Essex Property Trust Expects 35% Rent Growth in Certain West Coast Markets

June 18, 2010
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The REIT Week confab in Chicago is now over, and REITs of all stripes were reporting firming occupancies, better leasing activity, and stronger rents. The only weak spot appears to be suburban office properties, where landlords are still said to lack pricing power. Apartment REITs in particular were the beneficiaries of a strengthening economy. Roommates [...]

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Deutsche Bank/RREEF: The Recession is Over But Now Comes the Hard Part

June 14, 2010

Last week, RREEF’s Chief Economist and Strategist Asieh Mansour cautiously told investors attending the Pacific Coast Builder’s Conference that the recession is finally over and that businesses have started hiring again. Unfortunately, she also said she’s never had to make a forecast with so many risks to the downside, and the recovery, if it takes [...]

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Read more on Corner, Pacific Coast at Wikinvest
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Michael Lewis & Ivy Zelman: Entitlements Are Bigger Risk Than Moral Hazard

June 10, 2010
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The buzz around Michael Lewis these days comes from his new book “The Big Short,” which is why he and Ivy Zelman were invited to speak at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference this week. Ivy Zelman, of course, is the now former the Credit Suisse housing analyst who famously asked Toll Brothers CEO Bob Toll [...]

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Stifel: Piedmont Office REIT Transition “Will Take Years”

May 27, 2010

Stifel Nicolas picked up coverage of PDM today with a not so flattering “Hold” rating. Piedmont, of course, is the offspring of Wells REIT I, a non traded REIT that went public earlier this year. Stifel said Piedmont was fully valued at its current price ($18.70), but that was the least of their concerns. According [...]

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Read more on Stifel Financial, Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), Office REITs at Wikinvest
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JP Morgan Attempts to Rebuild Market for CMBS “B” Pieces

May 19, 2010
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During the economically chilling month of April, I typically lose my enthusiasm for labor. Indeed, during this past tax season, REIT Wrecks emitted nary a vowel. Unfortunately, CMBS bankers have no such luxury, lest they have no work at all. The market for CMBS remains stalled, and the lack of credit availability is stunting what [...]

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JP Morgan: Debtors’ Revolt Is Getting Worse
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Read more on J P Morgan Chase at Wikinvest
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Fortress Investment Group Fails To Knuckle Newcastle Preferreds

March 29, 2010

Newcastle Investment Corp., (NCT) a Mortgage REIT managed by Fortress Investment Group, will continue to contribute management fees to FIG’s income statement for at least another year. But whether NCT makes it out of 2010 is an another question. Newcastle is suffering from a host of balance sheet issues, including a portfolio full of CDOs [...]

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FBI Uncovers Alleged TARP Fraud

March 22, 2010
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The FDIC closed 7 more banks on Friday, bringing the 2010 total to 37.  On the Friday before last, the FDIC bagged 2 New York City banks, the first FDIC takeunders in New York City since 1999.  One of these was a small privately held firm named Park Avenue Bank, which had been operating under [...]

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The Next Wave of the Housing Crisis: Much More Pain in 2010, 2011

March 17, 2010
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In case you missed it, the Federal Reserve just threw some gasoline on the housing inferno. This month, the Fed confirmed that it will no longer make open market purchases of mortgage backed securities after March 31st, and underwater homeowners are going to miss that money. This particular Fed program was one of a number [...]

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Anthracite Capital Files Chapter 7

March 15, 2010

What took them so long? After months of being unable to service its debt, and numerous SEC filings describing the Company’s inability to cure its defaults, secured lenders finally closed in on Anthracite Capital, a struggling Mortgage REIT with a “legacy” portfolio full of almost worthless CMBS equity. While events began to spin out of [...]

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Lehman’s Balance Sheet Games: REPO 105 and its $3 Billion Mini-Me

March 15, 2010

“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” Number 42, August 5, 2004 What a mess. Before the most recent giant sucking sounds you all heard, the two largest bankruptcies in the U.S. were Enron [...]

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