The MBA’s $500bn forecast for US loan originations this year is plausible, but the odds are stacked against its predictions for record years in 2017 and 2018 The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has forecast $500 billion in US commercial real estate loan originations for 2016, just shy of last year’s $504 billion and not far […]
3 min read · 14 July 2016
With investors flocking to the safety of US Treasury bonds and benchmark interest rate hikes on hold, a ‘flight to quality’ into US CRE seems inevitable US lenders and analysts are eyeing a post-Brexit ‘flight to quality’ as investors seek the stability of US assets, currency and government (though the presidential election raises some serious […]
3 min read · 07 July 2016
European CRE finance industry gets mixed signals on interest rates in the face of the UK’s EU referendum
3 min read · 23 June 2016
International banks feel the allure of US lending opportunities as European market slows Plenty has been said about the slowdown in European transaction activity this year, a confluence of investor caution about historically low yields in certain markets, and next week’s EU referendum in the UK. It’s interesting, therefore, to check in with the European bank […]
3 min read · 17 June 2016
The banks haven’t exactly ‘pulled back’ from commercial real estate lending, but they have shifted focus. And that’s not a bad thing… “The banks are pulling back due to regulations” seems to have become part of the accepted CRE finance lexicon. The only problem is that, on the whole, based on facts and comments from […]
3 min read · 08 June 2016
CRE multifamily lenders are shifting focus amid new Federal Housing Finance Agency regulations and increased demand for affordable housing Commercial real estate lenders are looking to ramp up the financing of lower-to-moderate income multifamily housing in 2016 as agency lenders see their lending caps increased and the high-end condo and rental markets, particularly in gateway cities […]
3 min read · 02 June 2016
There is talk of ‘recovery’ in the latest De Montfort report, but 2016 could set things back We’re so used to hearing words such as “constraint”, “retrenchment” and “retreat” in relation to the banks, that when a word like “recovery” is used, it prompts a double take. But that was the word quite justifiably […]
3 min read · 26 May 2016
The high-profile White Tower case may have been dropped, but not before a nail-biting 16-day tutorial on the rigors of attempting to prove negligence in property valuations. The UK litigation case brought by White Tower, which alleged negligence against valuer Colliers, was dramatically dropped in its last stages last week with an agreement that each side would […]
3 min read · 12 May 2016
Despite some blunt assessments on the outlook for CMBS, room for optimism remains as spreads chart impressive reversal. As I walked the floor at CREFC’s High Yield & Distressed Realty Assets Summit in Manhattan back in March, I recall distinctly how one industry acquaintance bluntly summarized the mood of the event: “This is depressing, isn’t it?” […]
3 min read · 05 May 2016
As market conditions cause several REITs to sell off properties, lenders can reap the benefits. But for a limited time only. Even though real asset values in the US have remained strong, the stock value of REITs — tied to the rocky global markets — has dropped. US commercial real estate property prices were […]
3 min read · 28 April 2016
