An update of the latest conditions and trends in commercial real estate finance.

Given how low cap rates are, even a small change in terms of basis points could mean a significant change in value.

Given the current economic uncertainty, it's fair to assume that different paths for the US economy could lead to very different outcomes for commercial and multifamily mortgage demand and supply.

The low interest rate environment, coupled with still strong demand for commercial and multifamily assets, has pushed property values higher and increased demand for mortgages. At the beginning of the year, many economists, investors and others anticipated long-terms rates would currently be in the 3 percent range and rising - potentially putting pressure on property values and decreasing demand for debt. Instead, the 10-year Treasury yield is at approximately 1.5 percent, and many market participants are planning for rates to remain ‘lower for longer.' The result is heightened demand and higher volumes.

Jamie Woodwell, Vice President of Research and Economics at Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), joined the RealCrowd Podcast to discuss what an inverted yield curve means for real estate

Commercial real estate values are a function of a property's income and the capitalization (cap) rate. Essentially the inverse of a price-to-earnings ratio, cap rates are a gauge of the yield investors demand to put their money into commercial real estate - with a lower cap rate demonstrating higher investor interest in each dollar of current income.

On July 10 and 11, in association with NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate and sponsored by DBRS, MBA hosted its third annual CREF Market Intelligence Symposium. The Symposium has become an important forum for commercial and multifamily real estate finance leaders and analysts to come together, hear from leading researchers and discuss key risks (and opportunities) facing the industry.

Commercial real estate and real estate finance markets maintained their momentum during the first quarter of 2019.

There has been a great deal of attention paid lately to the mismatch between the supply of, and demand for, housing in the United States. According to Census statistics, the U.S. added 1.5 million households during 2018 but built fewer than 1.2 million new housing units. The result is a tightening inventory - not just of homes for sale, but of homes available to occupy.

The vast majority of commercial and multifamily mortgage lenders report they are working on the transition away from LIBOR, but the devil is in the details. The London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is a leading reference rate for adjustable-rate loans in the United States and around the world, and is targeted to sunset at the end of 2021.

In a search for yield and a vote of confidence in the assets, investors have pulled commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) credit spreads lower in recent years.

The London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is a leading reference rate for adjustable-rate loans in the United States and around the world, and is targeted to sunset at the end of 2021.

Last year, Blackstone Mortgage Trust Inc. was the top investor-driven lender, followed by Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Capital One Financial Corp., Wells Fargo, Apollo Global Management, LoanCore Capital, LLC, Mesa West Capital, LLC, KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc., TPG Real Estate Finance Trust, and PCCP LLC.

MBA recently released its annual 2018 Rankings of Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Firms' Origination Volumes and the following firms were the top commercial/multifamily mortgage originators: HFF; Wells Fargo; CBRE Capital Markets, Inc.; Key Bank; Eastdil Secured; JP Morgan Chase & Company; Meridian Capital Group; Bank of America Merrill Lynch; PNC Real Estate; and Berkadia.

Jamie Woodwell, Vice President of Research and Economics at Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), joined the RealCrowd Podcast to discuss recent MBA research on how lenders view the current market.