Company Description
City Office REIT, Inc. (historically traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CIO) was a real estate investment trust focused on the office sector. According to company disclosures, City Office REIT was an internally managed real estate company that concentrated on acquiring, owning and operating office properties located predominantly in Sun Belt markets in the United States. Over time, the company reported owning or having a controlling interest in millions of square feet of office properties, reflecting a portfolio strategy centered on office assets in growth-oriented markets.
City Office REIT elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, the company’s structure and public communications emphasized rental income from its office properties and distributions to shareholders, including both common stock and 6.625% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock. The company described itself as internally managed, indicating that its management team was employed directly by the REIT rather than through an external advisory contract.
Business focus and portfolio characteristics
In multiple press releases and SEC filings, City Office REIT stated that its strategy was to focus on office properties in Sun Belt markets. These disclosures noted that the company owned or had a controlling interest in several million square feet of office properties and that its portfolio included assets in markets such as Phoenix, Arizona, where it entered into a significant sale transaction for a group of properties referred to as the Phoenix Portfolio. The company also reported metrics such as net rentable square feet, occupancy levels, leasing activity and same store cash net operating income, highlighting the importance of rental revenues and property-level performance to its business.
The company’s communications described activity such as entering into a purchase and sale agreement to sell all of the properties it owned in Phoenix, Arizona for an aggregate sale price, and subsequently completing the first closing of that Phoenix portfolio sale. These transactions were also referenced as conditions related to a merger agreement, underscoring how portfolio management and capital recycling formed part of the company’s strategic decisions.
Capital structure and securities
City Office REIT’s capital structure included common stock and 6.625% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock. The company announced regular quarterly dividends on both its common stock and its Series A preferred shares, and provided detailed tax treatment information for distributions to holders of these securities. In later disclosures, the board of directors resolved to suspend future quarterly common stock dividend payments through the expected close of a merger transaction, while stating that the company would continue to pay regular quarterly dividends on its preferred stock so long as it remained outstanding.
SEC filings and press releases also described the treatment of these securities in connection with a merger. Under the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated July 23, 2025, each share of common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger (other than certain excluded shares) was to be cancelled and converted into the right to receive a specified cash amount per share. The company also disclosed that, immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, it would redeem each share of its Series A preferred stock for a stated cash amount per share plus any accrued and unpaid distributions, subject to applicable withholding tax.
Merger and change of control
On July 23, 2025, City Office REIT entered into a Merger Agreement with MCME Carell Holdings, LP and MCME Carell Merger Sub, LLC. The agreement provided that, subject to the satisfaction of various closing conditions, the company would merge with and into Merger Sub, with Merger Sub surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of MCME Carell Holdings, LP. Subsequent communications reported that the company’s stockholders approved the merger proposal at a special meeting held on October 16, 2025.
According to the company’s Form 8-K filed on January 9, 2026, the merger closed on that date. At the effective time of the merger, each share of common stock was cancelled and converted automatically into the right to receive the agreed cash consideration, and each share of the Series A preferred stock was redeemed for the stated cash amount plus accrued and unpaid distributions. The filing further notes that, as a result of the consummation of the merger, a change of control of the company occurred, and the company merged with and into Merger Sub, with the separate corporate existence of City Office REIT, Inc. ceasing and Merger Sub surviving as the “Surviving Company.”
Delisting and deregistration
Following the completion of the merger, City Office REIT’s securities were removed from listing on the New York Stock Exchange. In its January 9, 2026 Form 8-K, the company reported that it notified the NYSE of the consummation of the merger and requested that the exchange suspend trading in the common stock and the Series A preferred stock and file a Form 25 to delist and deregister these securities under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Form 25 filings dated January 9, 2026, submitted by the NYSE, confirm the notification of removal from listing and/or registration for both the common stock and the 6.625% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock.
The same Form 8-K indicated that, upon effectiveness of the Form 25, the company intended to file a certification on Form 15 to suspend its reporting obligations under Sections 13 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act. As a result, City Office REIT’s common stock and preferred stock no longer trade on the NYSE, and the company no longer functions as an independent, exchange-listed REIT. The historical ticker symbol CIO now primarily represents the period before the merger when City Office REIT, Inc. was a public company.
Historical context for investors
For investors researching the former CIO symbol, the key historical themes include its role as an internally managed REIT focused on Sun Belt office properties, its use of common and preferred equity securities with regular distributions, and its strategic transactions involving portfolio sales and a take-private merger. Public disclosures such as earnings releases, dividend announcements, merger-related filings and tax treatment notices provide a record of how the company communicated its operations, capital structure and strategic decisions over time.
Because the merger has been completed and the company’s securities have been delisted and deregistered, CIO functions as a historical reference rather than an actively traded stock. Researchers and investors examining CIO today are generally looking at the company’s past performance, governance decisions, merger terms and portfolio evolution as documented in its prior press releases and SEC filings.