Upbeat Rosengren Points to December Fed Rate Hike

Reuters, Nov. 9, 2015–Spicer, Jonathan
Another Federal Reserve official pointed to December as an appropriate time to begin raising U.S. interest rates, as Eric Rosengren said on Monday there has been “real improvement” in the economy of late with the October jobs report delivering “very good news.”

Taxpayers May Be Funding Billionaires’ Biggest Apartment Deals

Bloomberg, Nov. 5, 2015–Mulholland, Sarah
Barry Sternlicht’s Starwood Capital Group and Stephen Schwarzman’s Blackstone Group LP are in talks with Freddie Mac to finance two transactions totaling more than $10 billion.

Turning Renters Into Buyers

New York Times, Nov. 6, 2015–Prevost, Lisa
The upward trajectory of rents in many metropolitan areas, which shows no sign of abating, often makes homeownership the better deal. But renters still aren’t rushing to buy.

McDonald’s Won’t Spin Off Real Estate Holdings

Wall Street Journal, Nov. 10, 2015–Jargon, Julie
McDonald’s Corp. won’t spin off its vast U.S. real estate holdings, as some investors had pushed it to do, Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook said.

Multifamily Lending Starting to Level Off

National Real Estate Investor, Nov. 10, 2015–Anderson, Bendix Lenders will keep pouring money into apartment properties over the next two years, originating about the same volume of loans in 2016 and 2017 that they are likely to close in 2015, according to the latest Commercial/Multifamily Real Estate Finance Forecast from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Cushman Hit With Round of Layoffs

The Real Deal, Oct. 30, 2015–Bockman, Rich
Cushman & Wakefield went through a round of layoffs that hit the marketing and research departments in what appears to be fallout from the merger with Chicago-based DTZ earlier this year.

Wharf Street Acquires Majority Stake in Kroll Bond Rating Agency

HousingWire, Nov. 3, 2015–Lane, Ben
Kroll Bond Rating Agency now has a new majority owner, as the credit ratings agency announced Tuesday that one of its minority investors, private-equity firm Wharf Street, acquired a majority stake in the firm.