A tipping point is coming: In the US alone, about US$1.4 trillion (S$1.9 trillion) of commercial real estate loans are due this year and next, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. When the deadline arrives, owners facing large principal payments may prefer to default instead of borrowing again to pay the bill.
Major institutional owners including Blackstone, Brookfield and Pimco have already chosen to stop payments on some buildings because they have better uses for their cash and resources.
“There’s significant stress,” said Mr Harold Bordwin, a principal in New York at Keen-Summit Capital Partners LLC, which specializes in renegotiating distressed real estate.