Stocks eye health reform, housing, Greece

2010-03-19T16:45:08Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Washington's bid to put finishing touches on healthcare reform this weekend should help lift uncertainty on Wall Street, but there may be some turbulence along the way next week as the recent rally appears to be fraying.</p><p>Democratic leaders in the Boston Properties votes to pay dividend of 50 cents</div><div><p>Real estate investment trust Boston Properties Inc. said Friday its board declared a quarterly dividend of 50 cents.</p><p>The dividend is payable April 30 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 31.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/image...

Economy drives families together under one roof

2010-03-19T08:45:27Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - The recession slowed most homebuilding in the United States to a standstill but it has fueled demand for a special kind of housing: the granny flat.</p><p>As unemployment hovers around 10 percent and healthcare costs spiral upward, homebuyers like Stephan...

Tax gains drive profits for homebuilders

2010-03-18T11:01:45Z

<div id="subtitle">Large homebuilders recouping housing boom-era taxes and eking out profits</div><div><p>It's tax season, and the IRS is being particularly generous to some of the nation's largest homebuilders.</p><p>Several publicly traded companies, including Lennar Corp.,

Granite Construction gets WTC PATH contract

2010-03-17T15:45:30Z

<div id="subtitle">Granite Construction, Skanska USA get $542M contract for PATH station at Trade Center site</div><div><p>Granite Construction Inc., a contractor and producer of construction materials, said Wednesday it is part of a joint venture that received a $542 million contract with the

Bad weather depresses housing starts in February

2010-03-16T12:32:35Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. housing starts fell last month as winter storms disrupted construction, and another drop in building permits suggested the weakness would linger.</p><p>Though the data on Tuesday was an indication home building would clip economic growth in the first quarter, it was not as weak as analysts had expected, and groundb...

Housing starts, permits fall in February

2010-03-16T06:00:20Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Housing starts and permits to build new homes both fell in February as winter storms in some parts of the country disrupted home building, a government report showed on Tuesday.</p><p>The Commerce Department said housing starts fell 5.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 575,000 ...

Ahead of the Bell: Housing starts

2010-03-16T03:45:08Z

<div id="subtitle">Housing construction likely slipped in February in part because of severe winter snowstorms</div><div><p>Housing construction, which hit a six-month high in January, likely slipped in February, reflecting in part the major snowstorms that hit many parts of the country. The housing industry in good times is a major generator of jobs and economic growth.</p><p>Economists surveyed by Grosse Pointe Park, Mich. The National Association of Home Builders releases its housing market index for March on Monday, March 15. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

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Homebuilder sentiment index falls in March

2010-03-15T13:18:08Z

<div id="subtitle">Homebuilder sentiment index drops in March as weather, foreclosures put damper on outlook</div><div><p>Harsh winter weather and competition from deeply discounted foreclosures are putting a damper on sales prospects for homebuilders.</p><p>The National Association of Home Builders said Monday its housing market index, which tracks indust...

Back to Basics For Commercial Mortgage Loans

2010-03-14T20:00:25Z

The need for small business owners to be prepared for an extremely difficult commercial lending environment is a primary emphasis in this discussion about "getting back to basics" for commercial real estate loans. Because of the recent ineffectiveness that continues to prevail with commercial banking, obtaining commercial mortgage loans can no longer be taken for granted by small businesses. Small business borrowers are increasingly likely to have less resources and leverage than large corpor...

Saul Centers declares quarterly dividend of 36c

2010-03-12T14:32:13Z

<div id="subtitle">Saul Centers declares quarterly dividend of 36 cents per common share</div><div><p>Saul Centers Inc. declared a quarterly dividend of 36 cents per common share. The dividend will be paid on April 30, 2010 to shareholders of record on April 16, 2010.</p><p>The real estate investment trust also declared a quarterly dividend of 50 cents per depository share for its 8 percent Seri...

China to crack down on land misuse

2010-03-12T03:16:06Z

<div><p>China will launch a nationwide campaign to crack down on the real estate industry as it tries to rein in sky-rocketing property prices, state media said Friday.</p><p>The five-month crackdown will begin by targetting land hoarding and price speculation this month, said Liao Yonglin, a senior official at the Ministry of Land and Resource...

Dubai creditors to get multiple options -sources

2010-03-10T07:00:39Z

<div><p>DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Lenders to Dubai World will get a range of options including full repayment once Abu Dhabi decides how much additional support it will provide its debt-strapped neighbor, sources close to the discussions said.</p><p>Bankers in

HFF elects 2 new directors to board

2010-03-05T15:33:59Z

<div id="subtitle">HFF elects private investment firm president to board, elects new lead independent director</div><div><p>HFF Inc., which provides commercial real estate services, said Friday it has elected the president of a private investment firm, Steven E. Wheeler, to its board.</p><p>HFF also said that a current member,

Orleans Homebuilders gets financing approval

2010-03-05T15:15:16Z

<div id="subtitle">Orleans Homebuilders, in bankruptcy protection, gets financing approval</div><div><p>The developer Orleans Homebuilders Inc. said Friday that it has received approval from a Delaware bankruptcy court for financing to continue operating after filing for Chapter 11 protection.</p><p>The builder said it received inte...

General Growth shares rise in Big Board return

2010-03-05T08:46:02Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of General Growth Properties <GGP.N> rose on Friday, their first day back on the New York Stock Exchange, even as the U.S. m...

How to make 19% dividends from bonds

2010-03-03T19:15:33Z

<div id="subtitle">Mortgage REITs could be right for your portfolio</div><div><p>Last week, I told my 12% Letter readers to invest in mortgage bonds. I can just imagine their reaction when they read my advice... "Tom, you want me to invest in mortgages?! Are you crazy? Aren't they the terrible investments that have been causing problems for banks and the economy in general?" Well... Yes, that's true. Between 2002 and 2008,

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