Recent research on mutual fund performance has ignored the impact of initial public offering on mutual fund performance. We show that the real estate mutual funds returns, at least in the 1990's, are almost entirely a function of REIT IPO returns, and that, after controlling for the REIT IPO...

This paper examines the degree of integration between rural and metropolitan mortgage markets and addresses three fundamental questions regarding the rural mortgage market. First, does a jumbo/conforming loan rate differential exist in the rural mortgage market, and if so, to what extent do...

Loss mitigation is the process by which lenders attempt to minimize losses associated with foreclosure. As competition increases in the mortgage industry, lenders and servicers are under great pressure to adopt loss mitigation tactics rather than simply use foreclosure as the means of dealing...

We model and examine the financial aspects of the land development process incorporating the industry practice of preselling lots to builders through the use of option contracts as a risk management technique. Using contingent claims valuation, we are able to determine endogenously the land...

The real estate investment trust (REIT) industry has undergone three waves of initial public offerings (IPOs) since 1980. In this article we examine these waves within the context of the general IPO wave literature. We note that the unique nature of REITs may render them more transparent than...

Measuring the benefits to consumers from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac activities has received considerable attention, particularly in recent months. Recently, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan commented in his U.S. Senate Banking Committee testimony on the Government Sponsored...

The recent rise in shared appreciation mortgage (SAM) availability motivates careful consideration of underlying borrower incentives. The lender's share of appreciation in SAMs (share) is essentially a dynamic prepayment penalty imposed on the borrower. However, the borrower faces a moral hazard...

We examine the risk and return characteristics of publicly-traded real estate companies from 14 countries over the period 1990 to 2001. Our data are monthly country-level commercial real estate indexes constructed by the European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA). We find substantial...

The magnitude of the effect of government-sponsored enterprise purchases on primary mortgage market rates has been a difficult research question to answer with differing data and competing methodologies producing different results. In this paper we present a new approach using loan level data...