Fitch: Liquidity & Capital Access Remain Primary Focuses for U.S. REITs

NEW YORK--(Business Wire)--
U.S. REITs remain fairly well positioned to maintain current
ratings levels amid current broader economic difficulties, though
these companies may be under more pressure to maintain Stable Outlooks
over the next 18 months, according to Fitch Ratings in the latest
edition of its 'REIT Report Quarterly'.

Ongoing dislocations in the commercial real estate credit markets
have amplified U.S. equity REITs' short-term liquidity issues, such as
near-term debt maturities and capital expenditure funding. The broader
economic slowdown will likely put strains on property fundamentals,
earnings stability and growth for some REIT segments, making access to
capital and adequate liquidity levels continued areas of ratings
focus.

Other items in this edition of Fitch's 'REIT Report Quarterly'
include an overview of recent rating actions, summary of three special
reports, three company and market commentaries, and links to recent
Fitch research. The newsletter is available on the Fitch Ratings web
site at www.fitchratings.com under the following headers:

Financial Institutions // REITs // Newsletters

Fitch's rating definitions and the terms of use of such ratings
are available on the agency's public site, www.fitchratings.com.
Published ratings, criteria and methodologies are available from this
site, at all times. Fitch's code of conduct, confidentiality,
conflicts of interest, affiliate firewall, compliance and other
relevant policies and procedures are also available from the 'Code of
Conduct' section of this site.

Fitch Ratings
Steven Marks, 212-908-9161
Kimberly Chan, 212-908-0346
Sandro Scenga, 212-908-0278 (Media Relations)
sandro.scenga@fitchratings.com

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