The Lede

Bloomberg, Dec. 21, 2015--Matthews, Steve Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart said the central bank's commitment to a "gradual" tightening suggests interest rates could be raised at every other meeting of the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee, though the actual pace will depend on incoming economic data.

National Mortgage News, Dec. 18, 2015--Collins, Brian Federal regulators are concerned about credit and interest rate risk on apartment and other multifamily loans - and warning lenders that they need to be cautious.

National Real Estate Investor, Dec. 21, 2015--Mattson-Teig, Beth EB-5 has been a hotly debated topic in Congress for the past six months as some legislators proposed changes that would significantly revamp the 25-year old investment program.

Wall Street Journal, Dec. 20, 2015--Tracy, Ryan U.S. regulators sent a strong signal to bankers that they are preparing to crack down on risky commercial real-estate lending, threatening to force banks to raise capital if necessary as they scrutinize the loans next year.

Three of New York City's top five quarterly dollar volume totals ever occurred this year and the $55.4 billion year-to-date total already surpasses 2007's record high, Cushman & Wakefield reported.

Commercial and multifamily mortgage debt outstanding continued to climb in the third quarter, driven by increases in the dollar amount of loans held in bank portfolios according to MBA's Commercial/Multifamily Real Estate Mortgage Debt Outstanding report.

Commercial real estate market activity shows signs of slowing and stabilizing after several years of run-up and appreciation, reported Auction.com, Irvine, Calif.

The Federal Reserve's decision to raise its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point will have little effect on commercial real estate, analysts said.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency yesterday released its 2016 Scorecard outlining priorities for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and their joint venture, Common Securitization Solutions LLC, saying the government-sponsored enterprises "substantially advanced" FHFA's conservatorship strategic plan in 2015.

Continued strong new issuance and active specially serviced loan resolutions led to another decline in the commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate last month, reported Fitch Ratings, New York.

Offices of the Mortgage Bankers Association will close on Dec. 24 at noon ET and will remain closed until Monday, Jan. 4, 2016.

With Congress approving a $1.1 trillion omnibus appropriations bill as well as a $680 billion tax package that includes a number of MBA priorities, the spending and tax packages will punctuate a productive end to the first session of 114th Congress.