16.   NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS IN SUBSIDIARIES

Noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries in the accompanying consolidated financial statements relate to (i) common units in the Operating Partnership, held by parties other than the Company, and (ii) interests in consolidated joint ventures for the portion of such ventures not owned by the Company.

OPERATING PARTNERSHIP

Preferred Units

In connection with the Company’s issuance of $25 million of Series C Preferred Stock, the Company acquired from the Operating Partnership $25 million of Series C Preferred Units (the “Series C Preferred Units”), which had terms essentially identical to the Series C Preferred Stock. In connection with the Company’s redemption of Series C Preferred Stock on October 28, 2011, the Operating Partnership redeemed from the company all issued and outstanding Series C Preferred Units.  See Note 15: Mack-Cali Realty Corporation Stockholders’ Equity – Preferred Stock.

Common Units

Certain individuals and entities own common units in the Operating Partnership.  A common unit and a share of Common Stock of the Company have substantially the same economic characteristics in as much as they effectively share equally in the net income or loss of the Operating Partnership.  Common unitholders have the right to redeem their common units, subject to certain restrictions.  The redemption is required to be satisfied in shares of Common Stock, cash, or a combination thereof, calculated as follows:  one share of the Company’s Common Stock, or cash equal to the fair market value of a share of the Company’s Common Stock at the time of redemption, for each common unit.  The Company, in its sole discretion, determines the form of redemption of common units (i.e., whether a common unitholder receives Common Stock, cash, or any combination thereof).  If the Company elects to satisfy the redemption with shares of Common Stock as opposed to cash, it is obligated to issue shares of its Common Stock to the redeeming unitholder.  Regardless of the rights described above, the common unitholders may not put their units for cash to the Company or the Operating Partnership under any circumstances.  When a unitholder redeems a common unit, noncontrolling interest in the Operating Partnership is reduced and Mack-Cali Realty Corporation Stockholders’ equity is increased.

Unit Transactions

The following table sets forth the changes in noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries which relate to the common units in the Operating Partnership for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010:

Pursuant to ASC 810, Consolidation, on the accounting and reporting for noncontrolling interests and changes in ownership interests of a subsidiary, changes in a parent’s ownership interest (and transactions with noncontrolling interest unitholders in the subsidiary) while the parent retains its controlling interest in its subsidiary should be accounted for as equity transactions.  The carrying amount of the noncontrolling interest shall be adjusted to reflect the change in its ownership interest in the subsidiary, with the offset to equity attributable to the parent.  Accordingly, as a result of equity transactions which caused changes in ownership percentages between Mack-Cali Realty Corporation stockholders’ equity and noncontrolling interests in the Operating Partnership that occurred during the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company has decreased noncontrolling interests in the Operating Partnership and increased additional paid-in capital in Mack-Cali Realty Corporation stockholders’ equity by approximately $15,000 as of December 31, 2012.

Noncontrolling Interest Ownership

As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the noncontrolling interest common unitholders owned 12.2 percent and 12.2 percent of the Operating Partnership, respectively.

CONSOLIDATED JOINT VENTURES

The Company consolidates certain joint ventures in which it has ownership interests.  Various entities and/or individuals hold noncontrolling interests in these ventures.

PARTICIPATION RIGHTS

The Company’s interests in certain real estate projects (four office buildings aggregating 860,246 square feet and two future developments) acquired in 2006 each provide for the initial distributions of net cash flow solely to the Company, and thereafter, other parties, including Mark Yeager, a former executive officer of the Company, have participation rights (“Participation Rights”) in 50 percent of the excess net cash flow remaining after the distribution to the Company of the aggregate amount equal to the sum of: (a) the Company’s capital contributions, plus (b) an internal rate of return (“IRR”) of 10 percent per annum.