The Lede

Commercial Property Executive, Dec. 17, 2018--Jamie Woodwell, Reggie BookerDelinquency rates for commercial and multifamily mortgage loans remained low in the third quarter, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported. The delinquency rate for loans held on bank balance sheets set a new series low and delinquency rates for loans held by life companies or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are all below 10 basis points.

National Mortgage News, Dec. 18, 2018--Paul Centopani (subscription)Rising rents combined with growing housing inventory could lead to increased purchase mortgage originations in the near future.

Houston Public Media, Dec. 17, 2018--Florian MartinHouston has largely survived the oil downturn, but some areas are still in recovery. The office sector in particular is still struggling with high vacancy rates.

Wall Street Journal, Dec. 18, 2018--Peter Grant (subscription)An important indicator in the U.S. commercial real estate market is signaling that a decade-long bull run is on shaky ground heading into the new year.

HousingWire, Dec. 14, 2018--Ben LaneAccording to newly released data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, outstanding commercial and multifamily mortgage debt climbed to a record high of $3.32 trillion in the third quarter, topping the previous high of $3.27 trillion, which was set in the previous quarter.

Commercial real estate has become more attractive from a return vs. risk perspective, but opinions about risk-adjusted returns vary significantly by property type, reported Situs RERC, Houston.

Offices of the Mortgage Bankers Association will close on Dec. 24 will remain closed until Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019.

Rent prices in single-family rental properties increased 3.0 percent year-over-year in October, up from a 2.7 percent rate a year ago, reported CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif.

Housing starts rose for the first time in three months, HUD and the Census Bureau reported yesterday, although multifamily accounted for most of the increase.

The commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate resumed its year-long downward trajectory in November after a very brief uptick in October, reported Trepp, New York.

Kennedy Wilson, Beverly Hills, Calif., sold its research subsidiary, Meyers Research LLC, to middle-market private equity firm MidOcean Partners, New York.

The Mortgage Action Alliance, the grassroots advocacy arm of the Mortgage Bankers Association, announced results of its elections for new members of its Steering Committee for the 2019-2020 year.