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.
Category: Top National News
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.
Why Fears of a Commercial Real Estate Bubble Are Overblown
National Mortgage News, Nov. 10, 2015–Cumming, Chris
Commercial real estate lending has come roaring back, but don’t draw comparisons yet to the reckless pre-crisis years.
New Bill Would Prevent NYC Landlords From Checking Credit Scores and Debts of Would-Be Tenants
New York Daily News, Nov. 10, 2015–Durkin, ErinLandlords would be banned from checking credit scores to decide whether to rent to would-be tenants under a new bill introduced in the City Council.
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.
U.S. Construction Spending Rises 0.6 Percent in September to Highest Level in 7-1/2 Years
U.S. News & World Report, Nov. 2, 2015–Wiseman, Paul (Associated Press)
U.S. construction spending rose 0.6 percent in September to the highest level since March 2008, pushed up by a surge in apartment building.
CMBS Default Rate Declines in Third Quarter: Fitch Ratings
National Mortgage News, Nov. 2, 2015–Peters, Andy
Defaults on commercial mortgage-backed securities declined from the end of the third quarter, compared to the previous quarter, according to Fitch Ratings.