Real estate finance and investment REIT Starwood Property Trust announced on Friday that it will acquire a $503 million portfolio of performing commercial loans from TIAA-CREF.

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, mortgage delinquencies–those borrowers one payment late–dropped slightly between the third and fourth quarters of 2009, from 9.64 percent to 9.47 percent.

Delinquencies on mortgage loans for properties ranging from one to four units have fallen, according to a statement from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The MBA’s National Delinquency Survey found that the rate fell to a seasonally adjusted rate of 9.47 percent of all loans outstanding as of the end of the fourth quarter 2009.

Toronto, Ont.-based Whiterock Real Estate Investment Trust has just enhanced its office holdings with the acquisition of a 49.9 percent equity interest in a $214 million office portfolio located in the greater Toronto area.

Property managers and tenants alike now have a new online tool in their arsenal.

In a statement that categorized an 8 percent decline in fourth-quarter revenues as “anticipated and reflective of the overall economic conditions that continue to affect retail sales in general”, New York-based Jones Apparel Group announced that they will be closing 165 locations this year.

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, a division of White Plains, N.Y.-headquartered Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., has revealed plans to increase the global presence of the upscale Sheraton brand.

Is the Federal Reserve taking baby steps back to a more historically normal monetary policy? That is, toward an eventual broader hike in interest rates?

The path has been cleared for work to commence on a new gaming property in Kansas City, Kan., now that the Kansas Entertainment L.L.C. has received its gaming license from the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission and approval under the Kansas Expanded Lottery Act.

Coldwell Banker Commercial Affiliates LLC is experiencing some shifting of roles with regard to its top positions.