Finance Lending
$7B Loan for Las Vegas Sands?
July 3, 2008

Las Vegas Sands Corp. is considering taking out a $7 billion loan to expand and refinance debt for its endeavors in Macau, according to a Bloomberg article. Citing individuals familiar with the deal, Bloomberg reported that the casino company is in talks with lenders on the matter and, if a loan goes through, Las Vegas Sands will use the money to finance new projects in the city, including a $12 billion 20,000-room hotel and casino development. Additionally, funds may be used to repay a total of $3.3 billion in outstanding loans secured two years ago for Las Vegas Sands' Venetian Macau development, which features 600,000 square feet of gaming space, 3,000 hotel rooms, 850,000 square feet of retail and a 1.2 million-square-foot convention center.


 
Recent Lending Headlines
Education Realty Nabs $222M
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
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
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?
"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
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.