New York and Los Angeles — NorthStar Asset Management Group Inc. (NYSE: NSAM), Colony Capital Inc. (NYSE: CLNY) and NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. (NYSE: NRF) have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which the companies will combine in an all-stock merger to create a diversified global equity REIT with a total capitalization of $17 billion.
NorthStar Asset Management Group (NSAM), which is currently publicly traded but not a REIT, will elect to be treated as a REIT beginning in 2017. Additionally, NRF and Colony, through a series of transactions, will merge with and into NSAM.
The company, to be named Colony NorthStar Inc., will have $58 billion of assets under management, placing it in the top quartile of the REIT sector overall. Upon completion of the transaction NSAM shareholders will own approximately 32.85 percent, Colony shareholders will own approximately 33.25 percent and NRF shareholders will own approximately 33.90 percent of the combined company.
— Christina Cannon
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