INSIGHTS

Banks, Credit Unions at Odds Over New Evaluation Rule
After a long period of stasis, there has been a cascade of updates to Federal regulations on when real estate appraisals are required by lenders. The shift began in 2018 when the Office… READ MORE >
  |   08.20.2019
MBA of New York Real Estate Summit: The Skinny on Opportunity Zones
Are opportunity zones the “greatest thing since sliced bread?” or a “scam?” On Tuesday in Manhattan, I moderated a track at the Mortgage Bankers Association of New York’s Fifth Annual Real Estate &… READ MORE >
  |   04.04.2019
MBA of NY Q&A with PRISM Speaker Brian Bailey, Fed Reserve Atlanta
“The larger banks are very disciplined in their commercial real estate lending, but when you get beyond that segment, there’s a significant competitive force that’s being applied to banks from the non-banks.” L… READ MORE >
  |   03.14.2019
My RMA 2018 Summary: “Our Risk Management Is the Best It’s Ever Been”
Five Key Take-Aways from the RMA Conference Early last week, I attended the Risk Management Association’s annual conference. It was held at the Gaylord Convention Center in National Harbor, just across the Potomac… READ MORE >
  |   11.15.2018
Got Questions on the 2018 Appraisal Threshold? The Feds Have Answers
In April, federal bank regulators made headlines when they officially raised the threshold above which appraisals are required for commercial real estate transactions from $250,000 to $500,000. It wasn’t a trivial change. For… READ MORE >
  |   10.26.2018
EDR’s CEO on Forbes Real Estate Council: Technology Reshapes Property Risk Management
How Technology Can Redefine ‘The Art Of The Possible’ In an article that was just published by Forbes, our CEO Chris Aronson shares his insights into what the rapid pace of technological change… READ MORE >
  |   09.26.2018
170 Sites Posing Environmental Risks Lie in Hurricane Florence’s Crosshairs
An additional 152 sites are prioritized for cleanup under a state program  Hurricane Florence has the potential to dump 10 trillion gallons of rainwater on North and South Carolina. That’s enough water to… READ MORE >
  |   09.14.2018
U.S. SBA Introduces Bill to Adopt $500,000 Federal Appraisal Threshold
If you are a lender that participates in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s loan programs, be aware that Congress considering a bill introduced last week to bring the 7(a) program in line with… READ MORE >
  |   07.18.2018
Diamonds in the Rough
The mid-year edition of CRE Direct opens with a Letter from the Editor, immediately calling out the question on everyone’s mind: When will the next recession take hold?
“How long [the economic recovery]
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  |   06.14.2018
New Regulator Report Warns Against ‘Lender Complacency’
OCC points to easing of commercial loan standards as a top risk in banking industry
“The worst loans are often made in the best of times.” ~Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting
While… READ MORE >
  |   05.31.2018