CRE

Loan demand and conditions remained largely unchanged in the third quarter, with some easing of credit standards for consumer and auto loans, according to a survey of senior loan officers conducted by the Federal Reserve.

Defaults on commercial mortgage-backed securities declined from the end of the third quarter, compared to the previous quarter, according to Fitch Ratings.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said Thursday that it expects commercial and multifamily mortgage originations will increase year-over-year in 2016 by 6% to $485 billion.

BOK Financial reported a small drop in third-quarter profit, as a decline in the value of mortgage servicing rights offset loan and fee income growth.

New York Community Bancorp has agreed to buy Astoria Financial for about $2 billion in cash and stock, combining two of the largest New York-area banks to create an institution with about $64 billion in total assets.

The commercial real estate loans that underlie commercial mortgage-backed securities posted a modest increase in price from August to September, according to DebtX.

Consumer demand for apartments continued to rise in the third quarter, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council.

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.

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.

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.

Money360, a marketplace lender that focuses on commercial real estate, has hired mortgage industry veteran Gary Bechtel as its president.

Colony Mortgage, a real estate investment trust that specializes in "transitional," or improving property, is preparing its third securitization, according to Moody's Investors Service.

Commercial real estate investment firm Case Real Estate Capital has purchase two nonperforming senior notes for $20.5 million.

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 delinquency rate for commercial and multifamily mortgages continued to improve for most categories of investors in the second quarter, continuing a trend from the first quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

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