UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): October 28, 2013

AMERICAN REALTY CAPITAL PROPERTIES, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

American Realty Capital Properties, Inc. (the “Company”) prepared a presentation providing an overview of the pro forma Company, assuming the closing of its acquisitions of CapLease, Inc. (“CapLease”), American Realty Capital Trust IV, Inc. (“ARCT IV”) and Cole Real Estate Investments, Inc. (“Cole”). A copy of the presentation is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K. Such presentation shall not be deemed “filed” for any purpose, including for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section. The information in this Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.1, shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.

Additional Information about the Cole Merger and Where to Find It

This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. In connection with the proposed Cole merger, the Company and Cole expect to prepare and file with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 containing a joint proxy statement/prospectus and other documents with respect to the Company’s proposed acquisition of Cole. The joint proxy/prospectus will contain important information about the proposed transaction and related matters. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS (INCLUDING ALL AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED BY THE COMPANY OR COLE WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY, COLE AND THE PROPOSED COLE MERGER. Investors and stockholders of the Company and Cole may obtain free copies of the registration statement, the joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents filed by the Company and Cole with the SEC (if and when they become available) through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed by the Company with the SEC are also available free of charge on the Company’s website at www.arcpreit.com and copies of the documents filed by Cole with the SEC are available free of charge on Cole’s website at www.ColeREIT.com.

Participants in Solicitation relating to the Cole Merger

The Company, Cole, AR Capital, LLC and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company’s and Cole’s stockholders in respect of the proposed Cole merger. Information regarding the Company’s directors and executive officers can be found in the Company’s definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on April 30, 2013. Information regarding Cole’s directors and executive officers can be found in Cole’s definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on April 11, 2013. Additional information regarding the interests of such potential participants will be included in the joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed Cole merger if and when they become available. These documents are available free of charge on the SEC’s website and from the Company or Cole, as applicable, using the sources indicated above.

Additional Information about the ARCT IV Merger and Where to Find It

This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. In connection with the proposed ARCT IV merger, the Company and ARCT IV expect to prepare and file with the SEC an amendment to their proxy statement/prospectus and the Company expects to prepare and file with the SEC an amendment to its registration statement on Form S-4 and other documents with respect to the Company’s proposed acquisition of ARCT IV. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND REGISTRATION STATEMENT (INCLUDING ALL AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED ARCT IV MERGER.

Investors may obtain free copies of the registration statement, the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents filed by the Company and ARCT IV with the SEC (if and when they become available) through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed by the Company with the SEC are also available free of charge on the Company’s website at www.arcpreit.com and copies of the documents filed by ARCT IV with the SEC are available free of charge on ARCT IV’s website at www.arct-4.com.

Participants in Solicitation relating to the ARCT IV Merger

The Company, ARCT IV, AR Capital, LLC and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from ARCT IV’s stockholders in respect of the proposed ARCT IV merger. Information regarding the Company’s directors and executive officers can be found in the Company’s definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on April 30, 2013. Information regarding ARCT IV’s directors and executive officers can be found in ARCT IV’s definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on April 30, 2013. Additional information regarding the interests of such potential participants will be included in the proxy statement/prospectus, the registration statement and other relevant documents filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed ARCT IV merger if and when they become available. These documents are available free of charge on the SEC’s website and from the Company or ARCT IV, as applicable, using the sources indicated above.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth herein (including information included or incorporated by reference herein) contains “forward-looking statements” (as defined in Section 21E of the Exchange Act), which reflect the Company’s, CapLease’s, ARCT IV’s and Cole’s expectations regarding future events. The forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, whether and when the transactions contemplated by any of the merger agreements will be consummated, the combined company’s plans, market and other expectations, objectives, intentions, as well as any expectations or projections with respect to the combined company, including regarding future dividends and market valuations, and estimates of growth, including funds from operations and adjusted funds from operations and other statements that are not historical facts.

The following additional factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of any of the merger agreements; (2) the inability to complete the CapLease merger or failure to satisfy other conditions to completion of the CapLease merger; (3) the inability to complete the ARCT IV merger due to the failure to obtain ARCT IV stockholder approval of the ARCT IV merger or the failure to satisfy other conditions to completion of the ARCT IV merger, including that a governmental entity may prohibit, delay or refuse to grant approval for the consummation of the ARCT IV merger; (4) the inability to obtain regulatory approvals for the Cole merger transaction and the approval by the Company’s stockholders of the issuance of Company Common Stock in connection with the Cole merger and the approval by Cole’s stockholders of the Cole merger; (5) risks related to disruption of management’s attention from the ongoing business operations due to the proposed mergers; (6) the effect of the announcement of the proposed mergers on the Company’s, CapLease’s, ARCT IV’s or Cole’s relationships with their respective customers, tenants, lenders, operating results and businesses generally; (7) the outcome of any legal proceedings relating to any of the mergers or the merger agreements; and (8) risks to consummation of the mergers, including the risk that the mergers will not be consummated within the expected time period or at all. Additional factors that may affect future results are contained in the Company’s, CapLease’s, ARCT IV’s and Cole’s filings with the SEC, which are available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Company, CapLease, ARCT IV and Cole disclaim any obligation to update and revise statements contained in these materials based on new information or otherwise.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.