A report from Bisnow. "The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the commercial real estate market in ways both large and small. Shares of real estate investment trusts have fallen 34% between February and March 16, which implies a 24% decline in…
A report from Bloomberg. "The market for mortgage-backed securities was in free fall, with fear running rampant and banks seizing collateral. That was last Saturday. In the week since, three top investors in the sector have engaged restructuring advisers, two…
A report from CNBC. "CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Friday delivered a dire message about the financial future. 'Home buying had been a real engine of the old economy. I’m betting these numbers collapse,' Cramer said. 'The whole housing cohort’s a…
A report from Forbes on what's happening with FHA loans. "Today should have been the day that Ignacio Paulino closed on his new mortgage loan. But thanks to the coronavirus outbreak—and the fears that it will set off a wave…
It's Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. "Nonbank financial firms spent years lobbying against tougher regulation and stricter capital requirements, arguing that their emerging dominance in mortgage lending didn’t pose a risk to the financial system. Now, many of…
A report from HousingWire. "HousingWire spoke to Todd Bitter, a loan originator servicing the Greater Phoenix-Scottsdale market. HousingWire: What are you doing within your lending business to adapt to the current market situation? Todd Bitter: For the last quite a…
A report from Reuters. "The coronavirus crisis is likely to cut home and office building prices, may lead to a permanent shift in the demand for office space, and could push highly indebted households and companies toward default, Boston Federal…
A report from the Wall Street Journal. "The central bank’s decision to buy a nearly unlimited supply of government-backed mortgages has helped calm skittish markets and ensure that 30-year home loans remain available. But the market for loans in which…
A report from the Wall Street Journal. "As the novel coronavirus causes turmoil in property markets, some of the most risk-hungry real-estate lenders are starting to come under pressure. Funding debt investments with bank loans has allowed REITs and debt…
A report from Bloomberg. "Tom Barrack, who a week ago warned that commercial real estate financing was on the brink of collapse because of the coronavirus pandemic, is now calling for a moratorium on margin calls and intervention by the…