This report combines the annual reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 20172018 of Spirit Realty Capital, Inc., a Maryland corporation, and Spirit Realty, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership. Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this report to “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company” refer to Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries, including Spirit Realty, L.P. Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references to the “Operating Partnership” refer to Spirit Realty, L.P. together with its consolidated subsidiaries.

Spirit General OP Holdings, LLC ("OP Holdings") is the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. The Company is a real estate investment trust or REIT,("REIT") and the sole member of OP Holdings, as well as the special limited partner of the Operating Partnership. As sole member of the general partner of our Operating Partnership, our Company has the full, exclusive and complete responsibility for our Operating Partnership’s day-to-day management and control.

There are a few differences between our Company and Operating Partnership, which are reflected in the disclosures in this report. We believe it is important to understand these differences in the context of how we operate as an interrelated, consolidated company. Our Company is a REIT, the only material assets of which are the partnership interests in our Operating Partnership. As a result, our Company does not conduct business itself, other than acting as the sole member of the general partner of our Operating Partnership, issuing equity from time to time and guaranteeing certain debt of our Operating Partnership. Our Operating Partnership holds substantially all the assets of our Company. Our Company issued convertible notes and guarantees some of the debt of our Operating Partnership, see Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements herein for further discussion. Our Operating Partnership conducts the operations of the business and is structured as a partnership with no publicly traded equity. Except for net proceeds from issuance of convertible notes and equity issuances by our Company, which are generally contributed to our Operating Partnership in exchange for partnership units of our Operating Partnership, our Operating Partnership generates the capital required by our Company’s business through our Operating Partnership’s operations or our Operating Partnership’s incurrence of indebtedness.

The presentation of stockholders’ equity and partners’ capital are the main areas of difference between the consolidated financial statements of our Company and those of our Operating Partnership. The partnership units in our Operating Partnership are accounted for as partners’ capital in our Operating Partnership’s consolidated financial statements. There are no non-controlling interests in the Company or the Operating Partnership.

To help investors understand the significant differences between our Company and our Operating Partnership, this report presents the consolidated financial statements separately for our Company and our Operating Partnership. All other sections of this report, including “Selected Financial Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” are presented together for our Company and our Operating Partnership.

In order to establish that the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of each entity have made the requisite certifications and that our Company and Operating Partnership are compliant with Rule 13a-15 or Rule 15d-15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, and 18 U.S.C. §1350, this report also includes separate “Item 9A. Controls and Procedures” sections and separate Exhibit 31 and 32 certifications for each of our Company and our Operating Partnership.

The following discussion relates to our consolidated financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Statements contained in Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Some of the information presented is forward-looking in nature, including information concerning projected future occupancy rates, rental rate increases, property development timing and investment amounts. Although the information is based on our current expectations, actual results could vary from expectations stated in this report. Numerous factors will affect our actual results, some of which are beyond our control. These include the breadth and duration of the current economic environment and its impact on our tenants, the strength of commercial and industrial real estate markets, market conditions affecting tenants, competitive market conditions, interest rate levels, volatility in our stock price and capital market conditions. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this information, which speaks only as of the date of this report. We assume no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except to the extent we are required to do so in connection with our ongoing requirements under federal securities laws to disclose material information. For a discussion of important risks related to our business, and related to investing in our securities, including risks that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from results and events referred to in the forward-looking information, see Item 1A. “Risk Factors - Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources.Statements.” In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K might not occur.

The Corporation's principal executive offices are located at 2727 North Harwood Street, Suite 300, Dallas, Texas 75201. Our telephone number at that location is 972-476-1900. We maintain a website at www.spiritrealty.com. On the Investor Relations page of our website, we post the following filings as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC: our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K, and the Section 16 filings of our directors and officers, as well as any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. All such filings on our Investor Relations page of our website are available to be viewed free of charge. Also available on our website, free of charge, are our corporate governance guidelines, the charters of the nominating and corporate governance, audit and compensation committees of our Board of Directors and our code of business conduct and ethics (which applies to all directors and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer).

Information contained on or hyperlinked from our website is not incorporated by reference into and should not be considered part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or our other filings with the SEC. A copy of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is available without charge upon written request to: Investor Relations, Spirit Realty Capital, Inc., 2727 North Harwood Street, Suite 300, Dallas, Texas 75201. All reports we file with the SEC are available free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. In addition, the public may read and copy materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s public reference room located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Shares of our common stock are traded on the NYSE under the symbol “SRC.”

The Corporation is a NYSE listed company under the symbol "SRC." We are a self-administered and self-managed REIT with in-house capabilities, including asset management, investment,acquistion, credit, research, finance, IT and accounting functions. We primarily invest in single-tenant, operationally essential real estate throughout the U.S., which is generally acquired through strategic sale-leaseback transactions and subsequently leased on a long-term, triple-net basis to high-quality tenants with business operations within predominantly retail, but also office and industrial property types.

As of December 31, 2017,2018, our undepreciated gross investment in real estate and loans totaled approximately $7.9$5.12 billion, representing investments in 2,4801,514 properties, including properties securing our mortgage loans. Of this amount, 99.0%99.1% consisted of our gross investment in real estate, representing ownership of 2,3921,462 properties, and the remaining 1.0%0.9% consisted primarily of commercial mortgage loans receivable secured by 8852 real properties.

Our operations are carried out through the Operating Partnership. OP Holdings, one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, is the sole general partner and owns approximately 1% of the Operating Partnership. We and one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries are the only limited partners and together own the remaining 99% of the Operating Partnership.

Although the Operating Partnership is wholly-owned by us, in the future, we may issue partnership interests in the Operating Partnership to third parties in exchange for assets owned by such third parties. In general, any partnership interests of the Operating Partnership issued to third parties would be exchangeable for cash or, at our election, shares of our common stock at specified ratios set when partnership interests in the Operating Partnership are issued.

As of December 31, 2017,2018, we had 8789 employees, as compared to 8487 employees as of December 31, 2016.2017. None of these employees are represented by a labor union.

Our objective is to maximize stockholder value by seeking superior risk-adjusted returns with an emphasis on stable rental revenue, primarily by investing in and managing a portfolio of single-tenant, operationally essential retail real estate throughout the U.S. that is generally acquired through strategic sale-leaseback transactions and subsequently leased on a long-term, triple-net basis. We generate revenue primarily by leasing our properties to our tenants. See Item 2. "Properties" for property information and Item 6. "Selected Financial Data" for additional financial and asset information.

Single-tenant, operationally essential real estate consists of properties that are generally free-standing, commercial real estate facilities where our tenants conduct activities essential to the generation of their sales and profits. Under a triple-net lease, the tenant is typically responsible for all improvements and is contractually obligated to pay all property operating expenses, such as real estate taxes, insurance premiums and repair and maintenance costs. In support of our primary business of owning and leasing real estate, we have also strategically originated or acquired long-term, commercial mortgage and other loans. We view our operations as one reporting segment consisting of net leasing operations. We intend to pursue our objective through the following business and growth strategies:

We seek to maintain the stability of our rental revenue and the long-term return on our investments by usingentering into leases with structures we deem to be aligned with our developed underwritingbusiness and risk management processes to structure and manage our portfolio. In particular, our underwriting and risk management processes emphasize the following:growth strategies:

Our long-term financing strategy is to maintain a leverage profile that creates operational flexibility and generates superior risk-adjusted returns for our stockholders. We finance our operations and investments using a variety of methods, including available unrestricted cash balances, property operating revenue, proceeds from property dispositions, available borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility and Term Loan,credit facilities, common and preferred stock issuances, and debt securities issuances, including mortgage indebtedness and senior unsecured debt. We determine the amount of equity and debt financing to be used when acquiring an asset by evaluating our cost of equity capital, terms available in the credit markets (such as interest rate, repayment provisions and maturity) and our assessment of the particular asset’s risk.

We may issue common stock when we believe that our share price is at a level that allows the offering proceeds to be accretively invested into additional properties, to permanently finance properties that were financed by our Revolving Credit Facility or Term Loan,credit facilities, or to repay outstanding debt at or before maturity.

In September 2017, we filed a shelf registration statement with the SEC, which became immediately effective upon filing and will remain effective for a term of three years with an expiration in September 2020. Under this shelf registration statement, we may offer shares of our common or preferred stock or debt securities from time to time in amounts, at prices and on terms to be announced when and if such shares are offered. The specifics of any future offerings, along with the use of proceeds from any such offerings, will be described in detail in a prospectus supplement or other offering materials at the time of such offerings.

Historically, a significant portion ofWe have issued senior unsecured debt securities and have obtained other senior unsecured debt at the Operating Partnership level. In addition, our debt historically has also consisted of long-term borrowings secured by specific real estate assets or, more typically, pools of real estate assets. We have utilized our asset-backed securitization platform to raise capital throughThese secured borrowings include the issuance of non-recourse net-lease mortgage notes collateralized by commercial real estate, net-leases and mortgageunder Master Trust 2013, as well as non-recourse loans under the Spirit Master Funding Program. In addition, wewhich have issued senior unsecured debt securities and have obtained other senior unsecured debt at the Operating Partnership level.been securitized into CMBS debt. To the extent practicable, we expect to maintain a well-balanced debt profile with manageable and balanced maturities.

We expect to fund our operating expenses and other short-term liquidity requirements, including property acquisitions, payment of principal and interest on our outstanding indebtedness, property improvements, re-leasing costs, and cash distributions to common and preferred stockholders, primarily through cash provided by operating activities, borrowings under our available Revolving Credit Facility and Term Loancredit facilities and periodically through issuances of public securities.

We anticipate that we will continue to use a number of different sources to finance our acquisitions and operations going forward; however, we cannot assure you that we will have access to the capital and credit markets at times and at terms that are acceptable to us.

The Company filedOn January 14, 2019, the Operating Partnership entered into a registration statementnew 2019 Revolving Credit and Term Loan Agreement with the SEC to exchange the private Senior Unsecured Notes for registered Senior Unsecured Notes with substantially identical terms, which became effective April 14, 2017. All $300.0 million aggregate principal amount of private Senior Unsecured Notes were tendered in the exchange for registered Senior Unsecured Notes.

See Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources - Description of Certain Debt” for further information on our debt and equity financings.

During the month ended December 31, 2017,2018, no other tenant exceeded 5.0% of our Contractual Rent, and no one single property contributed more than 2.0% of our Contractual Rent. See Item 2. “Properties - Our Real Estate Investment Portfolio" for further information on our ten largest tenants and the composition of our tenant base.

During the year ended December 31, 2017,2018, we purchased 3917 properties which are included in continuing operations, representing an aggregate gross investment of $323.0$250.8 million, which includes $42.6and invested $36.2 million in revenue producing follow-on investments in existing properties. Thecapital expenditures to fund improvements on properties acquired had a weighted average lease term of 12.0 years.the Company currently owns. During the same period, we sold 19229 properties from continuing operations for $551.2$103.3 million in gross sales proceeds. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional discussion of our investments.

We face competition for acquisitions from investors, including traded and non-traded public REITs, and private equity and institutional investment funds, some of which have greater financial resources than we do, a greater ability to borrow funds to acquire properties and the ability to accept more risk than we can prudently manage. This competition may increase the demand for the types of properties in which we typically invest and, therefore, reduce the number of suitable acquisition opportunities available to us and increase the prices paid for such. This competition will increase if investments in real estate become more attractive relative to other forms of investment.

As a landlord, we compete in the multi-billion dollar commercial real estate market with numerous developers and owners of properties, many of which own properties similar to ours in the same markets in which our properties are located. In operating and managing our portfolio, we compete for tenants based on a number of factors, including location, rental rates and flexibility. Some of our competitors have greater economies of scale, have lower cost of capital, have access to more resources and have greater name recognition than we do. If our competitors offer space at rental rates below current market rates or below the rental rates we currently charge our tenants, we may lose our tenants or prospective tenants and we may be pressured to reduce our rental rates or to offer substantial rent abatements, tenant improvement allowances, early termination rights or below-market renewal options in order to retain tenants when our leases expire.

Our properties are subject to various covenants, laws, ordinances and regulations, including regulations relating to common areas and fire and safety requirements. We believe that each of our properties has the necessary permits and approvals.

Pursuant to the ADA, our properties are required to meet federal requirements related to access and use by persons with disabilities. Compliance with the ADA, as well as a number of additional federal, state and local laws and regulations, may require modifications to properties we currently own and any properties we purchase, or may restrict renovations

of those properties. Noncompliance with these laws or regulations could result in the imposition of fines or an award of damages to private litigants, as well as the incurrence of the costs of making modifications to attain compliance, and future legislation could impose additional financial obligations or restrictions on our properties. Although our tenants are generally responsible for all maintenance and repair costs pursuant to triple-net leases, including compliance with the ADA and other similar laws or regulations, we could be held liable as the owner of the property for a failure of one of our tenants to comply with such laws or regulations.

Federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations regulate, and impose liability for, releases of hazardous or toxic substances into the environment. Under various of these laws and regulations, a current or previous owner, operator or tenant of real estate may be required to investigate and clean up hazardous or toxic substances, hazardous wastes or petroleum product releases or threats of releases at the property, and may be held liable to a government entity or to third parties for property damage and for investigation, clean-up and monitoring costs incurred by those parties in connection with actual or threatened contamination. These laws typically impose clean-up responsibility and

Some of our properties contain, have contained, or are adjacent to or near other properties that have contained or currently contain storage tanks for the storage of petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances. Similarly, some of our properties are or were used for commercial or industrial purposes that involve or involved the use of petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances, or are adjacent to or near properties that have been or are used for similar commercial or industrial purposes. These operations create a potential for the release of petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances, and we could potentially be required to pay to clean up any contamination. In addition, strict environmental laws regulate a variety of activities that can occur on a property, including the storage of petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances, air emissions and water discharges. Such laws may impose fines or penalties for violations. As a result of the foregoing, we could be materially and adversely affected.

Environmental laws also govern the presence, maintenance and removal of ACM. Federal regulations require building owners and those exercising control over a building’s management to identify and warn, through signs and labels, of potential hazards posed by workplace exposure to installed ACM in their building. The regulations also have employee training, record keeping and due diligence requirements pertaining to ACM. Significant fines can be assessed for violation of these regulations. As a result of these regulations, building owners and those exercising control over a building’s management may be subject to an increased risk of personal injury lawsuits by workers and others exposed to ACM. The regulations may affect the value of a building containing ACM in which we have invested. Federal, state and local laws and regulations also govern the removal, encapsulation, disturbance, handling and/or disposal of ACM when those materials are in poor condition or in the event of construction, remodeling, renovation or demolition of a building. These laws may impose liability for improper handling or a release into the environment of ACM and may provide for fines to, and for third parties to seek recovery from, owners or operators of real properties for personal injury or improper work exposure associated with ACM.

When excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, mold growth may occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or is not addressed over a period of time. Some molds may produce airborne toxins or irritants. Indoor air quality issues can also stem from inadequate ventilation, chemical contamination from indoor or outdoor sources, and other biological contaminants such as pollen, viruses and bacteria. Indoor exposure to airborne toxins or irritants above certain levels can be alleged to cause a variety of adverse health effects and symptoms, including allergic or other reactions. As a result, the presence of significant mold or other airborne contaminants at any of our properties could require us to undertake a costly remediation program to contain or remove the mold or other airborne contaminants from the affected property or increase indoor ventilation. In addition, the presence of significant mold or other airborne contaminants could expose us to liability from our tenants, employees of our tenants or others if property damage or personal injury occurs. We are not presently aware of any material adverse indoor air quality issues at our properties that have not been previously addressed or remediated by us.

Before completing any property acquisition, we obtain environmental assessments in order to identify potential environmental concerns at the property. These assessments are carried out in accordance with the Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments (ASTM Practice E 1527-05) as set by ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, and generally include a physical site inspection, a review of relevant federal, state and local environmental and health agency database records, one or more interviews with appropriate site-related personnel, review of the property’s chain of title and review of historical aerial photographs and other information on past uses of the property. These assessments are limited in scope, however, if recommended in the initial assessments, we may undertake additional assessments such as soil and/or groundwater samplings or other limited subsurface investigations and ACM or mold surveys to test for substances of concern. A prior owner or operator of a property or historic operations at our properties may have created a material environmental condition that is not known to us or the independent consultants preparing the site assessments. Material environmental conditions may have arisen after the review was completed or may arise in the future, and future laws, ordinances or regulations may impose material additional environmental liability. If environmental concerns are not satisfactorily resolved in any initial or additional assessments, we may obtain environment insurance policies to insure against potential environmental risk or loss depending on the type of property, the availability and cost of the insurance and various other factors we

Generally, our leases provide that the lessee will indemnify us for any loss or expense we incur as a result of the presence, use or release of hazardous materials on our property. However, our ultimate liability for environmental conditions may exceed the policy limits on any environmental insurance policies we obtain, if any. If we are unable to enforce the indemnification obligations of our lessees or if the amount of environmental insurance we carry is inadequate, our results of operations would be adversely affected.

In addition to being generally named as additional insureds on our tenants’ liability policies, we separately maintain commercial general liability coverage with limits of $1.0 million for each occurrence and $2.0 million general aggregate. We also maintain primary property coverage on (i) all unleased properties, (ii) all properties for which such coverage is not required to be carried by a tenant and (iii) all properties for which we obtain such coverage but the costs of which are reimbursed by tenants. In addition, we maintain excess property coverage on all remaining properties and other property coverage as may be required by our lenders.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. When used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the words “estimate,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seek,” “approximately” or “plan,” or the negative of these words or similar words or phrases that are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You can also identify forward-looking statements by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions of management.

Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and you should not rely on them as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements depend on assumptions, data or methods which may be incorrect or

imprecise and we may not be able to realize them. We do not guarantee that the transactions and events described will happen as described (or that they will happen at all).

You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. While forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs, they are not guarantees of future performance. We disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, data or methods, future events or other changes, except as required by law.

Set forth below are some (but not all) of the risk factors that could adversely affect our business and financial performance. Because we operate in a highly competitive and rapidly changing environment, new risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors, nor can management assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.

The occurrence of any of the risks described above may cause the value of our real estate to decline, which could materially and adversely affect us.

Periods of volatility in the credit and capital markets negatively affect the amounts, sources and cost of capital available to us. We primarily use external financing to fund acquisitions and to refinance indebtedness as it matures. If sufficient sources of external financing are not available to us on cost effective terms, we could be forced to limit our acquisition activity and/or to take other actions to fund our business activities and repayment of debt, such as selling assets. To the extent that we access capital at a higher cost (reflected in higher interest rates for debt financing or lower stock price for equity financing), our acquisition yields, earnings per share and cash flow could be adversely affected.

The success of our investments is materially dependent on the financial stability of our tenants’ financial condition and leasing practices. Adverse economic conditions such as high unemployment levels, interest rates, tax rates and fuel and energy costs may have an impact on the results of operations and financial condition of our tenants and result in a decline in rent or an increased incidence of default under existing leases. Such adverse economic conditions may also reduce overall demand for rental space, which could adversely affect our ability to maintain our current tenants and attract new tenants.

At any given time, our tenants may experience a downturn in their business that may weaken the operating results and financial condition of individual properties or of their business as whole. As a result, a tenant may delay lease commencement, decline to extend a lease upon its expiration, fail to make rental payments when due, become insolvent or declare bankruptcy. We depend on our tenants to operate the properties we own in a manner which generates revenues sufficient to allow them to meet their obligations to us, including their obligations to pay rent, maintain certain insurance coverage and pay real estate taxes and maintain the properties in a manner so as not to jeopardize their operating licenses or regulatory status. The ability of our tenants to fulfill their obligations under our leases may depend, in part, upon the overall profitability of their operations. Cash flow generated by certain tenant businesses may not be sufficient for a tenant to meet its obligations to us. Although our occupied properties are generally operationally essential to our tenants, meaning the property is essential to the tenant’s generation of sales and profits, this does not guarantee that a tenant’s operations at a particular property will be successful or that the tenant will be able to meet all of its obligations to us. Our tenants’ failure to successfully operate their businesses could materially and adversely affect us.

Our strategy focuses primarily on investing in single-tenant triple-net leased properties throughout the U.S. The financial failure of, or default in payment by, a single tenant under its lease is likely to cause a significant reduction in, or elimination of, our rental revenue from that property and a reduction in the value of the property. We may also experience difficulty or a significant delay in re-leasing or selling such property. This risk is magnified in situations where we lease multiple properties to a single tenant under a master lease, such as our three master leases with Shopko.lease. The failure or default of a tenant under a master lease could reduce or eliminate rental revenue from multiple properties and reduce the value of such properties. Although the master lease structure may be beneficial to us because it restricts the ability of tenants to individually remove underperforming properties from the portfolio of properties leased from us, there is no guarantee that a tenant will not default in its obligations to us or decline to renew its master lease upon expiration. The default of a tenant that leases multiple properties from us could materially and adversely affect us.

A substantial portion our properties are leased to unrated tenants whom we determine, through our internal underwriting and credit analysis, to be credit worthy. Many of our tenants are required to provide financial information, which includes balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement data, on a quarterly and/or annual basis, and, as of December 31, 2018, approximately 50.6%52.8% of our lease investment portfolio requiresrequired the tenant to provide property-level performance information, which includes income statement data on a quarterly and/or annual basis. To assist in our determination of a tenant’s credit quality, we license a product from Moody’s Analytics that provides an EDF and a “shadow rating,” and we evaluate a lease’s property-level rent coverage ratio. An EDF is only an estimate of default probability based, in part, on assumptions incorporated into the product. A shadow rating does not constitute a published credit rating and lacks the extensive company participation that is typically involved when a rating agency publishes a rating; accordingly, a shadow rating may not be as indicative of creditworthiness as a rating published by Moody’s, S&P, or another nationally recognized statistical rating organization. Our calculations of EDFs, shadow ratings and rent coverage ratios are based on financial information provided to us by our tenants and prospective tenants without independent verification on our part, and we must assume the appropriateness of estimates and judgments that were made by the party preparing the financial information. If our measurement of credit quality proves to be inaccurate, we may be subject to defaults, and investors may view our cash flows as less stable.

As of December 31, 2017,2018, leases representing approximately 34.1%33.3% and 16.6%13.2% of our Contractual Rent were with tenants in the traditional retail and restaurant industries, respectively, and we may acquire additional traditional retail and restaurant properties in the future. Accordingly, decreases in the demand for traditional retail and/or restaurant spaces adversely impact us. The market for traditional retail and restaurant space has previously been, and could continue to be, adversely affected by weakness in the national, regional and local economies, the adverse financial condition of some large traditional retail and restaurant companies, the ongoing consolidation in the traditional retail and restaurant industries, the excess amount of traditional retail and restaurant space in a number of markets and, in the case of the traditional retail industry, increasing consumer purchases through catalogs or over the Internet. To the extent that these conditions continue, they are likely to negatively affect market rents for traditional retail and restaurant space, which could materially and adversely affect us.

As of December 31, 2017, 12.0%2018, 11.9% of our portfolio (as a percentage of Contractual Rent) was located in Texas, representing the highest concentration of our assets. Geographic concentration exposes us to greater economic or regulatory risks than if we owned a more geographically diverse portfolio. We are susceptible to adverse developments in the economic or regulatory environments of the geographic areas in which we concentrate (or in which we may develop a substantial concentration of assets in the future), such as business layoffs or downsizing, industry slowdowns, relocations of businesses, increases in real estate and other taxes or costs of complying with governmental regulations.

Our results of operations depend on our ability to strategically lease space in our properties (by renewing or re-leasing expiring leases and leasing vacant space), optimize our tenant mix or lease properties on more economically favorable terms. As of December 31, 2017,2018, leases representing approximately 2.8%1.5% of our rental revenue will expire during 2018.2019. As of December 31, 2017, 192018, five of our properties, representing approximately 0.8%0.3% of our total economically yielding owned properties, were Vacant.vacant. Current tenants may decline, or may not have the financial resources available, to renew current leases and we cannot guarantee that leases that are renewed will have terms that are as economically favorable to us as the expiring lease terms. If tenants do not renew the leases as they expire, we will have to find new tenants to lease our properties and there is no guarantee that we will be able to find new tenants or that our properties will be re-leased at rental rates equal to or above the current average rental rates or that substantial rent abatements, tenant improvement allowances, early termination rights, below-market renewal options or other lease incentive payments will not be offered to attract new tenants. We may experience significant costs in connection with renewing, leasing or re-leasing a significant number of our properties, which could materially and adversely affect us.

Most of our leases contain rent escalators, or provisions that periodically increase the base rent payable by the tenant under the lease. Although some66.6% of our rent escalators increase rent at a fixed amount on fixed dates, as of December 31, 2017,2018, approximately 89.2%18.7% (excluding leases on multi-tenant properties) of our rent escalators increase rent by a multiple of any increases in the CPI or the lesser of (a) a multiple of any increase in the CPI over a specified period or (b) a fixed percentage. If the product of any increase in the CPI multiplied by the applicable factor is less than the fixed percentage, the increased rent we are entitled to receive will be less than what we otherwise would have been entitled to receive if the rent escalator was based solely on a fixed percentage. Therefore, during periods of low inflation or deflation, small increases or decreases in the CPI will subject us to the risk of receiving lower rental revenue than we otherwise would have been entitled to receive if our rent escalators were based solely on fixed percentages or amounts. Conversely, if the product of any increase in the CPI multiplied by the applicable factor is more than the fixed percentage, the increased rent we are entitled to receive will be less than what we otherwise would have been entitled to receive if the rent escalator was based solely on an increase in CPI. Therefore, periods of high inflation will subject us to the risk of receiving lower rental revenue than we otherwise would have been entitled to receive if our rent escalators were based solely on CPI increases.

The occurrence of a tenant bankruptcy or insolvency could diminish the income we receive from that tenant’s lease or leases. In particular, the traditional retail industry is facing reductions in sales revenues and increased bankruptcies throughout the United States, and revenues generated from traditional retail tenants represented 34.1%approximately 33.3% of our Contractual Rent for the month ended December 31, 2017.2018. If a tenant becomes bankrupt or insolvent, federal law may prohibit us from evicting such tenant based solely upon such bankruptcy or insolvency. In addition, a bankrupt or insolvent tenant may be authorized to reject and terminate its lease or leases with us. Any claims against such bankrupt tenant for unpaid future rent would be subject to statutory limitations that would likely result in our receipt of rental revenues that are substantially less than the contractually specified rent we are owed under the lease or leases. In addition, any claim we have for unpaid past rent, if any, may not be paid in full. We may also be unable to re-lease a terminated or rejected space or to re-lease it on comparable or more favorable terms.

Moreover, tenants who are considering filing for bankruptcy protection may request that we agree to amendments of their master leases to remove certain of the properties they lease from us under such master leases. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to sell or re-lease such properties or that lease termination fees, if any, received in exchange for such releases will be sufficient to make up for the rental revenues lost as a result of such lease amendments. As a result, tenant bankruptcies may materially and adversely affect us.

The loss of a tenant, either through lease expiration or tenant bankruptcy or insolvency, may require us to spend significant amounts of capital to renovate the property before it is suitable for a new tenant. Many of the leases we enter into or acquire are for properties that are specially suited to the particular business of our tenants. Because these properties have been designed or physically modified for a particular tenant, if the current lease is terminated or not renewed, we may be required to renovate the property at substantial costs, decrease the rent we charge or provide other concessions in order to lease the property to another tenant. In the event we are required to sell the property, we may have difficulty selling it to a party other than the tenant due to the special purpose for which the property may have been designed or modified. This potential illiquidity may limit our ability to quickly modify our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions, including tenant demand. These limitations may materially and adversely affect us.

We may continue to expand our operations through additional acquisitions and other strategic transactions, and modernize our information technology and management systems through new systems implementations, some of which may involve complex challenges. Our future success will depend, in part, upon our ability to manage our expansion opportunities, integrate new operations into our existing business in an efficient and timely manner, successfully monitor our operations, costs and regulatory compliance, and develop and maintain other necessary systems, processes and internal controls. We cannot guarantee that our expansion or acquisition opportunities will

be successful or that we will realize their expected operating efficiencies, cost savings, revenue enhancements, synergies or other benefits.

We rely on information systems across our operations and corporate functions, including finance and accounting, and depend on such systems to ensure payment of obligations, collection of cash, data warehousing to support analytics, and other various processes and procedures. Our ability to efficiently manage our business depends significantly on the reliability and capacity of these systems. The failure of these systems to operate effectively, maintenance problems, upgrading or transitioning to new platforms, or a breach in security of these systems, such as in the event of cyber-attacks, could result in the theft of intellectual property, personal information or personal property, damage to our reputation and third-party claims, as well as reduced efficiency in our operations and in the accuracy in our internal and external financial reporting. The remediation of such problems could result in significant unplanned expenditures.

The real estate investments made, and expected to be made, by us are relatively difficult to sell quickly. As a result, our ability to promptly sell one or more properties in our portfolio in response to changing economic, financial or investment conditions is limited. Return of capital and realization of gains, if any, from an investment generally will occur upon disposition or refinancing of the underlying property. We may be unable to realize our investment objective

by sale, other disposition or refinancing at attractive prices within any given period of time or may otherwise be unable to complete any exit strategy. In particular, these risks could arise from weakness in or even the lack of an established market for a property, changes in the financial condition or prospects of prospective purchasers, changes in national or international economic conditions and changes in laws, regulations or fiscal policies of the jurisdiction in which a property is located.

In addition, the Code imposes restrictions on a REIT’s ability to dispose of properties that are not applicable to other types of real estate companies. In particular, the tax laws applicable to REITs effectively require that we hold our properties for investment, rather than primarily for sale in the ordinary course of business, which may cause us to forgo or defer sales of properties that otherwise would be in our best interest. Therefore, we may not be able to vary our portfolio in response to economic or other conditions promptly or on favorable terms, which may materially and adversely affect us.

We compete with numerous developers, owners and operators of properties, many of which own properties similar to ours in the same markets in which our properties are located. If our competitors offer space at rental rates below current market rates or below the rental rates we currently charge our tenants, we may lose existing or potential tenants and we may be pressured to reduce our rental rates or to offer more substantial rent abatements, tenant improvements,

We also face competition for acquisitions of real property from investors, including traded and non-traded public REITs, private equity investors and institutional investment funds, some of which have greater financial resources than we do, a greater ability to borrow funds to acquire properties and the ability to accept more risk than we can prudently manage. This competition may increase the demand for the types of properties in which we typically invest and, therefore, reduce the number of suitable acquisition opportunities available to us and increase the prices paid for such acquisition properties. This competition will increase if investments in real estate become more attractive relative to other types of investment. Accordingly, competition for the acquisition of real property could materially and adversely affect us.

We have originated or acquired long-term, commercial mortgage and other loans. The success of our loan investments is materially dependent on the financial stability of our borrowers. The success of our borrowers is dependent on each of their individual businesses and their industries, which could be affected by economic conditions in general, changes in consumer trends and preferences and other factors over which neither they nor we have control. A default of a borrower on its loan payments to us that would prevent us from earning interest or receiving a return of the principal of our loan could materially and adversely affect us. In the event of a default, we may also experience delays in enforcing our rights as lender and may incur substantial costs in collecting the amounts owed to us and in liquidating any collateral.

Foreclosure and other similar proceedings used to enforce payment of real estate loans are generally subject to principles of equity, which are designed to relieve the indebted party from the legal effect of that party’s default. Foreclosure and other similar laws may limit our right to obtain a deficiency judgment against the defaulting party after a foreclosure or sale. The application of any of these principles may lead to a loss or delay in the payment on loans we hold, which in turn could reduce the amounts we have available to make distributions. Further, in the event we have to foreclose on a property, the amount we receive from the foreclosure sale of the property may be inadequate to fully pay the amounts owed to us by the borrower and our costs incurred to foreclose, repossess and sell the property which could materially and adversely affect us.

Our investments in mortgage loans are subject to risk of default by the borrowers and to interest rate risks. To the extent we incur delays in liquidating defaulted mortgage loans, we may not be able to obtain all amounts due to us

under such loans. Further, we will not know whether the values of the properties securing the mortgage loans will remain at the levels existing on the dates of origination of those mortgage loans or the dates of our investment in the loans. If the values of the underlying properties decline, the value of the collateral securing our mortgage loans will also decline and if we were to foreclose on any of the properties securing the mortgage loans, we may not be able to sell or lease them for an amount equal to the unpaid amounts due to us under the mortgage loans. As such, defaults on mortgage loans in which we invest may materially and adversely affect us.

Increased inflation could have a negative impact on variable-rate debt we currently have or that we may incur in the future. Our leases typically contain provisions designed to mitigate the adverse impact of inflation on our results of operations. Because tenants are typically required to pay all property operating expenses, increases in property-level expenses at our leased properties generally do not affect us. However, increased operating expenses at vacant properties and the limited number of properties that are not subject to full triple-net leases could cause us to incur additional operating expenses, which could increase our exposure to inflation. Additionally, the increases in rent provided by many of our leases may not keep up with the rate of inflation. Increased costs may also have an adverse impact on our tenants if increases in their operating expenses exceed increases in revenue, which may adversely affect the tenants’ ability to pay rent owed to us.

We may issue shares of our common stock or other securities without stockholder approval, including shares issued to satisfy REIT dividend distribution requirements. The Operating Partnership may issue partnership interests to third parties, and such partnership interests would be exchangeable for cash or, at our election, shares of our common stock at specified ratios set when partnership interests in the Operating Partnership are issued. Our existing stockholders have no preemptive rights to acquire any of these securities, and any issuance of equity securities by us or the Operating Partnership may dilute stockholder investment.

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports, effectively prevent fraud and operate successfully as a public company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed. We are required to perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on, and our independent registered public accounting firm to attest to, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

As a result of material weaknesses or significant deficiencies that may be identified in our internal control over financial reporting in the future, we may also identify certain deficiencies in some of our disclosure controls and procedures that we believe require remediation. If we or our independent registered public accounting firm discover any such weaknesses or deficiencies, we will make efforts to further improve our internal control over financial reporting controls. However, there is no assurance that we will be successful. Any failure to maintain effective controls or timely effect any necessary improvement of our internal control over financial reporting controls could harm operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, which could affect the listing of our common stock on the NYSE. Ineffective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which would likely have a negative effect on the per share trading price of our common stock.

If we cannot obtain capital from third-party sources, we may not be able to acquire properties when strategic opportunities exist, meet the capital and operating needs of our existing properties, satisfy our debt service obligations or make the cash distributions to our stockholders necessary to maintain our qualification as a REIT.

Historically, we have raised a significant amount of debt capital through our Spirit Master Funding Programasset-backed securitization program and the CMBS market. We have generally used the proceeds from these financings to repay debt and fund real estate acquisitions. On May 31, 2018, in conjunction with the Spin-Off, we contributed Master Trust 2014 to SMTA. As of December 31, 2017,2018, we had issued notes under our Spirit Master Funding Programasset-backed securitization program in nine different classes over six separate issuancesone class (Series 2013-2 Class A) with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $2.25 billion. The$167.9 million. These Master Trust Notes had a weighted average maturity of 5.25.0 years as of December 31, 2017.2018. In addition, we had CMBS loans with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $0.33 billion$274.8 million and an average maturity of 4.64.5 years as of December 31, 2017.2018. Our obligations under these loans are generally secured by liens on certain of our properties. In the case of our Spirit Master Funding Program, subject to certain conditions, we may substitute real estate collateral within our two securitization trusts from time to time. No assurance can be given that the CMBS market will be available to us in the future, whether to refinance existing debt or to raise additional debt capital. Moreover, we view our ability to substitute collateral under our Spirit Master Funding Programasset-backed securitization program favorably, and no assurance can be given that financing facilities offering similar flexibility will be available to us in the future.

We evaluate real estate assets for impairment based on the projected cash flow of the asset over our anticipated holding period. If we change our intended holding period due to our intention to sell or otherwise dispose of an asset, we must reevaluate whether that asset is impaired under GAAP. Depending on the carrying value of the property at the time we change our intention and the amount that we estimate we would receive on disposal, we may record an impairment loss that would adversely affect our financial results. This loss could be material to our assets in the period that it is recognized.

Our continued success and our ability to manage anticipated future growth depend, in large part, upon the efforts of key personnel, particularly our President and Chief Executive Officer, Jackson Hsieh, who has extensive market knowledge and relationships and exercises substantial influence over our operational, financing, acquisition and disposition activity.

Many of our other key executive personnel, particularly our executive and senior vice presidents, also have extensive experience and strong reputations in the real estate industry and have been instrumental in setting our strategic direction, operating our business, identifying, recruiting and training key personnel and arranging necessary financing. In particular, the extent and nature of the relationships that these individuals have developed with financial institutions and existing and prospective tenants is critically important to the success of our business. The loss of services of one or more members of our senior management team, or our inability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel, could adversely affect our business, diminish our investment opportunities and weaken our relationships with lenders, business partners, existing and prospective tenants and industry personnel, which could materially and adversely affect us.

In the ordinary course of business, we may become subject to litigation, including claims relating to our operations, security offerings and otherwise. Some of these claims may result in significant defense costs and potentially significant judgments against us, some of which are not, or cannot be, insured against. We generally intend to vigorously defend ourselves. However, we cannot be certain of the ultimate outcomes of any claims that may arise in the future. Resolution of these types of matters against us may result in our having to pay significant fines, judgments, or settlements, which, if uninsured, or if the fines, judgments, and settlements exceed insured levels, could adversely impact our earnings and cash flows, thereby materially and adversely affecting us. Certain litigation or the resolution of certain litigation may affect the availability or cost of some of our insurance coverage, which could materially and adversely impact us, expose us to increased risks that would be uninsured, and materially and adversely impact our ability to attract directors and officers.

There may be environmental liabilities associated with our properties of which we are unaware. We obtain Phase I environmental site assessments on all properties we finance or acquire. The Phase I environmental site assessments are limited in scope and therefore may not reveal all environmental conditions affecting a property. Therefore, there could be undiscovered environmental liabilities on the properties we own. Some of our properties use, or may have

used in the past, underground tanks for the storage of petroleum-based products or waste products that could create a potential for release of hazardous substances or penalties if tanks do not comply with legal standards. If environmental contamination exists on our properties, we could be subject to strict, joint and/or several liability for the contamination by virtue of our ownership interest. Some of our properties may contain ACM. Strict environmental laws govern the presence, maintenance and removal of ACM and such laws may impose fines and penalties for failure to comply with these requirements or expose us to third-party liability (e.g., liability for personal injury associated with exposure to asbestos). Strict environmental laws also apply to other activities that can occur on a property, such as air emissions and water discharges, and such laws may impose fines and penalties for violations.

The presence of hazardous substances on a property may adversely affect our ability to sell, lease or improve the property or to borrow using the property as collateral. In addition, environmental laws may create liens on contaminated properties in favor of the government for damages and costs it incurs to address such contamination. Moreover, if contamination is discovered on our properties, environmental laws may impose restrictions on the manner in which they may be used or businesses may be operated, and these restrictions may require substantial expenditures.

In addition, although our leases generally require our tenants to operate in compliance with all applicable laws and to indemnify us against any environmental liabilities arising from a tenant’s activities on the property, we could be subject to strict liability by virtue of our ownership interest. We cannot be sure that our tenants will, or will be able to, satisfy their indemnification obligations, if any, under our leases. Furthermore, the discovery of environmental liabilities on any of our properties could lead to significant remediation costs or to other liabilities or obligations attributable to the tenant of that property, which may affect such tenant’s ability to make payments to us, including rental payments and, where applicable, indemnification payments.

Our environmental liabilities may include property damage, personal injury, investigation and clean-up costs. These costs could be substantial. Although we may obtain insurance for environmental liability for certain properties that are deemed to warrant coverage, our insurance may be insufficient to address any particular environmental situation and we may be unable to continue to obtain insurance for environmental matters, at a reasonable cost or at all, in the future. If our environmental liability insurance is inadequate, we may become subject to material losses for environmental liabilities. Our ability to receive the benefits of any environmental liability insurance policy will depend on the financial stability of our insurance company and the position it takes with respect to our insurance policies. If we were to become subject to significant environmental liabilities, we could be materially and adversely affected.

When excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, mold growth may occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or is not addressed over a period of time. Some molds may produce airborne toxins or irritants. Concern about indoor exposure to mold has been increasing, as exposure to mold may cause a variety of adverse health effects and symptoms, including allergic or other reactions. As a result, should our tenants or their employees or customers be exposed to mold at any of our properties we could be required to undertake a costly remediation program to contain or remove the mold from the affected property. In addition, exposure to mold by our tenants or others could subject us to liability if property damage or health concerns arise. If we were to become subject to significant mold-related liabilities, we could be materially and adversely affected.

Our tenants are required to maintain liability and property insurance coverage for the properties they lease from us pursuant to triple-net leases. Pursuant to such leases, our tenants are generally required to name us (and any of our lenders that have a mortgage on the property leased by the tenant) as additional insureds on their liability policies and additional insured and/or loss payee (or mortgagee, in the case of our lenders) on their property policies. All tenants are required to maintain casualty coverage and most carry limits at 100% of replacement cost. Depending on the location of the property, losses of a catastrophic nature, such as those caused by earthquakes and floods, may be

covered by insurance policies that are held by our tenant with limitations such as large deductibles or co-payments that a tenant may not be able to meet. In addition, losses of a catastrophic nature, such as those caused by wind/hail, hurricanes, terrorism or acts of war, may be uninsurable or not economically insurable. In the event there is damage to our properties that is not covered by insurance and such properties are subject to recourse indebtedness, we will continue to be liable for the indebtedness, even if these properties are irreparably damaged.

Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations, and other factors, including terrorism or acts of war, may make any insurance proceeds we receive insufficient to repair or replace a property if it is damaged or destroyed. In that situation, the insurance proceeds received may not be adequate to restore our economic position with respect to the affected real property. Furthermore, in the event we experience a substantial or comprehensive loss of one of our properties, we may not be able to rebuild such property to its existing specifications without significant capital expenditures which may exceed any amounts received pursuant to insurance policies, as reconstruction or improvement of such a property would likely require significant upgrades to meet zoning and building code requirements. The loss of our capital investment in or anticipated future returns from our properties due to material uninsured losses could materially and adversely affect us.

Our properties are subject to the ADA. Under the ADA, all public accommodations must meet federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Compliance with the ADA requirements could require removal of access barriers and non-compliance could result in imposition of fines by the U.S. government or an award of damages to private litigants, or both. While our tenants are obligated by law to comply with the ADA and typically obligated under our leases and financing agreements to cover costs associated with compliance, if required changes involve greater expenditures than anticipated or if the changes must be made on a more accelerated basis than anticipated, our tenants' ability to cover the costs could be adversely affected. We may be required to expend our own funds to comply with the provisions of the ADA, which could materially and adversely affect us.

In addition, we are required to operate our properties in compliance with fire and safety regulations, building codes and other land use regulations, as they may be adopted by governmental agencies and bodies and become applicable to our properties. We may be required to make substantial capital expenditures to comply with those requirements and may be required to obtain approvals from various authorities with respect to our properties, including prior to acquiring a property or when undertaking renovations of any of our existing properties. There can be no assurance that existing

From time to time the FASB, and the SEC, who create and interpret appropriate accounting standards, may change the financial accounting and reporting standards or their interpretation and application of these standards that will govern the preparation of our financial statements. These changes could materially and adversely affect our reported financial condition and results of operations. In some cases, we could be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in restating prior period financial statements. Similarly, these changes could materially and adversely affect our tenants’ reported financial condition or results of operations and affect their preferences regarding leasing real estate.

The SEC is currently considering whether issuers in the U.S. should be required to prepare financial statements in accordance with IFRS instead of GAAP. IFRS is a comprehensive set of accounting standards promulgated by the IASB, which are rapidly gaining worldwide acceptance. The SEC currently has not finalized the time frame it expects that U.S. issuers would first report under the new standards. If IFRS is adopted, the potential changes associated with the adoption or convergence with IFRS, may materially and adversely affect us.

Additionally, the FASB is considering various changes to GAAP, some of which may be significant, as part of a joint effort with the IASB to converge accounting standards. In particular, FASB issued a new accounting standard that

requires companies to capitalize all leases on their balance sheets by recognizing a lessee’s rights and obligations. For public companies, this new standard will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Many companies that account for certain leases on an “off balance sheet” basis would be required to account for such leases “on balance sheet” upon adoption of this rule. This change removes many of the differences in the way companies account for owned property and leased property, and could have a

In the future we may acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax deferred contribution transactions in exchange for partnership interests in the Operating Partnership, which may result in stockholder dilution. This acquisition structure may have the effect of, among other things, reducing the amount of tax depreciation we could deduct over the tax life of the acquired properties, and may require that we agree to protect the contributors’ ability to defer recognition of taxable gain through restrictions on our ability to dispose of the acquired properties and/or the allocation of partnership debt to the contributors to maintain their tax bases. These restrictions could limit our ability to sell an asset at a time, or on terms, that would be favorable absent such restrictions.

Changes in our leverage ratios may also negatively impact the market price of our equity or debt securities. Furthermore, foreclosures could create taxable income without accompanying cash proceeds, which could hinder our ability to meet the REIT distribution requirements imposed by the Code.

Over the last few years, theThe credit markets have experiencedcan experience significant price volatility, displacement and liquidity disruptions, including the bankruptcy, insolvency or restructuring of certain financial institutions. These circumstances havecould materially impactedimpact liquidity in the financial markets, making financing terms for borrowers less attractive, and in certain cases, have resultedresult in the unavailability of various types of debt financing. As a result, we may be unable to obtain debt financing on favorable terms or at all or fully refinance maturing indebtedness with new indebtedness. Reductions in our available borrowing capacity or inability to obtain credit when required or when business conditions warrant could materially and adversely affect us.

Furthermore, if prevailing interest rates or other factors at the time of refinancing result in higher interest rates upon refinancing, then the interest expense relating to that refinanced indebtedness would increase. Higher interest rates on newly incurred debt may negatively impact us as well. If interest rates increase, our interest costs and overall costs of capital will increase, which could materially and adversely affect us. Total debt service, including scheduled principal maturities and interest, for 20182019 and 20192020 is $401.4 million$1.06 billion and $712.2$61.2 million, respectively. Debt service for 2018 also2019 includes $64.3$10.1 million for the acceleration of principal payable following an event of default under 6 separateone CMBS loansloan with a stated maturities

maturity in 2018. Debt service for 2019 also includes principal on the 2015 Credit Facility and 2015 Term Loan, which were paid-off in conjunction with the execution of the 2019 Facilities Agreement.

Some of our financings require us to make a lump-sum or “balloon” payment at maturity. Our ability to make any balloon payment is uncertain and may depend on our ability to obtain additional financing or our ability to sell our properties. At the time the balloon payment is due, we may or may not be able to refinance the balloon payment on terms as favorable as the original loan or sell our properties at a price sufficient to make the balloon payment, if at all. If the balloon payment is refinanced at a higher rate, it will reduce or eliminate any income from our properties. Our inability to meet a balloon payment obligation, through refinancing or sale proceeds, or refinancing on less attractive terms could materially and adversely affect us. We have balloon maturities, excluding debt extendible at our option, of $189.3 million and $514.5$412.6 million in 2018 and 2019, respectively, including $64.3$10.1 million on a defaulted loans.loan, and none in 2020. If we are unable to refinance these maturities or otherwise retire the indebtedness by that time, we could be materially adversely affected, and could be forced to relinquish the related collateral.

The agreements governing our indebtedness contain restrictions and covenants that limit or will limit our ability to operate our business. These covenants, as well as any additional covenants to which we may be subject in the future because of additional indebtedness, could cause us to forgo investment opportunities, reduce or eliminate distributions to our preferred and common stockholders or obtain financing that is more expensive than financing we could obtain if we were not subject to the covenants. In addition, the agreements may have cross default provisions, which provide that a default under one of our financing agreements would lead to a default on some or all of our debt financing agreements.

If an event of default occurs under certain of our CMBS loans, if the master tenants at the properties that secure the CMBS loans fail to maintain certain EBITDAR ratios or if an uncured monetary default exists under the master leases, then a portion of or all of the cash which would otherwise be distributed to us may be restricted by the lenders and unavailable to us until the terms are cured or the debt refinanced. If the financial performance of the collateral for our indebtedness under our Spirit Master Funding Programasset-backed securitization program fails to achieve certain financial performance criteria, cash from such collateral may be unavailable to us until the terms are cured or the debt refinanced. Such cash sweep triggering events have occurred previously and may be ongoing from time to time. The occurrence of these events limit the amount of cash available to us for use in our business and could limit or eliminate our ability to make distributions to our common stockholders.

Additionally, these restrictions may adversely affect our operating and financial flexibility and may limit our ability to respond to changes in our business or competitive environment, all of which may materially and adversely affect us.

As permitted by the MGCL, we have elected, by resolution of our Board of Directors, to opt out of the business combination provisions of the MGCL and, pursuant to a provision in our bylaws, to exempt any acquisition of our stock from the control share provisions of the MGCL. However, our Board of Directors may by resolution elect to repeal the exemption from the business combination provisions of the MGCL and may by amendment to our bylaws opt into the control share provisions of the MGCL at any time in the future, whether before or after an acquisition of control shares.

Certain provisions of the MGCL permit our Board of Directors, without stockholder approval and regardless of what is currently provided in our charter or bylaws, to implement certain corporate governance provisions, some of which (for example, a classified board) are not currently applicable to us. These provisions may have the effect of limiting or precluding a third party from making an unsolicited acquisition proposal for us or of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us under circumstances that otherwise could be in the best interests of our stockholders. Our

charter contains a provision whereby we elect, at such time as we become eligible to do so, to be subject to the provisions of Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL relating to the filling of vacancies on our Board of Directors.

The employment agreements with certain members of our senior management team provide that if their employment with us terminates under certain circumstances (including in connection with a change in control of our company), we may be required to pay them significant amounts of severance compensation, thereby making it costly to terminate their employment. Furthermore, these provisions could delay or prevent a transaction or a change in control of our Company that might involve a premium paid for shares of our common stock or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.

Our investment and financing policies are exclusively determined by our Board of Directors. Accordingly, our stockholders do not control these policies. Further, our organizational documents do not limit the amount or percentage of indebtedness, funded or otherwise, that we may incur. Our Board of Directors may alter or eliminate our current policy on borrowing at any time without stockholder approval. If this policy changed, we could become more highly leveraged, which could result in an increase in our debt service. Higher leverage also increases the risk of default on our obligations. In addition, a change in our investment policies, including the manner in which we allocate our resources across our portfolio or the types of assets in which we seek to invest, may increase our exposure to interest rate risk, real estate market fluctuations and liquidity risk. Changes to our policies with regards to the foregoing could materially and adversely affect us.

As a result, we and our stockholders have rights against our directors and officers that are more limited than might otherwise exist. Accordingly, in the event that actions taken in good faith by any of our directors or officers impede the performance of our company, our stockholders' and our ability to recover damages from such director or officer will be limited. In addition, our charter authorizes us to obligate our company, and our bylaws require us, to indemnify our directors and officers for actions taken by them in those and certain other capacities to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.

We are a holding company and conduct substantially all of our operations through the Operating Partnership. We do not have, apart from an interest in the Operating Partnership, any independent operations. As a result, we rely on distributions from the Operating Partnership to pay any dividends we might declare on shares of our common stock. We also rely on distributions from the Operating Partnership to meet any of our obligations, including any tax liability on taxable income allocated to us from the Operating Partnership. In addition, because we are a holding company, stockholder claims will be structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities and obligations (whether or not for borrowed money) of the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries. Therefore, in the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization, our assets and those of the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries will be able to satisfy the claims of our stockholders only after all of our and the Operating Partnership’s and its subsidiaries’ liabilities and obligations have been paid in full.

We own directly or indirectly 100% of the interests in the Operating Partnership. However, in connection with our future acquisition of properties or otherwise, we may issue partnership interests of the Operating Partnership to third parties. Such issuances would reduce our ownership in the Operating Partnership. Because our stockholders will not directly

own partnership interests of the Operating Partnership, they will not have any voting rights with respect to any such issuances or other partnership level activities of the Operating Partnership.

Conflicts of interest could arise in the future as a result of the relationships between us and our affiliates, on the one hand, and the Operating Partnership or any future partner thereof, on the other. Our directors and officers have duties to our company under applicable Maryland law in connection with the management of our company. At the same time, one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, OP Holdings, as the general partner of the Operating Partnership, has fiduciary duties and obligations to the Operating Partnership and its future limited partners under Delaware law and the partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership in connection with the management of the Operating Partnership. The fiduciary duties and obligations of OP Holdings, as general partner of the Operating Partnership, and its future partners may come into conflict with the duties of the directors and officers of our company.

Under the terms of the partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership, if there is a conflict between the interests of our stockholders on one hand and any future limited partners on the other, we will endeavor in good faith to resolve the conflict in a manner not adverse to either our stockholders or any future limited partners; provided, however, that for so long as we own a controlling interest in the Operating Partnership, any conflict that cannot be resolved in a manner not adverse to either our stockholders or any future limited partners shall be resolved in favor of our stockholders.

The partnership agreement also provides that the general partner will not be liable to the Operating Partnership, its partners or any other person bound by the partnership agreement for monetary damages for losses sustained, liabilities incurred or benefits not derived by the Operating Partnership or any future limited partner, except for liability for the general partner’s intentional harm or gross negligence. Moreover, the partnership agreement provides that the Operating Partnership is required to indemnify the general partner and its members, managers, managing members, officers, employees, agents and designees from and against any and all claims that relate to the operations of the Operating Partnership, except (1) if the act or omission of the person was material to the matter giving rise to the action and either was committed in bad faith or was the result of active or deliberate dishonesty, (2) for any transaction for which the indemnified party received an improper personal benefit, in money, property or services or otherwise in violation or breach of any provision of the partnership agreement or (3) in the case of a criminal proceeding, if the indemnified person had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.

Any such corporate tax liability could be substantial and would reduce our cash available for, among other things, our operations and distributions to stockholders. In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, we will not be required to make distributions to our stockholders. As a result of all these factors, our failure to qualify as a REIT also could impair our ability to expand our business and raise capital, and could materially and adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.

Qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex Code provisions for which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations. The determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control may affect our ability to qualify as a REIT. In order to qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy a number of requirements, including requirements regarding the ownership of our stock, requirements regarding the composition of our assets and a requirement that at least 95% of our gross income in any year must be derived from qualifying sources, such as “rents from real property.” Also, we must make distributions to stockholders aggregating annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding any net capital gains. In addition, legislation, new regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions may materially and adversely affect our investors, our ability to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes or the desirability of an investment in a REIT relative to other investments.

Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to some federal, state and local income, property and excise taxes on our income or property and, in certain cases, a 100% penalty tax, in the event we sell property as a dealer. In addition, our TRSTRSs will be subject to income tax as regular corporations in the jurisdictions in which they operate.

The Operating Partnership is currently treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes and, therefore, is not subject to federal income tax on its income. Instead, each of its partners, including us, is allocated, and may be required to pay tax with respect to, such partner’s share of its income. We cannot assure you that the IRS will not challenge the status of the Operating Partnership or any other subsidiary partnership or limited liability company in which we own an interest as a disregarded entity or partnership for federal income tax purposes, or that a court would not sustain such a challenge. If the IRS were successful in treating the Operating Partnership or any such other subsidiary partnership or limited liability company as an entity taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, we would fail to meet the gross income tests and certain of the asset tests applicable to REITs and, accordingly, we would likely cease to qualify as a REIT. Also, the failure of the Operating Partnership or any subsidiary partnerships or limited liability company to qualify as a disregarded entity or partnership for applicable income tax purposes could cause it to become subject to federal and state corporate income tax, which would reduce significantly the amount of cash available for debt service and for distribution to its partners or members, including us.

OurWe own securities in TRSs and may acquire securities in additional TRSs in the future. If a TRS owns more than 35% of the total voting power or value of the outstanding securities of another corporation, such other corporation will also be treated as a TRS. Other than some activities relating to lodging and health care facilities, a TRS may generally engage in any business, including the provision of customary or non-customary services to tenants of its parent REIT. A TRS is subject to federal income tax as a regular C corporation. In addition, a 100% excise tax will be imposed on certain transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm’s length basis.

A REIT’s ownership of securities of a TRS is not subject to the 5% or 10% asset tests applicable to REITs. Not more than 25% of the value of our total assets may be represented by securities (including securities of TRSs), other than

arm’s length terms to avoid incurring the 100% excise tax described above. There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to comply with the above limitations or to avoid application of the 100% excise tax discussed above.

To qualify as a REIT, we generally must distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income each year, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding any net capital gains, and we will be subject to regular corporate income taxes on our undistributed taxable income to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and including any net capital gains, each year. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which distributions paid by us in any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income and 100% of our undistributed income from prior years. In order to maintain our REIT status and avoid the payment of income and excise taxes, we may need to borrow funds to meet the REIT distribution requirements even if the then prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings. These borrowing needs could result from, among other things, differences in timing between the actual receipt of cash and recognition of income for federal income tax purposes, or the effect of non-deductible capital expenditures, the creation of reserves or required debt or amortization payments. These sources, however, may not be available on favorable terms or at all. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends on a number of factors, including the market’s perception of our growth potential, our current debt levels, the market price of our common stock, and our current and potential future earnings. We cannot assure you that we will have access to such capital on favorable terms at the desired times, or at all, which may cause us to curtail our investment activities and/or to dispose of assets at inopportune times, and could materially and adversely affect us.

The IRS may take the position that specific sale-leaseback transactions that we treat as leases are not true leases for federal income tax purposes but are, instead, financing arrangements or loans. If a sale-leaseback transaction were so re-characterized, we might fail to satisfy the REIT asset tests, the income tests or distribution requirements and consequently lose our REIT status effective with the year of re-characterization unless we elect to make an additional distribution to maintain our REIT status. The primary risk relates to our loss of previously incurred depreciation expenses, which could affect the calculation of our REIT taxable income and could cause us to fail the REIT distribution test that requires a REIT to distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding any net capital gain. In this circumstance, we may elect to distribute an additional dividend of the increased taxable income so as not to fail the REIT distribution test. This distribution would be paid to all stockholders at the time of declaration rather than the stockholders existing in the taxable year affected by the re-characterization.

Income from “qualified dividends” payable to U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates are generally subject to tax at preferential rates.rates, currently at a maximum federal rate of 20%. Dividends payable by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for the preferential tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income. Under the 2017 Tax Legislation, however, U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates generally may deduct up to 20% of the ordinary dividends (e.g., dividends not designated as capital gain dividends or qualified dividend income) received from a REIT for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026. Although these rules do not adversely affect the taxation of REITs or dividends payable by REITs, this deduction reduces the effective tax rate applicable to certain dividends paid by REITs (generally to 29.6% assuming the shareholder is subject to the 37% maximum rate), such tax rate is still higher than the tax rate applicable to corporate dividends that constitute qualified dividend income. Accordingly, to the extent that the preferential rates continue to apply to regular corporate qualified dividends, investors who are individuals, trusts and estates may perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations

A REIT’s net income from prohibited transactions is subject to a 100% penalty tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. Although we do not intend to hold any properties that would be characterized as held for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our business, unless a sale or disposition qualifies under certain statutory safe harbors, such characterization is a factual determination and no guarantee can be given that the IRS would agree with our characterization of our properties or that we will always be able to make use of the available safe harbors.

To qualify as a REIT, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the nature and diversification of our assets, the sources of our income and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. We may be required to liquidate or forgo otherwise attractive investments in order to satisfy the asset and income tests or to qualify under certain statutory relief provisions. We also may be required to make distributions to stockholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. As a result, having to comply with the distribution requirement could cause us to: (1) sell assets in adverse market conditions; (2) borrow on unfavorable terms; or (3) distribute amounts that would otherwise be invested in future acquisitions, capital expenditures or repayment of debt. Accordingly, satisfying the REIT requirements could materially and adversely affect us. Moreover, if we are compelled to liquidate our investments to meet any of these asset, income or distribution tests, or to repay obligations to our lenders, we may be unable to comply with one or more of the requirements applicable to REITs or may be subject to a 100% tax on any resulting gain if such sales constitute prohibited transactions.

The rules dealing with federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Changes to the tax laws, with or without retroactive application, could materially and adversely affect our investors or us. We cannot predict how changes in the tax laws might affect

our investors or us. New legislation, Treasury Regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify as a REIT or the federal income tax consequences of such qualification, or the federal income tax consequences of an investment in us.  Also, the law relating to the tax treatment of other entities, or an investment in other entities, could change, making an investment in such other entities more attractive relative to an investment in a REIT.

Many of these changes that are applicable to us are effective immediately,with our 2018 taxable year, without any transition periods or grandfathering for existing transactions. The legislation is unclear in many respects and could be subject to potential amendments and technical corrections, as well as interpretations and implementing regulations by the Treasury and IRS, any of which could lessen or increase the impact of the legislation. In addition, it is unclear how these U.S. federal income tax changes will affect state and local taxation, which often uses federal taxable income as a starting point for computing state and local tax liabilities.

The following table sets forth a summary schedule of expiration dates for leases in place as of December 31, 2017.2018. As of December 31, 2017,2018, the weighted average remaining non-cancelable initial term of our leases (based on Contractual Rent) was 10.09.6 years. The information set forth in the table assumes that tenants do not exercise renewal options and or any early termination rights:

From time-to-time, we may be subject to certain claims and lawsuits in the ordinary course of business, the outcome of which cannot be determined at this time. In the opinion of management, any liability we might incur upon the resolution of these claims and lawsuits will not, in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.

Our common stock is traded on the NYSE under the symbol “SRC.” The following table shows the high and low sales prices per share for our common stock as reported by the NYSE, and dividends declared per share of common stock, for the periods indicated.

We intend to pay regular quarterly dividends to our stockholders, although all future distributions will be declared and paid at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend upon cash generated by operating activities, our financial condition, capital requirements, annual distribution requirements under the REIT provisions of the Code and such other factors as the Board of Directors deems relevant.

Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. directly or indirectly owns all of Spirit Realty, L.P.'s partnership units. Therefore, there is no established trading market for Spirit Realty, L.P.'s partnership units. The following table sets forth the distributions we declared with respect to Spirit Realty, L.P.'s partnership units for the periods indicated:

None.

Our equity compensation plan information required by this item will be included in the Proxy Statement to be filed relating to our 20182019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information below shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C, other than as provided in Item 201 of Regulation S-K, or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, except to the extent we specifically request that such information be treated as soliciting material or specifically incorporate it by reference into a filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

The following graph shows our cumulative total stockholder return for the period beginning with the initial listing of our common stock on the NYSE on September 20, 2012 and ending on December 31, 2017,2018, with stock prices retroactively adjusted for the Merger Exchange Ratio.Ratio and the Spin-Off of SMTA. The graph assumes a $100 investment in each of the indices on September 20, 2012 and the reinvestment of all cash dividends. Our stock price performance shown in the following graph is not indicative of future stock price performance.