Canadian Real Estate Feels the Love From Foreign Buyers

Reuters, Jan. 25, 2016–Lampert, Allison; Mouallem, Omar Foreign investors are snapping up ski chalets and commercial properties in Canada as a drop in the nation’s sagging currency in the past two years means their money buys much more.

Good Times, Redefined

National Real Estate Investor, Jan. 25, 2016–Mellen, Chris
These are good times, redefined, brought into high-definition, so to speak, in three areas directly impacting commercial real estate: the nature of opportunity, the oddity of our economy and the growing threat of terrorism.

CFPB’s ‘To Do’ List Grows as Election Looms

BloombergBNA, Jan. 25, 2016–Bater, Jeff (Banking Daily)
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is running out of time before the 2016 election could bring a possible change in direction–or an entirely new structure should Republicans take the White House.

Citizen CEO on How TRID Blocked Its Progress

HousingWire, Jan. 25, 2016–Swanson, Brena
Originally, Citizens Financial Group planned to add 350 mortgage lenders, giving it a total of 700, by the end of 2016. But the goal failed to fully account for the impact of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosures rule that went into effect in October.

Worried About a U.S. Recession? You Shouldn’t Be

Bloomberg, Jan. 25, 2016–Jackson, Anna-Louise
It wouldn’t take much to look at the performance of markets these days and draw the conclusion that investors deem a U.S. recession as all but inevitable. A deeper dive finds a more benign scenario. 

Fed Says Policy Meeting to Go Forward as Scheduled Despite Snow

Reuters, Jan. 25, 2016–Ahmann, Timothy
The U.S. Federal Reserve said on Monday its policy meeting set for Tuesday and Wednesday would go forward as scheduled despite an ongoing cleanup in Washington after a major snowstorm.

Huntington Bancshares to Buy FirstMerit

Wall Street Journal, Jan. 26, 2016–Glazer, Emily; Ensign, Rachel Louise
Huntington Bancshares said it would acquire FirstMerit Corp. for $3.4 billion in stock and cash in a tie-up of two Ohio-based lenders.

J.P. Morgan to Pay $1.42 Billion to Settle Most Lehman Claims

Wall Street Journal, Jan. 25, 2016–Fitzgerald, Patrick
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. has agreed to pay the remnants of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. $1.42 billion in cash to settle most of the failed investment bank’s lawsuit over claims that J.P. Morgan illegally siphoned billions of dollars from Lehman before its collapse.