NewsReal

comitini.com newsreal: Liu says mayor wants to take over Battery Park City

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:39:48 -0500

[ jump to original item: Liu says mayor wants to take over Battery Park City ] After grabbing Governors Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park from the state, Mayor Bloomberg has now set his sights on a new acquisition: Battery Park City. Bloomberg’s office asked Comptroller John Liu earlier this year to study the feasibility of taking over Battery Park City, which is now under the state’s jurisdiction

comitini.com newsreal: Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn Is Given Superfund Status

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:07:51 -0500

[ jump to original item: Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn Is Given Superfund Status ] The federal Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it was designating the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn a contaminated Superfund site, opening the way for a cleanup of the long-polluted waterway.

comitini.com newsreal: U.S. Economy Grew at 5.9% Annual Pace Last Quarter

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:48:09 -0500

[ jump to original item: U.S. Economy Grew at 5.9% Annual Pace Last Quarter ] The U.S. economy expanded at a 5.9 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter, more than the government reported last month, reflecting stronger business investment and a greater contribution from inventories.

comitini.com newsreal: Bernanke Reaffirms ‘Extended Period’ of Low Rates

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:06:38 -0500

[ jump to original item: Bernanke Reaffirms ‘Extended Period’ of Low Rates ] “Although the federal funds rate is likely to remain exceptionally low for an extended period, as the expansion matures, the Federal Reserve will at some point need to begin to tighten monetary conditions to prevent the development of inflationary pressures,” Mr. Bernanke said in a prepared statement.

comitini.com newsreal: New-Home Sales at a Low in U.S.

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:00:41 -0500

[ jump to original item: New-Home Sales at a Low in U.S. ] New-home sales unexpectedly fell to a new low in January while mortgage applications dropped last week to the lowest level since 1997, according to data released by the Commerce Department. The reports rekindled worries that a turnaround for the housing market would be elusive in an era of high unemployment and huge debt burdens.

comitini.com newsreal: Housing Prices: Up, But Not by Much

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:52:48 -0500

[ jump to original item: Housing Prices: Up, But Not by Much ] The Case-Schiller housing price indexes were released this morning, and both the Composite 10 (C-10) and the Composite 20 (C-20) showed monthly increases of 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis.

comitini.com newsreal: Citigroup Offers to Help Americans Lose Their Homes

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 12:04:10 -0500

[ jump to original item: Citigroup Offers to Help Americans Lose Their Homes ] With much self-congratulatory fanfare, Citigroup (C) announced a new program to help itself maximize profits on foreclosures – as it boots one American family after another onto the streets.Citigroup's “generous” offer allows foreclosure victims to stay in their homes for up to six months, along with a grand sum of $1,000 to help their victims try to start over again. In return for Citi's generosity, the homeowner agrees to sign over title of the property to Citigroup – and thus Citi avoids a formal, foreclosure proceeding.

comitini.com newsreal: Home Builders Are Back, Kinda

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:54:52 -0500

[ jump to original item: Home Builders Are Back, Kinda ] The good news continues rolling in for home builders, who hope they’ve hit bottom and are in recovery mode. But, as we’ve told you before, headwinds remain for the beleaguered sector. Bank of America Merrill Lynch started seven builders with a “buy” rating, a bullish view based “on an expectation of growth in 2010 driven by improving economic conditions.

comitini.com newsreal: Mortgage Rates Flat at 4.94%

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:52:42 -0500

[ jump to original item: Mortgage Rates Flat at 4.94% ] Mortgage-loan applications dipped 2.1% for the week ended Feb. 12, the Mortgage Bankers Association reports. This comes as the average mortgage rate for 30-year fixed loans remained flat at 4.94%, with a slight increase in points.

comitini.com newsreal: Years of Street Work Planned for Tribeca, North and South

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:32:09 -0500

[ jump to original item: Years of Street Work Planned for Tribeca, North and South ] Shane Ojar, a deputy director of the city’s Department of Design and Construction, told Community Board 1’s Tribeca Committee on Feb. 17 that a five-and-a-half-year replacement of water mains in northern Tribeca could start by the end of the summer. In addition, he said, crews will begin a three-year overhaul a five-block-long stretch of Chambers Street in early April that will narrow the street to one lane for the duration of the project.

comitini.com newsreal: Concrete-Testing Company Guilty in Partial Verdict

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:46:45 -0500

[ jump to original item: Concrete-Testing Company Guilty in Partial Verdict ] A concrete testing company and its owner were convicted on Wednesday of filing false test reports on various projects throughout New York, including the new Yankee Stadium, the Freedom Tower and the Second Avenue subway line.

comitini.com newsreal: Aerial Photos of World Trade Center Attack Are Released

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:03:45 -0500

[ jump to original item: Aerial Photos of World Trade Center Attack Are Released ] Newly released aerial photographs of the World Trade Center terror attack capture the towers’ collapse, from just after the first fiery plane strike to the dust clouds that spread over Lower Manhattan and New York harbor. The images were taken from a police helicopter carrying the only photographer allowed in the air space near the towers on Sept. 11, 2001. They were obtained by ABC News after it filed a Freedom of Information Act request last year.

comitini.com newsreal: Mortgage recording taxes for Co-ops?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:12:35 -0500

[ jump to original item: Mortgage recording taxes for Co-ops? ] It is on the table. In the governor's cross hairs are loans for co-ops, which have long been free of taxation, while taxes on equivalent condos and houses run between 2.05 percent and 2.175 percent of any mortgage. The budget seeks to allow the city to slap this mortgage recording tax onto co-ops, swinging the tax lasso around a cash source that has been eyed-but untouched-by city officials since at least the days of Ed Koch.

comitini.com newsreal: 'Grave Dancer' Sam Zell, Takes Manhattan

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 07:40:37 -0500

[ jump to original item: 'Grave Dancer' Sam Zell, Takes Manhattan ] Sam Zell--the self-proclaimed "grave dancer" with a history of swooping in on the carcasses of struggling businesses--is now picking at the Manhattan real estate market. Yesterday, Mr. Zell's company Equity Residential fleshed out its plans in Chelsea, which were reported by the NY Post. His company Equity Residential said it plans 111 market-rate apartments and nearly 10,000 square feet of retail space in the Chelsea neighborhood at the southwest corner of 10th Avenue and 23rd Street.

comitini.com newsreal: Housing Recovery? 'Strategic Defaults' Tell a Different Tale

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:28:12 -0500

[ jump to original item: Housing Recovery? 'Strategic Defaults' Tell a Different Tale ] This is an investment-led recovery. Asset prices have rallied strongly from their March 09 lows and corporations have done a phenomenal job of quickly cutting costs and returning to profitability. The casualties reside with the U.S. Government and the U.S. consumer.