(Source: Business Wire)

Brookfield Properties Corporation (BPO: NYSE, TSX) today announced that
net income for the three months ended September 30, 2009 was $38 million
or $0.08 per diluted share, compared with $174 million or $0.44 per
diluted share during the same period in 2008. Included in net income in
2008 was a net gain of $127 million, or $0.32 per share, on the sale of
TD Canada Trust Tower in Toronto.
Funds from operations ("FFO") was $151 million or $0.34 per diluted
share for the three months ended September 30, 2009, compared with $152
million or $0.38 per diluted share during the same period in 2008.
Commercial property net operating income for the third quarter of 2009
was $330 million, compared with $320 million during the third quarter of
2008.
During the third quarter, Brookfield Properties leased 693,000 square
feet of space in its managed portfolio at an average net rent of $25 per
square foot, which represents a 25% improvement versus the average
expiring net rent of $20 on this space in the quarter. Additionally, the
company has improved its five-year lease rollover exposure by 330 basis
points since the start of the year. Year-to-date leasing totals 3.2
million square feet. Brookfield's managed portfolio occupancy rate
finished the quarter at 95.0%, unchanged from the previous quarter.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE THIRD QUARTER
Leased 693,000 square feet of space and completed 63,000
square feet of development leasing. Renewals represent 74% of the
total with new leases representing the remainder. Third quarter leasing
highlights include:
Toronto -- 211,000 square feet
A 144,000-square-foot lease extension with the Department of Justice
at Exchange Tower
Washington, DC -- 154,000 square feet
A five-year, 98,000-square-foot lease renewal with the General
Services Administration at Two Ballston Plaza
A new 11-year, 63,000-square-foot lease with LaFarge North America at
Two Reston Crescent
A new five-year, 45,000-square-foot lease with the General Services
Administration at 1550 Wilson Blvd
Edmonton -- 102,000 square feet
A five-year, 57,000-square-foot lease renewal with CGI at Canadian
Western Bank Place
A ten-year renewal and expansion for 39,000 square feet with Witten
Management at Canadian Western Bank Place
New York -- 63,000 square feet
A new 15-year lease for 31,000 square feet with Advent Software at the
Grace building
A new 14-year lease for 26,000 square feet with Zolfo Cooper at the
Grace building
Launched $5 billion real estate turnaround consortium with
Brookfield Asset Management. Dedicated to investing in under-performing
real estate, the consortium will invest in equity and debt in
under-valued real estate companies or real estate portfolios where value
can be created in a variety of ways, including financial and operational
restructuring, strategic direction or sponsorship, portfolio
repositioning, redevelopment or other active asset management.
Brookfield Properties has the right, but not the obligation, to
participate in investments in the office sector.
Raised $1.3 billion in common share equity offering and preferred
share issuance. Gross proceeds from the equity offering totaled $1.0
billion and proceeds from the preferred share issuance totaled $288
million. A portion of the proceeds were used to pay down the committed
revolving lines of credit at the company level and within the
residential operations. Liquidity currently stands at $1.7 billion
including cash, deposits and available credit.
Refinanced or extended $205 million of debt, including $105
million on the West 31st Street development site in New York
and the $100 million corporate term loan. The company has completed
95% of $1 billion of financings due in 2009.
Opened Bay Adelaide Centre, the first development built to
achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold
Standard and the first major development in Toronto's financial district
in 17 years. Standing 51 stories tall, the 1.2-million-square-foot
office tower adheres to strict building efficiency guidelines, including
optimization of energy, light and water, and the use of local and
recycled building materials. The tower is 73 percent leased.
Commenced the recladding of First Canadian Place, Toronto.
Along with ownership partners, the company will thoroughly renovate
Canada's tallest office tower including a total recladding of the
building's exterior with laminated glass spandrel panels replacing the
existing white marble. The project is seeking LEED Gold certification
and is expected to be complete by the end of 2011.
Earned LEED Platinum certification at 1225 Connecticut Ave.,
Washington, D.C., the industry's highest rating for environmental
sustainability. It is the first redeveloped office building in the
Eastern United States to achieve LEED Platinum certification. The
building is 100% leased.
Announced early adoption of IFRS. One year ahead of the mandatory
conversion date for Canadian public companies, Brookfield Properties
intends to adopt International Financial Reporting Standards commencing
with its interim financial statements for the three months ended March
31, 2010; those financial statements will also include comparative
results for the periods commencing January 1, 2009.
OUTLOOK
"During the third quarter we have noticed a sense of optimism that the
economy may be at the early stages of a recovery which has positively
impacted leasing activity," stated Ric Clark, CEO of Brookfield
Properties Corporation. "As real estate markets work toward recovery, we
have taken additional steps to enhance Brookfield Properties' liquidity
position in order to strengthen our balance sheet and to be poised to
capitalize on opportunities that may arise."
Net Operating Income and FFO
This press release and accompanying financial information make reference
to net operating income and funds from operations on a total and per
share basis. Net operating income is defined as income from property
operations after operating expenses have been deducted, but prior to
deducting financing, administrative and income tax expenses. Brookfield
Properties defines FFO as net income prior to extraordinary items,
one-time transaction costs, income taxes, depreciation and amortization,
and certain other non-cash items. The company uses net operating income
and FFO to assess its operating results. Net operating income is
important in assessing operating performance and FFO is a relevant
measure to analyze real estate, as commercial properties generally
appreciate rather than depreciate. The company provides the components
of net operating income and a full reconciliation from net income to FFO
with the financial information accompanying this press release. The
company reconciles FFO to net income as opposed to cash flow from
operating activities as it believes net income is the most comparable
measure.