Credit Markets, Economy Put Pressure on Commercial Mortgages

The weakening economy and continued credit crunch contributed to increases in commercial/multifamily mortgage delinquencies during the fourth quarter of 2008, according to a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. "As expected, the weakening economy continues to take a toll on the performance of commercial and multifamily mortgages," said Jamie Woodwell, vice president of commercial real estate research. "But commercial and multifamily mortgages are actually performing better than just about every other type of loan. Of more than 35,000 commercial/multifamily mortgages held by life insurance companies, only 33 loans were delinquent at the end of 2008, and commercial/multifamily mortgages ended 2008 as some of the best performing loans held by commercial banks and thrifts." In addition to the Commercial/Multifamily Delinquency Report, the MBA released a research data note reviewing the performance of commercial/multifamily mortgages held by banks and thrifts. The note finds that commercial mortgages and multifamily mortgages are the best performing loans, ranking lowest among bank loans in terms of charge-off rates, second and third lowest in terms of 30-day plus delinquency rates and second and third lowest in terms of increases in delinquency rates between the third and fourth quarter. Between the third and fourth quarters, the 30-day plus delinquency rate on loans held in commercial mortgage-backed securities rose 0.54 percentage points to 1.17%. The 60-day plus delinquency rate on multifamily loans held or insured by Fannie Mae rose 0.14 percentage points to 0.30%. The 90-day plus delinquency rate on multifamily loans held or insured by Freddie Mac stayed the same at 0.01%. The 90-day plus delinquency rate on loans held by FDIC-insured banks and thrifts rose 0.24 percentage points to 1.62%.