The Lede

Reuters, May 19, 2016--Mutikani, Lucia The number of Americans filing for unemployment aid fell from a 14-month high last week, the latest sign the economy was picking up speed in the second quarter and likely would be healthy enough for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in June.

National Mortgage News, May 20, 2016--McKendry, Ian Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton appears likely to embrace a recent plan to merge Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into a single government corporation if she wins the White House.

Associated Pres, May 22, 2016--Lima, Debora As Miami's condo market loses traction amid a softening world economy, developers are shifting gears and rental apartments are sprouting throughout Miami-Dade.

NPR, May 23, 2016--Noguchi, Yuki  Many of the department stores that once anchored bustling shopping malls continue to close. Mall owners are adding movie theaters, restaurants, gyms and other 'experiential' tenants instead.

Wall Street Journal, May 25, 2016--Grant, Peter Commercial property sales have slowed in the U.S. this year-but Chinese investors are continuing to plow money into the market.

The Research Institute for Housing America, MBA's think tank, recently released a new study, Diverted Homeowners, the Rental Crisis and Foregone Household Formation by Myers, Painter, Lee and Park.

Single-family rental investor loans where the property income exceeds 1.2 times the debt service generally experience better-than-average default rates, reported Morningstar Credit Ratings, New York.

Most New York City commercial real estate executives--62 percent--believe the city's property values have peaked, up from 48 percent three months ago, reported Marks Paneth LLP, New York.

Although institutional investors continue to rate commercial real estate higher than alternative investments such as stocks, bonds and cash, CRE ratings declined in the first quarter while cash improved, reported Situs RERC, Houston.

DALLAS--As more lenders focus on small-balance commercial and multifamily loans, servicers need to understand how to handle these loans post-closing, analysts said here at the MBA Commercial/Multifamily Servicing and Technology Conference.