_Economy and Finance

http://www.propertywire.com/news/global-news/global-office-predictions-2014-201312178577.html Steady growth predicted for the global office market in 2014 Tuesday, 17 December 2013 The global office market is poised for slow steady growth in 2014, while 2015 should be more robust as recovery takes hold and business gains renewed confidence, according to a new report.

$800 Million Loan Sought on Worldwide Plaza 12/21/2012 The owner of one of New York’s largest office towers is shopping for an $800 million fixed-rate loan. http://www.cmalert.com/headlines.php?hid=160163

U.S. Commercial Property Sector Enjoying Rising Rents as Vacancies Slowly Decline, Says NAR Posted by Michael Gerrity 11/26/12 11:33 AM EST According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) quarterly commercial real estate forecast, most of the major commercial real estate sectors show gradually improving fundamentals and are easily absorbing the relatively small amount of new space that is coming online, with a full recovery already in the multifamily market.

Worldwide Plaza Confirms Recapitalization Plans By Karsten Strauss 11/21/12 1:37pm Worldwide Plaza will definitely look to recapitalize, following several months of lingering on the auction block. Sellers, George Comfort & Sons and RCG Longview, had purchased the building – located at 825 Eighth Avenue – in 2009 for just under $600 million. http://commercialobserver.com/2012/11/worldwide-plaza-confirms-refinance-plans/

Worldwide Plaza may be off the block With bids lagging the $1.5 billion target price, the owners of the 59-story West Side office tower are said to be thinking about holding off and settling for a re-fi now. BY DANIEL GEIGER NOVEMBER 19, 2012 1:37 P.M. The owners of Worldwide Plaza have begun considering a refinancing of their 1.9 million square foot tower, rather than the sale they had been pursuing, several sources say. http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20121119/REAL_ESTATE/121119923

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE October 9, 2012, 8:12 p.m. ET Being Gutsy Is Bringing Some Glory Smaller Firms That Bought Commercial Property During Downturn See Profits By ELIOT BROWN The expected sale of a hulking, brick office tower in Midtown Manhattan is on track to net its seller the largest dollar profit to date on any single property that was purchased during the financial downturn. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443294904578046812154313132.html

Worldwide Plaza Bids Coming in Slightly Below George Comfort’s Lofty Targets By Daniel Geiger 10/01/12 6:04pm Bids for Worldwide Plaza are coming in below the sky-high projections sellers George Comfort & Sons and RCG Longview had hoped for when the partners (finally) put the nearly two million-square-foot office tower on the market in recent weeks. http://commercialobserver.com/2012/10/worldwide-plaza-bids-coming-in-slightly-below-george-comforts-lofty-targets/

NOMURA LEASES 900,000 SF AT WORLDWIDE PLAZA FOR ITS NORTH AMERICAN HEADQUARTERS 30 Jun, 2011, Warsaw New York, NY – In a major leasing transaction that provides one of the city’s iconic midtown office properties with a dynamic new anchor tenant, Nomura Holding America Inc., the U.S subsidiary of Tokyo-based Nomura Holdings, Inc., has leased over 900,000 square feet of space at Worldwide Plaza for its Americas headquarters. http://www.cushwake.com/cwglobal/jsp/newsDetail.jsp?Country=DE&Language=EN&repId=c42300003p

COMFORT SCORES WORLDWIDE DEAL By LOIS WEISS Last Updated: 5:31 PM, June 10, 2009 Posted: 2:17 AM, June 5, 2009 In what will be the city's largest office transaction this year, Worldwide Plaza is in contract to be sold to a joint venture led by George Comfort & Sons that includes RCG Longview and the building's lender, Deutsche Bank. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/item_mgaWEstKJCzUgj9xAJSbdO