2024 CMBS Outlook (2024)

January 25, 2024

Quick Hits | 2024 CMBS Outlook

2024 CMBS Outlook (6)Aaron Jodka

2024 CMBS Outlook (7)

  • CMBS delinquencies rose nearly 1.5 percentage points in 2023 to 4.51%.
  • The drivers of delinquency have changed since 2021. Office has been the most significant contributor to rising rates.
  • Retail is the only asset class to post a decline in delinquency year-over-year.
  • Many loans were extended in 2023; it is expected that 2024 will be a year of more action, forced or otherwise.
  • Forecasts for non-agency CMBS issuance are promising, with an expected 39% increase in 2024.

Unsurprisingly, with last year’s soaring borrowing costs, CMBS delinquency rates rose. They ended the year at 4.51% overall, broadly in line with year-end 2021 levels, per Trepp data. All asset classes posted an increase in delinquency compared to 2022, except for retail, which has had stubbornly high delinquency for some time. Retail also had the highest overall delinquency rate.

The biggest story of 2023 was office. Office loan defaults moved the most, increasing 4.24 percentage points on the year. Per analysis from Moody’s, nearly 70% of office CMBS loans were not paid off at maturity, particularly those with higher balances. Deals with sub-$10 million of debt paid off about 90% of the time, while those with $100 million or more only did so at a 26% rate. Their analysis suggests that 76% of office CMBS loans are at risk of being unable to refinance in 2024.

Colliers Insight

2024 CMBS Outlook (8)Aaron Jodka

The drivers of delinquency have changed since 2021. Office has been the most significant contributor to rising rates. Retail is the only asset class to post a decline in delinquency year-over-year.

2024 CMBS Outlook (9)

At this time last year, delinquencies had risen each month of 2022 Q4. In 2023, November and December posted a decline in delinquency rates, though a large single-borrower industrial loan delinquency in October caused sizeable volatility. Where will the market head in 2024? All-time highs in delinquency peaked in July 2012 at 10.34%, nearly matching rates seen during the pandemic in June 2020. The market is still far from those levels, though additional stress is expected. Many loans were modified or extended in 2023 on the CMBS side and with other lender types, pushing maturity into the future.

It is expected that 2024 will be a year of more action. Lenders may force the issue through short sales, REO, loan sales, and other methods, while some borrowers will simply walk away. The Fed’s plan to lower borrowing costs in 2024 is welcome news to the industry and certainly some help, though rates, even if reduced from current levels, would still be well above origination in recent years. Past cycles have shown that working through loan maturities and delinquencies will take time.

Overall, non-agency CMBS issuance fell 44% in 2023 to $39.33 billion from the prior year, a substantial drop-off from the cyclical high of $110.56 billion in 2021, per Commercial Real Estate Alert. The outlook for 2024 is more optimistic, with forecasts calling for a rebound in non-agency volume to close to $55 billion. This certainly bodes well for liquidity, something the market has been starved of for several quarters.

2024 CMBS Outlook (10)

Aaron Jodka›

Aaron is the Research Director for U.S. Capital Markets, leading research efforts for the platform. With expertise in analyzing diverse data, he anticipates trends and equips clients with insights for informed decisions. Aaron actively promotes Colliers through research reports, thought leadership, and industry contributions. His extensive market knowledge provides a unique perspective on dynamics, asset types, and investment strategies, offering clients customized data and analytics for decision-making.

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FAQs

2024 CMBS Outlook? ›

The outlook for 2024 is more optimistic, with forecasts calling for a rebound in non-agency volume to close to $55 billion. This certainly bodes well for liquidity, something the market has been starved of for several quarters.

What is the global structured finance outlook for 2024? ›

S&P expects 2024 issuance to grow a further 11.8% y/y to EUR95bn owing to (1) a larger volume of legacy transactions reaching their call dates and (2) a modest recovery in areas of credit origination such as auto financing that back most ABS issuance.

Are CMBS a good investment? ›

These loans tend to come with better interest rates than you'd find with a traditional commercial loan. CMBS loans typically come with fixed interest rates, which means the rates won't fluctuate throughout the life of the loan. These types of loans tend to be a better bet for both the borrowers and the investors.

What is the new issuance of CMBS? ›

New Issuance Increased With SASBs In The Lead

New private-label CMBS issuance was about $18 billion in first-quarter 2024, excluding $2 billion in CRE CLOs. This was well ahead of the issuance pace in 2023 (the full-year total was $40 billion).

Why did the CMBS market crash in late 2008? ›

The CMBS market crashed spectacularly in late 2008 after an equally spectacular run from 2003 through mid-2007. The cause of this crash and subsequent CMBS market freeze was remarkably simple: low-quality mortgage pools were oversold by investment banks and overrated by the rating agencies.

What is the CMBS outlook for 2024? ›

The outlook for 2024 is more optimistic, with forecasts calling for a rebound in non-agency volume to close to $55 billion.

What is the economic forecast for 2024? ›

The Economic Outlook projects steady global GDP growth of 3.1% in 2024, the same as the 3.1% in 2023, followed by a slight pick-up to 3.2% in 2025.

Who are the largest holders of CMBS? ›

Largest shareholders include Pathstone Holdings, LLC, Pathstone Family Office, Llc, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D, Arvest Investments, Inc., Ameriprise Financial Inc, UBS Group AG, Morgan Stanley, Tortoise Investment Management, LLC, AE Wealth Management LLC, and Bank Of America Corp /de/ .

What are the downsides of CMBS? ›

The major disadvantages of CMBS loans include: Less autonomy in the operation of the property and limited flexibility to deviate from the terms of the loan documents. Difficulty in releasing collateral. Expensive to exit.

Does the Fed buy CMBS? ›

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) directed the Open Market Trading Desk (the Desk) at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to purchase agency CMBS as needed to support and sustain the smooth functioning of the agency CMBS market and the effective transmission of monetary policy.

How do banks make money on CMBS? ›

CMBS lenders are essentially wholesalers, benefitting from what the retail industry would call a bulk discount. They originate loans at a certain interest rate, then sell them later at a different interest rate thanks to the bulk package they provide through their bonds.

Who buys CMBS? ›

CMBS Market Investors → Once the tranches of the CMBS loan are established, the bonds are sold to institutional investors, such as pension funds, insurance companies, and hedge funds (e.g. credit or debt funds), and real estate investment trusts (REITs).

Are CMBS fixed or floating rate? ›

Interest rates: CMBS loans come with a fixed interest rate, based on the Treasury interest rate. They may also have a favorable introductory payment period. Term length: CMBS loans have a normal term length of 5 to 10 years, usually ending with a balloon payment.

What happens to my mortgage if the economy collapses? ›

What Happens To Your Mortgage Rates & Payments? If you have a fixed-rate mortgage, then your monthly payments will remain the same, which can be beneficial in a high-inflation environment. However, if you have an adjustable-rate mortgage, expect your payments to increase.

Who created CMBS? ›

Ethan Penner is often credited with being the individual who created the CMBS market. While working at Nomura Securities Co., he allocated billions of dollars to real estate lending when many banks and insurance companies abandoned the practice amid steep losses during the Savings and Loan Crisis.

Who profited from the 2008 financial crisis? ›

Dave McCormick forged a relationship with Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, in early 2008 and was rewarded with a job at Bridgewater after Dalio made $780 million on the financial collapse.

What is the future of structured finance? ›

Overall, while there may be some headwinds, the outlook for structured finance in 2024 appears cautiously optimistic. Opportunities exist across various segments, with private credit expected to remain a key player.

What is the project finance outlook for 2024? ›

“In 2024, we expect the overall stable trend of our rated project finance portfolio will continue as a majority of the rated transactions are contracted, with no direct exposure to market volatility, so the underlying cash flows will be stable,” said Biao Gong, Senior Vice President, Project Finance.

What is the outlook for the global financial market? ›

Description: The January 2023 World Economic Outlook Update projects that global growth will fall to 2.9 percent in 2023 but rise to 3.1 percent in 2024. The 2023 forecast is 0.2 percentage point higher than predicted in the October 2022 World Economic Outlook but below the historical average of 3.8 percent.

What is the ABS market outlook for 2024? ›

The Global ABS market is anticipated to rise at a considerable rate during the forecast period, between 2024 and 2031. In 2023, the market is growing at a steady rate and with the rising adoption of strategies by key players, the market is expected to rise over the projected horizon.

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