Category: News and Trends

WASHINGTON–For all the debate about the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, one aspect appears to be a consensus view: the current system cannot sustain itself.

New York City set another record last year with aggregate sales totaling $74.5 billion, exceeding 2007’s $62 billion prior peak, reported Cushman & Wakefield, New York.

Brookfield Asset Management, New York, agreed to acquire real estate investment trust Rouse Properties, New York, for $18.25 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at $2.8 billion.

Single-family rental investors saw healthy income and appreciation returns last year in most markets across the country, reported HomeUnion, Irvine, Calif.

The Mortgage Bankers and other industry trade groups asked the House Financial Services Committee to approve a bill that would amend the Securities Exchange Act to modify requirements for qualified commercial real estate.

Investors remain optimistic about U.S. commercial real estate, with 91 percent expecting fundamentals to hold steady or improve, reported KPMG, New York.

Retailers are expanding stores internationally this year despite growing online shopping, with a greater percentage eyeing growth in the Americas than last year, reported CBRE Group, Los Angeles.

Commercial and multifamily mortgage delinquency rates generally held steady or improved in the fourth quarter, the Mortgage Bankers Association said this morning.

After 18 months of falling oil prices, the downturn’s ripple effect spilled over into energy-related commercial mortgage-backed securities loans, said Kroll Bond Rating Agency, New York.

Florida and Louisiana are home to the top five single-family rental markets in the country, reported RentRange, Westminster, Colo.