Member News, News

Occupancy Drops for Big 2013 Loan as BOA Gives Up More Space

The collateral behind the $235 million 540 West Madison Street loan could see occupancy dip to 54% by year-end. Bank of America has now given up a second large chunk of space in the Chicago office building. The move by Bank of America was not entirely unexpected. In the original offering docs, footnotes surrounding the loan indicated that BOA had the right to relinquish big amounts of space. At loan origination, Bank of America had 757,317 square feet (almost 69%) in the 1.1...

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Chapter News, News

USTR European Outreach Highlights T-TIP’s Opportunities for Small Business Trade, Investment, and U.S. Jobs

By Christina Sevilla, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Small Business In the United States and in the European Union, small and medium businesses are the backbone of the economy and critical motors of growth and job creation. Small businesses that export grow faster, add jobs faster, and pay higher wages than small companies in the same sector that serve purely domestic markets. Helping more small and medium enterprises do business and find partners across the Atlantic, and unlocking opportunities for...

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Member News, News

FDA Regulations on Mobile Apps and Medical Devices

WEBINAR RECORDING AVAILABLE! The proliferation of mobile computing platforms and the applications they run has exploded. There are over 40,000 health related applications on the iTunes store alone, and more to come with the release of Apple’s HealthKit this fall. Health care providers have access to technology that was the stuff of science fiction, and health care consumers can track their own health status and records with the swipe of a finger. On September 25, 2013, the FDA finally made its...

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Member News, News

There is more in a vacuum that you think: Boosting the force of empty space

Two atoms exchange a virtual photon – the empty space around them is not as empty as one might think. Photo: Vienna University of Technology A vacuum is not as empty as one might think. In reality, empty space is a bubbling soup of various virtual particles spontaneously appearing and disappearing, popping in and out of existence. This phenomenon is called “vacuum fluctuations”. Usually, we do not notice such extremely short-lived particles, but in certain cases vacuum forces can have...

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Laws of Attraction

It is not only dreamy tulip fields, windmills and canals that draw many of Vistra's clients to the Netherlands, but also the country's steady rise as an "increasingly attractive destination for doing international business". Maximising on extensive tax treaty networks and diversifying its product portfolio, our ever-expanding Dutch office has kept up the pace with the recent acquisition of a local boutique financial services provider. Proactivity is also no stranger to Singapore with its strong appeal to investors seeking...

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Chapter News, News

Customs action to tackle goods infringing Intellectual Property Rights – Frequently Asked Questions

See also IP/14/890 1. General information about Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) Why is it important to protect IPRs? As the EU’s 2020 Strategy underlines, the protection of IPRs is key to the EU economy. By giving people the incentive to be creative and innovative, IPRs foster economic growth, creating and protecting millions of jobs. What customs measures are in place at EU level to protect IPRs? Since 2003 EU rules lay down the provisions for customs actions to protect and enforce intellectual property rights...

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Dillon Eustace Ireland Update – Loan Origination Funds

In mid-2013 the Central Bank of Ireland (“Central Bank”) issued a Discussion Paper in relation to loan origination by Irish domiciled regulated alternative investment funds. Context for that Discussion Paper included the evident appetite for launching direct loan origination products on the part of credit managers as well as the apparent need for alternative credit sources for commercial enterprises in an environment where the bank lending had been significantly curtailed. On July 28, 2014 the Central Bank issued a Consultation Paper...

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Delinquency Rate Slows Improvement, Inches Down by Single-Digit in July

Download the full report for data on the top five loans taking losses and top five newly delinquent loans in July. The Trepp CMBS delinquency rate barely extended its winning streak to fourteen months in July. The delinquency rate for US commercial real estate loans in CMBS is now 6.04%, one basis point lower month-over-month. July’s reading is 244 basis points lower than the year-ago level. Year-to-date, delinquencies have fallen 139 basis points from 7.43% as of December 31, 2013. Loan resolutions totaled...

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Global Visa Delays Follow Technical Difficulties with State Department System

Last week, the U.S. Department of State’s visa processing database, which controls the issuance of visas and passports at the U.S. consulates abroad, experienced system performance issues (including outages) leading to worldwide delays in visa issuances for individuals seeking entry into the United States. The malfunction in the Consular Consolidated Database stalled the processing of U.S. visas for foreign nationals at consulates around the world, and was not limited to one consulate or country. Although the consular database is back...

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Chapter News, News

Greener EU airports thanks to EU-funded tech

Every summer millions of Europeans descend upon the continent’s airports on their way to sunshine and adventure. As airport users explode in number, so does the cost and environmental footprint of running an airport. Did you know that as airports get bigger and bigger they each consume as much energy as small cities? Think only about the lighting, heating and air conditioning systems in these huge transport hubs. That is why European researchers have used Commission funding to develop...

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