National Mortgage Professional, Oct. 23, 2018–Phil HallThe new body, which will replace the MBA’s Investor Council, is designed to formulate ideas about investment in commercial real estate debt. It will also present information on market trends and develop best practices and industry standards. Council members will include professionals from life insurance companies, banks, securitized lenders, debt funds and government-backed capital sources.
Category: Top National News
Proposition 10, Which Would Expand Rent Control, is ‘in Deep Trouble,’ Poll Shows
Los Angeles Times, Oct. 19, 2018–Liam DillonRobert Shrum, co-director of USC’s Center for the Political Future and a longtime Democratic strategist, said the numbers don’t look good for the initiative. The election is less than three weeks away, and landlord-backed opponents of the measure are significantly outspending supporters.
Alarm Bells for CRE Lenders after Bank OZK’s Bad Quarter
National Mortgage News, Oct. 19, 2018–John Reosti (subscription)Bank OZK in Little Rock, Ark., did more than stub its toe when it reported lower profit tied to two big chargeoffs. The $22 billion-asset company may have lost the confidence of investors for the foreseeable future, even though management used an earnings call to passionately defend its heavy reliance on commercial real estate lending, where the chargeoffs took place.
Stuck in Neutral: CMBS Issuance Stalls Amid Stiff Competition
National Real Estate Investor, Oct. 24, 2018–Beth Mattson-TeigCommercial mortgage-backed securities lenders are working harder to retain market share in a highly competitive sector where the overall pie for conduit lending doesn’t appear to be getting any bigger.
Is It Time to Invest in CRE Debt?
National Real Estate Imvestor, Oct. 23, 2018–Joseph Iacono, Kim DiamondTen years have passed since the global financial crisis and the last commercial real estate downturn. In a market that is likely approaching its cyclical peak, it is time for global investors seeking a portfolio hedge to move out of commercial real estate equity and into debt.
Big Builders Jump Into ‘Financing Gap’ to Fuel NYC Construction Boom
Bloomberg, Oct. 19, 2018–Natalie Wong, Justina VasquezNew York developer Silverstein Properties Inc. built a $4 billion pipeline of real estate deals just weeks after starting. None of the money was for buildings it will own.
With Market Hot, Landlords Slam the Door on Section 8 Tenants
New York Times, Oct. 12, 2018–Glenn ThrushMany landlords are now refusing to accept vouchers when they can get higher rents, without the bureaucratic red tape, on the open market.
Big Lenders Make Push to Liquidate Sears
Wall Street Journal, Oct. 11, 2018–Suzanne Kapner, Lillian Rizzo (subscription)Some of Sears Holdings Corp.’s biggest lenders were pushing for it to liquidate rather than use bankruptcy protection to try to save an American legend whose stores and catalogs dominated retailing for generations.
Lenders Fear Worst from Rent Control Measure on California Ballot
National Mortgage News, Oct. 10, 2018–Hannah Lang (subscription)Mortgage lenders are anxiously following a ballot initiative fight over rent control in California that they say could be detrimental for the industry as a whole.
Sears, the Original Everything Store, Nears a Bankruptcy Filing
New York Times, Oct. 14, 2018–Michael CorkeryA decade ago, Sears employed 302,000. Today, there are about 68,000 people still working at Sears and Kmart and the retailer is preparing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing to cut its debts and keep operating at least through the holidays, according to two people briefed on the matter.