_Economy and Finance

Real estate debt funds still at 'embryonic' stage Sarah Krouse 23 May 2013 Property debt funds are stepping in to replace banks as a source of lending, but real estate experts say the process is still at a very early stage of development. http://www.efinancialnews.com/story/2013-05-23/real-estate-debt-funds-in-embryonic-stage

Capital targeted by Europe-focused real estate debt funds up 335% from a year ago BY: TIMOTHY POLLARD PUBLISHED: MAY 20, 2013 According to data tracked by Preqin, there are currently 19 Europe-focused real estate debt funds in the market targeting commitments of €10 billion ($12.8 billion) - compared to just €2.3 billion ($2.9 billion) a year ago. The increase is driven by institutional investors' increased appetite for real estate debt, as the number of new fund searches increased significantly from a year ago. Among new fund searches in the first-quarter of 2013, 27% were targeting real estate debt funds, compared with 8% in the first quarter of 2012. http://www.pionline.com/article/20130520/CHARTOFDAY/130529999

The Real Estate Debt Fund Market - February 2013 Recent years have seen debt funds feature more prominently in the private real estate industry, with many firms diversifying their businesses to include specialist debt platforms and a growing number of fund managers incorporating the acquisition or origination of real estate debt into their existing investment strategies. As the availability of bank financing has fallen in the US and Europe, many fund managers, alongside other non-traditional lenders, are increasingly stepping in to help fill the funding gap. https://www.preqin.com/blog/101/6189/re-debt-fund-market