Fitch: REOs represent one third of CMBS delinquencies

By Kerri Ann Panchuk
• May 11, 2012 • 1:35pm

Real estate-owned properties now make up one-third of all U.S. commercial–mortgage backed securities delinquencies, Fitch Ratings said Friday.

The latest index results from Fitch show U.S. CMBS delinquencies rose for two months in a row while the volume of REO assets continued to climb.

Late-pays increased 10-basis points in April to 8.53%, compared to 8.43% in March. Fitch said the upswing in late pays was expected with many five-year loans first originated in 2007 starting to come due.  New delinquencies from that year topped $1 billion in each of the last three months, Fitch said.

Multifamily delinquencies led the way with a delinquency rate of 11.64%, compared to 12.61% in March. The hotel delinquency rate fell slightly from 10.35% in March to 10.20% in April. Industrial loans declined from 10.91% to 9.34%, while office loans increased from 7.99% to 8.36%. Retail delinquencies were the lowest at 7.39% in April, compared to 7.23% a month earlier.

Fitch highlighted industrial and multifamily CMBS loans as areas of notable improvement, while CMBS loans on office space remained a major concern.

"Over $4 billion in loans from 2007 have defaulted on either their balloon or regular payments since the start of this year," said Mary MacNeill, managing direct of Fitch. "While real-estate owned assets typically experience higher loss severities, liquidating these assets will eventually help bring down the CMBS delinquency rate."

kpanchuk@housingwire.com

More In Lending

In January 2014, the qualified mortgage rule issued by the Consumer Federal Protection Bureau takes effect. As the date draws near, concerns from industry professionals continue to grow.

Climbing mortgage rates have yet to disrupt home affordability—a trend that's likely to continue through the rest of this year, Freddie Mac claims in a new report.