Business Description

In this Annual Report on Form 10-K we refer to Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. and subsidiaries as “Arbor,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company” unless we specifically state otherwise, or the context indicates otherwise. Overview Arbor is a Maryland corporation formed in 2003. We are a nationwide real estate investment trust (“REIT”) and direct lender, providing loan origination and servicing for commercial real estate assets. We operate through two business segments: our Structured Loan Origination and Investment Business, or “Structured Business,” and our Agency Loan Origination and Servicing Business, or “Agency Business.” Through our Structured Business, we invest in a diversified portfolio of structured finance assets in the multifamily, single-family rental (“SFR”) and commercial real estate markets, primarily consisting of bridge loans, in addition to mezzanine loans, junior participating interests in first mortgages and preferred equity. We also invest in real estate-related joint ventures and may directly acquire real property and invest in real estate-related notes and certain mortgage-related securities. Through our Agency Business, we originate, sell and service a range of multifamily finance products through the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac,” and together with Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored enterprises, or “GSEs”), the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), Federal Housing Authority (“FHA”) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (together with Ginnie Mae and FHA, “HUD”). We retain the servicing rights and asset management responsibilities on substantially all loans we originate and sell under the GSE and HUD programs. We are an approved Fannie Mae Delegated Underwriting and Servicing (“DUS”) lender nationally, a Freddie Mac Optigo® Conventional Loan and Small Balance Loan ("SBL") lender, seller/servicer, nationally and a HUD MAP and LEAN senior housing/healthcare lender nationally. We also originate and retain the servicing rights on permanent financing loans that are generally underwritten using the guidelines of our existing agency loans sold to the GSEs, which we refer to as “Private Label” loans, and originate and sell finance products through conduit/commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) programs. We either sell the Private Label loans instantaneously or pool and securitize them and sell certificates in the securitizations to third-party investors, while retaining the highest risk bottom tranche certificate of the securitization (“APL certificates”). Substantially all of