Property Bets Lose Curb Appeal in the Age of Coronavirus

Wall Street Journal, April 3, 2020–Stephen Wilmot (subscription)Landlords face protracted negotiations with tenants over rent payments while the doors to shops, restaurants, hotels and gyms remain shut.https://www.wsj.com/articles/property-bets-lose-curb-appeal-in-the-age-of-coronavirus-11585906227

Mall Owners Worried over Mortgage Payments as Retailers Skip Rent

CNBC, Apr. 6, 2020–Lauren ThomasRetailers are worried about paying rent because of the damage from the coronavirus pandemic. And that has mall owners increasingly worried about meeting their own obligations.https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/06/mall-owners-worried-over-mortgage-payments-as-retailers-skip-rent.html

Andrew Foster, Kelly Hamill: First Aid as Paycheck Protection Program Begins

The $2 trillion CARES Act bill is designed in part to provide liquidity to small businesses—including hard hit hotels—who will turn to the program first to cover costs such as payroll, utilities and interest on debt payments. Commercial real estate borrowers, tenants and their employees are prime candidates to apply for the program and many of MBA’s member banks will be instrumental in getting this $350 billion of relief to small businesses and their employees in communities across the country through their SBA lending programs.