Month: April 2019

Stuart Eisenberg, partner and national leader, real estate and construction at BDO, participated in a video interview at Nareit’s REITwise: 2019 Law, Accounting & Finance Conference in San Antonio.

Eisenberg commented on the new lease accounting standards that are impacting REITs, both as lessor and lessee. He also touched on how trade tensions and tariffs are impacting REITs.

Turning to opportunity zone legislation, Eisenberg noted that activity is likely to accelerate once IRS regulations have been finalized.

Cheryl Surgo, assistant vice president for tax at Welltower Inc. (NYSE: WELL), participated in a video interview at Nareit’s REITwise: 2019 Law, Accounting & Finance Conference in San Antonio.

David Levy, partner, tax, at Skadden, participated in a video interview at Nareit’s REITwise: 2019 Law, Accounting & Finance Conference in San Antonio.

Levy moderated a panel at REITwise on REITs and opportunity zones. He noted that so far, REITs have approached opportunity zones as a source of long-term capital for development projects. In cases where like-kind exchanges don’t work, some REITs that are looking to reposition their portfolios are considering opportunity zone investments on their own, he said.

Tara Marszewski, CFO of Brookfield Properties Retail, participated in a video interview at Nareit’s REITwise: 2019 Law, Accounting & Finance Conference in San Antonio.

Marszewski moderated a session at REITwise on data analytics and cyber security. She noted that annually training the workforce is “probably the most important thing, outside of the actual technology” that can be done to protect against cyberattacks.

She also commented on some of the biggest challenges that companies face in complying with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Mary Hogan Preusse, founder and principal of Sturgis Partners and board member at Kimco Realty Corp.

Pamela Lipp-Hendricks, head of talent and diversity at JP Morgan Chase & Co., participated in a video interview at Nareit’s REITwise: 2019 Law, Accounting & Finance Conference in San Antonio.

Lipp-Hendricks highlighted some of the significant differences between Gen Xers, millennials, and baby boomers in terms of their views regarding work/life balance.

She also commented on the importance for all employees to create a sense of inclusion in the workplace.

Sourav Ghosh, senior vice president, enterprise analytics, at Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: HST), participated in a video interview at Nareit’s REITwise: 2019 Law, Accounting & Finance Conference in San Antonio.

Terence Cuff, of counsel at Loeb & Loeb, participated in a video interview at Nareit’s REITwise: 2019 Law, Accounting & Finance Conference in San Antonio.

Cuff discussed areas of concern for partnership representatives under the partnership audit rules, how existing partnerships can assess old partnership agreements, and issues specific to UPREITs and joint ventures that have REITs as partners.

Karen Garnett, partner at international law firm Proskauer, participated in a video interview at Nareit’s REITwise: 2019 Law, Accounting & Finance Conference in San Antonio.

Garnett discussed how the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is addressing some of the emerging issues surrounding corporate governance.

The latest edition of the Nareit REIT Report podcast featured Gunnar Branson, the CEO of AFIRE, an association for global investors focused on institutional real estate in the United States.

Branson highlighted some of the key findings from AFIRE’s recently-released annual International Investor Survey.