It was just under a month ago that commercial mREIT bellweather iStar Financial (SFI) decided to skip its third-quarter dividend and pay out the remainder of its 2008 taxable income as a fourth-quarter dividend. A couple weeks later, competitor RAIT Financial cut its dividend from $0.46/share to just $0.35/share. Now, it's Arbor's turn to take out the axe. Arbor Realty Trust, a New... read more

As a result of my continued efforts to work with the good folks at Housing Wire, I will no longer be posting on a frequent basis at this blog site. I will continue to contribute to Seeking Alpha on an occasional basis, but the bulk of my efforts are going to be concentrated on my weekly Friday column at HW. I appreciate those who enjoy my posts; please check back from time to time, as I will... read more

So the SEC is going on a tirade against short-selling after public pressure forced them to do something. So exactly how and why were the 799 financial firms selected for the temporary short-selling prohibition chosen? Granted, most of the companies on the list on bank holding companies, which makes sense. However, there were a few oddball choices, such as Apollo Investment Corp.... read more