Commercial lending is slowing down a bit (to normal levels), but overall the trend is still upwards. The painstakingly detailed article is on NREI Online.
Below is a reference to John B. Levy & Co., a real estate investment banking firm here based here in Richmond, VA. I like to see locally-based companies referenced in the national media, so kudos to John B. Levy!
Link: Lending is up — again.
Even if CMBS lending in 2006 fails to top 2005’s record performance, volumes remain staggeringly high, according to John B. Levy, principal of John B. Levy & Co., a real estate investment banking firm in Richmond, Va. “We’ve gotten used to such a Herculean growth spike that when it comes back down to just reasonable, it looks like a disappointment,” Levy says. “Maybe growth is leveling off, but it’s leveling off at an incredibly high number.”