The Trepp LLC survey showed spreads continuing at current levels as everyone appears focused on an array of non-real estate factors and events such as the Federal Reserve doing the “Twist”, Euro-financial market confusion, and Sovereign risk, to name a few. Deals are continuing to get done at slightly wider spreads.

Local governments need to reevaluate the services they deliver to constituents to cope with ongoing fiscal distress, according to government and private sector leaders from the United States and Europe participating in a recent roundtable in Washington, D.C., that was sponsored by the German Marshall Fund and ULI’s Daniel Rose Center for Public Leadership in Land Use. Learn how governments are coping with the ongoing fiscal distress.

According to an analysis by REIT Cafe, multifamily REITs have “thrived,” helped by Echo Boomers among the various age cohorts. The Trepp LLC survey showed spreads continuing at current levels, reflecting a “wait and see” attitude. Deals are getting done at slightly wider spreads as market participants wait out the impact of the Euro-credit crises on U.S. capital markets.

The U.S. office market has shifted its geographic momentum this year, with central business districts (CBDs) and popular urban corridors recovering better than suburban markets. One significant sign of the improving health of CBDs has been a notable increase in corporations migrating from outlying suburbs to downtown or urban locations. Read what three ULI members have to say about his trend.

According to Trepp LLC, seven banks failed in August as compared to 13 in July; total failures in 2011 have reached 68, putting the U.S. on track to record 100+/- failures this year.

If you want to understand why rates quoted by conduits have increased during the past few months, look no further than the trading spreads being quoted on the securities created by the pooling of commercial and multifamily mortgage loans of cash flows from the underlying mortgages.

Just a few weeks after September 11, 2011, The New Yorkerarchitecture critic Paul Goldberger interviewed the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan at ULI’s 2001 Fall Meeting in Boston. Learn what Moynihan, a longtime proponent of the public realm, had to say about the continuing importance of cities in an era when technology allows people to spread out and when more acts of terrorism may be forthcoming.

Due to earthquakes, hurricanes, and vacation schedules, the Trepp LLC survey will not be updated until after Labor Day. An informal survey we conducted this week showed most borrowers and lenders waiting for things to “just settle down.” We understand some insurance companies are considering instituting “Floor Pricing” but we’ve seen no official policy statements so far.

As greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction policies gain momentum at the federal and metropolitan levels, a new study about urban areas’ GHG emissions levels could have implications for real estate developers.

The Commercial Mortgage Alert Trepp weekly survey of 15 active portfolio lenders showed spreads widening 15+/- basis points week-over-week, putting them 35 to 50 basis points wider than at the beginning of the month. Everyone seems to be in a holding pattern, afraid to pull the trigger so to speak and get caught on the wrong side of a transaction having a 5 year or longer maturity. Our recommendation: wait out the days till Labor Day at the beach!