Commercial Real Estate
By Carrie Bay | 01/20/2012
The delinquency rate on loans included in commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) transactions increased by five basis points in December to 9.32 percent, according to Moody's Investors Service. At the same time, the rate of loans in special servicing declined by 13 basis points. December was the 12th consecutive month that CMBS delinquencies have been above 9 percent, by Moody's assessment. Bank of America Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia, with an outstanding balance of $363 million, was the largest newly delinquent loan in December.
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By Carrie Bay | 01/19/2012
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday charged the holding company for one of Florida's largest banks and its top executive with misleading investors about growing problems with the company's loan portfolio early in the financial crisis. The SEC alleges that BankAtlantic Bancorp and its CEO and chairman Alan Levan made false statements in public filings and earnings calls in order to hide the deteriorating state of its commercial residential real estate land acquisition and development loans.
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By Carrie Bay | 01/16/2012
The U.S. economy ended 2011 in better standing than earlier in the year, according to the Federal Reserve's polling of key business contacts, economists, and market experts throughout its 12 regional districts. Reporting for the latest Beige Book publication, all 12 districts characterized economic growth as modest to moderate - and that's without the typical recovery model in which housing serves as a primary contributor to economic expansion. Across the board, Fed districts labeled residential real estate activity as "sluggish."
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By Krista Franks | 01/04/2012
The delinquency rate among commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS) rose in eight of 12 months in 2011, according to a report released Wednesday by Trepp. Most recently, the rate rose seven basis points to 9.58 percent for the month of December. That's up from 9.2 percent one year ago. Trepp views this as the first of a six to twelve month stretch where the rate could increase by 75 basis points in aggregate, as loans originated in 2007 begin reaching their balloon dates.
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By Carrie Bay | 12/16/2011
November marked the fourth straight month that Fitch Ratings has recorded a decline in the delinquency rate for loans held in U.S. commercial-backed mortgage securities (CMBS). CMBS late-pays fell by 15 basis points to 8.41 percent, as new delinquencies totaling $1.8 billion were offset by $2.2 billion of resolutions. Behind the positive numbers, though, Fitch says the performance of CMBS collateralized by office properties remain an area of concern, with more than half of all new delinquencies stemming from office loans.
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By Carrie Bay | 12/06/2011
The delinquency rate for loans held in U.S. commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) fell 26 basis points to 9.51 percent in November, according to Trepp, LLC. That's the second biggest decline recorded by the firm this year, surpassed only by August's 36 point drop. The rate has now fallen in four of the 11 months of 2011. Recent declines, however, likely aren't the makings of a trend, Trepp says. The company is expecting increases in coming months as 2007 vintage loans start to reach their five-year balloon maturity dates.
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By Carrie Bay | 11/30/2011
The Federal Reserve released a new market-gauging rendition of its Beige Book Wednesday. The publication recounts signs of slow to moderate economic growth across 11 of the 12 Fed districts. The St. Louis district was the lone dissenter, reporting a decline in economic activity. Residential real estate activity overall was described as "sluggish," while commercial real estate activity was depicted as "lackluster" across most of the nation. Mortgage refinancing, however, was said to have grown at a rapid pace.
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By Krista Franks | 11/22/2011
September marked the 20th consecutive month that distressed sales made up more than 20 percent of commercial property sales, according to Moody's/REAL Commercial Property Price Index. The index reported distressed transactions for the month accounted for 25.9 percent of all commercial transactions. While distressed sales were in keeping with recent trends, commercial property prices broke a four-month streak of increases with a 1.4 percent decline in September, according to Moody's.
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By Carrie Bay | 11/16/2011
WFG National Title Insurance Company has named Ravi Bapodra VP and managing director of its TitleNet division. TitleNet provides title, closing, and settlement services for both residential and commercial transactions, as well as loss mitigation, default, and REO transactions. It is comprised of a national network of independent providers using a centralized technology platform.
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By Carrie Bay | 11/07/2011
While the roots of the financial crisis can be found in the nation's residential housing sector, it's now exposure to bad commercial real estate loans that's battering banks' balance sheets. The research firm Trepp LLC has released a new report on recent U.S. bank failures and the drivers behind their demise. In total, 11 banks failed during the month of October, collectively with $617 million in nonperforming loans. Commercial real estate loans made up 65 percent of the nonperforming balance, while residential real estate was 22 percent.
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