Commercial Real Estate News from CoStar

These stories are supplied by the CoStar Group. The articles contain a cross-section of national happenings in the world of commercial real estate. These articles are updated regularly.

National Commercial Real Estate News From CoStar Group
Men's Wearhouse Identifies 145 Stores for Probable Closure	3/11/2010 11:43 PM
During 2009, Men's apparel retail chain, Men's Wearhouse, opened 6 new, but closed 41 stores. Due to geographic overlap caused by its 2006 acquisition of the AfterHours Formalwear chain, the company has identified 145 stores that it would likely close...
American Eagle Shuttering 28 MARTIN +OSA stores	3/11/2010 12:19 AM
Pittsburgh, PA-based specialty apparel retailer, American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO), is shuttering its MARTIN + OSA banner, including its 28 stores and online business. The company expects to conclude the liquidation of the MARTIN + OSA stores, which...
HHS Leases 114,500 SF in Quincy	3/9/2010 7:46 PM
The Executive Office of Health and Human Services for Massachusetts signed a lease for 114,451 square feet of office space at HarborSouth Tower in Quincy. MassHealth and other related divisions will occupy floors four through eight at 100 Hancock St....
Thinning Loan Loss Coffers May Restrict CRE Lending	3/10/2010 9:17 PM
In addition to keeping an eye on declining property values, falling rents and rising vacancy rate numbers, the commercial real estate community is also concerned over ominous signs in banking industry numbers. One big area of concern is the fact that...
Recent Improvement in CRE Liquidity Welcomed, But Loan Maturities Loom Large	3/10/2010 4:51 AM
Commercial real estate lending has tentatively started to flow, but as any building owner will attest, credit isn't easy to obtain and the onslaught of maturing commercial mortgages is chipping away at the confidence of investors. The challenges to...
NEW PLAYER: Cassidy Turley's Mark Burkhart On Launching a Major New CRE Firm	3/10/2010 12:33 AM
Eight regional commercial real estate firms that teamed up to become one in January officially launched as Cassidy Turley on March 1. The firms comprising Cassidy Turley include Cassidy & Pinkard Colliers in Washington, DC, Colliers Turley Martin Tucker...
Shopping Center Execs Voice Improving Confidence Despite Major Challenges	3/10/2010 2:36 AM
The International Council of Shopping Centers' (ICSC) latest Shopping Center Executive Survey showed that shopping center executives' confidence in the present economic situation and expectations for the future, while muted, are better and improving....
Lease Up/Lease Down (Mar. 7-13): UBS Renews, Postal Service Unveils 10-Year Plan	3/10/2010 3:42 AM
CoStar compiles news of corporate expansions, relocations, extensions, closures, layoffs, lease cancellations and mergers in the weekly Lease Up/Lease Down news report, a concise read keeping you updated on major corporate moves affecting commercial...
Investors Picking Up Unfinished Condo Projects	3/10/2010 9:11 PM
LeaseFlorida LLC in Miami Lakes, FL, foreclosed on two failed residential condominium projects. In the first deal, Cypress Bay condo project in the Sunset Harbor area of Miami Beach. Cypress Bay was a planned 20-unit with ground floor retail at 1225...
Bank Watch: Building a New Banking Company Out of Distress	3/10/2010 9:05 PM
One Main Street LLC, a New York-based investment fund, agreed to acquire tiny Liberty Bank Inc. of Salt Lake City. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval. One Main Street has filed an application to become a bank holding company with the...

Keep Up on the Latest Commercial Real Estate News

These stories are supplied by RealEstateJournal.com. The articles contain a cross-section of happenings in the world of commercial real estate. These articles are updated regularly.

WSJ.com: Commercial Real Estate
WTC Development Talks Continue	3/11/2010 4:39 PM
Negotiations continued between developer Larry Silverstein and the Port Authority who are trying to resolve an impasse over the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site before a critical deadline Friday.
Fortis Sues Lender Kennedy in Debt Case	3/11/2010 8:42 AM
Kennedy Funding, a New Jersey lender to cash-strapped real-estate developers, has plenty of experience going after debtors who fall behind on their payments. But now it's Kennedy's turn to get squeezed.
European REIT Rollout at Hand	3/10/2010 8:58 AM
With European property markets beginning to recover from the market downturn and global recession, there are signs that the REIT revolution could be at hand.
General Growth Debt Bet Pays Off	3/10/2010 9:03 AM
A handful of investors dug to the bottom of the discount bin and snapped up General Growth's convertible bonds at three cents on the dollar. They now trade at 103 cents.
Marriott Expands in Europe	3/9/2010 7:10 AM
Forty thousand more hotel rooms on the Continent would have Marriott brand names in the next few years under the company's plan.
Farkas Closes Deal to Buy Centerline	3/8/2010 8:36 AM
The New York real-estate investor will buy one of the nation's largest commercial-mortgage-servicing specialists for $100 million in new equity and assuming $180 million of Centerline's debt.
U.K. REIT Plans IPO	3/8/2010 5:11 AM
Metric Property Investments hopes to raise £150 million in an IPO on the London Stock Exchange's main market as it seeks to take advantage of the sharp downturn in property values.
China Vanke's Property Sales Slip	3/7/2010 10:15 AM
China's largest property developer by market share said sales fell in February for the first time in 11 months. The slowdown was anticipated after the government introduced measures to cool off the real-estate market.
Trust Not Enough for Integrity Bank	3/3/2010 8:40 PM
The FDIC is investigating loan practices at Georgia's Integrity Bank, which was seized in 2008 after loaning all its capital to the owner of Casa Madrona Hotel & Spa in California.
Banks Begin to Rein In Branch Boom	3/3/2010 2:00 PM
Say goodbye to the building boom that made it seem like there was a bank branch on every corner. The total number of branches in the U.S. is on pace to decline for the first time since 2002.