IBT Staff Reporter

Til Schuermann, VP of Financial Intermediation at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, is testifying today on issues in Commercial Real Estate, and his prepared remarks essentially drown the prospect of green shoots in the context of CRE.

One of eight U.S. households with a mortgage ended the first quarter late on loan payments or in the foreclosure process in a crisis that will persist for at least another year until unemployment peaks, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Thursday.

Freddie Mac (FRE.P) (FRE.N), the second-largest U.S. home funding company, on Thursday said its mortgage investment portfolio shrank by an annualized 50.9 percent rate in April, while delinquencies on loans it guarantees accelerated.

One of eight U.S. households with a mortgage ended the first quarter late on loan payments or in the foreclosure process in a crisis that will persist for at least another year until unemployment peaks, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Thursday.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters gave gloomy forecast for Dell’s first quarter which ended at the end of April, expecting a 21.1 percent drop in sales compared to a year earlier.

Procter & Gamble forecast fiscal 2010 earnings way below Wall Street estimates, as it invests in international markets and new products, but the shares were unchanged as analysts recognized it as a sign of future growth.

Procter & Gamble forecast fiscal 2010 earnings way below Wall Street estimates, as it invests in international markets and new products, but its shares fell only slightly as analysts said the investments were needed for future growth.

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, as a rise in oil prices boosted energy shares, overshadowing mixed economic data on housing sales and manufacturing orders.

Despite the well-known benefits of physical activity, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, maintaining a healthy weight, moderate alcohol use and not smoking, only a small proportion of adults follow this healthy lifestyle pattern, and in fact, the numbers are declining, according to a study by Dana King, M.D., and colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

Religion plays a large important role in the lives of many people in the world. It can unite and bring peace and harmony to large groups, but it can also cause anger, strife, and long-lasting, deadly wars.

President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he wants to see new types of biofuels commercialized as quickly as possible, but the corn-based ethanol industry needs to remain viable in the meantime.

A rift between Berlin and Washington threatened to torpedo Germany's goal of shielding Opel from the imminent bankruptcy of its parent General Motors , raising the risk of insolvency for the German carmaker.

The National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, in collaboration with EMD Serono, released findings from a nationwide GfK Roper survey on May 27,

A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Honduras early Thursday killing at least four people leaving scores of others injured.

Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) announced on May 27, the results of a national Harris Interactive, Inc. survey indicating that the vast majority of oncologists and infectious disease (ID) specialists are highly concerned about the negative impact infection may have on treatment outcomes in chemotherapy patients, as well as emerging antibiotic resistance.

Sanofi-aventis U.S., with research and support from The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest (CMPI), has released a report showing the lag in the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia translates to billions of dollars in lost productivity and absenteeism in the American workforce. CMPI also estimates insomnia is responsible for at least $42 billion in direct and indirect healthcare costs each ...

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, facing demands to explain his relationship with a teenage girl, denied on Thursday he had had a steamy affair and said he would have to resign if caught lying about it.

Pakistan is seeking an English translation of information India provided about November's militant attacks in Mumbai in order to begin prosecutions of suspects, a government spokesman said on Thursday.

The global economic downturn has aggravated human rights violations and distracted attention from abuses, Amnesty International said on Thursday.

An international team of scientists studying a rare genetic disease discovered that a bundle of proteins with the long-established function of keeping chromosomes together also plays an important role in regulating genes in humans.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is likely basking in the patriotic fervor whipped up by his nuclear test but is too worried about his own well-being to start a war, North Korean defectors said on Thursday.

Suicide is rising in Japan as the economic crisis bites, with more than 100 people a day taking their lives in April.

Army-ruled Myanmar lashed out at foreign critics of Aung San Suu Kyi's trial on Thursday, accusing them of meddling in its affairs and denying the prosecution of the opposition leader was a political or human rights issue.

Secretary of Public Welfare Estelle B. Richman today responded to critics of the Smart Pharmacy initiative, saying the plan would save taxpayers $146 million annually while preserving consumer benefits and simplifying the pharmacy initiative for providers.

Russia does not object to a U.N. Security Council resolution on North Korea's nuclear test this week, but feels it is too early to talk about possible penalties, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

South Korea and the United States raised the military alert level for the peninsula on Thursday after the communist North warned the truce ending the Korean War was dead and it was ready to attack.

Countless workers in the United States are trapped in jobs they would like to leave because they cannot get health insurance elsewhere, calcifying innovation and mobility in the world's largest economy.

Medicine At Work, the first company to enable physician services to the workplace using advanced video telemedicine technology, has secured full-time physician staffing for its clients. All services are provided by emergency medicine and internal medicine physicians who are board-certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine or the American Board of Internal Medicine.