Thursday, April 10, 2008

RealtyTrac and Reliance Network Forge Partnership Agreement for Web-Based IDX and Lead Capture Solutions


Real-Time Foreclosure Data From RealtyTrac Fed Seamlessly to Reliance Network Clients

IRVINE, CA– April 10, 2008 – RealtyTrac™ (http://www.realtytrac.com/), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, and Reliance Network LLC (http://www.reliancenetwork.com/), a leading developer of Web-based applications for real estate companies and agents, today announced a new agreement and strategic partnership that will allow Reliance Network’s clients to have real-time access to RealtyTrac’s nationwide foreclosure database of default, auction and bank-owned properties.

Several Reliance Network clients will start receiving the data immediately.

“This is an exciting partnership between Reliance Network and RealtyTrac,” said Rick Sharga, (top left photo) vice president of marketing at RealtyTrac. “This new search application will pull real-time data directly from RealtyTrac’s nationwide foreclosure database, providing users of Reliance Network-powered websites with a method to access distressed properties, including properties in pre-foreclosure, auction or bank-owned properties. That in turn will help drive more traffic and leads to the agent websites.”

With real estate in a downturn in most markets nationwide, the foreclosure marketplace is one of the few growing areas in real estate. During 2007, there were more than 2.2 million foreclosure filings — default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions — reported on more than 1.2 million properties nationwide, a 75 percent increase in total filings from 2006.

“We are delighted to complete the integration of RealtyTrac’s database into the Reliance Network website system,” said Mike Soroker, Reliance Network’s CEO. “We are always looking to enhance our product service offering to our client’s customers, and the addition of RealtyTrac and its leadership position certainly meets with this goal. Both Reliance Network and RealtyTrac are well positioned to take advantage of the ever changing real estate market.”

Mike Bujnowski, Reliance Network COO, added: “We are fortunate to partner with RealtyTrac because they share our common demonstrated belief in providing high-quality, technically sound product resources to consumers. As our partnership expands and develops, we expect to deliver even more product services our users will value.”


MEDIA CONTACT:

Tammy Chan
Atomic PR
415-402-0230
tammy@atomicpr.com
http://www.realtytrac.com/.


Arbor Closes $2.8M Fannie Mae DUS® 3MaxExpress® Loan for Hillcrest Hampton in Orlando, FL


UNIONDALE, NY-- Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC (“Arbor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, announced the recent funding of a $2,800,000 loan under the Fannie Mae DUS® 3MaxExpress® product line to finance the 156-unit complex known as Hillcrest Hampton (photo above) in Orlando, FL.

The 10-year loan amortizes on a 30-year schedule and carries a note rate of 5.84 percent.

The loan was originated by Peter Blass, (top right photo) Director, in Arbor’s full-service New York, NY lending office. “The property is one of Orlando’s most affordable properties,” said Blass. “It has undergone a large amount of rehabilitation upgrades, making the property a very desirable place to live.”

* DUS and 3MaxExpress are registered marks of Fannie Mae

CONTACT:
Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC
Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.
333 Earle Ovington Blvd, Suite 900
Uniondale, NY 11553
Ingrid Principe
Tel: (516) 506-4298



Falling U.S. Commercial Lines Prices Could Result In A Negative Sector Outlook, S&P Report Says

NEW YORK --The U.S. commercial lines property/casualty insurance pricing cycle has been the center of growing debate in recent months, according to an article published April 9 by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services.


(Photo at right is Federal Reserve Bank, Washington, DC)


The article, which is titled "As U.S. Commercial Lines P/C Prices Fall Further, It's Time For Insurers To Sink Or Swim," says that Standard & Poor's believes that if price declines continue at their current pace, it will likely revise the outlooks on some commercial lines insurers to negative in the second half of 2008, which could lead to a negative outlook for the commercial lines sector toward the end of the year.


A negative sector outlook signals that we expect downgrades to exceed upgrades in the following 12 months.


Primary commercial lines pricing has been steadily declining since 2005, but until recently, the decrease has been fairly modest, and it followed a run-up in rates that began in 2001. However, in the second half of 2007, the rate of decline accelerated, and this trend has continued into 2008.



The negative impact of declining prices--combined with increasing loss costs--is compressing economic margins, and this will increasingly show up in reported earnings. The potential impact of falling rates on earnings in 2008 and, particularly, 2009 would be the main reason for revising the outlooks on individual companies and, ultimately, the commercial lines sector.



How quickly this occurs will vary by insurer and depend on the market it serves, the accounts it writes, and its competitive position relative to other insurers in those business segments.


Prices in many lines have been dropping very quickly, with some long-tail casualty lines likely to produce underwriting losses in 2008. Other lines, though suffering price declines, still should produce results close to historical norms. The position of any given company will be determined by its target market, its distribution, and its ability to manage its risks.

Although Standard & Poor's continues to believe that the ERM capabilities of the industry in aggregate augur a soft landing for this cycle, there will inevitably be individual companies that are outliers in their performance.

Media Contact:
Jeff Sexton, New York,
(1) 212-438-3448

Analyst Contacts:
Damien Magarelli, New York (1) 212-438-6975
Steven Ader, New York (1) 212-438-1447
John Iten, New York (1) 212-438-1757
Thomas Upton, New York (1) 212-438-7249
Siddhartha Ghosh, New York (1) 212-438-1466

Hunter Realty Associates, Inc. Brokers SpringHill Suites Transaction



Florida Property Purchased By Apple Hospitality REIT


ATLANTA, GA—Hunter Realty Associates, Inc., a leading national hotel investment services firm, represented and advised the seller in the recent sale of the SpringHill Suites (photo above) in Sanford, Fla.

The 105-suite property was purchased by Apple Hospitality REIT and will retain the Marriott flag. Bob Hunter, (top left photo) president of Hunter Realty, and Lee Hunter, (top right photo) executive vice president, brokered the transaction.

“The Sanford SpringHill Suites attracted a good deal of interest, with Sanford’s proximity to Orlando and the appeal of its Marriott-affiliated brand,” Lee Hunter said.

“Despite current market uncertainties, the transaction went smoothly and our client received great value for this asset. We expect well-located and well-branded properties of this caliber to continue to do well in 2008 and that there will be plenty of good opportunities for experienced buyers and sellers.”

Located at 201 North Towne Road in Sanford, between Daytona Beach and Orlando, the SpringHill Suites Orlando North/Sanford features an outdoor pool and Jacuzzi, meeting space for up to 90 people and boardroom seating for 14.

About Hunter Realty Associates, Inc.

Hunter Realty Associates, Inc., a leading national hotel investment services firm, is uniquely positioned to provide investment asset advice to hotel investors and hotel companies. The firm’s vast network of industry contacts and relationships is a result of Hunter Realty’s 30- year history of exceptional service to the hotel investment community.

Hunter founded and organizes the Hotel Investment Conference, an annual gathering of the top hotel executives for an important summit on current trends affecting the industry. Providing a boutique, client- oriented focus, Hunter services span the spectrum of industry transactions from single asset investment sales to strategic portfolio dispositions and acquisitions.

CONTACT:
Melanie Boyer
Account Executive
Daly Gray Public Relations
(703) 435-6293

HFF Arranges $32.98M Financing for Downtown Portland, OR Multifamily High-Rise




LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles and Portland offices of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) announced today that they arranged $32.98 million in financing for Harrison Tower Apartments, (above photo) a 185-unit, high-rise multifamily community in downtown Portland, Oregon.


Working on behalf of JB Matteson, Inc. (JBM), HFF senior managing director Paul Brindley, (right top photo) director Tina Derderian (in Los Angeles) and associate director Tom Wilson (in Portland) placed the three-year, adjustable-rate loan with a private west coast-based bridge lender. Loan proceeds were used to acquire the 100% vacant property from a local developer who had renovated the project to sell as condominiums.

“We were pleased with the responses we had from the capital markets,” said Brindley. “When you have great sponsorship, a strong market and a strong asset along with conservative leverage the capital opportunities are active.”


Located at 222 Southwest Harrison in the south end of Portland’s downtown, Harrison Tower Apartments is conveniently near the downtown core and other popular areas including the Northwest 23rd District, Pearl District and South Waterfront.
Nearby transportation includes light rail service, several bus lines and a street car stop directly in front of the property. The 24-story tower has 176 newly-renovated units each with a deck and floor-to-ceiling windows. Harrison Tower Apartments also includes nine attached townhome units that JBM plans to renovate along with building a new fitness center overlooking the pool.


JBM is an affiliate of The Matteson Companies, a family of diversified real estate investment, development and management companies with an office and apartment portfolio valued in excess of $1.3 billion.


HFF (NYSE: HF) operates out of 18 offices nationwide and is a leading provider of commercial real estate and capital markets services to the U.S. commercial real estate industry. HFF offers clients a fully integrated national capital markets platform including debt placement, investment sales, structured finance, private equity, note sales and note sale advisory services and commercial loan servicing.

CONTACTS:
Laurie Fish McDowell
HFF Associate Director, Marketing
One Post Office Square, Suite 3500
Boston, MA 02109
tel 617.338.0990
fax 617.338.2150

Paul C. Brindley
HFF Senior Managing Director
(310) 407-2100

Thomas F. Wilson
HFF Associate Director
(503) 224-0444

PMI Mortgage Insurance Rating Lowered To 'AA-', Stays On Watch Neg, After Downgrade On Parent



(Skyline photo of Melbourne, Australia)



MELBOURNE , Australia—Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has lowered its insurer financial strength rating on the Australian mortgage insurer PMI Mortgage Insurance Ltd. (PMI Australia) by one notch to 'AA-' from 'AA'. The rating remains on CreditWatch with negative implications, where they were initially placed on Feb. 13, 2008.


The rating action follows the downgrade of PMI Australia's U.S.-based parent PMI Mortgage Insurance Co. (PMI Co.) on April 8, 2008 (please refer to research update titled, "Ratings on Four U.S. Mortgage Insurers Lowered To Reflect Greater-Than-Expected Housing Slump") to 'A+' with a negative outlook
Standard & Poor's lowered its ratings on PMI Co. by two notches because of the challenges confronting the mortgage and housing sectors in the U.S. PMI Co. also has above-average concentrations of risk-in-force from adjustable-rate mortgages and loans with reduced documentation.


"The 'AA-' rating on PMI Australia reflects the company's current stand-alone credit profile, which has superior business and operating characteristics relative to the rest of its U.S.-based parent," Standard & Poor's credit analyst Maryanne Galea said.


"We consider that PMI Australia has a strong business and financial position, including a substantial domestic market presence that is not much reliant on the parent, and benefits from the strong Australian prudential regulatory regime. The PMI Australia rating is also underpinned by the company's present corporate governance, including the number and expertise of its independent board directors, and the track record of the supportive parent-subsidiary relationship."

Media Contact:
Jeff Sexton, New York
(1) 212-438-3448

Analyst Contacts:
Maryanne Galea, Melbourne (61) 3-9631-2085
Michael Vine, Melbourne (61) 3-9631-2102

Arbor Closes $130,587,800 Fannie Mae DUS® Loan for Midland/Odessa Portfolio in Midland, Odessa & Longview, TX


UNIONDALE, NY--Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC (“Arbor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, announced the recent funding of a $130,587,800 loan under the Fannie Mae DUS® product line to acquire 21 properties totaling 3,128 units known as the Midland/Odessa Portfolio (above photo is one of the properties in the portfolio) in Midland, Odessa, & Longview, TX.

The 10-year loan amortizes on a 30-year schedule and carries a note rate of 5.67 percent.

The loan was originated by Jay Porterfield, (top right photo) Director, in Arbor’s full-service Plano, Texas lending office. “The broker and borrower came to us after the deal had stalled with another lender,” said Porterfield.
“Arbor was able to mobilize a team to underwrite and close the loan in less than 60 days, a period that included the holiday season and a fire that damaged one of the properties. The deal was very smooth from start to finish, which was a result of the hard work by every member of the Arbor team. The broker and borrower were very pleased with the entire process.”

Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC, Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, and Arbor Realty Trust, Inc., have extensive experience in mortgage origination, servicing and securitization and have built a reputation for service, quality and flexibility. Arbor’s seasoned management team specializes in debt and equity financing for multifamily, office, retail, hotel and various other
commercial real estate properties.
The company offers a broad array of financing options including Fannie Mae DUS®, FHA, CMBS, Bridge and Mezzanine products. Currently, Arbor services approximately $3 billion in loans. Arbor is a rated Standard & Poor’s third-party commercial loan and special servicer.

Arbor also manages Arbor Realty Trust, Inc., a real estate investment trust, (REIT), formed to invest in real estate-related bridge and mezzanine loans, preferred equity investments and in limited cases, discounted mortgage notes and other real estate related assets. Arbor is headquartered in Uniondale, NY, and has full-service lending offices throughout the United States.

* DUS and 3MaxExpress are registered marks of Fannie Mae

CONTACT:
Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC
Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.
333 Earle Ovington Blvd, Suite 900
Uniondale, NY 11553
Ingrid Principe
Tel: (516) 506-4298

Arbor Closes $2.048M Fannie Mae DUS® 3MaxExpress® Loan on Clearview Apartments in Fall River, MA


UNIONDALE, NY--Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC (“Arbor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, announced the recent funding of a $2,048,000 loan under the Fannie Mae DUS® 3MaxExpress® product line to acquire the 49-unit complex known as Clearview Apartments (above photo) in Fall River, MA.

The 5-year loan amortizes on a 30-year schedule and carries a note rate of 5.63 percent.

The loan was originated by John Kelly, (top right photo) Director, in Arbor’s full-service Boston, MA lending office. “Arbor was pleased to provide financing for this acquisition,” said Kelly. “Our client is taking over a complex with an excellent track record in a great location.”

* DUS and 3MaxExpress are registered marks of Fannie Mae

CONTACT:
Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC
Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.
333 Earle Ovington Blvd, Suite 900
Uniondale, NY 11553
Ingrid Principe
Tel: (516) 506-4298

Arbor Closes $50.3M Fannie Mae DUS® Loan for Ragan Colorado Springs Portfolio in Colorado Springs, CO


UNIONDALE, NY--Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC (“Arbor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, announced the recent funding of a $50,300,000 loan under the Fannie Mae DUS® program to refinance seven properties totaling 1,178 units known as Ragan Colorado Springs Portfolio in Colorado Springs, CO. (Ragan Timbers property in above photo)

The 10-year loan amortizes on a 30-year schedule and carries a note rate of 5.53 percent.

The loan was originated by Jay Porterfield, (top right photo) Director, in Arbor’s full-service Plano, TX lending office.
“Arbor was able to step in when another lender began to stall,” said Porterfield. “We accepted the application right before the holiday season and were able to close the loan 45 days later. Additionally, we were able to accommodate an early rate lock for the borrower at a time when rates dipped. The broker and the borrower were very pleased with Arbor’s performance throughout the process.”

Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC, Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, and Arbor Realty Trust, Inc., have extensive experience in mortgage origination, servicing and securitization and have built a reputation for service, quality and flexibility. Arbor’s seasoned management team specializes in debt and equity financing for multifamily, office, retail, hotel and various other commercial real estate properties.
The company offers a broad array of financing options including Fannie Mae DUS®, FHA, CMBS, Bridge and Mezzanine products. Currently, Arbor services approximately $3 billion in loans. Arbor is a rated Standard & Poor’s third-party commercial loan and special servicer.

Arbor also manages Arbor Realty Trust, Inc., a real estate investment trust, (REIT), formed to invest in real estate-related bridge and mezzanine loans, preferred equity investments and in limited cases, discounted mortgage notes and other real estate related assets. Arbor is headquartered in Uniondale, NY, and has full-service lending offices throughout the United States.

* DUS and 3MaxExpress are registered marks of Fannie Mae

CONTACT:
Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC
Arbor Realty Trust, Inc.
333 Earle Ovington Blvd, Suite 900
Uniondale, NY 11553
Ingrid Principe
Tel: (516) 506-4298