Equity reit vs mortgage reit

1. Equity Vs Mortgage Real Estate Investment Trust What are Equity REITs? Equity REITs are real estate companies or associations that own or manage income-generating properties, for example, shopping centers, residential and commercial buildings. Owning or managing such properties lets them lease them for tenants. After paying the overall expenses for such properties, equity REITs pay out dividends to the shareholders annually. Equity REITs also produce income from the sale of properties. Equity REITs can be listed on stock exchanges and can be publicly or privately held.

2. Benefits of Equity REITs Investments Dividend Income Compared to the high dividend generated from REITs implies a larger share of REIT investment returns comes from dividends. That’s why many investors consider equity REITs to be more effective in generating income. Equity REIT dividend yields are higher than average. Over the long term, more than half of equity REIT total returns have come from dividends. Portfolio Diversification Equity REITs have provided important diversification as a benefit to the investors for their relatively low correlation with other assets which includes stocks, bonds, etc. Diversification reduces portfolio volatility. It helps to diversify portfolios between small or large-cap stocks. But the strategy only divides a portfolio between different parts of the same asset class and does not achieve the full benefit of diversification. Inflation Hedging Many investors worry about the thought of ensuring an income for a required period. Even in a low- inflation environment, certain effects of inflation over a long time can cause troubles for portfolio assets, by decreasing the purchasing power. So, it can be tough for those investors to stay ahead of inflation employing fixed income securities while equities are being cut down. Listed equity REITs have provided a cushion against the inflation to help the investors. The prices and rents of commercial real estate provide a steady income even in an inflation period. Liquidity and Transparency Real estates weren’t considered as liquid assets. But the liquidity of REITs listed on major stock exchanges makes the real estate quite easy and liquid. REITs also provide transparency with real-time pricing and evaluations. The listed REITs in the U.S are also registered and managed by the SEC, so it follows the standards of corporate governance and financial reporting. Risks of Equity Investments Equity REITs’ share prices heavily depend on market conditions and are susceptible to fluctuate. While the real estate market cycle is different from the market cycles for other stocks, commercial real estate can be unpredictable at times. The changes in the values of the portfolios affect the price of shares. That’s one risk you need to keep in mind before investing. What are Mortgage REITs? Mortgage REITs or mREITs are a type of REIT where an individual buys one or more shares listed on major stock exchanges. The shares can be purchased in a Mutual Fund or ETF as well. People invest in mREITs because mREITs generate high dividends. mREITs lets an investor hold an equity investment in the mortgage market with the liquidity of publicly traded equities. There are other mREITs with SEC-registered

3. but not listed on any stock exchange. mREITs can also be privately held. Benefits of mREITs mREITs provide funding for mortgage credit for both homeowners and businesses. Utilizing private capital for purchasing residential mortgages and RMBS, these types of REITs help provide liquidity and credit to home mortgage markets. mREIT purchases of commercial and CMBS provide another source of mortgage credit for business investments in commercial real estate. Risks of mREITs Interest Rate Risk Managing the effects of short and long term interest rates is essential in mREITs business. Changes in interest rates can affect the net interest margins and also affect the value of their mortgage assets which affects corporate net worth. Credit Risk Commercial mREITs can be exposed to credit risk through private-label RMBS and CMBS. The degrees of credit risk depends on the credit performance of the underlying loans and the structure of the security. The degree of over-collateralization can also be held responsible. Prepayment Certain changes in the interest rates or borrower home sales can affect the probability that some borrowers will refinance or repay their mortgages. When such refinancing occurs, the investor who holds

4. the mortgage or MBBS must reinvest the proceeds into a prevailing interest rate environment, which might be higher or lower.