RAIT Financial Trust (NYSE:RAS) Files An 8-K Other Events

Item8.01 Other Events.

On April20, 2017, RAIT Financial Trust, a Maryland real estate
investment trust (RAIT), issued a press release announcing
the rejection by the RAIT Board of Trustees of Highland Capital
Management, L.P.s (Highland) publicly-disclosed
unsolicited and non-binding proposal for a Highland affiliate to
pursue an externalization of management transaction with RAIT. In
the press release, RAIT announced that its Board of Trustees,
consistent with its fiduciary duties, and in consultation with
its financial and legal advisors, carefully reviewed Highlands
proposal and unanimously determined that pursuing it was not in
the best interests of RAITs shareholders. A copy of the press
release is filed as Exhibit 99.1 hereto and is incorporated by
reference in this Item8.01 in its entirety. The foregoing
description of the press release does not purport to be complete
and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the complete
text of the press release.

Item9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

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Important Additional Information And Where To Find
It

RAIT, its trustees and certain of its executive officers are
deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from
RAITs shareholders in connection with the matters to be
considered at RAITs 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
Information regarding the names of RAITs trustees and executive
officers and their respective interests in RAIT by security
holdings or otherwise can be found in RAITs proxy statement for
its 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April14, 2016.
To the extent holdings of RAITs securities have changed since the
amounts set forth in RAITs proxy statement for its 2016 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders, such changes have been reflected on
Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3 or
Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC.
These documents are available free of charge at the SECs website
at www.sec.gov. RAIT intends to file a proxy statement and
accompanying WHITEproxy card with the SEC
in connection with the solicitation of proxies from RAIT
shareholders in connection with the matters to be considered at
RAITs 2017 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Additional information
regarding the identity of participants, and their direct or
indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be
set forth in RAITs proxy statement for its 2017 Annual Meeting,
including the schedules and appendices thereto.INVESTORS
AND SHAREHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ ANY SUCH PROXY
STATEMENT AND THE ACCOMPANYING WHITE PROXY CARD AND OTHER
DOCUMENTS FILED BY RAIT WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR
ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AS THEY WILL CONTAIN
IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Shareholders will be able to
obtain the Proxy Statement, any amendments or supplements to the
Proxy Statement, the accompanying
WHITEproxy card, and other documents
filed by RAIT with the SEC for no charge at the SECs website at
www.sec.gov. Copies will also be available at no charge at the
Investor Relations section of RAITs corporate website
atwww.RAIT.com, by writing to RAITs Secretary at RAIT
Financial Trust, Two Logan Square, 100 N. 18th Street, 23rd
Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or by calling RAITs Corporate
Secretary at (215)207.2100.

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About RAIT Financial Trust (NYSE:RAS)

RAIT Financial Trust (RAIT) is a self-managed and self-advised real estate investment trust (REIT). RAIT uses its vertically integrated platform and relationships to originate commercial real estate loans, acquire commercial real estate properties and invest in, manage and service commercial real estate assets. The Company’s segments are real estate lending, owning and managing segment, Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (IRT) segment and Taberna Securitization segment. The Company’s real estate lending, owning and managing segment concentrates on lending, owning and managing commercial real estate assets throughout the United States. The Company’s IRT segment concentrates on the ownership of apartment properties in opportunistic markets throughout the United States. The Company’s Taberna Securitization segment includes the ownership and management of approximately three real estate trust preferred securitizations.

RAIT Financial Trust (NYSE:RAS) Recent Trading Information

RAIT Financial Trust (NYSE:RAS) closed its last trading session down -0.02 at 3.05 with 263,318 shares trading hands.