Subject: Economic News (ECO)

Wall Street Journal Maine legislators enacted a law requiring stricter local scrutiny of big-box retail development. The law is similar to ones being considered in Maine and Montana. Maine now requires developers of retail stores exceeding 75,000 square feet to ...

Ixis Real Estate Capital Inc. has changed its name to Natixis Real Estate Capital.The name change reflects the merger of the banking and financial services businesses of Ixis' parent, Groupe Caissse d'Espargne, with Groupe Banque Populaire, the parent of Natexis ...

Passco Cos., a major player in the tenant-in-common investor market, is getting into the self-storage business. An affiliate of the Irvine, Calif., company has formed a venture with Perdew Self Storage of Sarasota, Fla., that will develop and manage self-storage ...

Commercial Real Estate Direct Staff ReportComments on the SEC's proposed rules governing nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, or NRSROs, can be submitted electronically or by conventional mail.As reported, the SEC plans to prohibit the practice of notching by ratings agencies. ...

Holliday Fenoglio Fowler has expanded its Houston investment sales team with the addition of Rusty Tamlyn and H. Dan Miller as managing directors.Tamlyn and Miller, both of whom joined from Trammell Crow Co., will oversee asset sales throughout the Southwestern ...

Crain's New YorkA New York State panel's recommendations for hospital restructurings hits especially hard in New York City. The Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century has recommended closing nine hospitals statewide, five of which are in the ...

Washington Times The Washington, D.C. hotel market is gaining strength with real estate investors. Hotel occupancies in the city rose to 73.2 percent, a one percent rise from the previous year, according to Smith Travel Research. The city's 26,000 room ...

Commercial Real Estate Direct Staff ReportMore than $2.5 trillion of commercial mortgages were outstanding at the third quarter, up $83.8 billion from the second quarter, according to an analysis of Federal Reserve data by the Mortgage Bankers Association.The $83.8 billion ...

The expectation that 300,000 will attend the 2010 World Equestrian Games at the Kentucky Horse Park has the Kentucky Department of Tourism assessing hotel and restaurant needs.

Los Angeles Business Journal California's economy will slow next year due to a downturn in real estate and construction jobs, according to a quarterly economic forecast released this week by UCLA's Anderson School of Management. The report also concluded the ...