Brixmor Property (BRX) 10-K2019 FY Annual report

This report combines the annual reports on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2019 of Brixmor Property Group Inc. and Brixmor Operating Partnership LP. Unless stated otherwise or the context otherwise requires, references to the “Parent Company” or “BPG” mean Brixmor Property Group Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and references to the “Operating Partnership” mean Brixmor Operating Partnership LP and its consolidated subsidiaries. Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “the Company,” “Brixmor,” “we,” “our” and “us” mean the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership, collectively.

This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 which reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, our operations and financial performance. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “outlook,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “targets” or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. We believe these factors include but are not limited to those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this report, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which are accessible on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. These factors include (1) changes in national, regional and local economies, due to global events such as international trade disputes, a foreign debt crisis, foreign currency volatility, as well as from domestic issues, such as government policies and regulations, tariffs, energy prices, market dynamics, rising interest rates and limited growth in consumer income; (2) local market conditions, including an oversupply of space in, or a reduction in demand for, properties similar to those in our Portfolio; (3) competition from other available properties and e-commerce, and the attractiveness of properties in our Portfolio to our tenants; (4) ongoing disruption and/or consolidation in the retail sector, the financial stability of our tenants and the overall financial condition of large retailing companies, including their ability to pay rent and expense reimbursements; (5) in the case of percentage rents, the sales volume of our tenants; (6) increases in property operating expenses, including common area expenses, utilities, insurance and real estate taxes, which are relatively inflexible and generally do not decrease if revenue or occupancy decrease; (7) increases in the costs to repair, renovate and re-lease space; (8) earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, damage from rising sea levels due to climate change, other natural disasters, civil unrest, terrorist acts or acts of war, which may result in uninsured or underinsured losses; (9) changes in laws and governmental regulations, including those governing usage, zoning, the environment and taxes; and (10) new developments in the litigation and governmental investigations discussed under the heading “Legal Matters” in Note 15 – Commitments and Contingencies to our Consolidated Financial Statements in this report. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this report and in our other periodic filings. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report, and we expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except to the extent otherwise required by law.

Management operates BPG and the Operating Partnership as one business. Because the Operating Partnership is managed by BPG, and BPG conducts substantially all of its operations through the Operating Partnership, BPG’s executive officers are the Operating Partnership’s executive officers, and although, as a partnership, the Operating Partnership does not have a board of directors, we refer to BPG’s board of directors as the Operating Partnership’s board of directors.

The following table provides summary information regarding our Portfolio as of December 31, 2019:

Our primary objective is to maximize total returns to our stockholders through consistent, sustainable growth in cash flow. Our key strategies to achieve this objective include proactively managing our Portfolio to drive internal growth, pursuing value-enhancing reinvestment opportunities and prudently executing on acquisition and disposition activity, while also maintaining a flexible capital structure positioned for growth. In addition, as we execute on our key strategies, we do so guided by a commitment to operate in a socially responsible manner that allows us to realize our goal of owning and managing properties that are the centers of the communities we serve.

Over the past several years, we have heightened our focus on achieving higher contractual rent increases over the term of our new and renewal leases, providing for enhanced embedded contractual rent growth across our portfolio. During 2019, 94% of our executed new leases had embedded contractual rent growth provisions, reflecting an average in-place contractual rent increase over the lease term of 1.9%.

We believe that rents across our portfolio are significantly below market, which provides us with a key competitive advantage in attracting and retaining tenants. During 2019, we achieved new lease rent spreads of 31.7% and blended new and renewal rent spreads of 13.1% excluding options, or 10.9% including options. Looking forward, the weighted average expiring ABR PSF of lease expirations through 2023 is $13.68 compared to an average ABR PSF of $16.20 for new and renewal leases signed during 2019, excluding option exercises.

In addition, we believe there is opportunity for occupancy gains in our Portfolio, especially for spaces less than 10,000 square feet, as such spaces will benefit from our continued efforts to improve the quality of our anchor tenancy and the overall vibrancy and relevance of our centers. For spaces less than 10,000 square feet, leased occupancy was 86.2% at December 31, 2019, while our total leased occupancy was 92.4%.

The spread of 310 basis points between our total leased occupancy and our total billed occupancy, which was 89.3% at December 31, 2019, also provides us strong visibility on future growth as this represents $45.0 million of ABR from leases signed but not yet commenced.

As such, we are making meaningful progress against our established long-term targets to mitigate our environmental impact, including reductions in electric and water usage and greenhouse gas emissions, the conversion to LED lighting, and the installation of electric vehicle charging stations. We also partner with our tenants to achieve our sustainability goals through green lease provisions which facilitate the installation of solar panels at a number of our shopping centers, providing tenants with lower-cost on-site renewable energy systems. As a result of our efforts, we have been recognized by GRESB as a Green Star recipient and by the Institute for Market Transformation and U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings Alliance as a Green Lease Leader at the highest Gold level.

Our ongoing commitment to sustainability is also evident in our approach to value-enhancing reinvestment activity, which centers on transforming properties to meet the needs of the communities we serve through strategic repositioning and redevelopment activity, executed with a focus on resource efficiency and energy management. Additionally, we work to provide welcoming, safe and attractive retail centers for our tenants and their customers to gather, connect and engage, both within stores at our centers and in public spaces throughout our Portfolio. We further support our communities by hosting local events, volunteering, and providing aid in times of need. We collaborate with our tenants through proactive property management and ongoing tenant coordination, and we continually monitor our success through the use of tenant engagement surveys.

We are also highly committed to being a responsible employer and creating and sustaining a positive work environment and corporate culture characterized by high levels of employee engagement, growth and development, and health and wellness. We seek to attract and retain diverse and talented professionals who align with our cultural tenets of integrity, accountability, inclusion and trust. We empower our employees to think and act like owners, provide training to help them succeed, support a healthy and positive work/life balance and foster interactions with local communities in order to create value for all stakeholders. We believe this approach creates collaborative, skilled and motivated teams. We monitor our performance through recurring employee engagement surveys and utilize the results from such surveys to continually improve our organization.

Our Board of Directors oversees these initiatives to ensure that we continue to demonstrate our strong commitment to operating in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. Additional information regarding our Corporate Responsibility strategy can be found in our Corporate Responsibility Report at https://www.brixmor.com/why-brixmor/corporate-responsibility.

We are subject to federal, state and local environmental regulations that apply generally to the ownership of real property and the operations conducted on real property. For further information regarding our risks related to environmental exposure see “Environmental conditions that exist at some of the properties in our Portfolio could result in significant unexpected costs” in Item 1A. “Risk Factors”.

We have been organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws, commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2011, have satisfied such requirements through our taxable year ended December 31, 2019, and intend to continue to satisfy such requirements for subsequent taxable years. So long as we qualify as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on net taxable income that we distribute annually to our stockholders. In order to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the real estate qualification of sources of our income, the composition and value of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our stockholders and the diversity of ownership of our stock. In order to comply with REIT requirements, we may need to forgo otherwise attractive opportunities or limit the manner in which we conduct our operations. See “Risk Factors – Risks Related to our REIT Status and Certain Other Tax Items.”

Our website address is http://www.brixmor.com. Information on our website is not incorporated by reference herein and is not a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We make available free of charge on our website our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. We also make available through our website other reports filed with or furnished to the SEC under the Exchange Act, including our proxy statements and reports filed by officers and directors under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act. You may access these filings by visiting “SEC Filings” under the “Financial Info” section of the “Investors” portion of our website. In addition, the SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information for issuers, such as us, that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

From time to time, we may use our website as a channel of distribution of material information. Financial and other material information regarding our company is routinely posted on and accessible at http://www.brixmor.com. In

addition, you may enroll to automatically receive e-mail alerts and other information about our company by visiting “Email Alerts” under the “Additional Info” section of the “Investors” portion of our website.

Our Portfolio is predominantly comprised of community and neighborhood shopping centers. Our performance is, therefore, subject to risks associated with owning and operating these types of real estate assets, including: (1) changes in national, regional and local economies, due to global events such as international trade disputes, a foreign debt crisis, foreign currency volatility, as well as from domestic issues, such as government policies and regulations, tariffs, energy prices, market dynamics, rising interest rates and limited growth in consumer income; (2) local market conditions, including an oversupply of space in, or a reduction in demand for, properties similar to those in our Portfolio; (3) competition from other available properties and e-commerce, and the attractiveness of properties in our Portfolio to our tenants; (4) ongoing disruption and/or consolidation in the retail sector, the financial stability of our tenants and the overall financial condition of large retailing companies, including their ability to pay rent and expense reimbursements; (5) in the case of percentage rents, the sales volume of our tenants; (6) increases in property operating expenses, including common area expenses, utilities, insurance and real estate taxes, which are relatively inflexible and generally do not decrease if revenue or occupancy decrease; (7) increases in the costs to repair, renovate and re-lease space; (8) earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, damage from rising sea levels due to climate change, other natural disasters, civil unrest, terrorist acts or acts of war, which may result in uninsured or underinsured losses; and (9) changes in laws and governmental regulations, including those governing usage, zoning, the environment and taxes. These and other factors could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Our income is substantially derived from rental income on real property. As a result, our performance depends on the collection of rent from tenants in our Portfolio. Our income would be adversely affected if a significant number of our tenants failed to make rental payments when due. In addition, many of our tenants rely on external sources of financing to operate and grow their businesses, and disruptions in credit markets could adversely affect our tenants’

ability to obtain financing on favorable terms or at all. If our tenants are unable to secure necessary financing to continue to operate or expand their businesses, they may be unable to meet their rent obligations, renew leases or enter into new leases with us, which could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

In certain circumstances, a tenant may have a right to terminate its lease. For example, in certain circumstances, a failure by an anchor tenant to occupy their leased premises could result in lease terminations or reductions in rent paid by other tenants in those shopping centers. In such situations, we cannot be certain that we will be able to re-lease space on similar or economically advantageous terms. The loss of rental revenues from a significant number of tenants and difficulty in replacing such tenants could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

We have seen ongoing retailer bankruptcies in recent years, including with respect to certain current and former tenants. If a tenant files for bankruptcy, we may not be able to collect amounts owed by that party prior to the filing. In addition, after filing for bankruptcy, a tenant may terminate any or all of its leases with us, which would result in a general unsecured claim against such tenant that would likely be worth less than the full amount owed to us for the remainder of the lease term. In these situations, we may be required to make capital improvements to re-lease the space, and we cannot be certain that we will be able to re-lease space on similar or economically advantageous terms, which could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Costs associated with our business, such as common area expenses, utilities, insurance, real estate taxes and corporate expenses, are relatively inflexible and generally do not decrease in the event that a property is not fully occupied, rental rates decrease, a tenant fails to pay rent or other circumstances cause our revenues to decrease. In addition, inflation could result in higher operating costs, and we have seen, and may continue to see, increases in real estate taxes in certain jurisdictions in which we operate. If we are unable to lower our operating costs when revenues decline and/or are unable to pass along cost increases to our tenants, our financial condition, operating results and cash flows could be adversely impacted.

Our ability to dispose of properties on advantageous terms depends on factors beyond our control, including competition from other sellers and the availability of attractive financing for potential buyers, and we cannot predict the various market conditions affecting real estate investments that will exist at any particular time in the future. We may be required to expend funds to correct defects or to make capital improvements before a property can be sold and we cannot assure that we will have funds available to make such capital improvements; therefore, we may be unable to sell a property on favorable terms or at all. In addition, the ability to sell assets in our Portfolio may also be restricted by certain covenants in our debt agreements, such as the credit agreement governing our senior unsecured credit facility, as amended December 12, 2018 (the “Unsecured Credit Facility”). As a result, we may be unable to realize our investment objectives through dispositions, which could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

We periodically assess whether there are any indicators, including property operating performance, changes in anticipated holding period and general market conditions, that the carrying value of our real estate assets (including any related intangible assets or liabilities) and other investments may be impaired. A property’s value is considered to be impaired only if the estimated aggregate future undiscounted and unleveraged property cash flows, taking into account the anticipated probability-weighted holding period, are less than the carrying value of the property. In our estimate of cash flows, we consider trends and prospects for a property and the effects of demand and competition on expected future operating income. If we are evaluating the redevelopment or potential sale of an asset, the undiscounted future cash flows consider the most likely course of action as of the balance sheet date. Impairment charges have an immediate direct impact on our earnings. There can be no assurance that we will not take additional

charges in the future related to the impairment of our assets. Any future impairment could have an adverse effect on our operating results in the period in which the charge is recognized.

We continue to evaluate the market for acquisition opportunities and we may acquire properties when we believe strategic opportunities exist. Our ability to acquire properties on favorable terms and successfully integrate, operate, reposition or redevelop them is subject to several risks. We may be unable to acquire a desired property because of competition from other real estate investors, including from other well-capitalized REITs and institutional investment funds. Even if we are able to acquire a desired property, competition from such investors may significantly increase the purchase price. We may also abandon acquisition activities after expending significant resources to pursue such opportunities. Once we acquire new properties, these properties may not yield expected returns for several reasons, including: (1) failure to achieve expected occupancy and/or rent levels within the projected time frame, if at all; (2) inability to successfully integrate new properties into existing operations; and (3) exposure to fluctuations in the general economy, including due to the time lag between signing definitive documentation to acquire a new property and the closing of the acquisition. If any of these events occur, the cost of the acquisition may exceed initial estimates or the expected returns may not achieve those originally contemplated, which could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

As of December 31, 2019, we had approximately $4.9 billion aggregate principal amount of indebtedness outstanding. Our leverage could have important consequences to us. For example, it could (1) require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow to principal and interest payments on our indebtedness, reducing the cash flow available to fund our business, pay dividends, including those necessary to maintain our REIT qualification, or use for other purposes; (2) increase our vulnerability to an economic downturn, as debt payments are not reduced if the economic performance of any property or the Portfolio as a whole deteriorates; (3) limit our ability to withstand competitive pressures; and (4) reduce our flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions. In addition, non-compliance with the terms of our debt agreements could result in the acceleration of a significant amount of debt and could materially impair our ability to borrow unused amounts under existing financing arrangements or to obtain additional financing on favorable terms or at all. Any of these outcomes could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Borrowings under our Revolving Facility, unsecured $350.0 million term loan agreement, as amended on December 12, 2018 (the “$350 Million Term Loan”), unsecured $300.0 million term loan agreement, as amended on December 12, 2018 (the “$300 Million Term Loan”), and unsecured $250.0 million Floating Rate Senior Notes due 2022 (the “2022 Notes”) bear interest at variable rates. If interest rates were to increase, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed would remain the same, and our net income and cash flows would correspondingly decrease. In order to partially mitigate our exposure to increases in interest rates, we have entered into interest rate swaps on $800 million of our variable rate debt, which involve the exchange of variable for fixed rate interest payments. Taking into account our current interest rate swap agreements, a 100 basis point increase in interest rates would result in a $1.1 million increase in annual interest expense.

We cannot assure that we will be able to access the capital markets to obtain additional debt or equity capital on terms favorable to us. Our access to external capital depends upon several factors, including general market conditions, our current and potential future earnings, the market’s perception of our growth potential, our liquidity and leverage ratios, our cash distributions, and the market price of our common stock. Our inability to obtain debt or equity capital on favorable terms or at all could result in the disruption of our ability to: (1) operate, maintain or reinvest in our Portfolio; (2) repay or refinance our indebtedness on or before maturity; (3) acquire new properties; or (4) dispose of some of our assets on favorable terms due to an immediate need for capital.

Our creditworthiness is rated by nationally recognized credit rating agencies. The credit ratings assigned are based on our operating performance, liquidity and leverage ratios, financial condition and prospects, and other factors viewed by the credit rating agencies as relevant to our industry. Our credit rating can affect our ability to access debt capital, as well as the terms of certain existing and future debt financing we may obtain. Since we depend on debt financing to fund our business, an adverse change in our credit rating, including changes in our credit outlook, or even the initiation of a review of our credit rating that could result in an adverse change, could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Our debt agreements contain various financial and operating covenants, including, among other things, certain coverage ratios and limitations on our ability to incur secured and unsecured debt. The breach of any of these covenants, if not cured within any applicable cure period, could result in a default and acceleration of certain of our indebtedness. If any of our indebtedness is accelerated prior to maturity, we may not be able to repay or refinance such indebtedness on favorable terms, or at all, which could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

As discussed under the heading “Legal Matters” in Note 15 – Commitments and Contingencies to our Consolidated Financial Statements in this report, we finalized a settlement with the SEC with respect to matters related to the Audit Committee review and we believe that no additional governmental proceedings relating to these matters will be brought against us. We understand that the SEC and Southern District of New York have announced actions relating to these matters with respect to certain former employees. We remain obligated to indemnify these former officers for legal and other professional fees, some of which may be in excess of our insurance coverage and therefore could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

We carry comprehensive liability, fire, extended coverage, business interruption, and acts of terrorism insurance with policy specifications and insured limits customarily carried for similar properties. There are, however, certain types of losses, such as from hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, terrorism or wars, where coverages are limited or deductibles may be higher. In addition, tenants generally are required to indemnify and hold us harmless from liabilities resulting from injury to persons or damage to personal or real property on the premises due to activities conducted by tenants or their agents on the properties (including without limitation any environmental contamination), and to obtain liability and property damage insurance policies at the tenant’s expense, kept in full force during the term of the lease. However, tenants may not properly maintain their insurance policies or have the ability to pay the deductibles associated with such policies. Should a loss occur that is uninsured or in an amount exceeding the combined aggregate limits for the policies noted above, or in the event of a loss that is subject to a substantial deductible under an insurance policy, we could lose all or part of the capital invested in, and anticipated revenue from, one or more of the properties, which could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

We are subject to federal, state, and local environmental regulations that apply generally to the ownership of real property and the operations conducted on real property. Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, we may be or become liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances released on or in our property or disposed of by us or our tenants, as well as certain other potential costs which could relate to hazardous or toxic substances (including governmental fines and injuries to persons and property). Such liability may be imposed whether or not we knew of, or were responsible for, the presence of these hazardous or toxic substances. As is the case with many community and neighborhood shopping centers, many of our properties had or have on-site dry cleaners and/or on-site gas stations, the prior or current use of which could potentially increase our environmental liability exposure. The costs of investigation, removal or remediation of such substances may be substantial, and the presence of such substances, or the failure to properly remediate such substances, may adversely affect our ability to lease such property, to borrow funds using such property as collateral, or to dispose of such property.

In addition, certain of our properties may contain asbestos-containing building materials (“ACBM”). Environmental laws require that ACBM be properly managed and maintained, and may impose fines and penalties on building owners or operators for failure to comply with these requirements. The laws also may allow third parties to seek recovery from owners or operators for personal injury associated with exposure to asbestos fibers.

Finally, we can provide no assurance that we are aware of all potential environmental liabilities or that the environmental studies performed by us have identified or will identify all material environmental conditions that may exist with respect to any of the properties in our Portfolio; that any previous owner, occupant or tenant did not create any material environmental condition not known to us; that our properties will not be affected by tenants or nearby properties or other unrelated third parties; or that changes in environmental laws and regulations will not result in additional environmental liabilities to us.

Further information relating to recognition of remediation obligations in accordance with GAAP is discussed under the heading “Environmental matters” in Note 15 – Commitments and Contingencies to our Consolidated Financial Statements in this report.

All of the properties in our Portfolio are required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The ADA has separate compliance requirements for “public accommodations” and “commercial facilities,” but generally requires that buildings be made accessible to people with disabilities. Compliance with the ADA requirements could necessitate the removal of access barriers, and non-compliance could result in the imposition of fines by the U.S. government or an award of damages to private litigants, or both. We are continually assessing our Portfolio to determine our compliance with the current requirements of the ADA. We are required to comply with the ADA within the common areas of our Portfolio and we may not be able to pass on to our tenants the costs necessary to remediate any common area ADA issues, which could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and

cash flows. In addition, we are required to operate the properties in compliance with fire and safety regulations, building codes, and other regulations, as they may be adopted by governmental agencies and bodies and become applicable to our Portfolio. As a result, we may be required to make substantial capital expenditures to comply with, and we may be restricted in our ability to renovate or redevelop the properties subject to, those requirements. The resulting expenditures and restrictions could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

We rely extensively on computer systems to process transactions and operate and manage our business, and our business is at risk from and may be impacted by cybersecurity attacks. These attacks could include attempts to gain unauthorized access to our data and/or computer systems. Attacks can be either individual or highly organized attempts by very sophisticated hacking organizations. We employ several measures to prevent, detect and mitigate these threats, which include password protection, frequent mandatory password change events, multi-factor authentication, mandatory employee trainings, firewall detection systems, frequent backups, a redundant data system for core applications and annual penetration testing; however, there is no guarantee that such efforts will be successful in preventing or mitigating a cybersecurity attack. A cybersecurity attack could compromise the confidential information, including personally identifiable information, of our employees, tenants and vendors, disrupt the proper functioning of our networks, result in misstated financial reports or loan covenants and/or missed reporting deadlines, prevent us from properly monitoring our REIT qualification, result in our inability to maintain the building systems relied upon by our tenants for the efficient use of their leased space or require significant management attention and resources to remedy any damages that result. A successful attack could also disrupt and affect our business operations, damage our reputation, and result in significant litigation and remediation costs. Similarly, our tenants rely extensively on computer systems to process transactions and manage their businesses and thus are also at risk from and may be impacted by cybersecurity attacks. An interruption in the business operations of our tenants or a deterioration in their reputation resulting from a cybersecurity attack could adversely impact our business operations. As of December 31, 2019, we have not had any material incidences involving cybersecurity attacks.

We are highly dependent on the performance and continued efforts of our senior management team. Our future success is dependent on our ability to continue to attract and retain qualified executive officers and senior management. Any inability to manage our operations effectively could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

BPG’s investment, financing and dividend policies and our policies with respect to all other business activities, including strategy and operations, will be determined by BPG’s board of directors. These policies may be amended or revised at any time and from time to time at the discretion of BPG’s board of directors without a vote of our stockholders. BPG’s charter also provides that BPG’s board of directors may revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election without approval of BPG’s stockholders if it determines that it is no longer in BPG’s best interests to continue to qualify as a REIT. In addition, BPG’s board of directors may change BPG’s policies with respect to conflicts of interest, provided that such changes are consistent with applicable legal requirements. A change in any of these policies could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results, cash flows, and our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to pay dividends to BPG’s stockholders.

BPG’s charter permits its board of directors to authorize the issuance of stock in one or more classes or series. Our board of directors may also classify or reclassify any unissued stock and establish the preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of any such stock, which rights may be superior to those of our common stock. Thus, BPG’s board of directors could authorize the issuance of shares of a class or series of stock with terms and conditions which could have the effect of discouraging an unsolicited acquisition of us or a change of our control in

which holders of some or a majority of BPG’s outstanding common stock might receive a premium for their shares over the then-current market price of our common stock.

BPG’s charter eliminates the liability of BPG’s directors and officers to us and BPG’s stockholders for money damages to the maximum extent permitted under Maryland law. Under Maryland law and BPG’s charter, BPG’s directors and officers do not have any liability to BPG or BPG’s stockholders for money damages other than liability resulting from:

BPG’s charter authorizes BPG and BPG’s bylaws require BPG to indemnify each of BPG’s directors or officers who is made a party to or witness in a proceeding by reason of his or her service in those capacities (or in a similar capacity at another entity at the request of BPG), to the maximum extent permitted under Maryland law, from and against any claim or liability to which such person may become subject by reason of his or her status as a present or former director or officer of BPG. In addition, BPG may be obligated to pay or reimburse the expenses incurred by BPG’s present and former directors and officers without requiring a preliminary determination of their ultimate entitlement to indemnification. As a result, BPG and BPG’s stockholders may have more limited rights to recover money damages from BPG’s directors and officers than might otherwise exist absent these provisions in BPG’s charter and bylaws or that might exist with other companies, which could limit the recourse of stockholders in the event of actions that are not in BPG’s best interests.

BPG’s charter provides that, to the maximum extent permitted under Maryland law, BPG renounces any interest or expectancy that BPG has in, or any right to be offered an opportunity to participate in, any business opportunities that are from time to time presented to or developed by BPG’s directors or their affiliates, other than to those directors who are employed by BPG or BPG’s subsidiaries, unless the business opportunity is expressly offered or made known to such person in his or her capacity as a director. Non-employee directors or any of their affiliates will not have any duty to refrain from engaging, directly or indirectly, in the same business activities or similar business activities or lines of business in which we or our affiliates engage or propose to engage or to refrain from otherwise competing with us or our affiliates.

BPG’s charter provides that, to the maximum extent permitted under Maryland law, each of BPG’s non-employee directors, and any of their affiliates, may:

BPG’s charter also provides that, to the maximum extent permitted under Maryland law, in the event that any non-employee director, or any of their respective affiliates, acquires knowledge of a potential transaction or other business opportunity, such person will have no duty to communicate or offer such transaction or business opportunity to us or any of our affiliates and may take any such opportunity for himself, herself or itself, or offer it to another person or entity unless the business opportunity is expressly offered to such person in their capacity as our director. These provisions may deprive us of opportunities which we may have otherwise wanted to pursue.

BPG intends to continue to operate so as to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). However, qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex Code provisions for which only a limited number of judicial or administrative interpretations exist. Notwithstanding the availability of cure provisions in the Code, BPG could fail to meet various compliance requirements, which could jeopardize its REIT status. Furthermore, new tax legislation, administrative guidance or court decisions, in each instance potentially with retroactive effect, could make it more difficult or impossible for BPG to qualify as a REIT.

If BPG fails to qualify as a REIT in any tax year and BPG is not entitled to relief under applicable statutory provisions:

The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), the U.S. Treasury Department and Congress frequently review U.S. federal income tax legislation, regulations and other guidance. BPG cannot predict whether, when, or to what extent new U.S. federal tax laws, regulations, interpretations, or rulings will be adopted. Any legislative action may prospectively or retroactively modify BPG’s tax treatment and, therefore, may adversely affect taxation of BPG or BPG’s stockholders. Stockholders should consult with their tax advisors with respect to the status of legislative, regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in BPG’s stock.

In order to qualify as a REIT, BPG must ensure that, at the end of each calendar quarter, at least 75% of the value of its assets consists of cash, cash equivalents, government securities and qualified REIT real estate assets. BPG’s investments in securities cannot include more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer or 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer unless: (1) such issuer is a REIT; (2) BPG and such issuer jointly elect for such issuer to be treated as a “taxable REIT subsidiary” under the Code; or (3) for purposes of the 10% value limitation only, the securities satisfy certain requirements and are not considered “securities” for this test. The total value of all of BPG’s investments in taxable REIT subsidiaries cannot exceed 20% of the value of BPG’s total assets. In addition, no more than 5% of the value of BPG’s assets can consist of the securities of any one issuer other than a taxable REIT subsidiary, and no more than 25% of the value of BPG’s total assets may be represented by debt instruments issued by “publicly offered REITs” (as defined under the Code) that are “nonqualified” (e.g., not secured by real property or interests in real property). If BPG fails to comply with these requirements, BPG must dispose of a portion of its assets within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter in order to avoid losing its REIT status and suffering adverse tax consequences. In addition to the quarterly asset test requirements, BPG must annually satisfy two income test requirements (the “75% and 95% gross income tests”), which require that at least 75% of BPG’s gross income be derived from passive real estate sources, including rents from real property, gains from the disposition of real property and other specified qualifying real estate-sourced income. In addition, at least 95% of BPG’s gross income generally must be derived from items qualifying for the 75% income test and other specified interest, dividend and portfolio-type income. As a result, BPG may be required to liquidate from its portfolio, or contribute to a taxable REIT subsidiary, otherwise attractive investments in order to maintain its qualification as a REIT. These actions could reduce BPG’s income and amounts available for distribution to its stockholders. BPG may be unable to pursue investments that would otherwise be advantageous to it in order to satisfy the asset or income diversification requirements for qualifying as a REIT.

The REIT provisions of the Code substantially limit BPG’s ability to hedge its liabilities. Any income from a hedging transaction BPG enters into to manage the risk of interest rate fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made to acquire or carry real estate assets, or to manage the risk of currency fluctuations, if clearly identified under applicable Treasury Regulations, does not constitute “gross income” for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests that BPG must satisfy in order to maintain its qualification as a REIT. To the extent that BPG enters into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions is likely to be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of both gross income tests. As a result of these rules, BPG intends to limit its use of hedging techniques that are not clearly identified under applicable Treasury Regulations or implement those hedges through a domestic taxable REIT subsidiary. This could expose BPG to greater risks than BPG would otherwise want to bear or it could increase the cost of BPG’s hedging activities because its taxable REIT subsidiary would be subject to tax on gains.

For BPG to qualify as a REIT under the Code, not more than 50% of the value of BPG’s outstanding stock may be owned directly or indirectly by five or fewer individuals (including certain entities treated as individuals for this purpose) during the last half of a taxable year. For the purpose of assisting BPG’s qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, among other purposes, BPG’s charter prohibits beneficial or constructive ownership by any individual of more than a certain percentage, currently 9.8%, in value or by number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of BPG’s common stock or 9.8% in value of the outstanding shares of BPG’s stock, which BPG refers to as the “ownership limit.” The constructive ownership rules under the Code and BPG’s charter are complex and may cause shares of the outstanding common stock owned by a group of related individuals to be deemed to be constructively owned by one individual. As a result, the acquisition of less than 9.8% of BPG’s outstanding common stock or BPG’s stock by an individual could cause the individual to own constructively in excess of 9.8% of BPG’s outstanding common stock or BPG’s stock, respectively, and thus violate the ownership limit. Any attempt to own or transfer shares of BPG’s stock in excess of the ownership limit without an exemption from BPG’s board of directors will result either in the shares in excess of the limit being transferred by operation of the charter to a charitable trust or the transfer being void, and the individual who attempted to acquire such excess shares will not have any rights in such excess shares. In addition, there can be no assurance that BPG’s board of directors, as permitted in the charter, will not decrease this ownership limit in the future.

The ownership limit may have the effect of precluding a change in control of BPG by a third party, even if such change in control would be in the best interests of BPG’s stockholders or would result in BPG’s stockholders receiving a premium for their shares over the then current market price of BPG’s common stock (and even if such change in control would not reasonably jeopardize BPG’s REIT status).

BPG will be a domestically-controlled REIT if, at all times during a specified testing period, less than 50% in value of its shares are held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. stockholders. Because its shares are publicly traded, BPG cannot guarantee that it will, in fact, be a domestically-controlled REIT. If BPG fails to qualify as a domestically-controlled REIT, its non-U.S. stockholders that otherwise would not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the gain attributable to a sale of BPG’s shares of common stock would be subject to taxation upon such a sale if either (a) the shares were not considered to be “regularly traded” under applicable Treasury regulations on an established securities market, such as the NYSE, or (b) the shares were considered to be “regularly traded” on an established securities market and the selling non-U.S. stockholder owned, actually or constructively, more than 10% in value of the outstanding shares at any time during specified testing periods. If gain on the sale or exchange of BPG’s shares of common stock was subject to taxation for these reasons, the non-U.S. stockholder would be subject to U.S.

federal income tax with respect to any gain on a net basis in a manner similar to the taxation of a taxable U.S. stockholder, subject to any applicable alternative minimum tax and special alternative minimum tax in the case of nonresident alien individuals, and corporate non-U.S. stockholders may be subject to an additional branch profits tax.

In connection with BPG’s qualification as a REIT, BPG is required to annually distribute to its stockholders at least 90% of its REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gain. Although it does not currently intend to do so, in order to satisfy this requirement, BPG is permitted, subject to certain conditions and limitations, to make distributions that are in whole or in part payable in shares of BPG’s stock. Taxable stockholders receiving such distributions will be required to include the full amount of such distributions as ordinary dividend income to the extent of BPG’s current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, U.S. stockholders may be required to pay income taxes with respect to such distributions in excess of the cash portion of the distribution received. Accordingly, U.S. stockholders receiving a distribution in shares of BPG’s stock may be required to sell shares received in such distribution or may be required to sell other stock or assets owned by them, at a time that may be disadvantageous, in order to satisfy any tax imposed on such distribution. Furthermore, with respect to certain non-U.S. stockholders, BPG may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such distribution, including in respect of all or a portion of such distribution that is payable in shares of BPG’s stock, by withholding or disposing of part of the shares included in such distribution and using the net proceeds of such disposition to satisfy the withholding tax imposed. In addition, if a significant number of BPG’s stockholders determine to sell shares of BPG’s stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividend income, such sales may put downward pressure on the market price of BPG’s stock.

The maximum tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income payable by non-REIT “C” corporations to certain non-corporate U.S. stockholders has been reduced by legislation to 23.8% (taking into account the 3.8% Medicare tax applicable to net investment income). Dividends payable by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for the reduced rates. Effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, non-corporate U.S. stockholders may deduct 20% of their dividends from REITs (excluding qualified dividend income and capital gains dividends). For non-corporate U.S. stockholders in the top marginal tax bracket of 37%, the deduction for REIT dividends yields an effective income tax rate of 29.6% on REIT dividends, which is higher than the 23.8% tax rate on qualified dividend income paid by non-REIT “C” corporations. As a result of the more favorable rates applicable to non-REIT “C” corporate qualified dividends, certain non-corporate investors could perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT “C” corporations that pay dividends, which could adversely affect the value of the shares of REITs, including BPG.

The following table summarizes the geographic diversity of our Portfolio by state, ranked by ABR, as of December 31, 2019 (dollars in thousands, expect for PSF amounts):

More specific information with respect to each of our properties is set forth in Exhibit 99.1, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Our anchor tenants generally have leases with original terms ranging from 10 to 20 years, which may or may not contain renewal options for one or more additional periods. Smaller tenants typically have leases with original terms ranging from five to 10 years, which may or may not contain renewal options. Leases in our Portfolio generally provide for the payment of fixed monthly rent. Certain leases also provide for the payment of additional rent based upon a percentage of the tenant’s gross sales above a certain threshold level. Leases typically provide for contractual increases in base rent over both the original terms and any renewal option periods, and the reimbursement of property operating expenses, including common area expenses, utilities (if not separately metered), insurance and real estate taxes.

The foregoing general description of the characteristics of the leases of our Portfolio is not intended to describe all leases, and material variations in lease terms exist.

We have a wholly owned captive insurance company, Brixmor Incap, LLC (“Incap”). Incap underwrites the first layer of general liability insurance programs for our properties. We formed Incap as part of our overall risk management program and to stabilize insurance costs, manage exposure and recoup expenses through the function of the captive program. Incap is capitalized in accordance with the applicable regulatory requirements.

We also maintain commercial liability, fire, extended coverage, earthquake, business interruption, and rental loss insurance covering all of the properties in our Portfolio. We select coverage specifications and insured limits which we believe to be appropriate given the relative risk of loss, the cost of coverage, industry practice, and the nature of the shopping centers in our Portfolio. In addition, tenants generally are required to indemnify and hold us harmless from liabilities resulting from injury to persons or damage to personal or real property on the premises due to activities conducted by tenants or their agents on the properties (including without limitation any environmental contamination), and to obtain liability and property damage insurance policies at the tenant’s expense, kept in full force during the term of the lease. In the opinion of our management, all of the properties in our Portfolio are currently adequately insured. We do not carry insurance for generally uninsured losses, such as losses from war. See “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Portfolio and Our Business – An uninsured loss on properties or a loss that exceeds the limits of our insurance policies could result in a loss of our investment or related revenue in those properties.”

The information contained under the heading “Legal Matters” in Note 15 – Commitments and Contingencies to our Consolidated Financial Statements in this report is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.

BPG’s common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “BRX.” As of February 1, 2020, the number of holders of record of BPG’s common stock was 556. This figure does not represent the actual number of beneficial owners of BPG’s common stock because shares of BPG’s common stock are frequently held in “street name” by securities dealers and others for the benefit of beneficial owners who may vote the shares.

BPG’s future distributions will be at the sole discretion of BPG’s Board of Directors. When determining the amount of future distributions, we expect that BPG’s Board of Directors will consider, among other factors; (1) the amount of cash generated from our operating activities; (2) the amount of cash required for leasing and capital expenditures; (3) the amount of cash required for debt repayments, reinvestment activity, net acquisitions, and share repurchases; (4) the amount of cash required to be distributed to maintain BPG’s status as a REIT and to reduce any income and excise taxes that BPG otherwise would be required to pay; (5) any limitations on our distributions contained in our financing agreements, including, without limitation, in our Unsecured Credit Facility; (6) the sufficiency of legally-available assets; and (7) our ability to continue to access additional sources of capital.

To the extent BPG is prevented, by provisions of our financing arrangements or otherwise, from distributing 100% of BPG’s REIT taxable income, or otherwise does not distribute 100% of BPG’s REIT taxable income, BPG will be subject to income tax, and potentially excise tax, on the retained amounts. If our operations do not generate sufficient cash flow to allow BPG to satisfy the REIT distribution requirements, we may be required to fund distributions with working capital, borrowed funds, or asset sales, or we may be required to reduce such distributions or make such distributions in whole or in part payable in shares of BPG’s stock. See Item 1A. “Risk Factors” for additional information regarding risk factors that could adversely affect our results of operations.

Distributions to the extent of the Company’s current and accumulated earnings and profits for federal income tax purposes will be taxable to stockholders as ordinary dividend income or capital gain income. Distributions in excess of taxable earnings and profits generally will be treated as non-taxable return of capital. These distributions, to the extent that they do not exceed the stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in its common shares, have the effect of deferring taxation until the sale of the stockholder’s common shares. To the extent that distributions are both in excess of taxable earnings and profits and in excess of the stockholder’s adjusted tax basis in its common shares, the distribution will be treated as capital gain from the sale of common shares. For the taxable year ended December 31, 2019, 78.7% of the Company’s distributions to stockholders constituted taxable ordinary income and 21.3% constituted a return of capital.

There were no unregistered sales of equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2019.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes thereto. Historical results and percentage relationships set forth in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes, including trends which might appear, should not be taken as indicative of future operations.

Brixmor Property Group Inc. and subsidiaries (collectively, “BPG”) is an internally-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”). Brixmor Operating Partnership LP and subsidiaries (collectively, the “Operating Partnership”) is the entity through which BPG conducts substantially all of its operations and owns substantially all of its assets. BPG owns 100% of the common stock of BPG Subsidiary Inc. (“BPG Sub”), which, in turn, is the sole member of Brixmor OP GP LLC (the “General Partner”), the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. Unless stated otherwise or the context otherwise requires, “we,” “our,” and “us” mean BPG and the Operating Partnership, collectively. We believe we own and operate one of the largest open-air retail portfolios by gross leasable area (“GLA”) in the United States (“U.S.”), comprised primarily of community and neighborhood shopping centers. As of December 31, 2019, our portfolio was comprised of 403 shopping centers (the “Portfolio”) totaling approximately 71 million square feet of GLA. Our high-quality national Portfolio is primarily located within established trade areas in the top 50 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (“MSAs”) in the U.S., and our shopping centers are primarily anchored by non-discretionary and value-oriented retailers, as well as consumer-oriented service providers. As of December 31, 2019, our three largest tenants by annualized base rent (“ABR”) were The TJX Companies, Inc. (“TJX”), The Kroger Co. (“Kroger”), and Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. BPG has been organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws, commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2011, has maintained such requirements through our taxable year ended December 31, 2019, and intends to satisfy such requirements for subsequent taxable years.

We believe the following set of competitive advantages positions us to successfully execute on our key strategies:

We derive our revenues primarily from rent and expense reimbursements paid by tenants to us under existing leases at each of our properties. Expense reimbursements primarily consist of payments made by tenants to us for their proportionate share of property operating expenses, including common area expenses, utilities, insurance and real estate taxes, and certain capital expenditures related to the maintenance of our properties.

The decrease in rental income for the year ended December 31, 2019 of $66.7 million, as compared to the corresponding period in 2018, was primarily due to an $86.7 million decrease in rental income due to net disposition activity, partially offset by a $20.0 million increase for the remaining portfolio. The increase for the remaining portfolio was due to (i) a $19.5 million increase in base rent; (ii) an $8.4 million increase in straight-line rental income, net; (iii) a $5.1 million increase in expense reimbursements; (iv) a $2.5 million increase in ancillary and other rental income; and (v) a $1.3 million increase in percentage rents; partially offset by (vi) a $9.8 million increase in revenues deemed uncollectible; (vii) a $6.8 million decrease in accretion of above- and below-market leases and tenant inducements, net; and (viii) a $0.2 million decrease in lease termination fees. The $19.5 million increase in base rent for the remaining portfolio was primarily due to contractual rent increases as well as positive rent spreads for new and renewal leases and option exercises of 10.9% during the year ended December 31, 2019 and 11.8% during the year ended December 31, 2018. In connection with the adoption of Accounting Standards Codification 842 (“ASC 842”), revenues deemed uncollectible, as noted above, is now recognized as an adjustment to rental income. Prior period provision for doubtful accounts is presented in accordance with our previous presentation and has not been reclassified to rental income.

The increase in other revenues for the year ended December 31, 2019 of $0.6 million, as compared to the corresponding period in 2018, was primarily due to an increase in tax increment financing income.

The decrease in operating costs for the year ended December 31, 2019 of $11.3 million, as compared to the corresponding period in 2018, was primarily due to a $9.9 million decrease in operating costs due to net disposition activity and a $3.0 million decrease in operating costs for the remaining portfolio, partially offset by a $1.6 million increase in operating costs due to insurance captive adjustments.

The decrease in real estate taxes for the year ended December 31, 2019 of $6.4 million, as compared to the corresponding period in 2018, was primarily due to a $10.7 million decrease in real estate taxes due to net disposition activity, partially offset by a $4.3 million increase for the remaining portfolio primarily due to increases in tax rates and assessments from several jurisdictions.

The decrease in depreciation and amortization for the year ended December 31, 2019 of $19.8 million, as compared to the corresponding period in 2018, was primarily due to a $23.9 million decrease in depreciation and amortization due to net disposition activity, partially offset by a $4.1 million increase for the remaining portfolio primarily due to an increase in depreciation and amortization of tenant improvements, partially offset by a decrease related to acquired in-place lease intangibles.

In connection with the adoption of ASC 842 on January 1, 2019, we recognize any revenue deemed uncollectible as an adjustment to rental income. Prior periods continue to be presented in accordance with our previous presentation.

The increase in general and administrative costs for the year ended December 31, 2019 of $8.7 million, as compared to the corresponding period in 2018, was primarily due to a reduction in capitalized leasing payroll and legal costs of $11.9 million in connection with the adoption of ASC 842 and increased payroll costs, partially offset by a decrease of $7.0 million related to an SEC settlement.

During the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, construction compensation costs of $14.7 million and $10.6 million, respectively, were capitalized to building and improvements and leasing payroll costs of $0.0 million and $8.0 million, respectively, leasing legal costs of $0.0 million and $3.9 million, respectively, and leasing commission costs of $6.0 million and $7.1 million, respectively, were capitalized to deferred charges and prepaid expenses, net.

Dividends and interest remained generally consistent for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to the corresponding period in 2018.

The decrease in interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2019 of $25.3 million, as compared to the corresponding period in 2018, was primarily due to lower overall debt obligations and interest rates.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, we disposed of 18 shopping centers and two partial shopping centers resulting in aggregate gain of $53.4 million. In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2019, we received aggregate net proceeds of $1.6 million from previously disposed assets resulting in aggregate gain of $1.4 million. During the year ended December 31, 2018, we disposed of 49 shopping centers, one partial shopping center and one land parcel resulting in aggregate gain of $208.7 million. In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2018, we received aggregate net proceeds of $0.5 million from previously disposed assets resulting in aggregate gain of $0.5 million.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, we repaid $500.0 million of an unsecured term loan under our senior unsecured credit facility agreement, as amended December 12, 2018 (the “Unsecured Credit Facility”), resulting in a $1.6 million loss on extinguishment of debt due to the acceleration of unamortized debt issuance costs. During the year ended December 31, 2018, we repaid $881.4 million of secured loans and $435.0 million of unsecured term loans, and we amended and restated our Unsecured Credit Facility and term loan agreements, resulting in a $37.1 million loss on extinguishment of debt, net. Loss on extinguishment of debt, net includes $24.3 million of legal defeasance fees and $23.0 million of prepayment fees, partially offset by $10.2 million of accelerated unamortized debt premiums, net of discounts and debt issuance costs.

Other expense remained generally consistent for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to the corresponding period in 2018.

See Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 11, 2019, for a discussion of the comparison of the year ended December 31, 2018 to the year ended December 31, 2017.

We anticipate that our cash flows from the sources listed below will provide adequate capital for the next 12 months and beyond for all anticipated uses, including all scheduled principal and interest payments on our outstanding indebtedness, current and anticipated tenant and other capital improvements, stockholder distributions to maintain our qualification as a REIT and other obligations associated with conducting our business.

We believe our current capital structure provides us with the financial flexibility and capacity to fund our current capital needs as well as future growth opportunities. We have access to multiple forms of capital, including secured property level debt, unsecured corporate level debt, preferred equity, and common equity, which will allow us to efficiently execute on our strategic and operational objectives. We currently have investment grade credit ratings from all three major credit rating agencies. As of December 31, 2019, we had $1.24 billion of available liquidity under our $1.25 billion revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Facility”). We intend to continue to enhance our financial and operational flexibility through the additional extension of the duration of our debt. Subsequent to December 31, 2019, we established a new at-the-market equity offering program. See Note 20 – Subsequent Events to our Consolidated Financial Statements in this report for additional information.

In May 2019, we issued $400.0 million aggregate principal amount of 4.125% Senior Notes due 2029 (the “2029 Notes”) at 99.804% of par, the net proceeds of which were used to repay outstanding indebtedness under our Unsecured Credit Facility and for general corporate purposes. The 2029 Notes bear interest at a rate of 4.125% per annum, payable semi-annually on May 15 and November 15 of each year, commencing November 15, 2019. The 2029 Notes will mature on May 15, 2029. We may redeem the 2029 Notes prior to maturity at our option, at any time in whole or from time to time in part, at the applicable redemption price specified in the Indenture with respect to the 2029 Notes. If the 2029 Notes are redeemed on or after February 15, 2029 (three months prior to the maturity date), the redemption price will be equal to 100% of the principal amount of the 2029 Notes being redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to, but not including, the redemption date. The 2029 Notes are our unsecured and unsubordinated obligations and rank equally in right of payment with all of our existing and future senior unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness.

In August 2019, we issued $350.0 million aggregate principal amount of 4.125% Senior Notes due 2029 at 106.402% of par, the net proceeds of which were used to repay outstanding indebtedness under our Unsecured Credit Facility and for general corporate purposes. The notes have substantially identical terms as, constitute a further issuance of, and form a single series with, our outstanding 2029 Notes.

In connection with our intention to continue to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we expect to continue paying regular dividends to our stockholders. Our Board of Directors will continue to evaluate the dividend policy on a quarterly basis, evaluating sources and uses of capital, operating fundamentals, maintenance of our REIT qualification and other factors our Board of Directors may deem relevant. We generally intend to maintain a conservative dividend payout ratio. Cash dividends paid to common stockholders for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were $334.9 million and $333.4 million, respectively. Our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.285 per common share in October 2019 for the fourth quarter of 2019. The dividend was paid on January 15, 2020 to shareholders of record on January 6, 2020. Our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.285 per common share in February 2020 for the first quarter of 2020. The dividend is payable on April 15, 2020 to shareholders of record on April 6, 2020.

Brixmor Operating Partnership LP

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash for BPG and the Operating Partnership were $21.5 million and $50.8 million as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, our net cash provided by operating activities decreased $13.0 million as compared to the corresponding period in 2018. The decrease is primarily due to (i) a decrease in net operating income due to net disposition activity; and (ii) an increase in cash outflows for general and administrative expense; partially offset by (iii) a decrease in cash outflows for interest expense; (iv) an increase in same property net operating income; and (v) an increase from net working capital.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, our net cash used in investing activities increased $841.7 million as compared to the corresponding period in 2018. The increase was primarily due to (i) a decrease of $667.8 million in net proceeds from sales of real estate assets; (ii) an increase of $126.4 million in improvements to and investments in real estate assets; and (iii) an increase of $62.2 million in acquisitions of real estate assets; partially offset by (iv) an increase of $14.7 million in proceeds from sale of marketable securities, net of purchases.

Maintenance capital expenditures represent costs to fund major replacements and betterments to our properties. Leasing related capital expenditures represent tenant specific costs incurred to lease space, including tenant improvements and tenant allowances. In addition, we evaluate our Portfolio on an ongoing basis to identify value-enhancing reinvestment opportunities. Such initiatives are tenant driven and focus on upgrading our centers with strong, best-in-class retailers and enhancing the overall merchandise mix and tenant quality of our Portfolio. As of December 31, 2019, we had 55 in-process anchor space repositioning, redevelopment and outparcel development projects with an aggregate anticipated cost of $413.0 million, of which $199.8 million has been incurred as of December 31, 2019.

Net cash used in financing activities is impacted by the nature, timing and magnitude of issuances and repurchases of debt and equity securities, as well as principal payments associated with our outstanding indebtedness and distributions made to our common stockholders.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, our net cash used in financing activities decreased $885.5 million as compared to the corresponding period in 2018. The decrease was primarily due to (i) a $747.3 million decrease in debt repayments, net of borrowings; (ii) a $90.3 million decrease in repurchases of common stock; and (iii) a $49.3 million decrease in deferred financing and debt extinguishment costs.

The following table summarizes our debt maturities (excluding extension options), interest payment obligations (excluding debt premiums and discounts and deferred financing costs) and obligations under non-cancelable operating leases (excluding renewal options) as of December 31, 2019: