Commercial properties face bursting bubble (Moldova.org)
Rising vacancy rates in U.S. office buildings are pointing to a possibility that a commercial real estate bubble could burst, industry observes said.Vacancy rates have reached 10 percent and are rising quickly in major U.S. cities, The New York Times reported Monday.The Real Estate Roundtable, a lobbying group in Washington, has asked Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr. to include commercial ...

Commercial real estate prognosis (BizJournals)
If 2009 is no worse than 2008, those who own and lease commercial real estate will be relieved.

As Vacant Office Space Grows, So Does Lenders Crisis (The Hendersonville Times-News)
Rising vacancy rates across the country could make it hard for building owners to pay their mortgages.

Commercial real estate (BizJournals)
Two years ago, the biggest problem for the commercial real estate industry was the construction cost for new buildings. For 2009, the problem might be no new buildings.

Proposed downtown office buildings off to mixed starts (BizJournals)
THEN Date: March 14, 2008 Headline: ‘Downtown office towers jump off starting block in tandem’

U.S. Private Equity Firms Seek Bargains in Japanese REIT Market (Commercial Property News)
Japanese REITs, which have lost more than 50 percent of their value on the Tokyo Stock Exchange since their peak last year, are increasingly attracting the attention of U.S.-based private equity firms like Oaktree Capital Management, which has launched the first tender offer for a REIT in Japan.

No federal bailouts for commercial real estate developers (Seattle Times)
The federal government should refuse the latest group with a request for a federal bailout — commercial real-estate developers. The federal infusion of money to shore up financial institutions was reasonable because the potential domino effect of failure threatened international banking system. The U.S. Treasury cannot heal every economic ill, and it needs to draw the line well short of ...

U.K. Commercial Property Index Fell Most on Record in 2008 (Bloomberg)
Jan. 2 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. commercial property companies recorded their worst year in 2008 as real estate values plummeted in the global credit crisis.

More empty office space bodes poorly for banks (Pioneer Press)
Vacancy rates in office buildings exceed 10 percent in virtually every major city in the country and are rising rapidly, a sign of economic distress that could lead to yet another wave of problems for troubled lenders.