The recession may have emptied out office buildings, but the hallways of campus housing facilities have remained relatively full, and Virtus Real Estate Capital has just positioned itself to capitalize on the sector’s enduring strength. Its new fund, Virtus Student Housing L.P., will invest in excess of $300 million in student housing properties.

The U.S. Department of Commerce reported that new home sales ticked upward again in April by 7.3 percent to an annualized rate of 323,000 units. That was the highest rate since December, on the heels of a modest increase the month before.

The firm has unveiled plans to build a skyscraper in downtown Pittsburgh to serve as its new headquarters, stressing the green aspects it plans to include in the building and going so far as to call it “the world’s greenest skyscraper.”

Retail hasn’t exactly fully rebounded, but proving industry chatter correct, some chains have formally announced major expansion programs. Disney Store and Subway sandwich shops, riding the wave of a successful 2010, have made such commitments.

According to Marcus & Millichap’s 2011 national retail report, cautious optimism is the order of the day.

The state of California has created a 25-member mortgage fraud task force, the aim of which is to investigate all variety of shady mortgages, while a Toys ‘R Us distribution center is soon to sport the largest solar roof in the country, and the Chicago Fed National Activity Index took a dive.

Given today’s still-limited loan production numbers, competition for third-party commercial loan servicing business can be pretty intense. Providers will need some new tools to get ahead.

CW Financial Services is doing its part in the financial services business’s improvement with the hiring of four industry veterans to broaden the company’s menu of financing services, especially its debt placements.

Simon Property Group Inc.’s Premium Outlets division is in growth mode, and the company has Canada in its sights. A letter of intent with Calloway Real Estate Investment Trust to develop a property in suburban Toronto paves the way for entrée into Canada.

Deep-pocketed investors are returning to hotels as an investment vehicle, with two more big properties changing hands recently in major U.S. markets.