Investment
Loews Buys Boston’s 225-Room Back Bay Hotel for $84M
Continuing its mission to expand its presence in gateway cities and leading resort markets over the next five years, Loews Hotels & Resorts has acquired The Back Bay Hotel, an iconic 225-room lodging property in Boston.
RioCan to Acquire Regional Malls in Greater Toronto Area
RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust has entered into a conditional agreement with Primaris Retail REIT to acquire two regional shopping malls in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for a combined gross purchase price of approximately $362 million.
The Rockefeller Group, IPA Break Ground on M-F Project in Suburban Phoenix
Late last summer, The Rockefeller Group and Investment Property Associates said they would break ground on the $58 million Liv Northgate in Gilbert, Ariz., in early 2013, and now they have.
Norwegian Pension Fund Charges into U.S. Market via TIAA-CREF
Norges Bank Investment Management, manager of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global, has entered into a $1.2 billion JV with TIAA-CREF and has at one stroke gained substantial interests in five Class A or boutique buildings on the East Coast.
306-Unit M-F Property Trades in San Antonio’s Steaming Hot Market
Multi-family sales volume in San Antonio closed 2012 with a bang, and the change in ownership of the 306-unit Manor at Castle Hills was among the long list of transactions.
Chambers Closes on Two 300 KSF Suburban Philly Office Buildings
Chambers Street Properties, of Princeton, N.J., recently closed on its acquisition of 1400 Atwater Drive, a pair of five-story Class A office buildings, totaling 300,000 square feet, in Malvern, Pa.
Cousins Buys Houston’s Post Oak Central, Atlanta’s Terminus Properties
Atlanta-based real estate company Cousins Properties acquired Post Oak Central, a Class A office complex in the Galleria submarket of Houston, for $233 million from institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management. The company also bought the Terminus 100 and 200 towers in Atlanta’s Buckhead market.
SPECIAL REPORT: Fannie Mae Stresses Loan Quality, Risk-Sharing & Profitability for U.S. Taxpayers
Fannie Mae’s priority in 2013 will be to continue focusing on loan quality, said Jeffrey Hayward, senior vice president, Head of the Multifamily Mortgage Business, Fannie Mae.
SPECIAL REPORT: MBA Predicts M-F Funding Market Share May Fall Slightly in 2013
Mortgage originations for commercial properties will increase by 11 percent in 2013, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) forecasted. Multifamily financing may tick down this year as capital supply to the other commercial real estate sectors make a comeback.
Blackstone to Buy UBS’s Majority Stake in 40-Property Retail Portfolio
Blackstone Group L.P. is on the verge of snapping up a majority interest in 40 high-quality shopping centers. UBS, which co-owns the collection of U.S. retail properties with Kimco Realty Corp., will sell its controlling interest to Blackstone for $1.1 billion.