CommonWealth REIT Announces Quarterly Common and Preferred Dividends

NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CommonWealth REIT (NYSE: CWH) today announced its regular quarterly common and preferred dividends as follows:

Common Dividends

A regular quarterly common dividend of $0.25 per Common Share will be paid with respect to the results of operations for the quarter ended December 31, 2012, to holders of record of Common Shares as of the close of business on January 22, 2013, and will be distributed on or about February 21, 2013.

Series D Preferred Dividends

A distribution of $0.4063 per Series D Cumulative Convertible Preferred Share will be paid on or about February 15, 2013, to holders of record of Series D Preferred Shares at the close of business on February 1, 2013.

Series E Preferred Dividends

A distribution of $0.4531 per Series E Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Share will be paid on or about February 15, 2013, to holders of record of Series E Preferred Shares at the close of business on February 1, 2013.

CommonWealth REIT is a real estate investment trust, or REIT, which primarily owns office and industrial properties located throughout the United States. CWH is headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts.

WARNING REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995 AND OTHER SECURITIES LAWS. THESE FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE BASED UPON CWH’S PRESENT BELIEFS AND EXPECTATIONS, BUT THESE STATEMENTS AND THE IMPLICATIONS OF THESE STATEMENTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO OCCUR AND MAY NOT OCCUR FOR VARIOUS REASONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE BEYOND CWH’S CONTROL. FOR EXAMPLE, THIS PRESS RELEASE STATES THAT CWH’S COMMON DIVIDEND RATE WILL BE $0.25/SHARE PER QUARTER OR $1.00/SHARE PER YEAR. A POSSIBLE IMPLICATION OF THIS STATEMENT IS THAT CWH WILL CONTINUOUSLY PAY QUARTERLY COMMON DIVIDENDS OF $0.25/SHARE PER QUARTER OR $1.00/SHARE PER YEAR IN THE FUTURE. CWH’S COMMON DIVIDEND RATES ARE SET AND RESET FROM TIME TO TIME BY CWH’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES. THE CWH BOARD CONSIDERS MANY FACTORS WHEN SETTING DIVIDEND RATES INCLUDING CWH’S HISTORICAL AND PROJECTED INCOME, NORMALIZED FUNDS FROM OPERATIONS, THE THEN CURRENT AND EXPECTED NEEDS AND AVAILABILITY OF CASH TO PAY CWH’S OBLIGATIONS, DISTRIBUTIONS WHICH MAY BE REQUIRED TO BE PAID TO MAINTAIN CWH’S TAX STATUS AS A REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST AND OTHER FACTORS DEEMED RELEVANT BY CWH’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES IN THEIR DISCRETION. ACCORDINGLY, FUTURE DIVIDEND RATES MAY BE INCREASED OR DECREASED AND THERE IS NO ASSURANCE AS TO THE RATE AT WHICH FUTURE DIVIDENDS WILL BE PAID. FOR THESE REASONS, AMONG OTHERS, INVESTORS ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO PLACE UNDUE RELIANCE UPON ANY FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS IN THIS PRESS RELEASE.

A Maryland Real Estate Trust with transferable shares of beneficial interest listed on the New York Stock Exchange. No shareholder, Trustee or officer is personally liable for any act or obligation of the Trust.