Wall Street Journal, Sept. 5, 2017–Esther Fung (subscription)Malls need to shift emphasis away from department stores and toward retailers that are less susceptible to competition from e-commerce, according to a report from real estate services firm CBRE Research.
Category: Top National News
Affordability in Question: The National Flood Insurance Program Needs $1.4 Billion More to Function
HousingWire, Sept. 5, 2017–Brena SwansonAs the expiration date of the National Flood Insurance Program draws nearer, the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan analysis for the U.S. Congress, calculated that the program has an expected one-year shortfall of $1.4 billion.
Multifamily REITs Pour Money into New Development
National Real Estate Investor, Sept. 5, 2017–Bendix AndersonMultifamily real estate investment trusts keep building new apartments and the analysts who track the companies are getting worried.
Why Housing is The ‘One Concern’ Among a Bounty of Positive Economic Indicators
CNBC, Sept. 1, 2017–Rebecca Ungarino In a week that’s already seen a slew of healthy economic data releases, housing appears to be a blemish on an overall strong economic backdrop.
At Least 100,000 Homes Were Affected By Harvey. Moving Back In Won’t Be Easy
NPR, Sept. 1, 2017–Pam FesslerThe White House estimates about 100,000 houses were affected by Hurricane Harvey. Based on the experience of people whose homes were damaged after Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy, it could be months, even years, before flood victims will be able to return home.
When It Comes to Extravagant Housing, Traditional Mortgage Rules Don’t Apply
Los Angeles Times, Sept. 1, 2017–Tiffany HsuIn the upper echelons of the Southland residential real estate market, financing isn’t much easier – it just involves more eager-to-please private bankers, vast reserves of cash and massive, multimillion-dollar loans.
Before Harvey, Houston Had a Glut of Rentals. Not Any More
Wall Street Journal, Sept. 3, 2017–Laura Kusisto, Valerie Bauerlein (subscription)Not even two weeks ago, this city had one of the weakest apartment markets in the country with tens of thousands of vacant units. Now landlords say prospective renters are lining up outside their doors and some have almost no units left.
CoreLogic Updates Estimated Flood Insurance Losses From Harvey
National Mortgage Professional, Sept. 1, 2017–Phil HallCoreLogic has updated its residential loss estimates for Hurricane Harvey, placing the estimated insured flood loss for homes in the 70-county area in Texas and Louisiana affected by the storm between $6.5 billion and $9.5 billion.
Ellie Mae to Acquire Velocify for $128M
National Mortgage News, Sept. 1, 2017–Brad Finkelstein (subscription)Ellie Mae, looking to expand the analytical capabilities of its customer-relationship management technology, is purchasing Velocify for $128 million in cash.
LendingTree Announces Changes to Senior Management, Board of Directors
HousingWire, Sept. 1, 2017–Ben LaneGabe Dalporto, who served as the LendingTree’s CFO since 2015 and who previously served as the company’s chief marketing officer from March 2011 to June 2015, was promoted to the company’s board of directors. Replacing Dalporto as CFO will be J.D. Moriarty, who joined the company earlier this year as SVP of corporate development.