MBA Chart of the Week: Appetite for Commercial/Multifamily Loan Activity

Source: 2017 MBA CREF Outlook Survey

Commercial and multifamily mortgage bankers expect 2017 to carry over much of the momentum from 2016, according to a new Mortgage Bankers Association survey of the top commercial and multifamily mortgage origination firms.

Nearly 77 percent of originators in the survey reported that in 2017 they expect lenders to have a “strong” or “very strong” appetite to make new loans. Sixty-nine percent expect borrowers’ 2017 appetite to be “strong” or “very strong” and 85 percent reported that their own firm has a “strong” or “very strong” appetite to make new loans in 2017.

Overall, appetites for 2017 are down slightly from those the respondents expressed about 2016.

In other results, originators generally see borrowing and lending volumes growing slightly, with just over half expecting potential regulatory and legislative changes to be positive for the market.

Detailed survey results are available to members of the Mortgage Bankers Association at www.mba.org/crefresearch.

(Jamie Woodwell is vice president of commercial/multifamily research and economics with the Mortgage Bankers Association. He can be reached at jwoodwell@mba.org.)