Doug Frye and Dylan Taylor would like it to be known that FirstService Real Estate Advisors and Colliers International will not be undergoing a major integration process throughout 2010 as the combined entity rebrands globally under the Colliers International name.  That’s because, as Fry explains, the integration as already take place.

“One of the misperceptions in the market is that there’s an integration task,” says Frye, chairman and CEO of Colliers International.  “Actually, First Service Real Estate Advisors has been working within Colliers for some time.  What’s really happening is the final step of that integration – a rebranding of the organization, so that the market more clearly understands who we are and what services we provide.”

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Although first quarter results of U.S. bank holding companies across the country are unmistakably downbeat about the short-term outlook for commercial real estate in general, and their portfolios in particular, they also hint at a growing sense that the problems are working themselves out.

For starters, banks generally reported that troubled loan assets were systematically moving through their books. For example, older construction loans on commercial developments and owner-occupied properties were being shifted to term loans, giving borrowers a chance to work through slow cash flow periods.

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Mark Vitner, Senior Economist with Wells Fargo, analyzes Florida’s economy by looking at GDP, Employment, Population and other leading indicators.

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The often-mentioned build up of un-deployed equity is perhaps no more apparent than with real estate investment trusts (REITs). Industry-wide, REITs now have enough cash or equivalents on average to carry them through the next two years. This is notably different from last year, when REITs were playing defense in protecting their liquidity positions.

The question though, is: what does that mean for REITs or even for an economic recovery? The answers appear to be mixed.

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When the world economy nearly collapsed in October of 2008, most companies began to reach deep into their collective budgets to cut costs and tighten belts – a practice that continues to this day.  And for good reason; the cost-cutting strategies have allowed many companies to stay afloat, or even thrive, during the darkest days of the downturn.

One company, however, has taken the view that cost-cutting is not the right approach.  Colliers International believes that now is the time to make significant changes in its operational strategies and to invest in the company’s future with a focus on enhancing the service experience with its clients.

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A state economist is predicting a slow emergence for Florida from the Great Recession, describing it as an “unleavened recovery.”

In his latest statewide quarterly forecast — laced with biblical references in a tip of the hat to the recent Easter holiday — University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith says the Sunshine State’s recovery will be flat, at least during the first year.

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Fund managers and others involved in the real estate private equity sector expect further deterioration in commercial real estate this year as unemployment leads to lower commercial occupancies and declining rents. And that could be a good thing.

With the sector still in recession, many fund managers are preparing for the beginning of a “generational buying opportunity” that could manifest as early as the first quarter of 2011, according to a survey by Ernst & Young’s Real Estate Fund Services.

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