Community Banks

South Florida banks seek survival strategies It’s been a tough year for banks, but those who made wise choices during the boom years have softened the blow.

Taxes, insurance, security: It’s all part of foreclosure nightmare Richard Purdy of BankUnited said he’s seen foreclosed homes with nothing left inside — even with the bathtub gone.

Economic woes strike heavy blow to bottom line of South Florida banks Among the banks to actually lose money in 2007 were two of the region’s largest: Miami-based Ocean Bank and Fort Lauderdale’s BankAtlantic.

Banking charts

Download the pdf

Retail Guide: 2008

Weathering the storm Regionally, overall vacancy rates remain low compared with a year ago and rental rates are not dropping — yet.

Demand for trendy Lincoln Road keeps lease rates at the high end Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road posted strong rent growth in 2007 and continues to attract high-end retailers, but the fashionable South Beach street’s wealth of success is not the norm in South Florida.

West Palm leasing market has Jekyll-and-Hyde complex For retailers, it’s almost as if downtown West Palm Beach has been split in two markets — one prospering, the other down on its luck.

Retail Guide Chart

Download the pdf

Special Report: Top Dealmakers 2007

Dealmaking is more of an art form than a science.  And the people who make the transactions happen are usually not the face of the deal. In our weekly Dealmakers section, the Daily Business Review aims to report about the professionals behind the scenes who really make the deals happen — brokers and transactional lawyers.

Click here
Download the pdf

Special Report: Securities Fraud

Scams: If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is
Boom or recession, the lures used by investment fraudsters to target their victims stay pretty much the same.

Click here

Special Report: 2008 Economic Forecast

Time to hold on tight
South Florida’s job growth has slowed after driving the region’s economy for years, and pressure to trim payrolls could become more pervasive with uncertainty about the ultimate depth of the housing slump.

Amid talk of doom and gloom, some whispers
The lending forecast for 2008 is much of the same — dark and stormy. Miami-based banking consultant Ken Thomas summed it in 'Two words: credit crunch.'

Industry reports

Click here
Download the pdf

Special Report: Wealth Management Roundtable

Wealthy investors have turned away from real estate in favor of commodities and expanded international holdings in search of higher yields. Their advisers are keeping up with tax debates, regulatory compliance and other industry changes as they tend to the needs of newly minted millionaires and long-term clients producing a third generation of affluence.

Click here

Special Report: Real Estate's Biggest Deals

The crumbling housing market, fueled in part by defaulted loans, is having a ripple effect on commercial real estate in South Florida. Lenders are demanding more cash at closings and expecting healthy cash flow on commercial properties, leaving it to deep-pocket pension funds, hedge funds and institutional investors to seal most of the big deals.

Click here

Special Report: South Florida Commercial Real Estate Annual Report

How high is too high
Bloated prices and jittery lenders have shaken the market. Insiders yearn for stability that may be long in coming.

Click here
Downloand the pdf

Condo Lending

A wave of condo foreclosures will be hard to dodge. Big banks, the most public face of the crisis, say they will have it easy.

Click here
Download the pdf

Industrial Leasing Guide:

Industrial Revolution
Commercial lending for industrial development is much more competitive as residential real estate fades.

Miami, Broward and Palm Beach County Charts

Click here
Download the pdf

Preparing for the Storm:

Wilma wakeup
After a relatively quiet 2006 season, builders and developers are keeping their guard up as the 2007 hurricane season approaches.

Law firms focus on backing up everything
Last year’s quiet hurricane season hasn’t lulled South Florida law firms into a false sense of security.

Click here