Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. Closes $325 Million Mezzanine Loan for New York City Condominium Tower

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (the "Company" or "ARI") ARI today announced the Company closed a $325 million mezzanine loan for the construction of a condominium development in Midtown Manhattan. At closing, ARI funded $41 million and a fund managed by an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, LLC ("Apollo") acquired a $50 million participation in the mezzanine loan, which also was funded at closing. Over the next several months, ARI will seek to syndicate additional participations in the loan.

The mezzanine loan is for the construction of a development that will consist of approximately 253,000 square feet of residential condominium space and 52,500 square feet of retail space in Midtown Manhattan. The floating-rate loan has a four year initial term with one 12-month extension option and is part of a $725 million financing consisting of a $400 million first mortgage loan and the $325 million mezzanine loan. The mezzanine loan has an appraised loan-to-net-sellout of 42% and has been underwritten to generate an internal rate of return ("IRR")⁽¹⁾ of approximately 16%.

Commenting on the transaction, Scott Weiner, the Chief Investment Officer of the Company's manager, said: "We believe this transaction exemplifies the benefits to ARI of the broader Apollo platform, as we were able to originate a larger, well-structured loan, which offers the Company an attractive, risk-adjusted return. We anticipate ARI will seek to syndicate additional participations in the mezzanine loan in order to reduce the Company's exposure. The tower, which is being developed by a highly-regarded sponsorship team, is expected to rise to 1,400 feet in height, making it one of the tallest residential towers in the world."

About Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. ARI is a real estate investment trust that primarily originates, invests in, acquires and manages performing commercial real estate first mortgage loans, subordinate financings, commercial mortgage-backed securities and other commercial real estate-related debt investments. The Company is externally managed and advised by ACREFI Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an indirect subsidiary of Apollo Global Management, LLC, a leading global alternative investment manager with approximately $162.9 billion of assets under management at March 31, 2015.

Additional information can be found on the Company's website at www.apolloreit.com.

(1) The underwritten IRR for the investments listed in this press release reflect the returns underwritten by ACREFI Management, LLC, the Company's external manager, calculated on a weighted average basis assuming no dispositions, early prepayments or defaults. With respect to certain loans, the underwritten IRR calculation assumes certain estimates with respect to the timing and magnitude of future fundings for the remaining commitments and associated loan repayments, and assumes no defaults. IRR is the annualized effective compounded return rate that accounts for the time-value of money and represents the rate of return on an investment over a holding period expressed as a percentage of the investment. It is the discount rate that makes the net present value of all cash outflows (the costs of investment) equal to the net present value of cash inflows (returns on investment). It is derived from the negative and positive cash flows resulting from or produced by each transaction (or for a transaction involving more than one investment, cash flows resulting from or produced by each of the investments), whether positive, such as investment returns, or negative, such as transaction expenses or other costs of investment, taking into account the dates on which such cash flows occurred or are expected to occur, and compounding interest accordingly. There can be no assurance that the actual IRRs will equal the underwritten IRRs shown in this press release. See "Item 1A—Risk Factors—The Company may not achieve its underwritten internal rate of return on its investments which may lead to future returns that may be significantly lower than anticipated" included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of some of the factors that could adversely impact the returns received by the Company from the investments shown in this press release over time.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Forward-looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond the Company's control. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of the Company's business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. When used in this release, the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the following subjects, among others, may be forward-looking: the return on equity; the yield on investments; the ability to borrow to finance assets; and risks associated with investing in real estate assets, including changes in business conditions and the general economy. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements, and other risks, uncertainties and factors are based on the Company's beliefs, assumptions and expectations of its future performance, taking into account all information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking statements are not predictions of future events. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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