NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. NRF ("NRF") today announced that its Board of Directors unanimously approved a plan to spin-off its asset management business into a separate publicly traded company in the form of a tax-free distribution. The distribution is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2014 and will be comprised of common stock in NorthStar Asset Management Corp. ("NorthStar Asset Management"), a newly formed company expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In connection with the proposed spin-off, NorthStar Asset Management will enter into a 20-year management contract to manage NRF. NorthStar Asset Management will also manage NRF's non-traded REIT business and own its broker-dealer platform.