Oct. 9, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sunrise Senior Living, Inc. (NYSE: SRZ) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell 21 wholly owned assisted living communities, located in 11 states, to BLC Acquisitions Inc., an affiliate of Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE: BKD), for $204 million. BLC Acquisitions has placed into escrow an earnest money deposit of $5 million toward the purchase price. The closing date is currently scheduled for November 16, 2009. At the closing of the sale, Sunrise is expected to receive approximately $60 million in proceeds after payment or assumption by BLC Acquisitions of certain mortgage loans, the posting of required escrows, and payment of expenses by Sunrise, but prior to the use of any such funds to repay a portion of the outstanding amounts under Sunrise's bank credit facility. Closing of the transaction is conditioned, among other things, on obtaining the requisite consent of the Company's lenders under its bank credit facility by 5 p.m. on October 19, 2009.

The Company expects to record an impairment charge of approximately $7 million in the third quarter of 2009 to write down five of the 21 communities to fair value. The Company expects to record a gain on the sale of real estate of approximately $50 million upon closing of the transaction.

"This is another important step in our restructuring process and provides us with needed funds to pay down our bank line and with additional working capital," said Mark Ordan, Sunrise's chief executive officer. "We are particularly pleased that our residents and team members in these communities will join a fine and committed operator like Brookdale."

Sunrise was advised on the sale by Goldman, Sachs and Co.

About Sunrise Senior Living

Sunrise Senior Living, a McLean, Va.-based company, employs approximately 40,000 people. As of June 30, 2009, Sunrise operated 415 communities in the United States, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom, with a combined unit capacity of approximately 42,750 units. Sunrise offers a full range of personalized senior living services, including independent living, assisted living, care for individuals with Alzheimer's and other forms of memory loss, as well as nursing and rehabilitative services. Sunrise's senior living services are delivered by staff trained to encourage the independence, preserve the dignity, enable freedom of choice and protect the privacy of residents. To learn more about Sunrise, please visit http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.