Credit Crunch May Worsen Fast

(NEWSER) - Small and midsize banks across America could face $100 billion in losses from commercial real-estate loans next year, shrinking their capital in most cases to scary lows. The Wall Street Journal conducted worst-case-scenario stress tests on 900 banks and found crises looming far beyond Wall Street. Small and midsize banks "are in just much worse shape" than major banks, one analyst said. More»

Slowdown plus tough credit slams office market

(NEWSER) - When the commercial real estate market was hot, the sky seemed to be the limit, and increasingly complicated financing arrangements were common. Now the combination of economic crisis and credit freeze has exposed the market's precarious underpinnings, which resemble the pitfalls that brought the residential real estate sector to its knees. One analyst tells NPR: "I call it the commercial real estate of the subprime loan." More»

Tight credit market, falling profits hurt paper

(NEWSER) - Facing declining profits and tight credit, the New York Times is looking to raise $225 million by borrowing against the 58% share the company holds in its new Renzo Piano-designed skyscraper in Times Square, the paper reports. The Times hopes to either take out a mortgage on the 52-story building completed last year or arrange a sale-leaseback deal. More»

Malls, offices won't be hit nearly as hard as housing, experts say

(NEWSER) - The commercial real estate market has slowed dramatically, but won’t rival the housing implosion, reports the Wall Street Journal. Prices will likely fall just 20%, compared with 40%-plus for homes in some markets, and commercial property owners—unlike record numbers of homeowners facing foreclosure—have largely been able to keep mortgages current. More»

Uncertainty is the 'new normal' in America

(NEWSER) - For many Americans, "recovery" feels a lot like recession—and it may take a decade for that to change, finds the New York Times . At the current rate of job creation, for instance, it would take nine years to recapture jobs lost thus far. Home prices, meanwhile, are down 20% since 2005; even assuming 2% inflation, it would take 13 years for the market to reach pre-crisis levels. Everywhere, offices sit empty. More»