Banks increasingly reliant on real estate lending
8/18/2016 | Real Estate Blog
Bank branches in Pennsylvania and across the nation look much the same today as they did in decades past, but the financial sector has been undergoing huge changes behind the scenes. Banking assets have increased from about $209 billion in the mid-1950s to an eye watering $15 trillion today, and the financial sector has gone from accounting for less than half of the nation’s GDP in 1955 to making up 83 percent of today’s economic output. However, perhaps the biggest […]
Retail sector undergoing changes
8/14/2016 | Real Estate Blog
Commercial real estate investors in Pennsylvania may be interested in some trends around retail real estate that are bucking typical expectations. Usually, restaurants can reliably act as anchors in shopping areas that are on the decline. They bring in more foot traffic and spending. However, for several quarters now, foot traffic and sales in the restaurant industry have been weaker.
Food trucks are bringing customers back to retail
8/12/2016 | Real Estate Blog
Commercial real estate investors in Pennsylvania have probably heard about the suffering retail sector. With the popularity of e-commerce, consumers are buying their clothing and electronics online rather than in department stores and malls. While e-commerce is taking customers away from most brick-and-mortar retail, the restaurant sector has been growing, and landlords are now using food to lure shoppers back to retail spaces.
Failure to have strong estate planning measures may backfire
8/11/2016 | Kaplin Stewart Blog
In Pennsylvania and elsewhere, the accepted premise is that anyone with an average number of assets needs to have an estate plan. There are many horror stories of substantial losses or inconveniences suffered by people who did not have an estate plan or who did not keep it updated. Partial estate planning can also leave a void that comes back to haunt the benefactor or the family later on. For a married couple, the failure to have an estate plan […]
OSHA Fines Increased As Of August 1, 2016
8/9/2016 | Construction Blog
President Barack Obama recently signed into law a bill that significantly increases the penalties relating to certain violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Labelled as a “catch-up adjustment”, the new law increases the maximum fines associated with OSHA violations by 78%. An adjustment to the fines was last made in 1990.
Skip to Content
