The Lede

National Real Estate Investor, Nov. 20, 2018--Bendix AndersonMultifamily borrowers will have to do a lot more in 2019 to get the lower interest rates offered by Fannie May and Freddie Mac's popular "green" lending programs.

National Mortgage Professional, Nov. 19, 2018--Phil HallOrigination volume for commercial and multifamily properties took a drop in the third quarter, according to new data from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

National Real Estate Investor, Nov. 28, 2018--Patricia Kirk Investors are redeveloping empty retail big box stores and Class B office buildings in urban locations into "last mile" industrial facilities.

Wall Street Journal, Nov. 27, 2018--Peter Grant (subscription)A venture led by Prudential Financial Inc. is spending nearly $600 million for 4,000 housing units aimed at lower-income workers, the latest sign that investors see bigger gains in lower-rent apartments than in the upscale ones that have led the recovery.

More than two dozen industry trade groups joined the Mortgage Bankers Association in a letter to House and Senate leaders, urging them to extend the National Flood Insurance Program beyond its latest expiration date (Nov. 30).

The Mortgage Bankers, in a series of letters to federal agencies, offered recommendations to the Federal Housing Finance Agency on its proposed capital requirements for the government-sponsored enterprises (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac); the FHFA proposed rule on the GSEs' Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security; and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's proposed rule to revamp the Community Reinvestment Act.

Commercial property market supply and demand fundamentals remained relatively stable in the second quarter, said Moody's Investors Service, New York.

Despite significant U.S. economic expansion, the retail sector continues to wane with store closings and space shrinkage dominating the market.

Commercial real estate transaction volumes through the first three quarters increased 14.2 percent over last year to $341.2 billion, reported JLL, Chicago.

While demand for distribution and warehouse space remains strong across most U.S. markets, investors should expect to pay more for debt financing heading into 2019, said Avison Young, Toronto.

Macerich, Santa Monica, Calif., launched BrandBox as a way for digital-native brands to open and operate brick-and-mortar stores and scale physical retail as a complement to e-commerce.

The Mortgage Bankers Association announced a record 149 individual employees from MBA member companies were awarded a Path to Diversity scholarship during the 2018 fiscal year.

The Mortgage Bankers Association weighed in yesterday on proposed changes to the High Volatility Commercial Real Estate risk-based capital rule, offering recommendations on implementation issues and expressing concerns about certain rule interpretations.