Category: Top National News

American Banker, May 8, 2017–John Heltman (subscription)The quarterly Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey found that significant numbers of loan officers report they are widening the spreads for all kinds of CRE loans, seeing lower loan-to-value ratios and in some cases reducing their service areas.

National Mortgage Professional, May 4, 2017–Phil HallOriginations of commercial and multifamily mortgages were up by nine percent on a year-over-year basis during the first quarter, according to new data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s However, the first quarter’s origination levels were 27 percent lower than the fourth quarter.

National Real Estate Investor, May 4, 2017–Diana BellCongress extended the EB-5 investor visa program through September 30, but after two years of re-enacting the program as-is, there are now genuine efforts to reform it including minimum investment amounts, stricter oversight and reclassification of targeted employment areas.

Mortgage Daily, May 4, 2017Commercial real estate loan originations tumbled from the final-three months of last year, when commercial mortgage production was estimated at $153 billion. But activity accelerated from an estimated $102 billion in CRE loan closings during the first-three months of last year, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.

NPR, May 8, 2017–Tamara KeithThe Kushner family’s pitch to investors in China once again raised the profile of the controversial EB-5 investor visa program, which can get foreign investors on a path to U.S. citizenship after investing as little as $500,000 in real estate and other projects.

Commercial Observer, May 10, 2017–Elyssa KatesMany people do not think of commercial real estate when they think about cyberattacks. But they should.

Wall Street Journal, April 30, 2017–Keiko Morris (subscription)Asking rents in many of New York City’s priciest shopping corridors declined in the first quarter, one outcome of the broader national retail headwinds hitting landlords across the U.S.

National Mortgage Professional, Apr. 28, 2017–Phil HallPatenaude is president of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for America’s Families. The Mortgage Bankers Association issued a statement in support.

National Mortgage News, Apr. 27, 2017–Allison Bisbey (subscription)The bill, sponsored by Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-N.C., and Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., would clarify rules that critics say have caused banks to pull back from construction lending, hurting credit availability and driving loans into risky, unregulated sectors.

National Real Estate Investor, May 1, 2017–Diana BellMarcus & Millichap CEO Hessam Nadji said he sees no evidence of a recession around the corner. “I expect this cycle to have more runway economically and within the real estate sector,” he said.