Company: ABR-PF
Filing Date: 2025-04-17
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001628280-25-018236
Chunk: 21

Company: ARBOR REALTY TRUST INC
Filing Date: 2025-04-17
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 21
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 Fannie Mae-led recruiting service that helps companies create a more diverse workforce through intentional sourcing and recruiting; (4) the establishment of relationships with reputable and impactful organizations serving the communities in which our employees work and live; and (5) periodic review and revamping of Arbor’s corporate and Board-directed governance to more clearly reflect its commitment to ESG. For more detailed information of our ESG initiatives, see our ESG Report on our website at www.arbor.com.

We are certain that these initiatives, among others we may develop from time to time, will make Arbor a better place to work, and a more impactful participant in the ever-evolving global markets.

#### Director Independence
Of our ten directors, eight of our directors have been determined by our Board of Directors to be independent for purposes of the NYSE’s Corporate Governance Standards. Our independent directors are currently Dr. Wilkens, Ms. Effron and Messrs. Green, Lazar, Farrell, Schwartz, Bacon and Tsunis. In determining director independence, the Board of Directors reviewed, among other things, whether any transactions or relationships currently exist, or have existed in the past, between each director and the Company and our subsidiaries, our management, affiliates and equity investors or independent registered public accounting firm. In particular, the Board reviewed current or recent business transactions or relationships or other personal relationships between each director and the Company, including such director’s immediate family and companies owned or controlled by the director or with which the director was affiliated. The purpose of this review is to determine whether any such transactions or relationships failed to meet any of the objective tests promulgated by the NYSE for determining independence or were otherwise sufficiently material as to be inconsistent with a

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determination that the director is independent. The Board also examined whether there were any such transactions or relationships between each director and members of our senior management or our affiliates.

In reviewing the independence of Mr. Green, the Corporate Governance Committee and the Board considered that in 2017, Ginkgo Investment Company, LLC ("Ginkgo"), of which Mr. Green is a 33% managing member, purchased a multifamily apartment complex, which assumed a Fannie Mae loan that we service. Ginkgo subsequently sold the majority of its interest in this property and currently owns a 3.6% interest. Upon the purchase by Ginkgo, we received a 1% loan assumption fee which was governed by existing loan agreements that were in place when the