Hovnanian Enterprises extends its land banking arrangement with Blackstone Group's GSO Capital Partners by US$150M, bringing total value of arrangement since July 2012 to US$400M

Allison Oesterle

RED BANK, New Jersey and NEW YORK , November 4, 2013 (press release) – Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:HOV), a leading national homebuilder, and GSO Capital Partners LP ("GSO"), the credit arm of The Blackstone Group (NYSE:BX), announced today a $150 million increase to their land banking arrangement, which brings the total since July 2012 to $400 million.

During the next twelve months, GSO and Hovnanian anticipate identifying an additional $150 million in land acquisition and development costs. Affiliates of GSO expect to acquire the land parcels, fund land development and option finished lots on a quarterly takedown basis back to Hovnanian.

"GSO has been a great partner and we are excited about the opportunity to expand our land banking arrangement with them," said Ara Hovnanian, Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. "The increasing demand for new homes and a diminishing supply of finished lots provides us with an opportunity to further leverage our arrangement with GSO to acquire finished lots on a just-in-time basis. This arrangement increases our liquidity and allows us to control an even larger quantity of land for future communities and deliveries, which will ultimately lead to future revenue growth."

Doug Ostrover, Founding Member and Partner of GSO, said, "We are extremely pleased with the ongoing land banking arrangement. It is a pleasure working with Hovnanian, a leading national homebuilder, and we look forward to a successful business partnership for many years to come."

ABOUT HOVNANIAN ENTERPRISES®, INC.:

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., founded in 1959 by Kevork S. Hovnanian, is headquartered in Red Bank, New Jersey. The Company is one of the nation's largest homebuilders with operations in Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia. The Company's homes are marketed and sold under the trade names K. Hovnanian® Homes®, Brighton Homes, Parkwood Builders, Town & Country Homes and Oster Homes. As the developer of K. Hovnanian's® Four Seasons communities, the Company is also one of the nation's largest builders of active adult homes.

Additional information on Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., including a summary investment profile and the Company's 2012 annual report, can be accessed through the "Investor Relations" section of the Hovnanian Enterprises' website at http://www.khov.com. To be added to Hovnanian's investor e-mail or fax lists, please send an e-mail to IR@khov.com or sign up at http://www.khov.com.

ABOUT GSO CAPITAL PARTNERS LP:

GSO Capital Partners LP is the global credit platform of The Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE:BX). GSO, together with its affiliates, has approximately $63.3 billion of assets currently under management and is one of the largest credit-oriented alternative managers in the world and a major participant in the leveraged finance marketplace. GSO seeks to generate superior risk-adjusted returns in its credit business by investing in a broad array of strategies including mezzanine, distressed investing leveraged loans and other special situation strategies.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

All statements in this press release that are not historical facts should be considered as "forward-looking statements." Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in, or suggested by, such forward looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such plans, intentions, or expectations will be achieved. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, (1) changes in general and local economic and industry and business conditions and impacts of the sustained homebuilding downturn, (2) adverse weather and other environmental conditions and natural disasters, (3) changes in market conditions and seasonality of the Company's business, (4) changes in home prices and sales activity in the markets where the Company builds homes, (5) government regulation, including regulations concerning development of land, the home building, sales and customer financing processes, tax laws, and the environment, (6) fluctuations in interest rates and the availability of mortgage financing, (7) shortages in, and price fluctuations of, raw materials and labor, (8) the availability and cost of suitable land and improved lots, (9) levels of competition, (10) availability of financing to the Company, (11) utility shortages and outages or rate fluctuations, (12) levels of indebtedness and restrictions on the Company's operations and activities imposed by the agreements governing the Company's outstanding indebtedness, (13) the Company's sources of liquidity, (14) changes in credit ratings, (15) availability of net operating loss carryforwards, (16) operations through joint ventures with third parties, (17) product liability litigation, warranty claims and claims by mortgage investors, (18) successful identification and integration of acquisitions, (19) significant influence of the Company's controlling stockholders, (20) changes in tax laws affecting the after-tax costs of owning a home, (21) geopolitical risks, terrorist acts and other acts of war, and (22) other factors described in detail in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2012. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or any other reason.

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