of .0125% of the outstanding balance of the loan. The borrower paid a 1.00% origination fee on the date the loan closed and, in accordance with our management agreement, this amount was paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage. We are required to pay BN Holdings LLC, an unrelated party, as a structuring fee, the portion of each monthly interest payment which results from a LIBOR spread in excess of 11.50%. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. The mezzanine loan is secured by a pledge, by 450 Partners of Mezz II LLC, of 100% membership interests in 450 Partners Mezz I LLC. This loan is subordinate to a $200 million first mortgage and a $70 million mezzanine loan with third party lenders.

At the closing of the loans, we made a $3 million investment in the entity that controls the borrowers and arranged for an additional $12 million of equity to be invested by third parties. In exchange for making the loans and arranging the equity investments, we received an approximately 24% profits participation in the property and we were designated the co-managing member of the entity that controls the property. We sold our $3 million equity investment in January 2004 and retained our profits participation and position as co-managing member.

930 Flushing Avenue. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated this $3.5 million mezzanine loan in June 2003. We purchased this loan from Arbor Commercial Mortgage effective August 1, 2003. The borrower used the loan proceeds to acquire the 300,000 square foot warehouse/ industrial space located in Brooklyn, New York.

The loan bears a variable rate of interest of one-month LIBOR plus 8.00% with a floor of 9.50% and matures in June 2006. The borrower pays interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 3.50% with a 5.00% floor and the difference accrues interest at the higher rate payable at maturity. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. The loan is secured by a junior lien on the property. The loan is subordinate to a $7.7 million first mortgage lien held by a third party lender.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for two 12-month periods for additional interest of 3.00% of the outstanding principal balance upon exercise of each extension.

In August 2003, we also purchased a 12.5% preferred interest in two joint ventures which own and operate 80 Evergreen and 930 Flushing Avenue for approximately $818,000. The borrower under the 930 Flushing Avenue mezzanine loan is an affiliate of the joint ventures.

The Crossings Apartments. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated this $2.0 million mezzanine loan to Audubon Glassboro, LLC in June 2003. We purchased this loan from Arbor Commercial Mortgage on July 1, 2003 with a portion of the net proceeds from the private placement. The borrowers used the loan proceeds to acquire and renovate a 328-unit multi-family apartment complex located in Glassboro, Gloucester County, New Jersey.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 7.00%, with a 10.00% floor, and matures in May 2006. Interest payments are due monthly, and the unpaid principal balance is due in full upon maturity. In addition, upon maturity or prepayment of the loan, the borrower must pay deferred interest equal to the amount necessary to provide an aggregate annual internal rate of return of 13.00%. The loan is secured by a pledge of membership interest in the borrowing entity. The loan is subordinate to a $11.0 million first mortgage loan on the property held by a third party lender.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for two 12-month periods upon payment of additional interest of $30,000, for the first extension, and $50,000, for the second extension, if the borrower is in compliance with certain financial covenants.

James Hotel. We originated this $6.6 million mezzanine loan to James Hotel Scottsdale, LLC in August 2003. The borrower is currently using the loan proceeds to renovate this recently acquired 206-room independent hotel located in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The loan bears a variable rate of interest of LIBOR plus 7.00%, with a 9.00% floor and a 10.00% cap. The loan matures in August 2006. The borrower paid a 2.00% origination fee on the date the loan closed. In accordance with our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, the first 1.00% was paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage and we retained the remaining 1.00%. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. In addition, upon maturity of the loan, the borrower must pay deferred interest in an amount necessary to generate an aggregate annual internal rate of return of 18.00%. The loan is secured by a pledge of the membership interests in the borrower. The loan is subordinate to a $5.0 million first mortgage lien and a $5.0 million second mortgage lien held by a third party lender.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for one additional 12-month period for additional interest payment of 1.00% on the outstanding principal balance upon such extension.

Maple Leaf. We originated this $2.3 million mezzanine loan to Audubon-Algiers Partners, LLC in November 2003. A portion of the proceeds of the loan were used to make a capital contribution into Algiers Holdings II, LLC, which then made a capital contribution to Algiers Holdings I, LLC, which then made a capital contribution to Audubon-Algiers, LLC. $130,000 of the proceeds were placed in an interest reserve, and the borrower used the remainder of the proceeds to acquire a multi-family residential building located in New Orleans, Louisiana and fund a $1.3 million capital improvement plan.

The loan bears a variable rate of interest of one-month LIBOR plus 7.0%. The loan matures in November 2006. The borrower paid a 3.00% origination fee on the date the loan closed. In accordance with our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, the first 1.00% was paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage and we retained the remaining 2.00%. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. Upon maturity of the loan, the borrower must pay deferred interest in an amount sufficient to provide Arbor with an annualized rate of return of 13%, exclusive of additional interest for extensions. The loan is secured by a pledge of the membership interest in Audubon-Algiers Holdings II, LLC. The loan is subordinate to an approximately $6.57 million first mortgage lien held by a third party lender.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for three 12-month periods at the initial interest rate provided the borrower pays us additional interest of $34,500 for the exercise of each of the options.

Prime Retail Portfolio. We originated this $35 million mezzanine loan to Prime Outlets Member LLC, or POM in December 2003. We also acquired, for total consideration of $2.1 million, indirect equity interests in Prime Outlets Acquisition Company LLC, or POAC, the indirect parent of POM, in December 2003. The borrower used the proceeds of the loan to purchase Prime Retail, Inc. In 2003, POAC merged with Prime Retail Inc. and is the surviving entity of the merger. As successor to Prime Retail Inc., POAC now owns and/or controls 36 factory outlet centers and one office building totaling approximately 10.2 million square feet of gross leasable area in 26 states. Prior to its merger with POAC, Prime Retail Inc. was a publicly held REIT engaged in the ownership, leasing, marketing and management of outlet centers throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. POM, through subsidiary entities, owns ten of POAC’s outlet properties.

This mezzanine loan bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 8.50%, with a floor of 9.50%, and matures in January 2006. The borrower paid a 1.67% origination fee, net of a broker fee paid to one of the partners of the borrower. In accordance with our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, the first 1.00% of the origination fee was paid to Arbor Commercial Mortgage, and we retained the remaining 0.67%. Interest payments on the loan are due monthly, and the principal balance is amortized over 12.5 years. The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for three 12-month periods. In order to exercise the second and third extension options, the borrower must pay additional interest of 0.5% of the then outstanding principal balance.

The loan is secured by a pledge of the equity interests in the entities that directly or indirectly own the ten underlying properties. In addition, the loan is guaranteed by POAC and another affiliate, and the guarantors’ obligations are secured by pledges of their interests in POM and in certain other assets, including two other properties that are currently being marketed for sale.

We have the following indirect equity interests in POAC:



	•	a 7.5% capital interest,



	•	a 25% carried profits interest after specified returns have been achieved, and



	•	a preferred distribution in an amount that, when added to the interest paid by POM on the mezzanine loan, results in a combined return of 12.5%.

The interests described in second and third bullet points above are held through AR Prime Holdings LLC, in which we hold two-thirds of the ownership interests and third parties own the remaining one-third.

Schron Portfolio B. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated this $8.5 million mezzanine loan to Central Jersey Sub VI LLC and Central Jersey Sub VII LLC in July 2000 and contributed it to us upon consummation of the private placement. The borrower used the loan proceeds to acquire and renovate two multi family properties in New Jersey. The loan has been modified twice, first in October 2002 in connection with the repayment of $5.5 million of outstanding principal, and in May 2003 to extend the term.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 5.25%, with a floor of 6.75%, and matures in April 2005. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. The loan is secured by the ownership interests of certain affiliates of the borrower. The loan is subordinate to a first mortgage lien with a current unpaid principal balance of approximately $14.0 million.

The borrower has the option to extend the term of the loan for three one-year periods with no change in the rate of interest. Upon maturity or prepayment of the loan, the borrower must pay deferred interest in an amount sufficient to provide the lender with an annualized internal rate of return of 14.0%.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage holds an 18% interest in the properties which it did not contribute to us in connection with the asset contribution. This interest is used to partially fund a loan loss guarantee by Arbor Commercial Mortgage. See “— Participating Interests in Our Investments Retained by Arbor Commercial Mortgage” below.

SMC Portfolio. We originated this $11.5 million mezzanine loan to SRH/LA Baltimore Properties L.P. in September 2003. The borrowers used the loan proceeds to refinance the existing mezzanine debt and make certain renovations to this 1,951-unit multi-family residential portfolio consisting of five properties in Baltimore, Maryland.

The loan bears interest at a variable rate of (1) in the first year, LIBOR plus 5.50%, with a floor of 7.50% (2) in the second year, LIBOR plus 6.50%, with a floor of 8.50% and (3) in the extension periods, if applicable, LIBOR plus 7.50%, with a floor of 9.50%. The loan matures in September 2005. Interest payments are due monthly, and the principal balance is due in full upon maturity. In addition, upon maturity or prepayment of the loan, the borrower must pay deferred interest of 1.0% of the principal repaid. The loan is secured by a pledge of the membership interests in the property owners as well as excess cash flow from another eight properties with first mortgage financing through Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s Fannie Mae DUS lending program. The loan is subordinate to $59.2 million of first mortgage liens held by third party lenders.

The borrowers have the option to extend the term of the loan for three 12-month periods, the first of which requires a payment of additional interest of 1% of the outstanding principal balance upon such extension.

Preferred Equity Investments

CDS Texas Portfolio. Arbor Commercial Mortgage made this preferred equity investment in December 1998 and contributed it to us upon consummation of the private placement. This investment facilitated the acquisition and renovation of a nine property portfolio (Sea Breeze, Autumn Manor, Malibu, Lake Crest, Santa Fe, La Mesa, Trevino, Apache Arms and Harvard) containing 1,347 units located in Austin and El Paso, Texas. The investment was originally funded in the amount of $11.3 million. Subsequently, the property owner refinanced Lake Crest, Trevino, and Apache Arms and sold Harvard to reduce the principal balance. As of December 31, 2003, the outstanding equity balance was $4.3 million. The properties are also security to debt amounting to $12.8 million held by third party lenders.

The investment bears a preferred return at a variable rate of six month LIBOR plus 4.50%, with a floor of 9.56%. The investment is required to be repurchased in January 2005 and upon such repurchase, the holder of the preferred interest is entitled to receive an additional preferred return of 2.00%.

Dutch Village Preferred Equity. Arbor Commercial Mortgage made this $7.1 million preferred equity investment in Dutch Village, LLC. We purchased this investment from Arbor Commercial Mortgage on July 1, 2003 with a portion of the net proceeds from the private placement.

The investment proceeds were used to acquire a 544-unit multi-family apartment complex located in Baltimore, Maryland. The investment provides a variable rate return of (1) LIBOR plus 4.50%, with a floor of 6.50%, in the first year, (2) LIBOR plus 6.50%, with a floor of 8.50%, in the second year and (3) LIBOR plus 7.50%, with a floor of 9.50%, in the third year. Although the companies in which we have made this investment are required to redeem the preferred equity investment in November 2006, this date may be extended by the company upon the exercise of three one-year extension periods. Upon the redemption, either on the redemption date or prior to such date, of the preferred equity investment, the company is required to pay an additional return of 1.00% of the purchase price of the redeemed preferred interest. The property is subject to a first mortgage lien with a current unpaid principal balance of $11.7 million held by a third party lender.

Schron Portfolio A. Arbor Commercial Mortgage made a $19.3 million preferred equity investment in Central Jersey Prime Holdings LLC in June 2003 and contributed it to us upon consummation of the private placement. Arbor Commercial Mortgage had originally invested in May 2000 and also had an investment with a related party which was combined with this investment in May 2003. The investment proceeds were originally used to acquire 13 multi-family properties located throughout the state of New Jersey.

The investment bears a preferred return at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 5.25%, with a floor of 6.75%. The investment must be repurchased in April 2005, although the owner has the option to extend this obligation for three one year periods with no additional return. The properties are subject to a first mortgage lien with a current unpaid principal balance of approximately $189.3 million.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage holds an 18% interest in the properties which it did not transfer to us in connection with the asset contribution. This interest is used to partially fund a loan loss guarantee by Arbor Commercial Mortgage. See “— Participating Interests in Our Investments Retained by Arbor Commercial Mortgage” below.

Villages at Gateway. Arbor Commercial Mortgage made this $4.3 million preferred equity investment in February 2002 in BP-C0 4 Property Associates, LLC, the owner of a 764 unit multi family residential property in Denver, Colorado. Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed this investment to us upon consummation of the private placement. The owner used the proceeds to acquire and renovate the property. The investment was originally made in two components of $1.5 million and $2.8 million, one of which was repurchased by the owner leaving $2.8 million outstanding.

The investment bears a preferred return at a variable rate of LIBOR plus 6.00%, with a floor of 10.00%. The equity interest must be repurchased by the owner in March 2004, although the owner has the option to extend the repurchase date for one 12-month period at no additional return, followed by two six-month extensions subject to an additional return of $126,000 for the first and $140,000 for the second extension. The property secures a first mortgage lien with a current unpaid principal balance of approximately $23.4 million.

Upon repurchase of the interests, the owner must make an additional distribution, depending upon the year of repurchase: $100,240 during the first year, $300,160 during the second year and $529,760 during the third year and beyond. This additional distribution has not been accrued. Upon receipt of this additional distribution, we will allocate a portion of the amount received to our manager pro rata based on the time frame this investment was held by our manager prior to Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s asset contribution.

Other Investments

Albion. Upon consummation of the private placement, Arbor Commercial Mortgage contributed to us the B note of a bifurcated bridge loan that it made to Albion Associates, LTD in August 1998. The

borrower used the proceeds of the original loan to acquire and renovate a 96 room hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.

The B note currently has an unpaid balance of approximately $2.0 million, bears interest at a fixed rate of 7.39%, is amortized over 30 years, and matures in September 2023. However, if the loan is not repaid by September 2008, the interest rate is increased by 5.00% and additional provisions regarding the allocations of the borrower’s cash flow become effective. Pursuant to an agreement with the holder of the A note, a third party lender, the B note is subordinate to the A note with respect to the right to receive payments of interest and principal. In addition, following an event of default, the B note holder is subject to a standstill whereby the B note holder cannot exercise its remedies to realize upon the collateral until such time that all interest, principal, fees and costs are fully repaid to the A note holder.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s Retained Interests in Our Investments

At the time of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s origination of three of the assets contributed to us upon consummation of the private placement, the 333 East 34th Street and Schron B mezzanine loans and the Schron A preferred equity investment, each of the property owners related to these investments granted Arbor Commercial Mortgage participating interests that share in a percentage of the cash flows of the underlying properties. At the time Arbor Commercial Mortgage made the 130 West 30th Street bridge loan also contributed to us, Arbor Commercial Mortgage and the borrower also entered into a joint venture in which each partner contributed 50% of the capital and is equally entitled to share in the profits and losses of the venture. Upon contribution of these four investments to us, Arbor Commercial Mortgage retained its participating interests in the three investment and its interest in the joint venture with the borrower under the 130 West 30th Street bridge loan, which we refer to collectively as Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s retained interests. After each of the related investments is repaid or repurchased, Arbor Commercial Mortgage may realize value from the associated retained interests. Arbor Commercial Mortgage has agreed that if any portion of the outstanding amount of any of these four investments is not paid at the investment’s maturity or repurchase date, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will pay to us, subject to the limitation described below, the portion of the unpaid amount of the investments up to the total amount then received by Arbor Commercial Mortgage due to the realization of any retained interests associated with any other of the four investments. However, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will no longer be obligated to make such payments to us when the remaining accumulated principal amount of the four investments, collectively, falls below $5 million and none of the four investments is in default.

The principal amount for each contributed investment protected by this payment obligation is equal to the principal balance of the investment at the time of contribution, plus the investment’s interest expense paid by us in cash since contribution, less the investment income and deferred interest or preferred return received by us in cash since contribution.

Operations

Our Manager’s Investment Services

Under the management agreement, Arbor Commercial Mortgage is responsible for sourcing originations, providing underwriting services and processing approvals for all loans and other investments in our portfolio. Arbor Commercial Mortgage also provides certain administrative loan servicing functions with respect to our loans and investments. We are able to capitalize on Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s well established operations and services in each of these areas as described below.

Origination

Our manager will source the origination of most of our investments. Arbor Commercial Mortgage serves its markets directly through its network of 14 sales offices located in Atlanta, Georgia; Bethesda, Maryland; Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Boca Raton, Florida; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Los Angeles, California; Rochester, New York; San Clement, California; New York, New York; San Francisco, California; and Uniondale, New York. These offices are staffed by approximately

20 loan originators, each of which are employed by our manager, who solicit property owners, developers and mortgage loan brokers. In some instances the originators accept loan applications meeting our underwriting criteria from a select group of mortgage loan brokers. While a large portion of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s marketing effort occurs at the branch level, Arbor Commercial Mortgage also markets its products in industry publications and targeted direct mailings. Our manager markets structured finance products as our product offerings using the same methods.

Once potential borrowers have been identified, Arbor Commercial Mortgage determines which financing products best meet the borrower’s needs. Loan originators in every branch office are able to offer borrowers the full array of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s financing products and our structured finance products. After identifying a suitable product, Arbor Commercial Mortgage works with the borrower to prepare a loan application. Upon completion by the borrower, the application is forwarded to Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s underwriters for due diligence. See “— Underwriting.”

Underwriting

Our manager’s loan originators work in conjunction with underwriters who are also employed by our manager. These underwriters have the responsibility to perform due diligence on all proposed transactions prior to loan approval and commitment. Upon receipt of each new loan application, the underwriter analyzes it in accordance with the guidelines set forth below in order to determine the loan’s conformance and suitability with respect to those guidelines. In general, Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s underwriting guidelines require it to evaluate the following:


	•	the historic and in place property revenues and expenses;

	•	the potential for near term revenue growth and opportunity for expense reduction and increased operating efficiencies; the property’s location, its attributes and competitive position within its market;

	•	the proposed ownership structure, financial strength and real estate experience of the borrower and property management; third party appraisal, environmental and engineering studies;

	•	market assessment, including property inspection, review of tenant lease files, surveys of property comparables and an analysis of area economic and demographic trends; review of an acceptable mortgagee’s title policy and an “as built” survey;

	•	construction quality of the property to determine future maintenance and capital expenditure requirements; and

	•	the requirements for any reserves, including those for immediate repairs or rehabilitation, replacement reserves, tenant improvement and leasing commission costs, real estate taxes and property casualty and liability insurance.

Key factors considered in credit decisions include, but are not limited to, debt service coverage, loan to value ratios and property, financial and operating performance. Consideration is also given to other factors, such as additional forms of collateral and identifying likely strategies to effect repayment. Arbor Commercial Mortgage will refine its underwriting criteria based upon actual loan portfolio experience and as market conditions and investor requirements evolve.

Investment Approval Process

Arbor Commercial Mortgage applies its established investment approval process to all loans and other investments proposed for our portfolio before submitting each proposal to us for final approval. A written report is generated for every loan or other investment that is submitted to Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s seven member credit committee for approval. The presentation includes a description of the prospective borrower and any guarantors, the collateral and the proposed use of investment proceeds, as well as borrower and property consolidated financial statements and analysis. In addition, the presentation summarizes an analysis of borrower liquidity, net worth, cash investment, income, credit history and

operating experience. If the transaction is approved by a majority of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s credit committee, it is presented for approval to our credit committee, which consists of our chief executive officer, our chief credit officer, our executive vice president of structured finance and our executive vice president of asset management. All transactions require the approval of a majority of the members of our credit committee, including the vote of our executive vice president of structured finance.

Following the approval of any such transaction, Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s underwriting and servicing departments, together with our asset management group, assure that all loan approval terms have been satisfied and that they conform with lending requirements established for that particular transaction. If our credit committee and independent directors reject the loan and the independent directors allow Arbor Commercial Mortgage or one of its affiliates to pursue it, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will have the opportunity to execute the transaction. See “Our Manager and the Management Agreement — Rights of First Refusal.”

Servicing

Arbor Commercial Mortgage services our loans through its internal servicing operations. Our manager currently services an expanding portfolio, consisting of approximately 500 loans with outstanding balances of $2.7 billion through its loan administration department in Buffalo, New York. Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s loan servicing operations are designed to provide prompt customer service and accurate and timely information for account follow up, financial reporting and management review. Following the funding of an approved loan, all pertinent loan data is entered into Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s data processing system, which provides monthly billing statements, tracks payment performance and processes contractual interest rate adjustments on variable rate loans. Our manager utilizes the operations of its loan administration department to service our portfolio with the same efficiency, accuracy and promptness. Arbor Commercial Mortgage also works closely with our asset management group to ensure the appropriate level of customer service and monitoring of these loans.

Our Asset Management Operations

Our asset management group is comprised of nine employees that comprised the asset management group at Arbor Commercial Mortgage. The experience and depth of services of the asset management group enabled Arbor Commercial Mortgage to improve the credit quality and yield of its structured finance investments. The asset management group, while at Arbor Commercial Mortgage, was responsible for managing over $2.5 billion in assets consisting of more than 500 real estate related investments for Arbor Commercial Mortgage. The asset management group has successfully managed numerous transactions, including complex restructurings, refinancings and asset dispositions. Through active participation in the financing and structuring strategies of transactions, many of these transactions have directly created value by generating excess cash flow or by enhancing asset values. Other transactions have dramatically reduced Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s financial exposure.

The professionals that are part of this group are experienced in managing and servicing many types and classes of assets. Because each property and loan is unique, the asset management group, at the point of origination, customizes an asset management plan with the origination and underwriting teams to track the asset from origination through disposition. The asset management group is committed to effectively communicating to senior management the status of transactions against a pre-established plan, enhancing and preserving capital, as well as avoiding litigation and potential exposure. The asset management group also performs frequent site inspections, conducts meetings with borrowers and evaluates and participates in the budgeting process, financial review of operations and the asset’s renovation plans.

Effective asset and portfolio management is essential to maximizing the performance and value of a real estate/ mortgage investment. The asset management group monitors each investment’s operating history and assesses potential financial performance to accurately evaluate and ultimately improve operations and financial viability. As an asset and portfolio manager, the asset management group focuses on increasing the productivity of on site property managers and leasing brokers as well. The asset

management group also monitors local economic trends, rental and occupancy rates and property competitiveness within its market.

Accurate identification of an investment’s current issues and each stockholder’s objectives is important in the loan workout and restructuring process. Since existing management may not have the requisite expertise to effectively implement and manage the workout process, the asset management group determines current operating and financial status of an asset or portfolio and performs liquidity analysis of properties and ownership entities and then identifies and evaluates alternatives in order to maximize the value of an investment.

Our asset management group continues to provide its services to Arbor Commercial Mortgage on a limited basis pursuant to an asset management services agreement between Arbor Commercial Mortgage and us. The asset management services agreement will be effective throughout the term of our management agreement and during the origination period described in the management agreement. In the event the services provided by our asset management group pursuant to this agreement exceed by more than 15% per quarter the level anticipated by our board of directors, we will negotiate in good faith with our manager an adjustment to our manager’s base management fee under the management agreement, to reduce the scope of the services, the quantity of serviced assets or the time required to be devoted to the services by our asset management group.

Operating Policies and Strategies

Capital and Leverage Policies

Currently, we are financing our acquisition of mortgage assets through the proceeds of the private placement and through borrowings under our credit facility. In the future, we will finance our acquisition of mortgage assets primarily by borrowing against or “leveraging” our existing portfolio and using the proceeds to acquire additional mortgage assets. We expect to incur debt such that we will maintain an equity to assets ratio of up to 20%, although the actual ratio may be lower from time to time depending on market conditions and other factors deemed relevant by our manager. Our charter and bylaws do not limit the amount of indebtedness we can incur, and the board of directors has discretion to deviate from or change our indebtedness policy at any time. However, we intend to maintain an adequate capital base to protect against various business environments in which our financing and hedging costs might exceed interest income (net of credit losses) from our investments. These conditions could occur, for example, due to credit losses or when, due to interest rate fluctuations, interest income on our investments lags behind interest rate increases in our borrowings, which are expected to be predominantly variable rate. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to our Business.”

Liabilities

Our investments are financed primarily at short term borrowing rates through warehouse lines of credit, repurchase agreements, loan agreements, commercial paper borrowings and other credit facilities with institutional lenders. Although we expect that commercial warehouse lines of credit and repurchase agreements will be the principal means of leveraging our investments, we may issue preferred stock or secured or unsecured notes of any maturity if it appears advantageous to do so. We have substantially similar credit facilities as those used by Arbor Commercial Mortgage to finance the initial assets. These credit facilities are further described under “Management’s Discussion & Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and Subsidiaries — Liquidity and Capital Resources — Sources of Liquidity.”

Credit Risk Management

We are exposed to various levels of credit and special hazard risk depending on the nature of our underlying assets and the nature and level of credit enhancements supporting our assets. We originate or purchase mortgage loans that meet minimum debt service coverage standards established by us. Arbor Commercial Mortgage, as our manager, and our chief credit officer review and monitor credit risk and

other risks of loss associated with each investment. In addition, Arbor Commercial Mortgage seeks to diversify our portfolio of assets to avoid undue geographic, issuer, industry and certain other types of concentrations. Our board of directors monitors the overall portfolio risk and reviews levels of provision for loss.

Asset/ Liability Management

To the extent consistent with our election to qualify as a REIT, we follow an interest rate risk management policy intended to mitigate the negative effects of major interest rate changes. We minimize our interest rate risk from borrowings by attempting to structure the key terms of our borrowings to generally correspond to the interest rate term of our assets.

Hedging Activities

Although Arbor Commercial Mortgage has not found it advantageous to enter into hedging transactions in the past, we may enter into such transactions in the future to protect our investment portfolio from interest rate fluctuations and other changes in market conditions. These transactions may include interest rate swaps, the purchase or sale of interest rate collars, caps or floors, options, mortgage derivatives and other hedging instruments. These instruments may be used to hedge as much of the interest rate risk as Arbor Commercial Mortgage determines is in the best interest of our stockholders, given the cost of such hedges and the need to maintain our status as a REIT. In general, income from hedging transactions does not constitute qualifying income under current law for purposes of the REIT gross income requirements. To the extent, however, that we enter into a hedging contract to reduce interest rate risk on indebtedness incurred to acquire or carry real estate assets, any income that we derive from the contract would be qualifying income for purposes of the REIT 95% gross income test, but not for the 75% gross income test. See “Federal Income Tax Considerations — Taxation of Arbor Realty — Derivatives and Hedging Transactions.” Arbor Commercial Mortgage may elect to have us bear a level of interest rate risk that could otherwise be hedged when it believes, based on all relevant facts, that bearing such risk is advisable.

Disposition Policies

Although there are no current plans to dispose of properties or other assets within our portfolio, Arbor Commercial Mortgage evaluates our asset portfolio on a regular basis to determine if it continues to satisfy our investment criteria. Subject to certain restrictions applicable to REITs, Arbor Commercial Mortgage may cause us to sell our investments opportunistically and use the proceeds of any such sale for debt reduction, additional acquisitions or working capital purposes.

Equity Capital Policies

Subject to applicable law, our board of directors has the authority, without further stockholder approval, to issue additional authorized common stock and preferred stock or otherwise raise capital, including through the issuance of senior securities, in any manner and on the terms and for the consideration it deems appropriate, including in exchange for property. Our existing stockholders, including stockholders purchasing in the concurrent offerings, will have no preemptive right to additional shares issued in any offering, and any offering might cause a dilution of investment. See “Description of Stock.” We may in the future issue common stock in connection with acquisitions. We also may issue units of partnership interest in our operating partnership in connection with acquisitions of property.

We may, under certain circumstances, repurchase our common stock in private transactions with our stockholders, if those purchases are approved by our board of directors. Our board of directors has no present intention of causing us to repurchase any shares, and any action would only be taken in conformity with applicable federal and state laws and the applicable requirements for qualifying as a REIT, for so long as the board of directors concludes that we should remain a REIT.

Conflicts of Interest Policies

We, our executive officers and Arbor Commercial Mortgage face conflicts of interests because of our relationships with each other. Mr. Ivan Kaufman is our chief executive officer and the chief executive officer of Arbor Commercial Mortgage and serves on our credit committee and Mr. Kaufman and the Kaufman entities own approximately 88% of the outstanding membership interests of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. Mr. Frederick C. Herbst is our chief financial officer and the chief financial officer of Arbor Commercial Mortgage. In addition, Mr. Herbst, two of our executive vice presidents, Mr. Fred Weber and Mr. Daniel M. Palmier, and two of our directors, Mr. Joseph Martello and Mr. Walter Horn, have minority ownership interests in Arbor Commercial Mortgage, and Mr. Martello serves as the trustee of a trust through which Mr. Kaufman owns the majority of his ownership interest in Arbor Commercial Mortgage and co-trustee of another Kaufman entity that owns an equity interest in Arbor Commercial Mortgage.

We have implemented several policies, through board action and through the terms of our constituent documents and of our agreements with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, to help address these conflicts of interest:


	•	Our charter requires that a majority of our board of directors be independent directors and that only our independent directors make any determinations on our behalf with respect to the relationships or transactions that present a conflict of interest for our directors or officers.

	•	Our board of directors has adopted a policy that decisions concerning our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, including termination, renewal and enforcement thereof or our participation in any transactions with Arbor Commercial Mortgage or its affiliates outside of the management agreement, including our ability to purchase securities and mortgage or other assets from or to sell securities and assets to Arbor Commercial Mortgage, must be reviewed and approved by a majority of our independent directors.

	•	Our management agreement provides that our determinations to terminate the management agreement for cause or because the management fees are unfair to us or because of a change in control of our manager will be made by a majority vote of our independent directors.

	•	Our independent directors will periodically review the general investment standards established for Arbor Commercial Mortgage under the management agreement.

	•	Our management agreement with Arbor Commercial Mortgage provides that Arbor Commercial Mortgage may not assign duties under the management agreement, except to certain affiliates of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, without the approval of a majority of our independent directors.

	•	Our management agreement provides that decisions to approve or reject investment opportunities rejected by our credit committee that Arbor Commercial Mortgage or Mr. Kaufman wish to pursue will be made by a majority of our independent directors.

Other Policies

We intend to operate in a manner that will not subject us to regulation under the Investment Company Act. We may invest in the securities of other issuers for the purpose of exercising control over such issuers and underwrite securities of other issuers, particularly in the course of disposing of their assets.

Future Revisions in Policies and Strategies

Our board of directors has approved the investment guidelines and the operating policies and the strategies set forth in this prospectus. The board of directors has the power to modify or waive these policies and strategies, or amend our agreements with Arbor Commercial Mortgage, without the consent of our stockholders to the extent that the board of directors (including a majority of our independent directors) determines that such modification or waiver is in our best interest or the best interest of our stockholders. Among other factors, developments in the market that either affect the policies and strategies

mentioned herein or that change our assessment of the market may cause our board of directors to revise its policies and strategies. However, if such modification or waiver involves the relationship of, or any transaction between, us and our manager or any affiliate of our manager, the approval of a majority of our independent directors is also required. We may not, however, amend our charter to change the requirement that a majority of our board consist of independent directors or the requirement that our independent directors approve related party transactions without the approval of two thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by our stockholders.

Our Operating Partnership

We have organized Arbor Realty Limited Partnership, our operating partnership, as a limited partnership under the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act. We serve as the sole general partner of our operating partnership, and own a 72% partnership interest in our operating partnership represented by operating partnership units that we obtained in exchange for our contribution of the net proceeds of the private placement to our operating partnership. The remaining 28% partnership interest in our operating partnership is owned by Arbor Commercial Mortgage. After giving effect to the concurrent offerings, Arbor Commercial Mortgage will own approximately a % interest in our operating partnership and we will own the remaining %. In exchange for the contribution of the initial assets to our partnership, Arbor Commercial Mortgage received approximately 3.1 million operating partnership units and 629,345 warrants, each of which entitles Arbor Commercial Mortgage to purchase one additional operating partnership unit for two years from the date of issue. Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s operating partnership units, including units issued upon exercise of the warrants, each is paired to one share of our special voting preferred stock and is redeemable, at the option of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, for cash, or at our election, our common stock, generally on a one for one basis, at any time after the earlier of (1) two years following the closing of the private placement and (2) six months (180 days) following the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. However, Arbor Commercial Mortgage is limited at any given time to redeeming (whether for cash or stock) a number of units such that, if we were to issue shares of our common stock to satisfy the redemption right, Arbor Commercial Mortgage would not exceed the REIT-related ownership limitations contained in our charter.

Competition

Our net income depends, in large part, on our manager’s ability to originate structured finance investments with spreads over our borrowing costs. In originating these investments, our manager competes with other mortgage REITs, specialty finance companies, savings and loan associations, banks, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, mutual funds, institutional investors, investment banking firms, other lenders, governmental bodies and other entities, some of which may have greater financial resources and lower costs of capital available to them. In addition, there are numerous mortgage REITs with asset acquisition objectives similar to ours, and others may be organized in the future. The effect of the existence of additional REITs may be to increase competition for the available supply of structured finance assets suitable for purchase by us. Competitive variables include market presence and visibility, size of loans offered and underwriting standards. To the extent that a competitor is willing to risk larger amounts of capital in a particular transaction or to employ more liberal underwriting standards when evaluating potential loans, our origination volume and profit margins for our investment portfolio could be impacted. Our competitors may also be willing to accept lower returns on their investments and may succeed in buying the assets that we have targeted for acquisition. Although management believes that we are well positioned to continue to compete effectively in each facet of our business, there can be no assurance that we will do so or that we will not encounter further increased competition in the future that could limit its ability to compete effectively.

Employees

We currently have eleven employees, including Mr. Kovarik, our chief credit officer, Mr. Weber, our executive vice president of structured finance, Mr. Palmier, our executive vice president of asset

management, and a eight person asset management group. Mr. Kaufman, who serves as our chief executive officer and Mr. Herbst, who serves as our chief financial officer, each of whom is a full time employee of our manager, perform the duties required pursuant to the management agreement with our manager and our bylaws.

Legal Proceedings

We are not involved in any litigation nor, to our knowledge, is any litigation threatened against us.

Mr. Kaufman and entities controlled by Mr. Kaufman, but unrelated to us and our manager, are involved in certain litigation actions in connection with the development and operation by those entities of a gaming casino in northern New York State on behalf of the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Tribe. Mr. Kaufman and those entities have instituted litigation actions to recover damages and monies owed pursuant to contracts and are also vigorously defending various actions subsequently brought by others relating to the gaming casino. Neither we nor our manager is a party to any of these actions and we do not believe these actions will have a material adverse effect on us or our manager.

OUR MANAGER AND THE MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT

Manager

We have chosen to be externally managed by Arbor Commercial Mortgage to take advantage of the existing business relationships, operational and risk management systems, expertise and economies of scale associated with Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s current business operations. Arbor Commercial Mortgage is a national commercial real estate finance company, which was founded in 1993 as a subsidiary of Arbor National Holdings, which was primarily an originator and servicer of single-family residential mortgage loans. Our chief executive officer, Mr. Ivan Kaufman, is also Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s chief executive officer and controlling equity owner, and was the co-founder, chairman and majority stockholder of Arbor National Holdings. Under Mr. Kaufman’s direction, Arbor National Holdings grew to 25 branches in 11 states and funded more than $4 billion in loans in its last full year of operations. Arbor National Holdings became a public company in 1992 and was sold to BankAmerica in 1995. As chairman and chief executive officer of Arbor National Holdings, Mr. Kaufman developed significant experience operating and managing a publicly traded company.

In connection with the sale of Arbor National Holdings, Mr. Kaufman purchased its commercial mortgage lending operations and the rights to the “Arbor Commercial Mortgage” name and retained a significant portion of Arbor National Holdings’ senior management team. This senior management team has guided Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s growth from a company originally capitalized with approximately $8.0 million, to its equity value, including its partnership interest in Arbor Realty Limited Partnership, of approximately $64 million as of December 31, 2003. Arbor Commercial Mortgage is now a full service provider of financial services to owners and developers of commercial and multi-family real estate properties. Arbor Commercial Mortgage has derived revenue from the origination for sale and servicing of government-sponsored and conduit mortgage loans for commercial and multi-family real estate properties as well as from the origination of structured finance loans and investments. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated over $800 million in government-sponsored and conduit mortgage loans in 2003. Arbor Commercial Mortgage originated over $115 million in structured finance investments from the beginning of 2003 until the contribution of the majority of its structured finance portfolio to us in July 2003. Arbor Commercial Mortgage is currently servicing a portfolio with a principal balance of $3.0 billion, including loans serviced for Arbor Realty Limited Partnership.

Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s executive officers and employees have extensive experience in originating and managing structured commercial real estate investments. The senior management team has an average of over 20 years experience in the financial services industry. Arbor Commercial Mortgage currently has 129 employees spread among its corporate headquarters in Uniondale, New York and 14 offices located throughout the United States.

At December 31, 2003, Mr. Kaufman and the Kaufman entities together beneficially owned approximately 88% of the outstanding membership interests in Arbor Commercial Mortgage. Our chief financial officer, our executive vice presidents of structured finance and asset management and our secretary collectively own an approximately 3.5% membership interest in Arbor Commercial Mortgage. One of our directors, Mr. Martello, owns an approximately 1.3% membership interest in Arbor Commercial Mortgage and serves as the trustee of one of the Kaufman entities that owns a majority of the outstanding membership interests in Arbor Commercial Mortgage and co-trustee of another Kaufman entity that owns an equity interest in Arbor Commercial Mortgage. In exchange for Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s contribution of the initial assets and related liabilities to our operating partnership, our operating partnership issued to Arbor Commercial Mortgage approximately 3.1 million units of limited partnership interest and 629,345 warrants to purchase additional units of limited partnership interest at an initial exercise price of $15.00 each, each of which are redeemable, at our election, for cash or one share of our common stock. Each of the approximately 3.1 million operating partnership units received by Arbor

Commercial Mortgage, is paired with one share of our special voting preferred stock that has one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders.

We have granted our non-employee executive officers and other employees of our manager who provide services to us awards of 128,500 shares of restricted stock in the aggregate, representing 1.6% of the number of shares of common stock currently outstanding. Our manager and its employees have a total beneficial ownership in our common stock of approximately 33%, taking into account (1) operating partnership units that are held of record by Arbor Commercial Mortgage and that may be acquired by Arbor Commercial Mortgage upon exercise of warrants for additional operating partnership units, (2) the restricted stock awards to certain executive officers and employees of our manager who provide services to us and (3) units purchased in the private placement by such individuals and others affiliated with our manager. Our manager is entitled to receive an annual base management fee from us and may receive incentive compensation based on certain performance criteria and certain other fees.

The executive offices of our manager are located at 333 Earle Ovington Boulevard, Suite 900, Uniondale, New York 11553 and the telephone number of its executive offices is (516) 832-8002.

Officers of Our Manager

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the executive officers of our manager.


Name	Age		Position with Our Manager

Ivan Kaufman		43	Chief Executive Officer and President
Frederick C. Herbst		46	Chief Financial Officer
Ronald D. Gaither		45	Chief Operating Officer
Walter K. Horn		60	General Counsel
John Caulfield		39	Senior Vice President — Capital Markets

Ivan Kaufman. Mr. Kaufman has served as our chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president since June 2003. Mr. Kaufman has been chief executive officer and president of Arbor Commercial Mortgage since its inception in 1993. In 1983, he co-founded a predecessor of Arbor National Holdings and its residential lending subsidiary, Arbor National Mortgage Inc. which became a public company in 1992 and was sold to BankAmerica in 1995. As chairman and chief executive officer of Arbor National Holdings, Mr. Kaufman developed significant experience operating and managing a publicly traded company. From January 1998 to April 2000, Mr. Kaufman was also the president of Massena Management, LLC, the general partner of President R.C.-St. Regis Management Company, which entered into a management agreement with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe to finance, construct and manage a casino on the tribe’s reservation in Hogansburg, New York. Mr. Kaufman was named regional “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Inc. Magazine for outstanding achievements in financial services in 1990. He was appointed to the National Advisory Board of Fannie Mae in 1994. Mr. Kaufman has also served on Fannie Mae’s regional advisory and technology boards, as well as the board of directors of the Empire State Mortgage Bankers Association.

Frederick C. Herbst. Mr. Herbst has served as our chief financial officer since June 2003. Mr. Herbst has been chief financial officer of Arbor Commercial Mortgage since joining the company in November 1999. He is a member of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s executive committee and is responsible for all aspects of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s financial operations, including financial reporting, tax planning, budgeting and the appropriate utilization of Arbor Commercial Mortgage’s capital. From October 1998 until he joined Arbor Commercial Mortgage in November 1999, Mr. Herbst was chief financial officer with The Hurst Companies, Inc., where he was responsible for all financial operations, including financial reporting, budgeting and banking relationships. Previously, Mr. Herbst was controller with The Long Island Savings Bank, FSB, vice president finance with Eastern States Bankcard Association and senior manager with Ernst & Young