By Real Estate Weekly
Commercial real estate lending increased for the fifth consecutive year in the U.S., as a strong fourth quarter capped expansion across lenders and property types, according to the latest research from CBRE.
Loan closings were boosted by the demand for acquisition financing, which accounted for close to one-half of lending volume in 2014.
This demand was boosted further by the increase in property sales, which rose 17 percent in 2014, according to Real Capital Analytics (RCA).
Retail, hotel and specialty property types saw the biggest gains in lending volume in 2014, as investors appeared to focus more attention on high-yielding property types and secondary markets, with cap rates remaining tight across the major property categories.
