Category: News and Trends

Commercial mortgage-backed securities’ credit quality as measured by loan-to-value ratios improved during the first three months of this year, reported Moody’s Investors Service, New York.

U.S. institutional investors such as pension funds, endowments and foundations plan to reduce their new capital commitments to real estate by 19 percent in 2016, a survey found.

Real estate activity generally expanded in late February and March, the Federal Reserve reported yesterday in its Beige Book.

WASHINGTON, D.C.–Housing finance reform remains stalled in Congress, but next year could prove pivotal in the effort to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two senators said this week.

Small-balance loan originations grew 10 percent year-over-year in 2015 to eclipse 2013’s previous peak of $176.2 billion, reported Boxwood Means, Stamford, Conn.

Global retail space under development increased 7.4 percent last year to 451 million square feet, reported CBRE Group, Los Angeles.

After a shaky start in early 2016, office market fundamentals proved steady with supply and demand moving in lock-step by the end of the first quarter, reported JLL, Chicago.

Silver Hill Funding, Coral Gables, Fla., introduced a new Multifamily Streamline Program for small-balance commercial mortgage loans from $250,000 to $1 million that does not require tax returns or 4506-T forms.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, in a letter to HUD, said current FHA loan-level certification rules fall short in providing safeguards for responsible FHA lenders and urged FHA to adopt a “meaningful” quality control program.

Median single-family rental home prices increased faster than owner-occupied home prices, reported HomeUnion, Irvine, Calif.