Business Specialties
PNC Plans Green HQ in Pittsburgh
The firm has unveiled plans to build a skyscraper in downtown Pittsburgh to serve as its new headquarters, stressing the green aspects it plans to include in the building and going so far as to call it “the world’s greenest skyscraper.”
Disney, Subway Expanding
Retail hasn’t exactly fully rebounded, but proving industry chatter correct, some chains have formally announced major expansion programs. Disney Store and Subway sandwich shops, riding the wave of a successful 2010, have made such commitments.
RECon Report: Economy Has Hit Bottom
According to Marcus & Millichap’s 2011 national retail report, cautious optimism is the order of the day.
Economy Watch: California Targets Mortgage Fraud, Rooftop Solar, Chicago Fed Index
The state of California has created a 25-member mortgage fraud task force, the aim of which is to investigate all variety of shady mortgages, while a Toys ‘R Us distribution center is soon to sport the largest solar roof in the country, and the Chicago Fed National Activity Index took a dive.
Winning the Competition for Loan Servicing
Given today’s still-limited loan production numbers, competition for third-party commercial loan servicing business can be pretty intense. Providers will need some new tools to get ahead.
CW Hires New Execs to Expand CRE Debt Placement
CW Financial Services is doing its part in the financial services business’s improvement with the hiring of four industry veterans to broaden the company’s menu of financing services, especially its debt placements.
Simon to Open First Premium Outlet Center in Canada
Simon Property Group Inc.’s Premium Outlets division is in growth mode, and the company has Canada in its sights. A letter of intent with Calloway Real Estate Investment Trust to develop a property in suburban Toronto paves the way for entrée into Canada.
Investors Ink Major Hotel Deals in L.A., Chicago
Deep-pocketed investors are returning to hotels as an investment vehicle, with two more big properties changing hands recently in major U.S. markets.
Forest City to Develop Mixed-Use in Dallas
Forest City Enterprises Inc. has big plans for the Dallas suburb of Frisco. The real estate company, acting through its Forest City Commercial Development subsidiary, has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the city and the Frisco Community Development Corp. to create Frisco North, a 320-acre mixed-use development that will sprout up in phases over an undetermined number of years.
Simon to Build First Premium Outlets in Arizona
Arizona’s very first Premium Outlets shopping center is in the works now that Simon Property Group Inc. has forged an agreement with the Gila River Indian Community’s Wild Horse Pass Development Authority. The REIT is building based on location, not demand, as the average vacancy rate in metro Phoenix is 12.4 percent.