The Lede

National Real Estate Investor, June 11, 2018--Mary DudichHotels appear to be a particularly good fit for retail centers, which tend to have ample parking, prime locations and shopping, restaurants and entertainment options readily available for travelers.

Bloomberg, June 12, 2018--Sarah Mulholland (subscription)As they battle the rise of e-commerce, U.S. mall owners are trying to clear their books of fading centers so they can focus on the most-profitable ones. That's proving difficult, with just a shallow pool of investors who are willing to take on a declining mall and even fewer who would pay what the landlords want.

Wall Street Journal, June 11, 2018--Scott Calvert (subscription)Philadelphia's City Council is weighing a proposed 1% tax on construction to raise millions of dollars for affordable-housing programs, marking the latest push by a U.S. city to address rising residential costs.

National Mortgage News, June 8, 2018--Brad Finkelstein, Austin Kilgore (free story)"I will come in with a fresh set of eyes and ears and listen to the concerns of our members and respond accordingly," Robert Broeksmit said. Still, "I am coming into the MBA when it is as strong as it's ever been, and not coming in anticipating that there are substantive immediate changes that need to be made."

The Hill, June 7, 2018--John BowdenA plan being pushed by HUD Secretary Ben Carson would raise rents on Americans receiving federal assistance by 20 percent on average in metropolitan areas around the country, according to a new study.

Forbes, June 12, 2018--Ted Knutsen2018 won't be as strong of a year for commercial and multifamily real estate investments as 2017, the Mortgage Bankers Association predicted in an annual report released today.

Wall Street Journal, June 12, 2018--Esther Fung (subscription)The mergers-and-acquisition bug has hit the real-estate investment trust industry, the long-anticipated result of the discounts that REIT stocks have been trading at compared with the private-market valuations of their properties.

Research released by the Mortgage Bankers Association identifies headwinds and tailwinds the market faces, summarizes available data on current market conditions and discusses different sources of capital now playing a role in the market.

U.S. commercial real estate executives display "unwavering" optimism about the country's economic strength and expect more real estate market activity, reported law firm Akerman LLP, Miami.

U.S. multifamily rents increased slightly to $1,381 in May, but growth was weaker than one year ago, said Yardi Matrix, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Real estate investment trust property-level fundamentals should remain positive at least through 2018, reported Fitch Ratings, New York.

The Mortgage Bankers Association announced 86 individual employees from 35 different MBA member companies have been awarded the Path to Diversity scholarship in the first seven months of the fiscal year.

Commercial and multifamily developments and activities from MBA relevant to your business and our industry.

Institutional investors have increased their expectation for commercial real estate returns, the Pension Real Estate Association said.