Power REITs Say M&A Will Ramp Up

NEW YORK CITY-Despite a sluggish second-half, the nation’s biggest REITs had a strong 2011—and 2012 is looking even better. Panelists at the Practising Law Institute’s “REIT and Real Estate M&A and Restructurings” conference on Jan. 12 said mergers and acquisitions—both public and private—will be a big part of 2012’s total activity.

From large-scale public-to-public mergers in the industrial and healthcare sectors to major private-to-public acquisitions as private assets and companies continued to undergo ownership changes, PLI says overall deal volume hit the $70 million mark in 2011. The year marked a range of deals, including the ProLogis/AMB merger, Blackstone buying out Centro and Ventas acquiring Artia Properties.