FirstAm CRES Buys Consulting Firm

First American Commercial Real Estate Services Inc., Dallas, has announced the acquisition of Urban Appraisal Inc., a Chicago-based consulting firm.The terms of the deal were not disclosed. William Farina, the founder of Urban Appraisal, will serve as vice president of First American CRES and will oversee its Chicago office, First American said. "Our great familiarity with the city's neighborhoods and their individual economic dynamics allows us to work efficiently in the Chicago market, while our simultaneous work on multifamily projects in other large metropolitan areas gives us a solid national perspective," Mr. Farina said. "Becoming part of First American allows us to draw upon its extensive real estate information and resources, and we believe this will further expand and diversify our clientele." First American CRE Services is a member of The First American Corp. family of companies, which can be found online at http://www.firstam.com.