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ARI · REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS · 8-K · Item 2.02 · Aug 10, 2026

Portfolio sale crystallizes losses as ARI moves toward liquidation

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc. (ARI) — AllSight decodes this SEC 8-K in plain English, versus what the market expected.

GAAP earnings beat the available headline estimate, but the core picture weakened. Net income available to common stockholders was $0.11 per diluted share versus an available published Q2 EPS estimate of roughly -$0.32; however, that comparison is less meaningful than distributable earnings because the quarter was dominated by the completed portfolio sale. Recurring distributable earnings before realized losses fell to $0.15 per share from $0.22 in Q1. (Q2 Summary Results; Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Distributable Earnings)

The large loss was mostly the accounting release of old credit reserves, not a fresh $338 million deterioration. ARI recorded a $338 million realized loss at the Athene transaction, but approximately $335 million was the write-off of previously recorded specific CECL allowances; only about $3 million reflected selling the loans below cost. A further approximately $31 million loss came from writing off unamortized financing costs when debt was repaid. The economic signal is still unfavorable—loan values were ultimately realized below historical carrying values—but the headline loss overstates new-quarter operating damage. (Q2 Summary Results; Asset Sale; Consolidated Statement of Operations)

MetricQ2 2026Q1 2026 / Q2 2025Read-through
Net income per diluted share$0.11Q2 2025: $0.12Essentially flat year over year. (Consolidated Statement of Operations)
Distributable earnings before realized losses per share$0.15Q1 2026: $0.22Core earnings declined. (Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Distributable Earnings)
Distributable earnings per share($2.62)Q1 2026: $0.22Swung deeply negative because of realized sale and debt-extinguishment losses. (Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Distributable Earnings)
Common dividend declared per share$3.75Q1 2026: $0.25Largely a capital return, not earnings-supported recurring income. (Consolidated Statement of Operations; Q2 Summary Results)
Common book value per share$8.47March 31, 2026: $12.22Fell primarily through the special dividend and realized losses. (Book Value Per Share Reconciliation)
Cash and cash equivalents$1.24 billionDecember 31, 2025: $139.8 millionLiquidity rose sharply after the portfolio sale. (Consolidated Balance Sheets)

ARI is no longer principally an operating commercial mortgage REIT; it is becoming a liquidation vehicle. The company sold its commercial loan portfolio, eliminated essentially all corporate-level debt, redeemed its preferred stock after quarter-end, and filed a preliminary proxy seeking approval to dissolve and wind up the business. The remaining value is concentrated in four real-estate-owned properties with $912 million of net assets and $541 million of net equity, so future results will depend more on property sales and distributions than on recurring loan interest income. (Q2 Summary Results; Q2 REO Overview & Update; Capital Structure Overview)

Net read: better than the negative GAAP estimate, but not a clean earnings beat. The quarter delivered cash and balance-sheet simplification that was broadly tied to the already announced asset-sale strategy, while underlying distributable earnings declined and book value was reduced materially. The filing therefore changes the story from quarterly earnings performance to execution risk around monetizing the remaining properties and distributing liquidation proceeds. (Q2 Summary Results; Book Value Per Share Reconciliation)

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