Forest City Announces Extension of Credit Facility for NBA Nets

CLEVELAND, March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Forest City Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: FCEA and FCEB) announced today that Brooklyn Basketball, LLC, in which the Company has an equity interest, has secured an extension of a $65 million credit facility related to the National Basketball Association (NBA) Nets professional basketball team. At closing, Brooklyn Basketball reduced the principal of the facility to $45 million through a $20 million add-on facility funded by a routine borrowing by the team under the NBA's League-wide Financing Facility.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080515/FRSTCTYLOGO )

The credit facility, through JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., has been extended to September 9, 2010, with a second extension available to June 9, 2011. The $20 million add-on is a combination of five-year and seven-year fixed-rate notes.

"This is another example of our companywide strategy of proactively managing debt maturities across the full range of our business interests," said Charles A. Ratner, Forest City president and chief executive officer. "As always, we appreciate the support of our lenders in this effort, and I congratulate our internal team that secured the extension."

About Forest City

Forest City Enterprises, Inc. is a $10.9-billion, NYSE-listed national real estate company. The company is principally engaged in the ownership, development, management and acquisition of commercial and residential real estate and land throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.forestcity.net.

Safe Harbor Language

Statements made in this news release that state the Company's or management's intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions of the future are forward-looking statements. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements due to various risks, uncertainties and other factors. Risks and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, general real estate development and investment risks including lack of satisfactory financing, construction and lease-up delays and cost overruns, the impact of current market volatility on our development pipeline, liquidity and ability to finance projects, dependence on rental income from real property, reliance on major tenants, the effect of economic and market conditions on a nationwide basis as well as in our primary markets, vacancies in our properties, downturns in the housing market, competition, illiquidity of real estate investments, bankruptcy or defaults of tenants, department store consolidations, international activities, the impact of terrorist acts, risks associated with an investment in and operation of a professional sports team, conflicts of interests, our substantial debt leverage and the ability to obtain and service debt, the impact of restrictions imposed by our credit facility, the level and volatility of interest rates, the continued availability of tax-exempt government financing, effects of uninsured or underinsured losses, environmental liabilities, risks associated with developing and managing properties in partnership with others, the ability to maintain effective internal controls, compliance with governmental regulations, changes in market conditions, litigation risks, and other risk factors as disclosed from time to time in the Company's SEC filings, including but not limited to, the Company's annual and quarterly reports.

SOURCE Forest City Enterprises, Inc.