Principal Real Estate Investors, one of the largest institutional real estate managers in the United States, recently received a top ranking from the 2013 Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) survey. The Principal Green Property Fund ranked No. 1 among its respective peer group based on the environmental and social performance of the fund's property portfolio.

GRESB is a science-based benchmark based on an annual survey produced by the GRESB Foundation. Information collected by the foundation discloses material sustainability performance at the portfolio level, such as energy and water consumption, green building and energy certification, sustainability risk assessments, governance and stakeholder engagement.

Nearly 550 property companies and funds - representing 49,000 properties in 49 countries with $1.6 trillion in gross asset value - participated in this year's survey.

"We view sustainability as an important indicator of quality asset management and fiduciary governance, driving positive financial and environmental outcomes," said Pat Halter, CEO of Principal Real Estate Investors. "We are proud of the result of the GRESB survey and believe it helps validate the hard work we do every day on behalf of our clients."

The Principal Green Property Fund is a closed-end, commingled fund that adopts a broad, holistic approach toward integrating environmental, social and economic principles into the design and delivery of new commercial properties and retrofitting existing U.S. properties to obtain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified status.

In addition to the GRESB ranking, Commercial Property Executive ranked Principal Real Estate Investors No. 2 on its 2013 Greenest Companies list. The real estate publication described the firms on the list as "changing the commercial real estate world," noting that at least 85 percent of respondents are increasing green building activity this year and 48 percent of their existing LEED-certified properties are currently rated either Gold or Platinum.

About Principal Real Estate Investors
Principal Real Estate Investors manages or subadvises $47.0 billion in commercial real estate assets1. The firm's real estate capabilities include both public and private equity and debt investment alternatives. Principal Real Estate Investors is the dedicated real estate group of Principal Global Investors, a diversified asset management organization and a member of the Principal Financial Group®.

About Principal Global Investors
Principal Global Investors is a diversified asset management organization and a member of the Principal Financial Group®, with expertise in equities, fixed income and real estate investments, as well as specialized overlay and advisory services. Principal Global Investors manages $289.1 billion in assets2 primarily for retirement plans and other institutional clients3.

About the Principal Financial Group
The Principal Financial Group® (The Principal®)4 is a global investment management leader offering retirement services, insurance solutions and asset management. The Principal offers businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement, asset management and insurance through its diverse family of financial services companies. Founded in 1879 and a member of the FORTUNE 500®, the Principal Financial Group has $450.6 billion in assets under management5 and serves some 19.8 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.

1 As of June 30, 2013.
2 As of June 30, 2013.
3 Principal Global Investors is the asset management arm of the Principal Financial Group® (The Principal®) and includes the asset management operations of the following subsidiaries of The Principal: Principal Global Investors, LLC; Principal Real Estate Investors, LLC; Principal Enterprise Capital, LLC; Liongate Capital Management LLP; Spectrum Asset Management, Inc.; Post Advisory Group, LLC; Columbus Circle Investors; Edge Asset Management, Inc.; Morley Financial Services Inc.; Finisterre Capital, LLP; Origin Asset Management, LLP; Principal Global Investors (Europe) Limited; Principal Global Investors (Singapore) Ltd.; Principal Global Investors (Australia) Ltd.; Principal Global Investors (Japan) Ltd.; Principal Global Investors (Hong Kong) Ltd.; CIMB-Principal Islamic Asset Management Sdn. Bhd.; and the majority owned affiliates of Principal International, Inc. Assets under management includes assets managed by investment professionals of Principal Global Investors under dual employee arrangements with other subsidiaries of The Principal and assets managed in accordance with investment advice provided by Principal Global Investors through the delivery of a model.
4 "The Principal Financial Group" and "The Principal" are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.
5 As of June 30, 2013.

Principal Financial Group
Media Contact:
Jaime Naig, 515-247-0798
naig.jaime@principal.com