Commercial lending

Astoria Financial, a New York City-area thrift under pressure from activist investor Basswood Capital Management to boost the share price, is exploring a sale, according to people familiar with the matter. The stock climbed as much as 6.2%.

The inclusion of a loan secured by Chicago's Prudential Plaza in a recent CMBS is causing a stir.

Goldman Sachs is marketing $848.4 million of bonds backed by commercial mortgages.

American Finance Trust, a commercial mortgage real estate investment trust, plans to securitize a $649.5 million loan that is secured by 268 single-tenant properties, according to Standard & Poor's.

Loans that underlie commercial mortgage-backed securities fell in price from July to August, according to DebtX.

A number of investment banks have been increasing the portion of high-quality loans backing commercial mortgage bonds.

Bayview and Freddie Mac believe they can provide a stable funding supply to underserved to owners of small commercial properties.

The country's largest real estate investors have bought a record $3.85 billion in property this year in the New York city borough and spent more than any other foreign country in the last decade.

Total multifamily mortgage debt outstanding rose 2.4% to $1 trillion at the end of the second quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Velocity Commercial Capital took steps to verify the so-called liar loan included in VCC 2015-1, a small-balance commercial mortgage securitization, according to Kroll Bond Rating Agency, which rated the deal.

Loan-to-value ratios in commercial real estate lending have returned to their levels from the bubble days, Moody's says. Loss-rates look good for now, but trouble could be coming.

The price of loans that underlie commercial mortgage-backed securities rose in July on a monthly basis, according to DebtX.

The commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate rose in August, reversing an improvement in the rate in July, according to Trepp.

Suncrest Bank is hoping that its team of experienced executives, combined with organic growth and acquisitions, will help more than double its assets in the next few years.

Marketplace lenders seek to disrupt traditional financial services with online platforms that connect borrowers to investors. But in real estate, this burgeoning sector has taken an approach that seeks to co-exist with, rather than supplant, the traditional mortgage market.

CMBS primary issuance won't pick up again until September, according to Barclays.

Freddie Mac announced last week that it will guarantee its second series of SB Certificates, which are backed by multifamily small-balance loans underwritten by Freddie Mac and issued by a third-party trust.

The New York metro area leads the nation in commercial and multifamily construction starts, according to a new report.

As the Small Business Administration's flagship 7(a) loan program breaks records, its other loan program stagnates. Advocates for so-called 504 loans hope a drive to permit CRE refinancing will inject new life.

Jones Lang LaSalle in Chicago has agreed to acquire Oak Grove Commercial Mortgage, to expand its debt-finance offerings.