Granite Point Mortgage Trust 424B5 Prospectus supplement for primary offering

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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-226128

The information contained in this preliminary prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of an effective registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell these securities and are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JANUARY 31, 2019

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(TO PROSPECTUS DATED AUGUST 15, 2018)

6,000,000 Shares

Common Stock

We are offering 6,000,000 shares of our common stock as described in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol "GPMT." The closing price of our common stock on the NYSE on January 30, 2019 was $19.38 per share.

The underwriters have a 30 day option to purchase up to 900,000 additional shares.

We have elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To assist us in qualifying as a REIT, among other purposes, ownership of shares of our common stock by any person is limited, with certain exceptions, to 9.8% by value or by number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of our common stock and 9.8% by value or by number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the aggregate of the outstanding shares of our capital stock. In addition, our charter contains various other restrictions on the ownership and transfer of our stock.

Investing in our common stock involves certain risks. You should carefully consider the information referred to under the caption "Risk Factors" in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, as well as the risks described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, to read about factors you should consider before making an investment in our common stock.

The underwriters have agreed to purchase our common stock from us at a price of $ per share, which will result in approximately $ million of net proceeds to us after deducting offering expenses. The underwriters propose to offer the shares of common stock from time to time for sale in negotiated transactions or otherwise, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. See "Underwriting."

Our external manager, Pine River Capital Management L.P., has agreed to pay approximately $ million, or $ per share (or approximately $ million, or $ per share if the option to purchase additional shares is fully exercised) of the underwriting fees and discounts in connection with this offering to the extent necessary so that the proceeds of the offering to the company, net of such fees and discounts, will be above our estimated range of net book value per share as of December 31, 2018.

Delivery of the shares will be made on or about February , 2019.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Morgan Stanley		Citigroup		J.P. Morgan		Wells Fargo Securities

The date of this prospectus supplement is January , 2019.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT			S-ii
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			S-iii
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY			S-1
THE OFFERING			S-4
RISK FACTORS			S-6
ADDITIONAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS			S-7
USE OF PROCEEDS			S-8
CAPITALIZATION			S-9
UNDERWRITING			S-10
LEGAL MATTERS			S-13
EXPERTS			S-13
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			S-14
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE			S-14
PROSPECTUS
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			ii
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			ii
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY			1
RISK FACTORS			4
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO COMBINED FIXED CHARGES			4
USE OF PROCEEDS			4
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK			4
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES			8
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES			12
RESTRICTIONS ON OWNERSHIP AND TRANSFER			22
CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE MARYLAND GENERAL CORPORATION LAW AND GRANITE POINT'S CHARTER AND BYLAWS			25
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS			32
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			55
LEGAL MATTERS			58
EXPERTS			59
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			59
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE			59

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, or any free writing prospectus that we may provide you. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different. None of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus we may provide you constitutes, or may be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus we may provide you by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation. The information in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any free writing prospectus, and the documents incorporated by reference is accurate only as of their respective dates.

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, using a "shelf" registration process. This prospectus supplement is a supplement to the accompanying prospectus that is also a part of this document. In the accompanying prospectus, we provide you with a general description of the securities we may offer from time to time under our shelf registration statement. This prospectus supplement contains specific information about us and the terms on which we are offering and selling shares of our common stock. Both this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus include or incorporate by reference important information about us, our common stock and other information you should know before investing. This prospectus supplement also adds, updates, and changes information contained in the accompanying prospectus. To the extent that any statement made in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with statements made in the accompanying prospectus, the statements made in the accompanying prospectus will be deemed modified or superseded by those made in this prospectus supplement. Before you purchase shares of our common stock, you should carefully read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the registration statement, together with the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

When used in this prospectus supplement, the terms "Granite Point," "company," "issuer," "registrant," "we," "our," and "us" refer to Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise specified.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated herein or therein, contain not only historical information, but also forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, and that are subject to the safe harbors created by such sections. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ from our beliefs, expectations, estimates, and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements are not historical in nature and can be identified by words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "will," "should," "expect," "target," "believe," "intend," "seek," "plan," "goals," "future," "likely," "may," and similar expressions or their negative forms, or by references to strategy, plans, or intentions. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, among other things, the information referred to in this prospectus supplement under the caption "Risk Factors." Other risks, uncertainties, and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected are described below and may be described from time to time in reports we file with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as in the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Important factors, among others, that may affect our actual results include:

•: the general political, economic, and competitive conditions in the markets in which we invest;
•: defaults by borrowers in paying debt service on outstanding indebtedness and borrowers' abilities to manage and stabilize properties;
•: our ability to obtain financing arrangements on terms favorable to us or at all;
•: the level and volatility of prevailing interest rates and credit spreads;
•: reductions in the yield on our investments and an increase in the cost of our financing;
•: general volatility of the securities markets in which we participate;
•: the return or impact of current or future investments;
•: allocation of investment opportunities to us by Pine River Capital Management L.P., or Pine River, or our Manager;
•: increased competition from entities investing in our target assets;
•: effects of hedging instruments on our target investments;
•: changes in governmental regulations, tax law and rates, and similar matters;
•: our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes and our exclusion from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended;
•: availability of desirable investment opportunities;
•: availability of qualified personnel and our relationship with our Manager;
•: estimates relating to our ability to make distributions to our stockholders in the future;
•: hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, acts of war and/or terrorism and other events that may cause unanticipated and uninsured performance declines and/or losses to us or the owners and operators of the real estate securing our investments;

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•: deterioration in the performance of the properties securing our investments that may cause deterioration in the performance of our investments and, potentially, principal losses to us; and
•: difficulty or delays in redeploying the proceeds from repayments of our existing investments.

All forward-looking statements included herein attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Except to the extent required by applicable laws and regulations, we undertake no obligations to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus supplement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Before you make an investment decision, you should be aware that the occurrence of the events described in the "Risk Factors" section and elsewhere in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated herein or therein by reference may adversely affect us.

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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information about us. It may not contain all the information that may be important to you in deciding whether to invest in our common stock. You should read this entire prospectus supplement, including the risk factors, and the accompanying prospectus, together with the information incorporated by reference herein and therein, including the risk factors, financial data and related notes, before making an investment decision.

Our Company

Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. is a Maryland corporation that focuses primarily on directly originating, investing in and managing senior floating-rate commercial mortgage loans and other debt and debt-like commercial real estate investments. We operate as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, as defined under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. The terms "Granite Point," "we," "our," "us" and the "company" refer to Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. and its subsidiaries as a consolidated entity. We are externally managed by Pine River.

We are a long-term, fundamental value-oriented investor. We construct our investment portfolio on a loan-by-loan basis, emphasizing rigorous credit underwriting, selectivity and diversification, and assess each investment from a fundamental value perspective relative to other opportunities available in the market. Our primary target investments are directly originated floating-rate performing senior commercial real estate loans, typically with terms of three to five years, usually ranging in size from $25 million to $150 million. We typically provide intermediate-term bridge or transitional financing for a variety of purposes, including acquisitions, recapitalizations, refinancings and a range of business plans, including lease-up, renovation, repositioning and repurposing of the property. We target the top 25, and generally up to the top 50, metropolitan statistical areas in the United States. We believe that those markets provide an ample supply of high credit quality properties to lend against, a sufficient number of owners and sponsors with institutional attributes, and adequate market liquidity. We believe this approach will enable us to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns to our stockholders while preserving our capital base through diverse business cycles.

Our origination strategy relies on our extensive and longstanding direct relationships with a wide array of national, regional and local private owner/operators, private equity firms, funds, REITs, brokers and co-lenders. Our team's reach across the United States and active dialogue with market participants has produced a significant volume of investment opportunities since our Predecessor's formation, and our reputation as a reliable counterparty has led to multiple investment opportunities with repeat clients. We have deep experience in the commercial real estate finance markets, with each of the senior members of our team of commercial real estate professionals having over 20 years of experience in commercial real estate debt markets.

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We believe that the U.S. commercial real estate debt markets offer enduring investment opportunities. A significant amount of commercial real estate debt is scheduled to mature over the next five years, and there is a sustained need for acquisition, repositioning and recapitalization loans. We expect that traditional lenders, including banks which have historically accounted for approximately half of the market, will not be able to meet borrower demand due to structural and regulatory constraints. As a result, we believe that there are significant opportunities to originate floating-rate senior commercial real estate loans on transitional properties at attractive risk-adjusted returns.

We have elected to be treated as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To qualify as a REIT, we are required to meet certain investment and operating tests and annual distribution requirements. We generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes on our taxable income to the extent that we annually distribute all of our net taxable income to stockholders, do not participate in prohibited transactions and maintain our intended qualification as a REIT. However, certain activities that we may perform may cause us to earn income which will not be qualifying income for REIT purposes. We have designated one of our subsidiaries as a taxable REIT subsidiary, or TRS, as defined in the Code, to engage in such activities. We also operate our business in a manner that will permit us to maintain our exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the 1940 Act.

Our headquarters are located at 590 Madison Avenue, 38th Floor, New York, New York 10022 and our telephone number is (212) 364-3200. We maintain a website atwww.gpmortgagetrust.com; however, the information found on our website is not a part of this prospectus supplement.

Recent Developments

Fourth Quarter Dividend

On December 19, 2018, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share of common stock for the fourth quarter of 2018. This dividend was paid on January 18, 2019 to common stockholders of record at the close of business on December 31, 2018. Investors in this offering are not entitled to receive this dividend.

Fourth Quarter 2018 Portfolio Activity

During the fourth quarter of 2018:

•: We originated 18 new senior floating rate commercial real estate loans with total commitments of approximately $669 million.
•: We funded total loan balances of approximately $486 million.
•: We realized loan prepayments and principal amortization of approximately $28 million.

We estimate that at December 31, 2018, the total outstanding principal balance of our investment portfolio was approximately $3.2 billion and our debt-to-equity leverage ratio was approximately 3.0x.

Fourth Quarter Earnings per Share

We estimate our GAAP Earnings for the fourth quarter of 2018 to be in the range of $0.37 - $0.39 per basic common share, and excluding non-cash compensation expense of approximately $0.01 per share, our Core Earnings⁽¹⁾ to be in the range of $0.39 - $0.41 per basic common share.

Note: (1) Core Earnings is a non-U.S. GAAP measure that we define as comprehensive income attributable to common stockholders, excluding "realized and unrealized gains and losses" (impairment losses, realized and unrealized gains or losses on the aggregate portfolio and non-cash compensation expense related to restricted common stock). We believe the presentation of Core Earnings provides investors greater transparency into our period-over-period financial performance and facilitates comparisons to peer REITs.

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Book Value per Share

Our GAAP book value per basic common share was $19.00 at September 30, 2018. We estimate our book value per basic common share at December 31, 2018 to be in the range of $18.94 - $18.99. The slight estimated decline in the fourth quarter book value is largely due to our common dividend exceeding our estimated earnings and is related to the GAAP-to-Tax differences resulting from our formation transaction at the time of our IPO in June 2017.

Investment Portfolio Risk Ratings

At December 31, 2018 our portfolio was 100% performing with no impaired, non-accrual or maturity defaulted loans, although two loans with a combined total balance of approximately $37 million were moved to a risk rating of "4" during the fourth quarter of 2018. Our loan risk rating of "4" indicates a loan with higher risk, not that such a loan is impaired or that a loss is likely. In January of 2019 we received independent third party appraisals which have confirmed that these loans appear to be well-collateralized. We do not currently expect to create any loan loss reserves for either of these loans. Both of these loans are current on their debt service payments. For one of these loans, the last two debt service payments were covered by the loan's servicer by advancing funds using reserves and/or the cash flow proceeds from the property. Although this loan is current on its debt service payments, the borrower has failed to replenish certain reserve accounts in accordance with the terms of the loan documents.

At-The-Market Equity Offering Program

Since establishing our at-the-market equity offering program in November 2018 through January 29, 2019, we have issued approximately 579,000 shares of our common stock at a weighted average price of $19.07 per share.

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THE OFFERING

The following summary is provided solely for your convenience and is not intended to be complete. You should read the full text and more specific details contained elsewhere in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. For purposes of this "offering summary," references to "we," "our," "us" and "Granite Point" refer to Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. and not to its subsidiaries.


Common stock offered by us(1)		6,000,000 shares.
Common stock outstanding after this offering(1)		50,294,421 shares.
Use of proceeds		We expect to receive net proceeds from the sale of the common stock of approximately $ , after deducting estimated offering expenses. If the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full, our net proceeds from the offering will be approximately $ , after deducting estimated offering expenses.
		We intend to use the net proceeds received from the sale of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement and the related accompanying prospectus to originate or acquire senior floating rate commercial real estate loans and other target assets, consistent with our investment strategies and investment guidelines, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including repayment of indebtedness. Until appropriate assets can be identified, we may use the net proceeds of this offering to pay down our short-term debt or to invest in cash and cash equivalents. These uses are expected to provide a lower net return than we seek to achieve from our target assets. Prior to the time we have fully used the net proceeds of this offering to acquire our target assets, we may fund our quarterly dividends out of such net proceeds. See "Use of Proceeds."
Distribution policy		To satisfy the requirements to qualify as a REIT and generally not be subject to U.S. federal income and excise tax, we intend to continue to pay regular quarterly dividends of all or substantially all of our taxable income to holders of our common stock out of assets legally available therefor. U.S. federal income tax law requires that a REIT distribute with respect to each year at least 90% of its REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain. See "U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations" in the accompanying prospectus.
		The timing and amount of any dividends we pay to holders of our common stock will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon various factors, including our actual and projected results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and business, our debt and preferred stock covenants, maintenance of our REIT qualification, applicable provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law, or MGCL, and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant.

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		On December 19, 2018, we declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share of common stock for the fourth quarter of 2018. This dividend was paid on January 18, 2019 to common stockholders of record at the close of business on December 31, 2018. Investors in this offering are not entitled to receive this dividend.
Listing		Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol "GPMT."
Risk Factors		Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk, and prospective investors should carefully consider the matters discussed under "Risk Factors" in this prospectus supplement and the reports we file with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act, incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our common stock.

(1): We have granted the underwriters a 30 day option to purchase up to 900,000 additional shares of our common stock. Unless otherwise indicated, all share amounts in this prospectus supplement assume no exercise of the underwriters' option.

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in shares of our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the following risk factors and the risk factors included in our 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K, in addition to the remainder of the information provided in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, before making an investment decision. The risks and uncertainties described below and in our 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently deem immaterial, also may become important factors that affect us. If any of these risks occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the value of your investment could decline.

Risks Related to the Securities of Granite Point

Future issuances and sales of shares of our common stock may depress the market price of our common stock or have adverse consequences for our stockholders.

We have 450,000,000 authorized shares of common stock and we may increase our authorized common stock without stockholder approval. As of January 29, 2019, 44,294,421 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding. In June 2017, our stockholders approved our 2017 equity incentive plan, or the Plan, which provides for grants of restricted common stock and other equity-based awards, subject to a ceiling of 3,242,306 shares available for issuance under the Plan. As of September 30, 2018, an aggregate of 2,857,072 shares of common stock remained available for issuance to our independent directors and employees of Pine River and its affiliates pursuant to the Plan.

We cannot predict the effect, if any, of future issuances or sales of our common stock on the market price of our common stock. We also cannot predict the amounts and timing of restricted stock awards to be issued pursuant to the Plan. Sales or awards of substantial amounts of common stock or the perception that such sales or awards could occur may adversely affect the prevailing market price for our common stock.

Also, we may issue additional shares in subsequent public offerings or private placements to acquire new assets or for other purposes. We are not required to offer any such shares to existing stockholders on a preemptive basis. Therefore, it may not be possible for existing stockholders to participate in such future share issuances, which may dilute the existing stockholders' interests.

Any future offerings of our securities could dilute our existing stockholders and may rank senior for purposes of dividend and liquidating distributions.

In order to grow our business, we may rely on additional issuances of securities which may rank senior and/or be dilutive to our stockholders. For example, we have issued 5.625% convertible senior notes due 2022 and 6.375% convertible senior notes due 2023. Any election by holders of our convertible senior notes to convert their notes into shares of our common stock will dilute the interests of other stockholders. In addition, upon liquidation, holders of our debt securities and any other senior preferred stock would receive a distribution of our available assets before holders of our common shares.

In the future, we may again elect to raise capital through the issuance of convertible or non-convertible debt or equity securities. Upon liquidation, holders of our debt securities and preferred stock, if any, and lenders with respect to other borrowings will be entitled to our available assets prior to the holders of our common stock. Convertible debt and convertible preferred stock may have anti-dilution provisions which are unfavorable to our common stockholders. Additional equity offerings may dilute the holdings of our existing stockholders or reduce the market price of our common stock, or both. Any preferred stock, if issued, could have a preference on liquidating distributions or a preference on dividend payments that could limit our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders or

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favorable conversion rights. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock or the sale of securities which have rights and preferences that are superior to our common stock, or the perception that these sales could occur, may have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock. Because our decision to issue debt or equity securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, our stockholders bear the risk of our future offerings reducing the market price of our common stock and diluting the value of their holdings.

The market price of our common stock could fluctuate and could cause you to lose a significant part of your investment.

The market price of our common stock may be influenced by many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including those described above and the following:

•: changes in financial estimates by analysts;
•: fluctuations in our quarterly financial results or the quarterly financial results of companies perceived to be similar to us;
•: general economic conditions;
•: changes in market valuations of similar companies;
•: regulatory developments in the United States; and;
•: additions or departures of key personnel at Pine River.

Resulting fluctuations in the market price of our common stock could cause you to lose a significant part of your investment.

The allocation of the net proceeds of this offering among our target assets, and the timing of the deployment of these proceeds is subject to, among other things, then prevailing market conditions and the availability of target assets.

Our allocation of the net proceeds of this offering among our target assets is subject to our investment guidelines and our REIT qualification. Determinations as to the percentage of the net proceeds of this offering that will be invested in each of our target assets and the timing of the deployment of the net proceeds of this offering will depend on then prevailing market conditions and may change over time in response to opportunities available in different interest rate, economic and credit environments. Until appropriate assets can be identified, we may decide to use the net proceeds of this offering to pay down our short-term debt or to invest in cash and cash equivalents. These uses are expected to provide a lower net return than we seek to achieve from our target assets. Prior to the time we have fully used the net proceeds of this offering to acquire our target assets, we may fund our quarterly dividends out of such net proceeds.

ADDITIONAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

For the material U.S. federal income tax considerations of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common stock, see "U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations" starting on page 32 of the accompanying prospectus. You are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income and other tax consequences to you, in light of your particular investment or tax circumstances, of acquiring, owning and disposing of our common stock.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We expect to receive net proceeds from the sale of common stock totaling approximately $ , after deducting estimated offering expenses. If the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full, our net proceeds from the offering will be approximately $ , after deducting estimated offering expenses.

We intend to use the net proceeds received from the sale of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement and the related accompanying prospectus to originate or acquire senior floating rate commercial real estate loans and other target assets, consistent with our investment strategies and investment guidelines, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including repayment of indebtedness. Until appropriate assets can be identified, we may use the net proceeds of this offering to pay down our short-term debt or to invest in cash and cash equivalents. These uses are expected to provide a lower net return than we seek to achieve from our target assets. Prior to the time we have fully used the net proceeds of this offering to acquire our target assets, we may fund our quarterly dividends out of such net proceeds.

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization at September 30, 2018 on an actual basis and as adjusted to reflect the effect of the sale of our common stock in this offering, after deducting the estimated offering expenses. You should read this table together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

	As of September 30, 2018

	Actual			As Adjusted for This Offering(1)
	(Dollars in thousands)
10% cumulative redeemable preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share; 50,000,000 shares authorized and 1,000 and 1,000 shares issued and outstanding, respectively	$	1,000		$	1,000



Stockholders' equity:
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share; 450,000,000 shares authorized, and 43,456,234 shares issued and outstanding, actual, and 49,456,234 shares outstanding, as adjusted(2)	$	435		$
Additional paid in capital	$	832,535		$
Accumulated other comprehensive income	$	32		$
Cumulative earnings	$	75,178		$
Cumulative distributions to stockholders	$	(82,530	)	$

Total stockholders' equity	$	825,650		$

(1): Does not include the underwriters' option to purchase up to 900,000 additional shares.
(2): Does not include 13,655,164 shares of our common stock reserved for issuance upon conversion of our convertible senior notes due 2022 and our convertible senior notes due 2023 as of December 28, 2018.

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UNDERWRITING

Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters named below, through Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, have severally agreed to purchase from us the following respective number of shares of common stock at a price of $ per share:

Underwriter		Number of Shares

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
Total			6,000,000

The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters are obligated to purchase all the shares of common stock in the offering if any are purchased, other than those shares covered by the option to purchase additional shares described below. The underwriting agreement also provides that, if an underwriter defaults, the purchase commitments of non-defaulting underwriters may be increased or the offering may be terminated.

We have granted to the underwriters a 30 day option to purchase on a pro rata basis up to 900,000 additional shares at the price per sale set forth on the cover page.

The underwriters may offer the shares of common stock from time to time for sale in one or more transactions on the NYSE, in the over-the-counter market, through negotiated transactions or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. The underwriters may effect such transactions by selling shares of common stock to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or purchasers of shares of common stock for whom they may act as agents or to whom they may sell as principal.

The expenses of the offering, payable by us, are estimated to be approximately $200,000.

We have agreed that we will not (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the SEC a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any shares of common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing, or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the common stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of common stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, for a period of 30 days after the date of this prospectus supplement. However, we may, during this 30-day "lock-up" period, (a) grant shares of our common stock to our directors and personnel of our Manager under our 2017 equity incentive, (b) issue shares of common stock upon vesting of restricted stock granted under our 2017 equity compensation plan, and (c) register with the SEC the shares of common stock authorized for issuance under our 2017 equity compensation plan.

Each of our directors and executive officers have agreed, subject to exemption for certain tax obligations, that they will not (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of our common stock, or any

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securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge or disposition, (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of our common stock or such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of common stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise or (iii) make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the registration of any shares of our common stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock, without, in each case, the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC for a period of 30 days after the date of this prospectus supplement. However, each of our directors and executive officers may transfer or dispose of our shares during this 30-day "lock-up" period, provided, that (i) such transfers that do not involve a disposition for value, (ii) the transferee agrees to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth in this paragraph for the remainder of the 30-day "lock-up" period prior to such transfer, and (iii) no filing by the transferor or transferee under the Exchange Act is required or voluntarily made in connection with such transfer (other than a filing on a Form 5 made after the expiration of the 30-day "lock-up" period).

We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in that respect.

The shares of common stock are listed on the NYSE under the symbol "GPMT."

In connection with the offering the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, over-allotment transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

•: Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.
•: Over-allotment involves sales by the underwriters of shares in excess of the number of shares the underwriters are obligated to purchase, which creates a syndicate short position. The short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of shares over-allotted by the underwriters is not greater than the number of shares that they may purchase in the over-allotment option. In a naked short position, the number of shares involved is greater than the number of shares in the over-allotment option. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their over-allotment option and/or purchasing shares in the open market.
•: Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the common stock in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of shares to close out the short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the over-allotment option. If the underwriters sell more shares than could be covered by the over-allotment option, a naked short position, the position can only be closed out by buying shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.
•: Penalty bids permit the representatives to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the common stock originally sold by the syndicate member is purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions.

These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in

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the market price of the common stock. As a result the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on the NYSE or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the web sites maintained by one or more of the underwriters, or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering and one or more of the underwriters participating in this offering may distribute prospectuses electronically. The representatives may agree to allocate a number of shares to underwriters and selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriters and selling group members that will make internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.

Relationships with the Underwriters and Affiliates

The underwriters and their affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities.

The underwriters and their affiliates have provided in the past and may provide from time to time in the future certain commercial banking, financial advisory, investment banking and other services for us and our affiliates in the ordinary course of their business, for which they have received and may continue to receive customary fees and commissions.

The underwriters and/or their affiliates have from time to time entered, and may in the future enter, into master repurchase agreements, indentures, credit agreements, guaranty agreements and other similar agreements for the financing of our target assets. Additionally, certain of the underwriters and/or their affiliates in the future may provide prime brokerage services to the company and/or affiliates of the company.

In addition, from time to time, the underwriters and their affiliates may effect transactions for their own account or the account of customers, and hold on behalf of themselves or their customers, long or short positions in our debt or equity securities or loans, and may do so in the future.

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LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters in connection with this prospectus supplement will be passed upon for us by Stinson Leonard Street LLP, Minneapolis, Minnesota, including the validity of the offered securities. Certain legal matters in connection with this prospectus will also be passed upon for us by Sidley Austin LLP, including the qualification of our company as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Certain legal matters relating to this offering will be passed upon for the underwriters by Ropes & Gray LLP.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Granite Point incorporated by reference in Granite Point's Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2017 (including the schedule appearing therein), have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities offered by this prospectus supplement. As allowed by SEC rules, this prospectus supplement does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits thereto. We refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits thereto for further information. This prospectus supplement is qualified in its entirety by such other information.

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings, including the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus forms a part, are available to you via our website on the Internet with the address ofwww.gpmortgagetrust.com where you can also find additional information. All internet addresses provided in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus are for information purposes only and are not intended to be hyperlinks. We are not incorporating by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus the information on our website or any other website, and you should not consider our website or any other website to be a part of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, or other offering materials.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

The SEC's rules allow us to "incorporate by reference" information into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus from the date of filing those documents. Any reports filed by us with the SEC on or after the date of this prospectus supplement will automatically update and, where applicable, supersede any information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or in the documents listed below that are incorporated by reference. We have filed the documents listed below with the SEC under the Exchange Act and these documents are incorporated herein by reference (other than information in such documents that is furnished and not deemed to be filed):

•: Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, filed with the SEC on March16, 2018, including information specifically incorporated by reference into our Form 10-K from our definitive Proxy Statement for our 2018 Annual Stockholders Meeting;
•: Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2018,June 30, 2018 and September 30, 2018, filed with the SEC on May 10, 2018, August 7, 2018 and November 6, 2018, respectively;
•: Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on February 13, 2018, April 17, 2018, May 16, 2018, June 28, 2018, October 1, 2018, October 12, 2018, November 21, 2018, December 14, 2018, December 20, 2018, December 28, 2018 and January 31, 2019;
•: The description of our common stock included in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on June 20, 2017.

All documents we file (but not furnish) pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act on or after the date of this prospectus supplement and prior to the termination of the offering of the securities to which this prospectus supplement relates (other than information in such documents that is furnished and not deemed to be filed) shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of those documents.

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We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus supplement is delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement but not delivered with this prospectus supplement (other than the exhibits to such documents which are not specifically incorporated by reference therein); we will provide this information at no cost to the requester upon written or oral request to: Secretary, Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc., 590 Madison Avenue, 38th Floor, New York, New York 10022, or (212) 364-3200.

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PROSPECTUS

Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc.

$750,000,000
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Depositary Shares
Debt Securities

We may offer, issue and sell, from time to time, shares of our common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares and debt securities, which may consist of debentures, notes, or other types of debt, in one or more offerings up to an aggregate offering price of $750,000,000. We will provide specific terms of each issuance of these securities in supplements to this prospectus. We may offer and sell these securities to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, on a continuous or delayed basis. You should read this prospectus and any supplement carefully before you decide to invest. This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of these securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol "GPMT."

We are an "emerging growth company" as that term is used in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, and, as such, have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings.

Our principal office is located at 590 Madison Avenue, 38th Floor, New York, New York 10022. Our telephone number is (212) 364-3200.

Investing in our securities involves risk. You should carefully consider the information referred to under the caption "Risk Factors" on page 4 before you invest.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined that this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is August 15, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

		Page

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS		ii
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS		ii
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY		1
RISK FACTORS		4
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO COMBINED FIXED CHARGES AND PREFERRED STOCK DIVIDENDS		4
USE OF PROCEEDS		4
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK		4
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES		8
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES		12
RESTRICTIONS ON OWNERSHIP AND TRANSFER		22
CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE MARYLAND GENERAL CORPORATION LAW AND GRANITE POINT'S CHARTER AND BYLAWS		25
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS		32
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION		55
LEGAL MATTERS		58
EXPERTS		59
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION		59
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE		59

You should rely only on the information contained in this document or to which we have referred you. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different. This document may only be used where it is legal to sell these securities. The information in this document may only be accurate on the date of this document.

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC or Commission, using a "shelf" registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer to sell securities, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. It is important for you to consider the information contained in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading "Where You Can Find More Information."

You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or set forth in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with additional or different information. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement or any other offering material is accurate as of any date other than the dates on the front of those documents.

When used in this prospectus, the terms "Granite Point," "company," "issuer," "registrant," "we," "our," and "us" refer to Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise specified.

NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains, or incorporates by reference, not only historical information, but also forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, and that are subject to the safe harbors created by such sections. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ from our beliefs, expectations, estimates, and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements are not historical in nature and can be identified by words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "will," "should," "expect," "target," "believe," "intend," "seek," "plan," "goals," "future," "likely," "may," and similar expressions or their negative forms, or by references to strategy, plans, or intentions. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, among other things, the information referred to on page 4 of this prospectus under the caption "Risk Factors." Other risks, uncertainties, and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected are described below and may be described from time to time in reports we file with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as in the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Important factors, among others, that may affect our actual results include:

•: the general political, economic, and competitive conditions in the markets in which we invest;
•: defaults by borrowers in paying debt service on outstanding indebtedness and borrowers' abilities to manage and stabilize properties;
•: our ability to obtain financing arrangements on terms favorable to us or at all;
•: the level and volatility of prevailing interest rates and credit spreads;
•: reductions in the yield on our investments and an increase in the cost of our financing;

•: general volatility of the securities markets in which we participate;
•: the return or impact of current or future investments;
•: allocation of investment opportunities to us by Pine River Capital Management L.P., or PRCM, or our Manager;
•: increased competition from entities investing in our target assets;
•: effects of hedging instruments on our target investments;
•: changes in governmental regulations, tax law and rates, and similar matters;
•: our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes and our exclusion from registration under the Investment Company Act;
•: availability of desirable investment opportunities;
•: availability of qualified personnel and our relationship with our Manager;
•: estimates relating to our ability to make distributions to our stockholders in the future;
•: hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, acts of war and/or terrorism and other events that may cause unanticipated and uninsured performance declines and/or losses to us or the owners and operators of the real estate securing our investments;
•: deterioration in the performance of the properties securing our investments that may cause deterioration in the performance of our investments and, potentially, principal losses to us; and
•: difficulty or delays in redeploying the proceeds from repayments of our existing investments.

All forward-looking statements included herein attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Except to the extent required by applicable laws and regulations, we undertake no obligations to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Before you make an investment decision, you should be aware that the occurrence of the events described in the "Risk Factors" section and elsewhere in this prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference, may adversely affect us.

iii

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information about us. It may not contain all the information that may be important to you in deciding whether to invest in our securities. You should read this entire prospectus, together with the information incorporated by reference, including the risk factors, financial data and related notes, before making an investment decision.

Our Company

We were incorporated on April 7, 2017 and commenced operations as a publicly traded company on June 28, 2017, upon completion of a formation transaction, or the Formation Transaction, pursuant to which we acquired the equity interests in TH Commercial Holdings LLC, or our Predecessor, and its portfolio of commercial mortgage loans and other commercial real estate-related debt investments from Two Harbors Investment Corp., or Two Harbors, a publicly traded hybrid mortgage real estate investment trust (NYSE: TWO). The parties to the Formation Transaction entered into an agreement, or Contribution Agreement, which specified the terms of the transfer of equity interests of the Predecessor to the Company in the Formation Transaction. The Contribution Agreement includes a mandatory arbitration provision which applies only to disputes, controversies or claims arising out of and between the parties to the Contribution Agreement. The mandatory arbitration provision does not prevent stockholders of the Company from pursuing claims under the United States federal securities laws. Our Predecessor became our wholly owned indirect subsidiary as a result of the Formation Transaction. In exchange for equity interests of our Predecessor, we issued 33,071,000 shares of our common stock representing approximately 76.5% of our outstanding common stock after the IPO and 1,000 shares of our 10% cumulative redeemable preferred stock having a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share to Two Harbors or an affiliate of Two Harbors, which immediately sold such preferred stock to an unaffiliated third-party investor. On November 1, 2017, Two Harbors distributed the shares of our common stock issued to it in connection with the Formation Transaction by means of a special pro rata dividend to Two Harbors common stockholders. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol "GPMT".

We are a long-term, fundamental value-oriented investor. We construct our investment portfolio on a loan-by-loan basis, emphasizing rigorous credit underwriting, selectivity and diversification, and assess each investment from a fundamental value perspective relative to other opportunities available in the market. Our primary target investments are directly originated floating-rate performing senior commercial real estate loans, typically with terms of three to five years, usually ranging in size from $25 million to $150 million. We typically provide intermediate-term bridge or transitional financing for a variety of purposes, including acquisitions, recapitalizations, refinancings and a range of business plans, including lease-up, renovation, repositioning and repurposing of the property. We target the top 25, and generally up to the top 50, metropolitan statistical areas in the United States, or MSAs. We believe that those markets provide ample supply of high credit quality properties to lend against, sufficient number of owners and sponsors with institutional attributes, and adequate market liquidity. We believe this approach will enable us to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns to our stockholders while preserving our capital base through diverse business cycles.

Our origination strategy relies on our extensive and longstanding direct relationships with a wide array of national, regional and local private owner/operators, private equity firms, funds, REITs, brokers and co-lenders. Our team's reach across the United States and active dialogue with market participants has produced a significant volume of investment opportunities since our Predecessor's formation, and our reputation as a reliable counterparty has led to multiple investment opportunities with repeat clients. We have deep experience in the commercial real estate finance markets, with each of the senior members of our team of commercial real estate professionals, or our CRE Team, having over 20 years of experience in commercial real estate debt markets.

We currently qualify as an "emerging growth company," as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, and are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not "emerging growth companies," including:

•: exemption from the requirement to comply with the auditor attestation of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002;
•: reduced disclosure regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and;
•: exemption from the requirement to hold a non-binding stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

We have elected to take advantage of the first exemption, and to date we have not taken advantage of the second and third exemptions but we could do so in the future. If we do take advantage of either exemption, we do not know if some investors will find our common stock less attractive as a result. The result may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an "emerging growth company" can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an "emerging growth company" can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. However, we are choosing to "opt out" of such extended transition period, and as a

result, we comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for all public companies which are not emerging growth companies. This decision to opt out of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards is irrevocable.

We could remain an "emerging growth company" for up to five years, or until the earliest of (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (ii) the date that we become a "large accelerated filer" as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, or (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three year period.

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a number of risks. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully read and consider the information set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and any subsequent Current Reports on Form 8-K (which descriptions are incorporated by reference herein), as well as the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement hereto before making a decision to invest in our securities. See "Where You Can Find More Information," below.

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO COMBINED FIXED CHARGES AND PREFERRED STOCK DIVIDENDS

The following table shows our ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends for each of the periods indicated.

	Six Months Ended June 30 2018		Year Ended December 31,

(dollars in thousands)	Six Months Ended June 30 2018		2017		2016		2015
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	$	29,812		53,301		35,346		208
Fixed charges (interest expense and preferred stock dividends)	$	39,658		42,513		11,029		477
Ratio of earnings to fixed charges and preferred stock dividends(1)		1.8		2.3		4.2		1.4

(1): The ratios of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends were computed by dividing income from continuing operations before income taxes by fixed charges. For this purpose, earnings consist of net income from continuing operations and fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of our interest expense. Preferred stock dividends consist of pre-tax amounts required to pay dividends in respect of our 10% cumulative redeemable preferred stock.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise indicated in an accompanying prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds received from the sale of the securities offered by this prospectus and the related accompanying prospectus supplement to originate and acquire our target assets subject to our investment guidelines and to the extent consistent with maintaining our REIT qualification, and for general corporate purposes. Prior to such target assets being originated and acquired, we may invest the net proceeds from this offering in interest-bearing short-term investments, including funds which are consistent with our REIT election. These investments are expected to provide a lower net return than we seek to achieve from our target assets. Prior to the time we have fully used the net proceeds of this offering to acquire our target assets, we may fund our quarterly dividends out of such net proceeds.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

The following is a summary of the rights and preferences of our capital stock. This summary is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, our charter and bylaws and the applicable provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law, or the MGCL. While we believe that the following description covers the material terms of our capital stock, the description may not contain all of the information that is important to you. We encourage you to read carefully this entire prospectus, our charter and bylaws and the other documents we refer to for a more complete understanding of our capital stock. Copies of our charter and bylaws are incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. See "Where You Can Find More Information."

General

We are incorporated under the laws of the state of Maryland. The rights of our stockholders are governed by Maryland law as well as our charter and bylaws.

Our charter authorizes us to issue up to 450,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share, of which 1,000 shares are classified as 10% cumulative redeemable preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. Our charter authorizes our board of directors to amend our charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series without stockholder approval. As of August 6, 2018, 43,456,234 shares of common stock are issued and outstanding, and 1,000 shares of 10% cumulative redeemable preferred stock are issued and outstanding. Under Maryland law, stockholders are generally not liable for our debts or obligations.

Common Stock

Subject to the preferential rights of any other class or series of shares of stock and to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of shares of our stock, holders of shares of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends on such shares of common stock out of assets legally available therefor if, as and when authorized by our board of directors and declared by us, and the holders of shares of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in our assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up after payment of or adequate provision for all our known debts and liabilities.

Subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on transfer and ownership of shares of our stock and except as may otherwise be specified in the terms of any class or series of shares of stock, each outstanding share of common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election of directors, and, except as provided with respect to any other class or series of shares of stock, the holders of such shares of common stock possess the exclusive voting power. There is no cumulative voting in the election of our board of directors, which means that the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock can elect all of the directors then standing for election, and the holders of the remaining shares of common stock will not be able to elect any directors.

Holders of shares of common stock have no preference, conversion, exchange, sinking fund or redemption rights, have no preemptive rights to subscribe for any securities of our company and generally have no appraisal rights. Subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on transfer and ownership of shares of our stock, shares of common stock have equal dividend, liquidation and other rights.

Under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation generally cannot dissolve, amend its charter, merge with another entity, transfer all or substantially all of its assets, engage in a share exchange or engage in similar transactions outside the ordinary course of business unless declared advisable by its board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders holding at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter unless a lesser percentage (but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) is set forth in the corporation's charter. Our charter provides that these matters (other than certain amendments to the provisions of our charter related to the removal of directors, the restrictions on ownership and transfer of shares of our stock and the requirement of a two-thirds vote for amendment to these provisions) may be approved by our stockholders by a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.

Listing

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "GPMT."

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for shares of our common stock is Equiniti Trust Company.

Shares of Preferred Stock

The following description sets forth general terms and provisions of the preferred stock to which any prospectus supplement may relate. The statements below describing the preferred stock are in all respects subject to and qualified in their entirety by reference to our charter, as amended and restated, bylaws, as amended and restated, and any articles supplementary to our charter, designating terms of a series of preferred stock. The preferred stock, when issued, will be validly issued, fully paid, and non-assessable. Because our board of directors has the power to establish the preferences, powers and rights of each series of preferred stock, our board of directors may afford the holders of any series of preferred stock preferences, powers and rights, voting or otherwise, senior to the rights of our common stockholders.

The rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of each series of preferred stock will be fixed by the articles supplementary to our charter relating to the series. A prospectus supplement, relating to each series, will specify the terms of the preferred stock, as follows:

•: the title and stated value of the preferred stock;
•: the voting rights of the preferred stock, if applicable;
•: the preemptive rights of the preferred stock, if applicable;
•: the restrictions on alienability of the preferred stock, if applicable;
•: the number of shares offered, the liquidation preference per share and the offering price of the shares;
•: liability to further calls or assessment of the preferred stock, if applicable;
•: the dividend rate(s), period(s) and payment date(s) or method(s) of calculation applicable to the preferred stock;
•: the date from which dividends on the preferred stock will accumulate, if applicable;
•: the procedures for any auction and remarketing for the preferred stock;
•: the provision for a sinking fund, if any, for the preferred stock;
•: the provision for and any restriction on redemption, if applicable, of the preferred stock;
•: the provision for and any restriction on repurchase, if applicable, of the preferred stock;
•: any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange;
•: the terms and provisions, if any, upon which the preferred stock will be convertible into common stock, including the conversion price(or manner of calculation) and conversion period;
•: the terms under which the rights of the preferred stock may be modified, if applicable;
•: any other specific terms, preferences, rights, limitations or restrictions of the preferred stock;
•: a discussion of certain material federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred stock;
•: the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our affairs;

•: any limitation on issuance of any series of preferred stock ranking senior to or on a parity with the series of preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our affairs; and
•: any limitations on direct or beneficial ownership and restrictions on transfer of the preferred stock, in each case as may be appropriate to preserve our qualification as a REIT.

Power to Reclassify Our Unissued Shares of Stock

Our charter authorizes our board of directors to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of common or preferred stock into other classes or series of shares of stock. Prior to issuance of shares of each other class or series, our board of directors will be required by Maryland law and by our charter to set, subject to our charter restrictions on transfer and ownership of shares of our stock, the terms, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption for each class or series. Therefore, among other things, our board of directors could authorize the issuance of shares of common or preferred stock with terms and conditions that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control or other transaction that might involve a premium price for shares of our common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders.

Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock

The articles supplementary designating the terms of our 10% cumulative redeemable preferred stock, which we refer to herein as the cumulative redeemable preferred stock, initially authorize 1,000 shares of cumulative redeemable preferred stock, with an aggregate liquidation preference of $1,000,000. The cumulative redeemable preferred stock ranks, with respect to dividend rights and rights upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, senior to all classes or series of our common stock and junior to all other classes or series of our preferred stock that may be issued in the future (except as noted in the next sentence). We may issue other classes or series of capital stock in the future, including preferred stock, and expressly designate such classes or series as ranking junior to, on parity with or senior to the cumulative redeemable preferred stock. We may not, however, issue capital stock ranking as to dividends or rights upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, senior to the cumulative redeemable preferred stock, without the affirmative vote or consent of two-thirds of the issued and outstanding shares of cumulative redeemable preferred stock.

The holders of the cumulative redeemable preferred stock are entitled to receive, when, as and if authorized and declared by us, cumulative cash dividends at the rate of 10% per annum of the $1,000 liquidation preference per share of the cumulative redeemable preferred stock, equivalent to $100 per annum per share. Such dividends accrue on a daily basis and are cumulative from and including the initial issue date of the cumulative redeemable preferred stock. Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of the cumulative redeemable preferred stock are entitled to receive a liquidating preference of $1,000 per share, plus any accrued and unpaid dividends thereon, before we distribute any investments to holders of our common stock or any other shares of stock that rank junior to the cumulative redeemable preferred stock as to liquidation rights.

Beginning on June 28, 2022, we may, at our option, redeem the cumulative redeemable preferred stock, in whole or in part, at any time or from time to time, by paying $1,000 per share, plus any accrued and unpaid dividends thereon. Beginning on June 28, 2023, we will, at the request of any stockholder holding shares of cumulative redeemable preferred stock, repurchase the number of shares of cumulative redeemable preferred stock that such stockholder proposes to sell to us from time to time, at a price per share equal to the liquidation preference of $1,000 plus all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon.

Holders of cumulative redeemable preferred stock have no preemptive or appraisal rights, nor do such holders have any voting rights (except in limited circumstances relating to any amendment, alteration or repeal of the terms of the cumulative redeemable preferred stock that would materially and adversely affect any right, preference, privilege or voting power of the cumulative redeemable preferred stock or the holders thereof or as a condition to the issuance of senior stock, as described above). The cumulative redeemable preferred stock is not convertible into or exchangeable for any of our other property or securities.

In order to ensure that we continue to meet the requirements for qualification as a REIT, the cumulative redeemable preferred stock is subject to the restrictions on ownership and transfer set forth in our charter, including the aggregate stock ownership limit. See "Description of Capital Stock—Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer."

Power to Increase or Decrease Authorized Shares of Common Stock and Issue Additional Shares of Common and Preferred Stock

We believe that the power of our board of directors to amend our charter to increase or decrease the number of authorized shares of stock, to issue additional authorized but unissued shares of common or preferred stock and to classify or reclassify unissued shares of common or preferred stock and thereafter to issue such classified or reclassified shares of stock provides us with increased flexibility in structuring possible future financings and acquisitions and in meeting other needs that might arise. The additional classes or series, as well as the shares of common stock, are available for issuance without further action by our stockholders, unless such action is required by applicable law or the terms of any issued and outstanding class or series, or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our securities may be listed or traded. Although our board of directors does not intend to do so, the board of directors could authorize us to issue a class or series that could, depending upon the terms of the particular class or series, delay, defer or prevent a change in control or other transaction that might involve a premium price for shares of our common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders.

DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES

General

We may issue depositary shares, each of which would represent a fractional interest of a share of a particular series of preferred stock. We will deposit shares of preferred stock represented by depositary shares under a separate deposit agreement among the company, a preferred stock depositary and the holders of the depositary shares. Subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, each owner of a depositary share will possess, in proportion to the fractional interest of a share of preferred stock represented by the depositary share, all the rights and preferences of the preferred stock represented by the depositary shares. Depositary receipts will evidence the depositary shares issued pursuant to the deposit agreement. Immediately after the company issues and delivers preferred stock to a preferred stock depositary, the preferred stock depositary will issue the depositary receipts.

Dividends and Other Distributions

The depositary will distribute all cash dividends on the preferred stock to the record holders of the depositary shares. Holders of depositary shares generally must file proofs, certificates and other information and pay charges and expenses of the depositary in connection with distributions. If a distribution on the preferred stock is other than in cash and it is feasible for the depositary to distribute the property it receives, the depositary will distribute the property to the record holders of the depositary shares. If such a distribution is not feasible, the depositary, with our approval, may sell the property and distribute the net proceeds from the sale to the holders of the depositary shares.

Withdrawal of Stock

Unless we have previously called the underlying preferred stock for redemption or the holder of the depositary shares has converted such shares, a holder of depositary shares may surrender them at the corporate trust office of the depositary in exchange for whole or fractional shares of the underlying preferred stock together with any money or other property represented by the depositary shares. Once a holder has exchanged the depositary shares, the holder may not redeposit the preferred stock and receive depositary shares again. If a depositary receipt presented for exchange into preferred stock represents more shares of preferred stock than the number to be withdrawn, the depositary will deliver a new depositary receipt for the excess number of depositary shares.

Redemption of Depositary Shares

Whenever we redeem shares of preferred stock held by a depositary, the depositary will redeem the corresponding amount of depositary shares with funds it receives from us for the preferred stock. The depositary will notify the record holders of the depositary shares to be redeemed not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days before the date fixed for redemption at the holders' addresses appearing in the depositary's books. The redemption price per depositary share will be equal to the applicable fraction of the redemption price and any other amounts payable with respect to the preferred stock. If we intend to redeem less than all of the underlying preferred stock, we and the depositary will select the depositary shares to be redeemed on as nearly a pro rata basis as practicable without creating fractional depositary shares or by any other equitable method determined by us that preserves our REIT status.

On the redemption date:

•: all dividends relating to the shares of preferred stock called for redemption will cease to accrue;
•: we and the depositary will no longer deem the depositary shares called for redemption to be outstanding; and
•: all rights of the holders of the depositary shares called for redemption will cease, except the right to receive any money payable upon the redemption and any money or other property to which the holders of the depositary shares are entitled upon redemption.

Voting of the Preferred Stock

When a depositary receives notice regarding a meeting at which the holders of the underlying preferred stock have the right to vote, it will mail that information to the holders of the depositary shares. Each record holder of depositary shares on the record date may then instruct the depositary to exercise its voting rights for the amount of preferred stock represented by that holder's depositary shares. The depositary will vote in accordance with these instructions. The depositary will abstain from voting to the extent it does not receive specific instructions from the holders of depositary shares. A depositary will not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instruction to vote, or for the manner or effect of any vote, as long as any action or non-action is in good faith and does not result from negligence or willful misconduct of the depositary.

Liquidation Preference

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, a holder of depositary shares will receive the fraction of the liquidation preference accorded each share of underlying preferred stock represented by the depositary share.

Conversion of Preferred Stock

Depositary shares will not themselves be convertible into common stock or any other securities or property of the company. However, if the underlying preferred stock is convertible, holders of depositary shares may surrender them to the depositary with written instructions to convert the preferred stock represented by their depositary shares into whole shares of common stock, other shares of our preferred stock or other shares of stock, as applicable. Upon receipt of these instructions and any amounts payable in connection with a conversion, we will convert the preferred stock using the same procedures as those provided for delivery of preferred stock. If a holder of depositary shares converts only part of its depositary shares, the depositary will issue a new depositary receipt for any depositary shares not converted. We will not issue fractional shares of common stock upon conversion. If a conversion will result in the issuance of a fractional share, we will pay an amount in cash equal to the value of the fractional interest based upon the closing price of the common stock on the last business day prior to the conversion.

Amendment and Termination of a Deposit Agreement

The company and the depositary may amend any form of depositary receipt evidencing depositary shares and any provision of a deposit agreement. However, unless the existing holders of at least two-thirds of the applicable depositary shares then outstanding have approved the amendment, we and the depositary may not make any amendment that:

•: would materially and adversely alter the rights of the holders of depositary shares; or
•: would be materially and adversely inconsistent with the rights granted to the holders of the underlying preferred stock.

Subject to exceptions in the deposit agreement and except in order to comply with applicable law, no amendment may impair the right of any holders of depositary shares to surrender their depositary shares with instructions to deliver the underlying preferred stock and all money and other property represented by the depositary shares. Every holder of outstanding depositary shares at the time any amendment becomes effective who continues to hold the depositary shares will be deemed to consent and agree to the amendment and to be bound by the amended deposit agreement.

We may terminate a deposit agreement upon not less than 30 days prior written notice to the depositary if:

•: the termination is necessary to preserve our REIT status; or
•: a majority of each series of preferred stock affected by the termination consents to the termination.

In addition, a deposit agreement will automatically terminate if:

•: we have redeemed all underlying preferred stock subject to the agreement;
•: a final distribution of the underlying preferred stock in connection with any liquidation, dissolution or winding up has occurred, and the depositary has distributed the distribution to the holders of the depositary shares; or
•: each share of the underlying preferred stock has been converted into other capital stock of the company not represented by depositary shares.

Expenses of a Preferred Stock Depositary

We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges and expenses arising in connection with a deposit agreement. In addition, we will generally pay the fees and expenses of a

depositary in connection with the performance of its duties. However, holders of depositary shares will pay the fees and expenses of a depositary for any duties requested by the holders that the deposit agreement does not expressly require the depositary to perform.

Resignation and Removal of Depositary

A depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its election to resign. We may also remove a depositary at any time. Any resignation or removal will take effect upon the appointment of a successor depositary. We will appoint a successor depositary within 60 days after delivery of the notice of resignation or removal. The successor must be a bank or trust company with its principal office in the U.S. and have a combined capital and surplus of at least $50 million.

Miscellaneous

The depositary will forward to the holders of depositary shares any reports and communications from us with respect to the underlying preferred stock. Neither the depositary nor the company will be liable if any law or any circumstances beyond their control prevent or delay them from performing their obligations under a deposit agreement. The obligations of the company and a depositary under a deposit agreement will be limited to performing their duties in good faith and without negligence and, in regard to voting of preferred stock, gross negligence or willful misconduct. Neither the company nor a depositary will be required to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding with respect to any depositary shares or the underlying preferred stock unless they are furnished with satisfactory indemnity.

The company and any depositary may rely on the written advice of counsel or accountants, or information provided by persons presenting shares of preferred stock for deposit, holders of depositary shares or other persons they believe in good faith to be competent, and on documents they believe in good faith to be genuine and signed by a proper party. In the event a depositary receives conflicting claims, requests or instructions from us and any holders of depositary shares, the depositary will be entitled to act on the claims, requests or instructions received from us.

Depositary

The prospectus supplement will identify the depositary for the depositary shares.

Listing of the Depositary Shares

The applicable prospectus supplement will specify whether or not the depositary shares will be listed on any securities exchange.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

General

The following description of the terms of our senior debt securities and subordinated debt securities, together, referred to as the debt securities, sets forth certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities to which any prospectus supplement may relate. Unless otherwise noted, the general terms and provisions of our debt securities discussed below apply to both our senior debt securities and our subordinated debt securities. Our debt securities may be issued from time to time in one or more series. The particular terms of any series of debt securities and the extent to which the general provisions may apply to a particular series of debt securities will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to that series.

The senior debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and the Senior Indenture Trustee, referred to as the senior indenture. The subordinated debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and a Subordinated Indenture Trustee, referred to as the subordinated indenture and, together with the senior indenture, the indentures. The Senior Indenture Trustee and the Subordinated Indenture Trustee are both referred to, individually, as the Trustee. The senior debt securities will constitute our unsecured and unsubordinated obligations and the subordinated debt securities will constitute our unsecured and subordinated obligations. A detailed description of the subordination provisions is provided below under the caption "—Ranking and Subordination—Subordination." In general, however, if we declare bankruptcy, holders of the senior debt securities will be paid in full before the holders of subordinated debt securities will receive anything.

The statements set forth below are brief summaries of certain provisions contained in the indentures, which summaries do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the indentures, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Terms used herein that are otherwise not defined shall have the meanings given to them in the indentures. Such defined terms shall be incorporated herein by reference.

The indentures will not limit the amount of debt securities that may be issued under the applicable indenture, and debt securities may be issued under the applicable indenture up to the aggregate principal amount that may be authorized from time to time by us. Any such limit applicable to a particular series will be specified in the prospectus supplement relating to that series.

The prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered will contain the following terms, among others, for each such series of debt securities:

•: the title of the debt securities of such series;
•: the person to whom any interest on a debt security of such series is payable, if other than the registered holder at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest;
•: the date or dates on which the principal amount of the debt securities of such series is payable;
•: the rate or rates (or manner of calculation thereof) at which the debt securities of such series will bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which interest will accrue and the interest payment dates and regular record dates for the debt securities of such series;
•: the place or places where the principal of and any premium and interest on debt securities of such series is payable;
•: the period or periods within which the redemption price or prices or the repayment price or prices, as the case may be, at which, and the terms and conditions upon which, the debt securities of such series may be redeemed or repaid at the company's option or the option of the holder of such debt securities;

•: the obligation, if any, of the company to purchase the debt securities of such series pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of such debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which such debt securities of such series will be purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
•: if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof, the denominations in which the debt securities of such series will be issuable;
•: provisions, if any, with regard to the conversion or exchange of the debt securities of such series, at the option of the holders of such debt securities or the company, as the case may be, for or into new securities of a different series or other securities;
•: if other than U.S. dollars, the currency or currencies or units based on or related to currencies in which the debt securities of such series will be denominated and in which payments of principal of, and any premium and interest on, such debt securities shall or may be payable;
•: if the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest, if any, on the debt securities of such series are to be payable, at the election of the company or a holder of such debt securities, in a currency (including a composite currency) other than that in which such debt securities are stated to be payable, the period or periods within which, and the terms and conditions upon which, such election may be made;
•: if the amount of payments of principal of (and premium, if any) or interest, if any, on the debt securities of such series may be determined with reference to an index based on a currency (including a composite currency) other than that in which such debt securities are stated to be payable, the manner in which such amounts shall be determined;
•: any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of such series which may be authenticated and delivered under the applicable indenture;
•: provisions, if any, related to the exchange of the debt securities of such series, at the option of the holders of such debt securities, for other securities of the same series of the same aggregate principal amount or of a different authorized series or different authorized denomination or denominations, or both;
•: provisions, if any, relating to the appointment by us of an authenticating agent other than in the location of the office of the Trustee, with power to act on behalf of the Trustee with respect to the authentication and delivery of a series of debt securities in connection with such transactions as are specified in the indenture or any prospectus supplement;
•: the portion of the principal amount of the debt securities of such series, if other than the principal amount thereof, which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof or provable in bankruptcy, as more fully described under the section "—Events of Default, Notice and Waiver" below;
•: any event of default with respect to the debt securities of such series, if not set forth in the applicable indenture, and any additions, deletions or other changes to the events of default set forth in the applicable indenture that shall be applicable to the debt securities of such series;
•: any covenant solely for the benefit of the debt securities of such series and any additions, deletions or other changes to the provisions of the applicable indenture more fully described under the section "—Consolidation, Merger, Conveyance or Transfer on Certain Terms" below, under the section "—Certain Covenants" below, the section of the applicable indenture containing the defined terms or any definitions relating to such provisions of the applicable indenture that would otherwise be applicable to the debt securities of such series;

•: if the provisions of the applicable indenture more fully described under the section "—Defeasance" below will not be applicable to the debt securities of such series, and if such provisions shall be applicable to any covenant or event of default specified in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities that has not already been established in the applicable indenture;
•: whether the debt securities of such series will be issued in whole or in part in the form of global securities and, if so, the identity of the depositary with respect to such global securities and the terms and conditions, if any, upon which such global securities may be exchanged for other securities;
•: if the debt securities of such series will be guaranteed, the terms and conditions of such guarantees and provisions for the accession of the guarantors to certain obligations under the applicable indenture;
•: with respect to subordinated debt securities only, the amendment or modification of the subordination provisions in the subordinated indenture with respect to the debt securities of such series; and
•: any other specific terms.

We may issue debt securities of any series at various times and we may reopen any series for further issuances from time to time without notice to existing holders of securities of that series.

Some of the debt securities may be issued as original issue discount, or OID, debt securities. OID debt securities bear no interest or bear interest at below-market rates. These are sold at a discount below their stated principal amount. If we issue these securities, the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities will describe any special tax, accounting or other information which we think is important. We encourage you to consult with your own tax and financial advisors on these important matters.

Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, the covenants contained in the indentures will not provide special protection to holders of debt securities if we enter into a highly leveraged transaction, recapitalization or restructuring.

Unless otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, interest on outstanding debt securities will be paid to holders of record on the regular record date as specified in the applicable debt security. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, debt securities will be issued in fully registered form only. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, the principal amount of the debt securities will be payable at the corporate trust office of the Trustee in New York, New York. The debt securities may be presented for transfer or exchange at such office unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, subject to the limitations provided in the applicable indenture, without any service charge, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charges payable in connection therewith.

Ranking and Subordination

General

The debt securities and the related guarantees will effectively rank junior in right of payment to any of our or the guarantors' current and future secured obligations to the extent of the value of the assets securing such obligations. The debt securities and the guarantees will be effectively subordinated to all existing and future liabilities, including indebtedness and trade payables, of our non-guarantor subsidiaries. Unless otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, the indentures will not limit the amount of unsecured indebtedness or other liabilities that can be incurred by our non-guarantor subsidiaries.

Ranking of Debt Securities

The senior debt securities described in this prospectus will be unsecured, senior obligations of the company and will rank equally with the company's other unsecured and unsubordinated obligations. Any guarantees of the senior debt securities will be unsecured and senior obligations of each of the guarantors, and will rank equally with all other unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of such guarantors. The subordinated debt securities will be unsecured, subordinated obligations of the company and any guarantees of the subordinated debt securities will be unsecured and subordinated obligations of each of the guarantors.

Subordination

If issued, the indebtedness evidenced by the subordinated debt securities will be subordinate to the prior payment in full of all our Senior Indebtedness (as defined below). During the continuance beyond any applicable grace period of any default in the payment of principal, premium, interest or any other payment due on any of our Senior Indebtedness, we may not make any payment of principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on the subordinated debt securities, except for certain sinking fund payments made in connection with the redemption of debt securities prior to such default and except for payments made in connection with a defeasance with monies deposited with the Trustee prior to such default. In addition, upon any payment or distribution of our assets to creditors upon any dissolution, winding up, liquidation or reorganization, the payment of the principal of, or premium, if any, and interest on the subordinated debt securities will be subordinated to the extent provided in the subordinated indenture in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all our Senior Indebtedness. Because of this subordination, if we dissolve or otherwise liquidate, holders of our subordinated debt securities may receive less, ratably, than holders of our Senior Indebtedness. The subordination provisions do not prevent the occurrence of an event of default under the subordinated indenture.

The subordination provisions also apply in the same way to any guarantor with respect to the Senior Indebtedness of such guarantor.

The term "Senior Indebtedness" of a person means with respect to such person the principal of, premium, if any, interest on, and any other payment due pursuant to any of the following, whether outstanding on the date of the subordinated indenture or incurred by that person in the future:

•: all of the indebtedness of that person for borrowed money, including any indebtedness secured by a mortgage or other lien which is (1) given to secure all or part of the purchase price of property subject to the mortgage or lien, whether given to the vendor of that property or to another lender, or (2) existing on property at the time that person acquires it;
•: all of the indebtedness of that person evidenced by notes, debentures, bonds or other similar instruments sold by that person for money;
•: all of the lease obligations which are capitalized on the books of that person in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
•: all indebtedness of others of the kinds described in the first two bullet points above and all lease obligations of others of the kind described in the third bullet point above, in each case, that the person, in any manner, assumes or guarantees or that the person in effect guarantees through an agreement to purchase, whether that agreement is contingent or otherwise; and
•: all renewals, extensions or refundings of indebtedness of the kinds described in the first, second or fourth bullet point above and all renewals or extensions of leases of the kinds described in the third or fourth bullet point above;unless, in the case of any particular indebtedness, lease, renewal, extension or refunding, the instrument or lease creating or evidencing it or the assumption or guarantee relating to it expressly provides that such indebtedness, lease, renewal,

extension or refunding is not superior in right of payment to the subordinated debt securities. Our senior debt securities, and any unsubordinated guarantee obligations of ours or any guarantor to which we and the guarantors are a party, including the guarantors' guarantees of our debt securities and other indebtedness for borrowed money, constitute Senior Indebtedness for purposes of the subordinated indenture.

Pursuant to the subordinated indenture, the subordinated indenture may not be amended, at any time, to alter the subordination provisions of any outstanding subordinated debt securities without the consent of the requisite holders of each outstanding series or class of Senior Indebtedness (as determined in accordance with the instrument governing such Senior Indebtedness) that would be adversely affected thereby.

Consolidation, Merger, Conveyance or Transfer on Certain Terms

Except as described in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to such debt securities, we will not consolidate with or merge into any other entity or convey or transfer our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any entity, unless:

(1): the entity formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged or the entity that acquires by conveyance or transfer our properties and assets substantially as an entirety shall be organized and existing under the laws of the U.S. or any State or the District of Columbia, and will expressly assume, by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee, in form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee, the due and punctual payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on all the debt securities and the performance of every covenant of the applicable indenture (as supplemented from time to time) on our part to be performed or observed;
(2): immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Event of Default (as defined below), and no event which, after notice or lapse of time, or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have happened and be continuing; and
(3): we have delivered to the Trustee an officers' certificate and an opinion of counsel each stating that such consolidation, merger, conveyance or transfer and such supplemental indenture comply with the requirements set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) above and that all conditions precedent relating to such transaction have been complied with.

Upon any consolidation or merger, or any conveyance or transfer of our properties and assets substantially as an entirety as set forth above, the successor person formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged or to which such conveyance or transfer is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of ours under the applicable indenture with the same effect as if such successor had been named in the applicable indenture. In the event of any such conveyance or transfer, we, as the predecessor, shall be discharged from all obligations and covenants under the applicable indenture and the debt securities issued under such indenture and may be dissolved, wound up or liquidated at any time thereafter.

Certain Covenants

Any covenants pertaining to a series of debt securities will be set forth in a prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities.

Except as described in the prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, the indentures and the debt securities do not contain any covenants or other provisions designed to afford holders of debt securities protection in the event of a recapitalization or highly leveraged transaction involving us.

Certain Definitions

The following are certain of the terms defined in the indentures:

"Significant Subsidiary" means any Subsidiary which would be a "significant subsidiary" as defined in Article 1, Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X, promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act, as in effect on the date of the applicable indenture.

"Subsidiary" means, with respect to any person, any corporation more than 50% of the voting stock of which is owned directly or indirectly by such person, and any partnership, association, joint venture or other entity in which such person owns more than 50% of the equity interests or has the power to elect a majority of the board of directors or other governing body.

Redemption

Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may redeem any of the debt securities as a whole at any time or in part from time to time, at our option, on at least 15 days, but not more than 45 days, prior notice mailed to the registered address of each holder of the debt securities to be redeemed, at the price specified in the debt security at which it is to be redeemed. If specified in the applicable prospectus supplement for a series of debt securities, we may rescind the redemption of such debt securities upon the occurrence of any of the following: (a) a general suspension of trading or limitation on prices for securities on the securities exchange on which the shares of our stock are traded for more than 6.5 consecutive trading hours, (b) the decline of the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the S&P 500 (or any successor index) by more than certain percentages; (c) a banking moratorium or suspension of payments in respect of banks declared by federal or state authorities; or (d) an act of terrorism or commencement of war or armed hostilities or other national or international calamity involving the United States which in our reasonable judgment could have a material adverse effect on the market for our common stock.

On and after the redemption date, interest will cease to accrue on the debt securities or any portion thereof called for redemption, unless we default in the payment of the Redemption Price, and any right to convert such debt securities shall terminate. On or before the redemption date, we shall deposit with a paying agent or the applicable Trustee, or segregate and hold in trust, money sufficient to pay the Redemption Price of the debt securities to be redeemed on such date. If we elect to redeem less than all of the debt securities of a series, then the Trustee will select the particular debt securities of such series to be redeemed in a manner it deems appropriate and fair.

Defeasance

Except as otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, each indenture will provide that, at our option,

(a): we and any applicable guarantors will be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of any series of debt securities (except in each case for certain obligations to register the transfer or exchange of debt securities, replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities, maintain paying agencies and hold monies for payment in trust), or
(b): (i) we need not comply with certain covenants contained in the indenture and any prospectus supplement relating to such debt securities, including covenants relating to maintaining our legal existence and complying with certain restrictions on our ability to consolidate or merge with, or transfer our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to, another person, (ii) the guarantors will be released from the guarantees and (iii) certain Events of Default (other than those arising out of the failure to pay interest or principal on the debt securities of that series and certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization) will no longer constitute Events of Default with respect to such series of debt securities,

in each case, if:

(1): we deposit with the Trustee, in trust, money or the equivalent in securities of the government which issued the currency in which the debt securities are denominated or government agencies backed by the full faith and credit of such government, or a combination thereof, which through the payment of interest thereon and principal thereof in accordance with their terms will provide money in an amount sufficient to pay all the principal (including any mandatory sinking fund payments) of, and interest on, such series on the dates such payments are due in accordance with the terms of such series;
(2): no event of default or event (including such deposit) which with notice or lapse of time would become an event of default with respect to the debt securities of such series shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit (other than an event of default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit);
(3): we deliver to the Trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the deposit and related defeasance would not cause the holders of such series to recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes and, in the case of a discharge pursuant to clause (a) above, accompanied by a ruling to such effect received from or published by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or IRS;
(4): we deliver to the Trustee an officers' certificate stating that such deposit was not made by us with the intent of preferring the holders over other creditors of ours or with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding creditors of ours or others;
(5): we deliver to the Trustee an officers' certificate stating that all conditions precedent set forth in the indenture relating to the satisfaction and discharge of the indenture with respect to the debt securities of such series have been satisfied; and
(6): we deliver to the Trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the satisfaction and discharge of the indenture with respect to the debt securities of such series is authorized and permitted under the indenture and all conditions precedent set forth in the indenture relating to such satisfaction and discharge have been satisfied.

Events of Default, Notice and Waiver

Except as otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, each indenture will provide that, if an Event of Default specified therein with respect to any series of debt securities issued thereunder shall have happened and be continuing, either the Trustee thereunder or the holders of 33¹/3% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series (or 33¹/3% in aggregate principal amount of all outstanding debt securities under such indenture, in the case of certain Events of Default affecting all series of debt securities issued under such indenture) may declare the principal of all the debt securities of such series to be due and payable;provided, that upon the occurrence of an event of default due to bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, such amounts shall be immediately due and payable without action by the Trustee or the holders of such series of debt securities.

Except as otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, an "Event of Default" in respect of any series will be defined in the indentures as being any one of the following events:

•: default for 30 days in payment of any interest with respect to such series;
•: default in payment of principal of, or premium, if any, on, or any sinking or purchase fund or analogous obligation with respect to, debt securities of such series when due at their stated maturity, by declaration or acceleration, when called for redemption or otherwise;

•: default for 90 days after written notice to us by the Trustee thereunder or to us and the Trustee by holders of 33¹/3% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series in the performance, or breach, of any covenant or warranty pertaining to debt securities of such series;
•: certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization with respect to us or any Significant Subsidiary of ours which is organized under the laws of the U.S. or any political sub-division thereof or the entry of an order ordering the winding up or liquidation of our affairs; and
•: any other event of default specified in the prospectus supplement for a series of debt securities.

Each indenture will provide that the Trustee thereunder will, within 90 days after the occurrence of a default with respect to the debt securities of any series issued under such indenture, give to the holders of the debt securities of such series notice of all uncured and unwaived defaults known to it; provided, however, that, except in the case of default in the payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest, if any, on any of the debt securities of such series, the Trustee will be protected in withholding such notice if it in good faith determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the holders of the debt securities of such series. The term "default" for the purpose of this provision means any event which is, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of such series.

Each indenture will contain provisions entitling the Trustee under such indenture, subject to the duty of the Trustee during an Event of Default to act with the required standard of care, to be indemnified to its reasonable satisfaction by the holders of the debt securities before proceeding to exercise any right or power under the applicable indenture at the request of holders of such debt securities.

Each indenture will provide that the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series issued under such indenture may direct the time, method and place of conducting proceedings for remedies available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee in respect of such series, subject to certain conditions.

Except as otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the debt securities, in certain cases, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind, on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of such series, a declaration of acceleration resulting from an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of such series except, among other things, a declaration of acceleration resulting from an Event of Default not theretofore cured in payment of the principal of, or premium, if any, or interest, if any, on any of the senior debt securities of such series or payment of any sinking or purchase fund or analogous obligations with respect to such senior debt securities.

Each indenture will include a covenant that we will file annually with the Trustee a certificate of no default or specifying any default that exists.

Modification of the Indentures

Except as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the debt securities, we and the Trustee may, without the consent of the holders of the debt securities issued under the indenture governing such debt securities, enter into indentures supplemental to the applicable indenture for, among others, one or more of the following purposes:

(1): to evidence the succession of another person to us or to a guarantor, if any, and the assumption by such successor of our or the guarantor's obligations under the applicable indenture and the debt securities of any series;

(2): to add to our covenants or those of any guarantor, if any, or to surrender any of our rights or powers or those of any guarantor for the benefit of the holders of debt securities of any or all series issued under such indenture;
(3): to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision in the applicable indenture which may be inconsistent with any other provision therein, or to make any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under such indenture;
(4): to add to the applicable indenture any provisions that may be expressly permitted by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, or the TIA, excluding the provisions referred to in Section 316(a)(2) of the TIA as in effect at the date as of which the applicable indenture was executed or any corresponding provision in any similar federal statute hereafter enacted;
(5): to establish the form or terms of any series of debt securities to be issued under the applicable indenture, to provide for the issuance of any series of debt securities and/or to add to the rights of the holders of debt securities;
(6): to evidence and provide for the acceptance of any successor Trustee with respect to one or more series of debt securities or to add or change any of the provisions of the applicable indenture as shall be necessary to facilitate the administration of the trusts thereunder by one or more trustees in accordance with the applicable indenture;
(7): to provide any additional Events of Default;
(8): to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities; provided that the uncertificated securities are issued in registered form for certain federal tax purposes;
(9): to provide for the terms and conditions of converting those debt securities that are convertible into common stock or another such similar security;
(10): to secure any series of debt securities;
(11): to add guarantees in respect of any series or all of the debt securities;
(12): to make any change necessary to comply with any requirement of the SEC in connection with the qualification of the applicable indenture or any supplemental indenture under the TIA; and
(13): to make any other change that does not adversely affect the rights of the holders of the debt securities.

No supplemental indenture for the purpose identified in clauses (2), (3) or (5) above may be entered into if to do so would adversely affect the rights of the holders of debt securities of any series issued under the same indenture in any material respect.

Except as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities, each indenture will contain provisions permitting us and the Trustee under such indenture, with the consent of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of all series issued under such indenture to be affected voting as a single class, to execute supplemental indentures for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing or eliminating any of the provisions of the applicable indenture or modifying the rights of the holders of the debt securities of such series to be affected, except that no such supplemental indenture may, without the consent of each of the holders of affected debt securities, among other things:

•: change the maturity of the principal of, or the maturity of any premium on, or any installment of interest on, any such debt security, or reduce the principal amount or the interest or any premium of any such debt securities, or change the method of computing the amount of

principal or interest on any such debt securities on any date or change any place of payment where, or the currency in which, any debt securities or any premium or interest thereon is payable, or impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after the maturity of principal or premium, as the case may be, or alter the provisions of the indenture so as to adversely affect the terms, if any, of conversion of any series of debt securities into our common stock or other marketable securities;

•: reduce the percentage in principal amount of any such debt securities the consent of whose holders is required for any supplemental indenture, waiver of compliance with certain provisions of the applicable indenture or certain defaults under the applicable indenture;
•: modify any of the provisions of the applicable indenture related to (i) the requirement that the holders of debt securities issued under such indenture consent to certain amendments of the applicable indenture, (ii) the waiver of past defaults and (iii) the waiver of certain covenants, except to increase the percentage of holders required to make such amendments or grant such waivers;
•: amend or modify certain provisions of the indenture relating to guarantees, if any, and the obligations of guarantors thereunder; or
•: impair or adversely affect the right of any holder to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on, or with respect to, such senior debt securities on or after the maturity of such debt securities.

In addition, the subordinated indenture will provide that we may not make any change in the terms of the subordination of the subordinated debt securities of any series in a manner adverse in any material respect to the holders of any series of subordinated debt securities without the consent of each holder of subordinated debt securities that would be adversely affected.

The Trustee

The Trustee shall be named in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Governing Law

The indentures will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

Global Securities

We may issue debt securities through global securities. A global security is a security, typically held by a depositary, that represents the beneficial interests of a number of purchasers of the security. If we do issue global securities, the following procedures will apply.

We will deposit global securities with the depositary identified in the prospectus supplement. After we issue a global security, the depositary will credit on its book-entry registration and transfer system the respective principal amounts of the debt securities represented by the global security to the accounts of persons who have accounts with the depositary. These account holders are known as "participants." The underwriters or agents participating in the distribution of the debt securities will designate the accounts to be credited. Only a participant or a person who holds an interest through a participant may be the beneficial owner of a global security. Ownership of beneficial interests in the global security will be shown on, and the transfer of that ownership will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary and its participants.

We and the Trustee will treat the depositary or its nominee as the sole owner or holder of the debt securities represented by a global security. Except as set forth below, owners of beneficial interests in a

global security will not be entitled to have the debt securities represented by the global security registered in their names. They also will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the debt securities in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the debt securities.

Principal, any premium and any interest payments on debt securities represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee will be made to the depositary or its nominee as the registered owner of the global security. None of us, the Trustee or any paying agent will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the global security or maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to the beneficial ownership interests.

We expect that the depositary, upon receipt of any payments, will immediately credit participants' accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the principal amount of the global security as shown on the depositary's records. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in the global security will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with the securities held for the accounts of customers registered in "street names," and will be the responsibility of the participants.

If the depositary is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary and a successor depositary is not appointed by us within 90 days, we will issue registered securities in exchange for the global security. In addition, we may at any time in our sole discretion determine not to have any of the debt securities of a series represented by global securities. In that event, we will issue debt securities of that series in definitive form in exchange for the global securities.

RESTRICTIONS ON OWNERSHIP AND TRANSFER

In order for us to qualify as a REIT under the Code, our shares of stock must be owned by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made) or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Also, not more than 50% of the value of the outstanding shares of stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, applying certain attribution rules, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain entities) during the last half of a taxable year (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made).

Our charter contains restrictions on the ownership and transfer of shares of our common stock and other outstanding shares of stock. The relevant sections of our charter provide that, subject to the exceptions described below, no person or entity may own, or be deemed to own, by virtue of the applicable constructive ownership provisions of the Code, more than 9.8% by value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our outstanding shares of common stock (the common share ownership limit), or 9.8% by value of our outstanding capital stock (the aggregate share ownership limit). We refer to the common share ownership limit and the aggregate share ownership limit collectively as the "ownership limits." A person or entity that becomes subject to the ownership limits by virtue of a violative transfer that results in a transfer to a trust, as set forth below, is referred to as a "purported beneficial transferee" if, had the violative transfer been effective, the person or entity would have been a record owner and beneficial owner or solely a beneficial owner of our shares of stock, or is referred to as a "purported record transferee" if, had the violative transfer been effective, the person or entity would have been solely a record owner of our shares of stock.

The constructive ownership rules under the Code are complex and may cause shares of stock owned actually or constructively by a group of related individuals and/or entities to be owned constructively by one individual or entity. As a result, the acquisition of less than 9.8% by value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our outstanding shares of common stock, or 9.8% by value of our outstanding capital stock (or the acquisition of an interest in an entity that owns,

actually or constructively, our shares of stock by an individual or entity), could, nevertheless, cause that individual or entity, or another individual or entity, to own constructively in excess of 9.8% by value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our outstanding shares of common stock, or 9.8% by value of our outstanding capital stock and thereby subject the shares of common stock or total shares of stock to the applicable ownership limits.

Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, exempt a person from the above-referenced ownership limits. However, the board of directors may not exempt any person whose ownership of our outstanding stock would result in our being "closely held" within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code or otherwise would result in our failing to qualify as a REIT. As a condition of its waiver, our board of directors may require an opinion of counsel or IRS ruling satisfactory to our board of directors with respect to our qualification as a REIT.

In connection with any waiver of the ownership limits or at any other time, our board of directors may from time to time increase or decrease the ownership limits for all other persons and entities; provided, however, that any decrease may be made only prospectively as to existing holders (other than a decrease as a result of a retroactive change in existing law, in which case the decrease will be effective immediately); and provided further that the ownership limits may not be increased if, after giving effect to such increase, five or fewer individuals could own or constructively own in the aggregate, more than 50.0% in value of the shares then outstanding. Prior to the modification of the ownership limits, our board of directors may require such opinions of counsel, affidavits, undertakings or agreements as it may deem necessary or advisable in order to determine or ensure our qualification as a REIT. Reduced ownership limits will not apply to any person or entity whose percentage ownership in shares of our common stock or total shares of stock, as applicable, is in excess of such decreased ownership limits until such time as such person's or entity's percentage of shares of our common stock or total shares of stock, as applicable, equals or falls below the decreased ownership limits, but any further acquisition of shares of our common stock or total shares of stock, as applicable, in excess of such percentage ownership of shares of our common stock or total shares of stock will be in violation of the ownership limits.

Our charter provisions further prohibit:

•: any person from beneficially or constructively owning, applying certain attribution rules of the Code, shares of our stock that would result in our being "closely held" under Section 856(h) of the Code or otherwise cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT; and
•: any person from transferring shares of our stock if such transfer would result in shares of our stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons (determined without reference to any rules of attribution).

Any person who acquires or attempts or intends to acquire beneficial or constructive ownership of shares of our stock that will or may violate any of the foregoing restrictions on transferability and ownership will be required to give written notice of such event to us immediately or, in the case of a proposed or attempted transaction, at least 15 days prior to such proposed or attempted transaction, and provide us with such other information as we may request in order to determine the effect of such transfer on our qualification as a REIT. The foregoing provisions on transferability and ownership will not apply if our board of directors determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT.

Pursuant to our charter, if any transfer of shares of our stock would result in shares of our stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons, such transfer will be null and void and the intended transferee will acquire no rights in such shares. In addition, if any purported transfer of shares of our stock or any other event would otherwise result in any person violating the ownership limits or such other limit established by our board of directors or in our being "closely held" under

Section 856(h) of the Code or otherwise failing to qualify as a REIT, then that number of shares (rounded up to the nearest whole share) that would cause such person to violate such restrictions will be automatically transferred to, and held by, a trust for the exclusive benefit of one or more charitable organizations selected by us and the intended transferee will acquire no rights in such shares. The automatic transfer will be effective as of the close of business on the business day prior to the date of the purported transfer or other event that results in a transfer to the trust. Any dividend or other distribution paid to the purported record transferee, prior to our discovery that the shares had been automatically transferred to a trust as described above, must be repaid to the trustee upon demand for distribution to the charitable beneficiary by the trust. If the transfer to the trust as described above is not automatically effective, for any reason, to prevent violation of the applicable ownership limit or our being "closely held" under Section 856(h) of the Code or otherwise failing to qualify as a REIT, then our charter provides that the transfer of the shares will be null and void and the intended transferee will acquire no rights in such shares.

Shares of stock transferred to the trustee are deemed offered for sale to us, or our designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (1) the price paid by the purported record transferee for the shares (or, if the event that resulted in the transfer to the trust did not involve a purchase of such shares of stock at market price, the last reported sales price reported on the NYSE (or other applicable exchange) on the day of the event which resulted in the transfer of such shares of stock to the trust) and (2) the market price on the date we or our designee accepts such offer. We have the right to accept such offer until the trustee has sold the shares of stock held in the trust pursuant to the clauses discussed below. Upon a sale to us, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold terminates, the trustee must distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the purported record transferee and any dividends or other distributions held by the trustee with respect to such shares of stock will be paid to the charitable beneficiary.

If we do not buy the shares, the trustee must, within 20 days of receiving notice from us of the transfer of shares to the trust, sell the shares to a person or entity designated by the trustee who could own the shares without violating the ownership limits or such other limit as established by our board of directors. After that, the trustee must distribute to the purported record transferee an amount equal to the lesser of (1) the price paid by the purported record transferee for the shares (or, if the event which resulted in the transfer to the trust did not involve a purchase of such shares at market price, the last reported sales price reported on the NYSE (or other applicable exchange) on the day of the event which resulted in the transfer of such shares of stock to the trust) and (2) the sales proceeds (net of commissions and other expenses of sale) received by the trust for the shares. Any net sales proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the purported record transferee will be immediately paid to the charitable beneficiary, together with any dividends or other distributions thereon. In addition, if prior to discovery by us that shares of stock have been transferred to a trust, such shares of stock are sold by a purported record transferee, then such shares will be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the trust and to the extent that the purported record transferee received an amount for or in respect of such shares that exceeds the amount that such purported record transferee was entitled to receive, such excess amount must be paid to the trustee upon demand. The purported beneficial transferee or purported record transferee has no rights in the shares held by the trustee.

The trustee will be designated by us and will be unaffiliated with us and with any purported record transferee or purported beneficial transferee. Prior to the sale of any shares by the trust, our charter provides that the trustee will receive, in trust for the beneficiary, all dividends and other distributions paid by us with respect to the shares held in trust and may also exercise all voting rights with respect to the shares held in trust. These rights will be exercised for the exclusive benefit of the charitable beneficiary. Any dividend or other distribution paid prior to our discovery that shares of stock have been transferred to the trust will be paid by the recipient to the trustee upon demand. Any dividend or other distribution authorized but unpaid will be paid when due to the trustee.

Subject to Maryland law, effective as of the date that the shares have been transferred to the trust, our charter provides that the trustee will have the authority, at the trustee's sole discretion:

•: to rescind as void any vote cast by a purported record transferee prior to our discovery that the shares have been transferred to the trust; and
•: to recast the vote in accordance with the desires of the trustee acting for the benefit of the beneficiary of the trust.

However, if we have already taken irreversible action, then the trustee may not rescind and recast the vote.

In addition, if our board of directors or other permitted designees determine in good faith that a proposed transfer would violate the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares of stock set forth in our charter, our board of directors or other permitted designees will take such action as it deems or they deem advisable to refuse to give effect to or to prevent such transfer, including, but not limited to, causing us to redeem the shares of stock, refusing to give effect to the transfer on our books or instituting proceedings to enjoin the transfer.

Every owner of more than 5% (or such lower percentage as required by the Code or applicable Treasury Regulations) of our stock, within 30 days after the end of each taxable year, is required to give us written notice, stating his name and address, the number of shares of each class and series of our stock which he beneficially owns and a description of the manner in which the shares are held. Each such owner shall provide us with such additional information as we may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of his beneficial ownership on our status as a REIT and to ensure compliance with the ownership limits. In addition, each stockholder shall upon demand be required to provide us with such information as we may request in good faith in order to determine our status as a REIT and to comply with the requirements of any taxing authority or governmental authority or to determine such compliance.

These ownership limits could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for the common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of the stockholders.

CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE MARYLAND GENERAL CORPORATION LAW AND GRANITE POINT'S CHARTER AND BYLAWS

The following description of the terms of our stock and of certain provisions of Maryland law is only a summary. This summary is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, our charter and bylaws and the applicable provisions of the MGCL. For a complete description, we refer you to the MGCL, and our charter and our bylaws, copies of which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Our Board of Directors

Our charter and bylaws provide that the number of directors we have may be established only by our board of directors but may not be fewer than the minimum number required under the MGCL, which is one, and our bylaws provide that the number of our directors may not be more than 15. We currently have nine directors. Except as may be provided by our board of directors in setting the terms of any class or series of stock, any vacancy on our board of directors may be filled only by a majority of the remaining directors, even if the remaining directors do not constitute a quorum. Any director so elected to fill a vacancy will hold office for the remainder of the full term of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified.

Each of our directors elected by our stockholders is elected to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. Holders of shares of common stock will have no right to cumulative voting in the election of directors. Our bylaws provide for the election of directors, in uncontested elections, by a majority of the votes cast. In contested elections, the election of directors shall be by a plurality of the votes cast.

Removal of Directors

Our charter provides that, subject to the rights of holders of one or more classes or series of preferred stock to elect or remove one or more directors, a director may be removed by the affirmative vote of the holders of shares entitled to cast at least two-thirds of all the votes of common stockholders entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors. This provision, when coupled with the exclusive power of our board of directors to fill vacancies on the board of directors, may preclude stockholders from (i) removing incumbent directors except upon a substantial affirmative vote and (ii) filling the vacancies created by such removal with their own nominees.

Business Combinations

Under Maryland law, "business combinations" between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder or an affiliate of an interested stockholder are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. These business combinations include a merger, consolidation, share exchange, or, in circumstances specified in the statute, an investment transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. An interested stockholder is defined as:

•: any person who beneficially owns ten percent or more of the voting power of the corporation's outstanding voting stock; or
•: an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of ten percent or more of the voting power of the then outstanding voting stock of the corporation.

A person is not an interested stockholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which he otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. However, in approving a transaction, the board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the board.

After the five-year prohibition, any business combination between the Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder generally must be recommended by the board of directors of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:

•: 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation; and
•: two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of the corporation other than shares held by the interested stockholder with whom or with whose affiliate the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder.

These super-majority vote requirements do not apply if the corporation's common stockholders receive a minimum price, as defined under Maryland law, for their shares in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares.

The statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by the board of directors before the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. As permitted by the MGCL, our board of directors has by resolution exempted business combinations (i) between us and any person not then already an interested stockholder,

provided that the business combination is first approved by our board of directors (including a majority of directors who are not affiliates or associates of such persons) and (ii) between us and PRCM or any of its affiliates. Consequently, the five-year prohibition and the super-majority vote requirements will not apply to business combinations between us and any other person as described above, and as a result, any such person may be able to enter into business combinations with us that may not be in the best interest of our stockholders, without compliance with the super-majority vote requirements and the other provisions of the statute. However, our board of directors may repeal or modify this resolution at any time. The business combination statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any such acquisition.

Control Share Acquisitions

The MGCL provides that holders of control shares of a Maryland corporation acquired in a control share acquisition have no voting rights with respect to the control shares, except to the extent approved by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Shares owned by the acquiror, by officers or by employees who are directors of the corporation are excluded from shares entitled to vote on the matter. Control shares are voting shares of stock which, if aggregated with all other shares of stock owned by the acquiror or in respect of which the acquiror is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquiror to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting power:

•: one-tenth or more but less than one-third,
•: one-third or more but less than a majority, or
•: a majority or more of all voting power.

Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval. A control share acquisition means the acquisition of control shares, subject to certain exceptions.

A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition may compel the board of directors of the corporation to call a special meeting of stockholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights of the shares. The right to compel the calling of a special meeting is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including an undertaking to pay the expenses of the meeting. If no request for a meeting is made, the corporation may itself present the question at any stockholders meeting.

If voting rights are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the statute, then the corporation may redeem for fair value any or all of the control shares, except those for which voting rights have previously been approved. The right of the corporation to redeem control shares is subject to certain conditions and limitations. Fair value is determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquiror or of any meeting of stockholders at which the voting rights of the shares are considered and not approved. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a stockholders meeting and the acquiror becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other stockholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquiror in the control share acquisition.

The control share acquisition statute does not apply (a) to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction, or (b) to acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation.

Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute any and all acquisitions by any person of shares of our stock. There can be no assurance that this provision will not be amended or eliminated at any time in the future.

Subtitle 8

Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL, which is commonly referred to as the "Maryland Unsolicited Takeovers Act" or "MUTA," permits a Maryland corporation with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent directors to elect to be subject, by provision in its charter or bylaws or a resolution of its board of directors, without stockholder approval, and notwithstanding any contrary provision in its charter or bylaws, to any or all of five provisions of the MGCL which provide, respectively, that:

•: the corporation's board of directors will be divided into three classes,
•: the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors is required to remove a director,
•: the number of directors be fixed only by vote of the directors,
•: a vacancy on the board be filled only by the remaining directors and for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred, and
•: the request of stockholders entitled to cast at least a majority of all votes entitled to be cast at the meeting is required for the calling of a special meeting of stockholders.

Our charter provides that, pursuant to Subtitle 8, vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors in office, even if the remaining directors do not constitute a quorum, and any director elected to fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the full term of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred. Through provisions in our charter and bylaws unrelated to Subtitle 8, we (i) require the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast not less than two-thirds of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter for the removal of any director from the board, which removal will be allowed only for cause, (ii) vest in the board the exclusive power to fix the number of directorships and (iii) require, unless called by our chairman of the board, our chief executive officer, our president or the board of directors, the written request of stockholders of not less than a majority of all votes entitled to be cast at such a meeting to call a special meeting.

Meetings of Stockholders

Pursuant to our bylaws, a meeting of our stockholders for the election of directors and the transaction of any business will be held annually on a date and at the time and place set by our board of directors. The chairman of our board of directors, our chief executive officer, our president or our board of directors may call a special meeting of our stockholders. Subject to the provisions of our bylaws, a special meeting of our stockholders to act on any matter that may properly be brought before a meeting of our stockholders will also be called by our secretary upon the written request of stockholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on such matter at the meeting containing the information required by our bylaws. Our secretary will inform the requesting stockholders of the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and delivering the notice of meeting (including our proxy materials), and the requesting stockholder must pay such estimated cost before our secretary is required to prepare and deliver the notice of the special meeting.

Amendment to Our Charter and Bylaws

Except for amendments to the provisions of our charter relating to the removal of directors, the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares of stock and the vote required to amend these provisions (each of which must be advised by our board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast not less than two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter), our charter generally may be amended only if advised by our board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Our board of directors, with the approval of a majority of the entire board, and without any action by our stockholders, may also amend our charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series we are authorized to issue.

Our board of directors has the power to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws and to make new bylaws. In addition, stockholders may alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws and adopt new bylaws if such alteration, repeal or adoption is approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter at an annual or special meeting or by written consent, in each case in accordance with the procedures outlined in our bylaws.

Extraordinary Transactions

Under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation generally cannot dissolve, merge, sell all or substantially all of its assets, engage in a share exchange or engage in similar transactions outside the ordinary course of business unless declared advisable by its board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter unless a lesser percentage (but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter) is set forth in the corporation's charter. As permitted by the MGCL, our charter provides that any of these actions may be approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Many of our operating assets will be held by our subsidiaries, and these subsidiaries may be able to merge or sell all or substantially all of their assets without the approval of our stockholders.

Appraisal Rights

Our charter provides that our stockholders generally will not be entitled to exercise statutory rights of objecting stockholders, or appraisal rights.

Dissolution of the Company

The dissolution of our company must be advised by a majority of our entire board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.

Advance Notice of Director Nominations and New Business

Our bylaws provide that with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders, nominations of individuals for election to the board of directors and the proposal of business to be considered by stockholders may be made only (i) pursuant to our notice of the meeting, (ii) by or at the direction of our board of directors or (iii) by a stockholder who is a stockholder of record both at the time of giving the advance notice required by the bylaws and at the time of the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated or on any such other business and who has complied with the advance notice procedures of the bylaws. With respect to special meetings of stockholders, only the business specified in our notice of the meeting may be brought before the meeting. Nominations of individuals for election to our board of directors at a special meeting may be

made only (i) by or at the direction of our board of directors or (ii) provided that the special meeting has been called in accordance with the bylaws for the purpose of electing directors, by a stockholder who is a stockholder of record both at the time of giving the advance notice required by the bylaws and at the time of the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated and who has complied with the advance notice provisions of the bylaws.

Anti-takeover Effect of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of the Charter and Bylaws

Our charter and bylaws and Maryland law contain provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a change in control or other transaction that might involve a premium price for shares of our common stock or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders, including

•: supermajority vote for removal of directors;
•: requirement that stockholders holding at least a majority of our outstanding common stock must act together to make a written request before our stockholders can require us to call a special meeting of stockholders;
•: provisions that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by the remaining directors for the full term of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred;
•: the power of our board to increase or decrease the aggregate number of authorized shares of stock or the number of shares of any class or series of stock;
•: the power of our board of directors to cause us to issue additional shares of stock of any class or series and to fix the terms of one or more classes or series of stock without stockholder approval;
•: restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock; and
•: advance notice requirements for director nominations and stockholder proposals.

Likewise, if the provision in our bylaws opting out of the control share acquisition provisions of the MGCL or the resolution of our board opting out of the business combination provisions of the MGCL are rescinded or if we opt in to other provisions of Subtitle 8, these provisions of the MGCL could have similar anti-takeover effects.

Indemnification and Limitation of Directors' and Officers' Liability

The MGCL permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages except for liability resulting from actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or active and deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment as being material to the cause of action. Our charter contains such a provision that eliminates such liability to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.

The MGCL requires us (unless our charter provides otherwise, which our charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he is made or threatened to be made a party by reason of his service in that capacity. The MGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:

•: the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (i) was committed in bad faith or (ii) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty;

•: the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or
•: in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.

A court may order indemnification if it determines that the director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, even though the director or officer did not meet the prescribed standard of conduct or was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received. However, indemnification for an adverse judgment in a suit by us or in our right, or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, is limited to expenses.

In addition, the MGCL permits a corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation's receipt of:

•: a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation; and
•: a written undertaking by the director or officer or on the director's or officer's behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the director or officer did not meet the standard of conduct.

Our charter provides that we have the power, and our bylaws obligate us, to the fullest extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, to indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to:

•: any present or former director or officer who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity; or
•: any individual who, while a director or officer of our company and at our request, serves or has served another corporation, REIT, partnership, joint venture, trust, limited liability company, employee benefit plan or any other enterprise as a director, officer, partner, trustee, member or manager of such corporation, REIT, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity.

Our charter and bylaws also permit us to indemnify and advance expenses to any person who served a predecessor of ours in any of the capacities described above and to any employee or agent of our company or a predecessor of our company.

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers that provide for indemnification to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.

Insofar as the foregoing provisions permit indemnification of directors, officers or persons controlling us for liability arising under the Securities Act, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, this indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

REIT Qualification

Our charter provides that our board of directors may revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without approval of our stockholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interests to continue to qualify as a REIT.

Exclusive Forum Bylaws

Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, or, if that Court does not have jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division, shall be the sole and exclusive forum for the following: any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the corporation; any action asserting a claim of breach of any duty owed by any of our present or former directors, officers or other employees or our stockholders to the corporation or to our stockholders or any standard of conduct applicable to our directors; any action asserting a claim against the corporation or any of our present or former directors, officers or other employees arising pursuant to any provision of the MGCL or our charter or bylaws; or any action asserting a claim against the corporation or any of our present or former directors, officers or other employees that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to the qualification and taxation of Granite Point as a REIT and the acquisition, holding and disposition of our common stock. For purposes of this section, references to "Granite Point," "our," "us" or "we" mean only Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. and not any of its subsidiaries or other lower-tier entities except as otherwise indicated. This summary is based upon the Code, the regulations promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department, or the Treasury Regulations, current administrative interpretations and practices of the IRS (including administrative interpretations and practices expressed in private letter rulings which are binding on the IRS only with respect to the particular taxpayers who requested and received those rulings) and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect and all of which are subject to differing interpretations or to change, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any of the tax considerations described below. No advance ruling has been or will be sought from the IRS regarding any matter discussed in this summary. The summary is also based upon the assumption that our operation, and the operation of our subsidiaries and other lower-tier and affiliated entities will, in each case, be in accordance with such entity's applicable organizational documents. This summary does not discuss the impact that U.S. state and local taxes and taxes imposed by non-U.S. jurisdictions could have on the matters discussed in this summary. This summary is for general information only, and does not purport to discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to a particular stockholder in light of its investment or tax circumstances or to stockholders subject to special tax rules, such as:

•: U.S. expatriates;
•: persons who mark-to-market our common stock;
•: subchapter S corporations;
•: U.S. stockholders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;
•: financial institutions;
•: insurance companies;
•: broker-dealers;
•: regulated investment companies (or RICs);
•: REITs;
•: trusts and estates;

•: stockholders who receive our common stock through the exercise of employee stock options or otherwise as compensation;
•: persons holding our common stock as part of a "straddle," "hedge," "conversion transaction," "synthetic security" or other integrated investment;
•: persons subject to the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code;
•: persons holding their interest in us through a partnership or similar pass-through entity;
•: persons holding a 10% or more (by vote or value) beneficial interest in us;
•: tax-exempt organizations;
•: stockholders subject to special tax accounting rules as a result of their use of "applicable financial statements"(within the meaning of Section 451(b)(3) of the Code); and
•: non-U.S. stockholders (as defined below, and except as otherwise discussed below).

This summary assumes that stockholders hold our common stock and preferred stock as capital assets, which generally means as property held for investment.

THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX TREATMENT OF HOLDERS OF OUR COMMON STOCK DEPENDS IN SOME INSTANCES ON DETERMINATIONS OF FACT AND INTERPRETATIONS OF COMPLEX PROVISIONS OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAW FOR WHICH NO CLEAR PRECEDENT OR AUTHORITY MAY BE AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX TREATMENT OF HOLDING OUR COMMON STOCK TO ANY PARTICULAR STOCKHOLDER WILL DEPEND ON THE STOCKHOLDER'S PARTICULAR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES. YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND FOREIGN INCOME AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU, IN LIGHT OF YOUR PARTICULAR INVESTMENT OR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES, OF ACQUIRING, HOLDING, AND DISPOSING OF GRANITE POINT COMMON STOCK.

U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations of Granite Point as a REIT

Taxation of Granite Point—General

We have elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Code, commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2017. We believe that we have been organized and we intend to operate in a manner that allows us to continue to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the Code.

The law firm of Sidley Austin LLP has acted as our special counsel for tax matters in connection with this registration. We have received an opinion of Sidley Austin LLP to the effect that we have been organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and our actual method of operation has enabled, and our proposed method of operation will continue to enable us, to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code. It must be emphasized that the opinion of Sidley Austin LLP is based on various assumptions relating to our organization and operation, including that all factual representations and statements set forth in all relevant documents, records and instruments are true and correct and that we will at all times operate in accordance with the method of operation described in our organizational documents and this document. Additionally, the opinion of Sidley Austin LLP is conditioned upon factual representations and covenants made by our management and the management of PRCM Advisers, regarding our organization, assets, present and future conduct of our business operations and other items regarding our ability to continue to meet the various requirements for qualification as a REIT, and assumes that such representations and covenants are accurate and complete and that we will

take no action that could adversely affect our qualification as a REIT. While we believe we are organized and intend to continue to operate so that we will qualify as a REIT, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances or applicable law, no assurance can be given by Sidley Austin LLP or us that we will so qualify for any particular year. Sidley Austin LLP will have no obligation to advise us or the holders of shares of our common stock of any subsequent change in the matters stated, represented or assumed or of any subsequent change in the applicable law. You should be aware that opinions of counsel are not binding on the IRS, or any court, and no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge the conclusions set forth in such opinions.

Qualification and taxation as a REIT depend on our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, through actual results of operations, distribution levels, diversity of share ownership and various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Code, the compliance with which will not be reviewed by Sidley Austin LLP. In addition, our ability to qualify as a REIT may depend in part upon the operating results, organizational structure and entity classification for U.S. federal income tax purposes of certain entities in which we invest. Our ability to qualify as a REIT also requires that we satisfy certain asset and income tests, some of which depend upon the fair market values of assets directly or indirectly owned by us or which serve as security for loans made by us. Such values may not be susceptible to a precise determination. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of our operations for any taxable year will satisfy the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.

Taxation of REITs in General

As indicated above, qualification and taxation as a REIT depend on our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, through actual results of operations, distribution levels, diversity of share ownership and various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Code. The material qualification requirements are summarized below, under "—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT." While we believe that we will continue to operate so that we qualify as a REIT, no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge our qualification as a REIT or that we will be able to continue to operate in accordance with the REIT requirements in the future. See "—Failure to Qualify."

Provided that we qualify as a REIT, we will generally be entitled to a deduction for dividends that we pay and, therefore, will not be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our net taxable income that is currently distributed to our stockholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the "double taxation" with respect to distributed income at the corporate and stockholder levels that results generally from investment in a corporation. Rather, income generated by a REIT and distributed to its stockholders generally is taxed only at the stockholder level, upon a distribution of dividends by the REIT. See "—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders."

Individuals who are stockholders of corporations that are not REITs are generally taxed on qualifying corporate dividends at a reduced maximum rate (the same as long-term capital gains), thereby substantially reducing, though not completely eliminating, the double taxation that has historically applied to corporate dividends. With limited exceptions, however, dividends received by individual U.S. stockholders from us or from other entities that are taxed as REITs are taxed at rates applicable to ordinary income. However, under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, dividends received by individual U.S. shareholders from us that are neither attributable to "qualified dividend income" nor designated as "capital gain dividends" will be eligible for a deduction equal to 20% of the amount of such dividends in taxable years beginning before January 1, 2026. Net operating losses, foreign tax credits and other tax attributes of a REIT generally do not pass through to the stockholders of the REIT, subject to special rules for certain items, such as capital gains, recognized by REITs. See "—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders."

Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, however, we will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation as follows:

•: We will be taxed at regular U.S. federal corporate income tax rates on any undistributed income, including undistributed net capital gains.
•: If we have net income from prohibited transactions, which are, in general, sales or other dispositions of property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, other than foreclosure property, such income will be subject to a 100% tax. See "—Prohibited Transactions" and "—Foreclosure Property" below.
•: If we elect to treat property that we acquire in connection with a foreclosure of a mortgage loan or from certain leasehold terminations as "foreclosure property," we may thereby avoid (a) the 100% tax on gain from a resale of that property (if the sale would otherwise constitute a prohibited transaction) and (b) the inclusion of any income from such property not qualifying for purposes of the REIT gross income tests discussed below, but the income from the sale or operation of the property may be subject to income tax at the corporate tax rate.
•: If we fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as discussed below, but nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because other requirements are met, we will be subject to a 100% tax on an amount equal to (a) the greater of (1) the amount by which we fail the 75% gross income test or (2) the amount by which we fail the 95% gross income test, as the case may be, multiplied by (b) a fraction intended to reflect our profitability.
•: If we fail to satisfy any of the REIT asset tests, as described below, other than a failure of the 5% or 10% REIT asset tests that does not exceed a statutory de minimis amount as described more fully below, but our failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and we nonetheless maintain our REIT qualification because of specified cure provisions, we will be required to pay a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the corporate tax rate of the net income generated by the non-qualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy the asset tests.
•: If we fail to satisfy any provision of the Code that would result in our failure to qualify as a REIT (other than a gross income or asset test requirement) and the violation is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, we may retain our REIT qualification but we will be required to pay a penalty of $50,000 for each such failure.
•: If we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (a) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (b) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year and (c) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods (the foregoing sum is referred to as the required distribution), we will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the sum of (1) the amounts actually distributed (taking into account excess distributions from prior years), plus (2) retained amounts on which income tax is paid at the corporate level.
•: We may be required to pay monetary penalties to the IRS in certain circumstances, including if we fail to meet record-keeping requirements intended to monitor our compliance with rules relating to the composition of our stockholders, as described below in "—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT."
•: A 100% excise tax may be imposed on some items of income and expense that are directly or constructively paid between us and any TRSs we may own if and to the extent that the IRS successfully adjusts the reported amounts of these items.
•: If we acquire appreciated assets from a corporation that is not a REIT in a transaction in which the adjusted tax basis of the assets in our hands is determined by reference to the adjusted tax

basis of the assets in the hands of the non-REIT corporation, we will be subject to tax on such appreciation at the corporate income tax rate then applicable if we subsequently recognize gain on a disposition of any such assets during the 5-year period following their acquisition from the non-REIT corporation. The results described in this paragraph assume that the non-REIT corporation will not elect, in lieu of this treatment, to be subject to an immediate tax when the asset is acquired by us.

•: If we derive "excess inclusion income" from an interest in certain mortgage loan securitization structures (i.e., a "taxable mortgage pool" or "TMP"), we could be subject to corporate level U.S. federal income tax at the highest applicable rate to the extent that such income is allocable to specified types of tax-exempt stockholders known as "disqualified organizations" that are not subject to unrelated business income tax. To the extent that we own a TMP through a TRS, we will not be subject to this tax. See "—Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income" below.
•: We may elect to retain and pay income tax on our net long-term capital gain. In that case, a stockholder would include its proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain (to the extent we make a timely designation of such gain to the stockholder) in its income, would be deemed to have paid the tax that we paid on such gain, and would be allowed a credit for its proportionate share of the tax deemed to have been paid, and an adjustment would be made to increase the stockholder's basis in our common stock. Stockholders that are U.S. corporations will also appropriately adjust their earnings and profits for the retained capital gains in accordance with Treasury Regulations to be promulgated.
•: We may have subsidiaries or own interests in other lower-tier entities that are subchapter C corporations, the earnings of which would be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax.

In addition, we may be subject to a variety of taxes other than U.S. federal income tax, including payroll taxes and state and local income, franchise property and other taxes. We could also be subject to tax in situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.

Requirements for Qualification as a REIT

The Code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust or association:

•: that is managed by one or more trustees or directors;
•: the beneficial ownership of which is evidenced by transferable shares or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest;
•: that would be taxable as a domestic corporation but for the special Code provisions applicable to REITs;
•: that is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company subject to specific provisions of the Code;
•: the beneficial ownership of which is held by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a taxable year of less than 12 months;
•: in which, during the last half of each taxable year, not more than 50% in value of the outstanding stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer "individuals" (as defined in the Code to include specified entities);
•: which meets other tests described below, including with respect to the nature of its income and assets and the amount of its distributions; and
•: that makes an election to be a REIT for the current taxable year or has made such an election for a previous taxable year that has not been terminated or revoked.

The Code provides that the first through fourth conditions must be met during the entire taxable year, and that the fifth condition must be met during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. The fifth and sixth conditions do not need to be satisfied for the first taxable year for which an election to become a REIT has been made. Our charter provides restrictions regarding the ownership and transfer of our shares, which are intended, among other purposes, to assist in satisfying the share ownership requirements described in the fifth and sixth conditions. For purposes of the sixth condition, an "individual" generally includes a supplemental unemployment compensation benefit plan, a private foundation or a portion of a trust permanently set aside or used exclusively for charitable purposes, but does not include a qualified pension plan or profit sharing trust.

To monitor compliance with the share ownership requirements, we are generally required to maintain records regarding the actual ownership of our shares. To do so, we must demand written statements each year from the record stockholders of significant percentages of our shares of stock, in which the record stockholders are to disclose the actual owners of the shares (i.e., the persons required to include in gross income the dividends paid by us). A list of those persons failing or refusing to comply with this demand must be maintained as part of our records. Failure by us to comply with these record-keeping requirements could subject us to monetary penalties. If we satisfy these requirements and after exercising reasonable diligence would not have known that the sixth condition is not satisfied, we will be deemed to have satisfied such condition. A stockholder that fails or refuses to comply with the demand is required by Treasury Regulations to submit a statement with its tax return disclosing the actual ownership of the shares and other information.

In addition, a corporation generally may not elect to become a REIT unless its taxable year is the calendar year. We satisfy this requirement.

Effect of Subsidiary Entities

Ownership of Partnership Interests

In the case of a REIT that is a partner in a partnership, Treasury Regulations provide that the REIT is deemed to own its proportionate share of the partnership's assets and to earn its proportionate share of the partnership's gross income based on its pro rata share of capital interests in the partnership for purposes of the asset and gross income tests applicable to REITs, as described below. However, solely for purposes of the 10% value test, described below, the determination of a REIT's interest in partnership assets will be based on the REIT's proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership, excluding for these purposes, certain excluded securities as described in the Code. In addition, the assets and gross income of the partnership generally are deemed to retain the same character in the hands of the REIT. Thus, our proportionate share of the assets and items of income of partnerships in which we own an equity interest is treated as an asset and as an item of income for us for purposes of applying the REIT requirements described below. Consequently, to the extent that we directly or indirectly hold a preferred or other equity interest in a partnership, the partnership's assets and operations may affect our ability to qualify as a REIT, even though we may have no control or only limited influence over the partnership.

Disregarded Subsidiaries

If a REIT owns a corporate subsidiary that is a "qualified REIT subsidiary," that subsidiary is disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the subsidiary are treated as assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the REIT itself, including for purposes of the gross income and asset tests applicable to REITs, as summarized below. A qualified REIT subsidiary is any corporation, other than a TRS, that is wholly-owned by a REIT, by other disregarded subsidiaries or by a combination of the two. Single

member limited liability companies that are wholly-owned by a REIT are also generally disregarded as separate entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes, including for purposes of the REIT gross income and asset tests. Disregarded subsidiaries, along with partnerships in which we hold an equity interest, are sometimes referred to herein as "pass-through subsidiaries."

In the event that a disregarded subsidiary ceases to be wholly-owned by us (for example, if any equity interest in the subsidiary is acquired by a person other than us or another disregarded subsidiary of ours), the subsidiary's separate existence would no longer be disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Instead, it would have multiple owners and would be treated as either a partnership or a taxable corporation. Such an event could, depending on the circumstances, adversely affect our ability to satisfy the various asset and gross income tests applicable to REITs, including the requirement that REITs generally may not own, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the value or voting power of the outstanding securities of another corporation. See "—Asset Tests" and "—Gross Income Tests."

Taxable REIT Subsidiaries

A REIT, in general, may jointly elect with a subsidiary corporation, whether or not wholly-owned, to treat the subsidiary corporation as a TRS. The separate existence of a TRS or other taxable corporation, unlike a disregarded subsidiary as discussed above, is not ignored for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, such an entity would generally be subject to corporate income tax on its earnings, which may reduce the cash flow generated by us and our subsidiaries in the aggregate and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

We and a number of subsidiaries have jointly elected for each of such subsidiaries to be treated as a TRS. This election allows each such subsidiary to invest in assets and engage in activities that could not be held or conducted directly by us without jeopardizing our qualification as a REIT.

A REIT is not treated as holding the assets of a TRS or other taxable subsidiary corporation or as receiving any income that the subsidiary earns. Rather, the stock issued by the subsidiary is an asset in the hands of the REIT, and the REIT generally recognizes as income the dividends, if any, that it receives from the subsidiary. This treatment can affect the gross income and asset test calculations that apply to the REIT, as described below. Because a parent REIT does not include the assets and income of such subsidiary corporations in determining the parent's compliance with the REIT requirements, such entities may be used by the parent REIT to undertake indirectly activities that the REIT rules might otherwise preclude it from doing directly or through pass-through subsidiaries or render commercially unfeasible (for example, activities that give rise to certain categories of income such as non-qualifying hedging income or inventory sales). If dividends are paid to us by one or more TRSs we may own, then a portion of the dividends that we distribute to stockholders who are taxed at individual rates generally will be eligible for taxation at preferential qualified dividend income tax rates rather than at ordinary income rates. See "—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders" and "—Annual Distribution Requirements."

Certain restrictions imposed on TRSs are intended to ensure that such entities will be subject to appropriate levels of U.S. federal income taxation. For example, if amounts are paid to a REIT or deducted by a TRS due to transactions between a REIT, its tenants and/or the TRS, that exceed the amount that would be paid to or deducted by a party in an arm's-length transaction, the REIT generally will be subject to an excise tax equal to 100% of such excess.

Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income

An entity, or a portion of an entity, may be classified as a taxable mortgage pool, or TMP, under the Code if:

•: substantially all of its assets consist of debt obligations or interests in debt obligations;

•: more than 50% of those debt obligations are real estate mortgages or interests in real estate mortgages as of specified testing dates;
•: the entity has issued debt obligations (liabilities) that have two or more maturities; and
•: the payments required to be made by the entity on its debt obligations (liabilities) "bear a relationship" to the payments to be received by the entity on the debt obligations that it holds as assets.

Under Treasury Regulations, if less than 80% of the assets of an entity (or a portion of an entity) consist of debt obligations, these debt obligations are considered not to comprise "substantially all" of its assets, and therefore the entity would not be treated as a TMP. We may enter into financing and securitization arrangements that are classified as TMPs, with the consequences as described below.

Where an entity, or a portion of an entity, is classified as a TMP, it is generally treated as a taxable corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In the case of a REIT, or a portion of a REIT, or a disregarded subsidiary of a REIT, that is a TMP, however, special rules apply. The TMP is not treated as a corporation that is subject to corporate income tax, and the TMP classification does not directly affect the tax status of the REIT. Rather, the consequences of the TMP classification would, in general, except as described below, be limited to the stockholders of the REIT.

A portion of the REIT's income from the TMP arrangement, which might be non-cash accrued income, could be treated as "excess inclusion income." Under IRS guidance, the REIT's excess inclusion income must be allocated among its stockholders in proportion to dividends paid. The REIT is required to notify stockholders of the amount of "excess inclusion income" allocated to them. A stockholder's share of excess inclusion income:

•: cannot be offset by any net operating losses otherwise available to the stockholder;
•: is subject to tax as unrelated business taxable income in the hands of most types of stockholders that are otherwise generally exempt from U.S. federal income tax; and
•: results in the application of U.S. federal income tax withholding at the maximum rate, without reduction for any otherwise applicable income tax treaty or other exemption, to the extent allocable to most types of non-U.S. holders.

Under IRS guidance, to the extent that excess inclusion income is allocated to a tax-exempt stockholder of a REIT known as a "disqualified organization" (such as a government entity or charitable remainder trust) that is not subject to unrelated business income tax, the REIT may be subject to tax on this income at the corporate tax rate. In that case, the REIT could reduce distributions to such stockholders by the amount of such tax paid by the REIT attributable to such stockholder's ownership. The manner in which excess inclusion income is calculated, or would be allocated to stockholders, including allocations among shares of different classes of stock, is not clear under current law. As required by IRS guidance, we intend to make such determinations using a reasonable method. Tax-exempt investors, non-U.S. stockholders and taxpayers with net operating losses should carefully consider the tax consequences described above, and are urged to consult their tax advisors.

If a subsidiary partnership of ours that we do not wholly-own, directly or through one or more disregarded entities, were a TMP, the foregoing rules would not apply. Rather, the partnership that is a TMP would be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and potentially would be subject to corporate income tax or withholding tax. In addition, this characterization would alter our income and asset test calculations, and could adversely affect our compliance with those requirements. We intend to monitor the structure of any TMPs in which we have an interest to ensure that they will not adversely affect our status as a REIT.

Gross Income Tests

In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we must annually satisfy two gross income tests. First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year, excluding gross income from sales of inventory or dealer property in "prohibited transactions" and certain hedging and foreign currency transactions, must consist of defined types of income that we derive, directly or indirectly, from investments relating to real property or mortgage loans on real property or qualified temporary investment income. Qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test generally includes:

•: rents from real property;
•: interest on debt secured by a mortgage on real property or on interests in real property;
•: dividends or other distributions on, and gain from the sale of, shares in other REITs;
•: gain from the sale of real estate assets (other than a nonqualified publicly offered REIT debt instrument);
•: income and gain derived from foreclosure property;
•: amounts, such as commitment fees, received in consideration for entering into an agreement to make a loan secured by real property, unless such amounts are determined by income and profits;
•: income derived from a REMIC in proportion to the real estate assets held by the REMIC, unless at least 95% of the REMIC's assets are real estate assets, in which case all of the income derived from the REMIC; and
•: income derived from certain kinds of temporary investments.

Second, at least 95% of our gross income in each taxable year, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain hedging and foreign currency transactions, must be derived from some combination of income that qualifies under the 75% income test described above, as well as other dividends, interest, and gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities, which need not have any relation to real property.

For purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests, a REIT is deemed to have earned a proportionate share of the income earned by any partnership, or any limited liability company treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in which it owns an interest, which share is determined by reference to its capital interest in such entity, and is deemed to have earned the income earned by any qualified REIT subsidiary.

Interest Income

Interest income constitutes qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross income test to the extent that the obligation is secured by a mortgage on real property. If we receive interest income with respect to a mortgage loan that is secured by both real property and other property and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property on the date that we originated or acquired the mortgage loan, the interest income will be apportioned between the real property and the other property, and our income from the arrangement will qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test only to the extent that the interest is allocable to the real property. However, in the case of a loan that is secured by both real property and personal property, if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all property securing the loan, then the personal property securing the loan will be treated as real property for purposes of determining the interest on the loan that is qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Even if a loan is not secured by real property or is undersecured, the income that it generates may nonetheless qualify for purposes of the 95% gross

income test. If we acquire or originate a construction loan, for purposes of the foregoing apportionment, the fair market value of the real property includes the fair market value of the land plus the reasonably estimated cost of improvement or developments (other than personal property) which secure the construction loan.

We expect that the commercial mortgage-backed securities, or CMBS, in which we invest generally will be treated either as interests in a grantor trust or as interests in a REMIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes and that all interest income from such CMBS will be qualifying income for the 95% gross income test. In the case of CMBS treated as interests in grantor trusts, we would be treated as owning an undivided beneficial ownership interest in the mortgage loans held by the grantor trust. The interest on such mortgage loans would be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test to the extent that the obligation is secured by real property, as discussed above. In the case of CMBS treated as interests in a REMIC, income derived from REMIC interests will generally be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. If less than 95% of the assets of the REMIC are real estate assets, however, then only a proportionate part of our interest in the REMIC and income derived from the interest will qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test. In addition, some REMIC securitizations include imbedded interest swap or cap contracts or other derivative instruments that potentially could produce nonqualifying income for the holder of the related REMIC securities.

We also may invest in mezzanine loans, which are loans secured by equity interests in an entity that directly or indirectly owns real property, rather than by a direct mortgage of the real property. The IRS has issued Revenue Procedure 2003-65, which provides a safe harbor applicable to mezzanine loans. Under the Revenue Procedure, if a mezzanine loan meets each of the requirements contained in the Revenue Procedure, (i) the mezzanine loan will be treated by the IRS as a real estate asset for purposes of the asset tests described below, and (ii) interest derived from the mezzanine loan will be treated as qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Although the Revenue Procedure provides a safe harbor on which taxpayers may rely, it does not prescribe rules of substantive tax law. We intend to structure any investments in mezzanine loans in a manner that complies with the various requirements applicable to our qualification as a REIT. To the extent that any of our mezzanine loans do not meet all of the requirements for reliance on the safe harbor set forth in the Revenue Procedure, however, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not challenge the tax treatment of these loans.

Dividend Income

We may receive distributions from TRSs or other corporations that are not REITs or qualified REIT subsidiaries. These distributions are generally classified as dividend income to the extent of the earnings and profits of the distributing corporation. Such distributions generally constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, but not the 75% gross income test. Any dividends received by us from a REIT will be qualifying income in our hands for purposes of both the 95% and 75% gross income tests.

Hedging Transactions

We may enter into hedging transactions with respect to one or more of our assets or liabilities. Hedging transactions could take a variety of forms, including interest rate swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements, options, futures contracts, forward rate agreements or similar financial instruments. Except to the extent provided by Treasury Regulations, any income from a hedging transaction will not constitute gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income test if we properly identify the transaction as specified in applicable Treasury Regulations and we enter into such transaction (i) in the normal course of our business primarily to manage risk of interest rate or price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary

obligations incurred or to be incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets, or (ii) primarily to manage risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% income tests. In addition, income from certain new hedging transactions that counteract prior qualifying hedging transactions described in (i) and (ii) above may not constitute gross income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests if we properly identify the new hedging transaction as specified in applicable Treasury Regulations. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions is likely to be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of both of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT.

Failure to Satisfy the Gross Income Tests

We intend to monitor our sources of income, including any non-qualifying income received by us, so as to ensure our compliance with the gross income tests. If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we may still qualify as a REIT for the year if we are entitled to relief under applicable provisions of the Code. These relief provisions will generally be available if our failure to meet these tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and, following the identification of such failure, we set forth a description of each item of our gross income that satisfies the gross income tests in a schedule for the taxable year filed in accordance with the Treasury Regulations. It is not possible to state whether we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions in all circumstances. If these relief provisions are inapplicable to a particular set of circumstances involving us, we will not qualify as a REIT. As discussed above under "—Taxation of REITs in General," even where these relief provisions apply, a tax would be imposed upon the profit attributable to the amount by which we fail to satisfy the particular gross income test.

Phantom Income

Due to the nature of the assets in which we will invest, we may be required to recognize taxable income from certain of our assets in advance of our receipt of cash flow on or proceeds from disposition of such assets, and we may be required to report taxable income in early periods that exceeds the economic income ultimately realized on such assets.

We may acquire mortgage-backed securities in the secondary market for less than their face amount. For example, it is likely that we will invest in assets, including mortgage-backed securities, requiring us to accrue original issue discount, or OID, or recognize market discount income, that generate taxable income in excess of economic income or in advance of the corresponding cash flow from the assets referred to as "phantom income." We may also be required under the terms of the indebtedness that we incur to use cash received from interest payments to make principal payment on that indebtedness, with the effect that we will recognize income but will not have a corresponding amount of cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

Due to each of these potential differences between income recognition or expense deduction and related cash receipts or disbursements, there is a significant risk that we may have substantial taxable income in excess of cash available for distribution. In that event, we may need to borrow funds or take other actions to satisfy the REIT distribution requirements for the taxable year in which this "phantom income" is recognized. See "—Annual Distribution Requirements."

Asset Tests

We, at the close of each calendar quarter, must also satisfy four tests relating to the nature of our assets.

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First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must be represented by some combination of:

•: cash and cash items;
•: U.S. government securities;
•: interests in real property;
•: interests in mortgage loans secured by real property;
•: stock (or transferable certificates of beneficial interest) in other REITs;
•: debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs; and
•: regular or residual interests in a REMIC. However, if less than 95% of the assets of a REMIC consist of assets that are qualifying real estate-related assets under the U.S. federal income tax laws, determined as if we held such assets, we will be treated as holding directly our proportionate share of the assets of such REMIC.

•

Second, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, the value of any one issuer's securities owned by us may not exceed 5% of the value of our assets.

•

Third, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, we may not own more than 10% of any one issuer's outstanding securities, as measured by either voting power or value.

•

Fourth, of our investments not included in the 75% asset class, the aggregate value of all securities of TRSs held by us may not exceed 20% of the value of our gross assets.

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Fifth, not more than 25% of the value of our total assets may be represented by nonqualified publicly offered REIT debt instruments that are not secured by real property or interests in real property.

The 5% and 10% asset tests do not apply to securities of TRSs and qualified REIT subsidiaries. The 10% value test does not apply to certain "straight debt" and other excluded securities, as described in the Code, including but not limited to any loan to an individual or an estate, any obligation to pay rents from real property and any security issued by a REIT. In addition, (i) a REIT's interest as a partner in a partnership is not considered a security for purposes of applying the 10% value test; (ii) any debt instrument issued by a partnership (other than straight debt or other excluded security) will not be considered a security issued by the partnership if at least 75% of the partnership's gross income is derived from sources that would qualify for the 75% REIT gross income test; and (iii) any debt instrument issued by a partnership (other than straight debt or other excluded security) will not be considered a security issued by the partnership to the extent of the REIT's interest as a partner in the partnership.

For purposes of the 10% value test, "straight debt" means a written unconditional promise to pay on demand on a specified date a sum certain in money if:

•: the debt is not convertible, directly or indirectly, into stock;
•: the interest rate and interest payment dates are not contingent on profits, the borrower's discretion, or similar factors other than certain contingencies relating to the timing and amount of principal and interest payments, as described in the Code; and
•: in the case of an issuer which is a corporation or a partnership, securities that otherwise would be considered straight debt will not be so considered if we, and any of our "controlled taxable

REIT subsidiaries" as defined in the Code, hold any securities of the corporate or partnership issuer which

•: are not straight debt or other excluded securities (prior to the application of this rule); and
•: have an aggregate value greater than 1% of the issuer's outstanding securities (including, for the purposes of a partnership issuer, its interest as a partner in the partnership).

After initially meeting the asset tests at the close of any quarter, we will not lose our qualification as a REIT for failure to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a later quarter solely by reason of changes in asset values. If we fail to satisfy the asset tests because we acquire or increase our ownership interest in securities during a quarter, we can cure this failure by disposing of sufficient non-qualifying assets within 30 days after the close of that quarter. If we fail the 5% asset test, or the 10% vote or value asset tests at the end of any quarter and such failure is not cured within 30 days thereafter, we may dispose of sufficient assets (generally within six months after the last day of the quarter in which our identification of the failure to satisfy these asset tests occurred) to cure such a violation that does not exceed the lesser of 1% of our assets at the end of the relevant quarter or $10,000,000. If we fail any of the other asset tests or our failure of the 5% and 10% asset tests is in excess of the de minimis amount described above, as long as such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, we may be permitted to avoid disqualification as a REIT, after the 30 day cure period, by taking steps including the disposition of sufficient assets to meet the asset test (generally within six months after the last day of the quarter in which our identification of the failure to satisfy the REIT asset test occurred) and paying a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the corporate income tax rate of the net income generated by the non-qualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy the asset test.

For purposes of the 75% asset test, mortgage loans will generally qualify as real estate assets to the extent that they are secured by real property. Additionally, as noted above, we expect that our investments in CMBS will generally be treated as interests in a grantor trust or as interests in a REMIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In the case of CMBS treated as interests in grantor trusts, we would be treated as owning an undivided beneficial ownership interest in the mortgage loans held by the grantor trust. In the case of CMBS treated as an interest in a REMIC, such interests will generally qualify as real estate assets, and income derived from REMIC interests will generally be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the REIT income tests described above. If less than 95% of the assets of a REMIC are real estate assets, however, then only a proportionate part of our interest in the REMIC and income derived from the interest will qualify for purposes of the REIT asset and income tests.

In addition, certain of our mezzanine loans may qualify for the safe harbor in Revenue Procedure 2003-65 pursuant to which certain loans secured by a first priority security interest in ownership interests in a partnership or limited liability company will be treated as qualifying assets for purposes of the 75% asset test and the 10% vote or value test. See "—Gross Income Tests." We may make some mezzanine loans that do not qualify for that safe harbor and that do not qualify as "straight debt" securities or for one of the other exclusions from the definition of "securities" for purposes of the 10% value test. We intend to make such investments in such a manner as not to fail the asset tests described above, and we believe that our existing investments satisfy such requirements.

In order to finance some of the assets that we hold or acquire, we may enter into repurchase agreements under which we will nominally sell certain of our assets to a counterparty and simultaneously enter into an agreement to repurchase the sold assets. Although the tax treatment of repurchase transactions is unclear, we take the position that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we are the owner of those assets that are the subject of any such repurchase agreement notwithstanding that we may transfer record ownership of those assets to the counterparty during the term of any such agreement. Because we enter into repurchase agreements the tax treatment of which is unclear, the

IRS could assert that we did not own the assets during the term of the repurchase agreements, in which case we could fail to qualify as a REIT.

Annual Distribution Requirements

In order to qualify as a REIT, we are required to distribute dividends, other than capital gain dividends, to our stockholders in an amount at least equal to:

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the sum of:

•: 90% of our "REIT taxable income" (computed without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and our net capital gains); and
•: 90% of the net income (after tax), if any, from foreclosure property (as described below); minus

•

the sum of specified items of non-cash income that exceeds a percentage of our income.

These distributions must be paid in the taxable year to which they relate or in the following taxable year if such distributions are declared in October, November or December of the taxable year, are payable to stockholders of record on a specified date in any such month and are actually paid before the end of January of the following year. Such distributions are treated as both paid by us and received by each stockholder on December 31 of the year in which they are declared. In addition, at our election, a distribution for a taxable year may be declared before we timely file our tax return for the year and be paid with or before the first regular dividend payment after such declaration, provided that such payment is made during the 12-month period following the close of such taxable year. These distributions are taxable to our stockholders in the year in which paid, even though the distributions relate to our prior taxable year for purposes of the 90% distribution requirement.

Except for distributions by "publicly offered REITs", distributions must not be "preferred dividends" in order for such distributions to be counted towards the distribution requirement. A dividend is not a preferential dividend if it is pro rata among all outstanding shares of stock within a particular class and is in accordance with the preferences among different classes of stock as set forth in the organizational documents. We believe that we are and will continue to be a publicly offered REIT and, therefore, will not be subject to this limitation.

To the extent that we distribute at least 90%, but less than 100%, of our "REIT taxable income," as adjusted, we will be subject to tax at ordinary corporate tax rates on the retained portion. In addition, we may elect to retain, rather than distribute, our net long-term capital gains and pay tax on such gains. In this case, we could elect to have our stockholders include their proportionate share of such undistributed long-term capital gains in income and receive a corresponding credit for their proportionate share of the tax paid by us. Our stockholders would then increase the adjusted basis of their stock in us by the difference between the designated amounts included in their long-term capital gains and the tax deemed paid with respect to their proportionate shares.

If we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of:

•: 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year;
•: 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year; and
•: any undistributed taxable income from prior periods.

We will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the sum of (i) the amounts actually distributed (taking into account excess distributions from prior periods) and (ii) the amounts of income retained on which we have paid corporate income tax. We intend to make timely distributions so that we are not subject to the 4% excise tax.

It is possible that we, from time to time, may not have sufficient cash to meet the distribution requirements due to timing differences between (i) the actual receipt of cash, including receipt of distributions from our subsidiaries and (ii) the inclusion of items in income by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For example, we may acquire debt instruments or notes whose stated redemption price may exceed its issue price as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes (such excess, "original issue discount," or OID), such that we will be required to include in our income a portion of the OID each year that the instrument is held before we receive any corresponding cash. In the event that such timing differences occur, in order to meet the distribution requirements, it might be necessary to arrange for short-term, or possibly long-term, borrowings or to pay dividends in the form of taxable in-kind distributions of property, including taxable stock dividends. In the case of a taxable stock dividend, stockholders would be required to include the dividend as income and would be required to satisfy the tax liability associated with the distribution with cash from other sources including sales of our common stock. Both a taxable stock distribution and sale of common stock resulting from such distribution could adversely affect the price of our common stock.

We may be able to rectify a failure to meet the distribution requirements for a year by paying "deficiency dividends" to stockholders in a later year, which may be included in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. In this case, we may be able to avoid losing our qualification as a REIT or being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends. However, we will be required to pay interest and a penalty based on the amount of any deduction taken for deficiency dividends.

Recordkeeping Requirements

We are required to maintain records and request on an annual basis information from specified stockholders. These requirements are designed to assist us in determining the actual ownership of our outstanding stock and maintaining our qualifications as a REIT

Prohibited Transactions

Net income we derive from a prohibited transaction is subject to a 100% tax. The term "prohibited transaction" generally includes a sale or other disposition of property (other than foreclosure property) that is held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers, in the ordinary course of a trade or business by a REIT, by a lower-tier partnership in which the REIT holds an equity interest or by a borrower that has issued a shared appreciation mortgage or similar debt instrument to the REIT. We intend to conduct our operations so that no asset owned by us or our pass-through subsidiaries will be held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers, and that a sale of any assets owned by us directly or through a pass-through subsidiary will not be in the ordinary course of business. However, whether property is held as inventory or "primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business" depends on the particular facts and circumstances. No assurance can be given that any particular asset in which we hold a direct or indirect interest will not be treated as property held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers or that certain safe harbor provisions of the Code that prevent such treatment will apply. The 100% tax will not apply to gains from the sale of property that is held through a TRS or other taxable corporation, although such income will be subject to tax in the hands of the corporation at regular corporate income tax rates.

Foreclosure Property

Foreclosure property is real property and any personal property incident to such real property:

•: that is acquired by a REIT as a result of the REIT having bid on the property at foreclosure or having otherwise reduced the property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law after there was a default (or default was imminent) on a lease of the property or a mortgage loan held by the REIT and secured by the property;
•: for which the related loan or lease was acquired by the REIT at a time when default was not imminent or anticipated; and

•: for which such REIT makes a proper election to treat the property as foreclosure property. REITs generally are subject to tax at the corporate rate on any net income from foreclosure property, including any gain from the disposition of the foreclosure property, other than income that would otherwise be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any gain from the sale of property for which a foreclosure property election has been made will not be subject to the 100% tax on gains from prohibited transactions described above, even if the property would otherwise constitute inventory or dealer property in the hands of the selling REIT. We do not anticipate that we will receive any income from foreclosure property that is not qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test, but, if we do receive any such income, we intend to elect to treat the related property as foreclosure property.

Failure to Qualify

In the event that we violate a provision of the Code that would result in our failure to qualify as a REIT, we may nevertheless continue to qualify as a REIT. Specified relief provisions will be available to us to avoid such disqualification if:

•: the violation is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect;
•: we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each failure to satisfy a requirement for qualification as a REIT; and
•: the violation does not include a violation under the gross income or asset tests described above (for which other specified relief provisions are available).

This cure provision reduces the instances that could lead to our disqualification as a REIT for violations due to reasonable cause. If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year and none of the relief provisions of the Code apply, we will be subject to tax on our taxable income at the regular corporate rate. Distributions to our stockholders in any year in which we are not a REIT will not be deductible by us, nor will they be required to be made. In this situation, to the extent of current and accumulated earnings and profits, and, subject to limitations of the Code, distributions to our stockholders will generally be taxable in the case of our stockholders who are individual U.S. stockholders (as defined below), as "qualified dividend income" at a reduced at a maximum rate, and dividends in the hands of our corporate U.S. stockholders may be eligible for the dividends received deduction. However, distributions to individual U.S. shareholders during any year in which we are not a REIT will not be eligible for the deduction equal to 20% of the amount of such dividends. Unless we are entitled to relief under specific statutory provisions, we will also be disqualified from re-electing to be taxed as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost. It is not possible to state whether, in all circumstances, we will be entitled to statutory relief.

Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders

This section summarizes the taxation of U.S. stockholders who hold our stock that are not tax-exempt organizations. For these purposes, a U.S. stockholder is a beneficial owner of our stock who for U.S. federal income tax purposes is:

•: a citizen or resident of the U.S.;
•: a corporation (including an entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the U.S. or of a political subdivision thereof (including the District of Columbia);
•: an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

•: any trust if (i) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election in place to be treated as a U.S. person.

If an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our stock, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. A partner of a partnership holding our common stock should consult its own tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to the partner of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our stock by the partnership.

Distributions

Provided that we qualify as a REIT, distributions made to our taxable U.S. stockholders out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, and not designated as capital gain dividends, will generally be taken into account by them as ordinary dividend income and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporations. In determining the extent to which a distribution with respect to our common stock constitutes a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our earnings and profits will be allocated first to distributions with respect to our preferred stock, if any, and then to our common stock. Dividends received from REITs are generally not eligible to be taxed at the preferential qualified dividend income rates applicable to individual U.S. stockholders who receive dividends from taxable subchapter C corporations.

In addition, distributions from us that are designated as capital gain dividends will be taxed to U.S. stockholders as long-term capital gains, to the extent that they do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year, without regard to the period for which the U.S. stockholder has held our stock. To the extent that we elect under the applicable provisions of the Code to retain our net capital gains, U.S. stockholders will be treated as having received, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our undistributed capital gains as well as a corresponding credit for taxes paid by us on such retained capital gains. U.S. stockholders will increase their adjusted tax basis in our common stock by the difference between their allocable share of such retained capital gain and their share of the tax paid by us. Long-term capital gains are generally taxable at reduced maximum federal rates in the case of U.S. stockholders who are individuals, and ordinary income rates for corporations.

Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will not be taxable to a U.S. stockholder to the extent that they do not exceed the adjusted tax basis of the U.S. stockholder's shares in respect of which the distributions were made, but rather will reduce the adjusted tax basis of those shares. To the extent that such distributions exceed the adjusted tax basis of an individual U.S. stockholder's shares, they will be included in income as long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the shares have been held for one year or less. In addition, any dividend declared by us in October, November or December of any year and payable to a U.S. stockholder of record on a specified date in any such month will be treated as both paid by us and received by the U.S. stockholder on December 31 of such year, provided that the dividend is actually paid by us before the end of January of the following calendar year.

With respect to U.S. stockholders who are taxed at the rates applicable to individuals, we may elect to designate a portion of our distributions paid to such U.S. stockholders as "qualified dividend income." A portion of a distribution that is properly designated as qualified dividend income is taxable to non-corporate U.S. stockholders at the same rates as capital gain, provided that the U.S. stockholder has held the common stock with respect to which the distribution is made for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date that is 60 days before the date on which such common stock

became ex-dividend with respect to the relevant distribution. The maximum amount of our distributions eligible to be designated as qualified dividend income for a taxable year is equal to the sum of:

•: the qualified dividend income received by us during such taxable year from non-REIT C corporations (including any TRS in which we may own an interest);
•: the excess of any "undistributed" REIT taxable income recognized during the immediately preceding year over the U.S. federal income tax paid by us with respect to such undistributed REIT taxable income; and
•: the excess of any income recognized during the immediately preceding year attributable to the sale of a built-in-gain asset that was acquired in a carry-over basis transaction from a non-REIT C corporation over the U.S. federal income tax paid by us with respect to such built-in gain.

In addition, the total amount of dividends that we may designate as "qualified dividend income" or "capital gain dividends" may not exceed our dividends paid for the taxable year. Generally, dividends that we receive will be treated as qualified dividend income for purposes of the first bullet above if the dividends are received from a domestic C corporation (other than a REIT or a RIC), any TRS we may form, or a "qualifying foreign corporation" and specified holding period requirements and other requirements are met.

Under the TCJA, dividends received by individual U.S. shareholders from us that are neither attributable to "qualified dividend income" nor designated as "capital gain dividends" will be eligible for a deduction equal to 20% of the amount of such dividends in taxable years beginning before January 1, 2026.

To the extent that we have available net operating losses and capital losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may, subject to limitations, reduce the amount of distributions that must be made in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. See "—Taxation of Granite Point—General" and "—Annual Distribution Requirements." Such losses, however, are not passed through to U.S. stockholders and do not offset income of U.S. stockholders from other sources, nor do they affect the character of any distributions that are actually made by us, which are generally subject to tax in the hands of U.S. stockholders to the extent that we have current or accumulated earnings and profits.

If excess inclusion income from a TMP is allocated to any stockholder, that income will be taxable in the hands of the stockholder and would not be offset by any net operating losses of the stockholder that would otherwise be available. See "—Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income." As required by IRS guidance, we intend to notify our stockholders if a portion of a dividend paid by us is attributable to excess inclusion income.

Dispositions of Our Common Stock

In general, a U.S. stockholder will realize gain or loss upon the sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock in an amount equal to the difference between the sum of the fair market value of any property and the amount of cash received in such disposition and the U.S. stockholder's adjusted tax basis in the common stock at the time of the disposition. In general, a U.S. stockholder's adjusted tax basis will equal the U.S. stockholder's acquisition cost, increased by the excess of net capital gains deemed distributed to the U.S. stockholder (discussed above) less tax deemed paid on such gain and reduced by returns of capital. In general, capital gains recognized by individuals and other non-corporate U.S. stockholders upon the sale or disposition of shares of our common stock will be subject to a reduced maximum U.S. federal income tax rate, if our common stock is held for more than one year, and will be taxed at ordinary income rates if our common stock is held for one year or less. Gains recognized by U.S. stockholders that are corporations are subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate rate, whether or not classified as long-term capital gains.

Stockholders are advised to consult with their tax advisors with respect to their capital gain tax liability. Capital losses recognized by a U.S. stockholder upon the disposition of our common stock held for more than one year at the time of disposition will be considered long-term capital losses, and are generally available only to offset capital gain income of the U.S. stockholder but not ordinary income (except in the case of individuals, who may offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income each year). In addition, any loss upon a sale or exchange of shares of our common stock by a U.S. stockholder who has held the shares for six months or less, after applying holding period rules, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of distributions received from us that were required to be treated by the U.S. stockholder as long-term capital gain.

Passive Activity Losses and Investment Interest Limitations

Distributions made by us and gain arising from the sale or exchange by a U.S. stockholder of our common stock will not be treated as passive activity income. As a result, U.S. stockholders will not be able to apply any "passive losses" against income or gain relating to our common stock. Distributions made by us, to the extent they do not constitute a return of capital, generally will be treated as investment income for purposes of computing the investment interest limitation. A U.S. stockholder that elects to treat capital gain dividends, capital gains from the disposition of stock or qualified dividend income as investment income for purposes of the investment interest limitation will be taxed at ordinary income rates on such amounts.

Medicare Tax

Certain U.S. stockholders, who are individuals, estates or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay a 3.8% Medicare tax on dividends and other income, including capital gain from the sale or disposition of our common stock.

Taxation of Tax-Exempt U.S. Stockholders

U.S. tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit sharing trusts and individual retirement accounts, generally are exempt from U.S. federal income taxation. However, they are subject to taxation on their unrelated business taxable income, which is referred to in this prospectus as UBTI. While many investments in real estate may generate UBTI, the IRS has ruled that dividend distributions from a REIT to a tax-exempt entity do not constitute UBTI. Based on that ruling, and provided that:

•: a tax-exempt U.S. stockholder has not held our common stock as "debt financed property" within the meaning of the Code (i.e., where the acquisition or holding of the property is financed through a borrowing by the tax-exempt stockholder),
•: our common stock is not otherwise used in an unrelated trade or business, and
•: we do not hold an asset that gives rise to excess inclusion income, distributions from us and income from the sale of our common stock generally should not give rise to UBTI to a tax-exempt U.S. stockholder.

To the extent that we are (or a part of us, or a disregarded subsidiary of ours is) a TMP, a portion of the dividends paid to a tax-exempt stockholder that is allocable to excess inclusion income may be treated as UBTI. If, however, excess inclusion income is allocable to some categories of tax-exempt stockholders that are not subject to UBTI, we might be subject to corporate level tax on such income, and, in that case, may reduce the amount of distributions to those stockholders whose ownership gave rise to the tax. See "—Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income."

Tax-exempt U.S. stockholders that are social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts, and qualified group legal services plans exempt from U.S.

federal income taxation under Sections 501(c)(7), (c)(9), (c)(17) and (c)(20) of the Code, respectively, are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally will require them to characterize distributions from us as UBTI unless they are able to properly claim a deduction for amounts set aside or placed in reserve for specific purposes so as to offset the income generated by its investment in our common stock. These prospective investors should consult their tax advisors concerning these "set aside" and reserve requirements.

In certain circumstances, a pension trust that (i) is described in Section 401(a) of the Code, (ii) is tax exempt under Section 501(a) of the Code, and (iii) owns more than 10% of our stock could be required to treat a percentage of the dividends from us as UBTI if we are a "pension-held REIT." We will not be a pension-held REIT unless (i) either (a) one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our stock, or (b) a group of pension trusts, each individually holding more than 10% of the value of our stock, collectively owns more than 50% of such stock; and (ii) we would not have qualified as a REIT but for the fact that Section 856(h)(3) of the Code provides that stock owned by such trusts shall be treated, for purposes of the requirement that not more than 50% of the value of the outstanding stock of a REIT is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer "individuals" (as defined in the Code to include certain entities), as owned by the beneficiaries of such trusts. Certain restrictions limiting ownership and transfer of our stock should generally prevent a tax-exempt entity from owning more than 10% of the value of our stock, or us from becoming a pension-held REIT.

Tax-exempt U.S. stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal, state and local tax consequences of owning our stock.

Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders

The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common stock applicable to non-U.S. stockholders of our common stock. For these purposes, a non-U.S. stockholder is a beneficial owner of our stock who is neither a U.S. stockholder nor an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The discussion is based on current law and is for general information only. It addresses only selective and not all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation of non-U.S. stockholders. In addition, this discussion assumes that:

•: you will not have held more than 10% of our common stock (taking into account applicable constructive ownership rules) at any time during the five-year period ending on the date on which you dispose of our common stock or receive distributions from us;
•: our common stock is and will continue to be "regularly traded" on an established securities market located in the United States within the meaning of the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980, or FIRPTA, although there can be no assurance that this will continue to be the case; and
•: you are not a "qualified shareholder", as defined in Section 897(k)(3)(A) of the Code, which describes certain partnerships and other collective investment vehicles that satisfy various recordkeeping, administrative and other requirements.

If you are a non-U.S. stockholder as to which any of these assumptions is not accurate, and in particular if you are a "qualified shareholder" within the meaning of FIRPTA, you should consult your own tax advisor concerning the tax consequence to you of sales of our stock and the receipt of dividends and other distributions from us.

General

For most foreign investors, investment in a REIT that invests principally in mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities is not the most tax-efficient way to invest in such assets. That is because

receiving distributions of income derived from such assets in the form of REIT dividends subjects most foreign investors to withholding taxes that direct investment in those asset classes, and the direct receipt of interest and principal payments with respect to them, would not. The principal exceptions are foreign sovereigns and their agencies and instrumentalities, which may be exempt from withholding taxes on certain REIT dividends under the Code, and certain foreign pension funds or similar entities able to claim an exemption from withholding taxes on REIT dividends under the terms of a bilateral tax treaty between their country of residence and the United States.

Ordinary Dividends

The portion of dividends received by non-U.S. stockholders payable out of our earnings and profits that are not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. stockholder will generally be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless reduced or eliminated by an applicable income tax treaty. Under some treaties, however, lower rates generally applicable to dividends do not apply to dividends from REITs. In addition, any portion of the dividends paid to non-U.S. stockholders that are treated as excess inclusion income will not be eligible for exemption from the 30% withholding tax or a reduced treaty rate. See "—Taxable Mortgage Pools and Excess Inclusion Income." In the case of a taxable stock dividend with respect to which any withholding tax is imposed, we may have to withhold or dispose of part of the shares otherwise distributable in such dividend and use such shares or the proceeds of such disposition to satisfy the withholding tax imposed.

In general, non-U.S. stockholders will not be considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business solely as a result of their ownership of our stock. In cases where the dividend income from a non-U.S. stockholder's investment in our common stock is, or is treated as, effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder's conduct of a U.S. trade or business, the non-U.S. stockholder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at graduated rates, in the same manner as U.S. stockholders are taxed with respect to such dividends, and may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax on the income after the application of the income tax in the case of a non-U.S. stockholder that is a corporation.

Non-Dividend Distributions

Unless either (i) the non-U.S. stockholder's investment in our common stock is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business conducted by such non-U.S. stockholder (in which case the non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to the same treatment as U.S. stockholders with respect to such gain) or (ii) the non-U.S. stockholder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a "tax home" in the U.S. (in which case the non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to a 30% tax on the individual's net capital gain for the year), distributions by us which are not dividends out of our earnings and profits will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. If we cannot determine at the time at which a distribution is made whether or not the distribution will exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, the distribution will be subject to withholding at the rate applicable to dividends. However, the non-U.S. stockholder may seek a refund from the IRS of any amounts withheld if it is subsequently determined that the distribution was, in fact, in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits

Capital Gain Dividends

Capital gain dividends received by a non-U.S. stockholder from a REIT are generally not subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax, unless either (i) the non-U.S. stockholder's investment in our common stock is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business conducted by such non-U.S. stockholder (in which case the non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to the same treatment as U.S. stockholders with respect to such gain) or (ii) the non-U.S. stockholder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a "tax home" in the

U.S. (in which case the non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to a 30% tax on the individual's net capital gain for the year). In addition, under FIRPTA, a distribution made by us to a non-U.S. stockholder, to the extent attributable to a gain from disposition of a "U.S. real property interest" held by us directly or through pass-through subsidiaries, will be treated as a distribution subject to the rules discussed above under "—Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders—Ordinary Dividends."

Dispositions of Our Common Stock

Gain from the sale of our common stock will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in the case of a non-U.S. stockholder, except in two cases: (i) if the non-U.S. stockholder's investment in our common stock is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business conducted by such non-U.S. stockholder, the non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to the same treatment as a U.S. stockholder with respect to such gain, or (ii) if the non-U.S. stockholder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a "tax home" in the U.S., the nonresident alien individual will be subject to a 30% tax on the individual's capital gain.

Other U.S. Federal Income Tax Withholding and Reporting Requirements

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, provisions of the Code currently impose a 30% withholding tax on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items and will impose such tax on proceeds from the sale, redemption or other disposition of property producing U.S.-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2018, to (i) foreign financial institutions that do not agree to comply with certain diligence, reporting and withholding obligations with respect to their U.S. accounts and (ii) non-financial foreign entities that do not identify (or confirm the absence of) substantial U.S. owners. The withholding tax of 30% would apply to dividends and the gross proceeds of a disposition of our common stock paid to certain foreign entities unless various information reporting requirements are satisfied. For these purposes, a foreign financial institution generally is defined as any non-U.S. entity that (i) accepts deposits in the ordinary course of a banking or similar business, (ii) is engaged in the business of holding financial assets for the account of others, or (iii) is engaged or holds itself out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities, partnership interests, commodities, or any interest in such assets.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

We will report to our U.S. stockholders and the IRS the amount of dividends paid during each calendar year and the amount of any tax withheld. Under the backup withholding rules, a U.S. stockholder may be subject to backup withholding with respect to dividends paid unless the holder is a corporation or comes within other exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact or provides a taxpayer identification number or social security number, certifies as to no loss of exemption from backup withholding and otherwise complies with applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules. A U.S. stockholder that does not provide his or her correct taxpayer identification number or social security number may also be subject to penalties imposed by the IRS. In addition, we may be required to withhold a portion of capital gain distributions to any U.S. stockholder who fails to certify its non-foreign status.

We must report annually to the IRS and to each non-U.S. stockholder the amount of dividends paid to such stockholder and the tax withheld with respect to such dividends, regardless of whether withholding was required. Copies of the information returns reporting such dividends and withholding may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. stockholder resides under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty. A non-U.S. stockholder may be subject to backup withholding unless applicable certification requirements are met.

Payment of the proceeds of a sale of our common stock within the U.S. is subject to both backup withholding and information reporting unless the beneficial owner certifies under penalties of perjury that it is a non-U.S. stockholder (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the beneficial owner is a U.S. person) or the stockholder otherwise establishes an exemption. Payment of the proceeds of a sale of our common stock conducted through certain U.S. related financial intermediaries is subject to information reporting (but not backup withholding) unless the financial intermediary has documentary evidence in its records that the beneficial owner is a non-U.S. stockholder and specified conditions are met or an exemption is otherwise established.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against such stockholder's U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is furnished to the IRS.

State, Local and Foreign Taxes

We and our stockholders may be subject to state, local or foreign taxation in various jurisdictions, including those in which we or they transact business, own property or reside. The state, local or foreign tax treatment of us and our stockholders may not conform to the U.S. federal income tax treatment discussed above. Prospective stockholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application and effect of state, local and foreign income and other tax laws on an investment in our common stock.

Legislative or other actions affecting REITs could materially and adversely affect us and our stockholders.

The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. Changes to the tax laws, with or without retroactive application, could materially and adversely affect us and our stockholders. We cannot predict how changes in the tax laws might affect us or our stockholders. New legislation, Treasury Regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify as a REIT or the U.S. federal income tax consequences of such qualification.

In addition, the recently enacted TCJA makes substantial changes to the Code. Among those changes are a significant permanent reduction in the generally applicable corporate tax rate, changes in the taxation of individuals and other non-corporate taxpayers that generally but not universally reduce their taxes on a temporary basis subject to "sunset" provisions, the elimination or modification of various currently allowed deductions (including additional limitations on the deductibility of business interest and substantial limitation on the deduction for state and local taxes imposed on individuals), and preferential taxation of certain income (including REIT dividends) derived by non-corporate taxpayers from "pass-through" entities. The TCJA also imposes certain additional limitations on the deduction of net operating losses, which may in the future cause us to make distributions that will be taxable to our stockholders to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits in order to comply with the annual REIT distribution requirements. Finally, the TCJA also makes significant changes in the international tax rules, which among other things may require us to include in our taxable income, and to distribute, pre-2018 earnings of certain of our foreign subsidiaries, which earnings have previously been deferred from taxation in the United States. The effect of these, and the many other, changes made in the TCJA is highly uncertain, both in terms of their direct effect on the taxation of an investment in our common stock and their indirect effect on the value of our assets. Furthermore, many of the provisions of the TCJA will require guidance through the issuance of Treasury Regulations in order to assess their effect. There may be a substantial delay before such regulations are promulgated, increasing the uncertainty as to the ultimate effect of the statutory amendments on us. It is also likely that there will be technical corrections legislation proposed with respect to the TCJA, the timing and effect of which cannot be predicted and may be adverse to us or our stockholders.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities offered by this prospectus from time to time in one or more transactions, including without limitation:

•: to or through underwriters or dealers;
•: directly to purchasers;
•: in "at the market" offerings, within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market on an exchange or otherwise;
•: to purchasers through agents;
•: in block trades;
•: through a combination of these methods; or
•: through any other method permitted by applicable law and described in a prospectus supplement.

The prospectus supplement with respect to any offering of securities will include the following information:

•: the terms of the offering;
•: the names of any underwriters or agents;
•: the name or names of any managing underwriter or underwriters;
•: the public offering price or purchase price of the securities and the net proceeds to be received by us from the sale;
•: any delayed delivery arrangements;
•: any underwriting discounts or commissions or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters' or agents' compensation;
•: any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and
•: any securities exchange on which the securities may be listed.

Sale through Underwriters or Dealers

If underwriters are used in the sale, the underwriters may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. Underwriters may offer securities to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by one or more managing underwriters or directly by one or more firms acting as underwriters. Unless we inform you otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the offered securities if they purchase any of them. The underwriters may change from time to time any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers.

We will describe the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents and the purchase price of the securities in a prospectus supplement relating to the securities.

In connection with the sale of the securities, underwriters may receive compensation from us or from purchasers of the securities, for whom they may act as agents, in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and these dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the

underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents, which is not expected to exceed that customary in the types of transactions involved. Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts or commissions they receive from us, and any profit on the resale of the securities they realize may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions, under the Securities Act. The prospectus supplement will identify any underwriter or agent and will describe any compensation they receive from us.

Underwriters could make sales in privately negotiated transactions and/or any other method permitted by law, including sales deemed to be an "at-the-market" offering, sales made directly on the NYSE, the existing trading market for shares of our common stock, or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange. The name of any such underwriter or agent involved in the offer and sale of shares of our common stock, the amounts underwritten, and the nature of its obligations to take shares of our common stock will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, each series of the securities will be a new issue with no established trading market, other than shares of our common stock, which are currently listed on the NYSE. We currently intend to list any shares of common stock sold pursuant to this prospectus on the NYSE. We may elect to list any series of shares of preferred stock on an exchange, but are not obligated to do so. It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in a series of the securities, but underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. Therefore, we can give no assurance about the liquidity of the trading market for any of the securities.

Under agreements we may enter into, we may indemnify underwriters, dealers, and agents who participate in the distribution of the securities against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribute with respect to payments that the underwriters, dealers or agents may be required to make.

To facilitate the offering of securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involve the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than we sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their over-allotment option, if any. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time. From time to time, we may engage in transactions with these underwriters, dealers, and agents in the ordinary course of business.

If indicated in the prospectus supplement, we may authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by institutions to purchase securities from us pursuant to contracts providing for payment and delivery on a future date. Institutions with which we may make these delayed delivery contracts include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and others. The obligations of any purchaser under any such delayed delivery contract will be subject to the condition that the purchase of the securities shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which the purchaser is subject. The underwriters and other agents will not have any responsibility with regard to the validity or performance of these delayed delivery contracts.

Direct Sales and Sales through Agents

We may sell the securities directly. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved. We may also sell the securities through agents designated by us from time to time. In the applicable prospectus supplement, we will name any agent involved in the offer or sale of the offered securities, and we will describe any commissions payable to the agent. Unless we inform you otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, any agent will agree to use its reasonable best efforts to solicit purchases for the period of its appointment.

We may sell the securities directly to institutional investors or others who may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any sale of those securities. We will describe the terms of any sales of these securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Remarketing Arrangements

Securities may also be offered and sold, if so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, in connection with a remarketing upon their purchase, in accordance with a redemption or repayment pursuant to their terms, or otherwise, by one or more remarketing firms, acting as principals for their own accounts or as agents for us. Any remarketing firm will be identified and the terms of its agreements, if any, with us and its compensation will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

General

We may have agreements with the underwriters, dealers, agents and remarketing firms to indemnify them against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute with respect to payments that the underwriters, dealers, agents or remarketing firms may be required to make. Underwriters, dealers, agents and remarketing firms may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of their businesses.

Fees and Commissions

In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, the aggregate maximum discount, commission or agency fees or other items constituting underwriting compensation to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker-dealer will not exceed 8% of any offering pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement or pricing supplement, as the case may be; however, it is anticipated that the maximum commission or discount to be received in any particular offering of securities will be significantly less than this amount.

LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters in connection with this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Stinson Leonard Street LLP, Minneapolis, Minnesota, including the validity of the offered securities. Certain legal matters in connection with this prospectus will also be passed upon for us by Sidley Austin LLP, including the qualification of our company as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Granite Point incorporated by reference in Granite Point's Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2017 (including the schedule appearing therein), have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These filings are available for inspection and copying at the public reference room of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Information about the operation of the public reference room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Our SEC filings, including the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, are also available to you on the SEC's website atwww.sec.gov. We also maintain a website on the Internet with the address ofwww.gpmortgagetrust.com where you can find additional information. All internet addresses provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement are for information purposes only and are not intended to be hyperlinks. We are not incorporating by reference into this prospectus or any prospectus supplement the information on our website or any other website, and you should not consider our website or any other website to be a part of this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or other offering materials.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC's rules allow us to "incorporate by reference" information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of filing those documents. Any reports filed by us with the SEC on or after the date of this prospectus will automatically update and, where applicable, supersede any information contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have filed the documents listed below with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, and these documents are incorporated herein by reference (other than information in such documents that is furnished and not deemed to be filed):

•: Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2018;
•: The information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on March 27, 2018;
•: Our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2018 and June 30, 2018, filed with the SEC on May 10, 2018 and August 7, 2018, respectively;
•: Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on February 13, 2018, April 17, 2018, May 16, 2018 and June 28, 2018; and
•: The description of our common stock included in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on June 20, 2017.

We also incorporate by reference all documents we file (but not furnish) pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of the offering of the securities to which this prospectus relates (other than information in such documents that is furnished

and not deemed to be filed) and all such documents filed (but not furnished) after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement.

We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in this prospectus but not delivered with this prospectus (other than the exhibits to such documents which are not specifically incorporated by reference therein); we will provide this information at no cost to the requester upon written or oral request to: Secretary, Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc., 590 Madison Avenue, 38th Floor, New York , New York 10022, or (212) 364-3200.

6,000,000 Shares

GRANITE POINT MORTGAGE TRUST INC.

Common Stock

Prospectus Supplement

Morgan Stanley

Citigroup

J.P. Morgan

Wells Fargo Securities

January , 2019

Granite Point Mortgage Trust (GPMT) 424B5Prospectus supplement for primary offering