Market Update Blog

March 4, 2015

U.S. defeasance activity hit a post-crash high of $20.9 billion last year, driven largely by refinancings that allowed borrowers to pocket cash or improve their properties. The volume of defeased loans in 2014 was up by $7.7 billion, or 58%…

February 25, 2015

U.S. stocks were little changed Wednesday as traders watched the second day of testimony from Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen . “People are hanging onto every word Janet Yellen speaks,” said R.J. Grant, associate director of equity trading at KBW,…

February 18, 2015

The commercial real estate lending landscape is a moving target, effected by market developments, current events, and boardroom decisions. Different lenders have different goals, as well as disparate reactions to economic news, which can have a major effect on a…

February 11, 2015

Early refinancing is a trend in CMBS 2.0, says Fitch Ratings, which expects the trend to continue as interest rates remain low and property fundamentals improve. Accordingly,  borrowers increasingly have turned to defeasance and prepayments on the post-2008 generation of…

February 5, 2015

The Mortgage Bankers Association of America recently held its annual commercial real estate conference in San Diego, CA. This is the industry’s biggest event, with every major player in attendance to strike deals and compile crucial market intel. After myriad…

January 28, 2015

Don’t expect big changes when the Federal Reserve updates its monetary policy guidance on Wednesday, after its first meeting of 2015. The Fed said in December it would be patient in deciding how soon to start raising its benchmark interest rate. Analysts…