While FHA Actuarial Report Brings Good News, 3 Challenges Remain

HousingWire, Nov. 16, 2015–Galante, Carol
Former FHA administrator said report validates that the policies put in place by FHA over the last 7 years have enabled FHA to strengthen its financial position while also strengthening the economy and providing access to mortgage credit.

Empire State Index Remains Deeply Negative in November

MarketWatch, Nov. 16, 2015–Robb, Greg
A reading of New York-area manufacturing remained deep in negative territory in November, a further sign of the tough sledding facing U.S. factories in a weak global economy.

Opinion: The Fed Would be Crazy to Raise Rates Now

CNBC, Nov. 16, 2015–Insana, Ron
Given the Paris attacks, Japan’s re-emergent recession, the continued crash in commodities and the softness in economic data here at home, the Federal Reserve would be ill-advised to begin normalizing interest rates in December.

Blackstone is Now ‘The Largest Owner of Real Estate in the World’

Business Insider, Nov. 16, 2015–Marino, Jonathan
Blackstone, the biggest private equity firm on Wall Street, has seen even greater growth in its real estate division, which today manages nearly $100 billion worth of property. Steve Schwarzman is America’s landlord and he’s not afraid to acknowledge it.

Auction.com’s Delicate Real-Estate Expansion

Wall Street Journal, Nov. 16, 2015–Grant, Peter
Auction.com is launching a major push to develop stronger ties with brokers as part of a broader effort to expand its commercial-property business. The firm, which started online real-estate auctions in 2008, has been listing commercial property since 2009.

House Passes Bill to End Pay Raises for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac CEOs

Washington Post, Nov. 16, 2015–McGregor, Jena
Monday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve a bill that would suspend new annual target compensation of $4 million each for Freddie Mac CEO Donald Layton and Fannie Mae CEO Timothy Mayopoulos. If signed into law by President Obama, the bill would return the cap on their pay to $600,000.

MBA’s Stevens: There’s No Urgency to Lower FHA Insurance Premiums

HousingWire, Nov. 16, 2015–Swanson, Brena
There is no urgency to lower mortgage insurance premiums right now, David Stevens, Mortgage Bankers Association president and CEO, said following the Federal Housing Administration’s 2015 Actuarial Report released on Monday.

Study Strongly Links Baltimore Mortgage Denials to Race

New York Times, Nov. 16, 2015–Eavis, Peter
The black population of Baltimore is double that of the white population. Yet in 2013, banks made more than twice as many mortgage loans to whites in the city as they did to blacks.

Mall Owners Find Silver Lining in Retailer Busts

Wall Street Journal, Nov. 17, 2015–Pleven, Liam
A spate of retailer bankruptcies this year has left owners of malls and shopping centers scrambling to fill empty stores and dented their financial results. The share prices of several real-estate investment trusts that focus on retail properties are lagging behind the overall market in 2015.

Blackstone To Buy $3B In Property Fund Stakes From Calpers

Reuters Nov. 13, 2015
Blackstone Group LP, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, has agreed to buy about $3 billion worth of stakes in real estate funds from Californian public pension fund Calpers, a boost to its so-called secondaries business.