Commercial lending

Wells Fargo & Co. said first-quarter profit fell 5.9% as the firm set aside more money for soured energy loans and expenses increased.

Commercial and multifamily originators closed $504 billion in loans last year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Credit market turmoil continued to take a toll on commercial property prices in February, when Moody's/RCA Commercial Property Price Indices national all-property composite index declined for a second consecutive month.

Bankers are fighting back against a plan that would allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to invest in low-income housing tax credits, arguing they are critical for meeting Community Reinvestment Act requirements.

A trio of private commercial mortgage veterans announced the launch of Shelby Funding in Boca Raton, Fla.

Lenders are getting stingier when it comes to funding risky U.S. real estate developments, putting pressure on landlords in need of fresh funding to keep their projects afloat.

Single-family housing construction is set to top multifamily start for first time since the financial crisis.

Losses on commercial mortgages declined in February, with a Florida shopping center topping the list of the largest losses, according to Trepp.

Market volatility and new regulatory burdens are thinning the ranks of commercial mortgage lenders that underwrite loans for securitizations. Activity is slowing down as a result, and it is unclear if banks and insurers will fill the void, especially outside the largest cities.

Prices of loans underlying commercial mortgage-backed securities were on the rise in January, according to DebtX.

CIT Group, the commercial lender run by John Thain, found a material weakness in the accounting of a mortgage business, causing the company to delay the filing of its annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has agreed to acquire Apollo Residential Mortgage.

Fannie Mae touted its financial support to the small multifamily loan market last year, saying it provided $1.6 billion in financing to the sector.

There is concern that a decline in condo pricing could create loan problems similar to those that cropped up before the financial crisis. Bankers in the area, however, believe foreign investors would take the biggest hit.

The Chicago, Des Moines and Cincinnati FHLBs have grown their life insurance company membership the most in recent years.

American International Group is expanding bets on property lending and safe fixed-income securities after hedge funds investments soured.

Strong demand for rentals will keep pace with new construction over the next few years, the government-sponsored enterprise says.

Redwood Trust said it will stop originating commercial mortgages for securitization and focus solely on investing in bonds backed by commercial mortgages originated by others.

The price of the loans underlying commercial mortgage-backed securities declined 210 basis points during 2015, amid a broad rise in interest rates, according to DebtX.

Funding needed to construct houses is fairly plentiful, but homebuilders are still having trouble lining up financing to purchase and develop land. As a result, buildable lots are in short supply — and far more expensive.