Class A Common Stock Dividends

The following table presents information with respect to dividends on shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Stock”) of Arlington Asset Investment Corp. (the “Company”).  The tax characterization to shareholders of distributions will be determined after the end of the calendar year and will be reported to shareholders on Form 1099-DIV.  To the extent the Company has current or accumulated earnings and profits for the year, distributions would be reported as dividends.

Effective January 1, 2019, the Company elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2019.  As such, we are required to distribute annually 90% of our REIT taxable income.  As long as we qualify as a REIT, we will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax to the extent that we distribute all of our REIT taxable income and net capital gains to our shareholders.  Any distributions paid to shareholders after January 1, 2019 will generally be non-qualified dividends that are not eligible for reduced tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income although non-corporate shareholders may generally deduct up to 20% of REIT dividends.  A portion of our distributions may be designated by us as long-term capital gain to the extent that such portion is attributable to our sale of capital assets held for more than one year. If we pay distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, such distributions will be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of each shareholder's tax basis in our Common Stock and as capital gain thereafter.

Prior to January 1, 2019, the Company was taxed as a C-corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes and our dividends paid prior to January 1, 2019 generally were qualified dividends eligible for reduced tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income.  However, any distributions in excess of earnings and profits for those years would be classified as nontaxable returns of capital to the extent they did not exceed a shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the Company’s stock, or as a capital gain to the extent that the amount of the distribution exceeded a shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the Company’s Common Stock. 

Due to the complex nature of the applicable tax rules, it is recommended that shareholders consult with their tax advisors to ensure proper tax treatment of any distributions.

Cautionary Statement

The information contained in this section of the website is historical information.  Historical and current data is not necessarily indicative of future performance.  The Company undertakes no obligation to update the information contained in this section of the website after the time of posting and further reserves the right to change the content of this site at any time without notice.

The Company’s Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, reinstated the payment of a cash dividend during 2010.  Pursuant to the Company’s variable dividend policy, the amount and timing of any distributions the Company may make is in the sole discretion of the Board of Directors.  There can be no assurance that the Board of Directors will continue to approve the payment of dividends and the amount of any dividends may vary significantly.