Watch Out for Rising Bank Exposure to CRE

October 28, 2019 — All the market indicators point to clear sailing for commercial real estate investment. What could possibly go wrong? Hopefully nothing, but the next couple of years will be a good time to closely watch government regulatory agencies for actions that could trigger a downturn.

CRE Capital Flows Through a Changing Landscape

July 18, 2018 — Commercial real estate debt and equity markets have been more or less in balance for several years now, and the consensus is that this state of equilibrium may continue through 2019, barring unforeseen problems. The impact of the biggest problems we were facing—the global impact of Brexit, the “wall of maturities” in the CMBS market, Dodd-Frank’s strict lending rules—has been mostly absorbed without throwing CRE capital markets out of balance.

Opportunity Funds May Supercharge After-Tax Yields, But Risks Remain

May 24, 2019 — A new type federally qualified investment vehicle known as an opportunity fund allows individuals and entities facing capital gains taxes to defer and reduce their tax bite, while paying no additional tax on appreciation of the investment. The only catch is that investment has to be limited to designated areas known as opportunity zones, and the real estate investment requires significant capital improvements to the asset (generally ground up construction).

Observations from CREFC Annual Conference

June 15, 2017 — Q2 Pipeline of new issuance is strong, and up significantly from Q1. Industry adjusting to Risk Retention with outlook that large banking institutions with active CMBS programs will be the big winners and continue to dominate issuance. Outlook for 2017 issuance volume in line with 2016 with predictions ranging from $50bn to $75bn. Concerns about 2018 volume are on the rise with significant fall-off in loan maturities from 2017.

Foggy Economic Outlook in the Trump Era

May 2, 2017 — As we approach the milestone first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency, his impact on the U.S. economy and the commercial real estate market is still a question mark. Some analysts worry that disruptive policies could trigger a recession in light of the fragile global economy. Others look forward to an economic boom brought on by lower corporate taxes and a rollback of energy and financial regulations.