Insurance Companies Expand Multifamily Financing Options

Colorado Real Estate Journal, July 13, 2019–Cooper WilliamsAccording to research conducted by the Mortgage Bankers Association, the insurance companies’ mortgage debt holdings increased by 9% in 2018, which is higher than the overall market average for multifamily debt holdings.

Fed’s Beige Book Shows ‘Widespread Concerns’ on Tariffs–But Positive Economic Outlook

MarketWatch, July 17, 2019–Greg RobbBusiness contacts were generally positive through early July about the economic outlook for the coming months despite “widespread concerns about the possible negative impact of trade-related uncertainty,” according to the “Beige Book” survey released by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday.

This Startup Wants to Sell You a Slice of a Rental Home

Wall Street Journal, July 8, 2019–Ryan Dezember (subscription)A California startup is hoping investors will buy portions of houses as well. Roofstock, which operates a website where investors buy and sell occupied rental properties without disturbing tenants, has launched a marketplace where investors can buy stakes as low as 10 percent in single-family rental homes.

New York Condo Conversions Near the End, a Casualty of Rent Reform

Wall Street Journal, July 8, 2019–Josh Barbanel, Will Parker (subscription)A longtime New York City practice that promoted homeownership, transformed neighborhoods and enriched thousands of middle-class renters is effectively over. It ended on June 14, when a New York state law to strengthen tenant protections went into effect.

Foreign Investors Slow Down U.S. Hotel Acquisitions

National Real Estate Investor, July 9, 2019–Sebastion ObandoForeign investors reduced buying activity in the U.S. hotel sector so far this year, according to industry experts.

CMBS Delinquency Rate Continues to Plunge

National Mortgage Professional, June 5, 2019–Phil HallThe commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate published by Trepp LLC hit another post-financial cross low in May, falling 16 basis points to 2.66 percent.

Situs and AMC Complete Merger

National Mortgage Professional, June 28, 2019–Phil HallThe combined business will operate as SitusAMC and have more than $175 billion of commercial assets under management and provide fair value assessment on more than $290 billion of commercial real estate assets quarterly.

JLL’s $2 Billion Acquisition of HFF to Close on July 1

HousingWire, June 28, 2019–Ben LaneUnder the terms of the deal, which was originally announced in March, JLL will acquire all the outstanding shares of HFF in a cash and stock transaction that carries an equity value of $2 billion.

Commercial Property Joins Tech Revolution as Spending Soars

Wall Street Journal, July 2, 2019–Peter Grant, Konrad Putzier (subscription)For years, real estate technology startups watched from the fringes as big banks and venture capital firms lavished attention on financial technology firms. Now “proptech” has joined the party.