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A new Wall Street Journal analysis shows that U.S. banks are charging off bad commercial mortgages at the fastest pace in almost two decades.  At the current clip, losses on loans that financed apartments, retail centers, offices, and other commercial real estate could total nearly $30 billion by the end of the year. Thousands of […]

In his semi-annual testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said that although the economy is exhibiting “tentative signs of stabilization,” he plans to maintain a “highly accommodative” monetary policy for the time being.  According to Bernanke, “The pace of decline appears to have slowed significantly.  In light of the […]

At a time when real estate assets are moving slowly, other areas are being eyed for opportunity plays.  Bond salesman Thomas Ricketts had just about closed his bidding group’s purchase of the Chicago Cubs from the Chicago Tribune.  Documents relating to the fully financed transaction were sent to Major League Baseball over the 4th of […]

Economic development organizations are stepping in to help plug the credit hole.  We all know what the economy is like today, and it is unlikely that the industrial and commercial real estate markets will soon turn around. As an economic developer, I see another side of the economy where both communities and businesses are seeking opportunities […]

The tragic death of the “King of Pop” provides an interesting insight into how hedge funds and private equity groups buy loans  in anticipation of future earnings. Michael Jackson made real money during his 40 years as an entertainer; unfortunately, he also lost a lot of money, especially over the last 10 years. Reports are […]

The best way to survive a recession is to have a strategic plan firmly in place when the inevitable downturn happens.  That’s the opinion of Larry Armstrong, President of Ware Malcomb, an Irvine, CA-based international architectural firm with ongoing projects in the United States, Latin America, Asia and Europe. In a recent interview for the […]

Generally, political events, unless they affect our industry, are beyond the purview of the AlterNow blog.  However, the news from the Middle East gives us pause because our country has become, quite remarkably, an actor in one of the most stirring displays of courage and political defiance in recent memory.  We may not fully realize […]

Hollywood’s Blockbuster Year “Hooray for Hollywood”, said the 1937 lyric by Johnny Mercer, sung during the depths of the Great Depression.  It appears the one industry that’s recession proof has done it again.  While the world’s economy has gone into free fall, Hollywood is in a state of euphoria right now, buoyed by a box-office […]

Chicago’s iconic post office that straddles the Eisenhower Expressway has been vacant since a new facility replaced it in 1995, and the U.S. Postal Service has decided it’s time to sell the deteriorating structure at 433 West Van Buren Street. On August 27, the Postal Service will auction the 77-year-old, 3,000,000 SF, 14-story building.  The […]

Toxic commercial real estate loans could create losses up to $100 billion for small and mid-size banks by the end of 2010 if the economy worsens.  According to a Wall Street Journal report – which applied the same criteria used by the federal government in its stress tests of 19 big banks — these institutions […]