NAR - "Fundamentals Holding in Commercial Real Estate" (3-12-08)

"Commercial real estate market fundamentals are fairly stable, although investment is waning following a record year in 2007, according to the latest COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE OUTLOOK of the National Association of Realtors®."

Mortgage Bankers Association - "FHA Apps Up, Purchase Apps Unchanged, Refi Apps Down In Latest MBA Weekly Survey" (3-12-08)

"The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 7, 2008. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 671.7, a decrease of 1.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from 684.9 one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 1.4 percent compared with the previous week and was down 3.4 percent compared with the same week one year earlier."

Mortgage Bankers Association - "Record Increase in Multifamily Mortgage Debt Outstanding Led By GSEs" (3-12-08)

"The level of commercial/multifamily mortgage debt outstanding grew by 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter, exceeding $3.3 trillion, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) analysis of the Federal Reserve Board Flow of Funds data. The total was an increase of $356 billion or 12 percent from the end of 2006."

Bloomberg - "Dollar Trades at Record Low Versus Euro as Fed Plan Disappoints" (3-12-08)

"The dollar traded at a record low against the euro as firms from Citigroup Inc. to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said the Federal Reserve's plan to inject $200 billion into the banking system may fail to break the freeze in money-market lending. The U.S. currency plunged yesterday against the euro, yen and Swiss franc, erasing a rally from March 11 when the Fed said it would lend Treasuries to financial institutions and take mortgage debt as collateral. Traders bet the Fed will cut rates by as much as three quarters of a percentage point next week to avert a recession, while the European Central Bank keeps borrowing costs unchanged at 4 percent."

Philly.com - "Toll Bros. hints at joint-venture problems" (3-12-08)

"Toll Bros. Inc., the Horsham luxury-home builder, said it might face 'significant' losses if its joint-venture partners on a number of projects were unable to meet their financial obligations. 'As a result of the continued downturn in the home-building industry, some of these joint ventures or their participants have or may become unable or unwilling to fulfill their respective obligations,' the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday in advance of its annual stockholders' meeting today."

Market Watch - "Freddie Mac sees home prices falling further" (3-12-08)

"Already under pressure, U.S. home prices have much further to fall, the chief executive of major mortgage-buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday. Speaking to analysts on a conference call, CEO Richard Syron estimated that housing prices, from peak to trough, have dropped only a third as far as he thinks they're going to. The McLean, Va.-based company's expecting a peak-to-trough decline of 15% in all."

Orange County Register - "Apartments’ investment outlook ‘very strong’" (3-12-08)

"The National Multi Housing Council says it’s about demographics. Apartments look like the place to be for real estate investors thanks to a growing demand for rentals, says the organization representing the industry’s largest firms."

Los Angeles Times - "A tale of two markets: High end holding steady" (3-12-08)

"This is a trend that has been with us for a while, and a couple of you reminded me in comments to revisit it. The trend is this: even as foreclosures pile up and prices collapse in less desirable neighborhoods of Los Angeles, prices continue to hold steady -- or even rise -- in higher-priced neighborhoods."

Real Estate Journal - "Credit Scorers FindNew Ways to Judge You" (3-12-08)

"Now, lenders increasingly are looking at other factors, such as rent and utility payments, to determine whether potential borrowers will make good on their loans. The financial-services industry began this push so it could lend more to the estimated 50 million Americans -- including many immigrants, young adults and seniors -- with little or no credit history. But as the economy slows and default rates soar for home mortgages, more lenders are using these same tools to evaluate the credit-worthiness of the broader population."