REGENCY CENTERS CORP - Annual Report: 2019 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

or

For the transition period from              to             

Commission File Number 1-12298 (Regency Centers Corporation)

Commission File Number 0-24763 (Regency Centers, L.P.)

REGENCY CENTERS CORPORATION

REGENCY CENTERS, L.P.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Regency Centers Corporation

Regency Centers, L.P.

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Regency Centers Corporation: None

Regency Centers, L.P.: Units of Partnership Interest

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Regency Centers Corporation    YES     ☒      NO     ☐      Regency Centers, L.P.    YES     ☒      NO     ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act

Regency Centers Corporation    YES     ☐      NO     ☒      Regency Centers, L.P.    YES     ☐      NO     ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Regency Centers Corporation    YES     ☒      NO     ☐      Regency Centers, L.P.    YES     ☒      NO     ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Regency Centers Corporation    YES     ☒      NO     ☐      Regency Centers, L.P.    YES     ☒      NO     ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Regency Centers Corporation:

Regency Centers, L.P.:

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

Regency Centers Corporation     ☐ Regency Centers, L.P.     ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

Regency Centers Corporation     YES     ☐      NO     ☒     Regency Centers, L.P.     YES     ☐      NO     ☒   

State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrants' most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

Regency Centers Corporation     $11.1 billion     Regency Centers, L.P.     N/A

The number of shares outstanding of the Regency Centers Corporation’s common stock was 167,715,882 as of February 12, 2020.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Portions of Regency Centers Corporation's proxy statement in connection with its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference in Part III.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This report combines the annual reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 of Regency Centers Corporation and Regency Centers, L.P. Unless stated otherwise or the context otherwise requires, references to “Regency Centers Corporation” or the “Parent Company” mean Regency Centers Corporation and its controlled subsidiaries and references to “Regency Centers, L.P.” or the “Operating Partnership” mean Regency Centers, L.P. and its controlled subsidiaries. The term “the Company”, “Regency Centers” or “Regency” means the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership, collectively.

The Parent Company is a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) and the general partner of the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership's capital includes general and limited common Partnership Units (“Units”). As of December 31, 2019, the Parent Company owned approximately 99.6% of the Units in the Operating Partnership. The remaining limited Units are owned by investors. As the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership, the Parent Company has exclusive control of the Operating Partnership's day-to-day management.

The Company believes combining the annual reports on Form 10-K of the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership into this single report provides the following benefits:

Management operates the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership as one business. The management of the Parent Company consists of the same individuals as the management of the Operating Partnership. These individuals are officers of the Parent Company and employees of the Operating Partnership.

The Company believes it is important to understand the key differences between the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership in the context of how the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership operate as a consolidated company. The Parent Company is a REIT, whose only material asset is its ownership of partnership interests of the Operating Partnership. As a result, the Parent Company does not conduct business itself, other than acting as the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership, issuing public equity from time to time and guaranteeing certain debt of the Operating Partnership. Except for $500 million of unsecured public and private placement debt, the Parent Company does not hold any indebtedness, but guarantees all of the unsecured debt of the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership is also the co-issuer and guarantees the $500 million of Parent Company debt. The Operating Partnership holds all the assets of the Company and retains the ownership interests in the Company's joint ventures. Except for net proceeds from public equity issuances by the Parent Company, which are contributed to the Operating Partnership in exchange for partnership units, the Operating Partnership generates all remaining capital required by the Company's business. These sources include the Operating Partnership's operations, its direct or indirect incurrence of indebtedness, and the issuance of partnership units.

Stockholders' equity, partners' capital, and noncontrolling interests are the main areas of difference between the consolidated financial statements of the Parent Company and those of the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership's capital includes general and limited common Partnership Units. The limited partners' units in the Operating Partnership owned by third parties are accounted for in partners' capital in the Operating Partnership's financial statements and outside of stockholders' equity in noncontrolling interests in the Parent Company's financial statements.

In order to highlight the differences between the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership, there are sections in this report that separately discuss the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership, including separate financial statements, controls and procedures sections, and separate Exhibit 31 and 32 certifications. In the sections that combine disclosure for the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership, this report refers to actions or holdings as being actions or holdings of the Company.

As general partner with control of the Operating Partnership, the Parent Company consolidates the Operating Partnership for financial reporting purposes, and the Parent Company does not have assets other than its investment in the Operating Partnership. Therefore, while stockholders' equity and partners' capital differ as discussed above, the assets and liabilities of the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership are the same on their respective financial statements.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to historical information, information in this Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements as defined under federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements include statements about anticipated changes in our revenues, the size of our development and redevelopment program, earnings per share and unit, returns and portfolio value, and expectations about our liquidity. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the real estate industry and markets in which the Company operates, and management's beliefs and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Known risks and uncertainties are described further in the Item 1A. Risk Factors below. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto of Regency Centers Corporation and Regency Centers, L.P. appearing elsewhere herein. We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to such forward-looking statements to reflect events or uncertainties after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of uncertain events.

PART I

Item 1. Business

Regency Centers Corporation is a fully integrated real estate company and self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust that began its operations as a publicly-traded REIT in 1993. Regency Centers L.P. is the entity through which Regency Centers Corporation conducts substantially all of its operations and owns substantially all of its assets. Our business consists of acquiring, developing, owning and operating income-producing retail real estate principally located in many of the top markets in the United States.  We generate revenues by leasing space to retail tenants such as highly productive grocers, restaurants, service providers, and best-in-class retailers. Following our merger with Equity One Inc. (“Equity One”) in 2017, Regency became an S&P 500 Index member.

As of December 31, 2019, we had full or partial ownership interests in 419 properties, primarily anchored by market leading grocery stores, encompassing 52.6 million square feet (“SF”) of gross leasable area (“GLA”). Our Pro-rata share of this GLA is 42.8 million square feet, including our share of the partially owned properties.

Our mission is to be the preeminent national owner, operator, and developer of shopping centers, creating places that provide a thriving environment for outstanding retailers and service providers to connect with the surrounding neighborhoods and communities. Our goals are to:

Key strategies to achieve our goals are to:

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Corporate Responsibility

Our vision is to be the preeminent national owner, operator and developer of shopping centers, connecting outstanding retailers and service providers with their neighborhoods and communities while practicing best-in-class corporate responsibility.  We have established four pillars for our corporate responsibility program that we believe support our vision and mission:

Our people are our greatest asset and we work to support our highly engaged team that drives our business and is critical to achieving our strategic objectives. We maintain a safe and pleasant workspace, promote employee well-being, and empower our employees by focusing on health and benefits, training and education, safety, and diversity.

Our team is also passionate about investing in and connecting with the communities in which we live and work. Philanthropy and giving back are cornerstones of what we do and who we are. Our local teams personally customize and cultivate our centers by bringing tenants and shoppers together and continually engage with the communities in which we operate.

As stewards of our investors’ capital, we are committed to best-in-class corporate governance practice. We place great emphasis on integrity and transparency, which extends to our reporting practices, long-term value creation for our stakeholders, and strong culture of business compliance.

We believe sustainability is in the best interest of our tenants, investors, employees, and the communities in which we operate. We have five strategic priorities when it comes to identifying and implementing sustainable business practices and minimizing our environmental impact: green building, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, water conservation, and waste minimization and management. We believe these commitments are not only the right thing to do to address material environmental topics such as air pollution, climate change, and resource scarcity, but also support us in achieving key strategic objectives in operations and development. 

We are committed to transparency with regard to our corporate responsibility and sustainability performance, risks and opportunities, and will continue to enhance disclosures using industry accepted reporting frameworks.  More information about our corporate responsibility strategy, goals, performance, and formal disclosures are available on our website at www.regencycenters.com.  The content of our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our website are intended to be inactive textual references only.

Competition

We are among the largest owners of shopping centers in the nation based on revenues, number of properties, GLA, and market capitalization. There are numerous companies and individuals engaged in the ownership, development, acquisition, and operation of shopping centers that compete with us in our targeted markets, including grocery store chains that also anchor some of our shopping centers. This results in competition for attracting tenants, as well as the acquisition of existing shopping centers and new development sites. We believe that our competitive advantages are driven by:

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Employees

Our corporate headquarters are located at One Independent Drive, Suite 114, Jacksonville, Florida. We presently maintain 22 market offices nationwide, including our corporate headquarters, where we conduct management, leasing, construction, and investment activities. We have 450 employees throughout the United States and we believe that our relations with our employees are good.

Compliance with Governmental Regulations

Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, we may be liable for the cost to remove certain hazardous substances at our shopping centers that generally arise from dry cleaners, gas stations, and historic land use practices. These laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of the hazardous substances. The presence of such substances, or the failure to properly address such substances, may adversely affect our ability to sell or lease the property or borrow using the property as collateral. Although we have a number of properties that could require or are currently undergoing varying levels of clean up, known environmental corrective actions are not currently expected to have a material financial impact on us due to our environmental insurance programs, various state-regulated programs that shift the responsibility and cost to the state, and existing accrued liabilities.

Executive Officers

Our executive officers are appointed each year by our Board of Directors.  Each of our executive officers has been employed by us for more than five years and, as of December 31, 2019, included the following:

Company Website Access and SEC Filings

Our website may be accessed at www.regencycenters.com. All of our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) can be accessed free of charge through our website promptly after filing; however, in the event that the website is inaccessible, we will provide paper copies of our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, the most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, current reports filed or furnished on Form 8-K, and all related amendments, excluding exhibits, free of charge upon request. These filings are also accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The content of our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our website are intended to be inactive textual references only.

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General Information

Our registrar and stock transfer agent is Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, Inc. (“Broadridge”), Philadelphia, PA. We offer a dividend reinvestment plan (“DRIP”) that enables our shareholders to reinvest dividends automatically, as well as to make voluntary cash payments toward the purchase of additional shares. For more information, contact Broadridge toll free at (855) 449-0975 or our Shareholder Relations Department at (904) 598-7000.

The Company's common stock is listed on NASDAQ and trades under the stock symbol “REG”.

Our independent registered public accounting firm is KPMG LLP, Jacksonville, Florida. Our legal counsel is Foley & Lardner LLP, Jacksonville, Florida.

Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Our 2020 annual meeting of shareholders will be held at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, 200 Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 29, 2020.

Defined Terms

In addition to the required Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) presentations, we use certain non-GAAP performance measures as we believe these measures improve the understanding of our operational results. We continually evaluate the usefulness, relevance, limitations, and calculation of our reported non-GAAP performance measures to determine how best to provide relevant information to the public, and thus such reported measures could change.

The following terms, as defined, are commonly used by management and the investing public to understand and evaluate our operational results:

Companies use different depreciable lives and methods, and real estate values historically fluctuate with market conditions. Since NAREIT FFO excludes depreciation and amortization and gains on sales and impairments of real estate, it provides a performance measure that, when compared year over year, reflects the impact on operations from trends in occupancy rates, rental rates, operating costs, acquisition and development activities, and financing costs. This provides a perspective of our financial performance not immediately apparent from net income determined in accordance with GAAP. Thus, NAREIT FFO is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure of our operating performance, which does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP; and, therefore, should not be considered a substitute measure of cash flows from operations. We provide a reconciliation of Net Income Attributable to Common Stockholders to NAREIT FFO.

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We provide Pro-rata financial information because we believe it assists investors and analysts in estimating our economic interest in our consolidated and unconsolidated partnerships, when read in conjunction with the Company’s reported results under GAAP.  We believe presenting our Pro-rata share of assets, liabilities, operating results, and certain operating metrics, along with other non-GAAP measures, makes comparisons of other REITs' operating results to ours more meaningful.  The Pro-rata information provided is not, nor is it intended to be, presented in accordance with GAAP.  The Pro-rata supplemental details of assets and liabilities and supplemental details of operations reflect our proportionate economic ownership of the assets, liabilities and operating results of the properties in our portfolio

The Pro-rata information is prepared on a basis consistent with the comparable consolidated amounts and is intended to more accurately reflect our proportionate economic interest in the assets, liabilities, and operating results of properties in our portfolio.  We do not control the unconsolidated investment partnerships, and the Pro-rata presentations of the assets and liabilities, and revenues and expenses do not represent our legal claim to such items.  The partners are entitled to profit or loss allocations and distributions of cash flows according to the operating agreements, which generally provide for such allocations according to their invested capital.  Our share of invested capital establishes the ownership interests we use to prepare our Pro-rata share.

The presentation of Pro-rata information has limitations which include, but are not limited to, the following:

Because of these limitations, the Pro-rata financial information should not be considered independently or as a substitute for our financial statements as reported under GAAP.  We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP financial statements, using the Pro-rata information as a supplement.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

Risk Factors Related to the Retail Industry

Economic and market conditions may adversely affect the retail industry and consequently reduce our revenues and cash flow, and increase our operating expenses.

Our properties are leased primarily to retail tenants from whom we derive most of our revenue in the form of base rent, expense recoveries and other income. Therefore, our performance and operating results are directly linked to the economic and market conditions occurring in the retail industry. We are subject to the risks that, upon expiration, leases for space in our properties are not renewed by existing tenants, vacant space is not leased to new tenants, or tenants demand new lease terms, including costs for renovations or concessions. The market for leasing retail space in our properties may be adversely affected by any of the following:

To the extent that any of these conditions occur they are likely to impact the retail industry, our retail tenants, the demand and market rents for retail space, the occupancy levels of our properties, our ability to sell, acquire or develop properties, our operating results and our cash available for distributions to stock and unit holders.

Shifts in retail sales and delivery methods between brick and mortar stores, e-commerce, home delivery, and curbside pick-up may adversely impact our revenues and cash flows.

Retailers are increasingly impacted by e-commerce and changes in customer buying habits, including the delivery or curbside pick-up of items ordered online. Retailers are considering these e-commerce trends when making decisions regarding their bricks and mortar stores and how they will compete and innovate in a rapidly changing retail environment. Many retailers in our shopping centers provide services or sell goods, which have historically been less likely to be purchased online; however, the continuing increase in e-commerce sales in all retail categories may cause retailers to adjust the size or number of retail locations in the future or close stores. Our grocer tenants are incorporating e-commerce concepts through home delivery and curbside pick-up, which could reduce foot traffic at our centers. In certain higher-income markets, foot traffic at our centers may be impacted more by these alternative delivery methods if consumers are willing to pay premiums for such services.  This shift may adversely impact our occupancy and rental rates, which would impact our revenues and cash flows. Changes in shopping trends as a result of the growth in e-commerce may also impact the profitability of retailers that do not adapt to changes in market conditions. These conditions may adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows if we are unable to meet the needs of our tenants or if our tenants encounter financial difficulties as a result of changing market conditions.

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Changing economic and retail market conditions in geographic areas where our properties are concentrated may reduce our revenues and cash flow.

Economic conditions in markets where our properties are concentrated can greatly influence our financial performance. During the year ended December 31, 2019, our properties in California, Florida, Texas, New York and Virginia accounted for 29.0%, 21.0%, 6.9%, 5.7%, and 5.0% respectively, of our NOI from Consolidated Properties plus our Pro-rata share from Unconsolidated Properties (“Pro-rata basis”). Our revenues and cash flow may be adversely affected by this geographic concentration if market conditions, such as supply of or demand for retail space, deteriorate more significantly in these states compared to other geographic areas.

Our success depends on the success and continued presence of our “anchor” tenants.

“Anchor Tenants” (tenants occupying 10,000 square feet or more) occupy large stores in our shopping centers, pay a significant portion of the total rent at a property and contribute to the success of other tenants by attracting shoppers to the property. We derive significant revenues from anchor tenants such as Publix, Kroger Co., Albertsons Companies, Inc., TJX Companies, Inc., and Whole Foods who accounted for 3.2%, 3.0%, 2.8%, 2.4%, and 2.4%, respectively, of our total annualized base rent on a Pro-rata basis, for the year ended December 31, 2019. Additionally, other tenants with significant lease obligations at a singular location could also have a material impact on our earnings if they are unable to fulfill their lease obligations or fail to renew their leases.  Our net income and cash flow may be adversely affected by the loss of revenues and additional costs in the event a significant anchor tenant:

Some anchors have the right to vacate their space and may prevent us from re-tenanting by continuing to comply and pay rent in accordance with their lease agreement. Vacated anchor space, including space owned by the anchor, can reduce rental revenues generated by the shopping center in other spaces because of the loss of the departed anchor's customer drawing power. If a significant tenant vacates a property, co-tenancy clauses in select lease contracts may allow other tenants to modify or terminate their rent or lease obligations. Co-tenancy clauses have several variants: they may allow a tenant to postpone a store opening if certain other tenants fail to open their stores; they may allow a tenant to close its store prior to lease expiration if another tenant closes its store prior to lease expiration; or more commonly, they may allow a tenant to pay reduced levels of rent until a certain number of tenants open their stores within the same shopping center.

Additionally, many of our shopping centers are anchored by retailers who own their space whose location is within or immediately adjacent to our shopping center (“shadow anchors”).  In those cases, the shadow anchors appear to the consumer as a retail tenant of the shopping center and, as a result, attract additional consumer traffic to the center. In the event that a shadow anchor were to close, it could negatively impact our center as consumer traffic would likely be reduced.    

A significant percentage of our revenues are derived from smaller “shop space” tenants and our net income may be adversely impacted if our smaller shop tenants are not successful.

“Shop Space Tenants” (tenants occupying less than 10,000 square feet) may be more vulnerable to negative economic conditions as they have more limited resources than Anchor Tenants. Shop Space Tenants may be facing reduced sales as a result of an increase in competition including from e-commerce retailers. The types of Shop Space Tenants vary from retail shops and restaurants to service providers. If we are unable to attract the right type or mix of Shop Space Tenants into our centers, our revenues and cash flow may be adversely impacted.

At December 31, 2019, Shop Space Tenants represent approximately 36.0% of our GLA leased at average base rents of $34.86 per square foot (“PSF”). A one-percent decline in our shop space occupancy may result in a reduction to base rent of approximately $5.0 million.

We may be unable to collect balances due from tenants in bankruptcy.

Although lease income (including base rent and recoveries from tenants) are supported by long-term lease contracts, tenants who file for bankruptcy have the legal right to reject any or all of their leases and close related stores. Any unsecured claim we hold against a

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bankrupt tenant for unpaid rent might be paid only to the extent that funds are available and only in the same percentage as is paid to all other holders of unsecured claims. As a result, it is likely that we would recover substantially less than the full value of any unsecured claims we hold. Additionally, we may incur significant expense to recover our claim and to re-lease the vacated space. In the event that a tenant with a significant number of leases in our shopping centers files for bankruptcy and rejects its leases, we may experience a significant reduction in our revenues and may not be able to collect all pre-petition amounts owed by the bankrupt tenant.

Risk Factors Related to Real Estate Investments and Operations

We are subject to numerous laws and regulations that may adversely affect our operations or expose us to liability.

Our properties are subject to numerous federal, state, and local laws and regulations, some of which may conflict with one another or be subject to varying judicial or regulatory interpretations. These laws and regulations may include zoning laws, building codes, competition laws, rules and agreements, landlord-tenant laws, property tax regulations or changes in real estate assessments, including changes in laws related thereto, and other laws and regulations generally applicable to business operations. Noncompliance with such laws and regulations, and any associated litigation may expose us to liability.

Our real estate assets may decline in value and be subject to impairment losses which may reduce our net income.

Our real estate properties are carried at cost unless circumstances indicate that the carrying value of these assets may not be recoverable. We evaluate whether there are any indicators, including property operating performance and general market conditions, such that the value of the real estate properties (including any related tangible or intangible assets or liabilities, including goodwill) may not be recoverable. Through the evaluation, we compare the current carrying value of the asset to the estimated undiscounted cash flows that are directly associated with the use and ultimate disposition of the asset. Our estimated cash flows are based on several key assumptions, including rental rates, costs of tenant improvements, leasing commissions, anticipated holding periods, and assumptions regarding the residual value upon disposition, including the exit capitalization rate. These key assumptions are subjective in nature and may differ materially from actual results. Changes in our disposition strategy or changes in the marketplace may alter the holding period of an asset or asset group, which may result in an impairment loss and such loss may be material to the Company's financial condition or operating performance. To the extent that the carrying value of the asset exceeds the estimated undiscounted cash flows, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the excess of carrying value over fair value.

The fair value of real estate assets is subjective and is determined through the use of comparable sales information and other market data if available, or through use of an income approach such as the direct capitalization method or the discounted cash flow approach. Such cash flow projections take into account expected future operating income, trends and prospects, as well as the effects of demand, competition and other relevant criteria, and therefore are subject to management judgment. Changes in these factors may impact the determination of fair value. In estimating the fair value of undeveloped land, we generally use market data and comparable sales information.

These subjective assessments have a direct impact on our net income because recording an impairment charge results in an immediate negative adjustment to net income, which may be material. There can be no assurance that we will not record impairment charges in the future related to our assets.

We face risks associated with development, redevelopment and expansion of properties.

We actively pursue opportunities for new retail development, or existing property redevelopment or expansion. Development and redevelopment activities require various government and other approvals for entitlements and any delay in such approvals may significantly delay this process. We may not recover our investment in development or redevelopment projects for which approvals are not received. We are subject to other risks associated with these activities, including the following risks:

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We face risks associated with the development of mixed-use commercial properties.

We are expanding our investment focus to include more complex acquisitions and mixed-use development and redevelopment projects in very dense urban locations, which pose unique risks to our return on investment.  Mixed-use projects refer to real estate projects that, in addition to retail space, may also include space for residential, office, hotel or other commercial purposes.  We have less experience in developing and managing non-retail real estate than we do retail real estate.  As a result, if a development or redevelopment project includes a non-retail use, we may seek to develop that component ourselves, sell the rights to that component to a third-party developer, or partner with a developer.  

In addition, redevelopment of existing shopping centers into mixed-use projects generally includes tenant vacancies before and during the redevelopment, which could result in volatility in NOI.  

We face risks associated with the acquisition of properties.

Our investment strategy includes investing in high-quality shopping centers that are leased to market-dominant grocers, category-leading anchors, specialty retailers, or restaurants located in areas with high barriers to entry and above average household incomes and population densities. The acquisition of properties and/or real estate entities entails risks that include, but are not limited to, the following, any of which may adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows:

We face risks if we expand into new markets.

If opportunities arise, we may acquire or develop properties in markets where we currently have no presence. Each of the risks applicable to acquiring or developing properties in our current markets are applicable to acquiring, developing and integrating properties in new markets. In addition, we may not possess the same level of familiarity with the dynamics and conditions of the new markets we may enter, which may adversely affect our operating results and investment returns in those markets.

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We may be unable to sell properties when desired because of market conditions.

Our properties, including their related tangible and intangible assets, represent the majority of our total consolidated assets and they may not be readily convertible to cash. As a result, our ability to sell one or more of our properties, including properties held in joint ventures, in response to changes in economic, industry, or other conditions may be limited. The real estate market is affected by many factors, such as general economic conditions, availability and terms of financing, interest rates and other factors, including supply and demand for space, that are beyond our control. There may be less demand for lower quality properties that we have identified for ultimate disposition in markets with uncertain economic or retail environments, and where buyers are more reliant on the availability of third party mortgage financing. If we want to sell a property, we can provide no assurance that we will be able to dispose of it in the desired time period or at all or that the sales price of a property will be attractive at the relevant time or even exceed the carrying value of our investment. Moreover, if a property is mortgaged, we may not be able to obtain a release of the lien on that property without the payment of a substantial prepayment penalty, which may restrict our ability to dispose of the property, even though the sale might otherwise be desirable.

Certain properties we own have a low tax basis, which may result in a taxable gain on sale. We intend to utilize 1031 exchanges to mitigate taxable income; however, there can be no assurance that we will identify properties that meet our investment objectives for acquisitions. In the event that we do not utilize 1031 exchanges, we may be required to distribute the gain proceeds to shareholders or pay income tax, which may reduce our cash flow available to fund our commitments.

Certain of the properties in our portfolio are subject to ground leases; if we are unable to renew a ground lease, purchase the fee simple interest, or are found to be in breach of a ground lease, we may be adversely affected.

We have 28 properties in our portfolio that are either partially or completely on land subject to ground leases with third parties. Accordingly, we only own a long-term leasehold or similar interest in those properties. If we are unable to purchase a fee interest in the underlying land or extend the terms of these leases before or upon their expiration, as to which no assurance can be given, we will lose our interest in the improvements and the right to operate such properties.  In addition, if we are found to be in breach of a ground lease, we may lose our interest in the improvements and the right to operate the property that is subject to the ground lease.  The existing lease terms, including renewal options, were taken into consideration when making our investment decisions. The purchase price and subsequent improvements are being depreciated over the shorter of the remaining life of the ground leases or the useful life of the underlying assets. If we were to lose the right to operate a property due to not exercising renewal options of the ground lease or a breach, we would be unable to derive income from such property, which would impair the value of our investments, and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Climate change may adversely impact our properties directly and may lead to additional compliance obligations and costs as well as additional taxes and fees.

To the extent climate change causes adverse changes in weather patterns, our properties in certain markets may experience increases in storm intensity and rising sea‑levels. Climate change may result in volatile or decreased demand for retail space at certain of our properties or, in extreme cases, our inability to operate certain properties at all. Climate change may also have indirect effects on our business by increasing the cost of insurance, or making insurance unavailable. Moreover, compliance with new laws or regulations related to climate change, including compliance with “green” building codes, may require us to make improvements to our existing properties or pay additional taxes and fees assessed on us or our properties.  Although we strive to identify, analyze, and respond to the risk and opportunities that climate change presents, at this time, there can be no assurance that climate change will not have an adverse effect on us.  

Geographic concentration of our properties makes our business more vulnerable to natural disasters, severe weather conditions and climate change.

A significant number of our properties are located in areas that are susceptible to earthquakes, tropical storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, sea-level rise, and other natural disasters. At December 31, 2019, 28% of the total insured value of our portfolio is located in the state of California, including a number of properties in the San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles areas. Additionally, 18% and 7% of the total insured value of our portfolio is located in the states of Florida and Texas, respectively. Recent intense weather conditions may cause property insurance premiums to increase significantly in the future. We recognize that the frequency and / or intensity of extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and other climatic changes may continue to increase, and as a result, our exposure to these events may increase. These weather conditions may disrupt our business and the business of our tenants, which may affect the ability of some tenants to pay rent and may reduce the willingness of tenants or residents to remain in or move to these affected areas. Therefore, as a result of the geographic concentration of our properties, we face risks, including disruptions to our business and the businesses of our tenants and higher costs, such as uninsured property losses, higher insurance premiums, and potential additional regulatory requirements by government agencies in response to perceived risks.

An uninsured loss or a loss that exceeds the insurance coverage on our properties may subject us to loss of capital and revenue on those properties.

We carry comprehensive liability, fire, flood, terrorism, business interruption, and environmental insurance for our properties with policy specifications and insured limits customarily carried for similar properties. Some types of losses, such as losses from named windstorms, earthquakes, terrorism, or wars may have limited coverage or be excluded from insurance coverage. Although we carry

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specific insurance coverage for named windstorm and earthquake losses, the policies are subject to deductibles up to 2% to 5% of the total insured value of each property, up to a $10 million maximum deductible per occurrence for each of these perils, with limits of $300 million per occurrence for all perils except earthquake, which has a total annual aggregate limit of $300 million. Terrorism coverage is limited to $200 million per occurrence related to property damage. Liability claims are limited to $151 million per occurrence. Should a loss occur at any of our properties that is subject to a substantial deductible or is in excess of the property or casualty insurance limits of our policies, we may lose part or all of our invested capital and revenues from such property, which may have a material adverse impact on our operating results, financial condition, and our ability to make distributions to stock and unit holders.

Terrorist activities or violence occurring at our properties also may directly affect the value of our properties through damage, destruction or loss.  Insurance for such acts may be unavailable or cost more resulting in an increase to our operating expenses and adversely affect our results of operations.  To the extent that our tenants are affected by such attacks and threats of attacks, their businesses may be adversely affected, including their ability to continue to meet obligations under their existing leases.  

Loss of our key personnel may adversely affect our business and operations.

The success of our business depends, in part, on the leadership and performance of our executive management team and key employees, and our ability to attract, retain and motivate talented employees may significantly impact our future performance. Competition for these individuals is intense, and we cannot be assured that we will retain all of our executive management team and other key employees or that we will be able to attract and retain other highly qualified individuals for these positions in the future. Losing any one or more of these persons may have an adverse effect on us.

We face competition from numerous sources, including other REITs and other real estate owners.

The ownership of shopping centers is highly fragmented. We face competition from other public REITs, large private investors, institutional investors, and from numerous small owners in the acquisition, ownership, and leasing of shopping centers. We also compete to develop shopping centers with other REITs engaged in development activities as well as with local, regional, and national real estate developers. This competition may:

If we cannot successfully compete in our targeted markets, our cash flow, and therefore distributions to stock and unit holders, may be adversely affected.

Costs of environmental remediation may reduce our cash flow available for distribution to stock and unit holders.

Under various federal, state, and local laws, an owner or manager of real property may be liable for the costs of removal or addressing the presence of hazardous substances on the property, generally arising from dry cleaners, gas stations, and historic land use practices. These laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of hazardous substances. The presence of, or the failure to properly address the presence of, hazardous substances may adversely affect our ability to sell or lease the property or borrow using the property as collateral. We can provide no assurance that we are aware of all potential environmental liabilities; 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; and that future uses or conditions, or changes in environmental laws and regulations will not result in additional material environmental liabilities to us.

Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and fire, safety and other regulations may require us to make unexpected expenditures.

All of our properties are required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), which generally requires that buildings be made accessible to people with disabilities. Compliance with ADA requirements may require removal of access barriers, and noncompliance may result in imposition of fines by the U.S. government or an award of damages to private litigants, or both. While the tenants to whom we lease space in our properties are obligated by law to comply with the ADA provisions, and typically under tenant leases are obligated to cover costs associated with compliance, if required changes involve greater expenditures than anticipated, or if the changes must be made on a more accelerated basis than anticipated, the ability of these tenants to cover costs may be adversely affected. In addition, we are required to operate the properties in compliance with fire and safety regulations, building codes and other land use regulations, as they may be adopted by governmental entities and become applicable to the properties. We may be required to make substantial capital expenditures to comply with these requirements, and these expenditures may have an adverse effect on our ability to meet our financial obligations and make distributions to our stock and unit holders.

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The unauthorized access, use, theft or destruction of tenant or employee personal, financial or other data or of Regency’s proprietary or confidential information stored in our information systems or by third parties on our behalf could impact our reputation and brand and expose us to potential liability and loss of revenues.

Many of our information technology systems (including those we use for administration, accounting, and communications, as well as the systems of our co-investment partners and other third-party business partners and service providers, whether cloud-based or hosted in proprietary servers) contain personal, financial or other information that is entrusted to us by our tenants and employees. Many of our information technology systems also contain our proprietary information and other confidential information related to our business. We are frequently subject to attempts to compromise our information technology systems. To the extent we or a third party were to experience a material breach of our or such third party’s information technology systems that result in the unauthorized access, theft, use, destruction or other compromises of tenants’ or employees' data or our confidential information stored in such systems, including through cyber-attacks or other external or internal methods, such a breach may damage our reputation and cause us to lose tenants and revenues, incur third party claims and cause disruption to our business and plans. Such security breaches also could result in a violation of applicable U.S. privacy and other laws, and subject us to private consumer, business partner, or securities litigation and governmental investigations and proceedings, any of which could result in our exposure to material civil or criminal liability, and we may not be able to recover these expenses from our service providers, responsible parties, or insurance carriers.

Additionally, federal, state and local authorities continue to develop laws to address data privacy protection.  Monitoring such changes, and taking steps to comply, involves significant costs and effort by management, which may adversely affect our operating results and cash flows.

The techniques and sophistication used to conduct cyber-attacks and breaches of information technology systems, as well as the sources and targets of these attacks, change frequently and are often not recognized until such attacks are launched or have been in place for a period of time. We manage cyber risk by evaluating the impact of a potential cyber breach on our business and determining the level of investment in the prevention, detection and response to a breach. We continue to make significant investments in technology, third-party services and personnel to develop and implement systems and processes that are designed to anticipate cyber-attacks and to prevent or minimize breaches of our information technology systems or data loss, but these security measures cannot provide assurance that we will be successful in preventing such breaches or data loss.

Despite the implementation of security measures for our disaster recovery and business continuity plans, our systems are vulnerable to damages from multiple sources, including computer viruses, unauthorized access, energy blackouts, natural disasters, terrorism, war, and telecommunication failure.  Any system failure or accident that causes interruptions in our operations could result in a material disruption to our business and cause us to incur additional costs to remedy such damages.

Risk Factors Related to Our Partnerships and Joint Ventures

We do not have voting control over all of the properties owned in our co-investment partnerships and joint ventures, so we are unable to ensure that our objectives will be pursued.

We have invested substantial capital as a partner in a number of partnerships and joint ventures to acquire, own, lease, develop or redevelop properties. These activities are subject to the same risks as our investments in our wholly-owned properties. These investments, and other future similar investments may involve risks that would not be present were a third party not involved, including the possibility that partners or other owners might become bankrupt, suffer a deterioration in their creditworthiness, or fail to fund their share of required capital contributions. Partners or other owners may have economic or other business interests or goals that are inconsistent with our own business interests or goals, and may be in a position to take actions contrary to our policies or objectives.

These investments, and other future similar investments, also have the potential risk of creating impasses on decisions, such as a sale or financing, because neither we nor our partner or other owner has full control over the partnership or joint venture. Disputes between us and partners or other owners might result in litigation or arbitration that may increase our expenses and prevent management from focusing their time and efforts on our business. Consequently, actions by, or disputes with, partners or other owners might result in subjecting properties owned by the partnership or joint venture to additional risk. In addition, we risk the possibility of being liable for the actions of our partners or other owners. These factors may limit the return that we receive from such investments or cause our cash flows to be lower than our estimates.

The termination of our partnerships may adversely affect our cash flow, operating results, and our ability to make distributions to stock and unit holders.

If partnerships owning a significant number of properties were dissolved for any reason, we could lose the asset, property management, leasing and construction management fees from these partnerships as well as the operating income of the properties, which may adversely affect our operating results and our cash available for distribution to stock and unit holders.  Certain of our partnership operating agreements provide either member the ability to elect buy/sell clauses.  The election of these dissolution provisions could require us to invest additional capital to acquire the partners’ interest or to sell our share of the property thereby losing the operating income and cash flow.

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Risk Factors Related to Funding Strategies and Capital Structure

Our ability to sell properties and fund acquisitions and developments may be adversely impacted by higher market capitalization rates and lower NOI at our properties which may dilute earnings.

As part of our funding strategy, we sell operating properties that no longer meet our investment standards or those with a limited future growth profile. These sales proceeds are used to fund debt repayment, acquisition of operating properties, and the construction of new developments and redevelopments. An increase in market capitalization rates or a decline in NOI may cause a reduction in the value of centers identified for sale, which would have an adverse impact on the amount of cash generated.  Additionally, the sale of properties resulting in significant tax gains may require higher distributions to our stockholders or payment of additional income taxes in order to maintain our REIT status.

We may acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax-deferred contribution transactions, which may result in stockholder dilution and limit our ability to sell such assets.

We may acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax deferred contribution transactions in exchange for partnership interests in our operating partnership, which may result in stockholder dilution. This acquisition structure may have the effect of, among other things, reducing the amount of tax depreciation we may deduct over the tax life of the acquired properties, and may require that we agree to protect the contributors’ ability to defer recognition of taxable gain through restrictions on our ability to dispose of the acquired properties and/or the allocation of partnership debt to the contributors to maintain their tax bases. These restrictions may limit our ability to sell an asset at a time, or on terms, that would be favorable absent such restrictions.

We depend on external sources of capital, which may not be available in the future on favorable terms or at all.

To qualify as a REIT, the Parent Company must, among other things, distribute to its stockholders each year at least 90% of its REIT taxable income (excluding any net capital gains). Because of these distribution requirements, we may not be able to fund all future capital needs with income from operations. In such instances, we would rely on third-party sources of capital, which may or may not be available on favorable terms or at all. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends on a number of things, including the market's perception of our growth potential and our current and potential future earnings. Our access to debt depends on our credit rating, the willingness of creditors to lend to us and conditions in the capital markets. In addition to finding creditors willing to lend to us, we are dependent upon our joint venture partners to contribute their pro rata share of any amount needed to repay or refinance existing debt when lenders reduce the amount of debt our partnerships and joint ventures are eligible to refinance.

In addition, our existing debt arrangements also impose covenants that limit our flexibility in obtaining other financing. Additional equity offerings may result in substantial dilution of stockholders' interests and additional debt financing may substantially increase our degree of leverage.

Without access to external sources of capital, we would be required to pay outstanding debt with our operating cash flows and proceeds from property sales. Our operating cash flows may not be sufficient to pay our outstanding debt as it comes due and real estate investments generally cannot be sold quickly at a return we believe is appropriate. If we are required to deleverage our business with operating cash flows and proceeds from property sales, we may be forced to reduce the amount of, or eliminate altogether, our distributions to stock and unit holders or refrain from making investments in our business.

Our debt financing may adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Our ability to make scheduled payments or to refinance our indebtedness will depend primarily on our future performance, which to a certain extent is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. In addition, we do not expect to generate sufficient operating cash flow to make balloon principal payments on our debt when due. If we are unable to refinance our debt on acceptable terms, we may be forced (i) to dispose of properties, which might result in losses, or (ii) to obtain financing at unfavorable terms, either of which may reduce the cash flow available for distributions to stock and unit holders. If we cannot make required mortgage payments, the mortgagee may foreclose on the property securing the mortgage.

Covenants in our debt agreements may restrict our operating activities and adversely affect our financial condition.

Our unsecured notes, unsecured term loans, and unsecured line of credit contain customary covenants, including compliance with financial ratios, such as ratio of indebtedness to total asset value and fixed charge coverage ratio. These covenants may limit our operational flexibility and our investment activities. Moreover, if we breach any of the covenants in our debt agreements, and do not cure the breach within the applicable cure period, our lenders may require us to repay the debt immediately, even in the absence of a payment default. Many of our debt arrangements, including our unsecured notes, unsecured term loan, and unsecured line of credit are cross-defaulted, which means that the lenders under those debt arrangements can require immediate repayment of their debt if we breach and fail to cure a default under certain of our other material debt obligations. As a result, any default under our debt

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covenants may have an adverse effect on our financial condition, our results of operations, our ability to meet our obligations, and the market value of our stock.

Increases in interest rates would cause our borrowing costs to rise and negatively impact our results of operations.

Although a significant amount of our outstanding debt has fixed interest rates, we do borrow funds at variable interest rates under our credit facility and term loan. As of December 31, 2019, 6.5% of our outstanding debt was variable rate debt not hedged to fixed. Increases in interest rates would increase our interest expense on any variable rate debt to the extent we have not hedged our exposure to changes in interest rates. In addition, increases in interest rates will affect the terms under which we refinance our existing debt as it matures, to the extent we have not hedged our exposure to changes in interest rates. This would reduce our future earnings and cash flows, which may adversely affect our ability to service our debt and meet our other obligations and also may reduce the amount we are able to distribute to our stock and unit holders.

Hedging activity may expose us to risks, including the risks that a counterparty will not perform and that the hedge will not yield the economic benefits we anticipate, which may adversely affect us.

We manage our exposure to interest rate volatility by using interest rate hedging arrangements.  These arrangements involve risk, such as the risk that counterparties may fail to honor their obligations under these arrangements, and that these arrangements may not be effective in reducing our exposure to interest rate changes. There can be no assurance that our hedging arrangements will qualify for hedge accounting or that our hedging activities will have the desired beneficial impact on our results of operations. Should we desire to terminate a hedging arrangement, there may be significant costs and cash requirements involved to fulfill our obligations under the hedging arrangement. In addition, failure to effectively hedge against interest rate changes may adversely affect our results of operations.

The interest rates on our Unsecured Credit facilities as well as on our variable rate mortgages and interest rate swaps might change based on changes to the method in which LIBOR or its replacement rate is determined.

In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) that regulates LIBOR announced it intends to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. As a result, the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York organized the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”) which identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) as its preferred alternative to USD-LIBOR in derivatives and other financial contracts.  We are not able to predict when LIBOR will cease to be available or when there will be sufficient liquidity in the SOFR markets. Any changes adopted by FCA or other governing bodies in the method used for determining LIBOR may result in a sudden or prolonged increase or decrease in reported LIBOR. If that were to occur, our interest payments could change. In addition, uncertainty about the extent and manner of future changes may result in interest rates and/or payments that are higher or lower than if LIBOR were to remain available in its current form.

We have contracts that are indexed to LIBOR, including our $1.25 billion unsecured revolving credit facility, $265 million term loan, and fifteen mortgages within our consolidated and unconsolidated portfolio totaling $225.5 million on a Pro-rata basis, as well as interest rate swaps to fix these variable cash flows with notional amounts totaling $442.0 million on a Pro-rata basis.  These LIBOR based instruments mature between 2020 and 2028.  We are monitoring and evaluating the related risks, which include interest on loans or amounts received and paid on derivative instruments. These risks arise in connection with transitioning contracts to a new alternative rate, including any resulting value transfer that may occur. The value of loans, securities, or derivative instruments tied to LIBOR could also be impacted if LIBOR is limited or discontinued. For some instruments, the method of transitioning to an alternative rate may be challenging, as they may require negotiation with the respective counterparty.

If a contract is not transitioned to an alternative rate and LIBOR is discontinued, the impact is likely to vary by contract. If LIBOR is discontinued or if the methods of calculating LIBOR change from their current form, interest rates on our current or future indebtedness and related interest rate swaps may be adversely affected.

While we expect LIBOR to be available in substantially its current form until the end of 2021, it is possible that LIBOR will become unavailable prior to that point.  This could result, for example, if sufficient banks decline to make submissions to the LIBOR administrator. In that case, the risks associated with the transition to an alternative reference rate will be accelerated and magnified.

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Risk Factors Related to our Company and the Market Price for Our Securities

Changes in economic and market conditions may adversely affect the market price of our securities.

The market price of our debt and equity securities may fluctuate significantly in response to many factors, many of which are out of our control, including:

These factors may cause the market price of our securities to decline, regardless of our financial condition, results of operations, business or prospects. It is impossible to ensure that the market price of our securities, including our common stock, will not fall in the future.  A decrease in the market price of our common stock may reduce our ability to raise additional equity in the public markets. Selling common stock at a decreased market price would have a dilutive impact on existing stockholders.

There is no assurance that we will continue to pay dividends at historical rates.

Our ability to continue to pay dividends at historical rates or to increase our dividend rate will depend on a number of factors, including, among others, the following:

If we do not maintain or periodically increase the dividend on our common stock, it may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and other securities.

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Enhanced focus on corporate responsibility and sustainability, specifically related to environmental, social and governance matters, may impose additional costs and expose us to new risks.

We, as well as increasing numbers of investors, are focused on corporate responsibility and sustainability, specifically related to environmental, social and governance matters (“ESG”). Some investors may use these matters to guide their investment strategies. Third-party providers of corporate responsibility ratings and reports on companies have increased to meet growing investor demand for measurement of corporate responsibility performance. Although we have generally scored highly in these metrics to date, there can be no assurance that we will continue to score highly in the future. In addition, the criteria by which companies are rated may change, which could cause us to receive lower scores than in the past. We may face reputational damage in the event our corporate responsibility and sustainability procedures or standards do not meet the standards set by various constituencies. Furthermore, should our competitors outperform us in such metrics, potential or current investors may elect to invest with our competition instead. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have an adverse effect on the price of our shares and our business, financial condition and results of operations, including increased capital expenditures and/or increased operating expenses.

Risk Factors Related to Laws and Regulations

If the Parent Company fails to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, it would be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates.

We believe that the Parent Company qualifies for taxation as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, and we plan to operate so that we can continue to meet the requirements for taxation as a REIT. If the Parent Company continues to qualify as a REIT, it generally will not be subject to federal income tax on income that we distribute to our stockholders. Many REIT requirements, however, are highly technical and complex. The determination that the Parent Company is a REIT requires an analysis of various factual matters and circumstances, some of which may not be totally within our control and some of which involve questions of interpretation. For example, to qualify as a REIT, at least 95% of our gross income must come from specific passive sources, like rent, that are itemized in the REIT tax laws. There can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) or a court would agree with the positions we have taken in interpreting the REIT requirements. We are also required to distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, excluding net capital gains. We will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our undistributed taxable income and net capital gain and to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on any amount by which distributions we pay with respect to any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income and 100% of our undistributed income from prior years. The fact that we hold many of our assets through co-investment partnerships and their subsidiaries further complicates the application of the REIT requirements. Furthermore, Congress and the IRS might make changes to the tax laws and regulations, and the courts might issue new rulings, that make it more difficult for the Parent Company to remain qualified as a REIT.

Also, unless the IRS granted relief under certain statutory provisions, the Parent Company would remain disqualified as a REIT for four years following the year it first failed to qualify. If the Parent Company failed to qualify as a REIT (currently and/or with respect to any tax years for which the statute of limitations has not expired), we would have to pay significant income taxes, reducing cash available to pay dividends, which would likely have a significant adverse effect on the value of our securities. In addition, we would no longer be required to pay any dividends to stockholders in order to maintain our REIT status. Although we believe that the Parent Company qualifies as a REIT, we cannot be assured that the Parent Company will continue to qualify or remain qualified as a REIT for tax purposes.

Even if the Parent Company qualifies as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we are required to pay certain federal, state, and local taxes on our income and property. For example, if we have net income from “prohibited transactions,” that income will be subject to a 100% tax. In general, prohibited transactions include sales or other dispositions of property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. The determination as to whether a particular sale is a prohibited transaction depends on the facts and circumstances related to that sale. While we have undertaken a significant number of asset sales in recent years, we do not believe that those sales should be considered prohibited transactions, but there can be no assurance that the IRS would not contend otherwise.

New legislation, as well as new regulations, administrative interpretations, or court decisions may be introduced, enacted, or promulgated from time to time, that may change the tax laws or interpretations of the tax laws regarding qualification as a REIT, or the federal income tax consequences of that qualification, in a manner that is adverse to our stockholders.

Recent changes to the U.S. tax laws may have a significant negative impact on the overall economy, our tenants, our investors, and our business.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 made significant changes to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). While the changes in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act generally appear to be favorable with respect to REITs, the extensive changes to non-REIT provisions in the Code may have unanticipated effects on us or our stockholders, including our taxable income, the amount of distributions to our stockholders required in order to maintain our REIT status, and our relative tax advantage as a REIT. The long-term impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on the overall economy, government revenues, our tenants, us, and the real estate industry cannot be reliably predicted at this stage of the new law’s implementation. Furthermore, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act may negatively impact certain of our tenants’ operating results, financial condition, and future business plans. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act may also

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result in reduced government revenues, and therefore reduced government spending, which may negatively impact some of our tenants that rely on government funding. There can be no assurance that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will not adversely impact our operating results, financial condition, and future business operations.

Dividends paid by REITs generally do not qualify for reduced tax rates.

Subject to limited exceptions, dividends paid by REITs (other than distributions designated as capital gain dividends, qualified dividends or returns of capital) are not eligible for reduced rates for qualified dividends paid by “C” corporations and are taxable at ordinary income tax rates. The more favorable tax rates applicable to regular corporate qualified dividends may cause investors who are individuals, trusts and estates to perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends, which may adversely affect the value of the shares of REITs, including the shares of our capital stock.

Under the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the rate brackets for non-corporate taxpayer’s ordinary income are adjusted, the top tax rate is reduced from 39.6% to 37% (excluding the 3.8% Medicare tax on net investment income), and ordinary REIT dividends are taxed at even lower effective rates. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, and before January 1, 2026, distributions from REITs that are treated as dividends but are not designated as qualified dividends or capital gain dividends are generally taxed as ordinary income after deducting 20% of the amount of the dividend in the case of non-corporate stockholders. At the maximum ordinary income tax rate of 37% applicable for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, and before January 1, 2026, the maximum tax rate on ordinary REIT dividends for non-corporate stockholders is generally 29.6% (plus the 3.8% Medicare tax on net investment income).

Certain foreign stockholders may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on gain recognized on a disposition of our common stock if we do not qualify as a “domestically controlled” REIT.

A foreign person disposing of a U.S. real property interest, including shares of a U.S. corporation whose assets consist principally of U.S. real property interests is generally subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain recognized on the disposition. This tax does not apply, however, to the disposition of stock in a REIT if the REIT is “domestically controlled.” In general, we will be a domestically controlled REIT if at all times during the five-year period ending on the applicable stockholder’s disposition of our stock, less than 50% in value of our stock was held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. persons. If we were to fail to qualify as a domestically controlled REIT, gain recognized by a foreign stockholder on a disposition of our common stock would be subject to U.S. federal income tax unless our common stock was traded on an established securities market and the foreign stockholder did not at any time during a specified testing period directly or indirectly own more than 10% of our outstanding common stock.

Legislative or other actions affecting REITs may have a negative effect on us.

The rules dealing with federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Changes to the tax laws, with or without retroactive application, may adversely affect Regency or our investors. We cannot predict how changes in the tax laws might affect Regency or our investors. New legislation, Treasury Regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions may significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify as a REIT or the federal income tax consequences of such qualification, or the federal income tax consequences of an investment in us. Also, the law relating to the tax treatment of other entities, or an investment in other entities, may change, making an investment in such other entities more attractive relative to an investment in a REIT.

Complying with REIT requirements may limit our ability to hedge effectively and may cause us to incur tax liabilities.

The REIT provisions of the Code limit our ability to hedge our liabilities. Generally, income from a hedging transaction that constitutes “qualifying income” for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests applicable to REITs, does not constitute “gross income” for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests, provided that we properly identify the hedging transaction pursuant to the applicable sections of the Code and Treasury Regulations. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions, or fail to make the proper tax identifications, 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, we may need to limit our use of otherwise advantageous hedging techniques or implement those hedges through a taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”).

Restrictions on the ownership of the Parent Company's capital stock to preserve its REIT status may delay or prevent a change in control.

Ownership of more than 7% by value of our outstanding capital stock is prohibited, with certain exceptions, by the Parent Company's articles of incorporation, for the purpose of maintaining its qualification as a REIT. This 7% limitation may discourage a change in control and may also (i) deter tender offers for our capital stock, which offers may be attractive to our stockholders, or (ii) limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their capital stock that might otherwise exist if an investor attempted to assemble a block in excess of 7% of our outstanding capital stock or to affect a change in control.

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The issuance of the Parent Company's capital stock may delay or prevent a change in control.

The Parent Company's articles of incorporation authorize our Board of Directors to issue up to 30,000,000 shares of preferred stock and 10,000,000 shares of special common stock and to establish the preferences and rights of any shares issued. The issuance of preferred stock or special common stock may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control. The provisions of the Florida Business Corporation Act regarding affiliated transactions may also deter potential acquisitions by preventing the acquiring party from consummating a merger or other extraordinary corporate transaction without the approval of our disinterested stockholders.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 2. Properties

The following table is a list of the shopping centers, summarized by state and in order of largest holdings by number of properties, presented for Consolidated Properties (excludes properties owned by unconsolidated co-investment partnerships):

Certain Consolidated Properties are encumbered by mortgage loans of $486.3 million, excluding debt issuance costs and premiums and discounts, as of December 31, 2019.

The weighted average annual effective rent for the consolidated portfolio of properties, net of tenant concessions, is $22.38 and $21.51 PSF as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

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The following table is a list of the shopping centers, summarized by state and in order of largest holdings by number of properties, presented for Unconsolidated Properties (includes properties owned by unconsolidated co-investment partnerships):

Certain Unconsolidated Properties are encumbered by non-recourse mortgage loans of $1.6 billion, excluding debt issuance costs and premiums and discounts, as of December 31, 2019.

The weighted average annual effective rent for the unconsolidated portfolio of properties, net of tenant concessions, is $21.69 and $21.46 PSF as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

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The following table summarizes our top tenants occupying our shopping centers for Consolidated Properties plus our Pro-rata share of Unconsolidated Properties, as of December 31, 2019, based upon a percentage of total annualized base rent (GLA and dollars in thousands):

Our leases for tenant space under 10,000 square feet generally have initial terms ranging from three to seven years. Leases greater than 10,000 square feet generally have initial lease terms in excess of five years, mostly comprised of anchor tenants. Many of the anchor leases contain provisions allowing the tenant the option of extending the term of the lease at expiration. Our leases typically provide for the payment of fixed base rent, the tenant's Pro-rata share of real estate taxes, insurance, and common area maintenance (“CAM”) expenses, and reimbursement for utility costs if not directly metered.

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The following table summarizes Pro-rata lease expirations for the next ten years and thereafter, for our Consolidated and Unconsolidated Properties, assuming no tenants renew their leases (GLA and dollars in thousands):

During 2020, we have a total of 1,097 leases expiring, representing 3.3 million square feet of GLA.  These expiring leases have an average base rent of $24.13 PSF.  The average base rent of new leases signed during 2019 was $28.38 PSF.  During periods of economic weakness or when occupancy is low, tenants have more bargaining power, which may result in rental rate declines on new or renewal leases.  In periods of recovery and/or when occupancy levels are high, landlords have more bargaining power, which generally results in rental rate growth on new and renewal leases.  Based on current economic trends and expectations, the quality and mix of tenants in our centers, and Pro-rata percent leased of 94.8%, we expect average base rent on new and renewal leases during 2020 to meet or exceed average rental rates on leases expiring in 2020.  Exceptions may arise in certain geographic areas or at specific shopping centers based on the local economic situation, competition, location, quality, and size of the space being leased, among other factors.  Additionally, significant changes or uncertainties affecting micro- or macroeconomic climates may cause significant changes to our current expectations.

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The following table lists information about our Consolidated and Unconsolidated Properties.  For further information, see Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis.