The Lede

Wall Street Journal, May 28, 2019--Aisha Al-Muslim (subscription)Major hotel companies are introducing new brands at a rapid pace, a strategy that can boost revenue but one that risks confusing guests and alienating hotel owners.

National Mortgage Professional, May 24, 2019--Phil HallBuilder confidence in the market for new multifamily housing frayed during the first quarter, according to the latest Multifamily Market Survey released by the National Association of Home Builders.

National Real Estate Investor, May 28, 2019--Beth Mattson-TeigPrivate equity real estate funds have enjoyed robust fundraising in recent years, resulting in record high levels of assets under management. Yet fund managers are bracing for more challenges ahead that could cause them to lower target yields.

Wall Street Journal, May 28, 2019--Konrad Putzier (subscription)Property investors around the globe have been bidding up the price of Manhattan office towers for years. Now, the stock market is signaling they have pushed up values too far.

Morningstar has agreed to acquire fellow credit rating agency DBRS. The firms expect the transaction to close early in the third quarter.

In search for yield and a vote of confidence in the assets, investors have pulled commercial mortgage-backed securities credit spreads lower in recent years.

Rent prices in single-family rental properties increased 2.9 percent year-over-year in March, in part due to strong employment figures, reported CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif.

Kenneth R. Harney, whose syndicated column "The Nation's Housing" served as a source of news and information for consumers and real estate finance professionals alike, died May 23 from acute myeloid leukemia. He was 75.

Adverse selection in the commercial mortgage-backed securities 1.0 universe of pre-2009 loans drove loss severities higher last year, reported Fitch Ratings, New York.

The U.S. retail market is flat as shifts in consumer spending result in a high and stagnant retail vacancy rate, said Ten-X, Irvine, Calif.

In search for yield and a vote of confidence in the assets, investors have pulled commercial mortgage-backed securities credit spreads lower in recent years.

In search for yield and a vote of confidence in the assets, investors have pulled commercial mortgage-backed securities credit spreads lower in recent years.