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NEW YORK CITY-Forest City Enterprises, Inc. reached an agreement with Bruce C. Ratner to restructure their existing business relationship. The agreement covers their combined interest in a total of 30 retail, office and residential operating properties, certain service companies and seven identified development opportunities. Currently they are owned jointly by Forest City and Bruce Ratner.

The agreement calls for Bruce Ratner to contribute his ownership interests in the 30 operating assets, the service companies and participation rights in all future developments (except those named below) to a newly formed limited liability company. Forest City will pay $60.8 million in cash and issue 3.894 million units in the new limited liability company. These units will be convertible (after a one-year lock-up period) to an equal number of shares of FCEA stock or cash based on the value of FCEA stock at the time of conversion. For the first five years only, units that have not been exchanged will receive their proportionate share of an aggregate annual preferred payment of $2.5 million plus an amount equal to the dividends payable on the same number of shares of Forest City stock.

After five years, the annual preferred payment on the outstanding units will equal only the dividends payable on Forest City stock. In addition, Forest City will cover Bruce Ratner for any tax liability he may incur as a result of the sale of any of these properties during the 12-year period following the closing of the transaction. The cash and units exchanged for Bruce Ratner's interest are net of $42.5 million of preferred returns in favor of Forest City. This also takes into account $384 million of non-recourse project debt, as of Jan. 31, attributable to Bruce Ratner's ownership. All but $16.8 million of this debt is already reported on the consolidated balance sheet of Forest City's GAAP financial statements.