Commercial lending

Hotel property owners will discover that interest rates have climbed, if they try to refinance loans this year, Fitch Ratings said.

A number of bankers used quarterly earnings calls to assure investors that they are carefully monitoring their exposure to commercial real estate at a time when regulators are expressed concern about eroding underwriting standards.

Loan originations for commercial and multifamily properties climbed in the fourth quarter compared to last year, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Fourth-quarter profit improved at Investors Bancorp, as the Short Hills, N.J., company originated more multifamily, business and commercial real estate loans

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is reducing the mortgage insurance premiums it charges on Federal Housing Administration multifamily loans to encourage the renovation of affordable housing units and promote energy-efficient upgrades.

Umpqua Holdings in Portland, Ore., posted stronger quarterly earnings because of an increase in mortgage banking fees and lower costs.

Barclays Plc is exiting residential mortgage and commercial mortgage backed securities trading and asset-backed derivative in the U.S., according to a memo seen by Bloomberg. Operations will be focused on origination-led ABS and primary CMBS.

Interstate Hotels & Resorts in Arlington, Va., has formed a partnership with Hospitality Funding to provide financing for hotel development projects.

Life insurance companies posted a higher return on their private commercial mortgage investments in the third quarter of 2015, compared to the second quarter, according to LifeComps.

The availability of debt and equity financing declined during the most recent quarter, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council.

PNC Financial Services Group reported lower fourth-quarter profits on a decline in fees related to residential mortgages and deposit accounts.

Midtown Manhattan, once the pinnacle of U.S. office markets, is facing a jump in large, empty work spaces as new towers open and tenants spread out across the city, including outer boroughs that businesses once shunned.

Walker & Dunlop has agreed to acquire the other half of a commercial mortgage-backed securities joint venture it has with Fortress Investment Group.

Greystone in New York has hired Gregory Forester to lead a new group for hospitality-focused lending and investing.

Eagle Bancorp in Bethesda, Md., has hired four bankers to a develop a business line making Federal Housing Administration-insured loans for multifamily rental properties.

CrediFi, a New York-based provider of commercial property data, is launching CMBS Suite, which it said is an information resource for lenders looking to refinance securitized commercial mortgages.

But the strong demand for tax credits from those projects is also whittling down the investment returns as their riskiness declines, according to a new report by the New York-based accounting firm CohnReznick.

A recent tax change will provide more stability to banks and developers that use the low-income housing tax credit program, and the supply of below-market-rate apartments should increase as a result. But it's not enough to create the economic incentives needed to meet skyrocketing demand for affordable housing in the U.S.

The Federal Reserve's interest rate increase has commercial real estate debt and equity financing players even more upbeat about their prospects in 2016.

Owens Realty Mortgage has promoted its chief financial officer, Bryan Draper, to chief executive and president.