Firm reports $542m sale-leaseback deals.

Investment firm W. P. Carey & Co. LLC (NYSE: WPC) announced today that it completed more than $542 million of sale-leaseback transactions during the first nine months of 2003 as compared to $500 million in 2002.

Recently, the firm completed more than $76 million of sale-leaseback transactions with two companies, bringing its third quarter acquisition total to $211 million, equal to its acquisitions volume during the same period last year. The transactions included a $44.9 million acquisition of two state-of-the-art health and fitness centers totaling 279,000 square feet and a $31.6 million build-to-suit of a 270,000 square foot technical education campus.

The acquisitions were funded on behalf of Corporate Property Associates 15 Incorporated (CPAa: 15) a member of the $5 billion W. P. Carey Group of income generating, publicly held, non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs).

Gordon F. DuGan, President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of W. P. Carey, noted, "As leaders in the sale-leaseback financing business we remain committed to helping companies grow and expand their businesses by providing them the funds needed to eliminate debt, fund acquisitions or take their public company private.

"We are well positioned to help companies access our more than $2 billion in available capital and our ability to complete transactions in less than 30 days."