AvalonBay Communities, Inc. ("AvalonBay") (NYSE:AVB) and Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) today announced that at their respective special meetings, AvalonBay stockholders and Equity Residential shareholders overwhelmingly approved all of the proposals necessary to close the pending merger of equals between AvalonBay and Equity Residential (the "merger"). More than 99% of the votes cast at the AvalonBay special meeting voted to approve the merger, which represented approximately 90% of the outstanding shares of AvalonBay common stock, as of the record date, and more than 99% of the votes cast at Equity Residential’s special meeting voted to approve the issuance of Equity Residential common shares to AvalonBay stockholders as consideration in the merger, which represented approximately 90% of the outstanding Equity Residential common shares, as of the record date.

The final voting results on the proposals voted on at the special meetings will be set forth on Form 8-Ks to be filed by each company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The merger is expected to close on Monday, August 17, 2026, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions. If the merger is completed, each share of AvalonBay common stock outstanding immediately prior to the merger will convert into the right to receive 2.793 Equity Residential common shares.

Following the completion of the merger, the combined company will be renamed "Vivmark Residential," with its common shares expected to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "VMRK" beginning at the open of trading on August 18, 2026.