KKR is tapping the commercial mortgage securities market to finance a new loan secured by a portfolio of 71 industrial “last-mile” logistics properties owned by the investment firm in seven states.

Lenders are rallying around a bill from Sen. Rubio that would give them access to another $50 billion under the 7(a) program. It could face obstacles in the House, where a bill favors direct lending by the Small Business Administration.

The actions include cutting the federal funds rate to between 0% and 0.25% and other steps to ease economic stress from the spread of the coronavirus.

Increased refinancing volume led Fannie Mae to raise its 2020 estimate by $300 billion and 2021 projection by $280 billion.

Not so long after Treasury bond yields experienced an unprecedented drop, the average 30-year mortgage rate rose, reflecting volatility related to the coronavirus as well as capacity issues on multiple levels.

GreatAmerica Financial in Iowa is looking to form a bank so it can offer more products to small and midsize companies.

Wells Fargo reports senior bondholders still hold significant protections against a worldwide slowdown in travel or a decline in aircraft values despite the reclassification of the global coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic.

Prices for major term loans issued by operators such as Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide and Caesars Entertainment have fallen in recent weeks as investors grow worried about the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on global tourist and business travel.

Banks may be protected from a direct hit, but they have invested in vehicles that include such loans, potentially exposing them to defaults.

Terry Wakefield, a technology consultant who helped launch Fannie Mae's mortgage-backed securities business and form Prudential Home Mortgage, has died. He was 70.

The North Carolina company will hold onto the loans after the Fed's decision to slash interest rates.

The falling rates continue a three-year trend of improving performance across numerous commercial mortgage sectors including multifamily, office and retail.