WESTBURY, N.Y. AND TROY, MICH. — New York Community Bancorp Inc. (NYSE: NYCB) and Flagstar Bancorp Inc. (NYSE: FBC) have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which the two companies will combine in an all-stock merger valued at $2.6 billion. The new company will have more than $87 billion in assets and operate nearly 400 traditional branches in nine states and 87 loan production offices across a 28-state footprint. The main headquarters will be located on Long Island, N.Y., with regional headquarters in Troy, Mich., including Flagstar’s mortgage operations. The combined company will maintain the Flagstar Bank brand in the Midwest. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2021. Based in Westbury, N.Y., New York Community Bancorp is a multifamily lender in New York City and is the parent company of New York Community Bank. As of March 31, the company reported assets of $57.7 billion and loans of $43.1 billion. It operates 236 branches through eight local divisions. The company’s stock price closed at $12.54 per share Monday, April 26, up from $10.16 per share one year ago. Flagstar Bancorp is a $29.4 billion savings and loan holding company headquartered in Troy, Mich. Flagstar Bank …
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Walker & Dunlop: U.S. Economy Displays Long-Term Signals for Recovery, Growth
Back to Normal? The U.S. economy has improved significantly since April 2020, the peak of the pandemic-induced recession. The national unemployment rate stood at 6.0 percent in March of this year, well below the peak of 14.8 percent in April 2020. Companies were effective in implementing work-from-home technology, keeping unemployment rates for office-based service sectors relatively low. For those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, unemployment rates were only 3.7 percent as of March 2021. In 2020, third-quarter GDP growth made up much of the second-quarter losses, followed by 4 percent annualized economic growth in the fourth quarter. Retail sales also rebounded quickly, returning to pre-pandemic levels by June and continuing to increase through the beginning of 2021. However, the U.S. economy is still far from “normal.” Of the 22 million people who lost jobs in March and April 2020, only 57.8 percent had regained employment by March 2021. Stronger growth should return jobs to industries hit hardest during the pandemic. In March of this year, restaurants and bars added 176,000 jobs; arts, entertainment and recreation venues added 64,000 jobs and accommodations added 40,000 jobs. Still, employment in the overall leisure and hospitality sector is down by 3.1 million, or 18.5 …
CUPERTINO, CALIF. — Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) will open a $1 billion office campus in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, a move that is expected to add more than 3,000 new jobs to the local economy. The move is part of a larger, $430 billion expansion and capital investment program that the Cupertino-based tech giant projects will bring about 20,000 new jobs to the country over the next five years. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, North Carolina’s Economic Investment Committee, for its part, approved a job creation and tax incentives plan for Apple that was valued at $845 million over 40 years, the largest such grant in state history. The local newspaper also reports that the campus will span about 1 million square feet and will be located in Wake County on a site near the border of Cary and Morrisville, two smaller towns on the south side of the triangle. A construction timeline has not yet been released. As part of its commitment to the Tar Heel State, Apple plans to launch a $100 million fund to support local schools and invest $110 million in improving pieces of local infrastructure, such as bridges and telecommunications systems. The new …
ATLANTA — A joint venture between Skanska and SG Contracting Inc. has been selected to build a $308.3 million Hilton (NYSE: HLT) hotel adjacent to the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) in downtown Atlanta. The 1.2 million-square-foot hotel will be the first newly constructed project under Hilton’s upscale Signia banner, and will act as a headquarters hotel for the GWCC. The property will overlook the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and is located near the Omni Atlanta Hotel, CNN Center, State Farm Arena and the Georgia Aquarium. The 40-story hotel is set to feature 975 guest rooms alongside amenities including 75,000 square feet of world-class meeting and event space; a connected walkway to the GWCC; spa; fitness center; 6,670-square-foot pool deck; an outdoor event lawn; a market; two chef-driven restaurants; and three bars. “The Signia by Hilton will further elevate Atlanta’s international presence and position as a major host of civic, cultural and commercial events,” says Scott Cannon, executive vice president and general manager for Skanska’s Georgia and South Carolina operations. Skanska and SG Contracting will provide pre-construction and construction management services for the hotel, which Gensler designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. The development, which Cannon says will generate approximately 600 construction jobs, is …
SHORT HILLS, N.J. — The Birch Group has acquired a four-building office portfolio in the Short Hills submarket of Northern New Jersey for $255 million. The 843,300-square-foot portfolio comprises four Class A buildings located at 51, 101, 103 and 150 JFK Parkway. The properties are currently 80 percent leased to 22 tenants, including Citibank, Investors Bank, KPMG, Bank of America, UBS, Dun & Bradstreet, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo. “During the pandemic, there has been a demographic shift to the suburbs, and the migration of this talent pool represents an extraordinary opportunity to meet the demand for high-quality office assets in prime New Jersey markets,” says Mark Meisner, CEO and founder of Birch. “Short Hills is among one of the most prestigious suburban locales and it has consistently achieved above-average rents in New Jersey, while maintaining the highest occupancy rates within the market.” David Bernhaut led a Cushman & Wakefield team that represented the seller, Mack-Cali Realty Corp. (NYSE: CLI). The buyer has also retained Cushman & Wakefield as the leasing agent for the properties. Birch says it views the acquisition as a repositioning opportunity and plans to employ a value-add strategy. Birch will complement $15.2 million of recently completed …
By Taylor Williams The fundamental forces of job and population growth that drive demand for market-rate multifamily properties are hard at work on the affordable housing sector in Texas, and it doesn’t appear that a supply-demand equilibrium is in the cards anytime soon. In addition, a perpetual shortage of low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs) and other government-issued subsidies that are required to finance new development of affordable housing are working to keep supply growth in check. Throw in a global pandemic that has cost millions of people their jobs and depleted their savings, potentially forcing them to seek less-expensive housing, and you have a supply-demand dynamic that is far from balanced. The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that there is some overlap between workers in industries hit hard by the pandemic, such as leisure and hospitality, and the types of renters who need or qualify for affordable housing. Texas is hardly the only state facing these lopsided market conditions. According to a 2020 report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, when it comes to housing that renters whose income levels are at or below 30 percent of their area median income (AMI) can afford, the United States …
ATLANTA AND RALEIGH, N.C. — Preferred Apartment Communities (NYSE: APTS) has agreed to sell a portfolio of office assets in Atlanta and North Carolina to Highwoods Properties Inc. (NYSE: HIW). The deal, which is expected to close during the third quarter, is valued at $717 million and includes $28 million of planned improvements and $5 million in transaction costs. The sale comprises the bulk of Preferred Apartment Communities’ (PAC) office assets. Joel Murphy, president and CEO of the Atlanta-based REIT, says that the sale of the office portfolio is part of a larger plan to simplify its real estate footprint. The company also sold a portfolio of student housing properties last year as part of that plan. “Upon closing, PAC’s real estate portfolio will be further streamlined with an increased primary weighting on our core, Class A, suburban Sun Belt multifamily business and our complementary 100 percent grocery-anchored Sun Belt retail investments,” says Murphy, referring to PAC’s wholly owned retail investment subsidiary New Market Properties LLC. The portfolio sale to Highwoods includes seven properties in Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh. The assets include: • 150 Fayetteville, a 560,000-square-foot tower in downtown Raleigh • Capitol Towers, a two-building complex in Charlotte’s SouthPark …
RANCHO CORDOVA, CALIF. — Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has arranged the fourth and final transaction in the break-up sale strategy of Zinfandel Crossings, a retail property anchored by 99 Cents Only in Rancho Cordova. The firm has brokered the sales of more than $11.4 million in retail properties at the shopping center. Kevin Fryman, Bill Asher and Ed Hanley of Hanley Investment Group represented the seller, a Santa Monica-based private investor. The buyer was a Stockton-based private investor. The final sale was that of a vacant 26,520-square-foot retail building, which was built in 1975 and formerly occupied by Fit Republic. The building is situated on 2.4 acres at 2810 Zinfandel Drive. The asset sold for $1.8 million.
OMAHA, NEB. — Greystone has provided an $11.9 million HUD-insured loan for the refinancing of Heritage Pointe Assisted Living in Omaha. The community features 108 assisted living beds and 20 memory care beds. Amenities include full dining service, recreational activities, exercise facilities, a movie theater and a salon. Eric Rosenstock and Jesse Yodice of Greystone originated the financing on behalf of the borrower, Heritage Communities. The 35-year loan features a fixed interest rate.
JERICHO, N.Y. AND HOUSTON — Kimco Realty Corp. (NYSE: KIM) has announced plans to acquire fellow retail REIT Weingarten Realty Investors (NYSE: WRI) for roughly $3.9 billion. The combined company is expected to have a pro forma equity market capitalization of $12 billion and a pro forma total enterprise value of $20.5 billion. The merger will create a national operating portfolio of 559 open-air, grocery-anchored shopping centers — one of the darlings of commercial real estate during the COVID-19 pandemic — and mixed-use assets comprising 100 million square feet of gross leasable area. In its reasoning for the acquisition, Kimco cited enhanced asset diversification and quality; expanded geographic reach in high-growth, first-ring suburbs of core markets; greater tenant diversity; a more compelling value creation pipeline; operational savings and corporate synergies; earnings accretion and NOI growth opportunities; and an increase in the company’s financial strength and flexibility. “We believe this transaction is a win-win for shareholders of both companies, who will benefit from the upside potential associated with owning the preeminent open-air, grocery-anchored shopping center and mixed-use real estate REIT in the U.S.,” says Conor Flynn, Kimco’s CEO. “This combination reflects our conviction in the grocery-anchored shopping center category, which has …