NOTE 1—BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS

Real Industry, Inc. (“Real Industry,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”), formerly known as Signature Group Holding, Inc., is a Delaware holding company that operates through its operating subsidiaries. Management expects to grow the Company through acquisitions, as well as through organic efforts within existing operations described below. Our current business strategy seeks to leverage our public company status, considerable United States (“U.S.”) federal net operating tax loss carryforwards (“U.S. NOLs”) and the experience of our executive management team to acquire operating businesses at prices and on terms that are aligned with our growth plans.

During the first quarter of 2015, the Company underwent a considerable transformation. On January 9, 2015, we completed the sale of North American Breaker Co., LLC (“NABCO”), previously the primary business within our former industrial supply segment. On February 27, 2015, we acquired the global recycling and specification alloys business (the “Real Alloy Business”) of Aleris Corporation (“Aleris”) (the “Real Alloy Acquisition”). A portion of the proceeds of the sale of NABCO were used to fund the Real Alloy Acquisition.

The Real Alloy Business, as Real Alloy Holding, Inc. (“Real Alloy”), is a global leader in third-party aluminum recycling, which includes the processing of scrap aluminum and by-products and the manufacturing of wrought, cast and specification or foundry alloys. Real Alloy offers a broad range of products and services to wrought alloy processors, automotive original equipment manufacturers, and foundries and casters. Real Alloy’s customers include companies that participate in or sell to the automotive, consumer packaging, aerospace, building and construction, steel, and durable goods industries. Real Alloy processes aluminum scrap and by-products and delivers recycled metal in liquid or solid form according to customer specifications. Real Alloy’s facilities are capable of processing industrial (new) scrap, post-consumer (old/obsolete) scrap, and various aluminum by-products, providing a great degree of flexibility in reclaiming high-quality recycled aluminum. Real Alloy currently operates twenty-four facilities strategically located throughout North America and Europe.

The closing of the Real Alloy Acquisition was the culmination of a series of equity and debt financing transactions that began in the fourth quarter of 2014, raising the capital required to fund the Real Alloy Acquisition and pay transaction costs as summarized below (collectively, the “Financings”):

In October 2014, Real Industry issued 0.3 million shares of common stock at $10.00 per share in a private placement, providing gross proceeds of $3.0 million;

In December 2014, Real Industry issued approximately 4.4 million shares of common stock at $6.50 per share in an underwritten public offering providing gross proceeds of $28.5 million;

In January 2015, Real Alloy, as successor to SGH Escrow Corporation (“SGH Escrow”), issued $305.0 million in senior secured notes due January 15, 2019 (the “Senior Secured Notes”) at a price of 97.206% of the principal amount, providing gross proceeds of $296.5 million;

In February 2015, Real Industry issued approximately 9.8 million shares of common stock to existing common stockholders in a stapled rights offering (the “Rights Offering”), providing gross proceeds of $55.0 million;

In February 2015, the U.S., Canadian and German operating subsidiaries of Real Alloy entered into new credit facilities, including a $110.0 million asset-based lending facility (the “Asset-Based Facility”) secured by assets of certain of Real Alloy’s North American subsidiaries, and a €50.0 million factoring facility (the “Factoring Facility”) for the purchase of eligible accounts receivable of Real Alloy’s German operations; and

In February 2015, Real Industry issued 25,000 shares, at a $1,000 liquidation preference per share, of a new series of non-participating preferred stock (the “Redeemable Preferred Stock”) to Aleris.

On April 21, 2015, our common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market (“NASDAQ”) under the symbol “RELY” as part of the NASDAQ Global Select Market. On May 28, 2015, our stockholders approved an amendment to our charter to change our name to Real Industry, Inc. In June 2015, Real Industry became a member of the Russell Global^®, Russell 2000^® and Russell Microcap^® indexes.

As a result of the transformative nature of the acquisition, divestiture and financing activities described above, our operations in 2015 have been and will be substantially different from that reported in the previous periods covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Annual Report”). See Note 19— Segment and Geographic Information for additional information about our reportable segments.

The assets and liabilities and results of operations of NABCO are included in discontinued operations for all periods presented as a result of its sale in the first quarter of 2015. Discontinued operations also includes certain assets and liabilities related to the former businesses of our subsidiary, SGGH, LLC (“SGGH”), then known as Fremont General Corporation (“Fremont”) and its primary operating subsidiary, Fremont Investment & Loan (“FIL”). See Note 20—Discontinued Operations for additional information about NABCO and other discontinued operations.