Serious Questions About Synthetic Leases
IN THE WAKE OF THE ENRON SCANDAL, anything associated with the term "off-balance sheet" is coming under scrutiny. The Houston energy giant collapsed amid allegations that it hid debt and questionable deals by creating...
LEASING TRENDS: The balance of power
Nothing like recession to change the balance of power between landlords and tenants. "Over the last few years, clearly the landlord had the advantage," says Andrew Goldberg, a senior managing director of Insignia/ESG...
HOT TOPIC: Shopping for stability
Take the acquisition in late January of Houston-based CenterAmerica Property Trust by New York-based New Plan Excel Realty Trust. The $654 million deal added 92 community and neighborhood shopping centers to New Plan...
NET LEASE FINANCE: Diving for Deals
Going into 2001, net lease finance firms were primed for a banner year. The net lease business had grown steadily for a long time, and with the economy slowing it seemed that corporate America would have no choice but...
AREA REVIEW: Not exactly a dry spell
With Southwest cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix boasting the biggest jumps in population during the past decade, retail developers have been scrambling to stay ahead of the sprawl. In particular, those companies...
REIT UPDATE: Marrying for money
The already small number of publicly traded companies involved in commercial net lease financing got much smaller in 2001. As a result, companies that rely on this type of financing — such as retail chains — face a...
REIT UPDATE: REITs toughen up
A decade has passed since the last great real estate recession. But today, as the national economy drifts deeper and deeper into a severe slowdown, the real estate sector remains surprisingly buoyant. While not...
Finding the future in the past
As green space dwindles in mature markets, owners and developers focus on redevelopment rather than new construction...
Title Insurers Merge and Adopt Technology To Tackle Competitors
Bigger is spelling better for the title insurance industry. Through mergers with other title insurers, firms are gaining access to new markets and gearing up to combat anticipated competition from banks and insurance...
CMBS: Market Forces Nip at Industry's Heels
For the past two years, the market for commercial mortgage-backed securities, while still sizable, has been tougher and somewhat messy. No longer the hottest thing on the Street and faced with more competition for...