WASHINGTON, DC—Census Bureau data show March slowdowns for new starts in both housing sectors; NAHB's Robert Dietz sees "a return to a long-run, gradual growth trend that is consistent with builder confidence levels."

NEW YORK CITY—Still a small portion of troubled CMBS loans overall, 2.0 securitizations in special servicing have seen triple-digit increases year over year, while delinquencies from these vintages have ticked upward since 2015 ended.

LONDON—Sovereign wealth funds remain "highly sophisticated and resilient investors who are increasingly becoming involved in alternative assets and direct investment," says Andrew Moylan at Preqin.

NEW YORK CITY—More than twice its predecessor's size, Brookfield Strategic Real Estate Partners II demonstrates that "private capital demand for real estate investment with a strong global sponsor has not abated," says Brookfield Property's Brian Kingston.

MINNEAPOLIS—The search for office space would benefit enormously from the type of transformative technology that has created demand-driven marketplaces in other sectors, Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq's Peter Fitzgerald writes in this EXCLUSIVE commentary.

NEW YORK CITY—The 200-block rezoning is the first neighborhood plan developed under the de Blasio administration's Housing New York program.

HARTFORD, CT—Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers originated the loan for a Blackstone affiliate that has acquired a four-property portfolio of hotels geared toward business travelers.

BOISE, ID—"We got comfortable with the assets quickly and crafted both bridge and permanent solutions which addressed specific property situations," says A10 EVP Jared Frothinger.