Articles About Financing

Who’s right about the state of the economy and commercial real estate – the bulls or the bears?  Robert Knakal, chairman of New York-based Massey Knakal Realty Services, weighs both sides to help us cut through the mixed messages. In a recent interview for the Alter NOW Podcasts, Knakal noted that the bulls like to […]

Real estate professionals who had been expecting a worst-case scenario – an onrush of distressed commercial properties coming onto the market – are still waiting for that to come to fruition.  Ben Johnson, writing in the National Real Estate Investor, notes that “Keep on waiting/lurking seems to be the prevailing view.  According to New York-based […]

Although foreign investment in United States commercial real estate doubled in the 1st half of 2010 compared with 2009, activity is still sluggish, thanks to the slow economy and a lack of trophy properties offered for sale.  Currently, the United Kingdom is the hottest international destination for investment, according to Jones Lang LaSalle research.  So […]

Global banking regulators have agreed to implement new rules that will make the international banking industry safer and avoid future financial meltdowns. Known as Basel III — after the Swiss city in which the agreement was worked out — the new requirements will more than triple the amount of capital that banks must have in […]

The alternative investment management business will undergo major changes, thanks to passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.  Although no specific rules have yet been written, the Wall Street reform law could impact investment returns, leverage and risk-taking, innovation and transparency of private equity, real estate and hedge fund managers. “This […]

The Obama administration – fresh from its financial regulation reform legislative victory – is not resting on its laurels.  Next on the busy agenda is reforming the American housing market, which is viewed by many as the root of the financial crisis. In a response to collapsing housing prices and waves of foreclosures, the administration […]

Yields on United States commercial real estate are nearing record levels compared to Treasury bonds, a sign to investors that the time to buy may have arrived.  Capitalization rates, which measure real estate yields, averaged 7.22 percent in the 2nd quarter, according to the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF).  That translates to […]

Are housing prices about to experience a double dip?  Existing home sales fell 27 percent in July to the lowest level reported since 1995.  The plunge occurred even though mortgage rates are at their lowest levels in decades and houses in most regions are priced to sell.  July sales fell to a seasonally adjusted annual […]

Goldman Sachs and Citigroup are in the process of trying to sell their fourth CMBS package in 2010 with $788 million of debt from 48 properties as investor interest in these vehicles rekindles.  Although the Federal Reserve noted that commercial real estate is still slowing economic growth, bond investors believe that growth is strong enough […]

he nation’s financial system needs significantly more regulation than exists now.  The lack of tough regulatory powers strongly impacted the recent financial crash and the Great Recession that ensued.  The good news is that the Obama administration is moving firmly in this direction with financial reform legislation a critical item on its agenda.  This is […]