The Lede

CNBC, June 20, 2017--Matthew Yglesias A Whole Foods under Amazon's stewardship will almost certainly accept lower profit margins than it does as an independent chain--and that spells trouble for everyone else in the grocery business.

Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, June 19, 2017--Andrew LittleMuch like one of Tennessee's state songs, Rocky Top, commercial real estate values are peaking and it is a little rocky at the top.

MarketWatch, June 16, 2017--Jacob PassyAcross the country, only 45% of renters on average can afford the payments on a median-priced home in their area, according to new report on the state of housing from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Scotsman Guide, June 16, 2017--Victor WhitmanCommercial and multifamily debt held by banks and other major investors surpassed the $3 trillion mark for the first time ever in the first quarter, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.

National Real Estate Investor, June 20, 2017--Bendix AndersonFreddie Mac issued hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds secured by loans to affordable housing properties, upping the ante on its securitization programs.

As MBA had anticipated in its forecast, the Federal Reserve proceeded with another 25 basis point rate hike and announced plans to begin unwinding its balance sheet this year.

Hotel construction continues to grow, sector analysts report.

In a departure from a trend seen for well over a year, the commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate dipped in May, reported Trepp, New York.

Returns on life company commercial mortgage investments rebounded in the first quarter to generate a 1.60 percent total return, the LifeComps Commercial Mortgage Index, Boston, reported.

Freddie Mac, McLean, Va., launched a new series of credit risk transfer securities backed by Tax-Exempt Loans made by state or local housing agencies and secured by affordable rental housing.

Investor appetite for seniors housing continues to grow and most investors who specialize in the sector plan to increase their portfolios, reported CBRE, Los Angeles.

The Mortgage Bankers Association released a new MBANow video featuring MBA Senior Vice President of Commercial/Multifamily Thomas Kim, who discusses how proposed reforms to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would impact the multifamily industry.  

As MBA had anticipated in its forecast, the Federal Reserve proceeded with another 25 basis point rate hike and announced plans to begin unwinding its balance sheet this year.

As MBA had anticipated in its forecast, the Federal Reserve proceeded with another 25 basis point rate hike and announced plans to begin unwinding its balance sheet this year.