Commercial Real Estate

Surprisingly this isn't the title of an alarmist book by an obscure author urging you to buy krugerrands and remote arable property. Instead it's a sober, substantive quantitative analysis series by Deutsche Bank's very smart Richard Parkus.

Many readers have queried how it is that investors could be so stupid to invest capital, either secured, mezzanine or heaven forbid, equity, in commercial real estate properties over the past several months. Zero Hedge would like to present some of the key pages from an investment solicitation book prepared by a major investment bank, which delineates just how it was that some of these very firms that now report massive profits, effectively took a complete piece of excrement and repackaged it as something that investors may actually generate returns on.

Developing story: from Goldman conference call.

Til Schuermann, VP of Financial Intermediation at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, is testifying today on issues in Commercial Real Estate, and his prepared remarks essentially drown the prospect of green shoots in the context of CRE.

Imminently, Zero Hedge will present some of its recently percolating theories about some oddly convenient coincidences we have witnessed in the commercial real estate market. However, for now I focus on some additional facts about why the unprecedented economic deterioration and the resulting epic drop in commercial real estate values could result in over $1 trillion in upcoming headaches for financial institutions, investors and the administration.

Imminently, Zero Hedge will present some of its recently percolating theories about some oddly convenient coincidences we have witnessed in the commercial real estate market. However, for now I focus on some additional facts about why the unprecedented economic deterioration and the resulting epic drop in commercial real estate values could result in over $1 trillion in upcoming headaches for financial institutions, investors and the administration.

An amusing article in the WSJ today discusses the newfound sweeping hope across the REIT space. The hope, by the way, has to do with the recent stock offerings by SPG, AMB and KIM (the last one Zero Hedge had quite a few things to say about). WSJ provides a good assessment of the situation:

Vacancies are still zooming up and property values are still crashing down.

An amusing article in the WSJ today discusses the newfound sweeping hope across the REIT space. The hope, by the way, has to do with the recent stock offerings by SPG, AMB and KIM (the last one Zero Hedge had quite a few things to say about). WSJ provides a good assessment of the situation:

Vacancies are still zooming up and property values are still crashing down.

Unlike the administration, which deals in hope and promises, Zero Hedge believes that facts and empirical evidence tend to have a more justifiable reflection in securities prices. As such, I present a snapshot of the factual deterioration across the entire securitized CRE landscape, and the sad conclusion that with each passing day the inherent cash generating capability of these "assets" is becoming worse and worse. I hope to make this into a recurring piece every week.

At first opportunity (but not for a few days) I will write an extended post on the cash flow dynamics of both CRE whole loans and CMBS. There seems to be too much confusion on the topic, which is at the heart of the "is the price fair/is it not fair" argument for the toxic asset bid/offer disconnect in the PPIP. Below is a good chart I tracked down which shows the most recent prices on sub-AAA CMBX tranches, and how this flows through in terms of spreads, loss rates, loss timings, average deal losses and a market-to-base case (flat loss assumption) ratio.

At first opportunity (but not for a few days) I will write an extended post on the cash flow dynamics of both CRE whole loans and CMBS. There seems to be too much confusion on the topic, which is at the heart of the "is the price fair/is it not fair" argument for the toxic asset bid/offer disconnect in the PPIP. Below is a good chart I tracked down which shows the most recent prices on sub-AAA CMBX tranches, and how this flows through in terms of spreads, loss rates, loss timings, average deal losses and a market-to-base case (flat loss assumption) ratio.

The Moody's/REAL Commercial Property Price Index posted a 5.5% decline from December, representing the largest drop in its history. Price are now down 19.1% from a year ago and 15.4% lower than two years ago.

New York, March 19, 2009 -- Commercial real estate prices as measured by Moody's/REAL Commercial Property Price Indices (CPPI) decreased in January by 5.5% from the previous month. The January decline was the largest in the history of the index, which has followed commercial real estate prices since December 2000.