Market Update Blog

June 11, 2014

The San Francisco Bay Area has always been an economic magnet, drawing a high concentration of capital with its highly educated workforce, reputation as the country’s technology capital, and unique cultural landscape. It’s this same magnetism that is currently keeping…

June 4, 2014

Commercial MBS prices reversed direction last week, as dealers were forced to accept wider spreads than expected on super-senior and most-junior classes of investment-grade bonds in two multi-borrower offerings. The long-term, super-senior paper in both conduit issues went out the…

May 28, 2014

The ever-present debate and predictions about interest rates often overshadow an essential part of the loan game. Servicing may not generate as many headlines or give talking heads sensational topics to discuss, but it can have a real effect on…

May 21, 2014

Three important monthly data points were released Thursday morning: the Consumer Price Index (CPI), industrial production figures and the National Association of Home Builders’ Housing Market Index (HMI). Unfortunately for those trying to gauge U.S. economic health, the reports gave conflicting…

May 14, 2014

Can a trust be a real estate professional? A recent case of a Michigan real estate developer’s estate holds an answer to this important question. The ruling qualified the taxpayer for exception on the basis that the trust owned real…

May 7, 2014

After declaring earlier in the week that the Fed would continue with its stimulus tapering program, Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen did not offer any information regarding a specific timetable for the Fed’s withdraw from its bond buying program. Instead…