UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM N-CSR

 

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

 

Investment Company Act file number

811-10491

 

Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

Nuveen Investments

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

Kevin J. McCarthy

Nuveen Investments

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

(312) 917-7700

 

 

Date of fiscal year end:

December 31

 

 

Date of reporting period:

December 31, 2011

 

 

Form N-CSR is to be used by management investment companies to file reports with the Commission not later than 10 days after the transmission to stockholders of any report that is required to be transmitted to stockholders under Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30e-1). The Commission may use the information provided on Form N-CSR in its regulatory, disclosure review, inspection, and policymaking roles.

 

A registrant is required to disclose the information specified by Form N-CSR, and the Commission will make this information public. A registrant is not required to respond to the collection of information contained in Form N-CSR unless the Form displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) control number. Please direct comments concerning the accuracy of the information collection burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing the burden to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549-0609. The OMB has reviewed this collection of information under the clearance requirements of 44 U.S.C. ss. 3507.

 



 

ITEM 1. REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS

 



Closed-End Funds

Nuveen Investments

Closed-End Funds

Seeks High Current Income from a Portfolio
of Commercial Real Estate Investments

Annual Report

December 31, 2011

Nuveen Real Estate
Income Fund

JRS



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Table of Contents

Chairman's Letter to Shareholders   4  
Portfolio Managers' Comments   5  
Fund Leverage and Other Information   8  
Common Share Distribution and Price Information   10  
Performance Overview   12  
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm   13  
Portfolio of Investments   14  
Statement of Assets & Liabilities   17  
Statement of Operations   18  
Statement of Changes in Net Assets   19  
Statement of Cash Flows   20  
Financial Highlights   22  
Notes to Financial Statements   24  
Board Members & Officers   33  
Reinvest Automatically Easily and Conveniently   38  
Glossary of Terms Used in this Report   40  
Additional Fund Information   43  



Chairman's
Letter to Shareholders

Dear Shareholders,

These are perplexing times for investors. The global economy continues to struggle. The solutions being implemented in the eurozone to deal with the debt crises of many of its member countries are not yet seen as sufficient by the financial markets. The political paralysis in the U.S. has prevented the compromises necessary to deal with the fiscal imbalance and government spending priorities. The efforts by individual consumers, governments and financial institutions to reduce their debts are increasing savings but reducing demand for the goods and services that drive employment. These developments are undermining the rebuilding of confidence by consumers, corporations and investors that is so essential to a resumption of economic growth.

Although it is painfully slow, progress is being made. In Europe, the turnover of a number of national governments reflects the realization by politicians and voters alike that leaders who practiced business as usual had to be replaced by leaders willing to face problems and accept the hard choices needed to resolve them. The recent coordinated efforts by central banks in the U.S. and Europe to provide liquidity to the largest European banks indicates that these monetary authorities are committed to facilitating a recovery in the European banking sector.

In the U.S., the failure of the congressionally appointed Debt Reduction Committee was a blow to those who hoped for a bipartisan effort to finally begin addressing the looming fiscal crisis. Nevertheless, Congress and the administration cannot ignore the issue for long. The Bush era tax cuts are scheduled to expire on December 31, 2012, and six months later the $1.2 trillion of mandatory across-the-board spending cuts under the Budget Control Act of 2011 begin to go into effect. Any legislative modification would require bipartisan support and the prospects for a bipartisan solution are unclear. The impact of these two developments would be a mixed blessing: a meaningful reduction in the annual budget deficit at the cost of slowing the economic recovery.

It is in these particularly volatile markets that professional investment management is most important. Skillful investment teams who have experienced challenging markets and remain committed to their investment disciplines are critical to the success of an investor's long-term objectives. In fact, many long-term investment track records are built during challenging markets when managers are able to protect investors against these economic crosscurrents. Experienced investment teams know that volatile markets put a premium on companies and investment ideas that will weather the short-term volatility and that compelling values and opportunities are opened up when markets overreact to negative developments. By maintaining appropriate time horizons, diversification and relying on practiced investment teams, we believe that investors can achieve their long-term investment objectives.

As always, I encourage you to contact your financial consultant if you have any questions about your investment in a Nuveen Fund. On behalf of the other members of your Fund Board, we look forward to continuing to earn your trust in the months and years ahead.

Sincerely,

Robert P. Bremner
Chairman of the Board
February 22, 2012

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Portfolio Managers' Comments

Certain statements in this report are forward-looking statements. Discussions of specific investments are for illustration only and are not intended as recommendations of individual investments. The forward-looking statements and other views expressed herein are those of the portfolio managers as of the date of this report. Actual future results or occurrences may differ significantly from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements and the views expressed herein are subject to change at any time, due to numerous market and other factors. The Fund disclaims any obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or views expressed herein.

Ratings shown are the highest rating given by one of the following national rating agencies: Standard & Poor's Group, Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or Fitch, Inc. Credit ratings are subject to change. AAA, AA, A, and BBB are investment grade ratings; BB, B, CCC, CC, C and D are below investment grade ratings. Certain bonds backed by U.S. Government or agency securities are regarded as having an implied rating equal to the rating of such securities. Holdings designated N/R are not rated by a national rating agency.

Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund (JRS)

The Fund is managed by a team of real estate investment professionals at Security Capital Research & Management Incorporated, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Anthony R. Manno Jr. , Kenneth D. Statz and Kevin W. Bedell, who together average 31 years of experience in managing real estate investments, lead the team and have managed JRS since its inception in 2001. Here they talk about general economic and market conditions, their management strategy and performance of the Fund over the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2011.

What were the general market conditions for the reporting period?

During this period, the U.S. economy continued to recover from the recent recession, but progress remained slow. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) grew in 2011, but at a slower rate than in 2010 (1.7% vs. 3.0%). The unemployment picture showed some improvement, with the national unemployment rate standing at 8.5% as of December 2011, compared with 9.4% one year earlier. However, the housing market continued to be a weak spot. For the twelve months ended November 2011 (the most recent data available at the time this report was prepared), the average home price in the Standard & Poor's (S&P)/Case-Shiller Index lost 1.3%, with 18 of the 20 major metropolitan areas reporting lower values. In addition, the U.S. economic picture continued to be clouded by concerns about the European debt crisis and efforts to reduce the federal deficit.

In an attempt to improve the overall economic environment, the Federal Reserve (Fed) continued to hold the benchmark fed funds rate at the record low level of zero to 0.25% that it had established in December 2008. In January 2012 (following the end of this reporting period), the central bank stated that economic conditions would likely warrant maintaining this low rate through 2014. The Fed also implemented a program to extend the average maturity of its U.S. Treasury holdings by purchasing $400 billion of these securities with maturities of six to thirty years and selling an equal amount of U.S. Treasury securities with maturities of three years or less. The goals of this program, which the Fed expects to complete by the end of June 2012, are to lower longer-term interest rates, support a stronger economic recovery and help ensure that inflation remains at levels consistent with the Fed's mandates of maximum employment and price stability.

The U.S. equity markets experienced periods of extreme volatility over the twelve-month reporting period, and posted mixed results for the full year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 8.38% in 2011, and the broader S&P 500 Index ended the year up 2.11%. The NASDAQ Composite Index finished in the red, slipping 0.83%

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Past performance is not predictive of future results. Current performance may be higher or lower than the data shown. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that shareholders may have to pay on Fund distributions or upon the sale of Fund shares.

For additional information, see the Performance Overview page in this report.

*  Refer to Glossary of Terms Used in this Report for definitions.

during 2011. The fixed-income markets generally did better, with the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index producing a return of 7.84% for the year.

In general, Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) common stocks rebounded strongly in the fourth quarter to end 2011 with attractive total returns amidst continued signs of stress in U.S. and global economies and the ongoing potential for contagion associated with a crisis in European financial markets. Returns for REIT senior fixed income securities were strong in 2011 aided, among other things, by a historic decline in U.S. Treasury yields.

What key strategies were used to manage the Fund during this reporting period?

The Fund is designed to invest at least 90% of its assets in income producing common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks and debt securities issued by real estate companies, with at least 80% of its total assets invested in income producing equity securities issued by REITs. In managing JRS, we seek to maintain significant property type and geographic diversification while taking into account company credit quality, sector, and security-type allocations. Investment decisions are based on a multi-layered analysis of the company, the real estate it owns, its management and the relative price of the security, with a focus on securities that we believe will be best positioned to generate sustainable income and potential price appreciation over the long run. In addition to fundamental security research, the proportion of the Fund invested in common equity versus preferred and fixed income investments is a key tactic we use to manage risk at a portfolio level. In general, in times of strong economic growth, we tilt the portfolio towards more ownership of equity. In highly uncertain times, we tend to favor more allocation toward bonds and preferred securities.

The allocation for the Fund between equity, preferred and debt investments as of December 31, 2011, was approximately 63% in REIT equity, 34% in preferred and 2% in bonds. This allocation is in-line with the long-term "normal" allocation for managing this portfolio and reflects our strategy of balancing growth and risk management in an economy experiencing a slow and uneven recovery.

How did the Fund perform over this twelve-month period?

The performance of the Fund, as well as for comparative indexes, and a benchmark, is presented in the accompanying table.

Average Annual Total Returns on Common Share Net Asset Value

For periods ended 12/31/11

    1-Year   5-Year   10-Year  
JRS     8.18 %     -8.18 %     5.98 %  
Wilshire U.S. Real Estate Securities Index*     8.87 %     -2.22 %     10.11 %  
Specialized Real Estate Securities Benchmark*     7.50 %     2.67 %     9.62 %  
S&P 500 Index*     2.11 %     -0.25 %     2.92 %  

 

For the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2011, the total return on common share net asset value (NAV) for the Fund underperformed a real estate market index, but outperformed a specialized market benchmark and the S&P 500 Index.

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Over the course of the year, REIT common equity and fixed income securities generated attractive returns in a volatile market characterized by re-emerging concerns regarding the U.S. and global economies. Additionally, there was a continued boost from accommodative real estate financing markets and an elevated investor appetite for current yield.

While operating conditions in most property types continued to be challenging for owners and operators of real estate, there were clear signs of abundant market liquidity in real estate capital markets for high quality assets. This drove asset valuations, eased debt refundings and boosted confidence for owners. Public real estate markets continued to display a number of these trends evident through increasing stock prices, active equity issuance and narrow lending spreads.

The Fund's performance benefited from its allocation to common equity securities during a highly volatile period for the REIT common equity market. The Fund's underweight to preferred securities and equity investments in office companies constrained the Fund's performance relative to both the index and specialized benchmark during 2011.

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Fund Leverage
and Other Information

IMPACT OF THE FUND'S LEVERAGE STRATEGY ON PERFORMANCE

One important factor impacting the return of the Fund relative to its benchmarks was the Fund's use of financial leverage through the use of bank borrowings. The Fund uses leverage because its managers believe that, over time, leveraging provides opportunities for additional income and total return for common shareholders. However, use of leverage also can expose common shareholders to additional volatility. For example, as the prices of securities held by a Fund decline, the negative impact of these valuation changes on common share net asset value and common shareholder total return is magnified by the use of leverage. Conversely, leverage may enhance common share returns during periods when the prices of securities held by a Fund generally are rising. Leverage had a positive impact on the performance of the Fund over this reporting period. During the period, the Fund entered into interest rate swap contracts to partially fix the interest cost of the Fund's leverage. This activity detracted modestly from the overall positive impact of leverage, as rates declined slightly while the position was in place, meaning it would have been better had the interest rates of the leverage floated rather than being partially fixed in the period.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING THE FUND'S REDEMPTION OF AUCTION RATE PREFERRED SHARES

Shortly after its inception, the Fund issued auction rate preferred shares (ARPS) to create leverage. As noted in past shareholder reports, the weekly auctions for those ARPS shares began in February 2008 to consistently fail, causing the Fund to pay the so called "maximum rate" to ARPS shareholders under the terms of the ARPS in the Fund's charter documents. The Fund redeemed its ARPS at par in 2009 and since then has relied upon bank borrowings to create leverage.

During 2010 and 2011, certain Nuveen leveraged closed-end funds (including this Fund) received a demand letter from a law firm on behalf of purported holders of common shares of each such fund, alleging that Nuveen and the funds' officers and Board of Directors/Trustees breached their fiduciary duties related to the redemption at par of the funds' ARPS. In response, the Board established an ad hoc Demand Committee consisting of certain of its disinterested and independent Board members to investigate the claims. The Demand Committee retained independent counsel to assist it in conducting an extensive investigation. Based upon its investigation, the Demand Committee found that it was not in the best interests of each fund or its shareholders to take the actions suggested in the demand letters, and recommended that the full Board reject the demands made in the demand letters. After reviewing the findings and

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8



recommendation of the Demand Committee, the full Board of each fund unanimously adopted the Demand Committee's recommendation.

Subsequently, the funds that received demand letters (including this Fund) were named in a consolidated complaint as nominal defendants in a putative shareholder derivative action captioned Martin Safier, et al. v. Nuveen Asset Management, et al. that was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Chancery Division (the "Cook County Chancery Court") on February 18, 2011 (the "Complaint"). The Complaint, filed on behalf of purported holders of each fund's common shares, also named Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc. as a defendant, together with current and former Officers and interested Director/Trustees of each of the funds (together with the nominal defendants, collectively, the "Defendants"). The Complaint contained the same basic allegations contained in the demand letters. The Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the suit and on December 16, 2011, the court granted that motion dismissing the Complaint. The plaintiffs failed to file an appeal of the court's decision within the required time period, resulting in the final disposition of the suit.

RISK CONSIDERATIONS

Fund shares are not guaranteed or endorsed by any bank or other insured depository institution, and are not federally insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Fund common shares are subject to a variety of risks, including:

Investment Risk. The possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest.

Price Risk. Shares of closed-end investment companies like the Fund frequently trade at a discount to their NAV. Your common shares at any point in time may be worth less than your original investment, even after taking into account the reinvestment of Fund dividends and distributions.

Tax Risk. The tax treatment of Fund distributions may be affected by new IRS interpretations of the Internal Revenue Code and future changes in tax laws and regulations. This is particularly true for funds employing a managed distribution program.

Real Estate Risk. Your investment in the Fund is linked to the performance of the commercial real estate markets, which may fall due to increasing vacancies, declining rents or the failure of borrowers to pay their loans.

Leverage Risk. The Fund's use of leverage creates the possibility of higher volatility for the Fund's per share NAV, market price, distributions and returns. There is no assurance that a Fund's leveraging strategy will be successful.

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Common Share Distribution
and Price Information

Distribution Information

The following information regarding the Fund's distributions is current as of December 31, 2011, and likely will vary over time based on the Fund's investment activities and portfolio investment value changes.

During the twelve-month reporting period, the Fund's quarterly distribution to common shareholders increased during June. Some of the important factors affecting the amount and composition of these distributions are summarized below.

The Fund employs financial leverage through the use of bank borrowings. Financial leverage provides the potential for higher earnings (net investment income), total returns and distributions over time, but-as noted earlier-also increases the variability of common shareholders' net asset value per share in response to changing market conditions.

The Fund has a managed distribution program. The goal of this program is to provide common shareholders with relatively consistent and predictable cash flow by systematically converting the Fund's expected long-term return potential into regular distributions. As a result, regular common share distributions throughout the year are likely to include a portion of expected long-term gains (both realized and unrealized), along with net investment income.

Important points to understand about the managed distribution program are:

•  The Fund seeks to establish a relatively stable common share distribution rate that roughly corresponds to the projected total return from its investment strategy over an extended period of time. However, you should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's past or future investment performance from its current distribution rate.

•  Actual common share returns will differ from projected long-term returns (and therefore the Fund's distribution rate), at least over shorter time periods. Over a specific timeframe, the difference between actual returns and total distributions will be reflected in an increasing (returns exceed distributions) or a decreasing (distributions exceed returns) Fund net asset value.

•  Each distribution is expected to be paid from some or all of the following sources:

•  net investment income (regular interest and dividends),

•  realized capital gains, and

•  unrealized gains, or, in certain cases, a return of principal (non-taxable distributions).

•  A non-taxable distribution is a payment of a portion of the Fund's capital. When the Fund's returns exceed distributions, it may represent portfolio gains generated, but

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**  The Fund elected to retain a portion of its realized long-term capital gains for the tax years ended December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006, and pay required federal corporate income taxes on these amounts. As reported on Form 2439, Common shareholders on record date must include their pro-rata share of these gains on their applicable federal tax returns, and are entitled to take offsetting tax credits, for their pro-rata share of the taxes paid by the Fund. The total returns "Including retained gain tax credit/ refund" include the economic benefit to Common shareholders on record date of these tax credits/refunds. The Fund had no retained capital gains for the tax years ended December 31, 2011 through December 31, 2008 or for the tax years ended prior to December 31, 2006.

not realized as a taxable capital gain. In periods when the Fund's returns fall short of distributions, the shortfall will represent a portion of your original principal, unless the shortfall is offset during other time periods over the life of your investment (previous or subsequent) when the Fund's total return exceeds distributions.

•  Because distribution source estimates are updated during the year based on the Fund's performance and forecast for its current fiscal year (which is the calendar year for the Fund), estimates on the nature of your distributions provided at the time the distributions are paid may differ from both the tax information reported to you in your Fund's IRS Form 1099 statement provided at year end, as well as the ultimate economic sources of distributions over the life of your investment.

The following table provides information regarding the Fund's common share distributions and total return performance for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. This information is intended to help you better understand whether the Fund's returns for the specified time period were sufficient to meet the Fund's distributions.

As of 12/31/11 (Common Shares)   JRS  
Inception date   11/15/01  
Fiscal year (calendar year) ended December 31, 2011:  
Per share distribution:  
From net investment income   $ 0.91    
From long-term capital gains     0.00    
From short-term capital gains     0.00    
Return of capital     0.00    
Total per share distribution   $ 0.91    
Distribution rate on NAV     9.43 %  
Average annual total returns:  
Excluding retained gain tax credit/refund**:  
1-Year on NAV     8.18 %  
5-Year on NAV     -7.97 %  
10-Year on NAV     5.98 %  
Including retained gain tax credit/refund**:  
1-Year on NAV     8.18 %  
5-Year on NAV     -5.68 %  
10-Year on NAV     7.08 %  

 

Common Share Repurchases and Price Information

As of December 31, 2011, and since the inception of the Fund's repurchase program, the Fund has not repurchased any of its outstanding common shares.

As of December 31, 2011, the Fund was trading at a +8.30% premium to its common share NAV, compared with an average premium of +5.48% for the entire twelve-month period.

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Fund Snapshot

Common Share Price   $ 10.44    
Common Share Net Asset Value (NAV)   $ 9.64    
Premium/(Discount) to NAV     8.30 %  
Current Distribution Rate1      8.81 %  
Net Assets Applicable to
Common Shares ($000)
  $ 275,750    

 

Leverage

(as a % of managed assets)5

Regulatory Leverage     28.70 %  
Effective Leverage     28.70 %  

 

Portfolio Composition

(as a % of total investments)2,3

Office     30.5 %  
Specialized     26.6 %  
Residential     18.3 %  
Retail     16.3 %  
Industrial     4.8 %  
Diversified     2.1 %  
Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure     1.0 %  
Short-Term Investments     0.4 %  

 

Top Five Common Stock Issuers

(as a % of total investments)2,3

Health Care Property Investors Inc.     5.4 %  
Prologis Inc.     4.8 %  
Equity Residential     4.7 %  
Simon Property Group, Inc.     4.4 %  
AvalonBay Communities, Inc.     4.0 %  

 

Top Five Preferred Stock Issuers

(as a % of total investments)2,3

Hospitality Properties Trust     4.2 %  
SL Green Realty Corporation     3.5 %  
Highwoods Properties, Inc.     3.5 %  
Apartment Investment & Management
Company
    3.3 %  
Lexington Realty Trust     2.1 %  

 

Average Annual Total Returns

(Inception 11/15/01)

    On Share Price   On NAV  
1-Year     13.11 %     8.18 %  
5-Year     -7.28 %     -7.97 %  
10-Year     7.05 %     5.98 %  

 

Average Annual Total Returns4

(Including retained gain tax credit/refund)

    On Share Price   On NAV  
1-Year     13.11 %     8.18 %  
5-Year     -4.82 %     -5.68 %  
10-Year     8.06 %     7.08 %  

JRS

Performance

OVERVIEW

(Unaudited)

Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund

  as of December 31, 2011

Portfolio Allocation (as a % of total investments)2,3

2010-2011 Distributions Per Common Share

Common Share Price Performance — Weekly Closing Price

  Refer to the Glossary of Terms used in this Report for further definition of the terms used within this Fund's Performance Overview Page.

1  Current Distribution Rate is based on the Fund's current annualized quarterly distribution divided by the Fund's current market price. REIT distributions received by the Fund are generally comprised of investment income, long-term and short-term capital gains and a REIT return of capital. The Fund's quarterly distributions to its shareholders may be comprised of ordinary income, net realized capital gains and, if at the end of the calendar year the Fund's cumulative net ordinary income and net realized gains are less than the amount of the Fund's distributions, a return of capital for tax purposes.

2  Excluding investments in derivatives.

3  Holdings are subject to change.

4  As previously explained in the Common Share Distribution and Price Information section of this report, the Fund elected to retain a portion of its realized long-term capital gains for the tax years ended December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006, and pay required federal corporate income taxes on these amounts. These standardized total returns include the economic benefit to Common shareholders of record of this tax credit/refund. The Fund had no retained capital gains for the tax years ended December 31, 2011 through December 31, 2008 or for the tax years ended prior to December 31, 2006.

5  As defined in Footnote 7—Management Fees and Other Transactions with Affiliates.

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Report of INDEPENDENT REGISTERED

PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Board of Trustees and Shareholders
Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the portfolio of investments, of Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund (the "Fund") as of December 31, 2011, and the related statements of operations and cash flows for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended. These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of the Fund's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial highlights based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement. We were not engaged to perform an audit of the Fund's internal control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements and financial highlights, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of December 31, 2011, by correspondence with the custodian, counterparty and brokers. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund at December 31, 2011, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Chicago, Illinois
February 27, 2012

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JRS

Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund

Portfolio of Investments

  December 31, 2011

Shares   Description (1)   Value  
    Real Estate Investment Trust Common Stocks – 87.6% (62.5% of Total Investments)  
    Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure – 1.4%  
  104,750     Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Class A, (2)   $ 3,942,790    
    Industrial – 6.7%  
  646,907     Prologis Inc.     18,495,071    
    Office – 16.1%  
  99,910     Boston Properties, Inc.     9,951,036    
  347,150     Brandywine Realty Trust     3,297,925    
  212,100     CommonWealth REIT     3,529,344    
  294,150     Corporate Office Properties     6,253,629    
  301,360     Mack-Cali Realty Corporation     8,043,298    
  225,170     Piedmont Office Realty Trust     3,836,897    
  142,840     SL Green Realty Corporation     9,518,858    
    Total Office     44,430,987    
    Residential – 19.4%  
  275,350     Apartment Investment & Management Company, Class A,     6,308,269    
  117,398     AvalonBay Communities, Inc.     15,332,179    
  106,450     BRE Properties, Inc.     5,373,596    
  394,800     Colonial Properties Trust     8,235,528    
  318,060     Equity Residential     18,138,962    
    Total Residential     53,388,534    
    Retail – 17.1%  
  73,670     Federal Realty Investment Trust     6,685,553    
  488,779     General Growth Properties Inc.     7,341,461    
  152,357     Macerich Company     7,709,264    
  219,320     Regency Centers Corporation     8,250,818    
  133,309     Simon Property Group, Inc.     17,188,862    
    Total Retail     47,175,958    
    Specialized – 26.9%  
  267,210     Extra Space Storage Inc.     6,474,498    
  503,270     HCP, Inc.     20,850,476    
  218,270     Health Care REIT, Inc.     11,902,263    
  955,375     Host Hotels & Resorts Inc.     14,110,889    
  80,757     Public Storage, Inc., (3)     10,858,586    
  181,660     Ventas Inc.     10,014,916    
    Total Specialized     74,211,628    
    Total Real Estate Investment Trust Common Stocks (cost $185,973,946)     241,644,968    

 

 

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Shares   Description (1)   Coupon     Ratings (4)   Value  
    Convertible Preferred Securities – 3.9% (2.8% of Total Investments)  
    Office – 3.9%  
  525,756     CommonWealth REIT     6.500 %         Baa3   $ 10,667,589    
        Total Convertible Preferred Securities (cost $10,684,923)                       10,667,589    
Shares   Description (1)   Coupon       Value  
    Real Estate Investment Trust Preferred Stocks – 45.5% (32.4% of Total Investments)  
    Diversified – 2.9%  
  33,000     PS Business Parks, Inc., Series M     7.200 %               $ 829,950    
  261,400     PS Business Parks, Inc., Series O, (3)     7.375 %                 6,582,052    
  27,700     PS Business Parks, Inc., Series I     6.875 %                 696,378    
        Total Diversified                       8,108,380    
    Office – 20.0%  
  181,000     CommomWealth REIT     7.125 %               4,425,450    
  33,000     Duke-Weeks Realty Corporation     6.950 %                 828,300    
  12,141     Highwoods Properties, Inc., Series A     8.625 %                 13,393,041    
  293,000     Hudson Pacific Properties Inc.     8.375 %                 7,600,420    
  335,978     Lexington Realty Trust     7.550 %                 8,033,234    
  314,000     Parkway Properties, Inc.     8.000 %                 7,272,240    
  550,000     SL Green Realty Corporation, (3)     7.625 %                 13,700,500    
        Total Office                       55,253,185    
    Residential – 6.3%  
  511,100     Apartment Investment & Management Company, Series U     7.750 %                 12,808,166    
  179,300     Apartment Investment & Management Company, Series Y     7.875 %                 4,514,774    
        Total Residential                       17,322,940    
    Retail – 5.8%  
  37,842     CBL & Associates Properties Inc., Series C     7.750 %                 941,887    
  102,000     CBL & Associates Properties Inc., Series D     7.375 %                 2,415,360    
  70,550     Glimcher Realty Trust, Series G     8.125 %                 1,681,912    
  265,000     Regency Centers Corporation, Series C     7.450 %                 6,723,050    
  13,000     Regency Centers Corporation, Series D     7.250 %                 325,390    
  152,800     Saul Centers, Inc.     8.000 %                 3,949,880    
        Total Retail                       16,037,479    
    Specialized – 10.5%  
  114,174     HCP, Inc., Series F     7.100 %                 2,914,862    
  38,000     Health Care REIT, Inc., Series D     7.875 %                 966,340    
  103,300     Hersha Hospitality Trust, Series A     8.000 %                 2,474,035    
  652,421     Hospitality Properties Trust, Series C     7.000 %                 16,134,371    
  271,452     Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc., Series A     8.000 %                 6,387,266    
        Total Specialized                       28,876,874    
        Total Real Estate Investment Trust Preferred Securities (cost $122,979,144)                       125,598,858    

 

 

Nuveen Investments
15



JRS

Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund (continued)

Portfolio of Investments December 31, 2011

Principal
Amount (000)
  Description (1)   Coupon   Maturity   Ratings (4)   Value  
    Convertible Bonds – 2.7% (1.9% of Total Investments)  
    Office – 2.7%  
$ 8,000     Corporate Office Properties LP, Convertible Bond, 144A     4.250 %   4/15/30   N/R   $ 7,360,000    
      Total Convertible Bonds (cost $7,450,883)                       7,360,000    
Principal
Amount (000)
  Description (1)   Coupon   Maturity     Value  
    Short-Term Investments – 0.6% (0.4% of Total Investments)  
$ 1,580     Repurchase Agreement with Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, dated 12/30/11,
repurchase price $1,579,920, collateralized by $1,550,000 U.S. Treasury Notes,
1.500%, due 6/30/16, value $1,612,000
    0.010 %   1/03/12         $ 1,579,918    
    Total Short-Term Investments (cost $1,579,918)                       1,579,918    
    Total Investments (cost $328,668,814) – 140.3%                       386,851,333    
    Borrowings – (40.3)% (5), (6)                       (111,000,000 )  
    Other Assets Less Liabilities – (0.0)% (7)                       (101,219 )  
    Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares – 100%                     $ 275,750,114    

 

Investments in Derivatives at December 31, 2011

Interest rate swaps outstanding:

Counterparty   Notional
Amount
  Fund
Pay/Receive
Floating Rate
  Floating Rate
Index
  Fixed Rate*   Fixed Rate
Payment
Frequency
  Termination
Date
  Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 
JPMorgan   $ 20,727,500     Receive   1-Month USD-LIBOR     1.412 %   Monthly   3/29/14   $ (402,594 )  
Morgan Stanley     20,727,500     Receive   1-Month USD-LIBOR     0.409     Monthly   3/29/12     3,399    
Morgan Stanley     20,727,500     Receive   1-Month USD-LIBOR     2.323     Monthly   3/29/16     (1,222,622 )  
                            $ (1,621,817 )  

 

*  Annualized.

 

    For Fund portfolio compliance purposes, the Fund's industry classifications refer to any one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or ratings group indexes, and/or as defined by Fund management. This definition may not apply for purposes of this report, which may combine industry sub-classifications into sectors for reporting ease.

  (1)  All percentages shown in the Portfolio of Investments are based on net assets applicable to Common shares unless otherwise noted.

  (2)  Non-income producing; issuer has not declared a dividend within the last twelve months.

  (3)  Investment, or portion of investment, has been pledged to collateralize the net payment obligations for investments in derivatives.

  (4)  Ratings (not covered by the report of independent registered public accounting firm): Using the highest of Standard & Poor's Group ("Standard & Poor's"), Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or Fitch, Inc. ("Fitch") rating. Ratings below BBB by Standard & Poor's, Baa by Moody's or BBB by Fitch are considered to be below investment grade. Holdings designated N/R are not rated by any of these national rating agencies.

  (5)  Borrowings as a percentage of Total Investments is 28.7%.

  (6)  The Fund may pledge up to 100% of its eligible investments in the Portfolio of Investments as collateral for Borrowings. As of December 31, 2011, investments with a value of $352,289,346 have been pledged as collateral for Borrowings.

  (7)  Other Assets Less Liabilities includes the net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) of derivative instruments as noted within Investments in Derivatives at December 31, 2011.

  N/R  Not rated.

  144A  Investment is exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These investments may only be resold in transactions exempt from registration, which are normally those transactions with qualified institutional buyers.

  USD-LIBOR  United States Dollar-London Inter-Bank Offered Rate.

    See accompanying notes to financial statements.

Nuveen Investments
16




Statement of

ASSETS & LIABILITIES

December 31, 2011

Assets  
Investments, at value (cost $328,668,814)   $ 386,851,333    
Cash     26,662    
Receivables:  
Dividends     1,814,475    
Interest     71,712    
Other assets     54,685    
Total assets     388,818,867    
Liabilities  
Borrowings     111,000,000    
Unrealized depreciation on interest rate swaps, net     1,621,817    
Accrued expenses:  
Interest on borrowings     9,430    
Management fees     273,288    
Other     164,218    
Total liabilities     113,068,753    
Net assets applicable to Common shares   $ 275,750,114    
Common shares outstanding     28,615,375    
Net asset value per Common share outstanding (net assets applicable to Common shares, divided by Common shares outstanding)   $ 9.64    
Net assets applicable to Common shares consist of:  
Common shares, $.01 par value per share   $ 286,154    
Paid-in surplus     405,052,796    
Undistributed (Over-distribution of) net investment income     (107,177 )  
Accumulated net realized gain (loss)     (186,042,361 )  
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)     56,560,702    
Net assets applicable to Common shares   $ 275,750,114    
Authorized shares:  
Common     Unlimited    
Taxable Auctioned Preferred     Unlimited    

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

Nuveen Investments
17



Statement of

OPERATIONS

Year Ended December 31, 2011

Investment Income  
Dividends   $ 12,896,352    
Interest     249,940    
Total investment income     13,146,292    
Expenses  
Management fees     3,201,777    
Interest expense on borrowings     1,181,217    
Shareholders' servicing agent fees and expenses     3,039    
Custodian's fees and expenses     56,187    
Trustees' fees and expenses     10,286    
Professional fees     1,797    
Shareholders' reports — printing and mailing expenses     110,381    
Stock exchange listing fees     3,757    
Investor relations expense     92,646    
Other expenses     217,225    
Total expenses before custodian fee credit and expense reimbursement     4,878,312    
Custodian fee credit     (11 )  
Expense reimbursement     (256,638 )  
Net expenses     4,621,663    
Net investment income (loss)     8,524,629    
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)  
Net realized gain (loss) from:  
Investments and foreign currency     21,043,521    
Interest rate swaps     (544,021 )  
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:  
Investments and foreign currency     (5,727,533 )  
Interest rate swaps     (1,621,817 )  
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)     13,150,150    
Net increase (decrease) in net assets applicable to Common shares from operations   $ 21,674,779    

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

Nuveen Investments
18



Statement of

CHANGES in NET ASSETS

    Year
Ended
12/31/11
  Year
Ended
12/31/10
 
Operations  
Net investment income (loss)   $ 8,524,629     $ 7,919,497    
Net realized gain (loss) from:  
Investments and foreign currency     21,043,521       25,574,697    
Interest rate swaps     (544,021 )        
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:  
Investments and foreign currency     (5,727,533 )     39,548,791    
Interest rate swaps     (1,621,817 )        
Net increase (decrease) in net assets applicable to Common shares
from operations
    21,674,779       73,042,985    
Distributions to Common Shareholders  
From net investment income     (26,002,387 )     (25,053,892 )  
Decrease in net assets applicable to Common shares from distributions
to Common shareholders
    (26,002,387 )     (25,053,892 )  
Capital Share Transactions  
Net proceeds from Common shares issued to shareholders due to
reinvestment of distributions
    1,006,303       757,423    
Net increase (decrease) in net assets applicable to Common shares from
capital share transactions
    1,006,303       757,423    
Net increase (decrease) in net assets applicable to Common shares     (3,321,305 )     48,746,516    
Net assets applicable to Common shares at the beginning of period     279,071,419       230,324,903    
Net assets applicable to Common shares at the end of period   $ 275,750,114     $ 279,071,419    
Undistributed (Over-distribution of) net investment income at
the end of period
  $ (107,177 )   $ (160,670 )  

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

Nuveen Investments
19



Statement of

CASH FLOWS

Year Ended December 31, 2011

Cash Flows from Operating Activities:  
Net Increase (Decrease) In Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares from Operations   $ 21,674,779    
Adjustments to reconcile the net increase (decrease) in net assets applicable to Common shares
from operations to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
 
Purchases of investments     (215,400,389 )  
Proceeds from sales and maturities of investments     174,201,455    
Proceeds from (Purchases of) short-term investments, net     5,716,414    
Proceeds from (Payments for) interest rate swap contracts, net     (544,021 )  
Amortization (Accretion) of premiums and discounts, net     (81,194 )  
(Increase) Decrease in:  
Receivable for dividends     (134,983 )  
Receivable for interest     169,288    
Receivable for investments sold     984,131    
Other assets     178,333    
Increase (Decrease) in:  
Accrued interest on borrowings     4,640    
Accrued management fees     33,268    
Accrued other expenses     (17,814 )  
Net realized (gain) loss from:  
Investments and foreign currency     (21,043,521 )  
Interest rate swaps     544,021    
Change in net unrealized (appreciation) depreciation of:  
Investments and foreign currency     5,727,533    
Interest rate swaps     1,621,817    
Capital gain and return of capital distributions from investments     5,098,989    
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities     (21,267,254 )  
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:  
Increase (Decrease) in borrowings     46,290,000    
Cash distributions paid to Common shareholders     (24,996,084 )  
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities     21,293,916    
Net Increase (Decrease) in Cash     26,662    
Cash at the beginning of period        
Cash at the End of Period   $ 26,662    

 

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information

Cash paid for interest on borrowings (excluding borrowing costs) was $1,111,577.

Non-cash financing activities not included herein consists of reinvestments of Common share distributions of $1,006,303.

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

Nuveen Investments
20




Intentionally Left Blank

Nuveen Investments
21



Financial

HIGHLIGHTS

Selected data for a Common share outstanding throughout each period:

       
        Investment Operations   Less Distributions  
    Beginning
Common
Share
Net Asset
Value
  Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)(a)
  Net
Realized/
Unrealized
Gain
(Loss)(b)
  Distributions
from Net
Investment
Income to
Taxable
Auctioned
Preferred
Share-
holders(c)
  Distributions
from Capital
Gains to
Taxable
Auctioned
Preferred
Share-
holders(c)
  Total   Net
Investment
Income to
Common
Share-
holders
  Capital
Gains to
Common
Share-
holders
  Return of
Capital to
Common
Share-
holders
  Total  
Year Ended 12/31:  
  2011     $ 9.79     $ .30     $ .46     $     $     $ .76     $ (.91 )   $     $     $ (.91 )  
  2010       8.10       .28       2.29                   2.57       (.88 )                 (.88 )  
  2009       6.46       .42       2.15       *           2.57       (.41 )           (.52 )     (.93 )  
  2008       16.84       .75       (9.18 )     (.16 )           (8.59 )     (.55 )           (1.24 )     (1.79 )  
  2007       26.44       .73       (7.64 )     (.05 )     (.36 )     (7.32 )     (.69 )     (1.59 )           (2.28 )  
    Taxable Auctioned Preferred Shares
at End of Period
  Borrowings at End of Period  
    Aggregate
Amount
Outstanding
(000)
  Liquidation
Value
Per Share
  Asset
Coverage
Per Share
  Aggregate
Amount
Outstanding
(000)
  Asset
Coverage
Per $1,000
 
Year Ended 12/31:  
  2011     $     $     $     $ 111,000     $ 3,484    
  2010                         64,710       5,313    
  2009                         64,710       4,559    
  2008       37,000       25,000       148,762       25,000       9,807    
  2007       222,000       25,000       78,660       70,000       10,979    

 

(a)  Per share Net Investment Income (Loss) is calculated using the average daily shares method.

(b)  Net of federal corporate income taxes on long-term capital gains retained by the Fund per share as follows:

    Long-Term
Capital Gains
Retained
 
Year Ended 12/31:      
  2011       N/A    
  2010       N/A    
  2009       N/A    
  2008       N/A    
  2007     $ 1.21    

 

(c)  The amounts shown are based on Common Share equivalents.

(d)  • Total Return Based on Market Value is the combination of changes in the market price per share and the effect of reinvested dividend income and reinvested capital gains distributions, if any, at the average price paid per share at the time of reinvestment. The last dividend declared in the period, which is typically paid on the first business day of the following month, is assumed to be reinvested at the ending market price. The actual reinvestment for the last dividend declared in the period may take place over several days, and in some instances may not be based on the market price, so the actual reinvestment price may be different from the price used in the calculation. Total returns are not annualized.

  Total Return Based on Common Share Net Asset Value is the combination of changes in Common share net asset value, reinvested dividend income at net asset value and reinvested capital gains distributions at net asset value, if any. The last dividend declared in the period, which is typically paid on the first business day of the following month, is assumed to be reinvested at the ending net asset value. The actual reinvest price for the last dividend declared in the period may often be based on the Fund's market price (and not its net asset value), and therefore may be different from the price used in the calculation. Total returns are not annualized.

 

Nuveen Investments
22



            Ratios/Supplemental Data  
                Total Returns       Ratios to Average Net Assets
Applicable to Common Shares
Before Reimbursement(e)
  Ratios to Average Net Assets
Applicable to Common Shares
After Reimbursement(e)(f)
     
    Borrowing
Costs
and Taxable
Auctioned
Preferred
Share
Underwriting
Discounts
  Ending
Common
Share
Net Asset
Value
  Ending
Market
Value
  Based
on
Market
Value(d)
  Based
on
Common
Share
Net
Asset
Value(d)
  Ending Net
Assets
Applicable to
Common
Shares (000)
  Expenses   Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)
  Expenses   Net
Investment
Income
(Loss)
  Portfolio
Turnover
Rate
 
Year Ended 12/31:  
  2011     $     $ 9.64     $ 10.44       13.11 %     8.18 %   $ 275,750       1.74 %     2.95 %     1.65 %     3.04 %     49 %  
  2010             9.79       10.11       37.51       32.98       279,071       1.60       2.95       1.48       3.07       58    
  2009             8.10       8.08       87.05       46.80       230,325       1.66       6.61       1.47       6.79       74    
  2008       *     6.46       5.08       (62.13 )     (55.79 )     183,168       2.55       5.03       2.24       5.33       20    
  2007             16.84       15.88       (38.06 )     (29.30 )     476,504       2.03       2.71       1.68       3.06       44    

 

  • The Fund elected to retain a portion of its realized long-term capital gains for the following tax years ended December 31, (which is the fiscal year end for the Fund) and pay required federal corporate income taxes on these amounts. As reported on Form 2439, Common shareholders on record date must include their pro-rata share of these gains on their applicable federal tax returns, and are entitled to take offsetting tax credits, for their pro-rata share of the taxes paid by the Fund. The standardized total returns shown above do not include the economic benefit to Common shareholders on record date of these tax credits/refunds. The Fund's corresponding Total Returns Based on Market Value and Common Share Net Asset Value when these benefits are included are as follows:

        Total Returns  
    Common
Shareholders
of Record on
 
Based on
Market Value
  Based on
Common Share
Net Asset Value
 
Year Ended 12/31:  
  2011       N/A       13.11 %     8.18 %  
  2010       N/A       37.51       32.98    
  2009       N/A       87.05       46.80    
  2008       N/A       (62.13 )     (55.79 )  
  2007       December 31       (33.51 )     (24.40 )  

 

(e)  • Ratios do not reflect the effect of dividend payments to Taxable Auctioned Preferred shareholders, when applicable.

  • Net Investment Income ratios reflect income earned and expenses incurred on assets attributable to Taxable Auctioned Preferred shares and/or borrowings, where applicable.

  • Each ratio includes the effect of all interest expense paid and other costs related to borrowings as follows:

    Ratios of Borrowings Interest Expense to
Average Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares
 
Year Ended 12/31:      
  2011       .42 %  
  2010       .35    
  2009       .41    
  2008       .91    
  2007       .57    

 

(f)  After expense reimbursement from the Adviser, where applicable. Ratios do not reflect the effect of custodian fee credits earned on the Fund's net cash on deposit with the custodian bank, where applicable. As of November 30, 2011, the Adviser is no longer reimbursing the Fund for any fees or expenses.

*  Rounds to less than $.01 per share.

N/A  The Fund had no retained capital gains for the tax years ended December 31, 2011, December 31, 2010, December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008.

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

Nuveen Investments
23




Notes to

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. General Information and Significant Accounting Policies

General Information

Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund (the "Fund") is a closed-end registered investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Fund's Common shares are listed on the NYSE Amex and trade under the ticker symbol "JRS." The Fund was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on August 27, 2001.

The Fund seeks to provide high current income and capital appreciation by investing at least 90% of its total assets in income producing common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks and debt securities issued by real estate companies; at least 80% of its total assets in income producing equity securities issued by Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs"); and will not invest more than 25% of its total assets in non-investment grade preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks and debt securities.

Effective January 1, 2011, the Fund's adviser, Nuveen Asset Management, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuveen Investments, Inc. ("Nuveen"), changed its name to Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc. (the "Adviser").

Significant Accounting Policies

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP").

Investment Valuation

Common stocks and other equity-type securities are valued at the last sales price on the securities exchange on which such securities are primarily traded and are generally classified as Level 1 for fair value measurement purposes. Securities primarily traded on the NASDAQ National Market ("NASDAQ") are valued, except as indicated below, at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price and are generally classified as Level 1. However, securities traded on a securities exchange or NASDAQ for which there were no transactions on a given day or securities not listed on a securities exchange or NASDAQ are valued at the last quoted bid price.

Prices of fixed-income securities and interest rate swap contracts are provided by a pricing service approved by the Fund's Board of Trustees. These securities are generally classified as Level 2. When price quotes are not readily available, the pricing service establishes a security's fair value using methods that may include consideration of the following: yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, type of issue, coupon, maturity and rating, market quotes or indications of value from security dealers, evaluations of anticipated cash flows or collateral, general market conditions and other information and analysis, including the obligor's credit characteristics considered relevant. In pricing certain securities, particularly less liquid and lower quality securities, the pricing service may consider information about a security, its issuer, or market activity provided by the Adviser. These securities are generally classified as Level 2 or Level 3 depending on the priority of the significant inputs.

Repurchase agreements are valued at contract amount plus accrued interest, which approximates market value. These securities are generally classified as Level 2.

Certain securities may not be able to be priced by the pre-established pricing methods as described above. Such securities may be valued by the Fund's Board of Trustees or its designee at fair value. These securities generally include, but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) for which a pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; debt securities that have gone into default and for which there is no current market quotation; a security whose market price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of a Fund's net asset value (as may be the case in non-U.S. markets on which the security is primarily traded) or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the pricing service, is not deemed to reflect the security's fair value. As a general principle, the fair value of a security would appear to be the amount that the owner might reasonably expect to receive for it in a current sale. A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities, which may include consideration of the following: yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, type of issue, coupon, maturity and rating, market quotes or indications of value from security dealers, evaluations of anticipated cash flows or collateral, general market conditions and other information and analysis, including

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24



the obligor's credit characteristics considered relevant. These securities are generally classified as Level 2 or Level 3 depending on the priority of the significant inputs. Regardless of the method employed to value a particular security, all valuations are subject to review by the Fund's Board of Trustees or its designee.

Refer to Footnote 2—Fair Value Measurements for further details on the leveling of securities held by the Fund as of the end of the reporting period.

Investment Transactions

Investment transactions are recorded on a trade date basis. Realized gains and losses from transactions are determined on the specific identification method, which is the same basis used for federal income tax purposes. Investments purchased on a when-issued/delayed delivery basis may have extended settlement periods. Any investments so purchased are subject to market fluctuation during this period. The Fund has instructed the custodian to segregate assets with a current value at least equal to the amount of the when-issued/delayed delivery purchase commitments. At December 31, 2011, the Fund had no such outstanding purchase commitments.

Investment Income

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or, for foreign securities, when information is available. Interest income, which reflects the amortization of premiums and includes accretion of discounts for financial reporting purposes, is recorded on an accrual basis. Interest income also reflects paydown gains and losses, if any.

Income Taxes

The Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its investment company taxable income to shareholders and to otherwise comply with the requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies ("RICs"). In any year when the Fund realizes net capital gains, the Fund may choose to distribute all or a portion of its net capital gains to shareholders, or alternatively, to retain all or a portion of its net capital gains and pay federal corporate income taxes on such retained gains.

For all open tax years and all major taxing jurisdictions, management of the Fund has concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions that would require recognition in the financial statements. Open tax years are those that are open for examination by taxing authorities (i.e., generally the last four tax year ends and the interim tax period since then). Furthermore, management of the Fund is also not aware of any tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly change in the next twelve months.

Dividends and Distributions to Common Shareholders

Distributions to Common shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. The amount and timing of distributions are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from U.S. GAAP.

The Fund makes quarterly cash distributions to Common shareholders of a stated dollar amount per share. Subject to approval and oversight by the Fund's Board of Trustees, the Fund seeks to maintain a stable distribution level designed to deliver the long-term return potential of the Fund's investment strategy through regular quarterly distributions (a "Managed Distribution Program"). Total distributions during a calendar year generally will be made from the Fund's net investment income, net realized capital gains and net unrealized capital gains in the Fund's portfolio, if any. The portion of distributions paid attributed to net unrealized gains, if any, is distributed from the Fund's assets and is treated by shareholders as a non-taxable distribution ("Return of Capital") for tax purposes. In the event that total distributions during a calendar year exceed the Fund's total return on net asset value, the difference will reduce net asset value per share. If the Fund's total return on net asset value exceeds total distributions during a calendar year, the excess will be reflected as an increase in net asset value per share. The final determination of the source and character of all distributions for the fiscal year are made after the end of the fiscal year and are reflected in the financial statements contained in the annual report as of December 31 each year.

REIT distributions received by the Fund are generally comprised of ordinary income, long-term and short-term capital gains, and a return of REIT capital. The actual character of amounts received during the period are not known until after the fiscal year-end. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, the character of distributions to the Fund from the REITs was 71.66% ordinary income, 16.37% long-term and short-term capital gains, and 11.97% return of REIT capital. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, the character of distributions to the Fund from the REITs was 70.45% ordinary income, 18.75% long-term and short-term capital gains, and 10.80% return of REIT capital.

For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, the Fund applied the actual character of distributions reported by the REITs in which the Fund invests to its receipts from the REITs. If a REIT held in the portfolio of investments did not report the actual character of its distributions during the period, the Fund treated the distributions as ordinary income.

The actual character of distributions made by the Fund during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, are reflected in the accompanying financial statements.

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Notes to

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)

Taxable Auctioned Preferred Shares

The Fund is authorized to issue auction rate preferred ("Taxable Auctioned Preferred") shares. As of December 31, 2009, the Fund redeemed all $222,000,000 of its outstanding Taxable Auctioned Preferred shares, at liquidation value.

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, lawsuits pursuing claims made in a demand letter alleging that the Fund's Board of Trustees breached their fiduciary duties related to the redemption at par of the Fund's Taxable Auction Preferred shares had been filed on behalf of shareholders of the Fund and against the Adviser, the Nuveen holding company, the majority owner of the holding company, the lone interested trustee, and current and former officers of the Fund. Nuveen and the other defendants have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuits and on December 16, 2011, the court granted that motion dismissing the lawsuits. The plaintiffs failed to file an appeal on the court's decision within the required time period, resulting in the final disposition of the lawsuit.

Foreign Currency Transactions

The Fund is authorized to engage in foreign currency transactions, including foreign currency forwards, futures, options and swap contracts. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities and/or contracts that are denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars, the Fund will be subject to currency risk, which is the risk that an increase in the U.S. dollar relative to the foreign currency will reduce returns or portfolio value. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, the Fund's investments denominated in that currency will lose value because its currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars; the opposite effect occurs if the U.S. dollar falls in relative value. Investments and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are converted into U.S. dollars on a spot (i.e. cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currency exchange market at the time of valuation. Purchases and sales of investments and income denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars on the respective dates of such transactions.

The books and records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. Foreign currencies, investments and other assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Investments, income and expenses are translated on the respective dates of such transactions. Net realized foreign currency gains and losses resulting from changes in exchange rates include foreign currency gains and losses between trade date and settlement date of the transactions, foreign currency transactions, and the difference between the amounts of interest and dividends recorded on the books of the Fund and the amounts actually received.

The realized gains and losses resulting from changes in foreign currency exchange rates and changes in foreign exchange rates associated with other assets and liabilities on investments are recognized as a component of "Net realized gain (loss) from investments and foreign currency," on the Statement of Operations, when applicable.

The unrealized gains and losses resulting from changes in foreign currency exchange rates and changes in foreign exchange rates associated with other assets and liabilities on investments are recognized as a component of "Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments and foreign currency," on the Statement of Operations, when applicable.

Interest Rate Swap Contracts

The Fund is subject to interest rate risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives and is authorized to invest in interest rate swap transactions in an attempt to manage such risk. The Fund's use of interest rate swap contracts is intended to mitigate the negative impact that an increase in short-term interest rates could have on Common share net earnings as a result of leverage. Interest rate swap contracts involve the Fund's agreement with the counterparty to pay or receive a fixed rate payment in exchange for the counterparty receiving or paying a variable rate payment that is intended to approximate the Fund's variable rate payment obligation on Taxable Auctioned Preferred shares or any variable rate borrowing. The payment obligation is based on the notional amount of the interest rate swap contract. Interest rate swap contracts do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to the swap counterparty on such transactions is limited to the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is to receive. Interest rate swap positions are valued daily. The Fund accrues the fixed rate payment expected to be paid or received and the variable rate payment expected to be received or paid on interest rate swap contracts on a daily basis, and recognizes the daily change in the fair value of the Fund's contractual rights and obligations under the contracts. The net amount recorded for these transactions for each counterparty is recognized on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as a component of "Unrealized appreciation or depreciation on interest rate swaps, net" with the change during the

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26



fiscal period recognized on the Statement of Operations as a component of "Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of interest rate swaps." Income received or paid by the Fund is recognized as a component of "Net realized gain (loss) from interest rate swaps" on the Statement of Operations, in addition to the net realized gains or losses recognized upon the termination of an interest rate swap contract and are equal to the difference between the Fund's basis in the interest rate swap and the proceeds from (or cost of) the closing transaction. Payments received or made at the beginning of the measurement period are recognized as a component of "Interest rate swap premiums paid and/or received" on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. For tax purposes, periodic payments are treated as ordinary income or expense.

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, the Fund entered into interest rate swap contracts to partially fix the interest cost of leverage, which the Fund uses through the use of bank borrowings.

The average notional amount of interest rate swaps contracts outstanding during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, was as follows:

Average notional amount of interest rate swap contracts outstanding*   $ 49,746,000    

 

*  The average notional amount is calculated based on the outstanding notional at the beginning of the fiscal year and at the end of each fiscal quarter within the current fiscal year.

Refer to Footnote 3—Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities for further details on interest rate swap contract activity.

Market and Counterparty Credit Risk

In the normal course of business the Fund may invest in financial instruments and enter into financial transactions where risk of potential loss exists due to changes in the market (market risk) or failure of the other party to the transaction to perform (counterparty credit risk). The potential loss could exceed the value of the financial assets recorded on the financial statements. Financial assets, which potentially expose the Fund to counterparty credit risk, consist principally of cash due from counterparties on forward, option and swap transactions, when applicable. The extent of the Fund's exposure to counterparty credit risk in respect to these financial assets approximates its carrying value as recorded on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Futures contracts, when applicable, expose the Fund to minimal counterparty credit risk as they are exchange traded and the exchange's clearing-house, which is counterparty to all exchange traded futures, guarantees the futures contracts against default.

The Fund helps manage counterparty credit risk by entering into agreements only with counterparties the Adviser believes have the financial resources to honor their obligations and by having the Adviser monitor the financial stability of the counterparties. Additionally, counterparties may be required to pledge collateral daily (based on the daily valuation of the financial asset) on behalf of the Fund with a value approximately equal to the amount of any unrealized gain above a pre-determined threshold. Reciprocally, when the Fund has an unrealized loss, the Fund has instructed the custodian to pledge assets of the Fund as collateral with a value approximately equal to the amount of the unrealized loss above a pre-determined threshold. Collateral pledges are monitored and subsequently adjusted if and when the valuations fluctuate, either up or down, by at least the pre-determined threshold amount.

Repurchase Agreements

In connection with transactions in repurchase agreements, it is the Fund's policy that its custodian take possession of the underlying collateral securities, the fair value of which exceeds the principal amount of the repurchase transaction, including accrued interest, at all times. If the counterparty defaults, and the fair value of the collateral declines, realization of the collateral may be delayed or limited.

Custodian Fee Credit

The Fund has an arrangement with the custodian bank whereby certain custodian fees and expenses are reduced by net credits earned on the Fund's cash on deposit with the bank. Such deposit arrangements are an alternative to overnight investments. Credits for cash balances may be offset by charges for any days on which the Fund overdraws its account at the custodian bank.

Indemnifications

Under the Fund's organizational documents, its officers and trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the Fund. In addition, in the normal course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that provide general indemnifications to other parties. The Fund's maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet occurred. However, the Fund has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts and expects the risk of loss to be remote.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets applicable to Common shares from operations during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

2. Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that the Fund would receive upon selling an investment or transferring a liability in an orderly transaction to an independent buyer in the principal or most advantageous market for the investment. A three-tier hierarchy is used

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Notes to

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)

to maximize the use of observable market data and minimize the use of unobservable inputs and to establish classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs are based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the reporting entity's own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Unobservable inputs are based on the best information available in the circumstances. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad levels listed below:

Level 1 —  Quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.

Level 2 —  Other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.).

Level 3 —  Significant unobservable inputs (including management's assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing securities are not an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. The following is a summary of the Fund's fair value measurements as of December 31, 2011:

    Level 1   Level 2   Level 3   Total  
Investments:  
Real Estate Investment Trust Common Stocks   $ 241,644,968     $     $     $ 241,644,968    
Convertible Preferred Securities     10,667,589                   10,667,589    
Real Estate Investment Trust Preferred Stocks     112,205,817       13,393,041             125,598,858    
Convertible Bonds           7,360,000             7,360,000    
Short-Term Investments           1,579,918             1,579,918    
Derivatives:  
Interest Rate Swaps*           (1,621,817 )           (1,621,817 )  
Total   $ 364,518,374     $ 20,711,142     $     $ 385,229,516    

 

*  Represents net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) as reported in the Fund's Portfolio of Investments.

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, the Fund recognized no significant transfers to or from Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3.

3. Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

The Fund records derivative instruments at fair value, with changes in fair value recognized on the Statement of Operations, when applicable. Even though the Fund's investments in derivatives may represent economic hedges, they are not considered to be hedge transactions for financial reporting purposes. For additional information on the derivative instruments in which the Fund was invested during and at the end of the reporting period, refer to the Portfolio of Investments, Financial Statements and Footnote 1—General Information and Significant Accounting Policies.

The following table presents the fair value of all derivative instruments held by the Fund as of December 31, 2011, the location of these instruments on the Statement of Assets and Liablilities, and the primary underlying risk exposure.

        Location on the Statements of Assets Liabilities  
Underlying   Derivative   Asset Derivatives   Liability Derivatives  
Risk Exposure   Instrument   Location   Value   Location   Value  
Interest Rate   Swaps   Unrealized depreciation on
interest rate swaps, net*
  $ 3,399     Unrealized depreciation on
interest rate swaps, net*
  $ 1,625,216    

 

*  Value represents cumulative gross unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of interest rate swap contracts as reported in the Portfolio of Investments. The Statement of Assets and Liabilities presents the net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of all interest rate swap contracts as "Unrealized depreciation on interest rate swaps, net."

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28



The following tables present the amount of net realized gain (loss) and change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) recognized for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, on derivative instruments, as well as the primary risk exposure associated with each.

Net Realized Gain (Loss) from Interest Rate Swaps  
Risk Exposure
Interest Rate
  $ (544,021 )  
Change in Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) of Interest Rate Swaps  
Risk Exposure
Interest Rate
  $ (1,621,817 )  

 

4. Fund Shares

Common Shares

Since the inception of the Fund's repurchase program, the Fund has not repurchased any of its outstanding Common shares.

Transactions in Common shares were as follows:

    Year
Ended
12/31/11
  Year
Ended
12/31/10
 
Common shares issued to shareholders due to reinvestment of distributions     103,593       84,768    

 

5. Investment Transactions

Purchases and sales (including maturities but excluding short-term investments and derivative transactions, where applicable) during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, aggregated $215,400,389 and $174,201,455, respectively.

6. Income Tax Information

The following information is presented on an income tax basis. Differences between amounts for financial statement and federal income tax purposes are primarily due to timing differences in recognizing certain gains and losses on investment transactions. To the extent that differences arise that are permanent in nature, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts as detailed below. Temporary differences do not require reclassification. Temporary and permanent differences do not impact the net asset value of the Fund.

At December 31, 2011, the cost and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments (excluding investments in derivatives), as determined on a federal income tax basis, were as follows:

Cost of investments   $ 332,109,269    
Gross unrealized:  
Appreciation   $ 62,321,833    
Depreciation     (7,579,769 )  
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments   $ 54,742,064    

 

Permanent differences, primarily due to tax basis earnings and profits adjustments, resulted in reclassifications among the Fund's components of common share net assets at December 31, 2011, the Fund's tax year end, as follows:

Paid-in surplus   $ (18,074,971 )  
Undistributed (Over-distribution of) net investment income     17,531,251    
Accumulated net realized gain (loss)     543,720    

 

The tax components of undistributed net ordinary income and net long-term capital gains at December 31, 2011, the Fund's tax year end, were as follows:

Undistributed net ordinary income   $    
Undistributed net long-term capital gains        

 

The tax character of distributions paid during the Fund's tax years ended December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, was designated for purposes of the dividends paid deduction as follows:

2011  
Distributions from net ordinary income *   $ 26,002,387    
Distributions from net long-term capital gains        

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29



Notes to

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)

2010  
Distributions from net ordinary income *   $ 25,053,892    
Distributions from net long-term capital gains        

 

*  Net ordinary income consists of net taxable income derived from dividends and interest, and current year earnings and profits attributable to realized gains.

At December 31, 2011, the Fund's tax year end, the Fund had unused capital loss carryforwards available for federal income tax purposes to be applied against future capital gains, if any. If not applied, the carryforwards will expire as follows:

Expiration: December 31, 2016   $ 182,350,623    

 

During the Fund's tax year ended December 31, 2011, the Fund utilized $21,754,169 of its capital loss carryforwards.

On December 22, 2010, the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010 (the "Act") was enacted, which changed various technical rules governing the tax treatment of RICs. The changes are generally effective for taxable years beginning after the date of enactment. One of the more prominent changes addresses capital loss carryforwards. Under the Act, the Fund will be permitted to carry forward capital losses incurred in taxable years beginning after the date of enactment for an unlimited period. However, any losses incurred during those future taxable years will be required to be utilized prior to the losses incurred in pre-enactment taxable years, which carry an expiration date. As a result of this ordering rule, pre-enactment capital loss carryforwards may be more likely to expire unused. Additionally, post-enactment capital loss carryforwards will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses rather than being considered all short-term as permitted under previous regulation.

The Act also contains several provisions aimed at preserving the character of distributions made by fiscal year RICs during the portion of its taxable year ending after October 31 or December 31, reducing the circumstances under which RICs might be required to file amended Forms 1099 to restate previously reported distributions.

During the Fund's tax year ended December 31, 2011, there were no post-enactment capital losses generated.

The Fund has elected to defer losses incurred from November 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011, the Fund's tax year end, in accordance with federal income tax rules. These losses are treated as having arisen on the first day of the following fiscal year. The Fund has elected to defer losses as follows:

Post-October capital losses   $ 251,283    
Late-year ordinary losses        

 

7. Management Fees and Other Transactions with Affiliates

The Fund's management fee consists of two components—a fund-level fee, based only on the amount of assets within the Fund, and a complex-level fee, based on the aggregate amount of all eligible fund assets managed by the Adviser. This pricing structure enables Fund shareholders to benefit from growth in the assets within the Fund as well as from growth in the amount of complex-wide assets managed by the Adviser.

The annual fund-level fee, payable monthly, is calculated according to the following schedule:

Average Daily Managed Assets*   Fund-Level Fee Rate  
For the first $500 million     .7000 %  
For the next $500 million     .6750    
For the next $500 million     .6500    
For the next $500 million     .6250    
For managed assets over $2 billion     .6000    

 

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The annual complex-level fee, payable monthly, is calculated according to the following schedule:

Complex-Level Managed Asset Breakpoint Level*   Effective Rate at Breakpoint Level  
$55 billion     .2000 %  
$56 billion     .1996    
$57 billion     .1989    
$60 billion     .1961    
$63 billion     .1931    
$66 billion     .1900    
$71 billion     .1851    
$76 billion     .1806    
$80 billion     .1773    
$91 billion     .1691    
$125 billion     .1599    
$200 billion     .1505    
$250 billion     .1469    
$300 billion     .1445    

 

*  For the fund-level and complex-level fees, managed assets include closed-end fund assets managed by the Adviser that are attributable to financial leverage. For these purposes, financial leverage includes the funds' use of preferred stock and borrowings and certain investments in the residual interest certificates (also called inverse floating rate securities) in tender option bond (TOB) trusts, including the portion of assets held by a TOB trust that has been effectively financed by the trust's issuance of floating rate securities, subject to an agreement by the Adviser as to certain funds to limit the amount of such assets for determining managed assets in certain circumstances. The complex-level fee is calculated based upon the aggregate daily managed assets of all Nuveen Funds that constitute "eligible assets." Eligible assets do not include assets attributable to investments in other Nuveen Funds and assets in excess of $2 billion added to the Nuveen Fund complex in connection with the Adviser's assumption of the management of the former First American Funds effective January 1, 2011. As of December 31, 2011, the complex-level fee rate for the Fund was .1767%.

The management fee compensates the Adviser for overall investment advisory and administrative services and general office facilities. The Adviser has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with Security Capital Research & Management Incorporated ("Security Capital"), under which Security Capital manages the investment portfolio of the Fund. Security Capital is compensated for its services to the Fund from the management fees paid to the Adviser. The Adviser is responsible for overseeing the Fund's investments in interest rate swap contracts.

The Fund pays no compensation directly to those of its trustees who are affiliated with the Adviser or to its officers, all of whom receive remuneration for their services to the Fund from the Adviser or its affiliates. The Board of Trustees has adopted a deferred compensation plan for independent trustees that enables trustees to elect to defer receipt of all or a portion of the annual compensation they are entitled to receive from certain Nuveen-advised funds. Under the plan, deferred amounts are treated as though equal dollar amounts had been invested in shares of select Nuveen-advised funds.

For the first ten years of the Fund's operations, the Adviser has agreed to reimburse the Fund, as a percentage of average daily managed assets, for fees and expenses in the amounts and for the time periods set forth below:

Year Ending
November 30,
  Year Ending
November 30,
 
  2001 *     .30 %     2007       .25 %  
  2002       .30       2008       .20    
  2003       .30       2009       .15    
  2004       .30       2010       .10    
  2005       .30       2011       .05    
  2006       .30                

 

*  From the commencement of operations.

The Adviser has not agreed to reimburse the Fund for any portion of its fees and expenses beyond November 30, 2011.

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, the Fund was reimbursed $70,053 by Nuveen to offset a portion of expenses incurred as a result of the Fund's anticipated Common share shelf offering filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission which ultimately did not occur.

8. Borrowing Arrangements

The Fund has entered into an $111 million (maximum commitment amount), prime brokerage facility with BNP Paribas Prime Brokerage, Inc. ("BNP") as a means of financial leverage. On January 19, 2011, the Fund amended its prime brokerage facility with BNP and increased its maximum commitment amount from $75 million to $85 million and on November 9, 2011, increased its maximum commitment amount from $85 million to $111 million. As of December 31, 2011, the outstanding balance on these

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31



Notes to

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)

borrowings was $111 million. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, the average daily balance outstanding and interest rate on these borrowings were $83.9 million and 1.29%, respectively.

In order to maintain this borrowing facility, the Fund must meet certain collateral, asset coverage and other requirements. Borrowings outstanding are fully secured by securities held in the Fund's portfolio of investments. Interest is charged on these borrowings at 3-Month LIBOR (London Inter-bank Offered Rate) plus .95% on the amount borrowed and .50% on the undrawn balance. The Fund also incurred a one-time .25% amendment fee on each increase to the maximum commitment amount, which was fully expensed during the current reporting period.

Effective January 9, 2012, interest charged on the amount borrowed changed from 3-Month LIBOR plus .95% to 3-Month LIBOR plus .85%. All other terms remain unchanged.

Borrowings outstanding are recognized as "Borrowings" on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Interest expense incurred on the borrowed amount and undrawn balance and the one-time amendment fee are recognized as a component of "Interest expense on borrowings" on the Statement of Operations.

9. New Accounting Pronouncements

Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860): Reconsideration of Effective Control for Repurchase Agreements.

On April 15, 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2011-03, ("ASU No. 2011-03"). The guidance in ASU No. 2011-03 is intended to improve the accounting for repurchase agreements and other similar agreements. Specifically, ASU No. 2011-03 modifies the criteria for determining when these transactions would be accounted for as financings (secured borrowings/lending agreements) as opposed to sale (purchase) with commitments to repurchase (resell). The effective date of ASU No. 2011-03 is for the interim and annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2011. At this time, management is evaluating the implications of this guidance and the impact it will have to the financial statement amounts and footnote disclosures, if any.

Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures

On May 12, 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-04 modifying Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures. At the same time, the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB") issued International Financial Reporting Standard ("IFRS") 13, Fair Value Measurement. The objective of the FASB and IASB is convergence of their guidance on fair value measurements and disclosures. Specifically, ASU No. 2011-04 requires reporting entities to disclose i) the amounts of any transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 and the reasons for the transfers and ii) for Level 3 fair value measurements, a) quantitative information about significant unobservable inputs used, b) a description of the valuation processes used by the reporting entity and c) a narrative description of the sensitivity of the fair value measurement to changes in unobservable inputs if a change in those inputs might result in a significantly higher or lower fair value measurement. The effective date of ASU No. 2011-04 is for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. At this time, management is evaluating the implications of this guidance and the impact it will have to the financial statement amounts and footnote disclosures, if any.

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32




Board Members & Officers (Unaudited)

The management of the Funds, including general supervision of the duties performed for the Funds by the Adviser, is the responsibility of the Board Members of the Funds. The number of board members of the Fund is currently set at ten. None of the board members who are not "interested" persons of the Funds (referred to herein as "independent board members") has ever been a director or employee of, or consultant to, Nuveen or its affiliates. The names and business addresses of the board members and officers of the Funds, their principal occupations and other affiliations during the past five years, the number of portfolios each oversees and other directorships they hold are set forth below.

Name, Birthdate
and Address

  Position(s) Held with
the Funds

  Year First
Elected or
Appointed
and Term(1)
  Principal Occupation(s)
Including other Directorships
During Past 5 Years
  Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen by
Board Member
 
Independent Board Members:    
g ROBERT P. BREMNER(2)    
8/22/40
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Chairman of
the Board
and Board Member
  1996
Class III
  Private Investor and Management Consultant; Treasurer and Director, Humanities Council of Washington, D.C.; Board Member, Independent Directors Council (affiliated with the Investment Company Institute.)   238  
g JACK B. EVANS    
10/22/48
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Board Member   1999
Class III
  President, The Hall-Perrine Foundation, a private philanthropic corporation (since 1996); Director and Chairman, United Fire Group, a publicly held company; member of the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa University System; Director, Source Media Group; Life Trustee of Coe College and the Iowa College Foundation; formerly, Director, Alliant Energy; formerly, Director, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; formerly, President and Chief Operating Officer, SCI Financial Group, Inc., a regional financial services firm.   238  
g WILLIAM C. HUNTER    
3/6/48
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Board Member   2004
Class I
  Dean, Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa (since 2006); Director (since 2004) of Xerox Corporation; Director (since 2005), Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society; Director of Wellmark, Inc. (since 2009); formerly, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Finance, School of Business at the University of Connecticut (2003-2006); previously, Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (1995-2003); formerly, Director (1997-2007), Credit Research Center at Georgetown University.   238  

Nuveen Investments
33



Board Members & Officers (Unaudited) (continued)

Name, Birthdate
and Address

  Position(s) Held with
the Funds

  Year First
Elected or
Appointed
and Term(1)
  Principal Occupation(s)
Including other Directorships
During Past 5 Years
  Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen by
Board Member
 
Independent Board Members (continued):    
g DAVID J. KUNDERT(2)    
10/28/42
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Board Member   2005
Class II
  Director, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company; retired (since 2004) as Chairman, JPMorgan Fleming Asset Management, President and CEO, Banc One Investment Advisors Corporation, and President, One Group Mutual Funds; prior thereto, Executive Vice President, Banc One Corporation and Chairman and CEO, Banc One Investment Management Group; Member, Board of Regents, Luther College; member of the Wisconsin Bar Association; member of Board of Directors, Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens; member of Board of Directors and Chair of Investment Committee, Greater Milwaukee Foundation.   238  
g WILLIAM J. SCHNEIDER(2)    
9/24/44
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Board Member   1997
Class III
  Chairman of Miller-Valentine Partners Ltd., a real estate investment company; formerly, Senior Partner and Chief Operating Officer (retired 2004) of Miller- Valentine Group; member, University of Dayton Business School Advisory Council; member, Mid-America Health System Board; formerly, member and chair, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Association; formerly, member, Business Advisory Council, Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank.   238  
g JUDITH M. STOCKDALE    
12/29/47
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Board Member   1997
Class I
  Executive Director, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation (since 1994); prior thereto, Executive Director, Great Lakes Protection Fund (1990-1994).   238  
g CAROLE E. STONE(2)    
6/28/47
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Board Member   2007
Class I
  Director, Chicago Board Options Exchange (since 2006); Director, C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated (since 2009); formerly, Commissioner, New York State Commission on Public Authority Reform (2005-2010); formerly, Chair, New York Racing Association Oversight Board (2005-2007).   238  
g VIRGINIA L. STRINGER    
8/16/44
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Board Member   2011   Board Member, Mutual Fund Directors Forum; Member, Governing Board, Investment Company Institute's Independent Directors Council; governance consultant and non-profit board member; former Owner and President, Strategic Management Resources, Inc. a management consulting firm; previously, held several executive positions in general management, marketing and human resources at IBM and The Pillsbury Company; Independent Director, First American Fund Complex (1987-2010) and Chair (1997-2010).   238  

 

Nuveen Investments
34



Name, Birthdate
and Address

  Position(s) Held with
the Funds

  Year First
Elected or
Appointed
and Term(1)
  Principal Occupation(s)
Including other Directorships
During Past 5 Years
  Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen by
Board Member
 
Independent Board Members (continued):    
g TERENCE J. TOTH(2)    
9/29/59
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Board Member   2008
Class II
  Director, Legal & General Investment Management America, Inc. (since 2008); Managing Partner, Promus Capital (since 2008); formerly, CEO and President, Northern Trust Global Investments (2004-2007); Executive Vice President, Quantitative Management & Securities Lending (2000-2004); prior thereto, various positions with Northern Trust Company (since 1994); member: Goodman Theatre Board (since 2004), Chicago Fellowship Board (since 2005) and Catalyst Schools of Chicago Board (since 2008); formerly, member: Northern Trust Mutual Funds Board (2005-2007), Northern Trust Global Investments Board (2004-2007), Northern Trust Japan Board (2004-2007), Northern Trust Securities Inc. Board (2003-2007) and Northern Trust Hong Kong Board (1997-2004).   238  
Interested Board Member:    
g JOHN P. AMBOIAN(3)    
6/14/61
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Board Member   2008
Class II
  Chief Executive Officer and Chairman (since 2007) and Director (since 1999) of Nuveen Investments, Inc., formerly, President (1999-2007); Chief Executive Officer (since 2007) of Nuveen Investments Advisers, Inc.; Director (since 1998) formerly, Chief Executive Officer (2007-2010) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc.   238  
Name, Birthdate
and Address

  Position(s) Held with
the Funds

  Year First
Elected or
Appointed(4)
  Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

  Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen by
Officer
 
Officers of the Funds:    
g GIFFORD R. ZIMMERMAN    
9/9/56
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Chief
Administrative
Officer
  1988   Managing Director (since 2002), Assistant Secretary and Associate General Counsel of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Managing Director (since 2004) and Assistant Secretary (since 1994) of Nuveen Investments, Inc.; Managing Director (since 2002), Assistant Secretary (since 1997) and Co-General Counsel (since 2011) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc.; Managing Director, Assistant Secretary and Associate General Counsel of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (since 2011); Managing Director, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, of Symphony Asset Management LLC (since 2003); Vice President and Assistant Secretary of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC (since 2002), Nuveen Investments Advisers Inc. (since 2002), Tradewinds Global Investors LLC, and Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC (since 2006), Nuveen HydePark Group LLC and Nuveen Investment Solutions, Inc. (since 2007) and of Winslow Capital Management Inc. (since 2010); Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Compliance Officer (since 2006) of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC; Chartered Financial Analyst.   238  

 

Nuveen Investments
35



Board Members & Officers (Unaudited) (continued)

Name, Birthdate
and Address

  Position(s) Held with
the Funds

  Year First
Elected or
Appointed(4)
  Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

  Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen by
Officer
 
Officers of the Funds (continued):    
g WILLIAM ADAMS IV    
6/9/55
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Vice President   2007   Senior Executive Vice President, Global Structured Products (since 2010), formerly, Executive Vice President (1999-2010) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Co-President of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc. (since 2011); President (since August 2011), formerly, Managing Director (2010-2011) of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC.   133  
g CEDRIC H. ANTOSIEWICZ    
1/11/62
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Vice President   2007   Managing Director of Nuveen Securities, LLC.   133  
g MARGO L. COOK    
4/11/64
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Vice President   2009   Executive Vice President (since 2008) of Nuveen Investments, Inc. and of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc. (since 2011); Managing Director-Investment Services of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC (since August 2011), previously, Head of Institutional Asset Management (2007-2008) of Bear Stearns Asset Management; Head of Institutional Asset Management (1986-2007) of Bank of NY Mellon; Chartered Financial Analyst.   238  
g LORNA C. FERGUSON    
10/24/45
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Vice President   1998   Managing Director (since 2005) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc. and Nuveen Securities, LLC (since 2004).   238  
g STEPHEN D. FOY    
5/31/54
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Vice President
and Controller
  1998   Senior Vice President (since 2010), formerly, Vice President (2005-2010) and Funds Controller of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Vice President of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc.; Chief Financial Officer of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC; (since 2010) Certified Public Accountant.   238  
g SCOTT S. GRACE    
8/20/70
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Vice President
and Treasurer
  2009   Managing Director, Corporate Finance & Development, Treasurer (since 2009) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Managing Director and Treasurer (since 2009) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc., Nuveen Investment Solutions, Inc., Nuveen Investments Advisers, Inc., Nuveen Investments Holdings Inc. and (since 2011) Nuveen Asset Management, LLC; Vice President and Treasurer of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, Tradewinds Global Investors, LLC, Symphony Asset Management LLC and Winslow Capital Management, Inc.; Vice President of Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC; formerly, Treasurer (2006-2009), Senior Vice President (2008-2009), previously, Vice President (2006-2008) of Janus Capital Group, Inc.; formerly, Senior Associate in Morgan Stanley's Global Financial Services Group (2000-2003); Chartered Accountant Designation.   238  

 

Nuveen Investments
36



Name, Birthdate
and Address

  Position(s) Held with
the Funds

  Year First
Elected or
Appointed(4)
  Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years

  Number of Portfolios
in Fund Complex
Overseen by
Officer
 
Officers of the Funds (continued):    
g WALTER M. KELLY    
2/24/70
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Chief Compliance
Officer and
Vice President
  2003   Senior Vice President (since 2008) and Assistant Secretary (since 2003) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc.   238  
g TINA M. LAZAR    
8/27/61
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Vice President   2002   Senior Vice President (since 2010), formerly, Vice President (2005-2010) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc.   238  
g KEVIN J. MCCARTHY    
3/26/66
333 W. Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
  Vice President
and Secretary
  2007   Managing Director (since 2008), formerly, Vice President (2007-2008), Nuveen Securities, LLC; Managing Director (since 2008), Assistant Secretary (since 2007) and Co-General Counsel (since 2011) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc.; Managing Director, Assistant Secretary and Associate General Counsel (since 2011) of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC; Managing Director (since 2008), and Assistant Secretary, Nuveen Investment Holdings, Inc.; Vice President (since 2007) and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Investments Advisers Inc., NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, Tradewinds Global Investors LLC, NWQ Holdings, LLC, Symphony Asset Management LLC, Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC, Nuveen HydePark Group, LLC, Nuveen Investment Solutions, Inc. (since 2007) and of Winslow Capital Management, Inc. (since 2010); Vice President and Secretary (since 2010) of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC; prior thereto, Partner, Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLP (1997-2007).   238  
g KATHLEEN L. PRUDHOMME    
3/30/53
901 Marquette Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55402
  Vice President and Assistant Secretary   2011   Managing Director, Assistant Secretary and Co-General Counsel (since 2011) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc.; Managing Director, Assistant Secretary and Associate General Counsel (since 2011) of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC; Managing Director and Assistant Secretary (since 2011) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; formerly, Deputy General Counsel, FAF Advisors, Inc. (2004-2010).   238  

 

(1)  The Board Members serve three year terms. The Board of Trustees is divided into three classes. Class I, Class II, and Class III, with each being elected to serve until the third succeeding annual shareholders' meeting subsequent to its election or thereafter in each case when its respective successors are duly elected or appointed. The first year elected or appointed represents the year in which the board member was first elected or appointed to any fund in the Nuveen Complex.

(2)  Also serves as a trustee of the Nuveen Diversified Commodity Fund, an exchange-traded commodity pool managed by Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC, an affiliate of the Adviser.

(3)  Mr. Amboian is an interested Trustee because of his position with Nuveen Investments, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries, which are affiliates of the Nuveen Funds.

(4)  Officers serve one year terms through August of each year. The year first elected or appointed represents the year in which the Officer was first elected or appointed to any fund in the Nuveen Complex.

 

Nuveen Investments
37



Reinvest Automatically
Easily and Conveniently

Nuveen makes reinvesting easy. A phone call is all it takes to set up your reinvestment account.

Nuveen Closed-End Funds Automatic Reinvestment Plan

Your Nuveen Closed-End Fund allows you to conveniently reinvest distributions in additional Fund shares.

By choosing to reinvest, you'll be able to invest money regularly and automatically, and watch your investment grow through the power of compounding. Just like distributions in cash, there may be times when income or capital gains taxes may be payable on distributions that are reinvested.

It is important to note that an automatic reinvestment plan does not ensure a profit, nor does it protect you against loss in a declining market.

Easy and convenient

To make recordkeeping easy and convenient, each quarter you'll receive a statement showing your total distributions, the date of investment, the shares acquired and the price per share, and the total number of shares you own.

How shares are purchased

The shares you acquire by reinvesting will either be purchased on the open market or newly issued by the Fund. If the shares are trading at or above net asset value at the time of valuation, the Fund will issue new shares at the greater of the net asset value or 95% of the then-current market price. If the shares are trading at less than net asset value, shares for your account will be purchased on the open market. If the Plan Agent begins purchasing Fund shares on the open market while shares are trading below net asset value, but the Fund's shares subsequently trade at or above their net asset value before the Plan Agent is able to complete its purchases, the Plan Agent may cease open-market purchases and may invest the uninvested portion of the distribution in newly-issued Fund shares at a price equal to the greater of the shares' net asset value or 95% of the shares' market value on the last business day immediately prior to the purchase date. Distributions received to purchase shares in the open market will normally be invested shortly after the distribution payment date. No interest will be paid on distributions awaiting reinvestment. Because the market price of the shares may increase before purchases are completed, the average purchase price per share may exceed the market price at the time of valuation, resulting in the acquisition of fewer shares than if the distribution had been paid in shares issued by the Fund. A pro rata portion of any applicable brokerage commissions on open market purchases will be paid

Nuveen Investments
38



by Plan participants. These commissions usually will be lower than those charged on individual transactions.

Flexible

You may change your distribution option or withdraw from the Plan at any time, should your needs or situation change.

You can reinvest whether your shares are registered in your name, or in the name of a brokerage firm, bank, or other nominee. Ask your financial advisor if his or her firm will participate on your behalf. Participants whose shares are registered in the name of one firm may not be able to transfer the shares to another firm and continue to participate in the Plan.

The Fund reserves the right to amend or terminate the Plan at any time. Although the Fund reserves the right to amend the Plan to include a service charge payable by the participants, there is no direct service charge to participants in the Plan at this time.

Call today to start reinvesting distributions

For more information on the Nuveen Automatic Reinvestment Plan or to enroll in or withdraw from the Plan, speak with your financial advisor or call us at (800) 257-8787.

Nuveen Investments
39



Glossary of Terms
Used in this Report

•  Average Annual Total Return: This is a commonly used method to express an investment's performance over a particular, usually multi-year time period. It expresses the return that would have been necessary each year to equal the investment's actual cumulative performance (including change in NAV or market price and reinvested dividends and capital gains distributions, if any) over the time period being considered.

•  Current Distribution Rate: Current distribution rate is based on the Fund's current annualized quarterly distribution divided by the Fund's current market price. The Fund's quarterly distributions to its shareholders may be comprised of ordinary income, net realized capital gains and, if at the end of the calendar year the Fund's cumulative net ordinary income and net realized gains are less than the amount of the Fund's distributions, a tax return of capital.

•  Effective Leverage: Effective leverage is a Fund's effective economic leverage, and includes both regulatory leverage and the leverage effects of certain derivative investments in the Fund's portfolio.

•  Leverage: Using borrowed money to invest in securities or other assets.

•  Net Asset Value (NAV): The net market value of all securities held in a portfolio.

•  Net Asset Value (NAV) Per Share: The market value of one share of a mutual fund or closed-end fund. For a Fund, the NAV is calculated daily by taking the Fund's total assets (securities, cash, and accrued earnings), subtracting the Fund's liabilities, and dividing by the number of shares outstanding.

•  Regulatory Leverage: Regulatory Leverage consists of preferred shares or debt issued by the Fund. Both of these are part of the Fund's capital structure. Regulatory leverage is sometimes referred to as "'40 Act Leverage" and is subject to asset coverage limits set in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

•  S&P 500 Index: An unmanaged index generally considered representative of the U.S. stock market. Index returns assume reinvestment of distributions, but do not include the effects of any applicable sales charges or management fees. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

•  Specialized Real Estate Securities Benchmark: A measure based on the return of the preferred stock and highest 50% yielding (based on market capitalization) common stock securities in the SNL Financial LC real estate database through 6/30/2007. Beginning in July 2007, the benchmark is based on preferred and all common stocks in the database. Returns are computed from this database by a third party provider.

Nuveen Investments
40



Returns do not include the effects of any sales charges or management fees. It is not possible to invest directly in this benchmark.

•  Wilshire U.S. Real Estate Securities Index: An unmanaged index comprised of common shares of publicly-traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) and other real estate operating companies. Index returns assume reinvestment of distributions, but do not include the effects of any applicable sales charges or management fees. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

Nuveen Investments
41



Notes

Nuveen Investments
42




Additional Fund Information

Board of Trustees

John P. Amboian
Robert P. Bremner
Jack B. Evans
William C. Hunter
David J. Kundert
William J. Schneider
Judith M. Stockdale
Carole E. Stone
Virginia L. Stringer
Terence J. Toth

Fund Manager

Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc.
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606

Custodian

State Street Bank & Trust Company
Boston, MA

Transfer Agent and
Shareholder Services

State Street Bank & Trust Company
Nuveen Funds
P.O. Box 43071
Providence, RI 02940-3071
(800) 257-8787

Legal Counsel

Chapman and Cutler LLP
Chicago, IL

Independent Registered
Public Accounting Firm

Ernst & Young LLP
Chicago, IL

Quarterly Portfolio of Investments and Proxy Voting Information

You may obtain (i) the Fund's quarterly portfolio of investments, (ii) information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities held during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30, and (iii) a description of the policies and procedures that the Fund used to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities without charge, upon request, by calling Nuveen Investments toll-free at (800) 257-8787 or on Nuveen's website at www.nuveen.com.

You may also obtain this and other Fund information directly from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC may charge a copying fee for this information. Visit the SEC on-line at http://www.sec.gov or in person at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Call the SEC at (202) 942-8090 for room hours and operation. You may also request Fund information by sending an e-mail request to publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing to the SEC's Public Reference Section at 100 F Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20549.

CEO Certification Disclosure

The Fund has filed with the SEC the certification of its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Distribution Information

The Fund hereby designates its percentages of dividends paid from net ordinary income as dividends qualifying for the 70% dividends received deduction (DRD) for corporations and its percentages as qualified dividend income (QDI) for individuals under Section 1(h)(11) of the Internal Revenue Code as shown in the accompanying table. The actual qualified dividend income distributions will be reported to shareholders on Form 1099-DIV which will be sent to shareholders shortly after calendar year end.

    % of DRD   % of QDI  
JRS     0.00 %     0.00 %  

 

Common Share Information

The Fund intends to repurchase shares of its own common stock in the future at such times and in such amounts as is deemed advisable. During the period covered by this report, the Fund repurchased shares of its common stock as shown in the accompanying table.

    Common
Shares
Repurchased
 
JRS        

 

Any future repurchases will be reported to shareholders in the next annual or semi-annual report.

Nuveen Investments
43




Nuveen Investments:
Serving Investors for Generations

Since 1898, financial advisors and their clients have relied on Nuveen Investments to provide dependable investment solutions through continued adherence to proven, long-term investing principles. Today, we offer a range of high quality equity and fixed-income solutions designed to be integral components of a well-diversified core portfolio.

Focused on meeting investor needs.

Nuveen Investments provides high-quality investment services designed to help secure the long-term goals of institutional and individual investors as well as the consultants and financial advisors who serve them. Nuveen Investments markets a wide range of specialized investment solutions which provide investors access to capabilities of its high-quality boutique investment affiliates—Nuveen Asset Management, Symphony Asset Management, NWQ Investment Management Company, Santa Barbara Asset Management, Tradewinds Global Investors, Winslow Capital Management and Gresham Investment Management. In total, Nuveen Investments managed $220 billion as of December 31, 2011.

Find out how we can help you.

To learn more about how the products and services of Nuveen Investments may be able to help you meet your financial goals, talk to your financial advisor, or call us at (800) 257-8787. Please read the information provided carefully before you invest. Investors should consider the investment objective and policies, risk considerations, charges and expenses of any investment carefully. Where applicable, be sure to obtain a prospectus, which contains this and other relevant information. To obtain a prospectus, please contact your securities representative or Nuveen Investments, 333 W. Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60606. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.

Learn more about Nuveen Funds at: www.nuveen.com/cef

Distributed by
Nuveen Securities, LLC
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
www.nuveen.com/cef

EAN-A-1211D




 

ITEM 2. CODE OF ETHICS.

 

As of the end of the period covered by this report, the registrant has adopted a code of ethics that applies to the registrant’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. There were no amendments to or waivers from the Code during the period covered by this report. The registrant has posted the code of ethics on its website at www.nuveen.com/CEF/Info/Shareholder/. (To view the code, click on Fund Governance and then click on Code of Conduct.)

 

ITEM 3. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT.

 

The registrant’s Board of Directors or Trustees (“Board”) determined that the registrant has at least one “audit committee financial expert” (as defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR) serving on its Audit Committee. The registrant’s audit committee financial expert is Carole E. Stone, who is “independent” for purposes of Item 3 of Form N-CSR.

 

Ms. Stone served for five years as Director of the New York State Division of the Budget. As part of her role as Director, Ms. Stone was actively involved in overseeing the development of the State’s operating, local assistance and capital budgets, its financial plan and related documents; overseeing the development of the State’s bond-related disclosure documents and certifying that they fairly presented the State’s financial position; reviewing audits of various State and local agencies and programs; and coordinating the State’s system of internal audit and control. Prior to serving as Director, Ms Stone worked as a budget analyst/examiner with increasing levels of responsibility over a 30 year period, including approximately five years as Deputy Budget Director. Ms. Stone has also served as Chair of the New York State Racing Association Oversight Board, as Chair of the Public Authorities Control Board, as a Commissioner on the New York State Commission on Public Authority Reform and as a member of the Boards of Directors of several New York State public authorities. These positions have involved overseeing operations and finances of certain entities and assessing the adequacy of project/entity financing and financial reporting. Currently, Ms. Stone is on the Board of Directors of CBOE Holdings, Inc., of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, and of C2 Options Exchange. Ms. Stone’s position on the boards of these entities and as a member of both CBOE Holdings’ Audit Committee and its Finance Committee has involved, among other things, the oversight of audits, audit plans and preparation of financial statements.

 

ITEM 4. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.

 

NUVEEN REAL ESTATE INCOME FUND

 

The following tables show the amount of fees that Ernst & Young LLP, the Fund’s auditor, billed to the Fund during the Fund’s last two full fiscal years. For engagements with Ernst & Young LLP the Audit Committee approved in advance all audit services and non-audit services that Ernst & Young LLP provided to the Fund, except for those non-audit services that were subject to the pre-approval exception under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X (the “pre-approval exception”). The pre-approval exception for services provided directly to the Fund waives the pre-approval requirement for services other than audit, review or attest services if: (A) the aggregate amount of all such services provided constitutes no more than 5% of the total amount of revenues paid by the Fund to its accountant during the fiscal year in which the services are provided; (B) the Fund did not recognize the services as non-audit services at the time of the engagement; and (C) the services are promptly brought to the Audit Committee’s attention, and the Committee (or its delegate) approves the services before the audit is completed.

 

The Audit Committee has delegated certain pre-approval responsibilities to its Chairman (or, in his absence, any other member of the Audit Committee).

 



 

SERVICES THAT THE FUND’S AUDITOR BILLED TO THE FUND

 

 

 

Audit Fees Billed

 

Audit-Related Fees

 

Tax Fees

 

All Other Fees

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

to Fund (1)

 

Billed to Fund (2)

 

Billed to Fund (3)

 

Billed to Fund (4)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2011

 

$

23,600

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Percentage approved pursuant to pre-approval exception

 

0

%

0

%

0

%

0

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2010

 

$

23,600

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Percentage approved pursuant to pre-approval exception

 

0

%

0

%

0

%

0

%

 


(1)

 

“Audit Fees” are the aggregate fees billed for professional services for the audit of the Fund’s annual financial statements and services provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.

 

 

 

(2)

 

“Audit Related Fees” are the aggregate fees billed for assurance and related services reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees”.

 

 

 

(3)

 

“Tax Fees” are the aggregate fees billed for professional services for tax advice, tax compliance, and tax planning.

 

 

 

(4)

 

“All Other Fees” are the aggregate fees billed for products and services for agreed upon procedures engagements performed for leveraged funds.

 

SERVICES THAT THE FUND’S AUDITOR BILLED TO THE
ADVISER AND AFFILIATED FUND SERVICE PROVIDERS

 

The following tables show the amount of fees billed by Ernst & Young LLP to Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc. (formerly Nuveen Asset Management) (or the “Adviser”), and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Adviser that provides ongoing services to the Fund (“Affiliated Fund Service Provider”), for engagements directly related to the Fund’s operations and financial reporting, during the Fund’s last two full fiscal years.

 

The tables also show the percentage of fees subject to the pre-approval exception. The pre-approval exception for services provided to the Adviser and any Affiliated Fund Service Provider (other than audit, review or attest services) waives the pre-approval requirement if: (A) the aggregate amount of all such services provided constitutes no more than 5% of the total amount of revenues paid to Ernst & Young LLP by the Fund, the Adviser and Affiliated Fund Service Providers during the fiscal year in which the services are provided that would have to be pre-approved by the Audit Committee; (B) the Fund did not recognize the services as non-audit services at the time of the engagement; and (C) the services are promptly brought to the Audit Committee’s attention, and the Committee (or its delegate) approves the services before the Fund’s audit is completed.

 

 

 

Audit-Related Fees

 

Tax Fees Billed to

 

All Other Fees

 

 

 

Billed to Adviser and

 

Adviser and

 

Billed to Adviser

 

 

 

Affiliated Fund

 

Affiliated Fund

 

and Affiliated Fund

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

Service Providers

 

Service Providers

 

Service Providers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2011

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Percentage approved pursuant to pre-approval exception

 

0

%

0

%

0

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2010

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Percentage approved pursuant to pre-approval exception

 

0

%

0

%

0

%

 



 

NON-AUDIT SERVICES

 

The following table shows the amount of fees that Ernst & Young LLP billed during the Fund’s last two full fiscal years for non-audit services. The Audit Committee is required to pre-approve non-audit services that Ernst & Young LLP provides to the Adviser and any Affiliated Fund Services Provider, if the engagement related directly to the Fund’s operations and financial reporting (except for those subject to the pre-approval exception described above). The Audit Committee requested and received information from Ernst & Young LLP about any non-audit services that Ernst & Young LLP rendered during the Fund’s last fiscal year to the Adviser and any Affiliated Fund Service Provider. The Committee considered this information in evaluating Ernst & Young LLP’s independence.

 

 

 

 

 

Total Non-Audit Fees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

billed to Adviser and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Affiliated Fund Service

 

Total Non-Audit Fees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Providers (engagements

 

billed to Adviser and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

related directly to the

 

Affiliated Fund Service

 

 

 

 

 

Total Non-Audit Fees

 

operations and financial

 

Providers (all other

 

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

Billed to Fund

 

reporting of the Fund)

 

engagements)

 

Total

 

December 31, 2011

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

December 31, 2010

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

 

“Non-Audit Fees billed to Fund” for both fiscal year ends represent “Tax Fees” and “All Other Fees” billed to Fund in their respective amounts from the previous table.

 

Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures. Generally, the Audit Committee must approve (i) all non-audit services to be performed for the Fund by the Fund’s independent accountants and (ii) all audit and non-audit services to be performed by the Fund’s independent accountants for the Affiliated Fund Service Providers with respect to operations and financial reporting of the Fund. Regarding tax and research projects conducted by the independent accountants for the Fund and Affiliated Fund Service Providers (with respect to operations and financial reports of the Fund) such engagements will be (i) pre-approved by the Audit Committee if they are expected to be for amounts greater than $10,000; (ii) reported to the Audit Committee chairman for his verbal approval prior to engagement if they are expected to be for amounts under $10,000 but greater than $5,000; and (iii) reported to the Audit Committee at the next Audit Committee meeting if they are expected to be for an amount under $5,000.

 

ITEM 5. AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS.

 

The registrant’s Board has a separately designated Audit Committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(58)(A)). The members of the audit committee are Robert P. Bremner, David J. Kundert, William J. Schneider, Carole E. Stone and Terence J. Toth.

 

ITEM 6. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS.

 

(a)          See Portfolio of Investments in Item 1.

 

(b)         Not applicable.

 

ITEM 7. DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

 

The Adviser, Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc., has engaged Security Capital Research & Management Incorporated (“Security Capital”) as Sub-Adviser to provide discretionary investment advisory services.  As part of these services, the Adviser has also delegated to the Sub-Adviser the full responsibility for proxy voting and related duties in accordance with the Sub-Adviser’s policy and procedures. The Adviser periodically will monitor the Sub-Adviser’s voting to ensure that they are carrying out their duties. The Sub-Adviser’s proxy voting policies and procedures are summarized as follows:

 



 

Security Capital may be granted by its clients the authority to vote the proxies of the securities held in client portfolios. To ensure that the proxies are voted in the best interests of its clients, Security Capital has adopted detailed proxy voting procedures (“Procedures”) that incorporate detailed proxy guidelines (“Guidelines”) for voting proxies on specific types of issues.

 

Pursuant to the Procedures, most routine proxy matters will be voted in accordance with the Guidelines, which have been developed with the objective of encouraging corporate action that enhances shareholder value. For proxy matters that are not covered by the Guidelines (including matters that require a case-by-case determination) or where a vote contrary to the Guidelines is considered appropriate, the Procedures require a certification and review process to be completed before the vote is cast. That process is designed to identify actual or potential material conflicts of interest and ensure that the proxy is cast in the best interest of clients.

 

To oversee and monitor the proxy-voting process, Security Capital has established a proxy committee and appointed a proxy administrator. The proxy committee meets periodically to review general proxy-voting matters, review and approve the Guidelines annually, and provide advice and recommendations on general proxy-voting matters as well as on specific voting issues.

 

A copy of the Security Capital’s proxy voting procedures and guidelines are available upon request by contacting your client service representative.

 

ITEM 8. PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

 

Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc. is the registrant’s investment adviser (also referred to as the “Adviser”).  The Adviser is responsible for the selection and on-going monitoring of the Fund’s investment portfolio, managing the Fund’s business affairs and providing certain clerical, bookkeeping and administrative services.  The Adviser has engaged Security Capital Research & Management Incorporated (“Security Capital”) for a portion of the registrant’s investments.  (Security Capital is also referred to as “Sub-Adviser”.)  Security Capital, as Sub-Adviser, provides discretionary investment advisory services.  The following section provides information on the portfolio managers at the Sub-Adviser:

 

Item 8 (a)(1).

 

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT TEAM FROM SECURITY CAPITAL RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT INCORPORATED

 

ANTHONY R. MANNO JR. is CEO, President and Chief Investment Officer of Security Capital Research & Management Incorporated. He is Chairman, President and Managing Director of SC-Preferred Growth LLC.  Prior to joining Security Capital in 1994, Mr. Manno spent 14 years with LaSalle Partners Limited as a Managing Director, responsible for real estate investment banking activities.  Mr. Manno began his career in real estate finance at The First National Bank of Chicago and has 38 years of experience in the real estate investment business.  He received an MBA in Finance with honors (Beta Gamma Sigma) from the University of Chicago and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Northwestern University with a BA and MA in Economics.  Mr. Manno is also a Certified Public Accountant and was awarded an Elijah Watt Sells award.

 

KENNETH D. STATZ is a Managing Director and Senior Market Strategist of Security Capital Research & Management Incorporated where he is responsible for the development and implementation of portfolio investment strategy.  Prior to joining Security Capital in 1995, Mr. Statz was a Vice President in the Investment Research Department of Goldman, Sachs & Co., concentrating on research and underwriting for the REIT industry.  Previously, he was a REIT Portfolio Manager and a Managing Director of Chancellor Capital Management.  Mr. Statz has 30 years of experience in the real estate securities industry and received an MBA and a BBA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin.

 

KEVIN W. BEDELL is a Managing Director of Security Capital Research & Management Incorporated where he directs the Investment Analysis Team, which provides in-depth proprietary research on publicly listed companies.  Prior to joining Security Capital in 1996, Mr. Bedell spent nine years with LaSalle Partners Limited where he was Equity Vice President and Portfolio Manager, with responsibility for strategic, operational and financial management of a private real estate investment trust with commercial real estate investments in excess of $1 billion.  Mr. Bedell has 24 years of experience in the real estate securities industry and received an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago and a BA  from Kenyon College.

 



 

Item 8 (a)(2).   Other Accounts Managed by Security Capital Research & Management Incorporated

 

Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund and Nuveen Diversified Dividend and Income Fund (“Funds”)
Security Capital Research & Management Incorporated (“Adviser”)

 

 

 

(a)(2) For each person identified in column (a)(1), provide number of
accounts other than the Funds managed by the person within each
category below and the total assets in the accounts managed within
each category below

 

(a)(3) Performance Fee Accounts. For each of the categories
in column (a)(2), provide number of accounts and the total
assets in the accounts with respect to which the 
advisory fee is
based on the performance of the account

 

 

 

Registered Investment
Companies

 

Other Pooled Investment
Vehicles

 

Other Accounts

 

Registered
Investment
Companies

 

Other Pooled Investment
Vehicles

 

Other Accounts

 

(a)(1) Identify portfolio
manager(s) of the
Adviser to be named in
the Fund prospectus

 

Number
of
Accounts

 

Total Assets
($billions)

 

Number
of
Accounts

 

Total Assets
($billions)

 

Number
of
Accounts

 

Total Assets
($billions)

 

Number
of
Accounts

 

Total
Assets

 

Number of
Accounts

 

Total Assets

 

Number of
Accounts

 

Total Assets
($billions)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony R. Manno Jr.

 

5

 

$

1.6

 

1

 

$

0.6

 

329

 

$

2.3

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

$

0.3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenneth D. Statz

 

5

 

$

1.6

 

1

 

$

0.6

 

326

 

$

2.3

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

$

0.3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin W. Bedell

 

5

 

$

1.6

 

1

 

$

0.6

 

332

 

$

2.3

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

$

0.3

 

 

Potential Material Conflicts of Interest

 

As shown in the above tables, the portfolio managers may manage accounts in addition to the Nuveen Funds (the “Funds”).  The potential for conflicts of interest exists when portfolio managers manage other accounts with similar investment objectives and strategies as the Funds (“Similar Accounts”). Potential conflicts may include, for example, conflicts between investment strategies and conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities.

 

Responsibility for managing Security Capital’s clients’ portfolios is organized according to investment strategies within asset classes. Generally, client portfolios with similar strategies are managed  using the same objectives, approach and philosophy.  Therefore, portfolio holdings, relative position sizes and sector exposures tend to be similar across similar portfolios, which minimizes the potential for conflicts of interest.

 

Security Capital may receive more compensation with respect to certain Similar Accounts than that received with respect to the Nuveen Funds or may receive compensation based in part on the performance of certain Similar Accounts.  This may create a potential conflict of interest for Security Capital or its portfolio managers by providing an incentive to favor these Similar Accounts when, for example, placing securities transactions.  Potential conflicts of interest may arise with both the aggregation and allocation of securities transactions and allocation of limited investment opportunities. Allocations of aggregated trades, particularly trade orders that were only partially completed due to limited availability, and allocation of investment opportunities generally, could raise a potential conflict of interest, as Security Capital may have an incentive to allocate securities that are expected to increase in value to favored accounts.  Initial public offerings, in particular, are frequently of very limited availability. Security Capital may be perceived as causing accounts it manages to participate in an offering to increase Security Capital’s overall allocation of securities in that offering.  A potential conflict of interest also may be perceived to arise if transactions in one account closely follow related transactions in a different account, such as when a purchase increases the value of securities previously purchased by another account, or when a sale in one account lowers the sale price received in a sale by a second account.  If Security Capital manages accounts that engage in short sales of securities of the type in which the Funds invests, Security Capital could be seen as harming the performance of the Funds for the benefit of the accounts engaging in short sales if the short sales cause the market value of the securities to fall.

 

Security Capital has policies and procedures designed to manage these conflicts described above such as allocation of investment opportunities to achieve fair and equitable allocation of investment opportunities among its clients over time.  For example:

 

Orders placed for the same equity security within a reasonable time period are aggregated consistent with Security Capital’s duty of best execution for its clients.  If aggregated trades are fully executed, accounts participating in the trade will be allocated their pro rata share on an average price basis.  Partially completed orders will be allocated among the participating accounts on a pro-rata average price basis as well.

 



 

Item 8 (a)(3).   Fund Manager Compensation

 

The principal form of compensation of Security Capital’s professionals is a base salary and annual bonus. Each professional is paid a cash salary and, in addition, a year-end bonus based on achievement of specific objectives that the professional’s manager and the professional agree upon at the commencement of the year. Actual bonus payments may range from below 100% of target to a multiple of target bonus depending upon actual performance. Actual bonus is paid partially in cash and partially in either (a) restricted stock of Security Capital’s parent company, JPMorgan Chase & Co., which vests over a three-year period (50% each after the second and third years) or (b) in self directed parent company mutual funds which vests after a three-year period (100% after the third year). Actual bonus is a function of Security Capital achieving its financial, operating and investment performance goals, as well as the individual achieving measurable objectives specific to that professional’s role within the firm and the investment performance of all accounts managed by the portfolio manager. None of the portfolio managers’ compensation is based on the performance of, or the value of assets held in, the Funds.

 

Item 8 (a)(4).  Ownership of JRS Securities as of December 31, 2011.

 

Portfolio Manager

 

None

 

$1-$10,000

 

$10,001-$50,000

 

$50,001-$100,000

 

$100,001-$500,000

 

$500,001 -
$1,000,000

 

Over
$1,000,000

 

Anthony R. Manno Jr.

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenneth D. Statz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin W. Bedell

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ITEM 9. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS.

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 10. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

 

There have been no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant’s Board implemented after the registrant last provided disclosure in response to this Item.

 

ITEM 11. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

 

(a)

 

The registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))) are effective, as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report that includes the disclosure required by this paragraph, based on their evaluation of the controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(b)) and Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) (17 CFR 240.13a-15(b) or 240.15d-15(b)).

 

 

 

(b)

 

There were no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d)) that occurred during the second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 



 

ITEM 12. EXHIBITS.

 

File the exhibits listed below as part of this Form. Letter or number the exhibits in the sequence indicated.

 

(a)(1) Any code of ethics, or amendment thereto, that is the subject of the disclosure required by Item 2, to the extent that the registrant intends to satisfy the Item 2 requirements through filing of an exhibit: Not applicable because the code is posted on registrant’s website at www.nuveen.com/CEF/Info/Shareholder/ and there were no amendments during the period covered by this report. (To view the code, click on Fund Governance and then Code of Conduct.)

 

(a)(2) A separate certification for each principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the registrant as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-2(a)) in the exact form set forth below: Ex-99.CERT Attached hereto.

 

(a)(3) Any written solicitation to purchase securities under Rule 23c-1 under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.23c-1) sent or given during the period covered by the report by or on behalf of the registrant to 10 or more persons. Not applicable.

 

(b) If the report is filed under Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, provide the certifications required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-2(b)); Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13a-14(b) or 240.15d-14(b)), and Section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. 1350) as an exhibit. A certification furnished pursuant to this paragraph will not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78r), or otherwise subject to the liability of that section. Such certification will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the registrant specifically incorporates it by reference. Ex-99.906 CERT attached hereto.

 


 

 


 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

(Registrant) Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund

 

 

 

By (Signature and
Title)

/s/ Kevin J. McCarthy

 

 

Kevin J. McCarthy

 

 

Vice President and Secretary

 

 

Date: March 9, 2012

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

 

 

 

By (Signature and
Title)

/s/ Gifford R. Zimmerman

 

 

Gifford R. Zimmerman

 

 

Chief Administrative Officer
(principal executive officer)

 

 

Date: March 9, 2012

 

 

By (Signature and
Title)

/s/ Stephen D. Foy

 

 

Stephen D. Foy

 

 

Vice President and Controller
(principal financial officer)

 

 

Date: March 9, 2012