The Lede

Sacramento Bee, Feb. 9, 2016--Kasler, Dale CalPERS completed one of the biggest real estate investments in its history, purchasing a New York office tower for $1.9 billion.

KHOU (Houston), Feb. 9, 2016--Barr, Alice The low price of oil is bringing on more uncertainty for a big chunk of Houston's economy. Thousands of layoffs have rocked the oil and gas industry, and there's no clear picture of when things could get better.

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 8, 2016--Brown, Eliot  Companies from General Electric to Weyerhaeuser are pulling their headquarters out of leafy suburban campuses and moving to downtown high-rises. Figuring out what to do with the vacant corporate campuses left behind is a quandary for civic leaders and landlords across the U.S.

Real Estate Journals, Feb. 8, 2016 Freddie Mac at the MBA Commercial Real Estate Finance Conference announced the lenders that closed the most multifamily financing volume with the company last year. CBRE Capital Markets and Berkadia Commercial Mortgage topped the list.

Commercial Property Executive, Feb. 5, 2016--Murray, Barbra Commercial and multifamily mortgage originations will reach new heights in 2016, according to a new report by the Mortgage Bankers Association. MBA expects originations to total a record $511 billion this year.

National Real Estate Investor, Feb 5, 2016--Misonzhnik, Elaine Here is what economists and bank executives had to say about which real estate sectors will enjoy a resurgence in the coming year, which mistakes investors should be wary of and how to stay ahead of the market in 2016.

Bay Area Real Estate, Feb. 5, 2016--Steinhauer, Adam Construction executives are less optimistic about business conditions going into 2016 than they have been in three years, with a growing number concerned about the uncertain economy, Wells Fargo Equipment Finance reported.

Associated Press, Feb. 6, 2016 A builder whose company worked on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Century City complex in Los Angeles and Walt Disney's EPCOT center in Florida among other high-profile developments has died. John Tishman was 90.

Malibu Times, Feb. 7, 2016--Giacobbe, Katie  Pepperdine University launched a six-month Executive Certificate in Commercial Real Estate program on Feb. 1. Designed for working professionals, the the curriculum is based on Mortgage Bankers Association training and includes five real estate courses and one elective course.

National Real Estate Investor, Feb. 4, 2016--Mitchell, Donna  The holiday season could have been a lot more jolly for retailers, so it came as no surprise when about 30 retail chains announced a total of 2,282 store closings for 2016 and beyond.

Commercial Observer, Feb. 3, 2016--Balbi, Danielle Whether or not life companies will eat up more of the lending pie this year remains to be seen, but it seems like there will be more room at the table soon enough.

Multi-Housing News, Feb. 2, 2016--Stribling, Dees Indications suggest that multifamily debt levels this year will match 2015 levels. Overall, the Mortgage Bankers Association forecasts $225 billion in originations in 2016, roughly the same as in 2015. Also, the conduit market, while experiencing pricing volatility, isn't expected to see any retraction in the new year.

BISNOW, Feb. 9, 2016--Hoffmann, Michelle Story features Rodrigo Lopez, CMB, executive chairman of NorthMarq Capital and Mortgage Bankers Association vice chairman.

Despite January's stock market jitters, the macro economy and U.S. commercial real estate should see positive economic results this year, said Cushman & Wakefield, New York.

Measured economic growth with low interest rates--punctuated with bouts of pessimism and volatility--will likely continue, supporting moderate commercial real estate rent and investment sales volume growth globally, said CBRE, Los Angeles.

ORLANDO--People in the commercial real estate industry should feel good about 2015--and they can look forward to continued strong demand in 2016, said Real Capital Analytics' Jim Costello.

ORLANDO--Business for commercial real estate lenders is good, but new capital sources and an abundance of capital entering the sector could have negative consequences, analysts say.

CBRE Group, Los Angeles, completed rebranding and integrating PKF Consulting USA, PKF Hospitality Research and PKF Consulting Inc. (Canada) into its portfolio of global real estate services.

ORLANDO--The Mortgage Bankers Association projects originations of commercial and multifamily mortgages to grow to $511 billion in 2016, an increase of 3 percent from 2015 volumes and slightly more than the previous record of $508 billion originated in 2007.