NEW YORK CITY — Progress Capital has arranged $8.2 million in refinancing for the former Apple Bank Building at 2526 Grand Concourse in the Bronx. The borrower, Madd Equities, plans to use proceeds of the loan to renovate the street- and basement-level retail spaces at the property. Brad Domenico of Progress Capital secured the financing, which includes a 24-month interest-only payment period.
CROMWELL, CONN. — Money360 has funded a $7.5 million bridge loan for a hotel in Cromwell. The financing allows the undisclosed borrower to utilize the cash-out loan proceeds for additional hospitality acquisitions. The 24-month loan features a fixed rate and interest-only payment options. The full-service hotel features 215 guest rooms.
HOUSTON — BBVA Compass, a Birmingham, Ala.-based bank, has provided a $28.1 million loan for the refinancing of Hotel Derek, a 312-room hotel located in Houston’s Galleria neighborhood. The hotel features a 24-hour fitness center, outdoor pool, more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space and an outdoor movie theater. Colby Mueck and Scott Hall of HFF arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower, Lowe Enterprises Investors, a Los Angeles-based advisory and management firm. Lowe has invested more than $8.8 million in upgrades into the property since 2012.
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — NorthMarq Capital has arranged a $15 million loan for Plaza Tower & Courtyard Shops, a 184,000-square-foot office and retail property located at 111 2nd Ave. N.E. and 201 1st St. N.E. in St. Petersburg. Bob Hernandez of NorthMarq arranged the seven-year loan with a 25-year amortization schedule on behalf of the undisclosed borrower. A local community bank provided the funding. The property is home to tenants such as Keller Williams Realty, LIG Marine and Gulfcoast Ultrasound Institute.
HARTFORD, CONN. — KeyBank Real Estate Capital has provided $12.6 million in construction-to-permanent financing to support the redevelopment of an office building located at 101 Pearl St. in downtown Hartford. The long-vacant building will be converted into a 12-story multifamily property featuring 157 market-rate apartment units and 6,113 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Peter Hausherr, Melissa Maher and Kirsten Carlson of Key’s Commercial Mortgage Group arranged the first mortgage financing, which is structured as a three-year construction loan with a five-year balance sheet perm loan, for the undisclosed borrower.
DELAND, FLA. — Hunt Capital Partners has provided $13.4 million in low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) for the development of The Pines, a 100-unit affordable housing community in DeLand, roughly 50 miles north of Orlando. Hunt Capital Partners structured the funding through its multi-investor fund, Hunt Capital Partners Tax Credit Fund 27, on behalf of the project developer, Roundstone Development LLC. The Pines will offer a mix of one- to four-bedroom units, all set aside for households earning up to 40 and 60 percent of the area median income (AMI). Five units will have a preference for “Special Needs Households,” or households consisting of families considered to be homeless, survivors of domestic violence, persons with disabilities or youth aging out of foster care. Community amenities will include onsite management, a clubhouse with a community kitchen, business center, library, fitness center, laundry room, swimming pool and a playground. The development cost for the project is $18.6 million. Bradley Construction Co. Inc. is the general contractor for the project, Brian Rumsey is the architect and Sunchase American Ltd. is the property manager. Construction on The Pines began in December and is slated for completion in January 2019.
PLANO, TEXAS — NXT Capital has provided a $32.5 million loan for the acquisition of a 278-unit, Class B apartment community in Plano. The undisclosed property features multiple pools, on-site laundry services, a tennis court, picnic area and a mail center. Suzanne Jones of NorthMarq Capital placed the loan with NXT Capital. Loan terms and the borrower were not disclosed.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) forecasts the volume of commercial and multifamily mortgages maturing in 2018 will decrease by 42 percent. According to MBA’s 2017 Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Survey of Loan Maturity Volumes, 6 percent, or $102.2 billion, of the $1.76 trillion in mortgages held by non-bank lenders and investors will mature in 2018, down from the $175.9 billion that matured in 2017. “Because many commercial and multifamily mortgages are 10-year loans, and few loans were made in 2008 during the onset of the credit crunch, mortgage maturities will be 42 percent lower in 2018,” says Jamie Woodwell, vice president of commercial real estate research at MBA, a national real estate finance association based in Washington, D.C. “2017 marked the official end of the so called ‘wall of maturities.’” The loan maturities vary by investor group: 2 percent of mortgages held by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA and Ginnie Mae will mature in 2018; 4 percent of life insurance companies’ outstanding mortgages will mature in 2018; 7 percent of loans held in CMBS will come due this year; and among mortgages held by credit companies and other investors, 22 percent will mature in 2018. Woodwell points out …
SAN DIEGO — Michael Fratantoni, chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), fully expects the U.S. national unemployment rate to fall well below 4 percent this year — possibly as low as 3.6 percent — leading to an acceleration in wage growth, inflationary pressures and, ultimately, higher interest rates. Nationally, the unemployment rate stood at 4.1 percent at the end of January. “This is an extraordinarily tight job market,” said the veteran economist, who pointed out that 17 states are approaching record low unemployment rates. His comments came Sunday afternoon during a special economic outlook session at MBA’s Commercial Real Estate Finance/Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo 2018 at the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina. The four-day conference, which concludes tomorrow, has drawn more than 3,300 attendees. Fratantoni appeared on stage with Jamie Woodwell, the association’s vice president of commercial real estate research. Woodwell provided analysis on the state of the property markets and trends in commercial/multifamily mortgage loan originations. Wage pressures mount According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, average hourly earnings for workers on private nonfarm payrolls were 2.9 percent higher in January 2018 than in January 2017. “We’ll be between 3.5 percent and 4 percent for …
BOSTON — Avison Young Capital Markets has arranged a $47 million bridge loan for the gut renovation and repositioning of the Custom House Block and John Hancock Counting House located at 62-70 Long Wharf and 58-60 Long Wharf, respectively, in Boston. David Krasnoff and Michael Buckley of Avison Young secured the financing for the borrower, Capital Properties. The borrower plans to fully rehabilitate the properties, including converting the Custom House Block building into a modernized office space. The John Hancock Counting House is occupied by the Chart House restaurant.