SEC Company Response from FIRST REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST OF NEW JERSEY, INC. (FREVS) (CIK 0000036840) (FREVS) — Jul 9, 2010
FIRST REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST OF NEW JERSEY, INC. (FREVS) (CIK 0000036840)
Date: July 9, 2010 · CIK: 0000036840 · Accession: 0000914317-10-001136
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 000-25043
Referenced dates: April 13, 2010, June 15, 2010
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CORRESP
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filename1.htm
corresp-109069_freit.htm
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporation Finance
100 F
Street, N.E.
Washington,
DC 20549
Attention: Jennifer
Gowetski, Senior Counsel
Re: First
Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey
Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended
October 31, 2009
Filed January 14, 2010
File No. 000-25043
Dear Ms.
Gowetski:
This
letter sets forth the responses of First Real Estate Investment Trust of New
Jersey (the “Trust”) to the comments of the Staff of the Division of Corporation
Finance (the “Staff”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“Commission”), in the Staff’s comment letter dated June 15, 2010, with respect
to the Trust’s Definitive Proxy Statement for the 2010 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders (the “Proxy Statement”). The Proxy Statement was mailed
to shareholders on or about March 1, 2010, and the Annual Meeting of
Shareholders was held on April 7, 2010. Disclosures containing
information similar to the information set forth in the sample disclosures
presented below will be included in future filings by the Trust.
DEFINITIVE PROXY
STATEMENT
Executive
Compensation, page 14
Fiscal 2009
Compensation, page 15
1.
We
note your response to comment 3 in our letter dated April 13, 2010 and the
proposed revisions to your CD&A. We continue to believe
that you should explain why the compensation paid by other real estate
investment trusts, the named executive officers’ duties, responsibilities
and time spent towards your business and your financial condition resulted
in the compensation paid to each named executive officer. This
discussion should address each named executive officer
individually. To the extent that you are benchmarking, please
disclose the names of the other real estate investment trusts and discuss
how you use these peer groups in benchmarking
compensation. Please provide us with sample disclosure and
confirm that you will include similar disclosure in future
filings.
Response
– The Trust proposes to include disclosure substantially similar to that
set forth below, revised as marked to show changes made to the disclosure
contained in the Proxy Statement, in future filings, with such further
revisions as may be necessary to reflect then current facts and
circumstances and to disclose any subsequent actions taken or policies
adopted by the Board of Trustees with respect to matters relating to
compensation. The Trust has not increased compensation payable
to its executive officers since 2007.
It
should be noted that in May, 2010, a Compensation Committee of the Board
of Trustees (the “Committee”) was created and a Compensation Committee
Charter adopted. The Committee will review compensation payable
to Executive Officers of the Trust for services in fiscal 2010 and may
make recommendations to the Board regarding changes in compensation if it
determines that any changes are warranted based upon the
review. The Trust’s executive compensation disclosures in the
2011 proxy statement will reflect the process followed by the Committee
and the Board in making compensation determinations for fiscal
2010.
Fiscal
2009 Compensation
With
respect to feescompensation
for the Executive Officers for the 2009 fiscal year, including with
respect to both Mr. Hekemian in his capacity as Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Barney in his capacity as President,
Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, the Board of Trustees
considered the
following factors, among other things, : (i) feescompensation
paid by other real estate investment trusts, both as a component
of operating expenses and to ensure that the Trust’s compensation levels
are competitive in the industry;, (ii) the duties
and responsibilities of the Executive Officers and the value of the
services provided by them, including the amount
of time expended by them on the Trust’s business;, and (iii) the
Trust’s operating results and financial
condition, as well as the condition and prospects of the residential and
commercial real estate markets. The Board of Trustees
reviews compensation paid by other real estate investment trusts in the
most general way in view of the fact that unlike many other real estate
investment trusts, the Trust’s executive officers do not spend full time
in their respective positions. Mr. Hekemian devotes
approximately 70% of his business activities to the Trust, and, as a
result of that commitment, the compensation paid to him is more than the
amount paid to other executive officers of the Trust. Mr. Barney devotes
approximately 15% of his business activities to the Trust, and Mr. Aiello
devotes approximately 7% of his business activities to the Trust and the
compensation paid to them reflects these circumstances. In addition, in
determining compensation to be paid to Executive Officers, the Board of
Trustees considered the size and scope of the Trust’s business and
operations as reflected on its balance sheet and income statement in
relationship to other real estate investment trusts. See
“Fiscal 2009 Compensation: Trustees” for amounts payable to Mr. Hekemian
and Mr. Barney for services in their capacities as
Trustees. For the 2009 fiscal year, the Board of Trustees
determined that the compensation paid to its Executive Officers would
remain the same as in the prior year after taking into
account the factors referenced in the preceding paragraph, including the
adverse and uncertain economic climate in which the Trust is currently
operating.
In
connection with the responses provided above, the Trust acknowledges the
following:
·
the
Trust is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in
its filing;
·
Staff
comments or changes to disclosure in response to Staff comments do not
foreclose the Commission from taking any action with respect to the
filing; and
·
the
Trust may not assert Staff comments as a defense in any proceeding
initiated by the Commission or any person under the federal securities
laws of the United States.
If you
have any questions or comments with respect to the foregoing, please contact the
undersigned.
Very
truly yours,
/s/ Robert S.
Hekemian
ROBERT
S. HEKEMIAN
Chairman
of the Board and Chief Executive
Officer
cc: Erin
E. Martin