In response to the recent financial crisis, the U.S. Government introduced new rules which allow REITs to issue elective stock dividends, i.e., non-cash dividends, to satisfy their distribution requirements. The purported goal of these rules was to provide temporary relief to REITs facing cash...

In response to the recent financial crisis, the U.S. Government introduced new rules which allow REITs to issue elective stock dividends (ESD) to satisfy their distribution requirements. The goal of these rules was to provide temporary relief to REITs facing cash flow problems. We investigate...