(From the FT.com) US Federal Reserve policymakers are increasingly urging fiscal authorities to consider reducing distressed borrowers’ loan balances, a politically fraught position for a central bank that has long sought to distance itself from fiscal policy. (more…)

The Santa Clarita Valley experienced a 9.1 percent increase, the largest percentage increase in occupancy among Los Angeles markets, when comparing January through August 2011 and the same time period in 2010, according to PKF Hospitality Research’ August 2011 Trends report. (more…)

(From the Financial Times) The default rate for commercial mortgages in the US climbed to a fresh 16-year high in the third quarter of this year, as the property market continued to struggle under the weight of tight credit and falling rents. (more…)