Finance Lending
Apollo to Pursue Additional RE Debt Acquisition
Aug 19, 2008
By: Dees Stribling, Contributing Correspondent

There's little doubt that debt, besides being the raw material of the real estate crunch, is also a pretty hot commodity in some ways, as property values decline and loan-to-value ratios shift. In recent weeks, as reported by CPN, such investors as the new Investcorp Real Estate Credit Fund L.P. and Inland American Real Estate Trust have been eager to snap up real estate debt.

New York-based Apollo Real Estate Advisors has also stepped up its interest in real estate debt recently, raising additional capital for its debt investment fund, Apollo Real Estate Finance Corp. (AREFIN). All together, the firm says it has increased the overall capital for AREFIN's investment program from $621 million to $930 million through the formation of AREFIN Co-Investment Corp. (ACC), with the additional funds providing the ability to make larger investments.

AREFIN, formed in 2006, originates loans for development, redevelopment and repositioning, and invests in whole loans, B-notes and mezzanine loans. ACC, the new vehicle, was formed to accommodate the increased deal flow and to handle loan commitments up to $250 million.

Earlier this year, AREFIN and M&T Bank provided a $163.5 million floating-rate debt package to Taconic Partners and Square Mile Capital for the $172 million purchase of 375 Pearl Street, a 1.2 million-square-foot office building in Manhattan, also known as the Verizon Building. Apollo arranged for M&T Bank to provide $110 million in senior debt financing.

Apollo is an international real estate investor and fund manager. Since its founding in 1993, it has established a number of real estate funds and joint ventures totaling about $11 billion in equity commitments for investment in the United States and elsewhere. The Apollo funds collectively have invested in more than 465 transactions with an aggregate value of more than $40 billion.

 
Recent Lending Headlines
Education Realty Nabs $222M
Jan. 06, 2009
Student housing REIT Education Realty Trust Inc. has closed a $222 million secured credit facility, courtesy of Fannie Mae DUS lender Red Mortgage Capital Inc., and is wasting precious little time making use of the proceeds.
Emeritus Closes Refi Deal, Extends $73M Debt
Jan. 05, 2009
Assisted living and Alzheimer's care facilities provider Emeritus Corp. capped the end of the year by ensuring there would be no material maturities hanging over its head in 2009. The company wrapped up the $36.3 million refinancing of seven properties through Freddie Mac, a move that allowed it to pay down and extend an existing debt with Capmark.
3Q GDP Down, 4Q Expected to Be Worse
Dec. 24, 2008
The quarterly report by the U.S. Department of Commerce on the national GDP is something of a lagging indicator. The fact that the U.S. economy contracted 0.5 percent in the third quarter--July to September--might be worrisome, but it only raises the further question of how much contraction will happen in the fourth quarter.
paulson A Bailout for Commercial Real Estate?
Dec. 22, 2008
"Right now, we believe there is insufficient systemic capacity to refinance expiring, performing commercial real-estate loans," reads a letter from a dozen commercial real estate trade groups to Treasury Sec. Henry Paulson, according to the Wall Street Journal this morning. In other words, the commercial side of the business, long perceived as relatively healthy compared with the residential side, is warning of dire straits ahead unless refinancing money is available in the near future.
CMBS Delinquencies Speeding Up: Fitch
Dec. 22, 2008
Back in January 2008, long before the capital markets took their astonishing twists, Fitch Ratings made a sobering prediction: By the end of the year, its CMBS loan delinquency index would be double or triple the 0.28 percent recorded at the end of 2007. Fitch’s crystal ball turned out to be right on the money. On Friday the ratings agency reported that CMBS delinquency reached 0.64 percent for November. At this pace, Fitch projects that CMBS delinquencies could hit 2 percent by the end of 2009.
 
Select Coverage By City:

?CPN Executive Outlook? A roundtable discussion on market strategies with John C. Cushman III, Chairman of Cushman & Wakefield, Inc., Gordon DuGan, President and CEO of W. P. Carey & Co., and Mark Rauenhorst, Chairman and CEO of Opus Group.; CPN; Cushman & Wakefield; Gordon DuGan; John C. Cushman III; Mark Rauenhorst; Opus Group; W. P. Carey & Co.; Eugene Gilligan, Senior Editor for Commercial Property News interviews Bob Bach, National Director, Market Analysis Grubb & Ellis Company at Multi Housing World.; Bob Bach; Commercial Property News; Eugene Gilligan; MHN; Multi housing news; multi housing world; hompage
 

Pending Home Sales, Factory Orders Dip
January 07, 2009
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor-- It isn't clear that the days of yo-yoing equity markets have gone away--just wait until the next international shock or surprise bankruptcy--but for the moment the Dow Jones index seems to have mellowed out. It...

REal Talk with Adam Perrotta-Tuesday
January 06, 2009
Add Macquarie and CNL Financial to the list of firms looking to capitalize on the struggling state of the investment market. The duo's just-announced $1.5 billion global REIT will likely find some pretty good bargains to be had from sellers...

Construction Industry Faces Hard 2009
January 06, 2009
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor-- The equity markets dropped considerably Monday morning, but then yo-yoed around for the rest of the day--small fluctuations, really--and ended up slightly down, for the first time in four trading sessions and the first time...

REal Talk with Adam Perrotta-Monday
January 05, 2009
As the new year dawns, there is much to suggest that the hangover of 2008 will be sticking around for some time to come. Troubling financial and economic reports continue to haunt the headlines, the housing market remains in the...

Markets Start 2009 With Upward Bump
January 05, 2009
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor-- Instead of a lackluster lull after the New Year' s holiday, investors decided to buy equities on Friday, driving the Dow Jones index up 258 points, or nearly 3 percent. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq...

Management Matters with Mike Myatt: The Next Domino to Fall
December 04, 2008
By: Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth --The next domino in the economic downturn is already starting to fall. The more layers of the onion we peel back on the chaos in the capital markets, the worse the news seems...

Management Matters with Mike Myatt; Web 3.0
November 20, 2008
By: Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth --As quickly as Web 2.0 arrived, it is being overcome by the next generation of digital applications and toolsets. Moreover, the need for broader understanding as to how to implement a more sophisticated...

Management Matters with Mike Myatt: Teach Them to Fish
November 14, 2008
By: Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth --Do you feed your employees, or do you teach them how to fish? Do you like to swoop in and save the day? Do you see yourself as the white knight that can...

Management Matters with Mike Myatt: Good Employees Are Not Expendable
November 07, 2008
By: Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth --Good employees are not expendable. As a CEO running a company during tough economic times, if your strategy to survive the economic downturn is to implement a slash and burn approach to cost...

Management Matters with Mike Myatt: Surviving the Economic Downturn
October 17, 2008
By: Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth --As odd as it may sound, if you want to survive the economic downturn, increase your marketing expenditures. If you're the short-sighted CEO who cuts back on marketing, branding, and advertising budgets in...