CRE

Unity Bancorp in Clinton, N.J., has bought its corporate headquarters building for $4.12 million.

United Security Bancshares in Thomasville, Ala., has agreed to buy a three-acre parcel near Birmingham, Ala., for a new executive office and retail branch.

Citizens Financial Group will build a new office complex in Johnston, R.I., and consolidate about 3,200 workers at the location.

Market volatility and new regulatory burdens are thinning the ranks of commercial mortgage lenders that underwrite loans for securitizations. Activity is slowing down as a result, and it is unclear if banks and insurers will fill the void, especially outside the largest cities.

There's nothing like the threat of a corporate relocation to prod government economic development officials into action.

There is concern that a decline in condo pricing could create loan problems similar to those that cropped up before the financial crisis. Bankers in the area, however, believe foreign investors would take the biggest hit.

In an interview, Comptroller Thomas Curry expressed concern about eroding loan standards and the potential for crippling cyberattacks. But he also argued that the industry is much stronger than it was a decade ago.

Competition among lenders for commercial mortgages has driven down interest rates, margins and underwriting standards, and now it's helped drive one lender out of the business.

The Current Expected Loss Credit model will help to quantify bankers' intuition and can be built with readily available data.

The Federal Reserve's interest rate increase has commercial real estate debt and equity financing players even more upbeat about their prospects in 2016.

Consumer credit is better than ever before, even as Americans households have started levering up. But the big question for banks looking to re-commit to consumer lending is how.

Community bank executives are wary about the year ahead. Cybersecurity threats, the real possibility of even tighter margins after the Federal Reserve acts, and compliance woes are among their concerns.

The best commercial lenders take enough interest in their clients to speak up when they see credit as not serving the long-term success of a company.

Banks face a growing risk of complacency given years of improved credit quality. They should periodically evaluate the status of loans and underlying collateral to make sure they proactively manage risk.

People’s United Financial in Bridgeport, Conn., has dismissed three employees in the wake of alleged fraud on commercial real estate loans.

Presuming that medium-sized banks that offer hedging products face added interest-rate-risk fears misses the full story.

Los Angeles-based marketplace lender AssetAvenue has named a new chief executive.

Recent industry’s analysis of the credit market is too good to be believed or sustained, which should raise red flags for everyone.

Cullen/Frost Bankers will consolidate about 175 employees at a new office tower in Fort Worth, Texas, for which it will also be the anchor tenant.

Old National said that by owning the branches instead of leasing them, it would have greater control of the properties, classify the branches as assets on its balance sheet and become more efficient.