You are on page 1of 74

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study: The financing of real estate, which includes or homes, shopping centres, office buildings, farms and factories, is expected to be one of the major responsibilities of our financial system in financing real estate development. After examining the special characteristics and problems in real estate financing, I intend reviewing the most commonly used methods and institutions for financing real estate development. It is believed that well-selected land and buildings represent one of the soundest investments available, and that their value increases by two factors. The CBN is the financial sector regulator of the Nigeria. CBNs vision is to be one of the most efficient and effective of the worlds central banks in promoting and sustaining economic development However, the role of the CBN as the orchestrator of economic development encompasses Financial services(banking, insurance, MFI , capital market, mortgage financing, asset management, developmental finance agencies.

DMBs, microfinance banks and primary mortgage institutions

Issuing houses;59 Stock brokers;236


FINANCE COMPAINES;113 BUREAU DE CHANGE;1500 DISCOUNT HOUSES:5

DEVELOPM ENTAL FINACE AGENCIES

BANKING

CapitaL Markets

DEVELOPMENT FINANCE INSTI; 4

Asset NFS OFI MGT

RE-INSURANCE COMPANY; 1 INSURANCE; 48 INSURANCE BROKERS;509 INSURANCE AGENTS; 870

Insurance

Pension

PENSION FUND ADMINSTRATORS; 26 PENSION FUND CUSTODIANS; 5

The economic importance of real estate transactions is so obvious that most people are only ill-informed about the impact of real estate transactions on the financial market. In a growing economy like ours, the pool of lendable money were not always readily available where needed, or were not always known to a potential borrower. To help bridge the gap, anew industry gradually developed that is now known as mortgage lending(banking). The importance that the government places on the housing industry is shown by the many programs and banking procedures that have been

implemented to assist the industry in its efforts to combat the financial problem that plague stable operations.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM The problem of real estate financing is more acute in a developing country like Nigeria than in a developed country like the U.K mainly because of the lower per capita income and paucity of external sources of finance in the former than in the latter. According to the Financial derivatives company limited the following below have been found out to cause problems in the real estate market in Nigeria, Houses prices remain relatively sticky in all market segments Property market remains dull in highbrow areas like Ikoyi, V.I. In contrast, low and middle end areas still have appreciable increases in value Low interest rates do not translate to higher demand for properties Banks continue with foreclosures, depressing sales value Real estate managers now earn more income from property valuation than from property sale

Development of real estate is a major problem in a developing country like Nigeria. This is because of the paucity of external sources of

finance. lack of effective demand for housing finance reflects primarily the low average per capital income. 1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY Given the analysis above on what the problem of real estate financing has been, this research study has the following objectives To take a critical look at the parts that financial institutions have played in the development of real estate. To examine the possible ways of financing real estate development. To offer possible solutions for improving the present level and effectiveness of finance for real estate development. To study whether institutions have had a better performance in real estate following from various government policies on housing. The main aim of the project is therefore to make an analytical study of financial institutions in real estate development in Nigeria with reference to Banks, Insurance companies and the mortgage houses. This study is therefore aimed at studying what the performance of this sector has been under the various economic policies. It is also aimed at finding suitable recommendations as to how the provision of finance for the financing real estate development can be achieved.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS To what extent have Nigerian banks successfully financed real estate development? What are the roles of financial institutions in ensuring real estate development in Nigeria? To what extent are the financial institutions in Nigeria financing real estates? How important is the financing of real estate to the economy? How do these real estate companies obtain funds? What are the long-term effects of financing real estate development to the nation? Are there Nigerian banking institutions established for the sole purpose of financing real estate? Has there been sustainable development in real estate over the years? Are there other effective sources of financing real estate in Nigeria? How does real estate development lead to economic growth in Nigeria? What policies have been created to support real estate development?

1.5 STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS The hypothesis of this project, based on the research questions would be as follows. Ho: Financial institution do not have a significant impact on the financing of real estate development in Nigeria. H1: Financial institutions have a significant impact on the financing of real estate development in Nigeria. Ho: Real estate development will not have a significant effect on economic growth of the country. H1: Real estate development will have a significant effect on economic growth of the country.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF STUDY The research study would be concerned generally with the ascertaining the irrational effects of real estate development in Nigeria. In carrying out this study, limitations encountered include: Non-availability of necessary data from various sources which make it impossible to collect all data and information necessary for the study. Inadequate time frame for the completion of a comprehensive study. A comprehensive appraisal of this nature is very expensive.

1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY Businesses which are looking to develop a bit of land will generally need to obtain a property finance loan. In many situations a development finance loan is the most suitable option for enterprises with these desires as it splits the payouts up to deal with the different stages of financing a property. In numerous scenarios this permits lenders to supply a property development loan at a little lower rate of interest than traditional

commercial financing. Regardless of the fact a property loan is generally a better choice for these situations than classic commercial financing it tends to hold a high rate of interest because its still considered a fairly risky loan. Most companies signing up for it also require a high credit status. Employing a company loan broker can help a business get a property finance loan at a marginally better interest rate. Brokers do this by working immediately with multiple commercial financing corporations to find the best possible terms. Firms looking to get this kind of financing also should be prepared to demonstrate to banks the projected costs for the whole project and the projected revenue for the whole project. Providing these numbers will improve the percentages of getting a development finance for the property and potentially help in reducing the rate of interest. As per todays reaction from the people to the recession, property developments is beginning to become one of the gigantic smell for folk, that is property development now plays and critical part in getting things right for races.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS RED Real Estate Development (This is the creation of housing units in different parts of an area or state or the country) CBN Central Bank of Nigeria (This is the apex bank in the Nigerian banking system. it regulates and monitors the system) MFI Mortgage Finance Institutions (This are institutions that provide long term finance for building housing units or related activities.) NFS Nigerian Financial System (This comprises all the various institutions involved in the transfer of funds from the surplus units to the deficit units) OFI Other Financial Institutions

1.9 PLAN OF STUDY This work makes an insight into the roles of financial institutions in financing real estate development in Nigeria, its associated problems and its prospects. In the light of this, the project has been divided into five chapters. Chapter one contains the introduction and historical background of the study, the objective, scope and need for the study, it is also contains the statement of hypothesis as well as the plan of study. Chapter two makes a review of the relevant literature to the study. Chapter three deals with the research methodology of the study, the sample design, and the collection procedures. Chapter four looks at the presentation and analysis of the data collected. Chapter five, which is the concluding chapter, deals with the summary and conclusion, findings and recommendations and finally references.

REFERENCES A.T. OJO 1983 Real estate financincing in Nigeria B.J. Rewane july 7, 2010

CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 The Evolving structure of commercial real estate As general improvement in occupancies and rents continues in commercial property markets, a combination of new regulatory provisions and perceptions of credit-rating agencies -- regarding the riskiness of mortgages in lender portfolios -- is changing the structure of commercial real estate capital markets. These changes are structural, not cyclical. As a result, business as usual, that is, a return to almost exclusive reliance on primary lending sources to supply capital to the commercial real estate market, is not likely. The structural changes underway mean that traditional patterns of direct mortgage lending by financial institutions will be permanently supplemented by 1) real estate-backed debt securities, 2) new channels of intermediation between borrowers and suppliers of capital, and 3) continuing growth in real estate-backed equities via REITs. These changes will broaden the commercial real estate capital market. New investors will become a part of this market and will also take part in pricing risk, which, after securitization, will be diversified between more market participants. This also means that the aggregate mix of debt and equity will change to meet investor risk/return expectations. These changes are truly a fundamental departure from the traditional way that

commercial real estate has been financed and should be understood by all participants to operate effectively in the future. Current Economic Underpinnings in Property Markets To place the evolving capital market conditions into context, it should be stressed that certain economic fundamentals will not change. Commercial real estate will continue to have a very high debt financing capacity and that capacity will obviously continue to be predicated on property values. General indicators of improvement now underway in property markets are summarized in Exhibit 1. (Exhibit 1 omitted) In general, data in panel A of Exhibit 1 indicate that since the recession in 1991, occupancy in virtually all sectors of the commercial market (including multifamily) have either stabilized, or are now improving. Significant progress is evident in suburban office markets. Retail and hotel markets are also improving markedly. Improvement is occurring more slowly in the multifamily and warehouse sectors. Panel B of the exhibit confirms this improvement as data show that net operating income and/or rents have also steadily improved since the economic recovery began.* The data also suggest that the investment performance of most institutional property portfolios has begun to stabilize and to show definite signs of improvement. With no major construction surplus on the horizon, this implies that a stable foundation in property values is now forming and will serve as the basis for a new, underlying structure of debt and equity capital that is beginning to emerge.

Capital Market Indicators Consistent with improving property performance in property markets, delinquency rates on commercial mortgage loans have also improved. This is reflected in Exhibit 2, which shows that since reaching a peak during the 1991-1992 period, delinquencies and foreclosures reported by life insurance companies and commercial banks have declined markedly. (Exhibit 2 omitted) Some of this improvement is the result of restructurings and the sale of problem loans. Much of it, however, can be attributed to the gains achieved in occupancies and rental income, thereby improving debt-service coverage and lowering delinquencies and foreclosures. Structural Transitions in the Commercial Mortgage Market As the underlying basis in property values improves, structural changes in capital markets are accelerating. To illustrate this point, total commercial mortgages held by traditional, primary lenders continue to contract. Furthermore, a dramatic change in the number and relative importance of capital supplier/sources is underway. Exhibit 3 shows that from 1989 through the second quarter of 1994, total mortgages outstanding declined by about 8%. (Exhibit 3 omitted) However, mortgages held by the largest three lenders (commercial banks, life insurance companies and savings institutions) declined by a total of about $160 billion. This represents a decline from about 19% of levels reached in 1989. Of this amount, S&Ls have reported a decline of

almost 50%, life insurance companies have reported a decline of 15%, and commercial banks have reported a decline of 2%. While this trend is partially the result of past weakness in property markets write-downs, sales, restructurings, etc., there are a number of additional factors that have changed the makeup of holding; by these suppliers of capital. These are: * For savings institutions, regulatory provisions contained in the Financial Institutions Reform and Recovery Act (FIRREA) essentially ensure a return to single-family and multifamily lending with some lending for residential land development. This is essentially the role that they played prior to the boom years in the early to mid-1980s. This will leave a void to be filled, as this source once provided as much as $240 billion, or almost 25% of debt capital to the market. * Life insurance companies are now laboring under risk-based capital provisions developed under the auspices of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and are expecting additional restrictions in Model Investment Regulations, which are now under review. While these new provisions are far too extensive to detail here, it is sufficient to say that they will certainly affect and change the nature of assets held by the life insurance industry. This is likely because the riskbased capital requirements and other financial standards agreed to by the NAIC have undoubtedly been incorporated in reviews of firms in the industry made by credit-rating agencies. Because direct commercial real

estate lending has a much greater impact on risk-based capital requirements than other investment alternatives like bonds, life insurance companies will have to continually evaluate the trade-offs between making direct real estate loans and investing in other alternatives, such as government securities and investment-grade corporate bonds. The latter have far lower risk-based capital requirements. However, NAIC guidelines indicate that commercial mortgage backed securities with investment-grade ratings (Baa or better) have a far lower risk-based capital requirement than direct mortgage loans. As a result, commercial mortgage-backed security (CMBS) offerings containing investment-grade and subordinated tranches continue to evolve. Indeed, this has enabled life companies to: 1) originate and pool loans, 2) issue securities against those pools, and 3) retain the senior-rated, investment-grade tranches for investment, and sell the subordinated tranches to other investors. This should enable life companies to continue to meet capital requirements and to originate loans simultaneously. * As is the case with life insurance companies, commercial banks must also comply with expanded government regulations and interface with credit-rating agencies. Commercial banks have been subject to a myriad of recent federal legislation that now affects their operations and they must comply with risk-based capital requirements as well. Banks will also be faced with similar tradeoffs regarding direct commercial real

estate lending and other loan-lending alternatives. But, because of their number (10,000+), geographic diversity, and knowledge of local markets, these institutions will continue to provide short-term credit (construction loans) and will evolve as an important supplier of credit to the growing, private mortgage conduit business. As a result of these changes in the regulatory/credit rating environments, major changes are likely to occur in the debt capital markets: 1. Only two institutions will emerge as direct providers of commercial mortgage credit: life insurance companies and commercial banks. Savings institutions will be limited to financing multifamily properties. 2. Because of the increased awareness of (and perhaps overreaction to) the nature of credit risk associated with mortgage lending, the debt component of total capital used to finance commercial real estate is likely to be reduced. As a result, more reliance on higher cost equity will be required (this could also be interpreted to mean lower loan-to-value ratios on individual properties). This change in the financing mix will tend to raise the weighted average cost of capital for the commercial real estate industry in conjunction with current investor perceptions of greater risk. 3. As fewer direct providers of debt capital remain, more reliance on securitized debt will result.

4. New channels, including commercial mortgage conduits that will match borrowers and lenders, will emerge and develop to accommodate these changes. To support this view, new channels of intermediation in debt markets are now forming. As shown in Exhibit 3, as direct lending by major institutions declined during the past four years, mortgage debt provided by Private Mortgage Conduits now accounts for $44.5 billion of total outstandings. Conduits are now the fourth-largest source of commercial real estate debt capital. Furthermore, the data also show that U.S. Government-related agencies (TC, FDIC, etc.) are continuing to reduce their mortgage portfolios, much of which has been securitized. These agencies have played a very important role in the evolution of the CMBS market. This will undoubtedly be a catalyst for further private securitization and formation of conduits. The extent of future growth in conduits is difficult to assess at present. It will be dependent on 1) the extent to which risk based capital regulations reduce direct lending by banks and insurance companies, 2) how cost effectively loans can be pooled/originated, warehoused, administered, and serviced, and 3) the evolution of additional investor markets for these securities, particularly for the subordinated and less-thaninvestment-grade tranches. Investors now consist of hedge funds, mutual funds, and individuals. But, as more investor groups become familiar with the underlying commercial real estate collateral, and improving

conditions in property markets, the CMBS market should increase in breadth and depth. Real Estate Equities -- REITs As the mortgage debt sector of commercial real estate capital markets continues its transition, a change in the mix of debt and equity required to finance commercial properties will also evolve. Panel B of Exhibit 3 indicates that cumulative equity capital raised from 1989 to the present through primary and secondary offerings by REITS now totals over $29.5 billion. This is additional confirmation of the underlying improvement in property markets. It is also, however, evidence that the aggregate mix of debt and equity is changing to conform to investor expectations regarding risk and return in this market. Because of the many changes affecting property markets and capital markets simultaneously, the depth of real estate equity markets is also difficult to estimate at this time. Recent regulatory changes should aid in the markets' transition. Legislation passed in late 1993 provides the possibility for increased participation by pension fund investors. Smaller pension fun are now able to add real estate to their investment portfolios via equity REIT securities. Larger funds may now add REIT securities to supplement portfolios containing real estate investments, through separate accounts or direct ownership. This will enable these funds to make tactical adjustments in their total real estate exposure without having to liquidate ownership of properties. In any event, this legislation

should serve to increase the scope of the equity market. As more investors are included, real estate markets should become more efficient, and assessment of the markets' risk will be evaluated by more investors.

2.2.THE NEW WORLD OF REAL ESTATE FINANCE Real estate finance has undergone a significant structural shift, and it is not turning back. Real estate finance is segmenting, with new vehicles and structures designed to price the different slices of a property's real estate capital structure based on their specific risks. This change has significant implications for the industry. Many real estate transactions will require multiple layers of finance, bringing the complexity typically seen only in select large deals to a broader segment of the marketplace. This dramatic shift in the marketplace is driven by growing equity requirements, but is possible today because of better information, more sophisticated underwriting, and the discipline and techniques learned from the CMBS and REIT industries. In the corporate world, "traunching" of bond risk, convertible debt, preferred equity, and numerous other finance techniques that "slice and price" the different layers of a company's capital risk have been common for years. In many ways, real estate is just naturally evolving to a more sophisticated finance foundation.

Growing real estate equity requirements have triggered this change. More equity is needed today than is available, necessitating creativity in finance. For example, new construction equity requirements have increased from 10% or less in the 1980s to 25% or more today, representing a 150% increase of equity needed. Put another way, $100 million of equity in the 1980s could support a billion dollars of construction, but only $400 million today. Combined with higher equity requirements on refinancing, equity is at a premium. These changes in the basic structure of real estate finance have been accompanied by changes in the sources of real estate capital. On the debt side, traditional long-term lenders like savings and loans are nearly gone. Life companies, the other reliable long-term lender, face a changing environment due to demutualization and changes in risk-based capital regulations that promote investment in alternatives to long-term mortgages. Commercial banks still dominate the construction-lending sector, but many have migrated to longer-term loans, high-yield mortgages, and other real estate banking activities. Real estate equity sources, who have historically focused on the four major property types in the United States, are now presented with scores of opportunities including net lease deals, mezzanine funds, joint venture developments, REIT joint ventures, opportunity fund investments, real estate venture funds, and a full range of international investment opportunities.

The implications of these changes, whether you are accessing capital, providing capital, or part of the service industry, are that your relationships and knowledge need to be broader than they were in the past, to insure your relevance in the future. These changes have already stimulated mergers, acquisitions, and alliances among-service providers, finance companies, and investors, and such activities are expected to continue in the future. The rest of this article provides an assessment of some of the current trends and information that is critical to keeping abreast of the changes under way in the industry today. ECONOMIC OUTLOOK Perhaps the most important issue facing real estate finance today is uncertainty about the future of the economy and property markets. The feelings of uncertainty are based on individual experience and the widely varying forecasts of economists. The Economic Cycle Research Institute, a well-respected industry group, is perhaps the most negative, predicting a recession starting in the second or third quarter of this year. Alternatively, the Conference Board's Index of Leading Economic Indicators and the Recession Watch Index, compiled by Comerica Bank, both indicate a decline through early 2001 with a pickup in the second half of the year. This more positive forecast is supported by the Urban Land Institute, which forecasts two to three quarters of flat gross

domestic product (GDP) growth of 1.5% followed by a gradual increase to 2% for all of 2002. While there is a dispute about the depth and breadth of the economic downturn, there is consensus that the economy has turned significantly downward, even if GDP continues to grow at 1% to 2% per year. Accordingly, while we are not officially in a recession, it still feels like a significant downturn given GDP growth of 4%-5% in recent years. There is also no dispute that Nasdaq is down 50% from its peak and the S&P 500 is down 15% from its peak, significantly reducing wealth in the economy. Venture capital spending is also down from $100 billion a year in 2000 to approximately $50 billion projected for 2001. Perhaps of most concern is that two-thirds of the current economic growth is driven by consumer spending, and there continues to be speculation about the future ability of consumers to continue to spend. Despite this concern, consumer confidence has rebounded in recent months. The collapse of the telecom industry is a further area of concern, not only for real estate building owners, but also for the economy as a whole. Many companies, including key real estate telecoms such as OnSite Access and Broadband Office, have declared bankruptcy, and many others are expected to follow. The severity of telecom problems is best illustrated by the huge numbers involved. With over $800 billion invested in telecom, losses are expected to reach over $150 billion, equal in magnitude to the S&L collapse. Tenants, building owners, carrier

hotel investors, and major firms such as Cisco and Nortel are among those seriously affected. In the first quarter of 2001, for example, Nortel declared a $19 billion loss. Perhaps the silver lining is that with a substantial oversupply of fiber-optic cable put in place, our economy will benefit from the infrastructure investment. However, in the short run, don't expect bargains due to the oversupply, because stable and successful telecom firms will be charging a "stability" premium.

REAL ESTATE MARKET OUTLOOK The real estate markets are well positioned to withstand declines in the economy. Most important, due to better underwriting, more regulatory oversight, and the discipline brought on by the emergence of the CMBS and REIT sectors, the property markets are strong. Office vacancies, while rising in the first quarter to 9.5%, are still below levels near 20% at the start of the decade. Annual new construction has dropped to near 2% of total inventory and is forecast to stay low for at least the next two years. This compares to an average of 4% between 1998 and 2000 and sustained levels of 6%-7% in the mid- to late 1980s. A similar story can be told for the other major property types, providing confidence that dramatic market collapses are unlikely to emerge. Reports by the Real Estate Research Corporation, LaSalle Investment Management, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Torto Wheaton, the Urban Land Institute, and others, all suggest a soft economic landing would have

limited long-term negative effects on the real estate markets. Owners, due to much more significant equity cushions than in the past, are also well positioned to survive projected economic declines. Other positive signs for the real estate industry are found in recent surveys. Based on a survey of responses from leaders in the Urban Land Institute, 78% of all businesses thought that prospects for profits through mid-2002 were excellent, very good, or good, while only 8% thought the prospects for profits were fair or modestly poor. Bank of America Securities did a survey of 34 of the largest public real estate companies with an equity capitalization of $105 billion and found that, combined, they have invested only $230 million in technology ventures. This equaled approximately 0.2% of their equity capitalization, with most companies having invested less than $10 million. They conclude that most real estate companies avoided the temptation to take the technology leap of faith; thus, negative financial effects have been minimal. TRANSACTION ACTIVITY The differences in the way buyers and sellers interpret market uncertainty have led to a significant slowing of transaction activity. By some reports, both sales and mortgage origination activity are down over 50% from highs during the last two years. Leasing activity has also stalled as tenants, hoping that they are finally back in the driver's seat, pause to consider the effects of the economy on their businesses and

determine the point in time where they can extract the best deal from landlords. The one bright side in the transaction market is refinancing, where historically low interest rates and new mezzanine financing structures allow owners to extract significant capital without having to sell. The slowing of transaction activity is reflected in bidask spreads, which are the widest they have been in many years (bid-ask spreads measure the difference between what the buyers want to pay and sellers are asking as measured in differences in capitalization rates). Bid-ask spreads were over 100 basis points for hotels and power centers. Office buildings, industrial properties, and community shopping centers were centered around 70 basis points. Apartments had the lowest bid-ask spread of 50 basis points. As might be expected, bid-ask spreads vary significantly by property type and geography, Property types with longer leases typically have wider spreads, as do markets which have seen accelerated rent increases in the last several years. If history is a guide, the wide gaps in bidask spreads should last 3-6 months, with sellers eventually moving to the buyer's position. However, the strong equity positions and financing options available to many owners are likely to extend slow transactions longer then has been the case historically. There are numerous indicators that transaction activity should rebound strongly in the next 12 months. First, buyers, sellers, and tenants should

gain confidence as the direction of the economy and real estate markets becomes more clear. Opportunity funds, which have raised over $50 billion in equity, and invested significantly more on a leveraged basis during the last five years, are under pressure to sell assets. While their financial strength will enable them to hold assets, they have significant selling pressure due to internal rate of return hurdles and the detrimental effect of longer holding periods on internal rates of return. Transaction activity from the REIT sector should also increase as REITs recapitalize through joint ventures and sales of marginal-quality assets. The REIT bond market has also been strong, enabling access to unsecured debt, providing further transactional liquidity. Other positive trends for transactions include expected increases in pension fund allocations to real estate in 2002, increased corporate activity as rents stabilize, and continuing healthy capital markets. Another strong trend in the transaction market has been the growing activity of high-net-worth individuals. According to CB Richard Ellis, high-net-worth individuals and syndicates accounted for 44% of transactions in 2000, followed by life companies and pension funds at 25%, opportunity funds at 14%, and REITs at 11%. This trend of investment by high-net-worth individuals is expected to continue as wealthy individuals continue to diversify their stock market positions. Given the substantial wealth in the economy, even after drops in the stock market, small changes in individual investment decisions can

result in significant new real estate equity investment. Proof of this trend can be found in a survey in the Spring 2001 Real Estate Alert that identified 78 active real estate opportunistic and value-added vehicles, operated by 60 different sponsors. These funds raised $26.6 billion by the end of 2000 and were expecting to invest $26.7 billion in 2001 at an average target leveraged return of 19.2%. REIT TRENDS REITs usually get press disproportionate to their influence in the real estate capital markets due to public disclosure requirements. In this case, REITs have earned their press with returns through the middle half of the year near 8% compared to returns of -17% for Nasdaq and -7.1% for the S&P 500. The strength of REIT performance is even more stellar when looking at the last 12 months where REITs have achieved 18% total returns versus a negative 46% for Nasdaq and a negative 16.1% for the S&P 500. The best REIT performers during the last 12 months have been those sectors of the market hurt the most previously, retail, hotels, net lease, and healthcare. Healthcare REITs led the pack with a 46.2% return during the last 12 months. Despite the substantial increase in share prices during the last 12 months, average REIT net asset values (NAVs), as a percent of total market capitalization, were 95% through the middle of 2001, up from 88% in June of 2000, but still far below the peak of 130% set in March of 1997.

REITs have rebounded successfully from their poor performance in 1998 and 1999 when they experienced negative total returns of 16.9% and 4.6% respectively. The challenge today is to continue the strong performance and growth while limiting risks. As capitalization rates have declined and low-hanging fruit has been picked, it is more difficult to find acquisitions that generate growth at appropriate risk levels. REITs have responded by turning to development. Green Street Advisors, Inc., reports that the current development pipeline for public REITs and real estate operating companies is approximately $18 billion. This represents almost 20% of the market equity of the companies undertaking development. So far, the market does not appear to be fully rewarding the additional growth brought on by development, unless it is adjusted for market, financial, and property risks. The REIT Modernization Act (RMA), which went into effect January 1, 2001, is one way that REITs are expected to push forward their growth. The RMA, which allows REITs to own taxable real estate subsidiaries, thus enabling them to provide real estate-related services to their tenants and third parties, has been underestimated in some circles as a driver of growth. While many REITs will only marginally use the powers of the RMA, other firms are contemplating substantial vertical integration including such ideas as apartment REITs owning furniture companies or offering single-family sales and brokerage services to tenants who are moving into the single-family market. Credit card companies for

regional mall REITs or multifamily REITs going into condo conversion are a few of the many other ideas and actions being implemented today. REITs need to be careful in their planning to take advantage of the RMA's power. The problem can be seen in the way the stock market has treated commercial real estate services companies that went public since 1996. These companies, which make up five of the 10 largest commercial real estate services firms in the country, have suffered dramatically falling stock prices and have been unable to raise sufficient additional capital to fund their growth. One reason for this, and why REITs have fared better, is that the market does not reward unpredictable transaction-based income. Accordingly, since REIT analysts look very carefully at the nature of income, and have a preference for asset-based income, any expansion of activities due to the RMA should be evaluated based both on their ability to contribute to share price as well as the specific profitability of the subsidiary. REITs also continue to face the challenge of raising new capital. While O & Y Properties Corp recently filed for a $98 million IPO to create 0 & Y REIT, the IPO market has otherwise been dead. Only two IPOs worth $292 million were sold in 1999, and no IPOs have been done since. On the positive side, REITs have been able to access unsecured debt through public offerings during the last few years. Unsecured debt offerings exceeded $7 billion per year in 1999 and 2000, and through the first five months of 2001 nearly $5 billion in unsecured debt had been

raised. Although a total of $10.4 billion of offerings were completed in 2000, money raising paled compared to the average of over $40 billion raised annually in 1997 and 1998. REIT merger and acquisition activity declined significantly in 2000. Only 7 REIT to REIT mergers occurred in 2000, compared to 14 such deals in 1999. While merger, acquisitions, and consolidation activities are expected to continue in the future, most observers do not expect the pace to pick up significantly in the near term. DEBT TRENDS Commercial mortgage interest rates have remained relatively constant since the start of the year, at historically attractive rates of approximately 7.5%. However, while prices are good, borrowers are experiencing difficulties in obtaining acceptable loan to value ratio coverage, particularly with construction loans or other properties with higher risk positions. Tight underwriting practices by banks have been in place for some time. Based on the most recent survey by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation of bank underwriting practices, covering the October 2000 through March 2001 time period, underwriting practices for commercial real estate loans tightened further. The same report showed that banks active in construction lending actually increased their frequency of making speculative construction loans (that is, projects without

meaningful presale, prelease, or takeout commitments). Approximately 29% of those making construction loans participated in this practice. Bank underwriting will not tighten excessively as it did in the early 1990s if Alan Greenspan has his way. In early June, Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman, told the Senate Banking Committee that banks should not tighten lending standards despite some erosion in loan quality in U.S. banks. He felt that an overreaction to problem loans could create a credit crunch, which could be devastating to the sluggish economy, hurting bank shareholders and their profits. The CMBS market is showing surprising resiliency so far in 2001. Based on year-to-date performance, issuance for 2001 is expected to reach $75 billion, only $3 billion less than its peak of $78 billion in 1998. This is up from $60.9 billion in 2000 and average issuance of less than $20 billion in the early to mid-1990s. The resiliency of the CMBS market is reflected in its ability to adapt. While the market grew initially with large offerings of Resolution Trust Corporation assets, it then adapted to incorporate multiasset class pools, a broader array of property types, international securities, and finally today more customized offerings with unusual underlying collateral features including leaseback structures, single borrower loans, and shortterm loans. With international issuance reaching $12 billion in 2000 as banks throughout the world restructure their assets, and estimates of $20 to $25

billion of international securities in 2001, this segment has become important. However, there are still some questions as to whether this international component of the market will be a long-term feature or disappear like RTC issues did in the US. during the mid-1990s. CMBS spreads continue to tighten. AAA spreads over 10-year Treasuries were 126 basis points as of June 2001, 40 basis points less than a year ago. This tightening is a result of continuing healthy demand for CMBS issues by investors and declining 10-year Treasury rates, which decreased 60 basis points during the same time period. Noninvestment grade tranches did not see their spreads reduce, as BB spreads remained constant at 525 basis points and B spreads actually rose from 815 to 825 basis points. There appears to be hope for additional B-piece buyers to enter the market, eliminating a potential bottleneck for CMBS issuers. This is important because historically the market for the highest-risk CMBS tranches has been thin, and these investors shoulder the majority of the delinquency and default risk in CMBS securities. B-piece buyers wield power despite representing only approximately 5% of a typical pool. They have had the ability to throw out loans arbitrarily and make other demands. There is evidence that new B-piece buyers are entering the marketplace. With the dot.com meltdown and the high-return expectations in the tech sector, B-pieces, with 20% to 30% return expectations, are attracting

greater interest. ARCap REIT, Inc., a private trust that is an active Bpiece buyer, completed an offering raising $121.5 million. They also issued $236 million in senior notes, providing additional capital to invest in the market. Cremac Capital Partners also recently closed a $100 million fund to invest in subordinate tranches. A team consisting of Alliance Capital Management and the Global Capital Markets Group of CB Richard Ellis also recently announced plans to raise approximately $200 million of equity capital to invest in BB and below quality CMBS. GE Financial Assurance and Anthracite Capital, Inc., are two other companies that have recently raised fresh capital for the sector. The CMBS market is also heading towards greater activity over the Internet. Recently, a group of companies and organizations led by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and the Commercial Mortgage Securities Association initiated a process to develop standards for commercial mortgage transactions conducted over the Internet. Another task force of the MBA and the Commercial Mortgage Securities Association recently released a report that dealt with the problem of missing loan documents. This task force spent eight months developing recommendations to insure fewer delays and more complete reporting in the mortgage markets. Finally, the idea of online marketing of bonds is not new. In 2000, five investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Deutsche Bank, and Salomon Smith Barney

banded together to launch an online marketplace for bonds. This new company, called BondBook LLC, is being designed to trade corporate, junk, and municipal bonds on the Internet. While the CMBS industry is not quite there yet, the steps being taken and this initiative in the bond market are leading the way towards greater liquidity in the commercial mortgage-backed securities marketplace.lR INTERESTING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE MARKET Huge opportunities with brownfields (former industrial and commercial facilities where development is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination) have become more realistic given recent market changes. First, the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act passed 99 to 0 in the Senate in April 2001 and is going to the House. This act provides liability relief for innocent property owners and increased funding for brownfields cleanup and redevelopment and recognizes the finality of successful state hazardous waste cleanup efforts. Bush's budget also makes permanent a special exception that brownfield sites currently have that allows them to deduct all cleanup costs immediately, rather than amortizing them over time. Finally, in a federal district court in San Francisco, the city of Emeryville received a favorable ruling that they are not responsible for any cleanup cost because of environmental contamination in a property they acquired under eminent domain. This ruling enables cities to more

freely use their eminent domain power to push forward brownfield site redevelopment. For those people who have longed to buy a cheeseburger at their local REIT, the IRS in early June issued Revenue Ruling 2001-29, which clarified an earlier ruling in 1973 that held that REITs were not engaged in the "active conduct" of a trade or business. This new ruling clarifies that REITs are engaged in the "active conduct" of a trade or business providing a "safe harbor" for non real estate companies to distribute or spin off on a tax-free basis real estate assets in the form of a real estate investment trust whose shares are distributed to the company's existing shareholders. This presents opportunities for companies like McDonald's to spin off their real estate holdings on a tax-free basis. Opportunities in the 1031 like-cut exchange marketplace expanded with a September 15, 2000, IRS ruling which enables "reverse" like kind exchanges. This ruling, Revenue Procedure 2000-37, enables property owners to reverse the existing steps in a 1031 exchange, enabling them to buy a property first, then have 180 days to sell existing assets. This added flexibility should make the $30 billion 1031 exchange market even more attractive. To assist this marketplace, LoopNet, in partnership with Asset Preservation, Inc., Investment Property Exchange Services, Inc., and LandAmerica Exchange Company, recently launched an online program for tax deferred investment property exchanges. This exchange

will provide resources, current information, and a variety of tools necessary for 1031 transactions. Succession planning and related activities present a huge opportunity for service providers and investment managers during the next two decades. Projected wealth transfers during the next two decades are massive. Twenty-six million estates with an aggregate value of $12 to $18 trillion will be probated by 2017. Seven to ten trillion dollars of this will go to personal heirs, as opposed to charities or trusts. The opportunities exist because of the large amount of this money that will be in the form of real estate, or real estate companies, as well as the investment opportunities presented by this wealth transfer. Succession planning has always been a critical issue for real estate companies, and with many REITs today, it is an important issue in retaining the confidence of investment analysts. Another significant growth area to watch is the biotech industry. The cost of bringing a new drug to market is approximately $400 million, and biotechnology can significantly reduce this cost. The industry, just 25 years old, has helped a quarter of a billion people, and this number is expected to grow significantly. Over 350 biotech medicines targeting 200 diseases are in the late stages of development. With substantial research budgets and growing marketing and business strength, the biotechnology industry will be a huge user of real estate within the United States, Europe, and 22other countries.

2.3 ROLES OF BANKS AND OTHER INTERMEDIARIES IN REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT Housing finance by its very nature is a capital intensive venture which if it is to be financed through personal financial resources will require slow and tedious accumulation of savings. However, since housing provides benefits over many years, long-term credit financing is a more logical option as it will spread the repayment burden. But this requires the availability of long-term funding, and for which must be institutional capacity, structure and mechanism that will allow a convenient and effective linkage between the savers/investors and the consumers of such funds. Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria is the apex institution in the mortgage market in Nigeria. A committee was set up to produce a draft of National Housing Policy acknowledged, finance as constituting the centre piece, among other major pillars, of housing delivery (Abiodun, 1999). The poor performance of Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), which gave loan to 8,874 out of 10,000 application between 1977 and 1990 was very worrisome. It was very obvious that the FMBN should undergo serious re-engineering to be able to cope with the enormous task of housing finance. This re-engineering resulted into a framework of two tier financial structure (see fig. 1:) Fig. 1. Nigeria Two Tier Housing Finance Structure

FMBN

Housing corporation Saving banks Building societies Credit unions

Source. Authur (From NHP). Arilesere 1998, summarised the major strategies and guidelines of the National Housing Policy (NHP, 1991) on Housing finance as follows: - Mobilisation of savings into Mortgage Institution - Provision of incentives for the capital market to invest in property development - Provision of policy controls over the allocation of resources between the housing sector and other sectors of the economy. - Facilitation of flow of domestic and international resources into the priority housing areas, such as low income housing.

- Need for government to establish voluntary schemes, mandatory schemes and provide substantial budgetary allocations and financial transfer to the housing finance system. - Establishment of National Housing Fund (NHF) to be administered by the Federal Mortgage Bank. - Ensuring that Commercial Banks, Merchant Banks and Insurance Companies are given reasonable conditions to encourage them to invest in mortgage business. Without an effective finance system, no housing policy can be effectively implemented. A financing framework which facilitates financial intermediation for housing finance consists of institutions as well as their relationship and the processes involved. However, the emphasis in this review will be on relevant institutions and their activities. Indeed the framework must effectively reconcile the affordability limitation of households with viability requirement of financial institutions. In Nigeria, housing is typically financed through a number of institutional sources:

Budgetary appropriations, Commercial/Merchant Banks, Insurance Companies, State Housing Corporations and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN): and now the newly established Mortgage Institutions all these constitute the formal institutions. In formal institutions such as thrift and credit societies, and money lenders who have contributed and are still contributing substantially to the finance of housing construction also persists. The impact of these informal institutions however cannot be properly quantified because they are largely uncoordinated, scattered and varied in scope and operational depth.

2.4 THE ACTIVITIES OF GOVERNMENT IN FINANCING REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT For various reasons, the expansion in the external sector of the economy as well as the consequent expansion in the financial system did not translate into any significant improvement in the level of financial intermediation for housing finance. A major reason has been, until very recently, the nature of Government intervention. With resources allocated by the various development plans especially the Third and Fourth National Development Plans, the public sector embarked on the direct construction of mass housing; major housing projects were financed directly from budgetary appropriations. This

emphasis on budgetary appropriation was mainly during the oil boom periods of 1973/76 and 1980/81. Little or no role was allowed the Private sector in Housing Finance. The results were insignificant impact on housing need and attendant cost inefficiencies. There were few peculiar features of implementation in the respective periods of the plans which have had a direct bearing on Housing finance activities. (a) Fiscal policy alternated between stringent and liberal control on imports, depending on the buoyancy of hard currency earnings. Given the import dependence on building materials, cost of housing construction oscillated. (b) Apart from its regulatory role, government at the Federal and State level was also engaged in direct housing construction. For example the new government of Lagos State is currently embarking on the provision of 10,000 housing unit per year for the next four years of mix development for the people of the state. How realizable this scheme is only time will tell. But definitely its all boils down to finance. It is on record that the State is seeking to obtain 4.0 billion Naira from the capital

market just to be able to fulfill part of their promise of housing. (c) Although the Third and Fourth plans placed emphasis on a housing sector, there was no adequate allocation of funds. (d) The institutional structure for mortgage finance did not evolve beyond rudimentary stage. In the event, there was little evidence of financial presence from the private sector in public sector housing finance activities. In consequence, the operational dependency and sophistication which a greater presence from the private sector could have induced in the Housing finance system did not take place. The situation was compounded by the strict regulation of credit expansion which, until the recent deregulation, has compelled the financial institutions to remain largely in the short-term end of the credit market. Inspite of their importance in financing the construction of housing, the commercial and Merchant Banks have not gone beyond allocating 20% of their loans and advance into building construction for any year. This is because of the relative slow rate of returns and the interest rate and inflation risks inherent in long-term lending.

2.5 THE ROLES OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN ENSURING REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA. Insurance Companies Insurance companies are equally well suited to providing housing finance because of their stable base of funding and the long-term nature of their liabilities. They are therefore not only fund mobilizers, but also important source of capital fund for the economy. Funds from life insurance companies also provide resources for the financing of the housing sector in Nigeria. The structure of the loans and advances of the sector indicates that the insurance sector has been active in mortgage financing. Specialized Institutions The main competing institutions with banks and insurance companies in the area of housing have been specialized institutions, such as semigovernment agencies, mortgage banks and building societies. State/Municipal Government Financing State and Municipal Governments have also been known to be involved in mortgage financing, albeit, on a limited scale. The sources of such fund usually include budgetary allocation, complemented with facilities from development institutions. Such funds are often channelled through the states development finance institutions such as the Housing Corporations or Investment and

Property Development Corporations for on lending to individuals for residential building construction. Indeed, the erstwhile regional governments of the 1960s set up the regional housing corporations, with clear mandate to provide long term credit for housing development. Primary Mortgage Institutions (PMIs) The promulgation of the Mortgage Institutions Decree No. 53 of 1989 provided the regulatory framework for the establishment and operation of Primary Mortgage Institutions (PMI) by private entrepreneurs. The FMBN under the decree became the apex institution, which regulates primary mortgage institutions and was empowered to license the PMIs as second tier housing finance institutions. The PMIs, under the Decree were to mobilize savings from the public and grant housing loans to individuals, while the FMBN mobilizes capital funds for the primary mortgage institutions. The PMIs were expected to enhance private sector participation in housing finance. The Federal Mortgage Finance Limited (FMFL) The Federal Mortgage Finance Limited was established in 1993 to carry out the retail aspect of mortgage financing and provide credible and responsive housing finance services, while FMBN became the nations apex mortgage lending agency. The FMFL is expected to provide long-term credit facilities to mortgage institutions in Nigeria to enable them grant comparable facilities to individuals desiring to acquire houses of their own; encourage and

promote the emergence and growth of primary mortgage institutions (PMIs) to serve the need of housing delivery in all parts of Nigeria; and to collect, manage and administer contributions to the National Housing Fund (NHF) in accordance with the provision of the NHF Decree No. 3 of 1992. Housing Corporations The State Housing Corporations operate largely as property developers and they depend mainly on Government budgetary allocations. The housing units are usually sold outright as they usually do not provide mortgage finance to buyers. The number of housing units produced has not been significant relative to demand. Their role would have been effectively implemented if they were operating as financial intermediaries. It has been noted elsewhere that for reasons such as availability of Government funding, housing corporations do not operate savings schemes; and those that have such schemes have marginalized them. It was in realization of the enormity of the housing problem relative to declining resources capacity available to the Public Sector, that the previous Governments decided to facilitate construction by the Private Sector institutions. Consequently the new National Housing Policy was established.

2.6 THE EFFECT OF POLICY ON REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT Realizing that the enormous public sector efforts have not effectively addressed an expanding housing deficit and escalating construction costs, and that such efforts must be substantially collaborative with the Private Sector, Government decided to establish a framework within which such collaboration can effectively address the housing problem. This was articulated in the National Housing Policy in 1988. The policy attempts inter alia; to create a new housing finance system, encourage the linkage of the housing sector to the capital market, establish a National Housing Fund, and expand Private Sector role in the housing delivery system. The most significant differences between the new policy and the previous ones are firstly, that housing is now seen in context of the overall national development. Previous policies had tended to regard housing as a social service and a natural fall-out of the national economic development. Secondly, the policy has identified the fact that different household both within and between income groups tend to have different demand for housing. This is evident from the ultimate goal of the policy which is, to ensure that all

Nigerians own or have access to decent housing accommodation at affordable cost by the 2000 AD Thirdly, the focus of the policy seems to be to remove all barriers to the supply of housing and to provide incentives to all parties involved (governments, private sector and individuals) in the housing delivery system.

2.7 SUSTAINABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA The rate of urbanization in Nigeria has witnessed tremendous increase in the past decades. Census in the early Fifties showed that there were about 56 cities in the country and about 10.6% of the total population lived in these cities. This rose dramatically to 19.1% in 1963 and 24.5% in 1985. Today, the national population is now estimated to be about 120 million with the urban population constituting about 30%. The rapid growth rate of urban population in Nigeria since the early seventies was mainly due to immigrating induced by the concentration of the gains from the oil sector in the urban areas. Given the expected increases in Urban population, the magnitude of housing problem in

the country is enormous. According to the National Rolling Plan (NRP) the national housing requirement is between 500,000 and 600,000 units considering the prevailing occupancy ratio of between Three and Four persons per room. If this estimated annual requirement was to be provided at an average of N500,000 per unit (rather conservative) the costs would be enormous and indeed unrealizable. The cost of providing housing alone would be between N250 Trillion and N300 Trillion (excluding the cost of infrastructural development). This is the macro perspective of the housing problem. This is to say that the Government and Mortgage Institutions will need this much as capital base to effectively tackle the housing situation. The phenomenal rise in population, number and size of our cities over the past few years have manifested in the acute shortage of dwelling units which resulted in overcrowding, high rents, poor urban living conditions, and low infrastructure services and indeed high crime rates. On the micro-level, it has been observed that house ownership is one of the first priorities for most households and it represents the largest single investment for most (between 50% and 70% of household income). This observation becomes very significant when it is realized that per capital income in Nigeria has been on the decline (currently N3,000.00) as well as the real income of the average Nigerian.

The rapid up-swing in the prices of building materials in the last five years has further reduced the affordability for most Nigerians. Relating annual requirements for housing with the Gross Domestic Product of N82.53 billion in 1988 and 85.82 billion estimates for 1989, and over 88 billion in 1991 as well as per capital income of N3,000.00, financing becomes a major factor of the housing problem especially long term funding. Except the problem of how to finance the construction of housing for all income groups is effectively addressed, the housing problem is bound to further escalate. The objective of this paper therefore is to give you an insight into the financing option for the construction of housing in Nigeria given the existing financial structures. Construction materials and housing design play a crucial role in this overall financial play.

2.8 HOUSING IN THE NATIONAL ECONOMY One may perhaps be tempted to ask why emphasis is being placed on housing. Firstly of all mans basic needs, housing arguably, constitutes and indeed poses the greatest challenge. Secondly, a vigorous and buoyant housing sector is an indication of a strong programme of national investment and is indeed the foundation of and the first step to future economic growth and social development. The gross housing delivery is therefore a major factor in the nations gross domestic product (GDP) and indeed this reflects the mirror and the barometer of the state of health of the Nation. Economic activities are well known to encompass all aspects of human endeavor that are directed towards the creation of wealth. It is also known that one of the basis of human needs is to seek to enhance our self worth by improving our living standards. Economic growth is therefore a natural pursuit in any human set-up as such improvements is expected to lead to increased wealth and prosperity both for individuals and the whole nation. In order to moderate the acute shortage of shelters in the country, the NHP for the period spanning 1994 to 1998 was expected to build 121,000 housing units. In addition, the number of Licensed Primary Mortgage Finance Institutions (LPMFI) rose from 251 in 1993 to 276 in 1994. However, by the end of 1998, it has declined to 115. Similarly, the Federal Government capital expenditure on housing

increased by over 500 per cent to N4818.3 million in 1995 from N776.7 million in 1988, but declined slightly by about to per cent to N722.0 million in 1998 (CBN 1994 and 1998). The Federal and the State Government were expected to spend N2.7 billion on housing provision during the 1996-98 NRP. Over N3.0 billion was expected to be spend by the two levels of governments during the 1999-2001 NRP (NPC, 1998 and 2000) Despite all these interventions and huge investments in housing provisions since the colonial times and to date, Nigerias housing problems still remain intractable. In fact, access to decent shelter has worsened for increasing segments of the urban population in Nigeria. For instance, it was reported that out of 121,000 housing units slated to be built between 1994 and 1995, only 1,014 houses were completed (CBN, 1994 and 1998; and Vision 2010 Main Report). Also, it was estimated that about 85 per cent of urban population live in single rooms, and the number of occupants per room range from 8 to 12 with adverse effects on sanitation and health. The deteriorating housing situation in Nigeria, especially at the urban centres is too critical to leave for government to redress alone. Nigeria is the 6th largest producer of crude oil in the elite league known as OPEC, whose members account for over two third of the worlds total supply of this commodity. Also the countrys estimated reserves of natural gas runs into billions of metric tonnes and the

first train of the liquified Natural Gas (LNG) has recently being shipped out with the production all fully committed to purchases from abroad. In terms of revenue earning capacity and potential, it is worth mentioning that Nigeria to date has realised over US200 billion from crude oil sales. For a country that could boast of such huge amount of resources, it is very saddening and disturbing to note that very little of the earnings have been put into use to boost the fortune of the Housing Industry and infrastructure. The industry should have seen a lot more activity and government support, in large scale development schemes, and improvement and providing of infrastructure; provision of large scale social housing, creating and expanding new towns. A cursory look at the present state of the housing provision tells a glaring tale of a huge paradox - A paradox of achieving so little with so much endowment! An indictment of the government that ought to provide the lead. And so today the housing provision is in a state of comatose, neither dying nor living!!! One major serious aspect of urban problem with respect to housing is the poor state of the infrastructures. For instance Table 1 indicates the proportion of urban households in Nigeria with water supply.

National Sites and Services Programme The National Sites and Services programme was adopted by the Federal Government in 1986 as a viable alternative for housing delivery through increased supply of serviced plots at affordable costs. The aim of the programme was to create easy access to develop land, which had for long hindered home ownership. The programme involves the provision of serviced land for housing development and commercial activities in a well laid out and planned environment. Such services include roads, drains, water supply, electricity and other municipal services. Since the commencement of the Programme in 1986 only about 20,000 plots have been allocated in about 20 states of the federation. In the 2001 fiscal year, contracts are currently being packaged for Kuje and Gwarinpa both in the FCT for the provision of roads and drains. Summary of percentage (%) of work done as at the end of 1999. Description % of work done - Site clearance and earth works 75% - Roads and car parks 20% - Storm water drainage 75% - Water supply 1.5% - Sewer main drain 56.5% - Electrical distribution & street lighting 2% - Telecommunication Nil - Layout and demarcation of plots 90%

Amount required to complete the on-going sites and services projects are estimated at N6.986 billion.

2.9 New Structure for Housing Finance in Nigeria. The new housing policy has established a two-tier housing finance structure, with FMBN as an apex institution and a decentralized network of Primary Mortgage Market institutions such as building societies, housing co-operatives, home savings and loans associations. This structure aims to streamline processes and organizational relationships within the housing finance system and encourage expansion in private initiative. In this regard, the legal framework for the organization and implementation of the apex role of FMBN has been defined by the Mortgage Institutions Decree No.53 of 1989. National Housing Fund (NHF) was established in 1992 The concept of the National Housing Fund as proposed in the National Housing Policy is to ensure a continuous flow of long-term funding for housing development and to provide affordable loans for low income housing. The promulgation of the National Housing Fund Decree heralded the emergence and establishment of a battery of mortgage

finance institutions in Nigeria. Quite a number of them had been in operation for the last 12 months. Good as the intention of the scheme appear, the technicalities and modalities of releasing the loan to the mortgage institutions to unlend to the members of the public have not been worked out and as such most potential clients have been frustrated by the high interest rate and cost of funding. Most of the mortgage institutions on their own have been mobilizing funds by accepting deposits and savings at very high interest rate in a highly competitive marketing environment. Most customers on the other hand are prepared to wait for the National Housing Fund than take loans at high interest rate which is presently being dictated by the money market condition.

2.10 STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE RESOURCE MOBILIZATION IN REAL ESTATE The strategies offered in the national Housing Policy are classified into voluntary schemes, mandatory schemes and government budgetary allocations. The Voluntary Schemes: Include encouraging individuals to save and borrow at low interest rates. Contractual savings schemes as well as Central Bank guidelines will be employed to facilitate the contributions of individual, and commercial/merchant bank

respectively. The Mandatory Schemes: Consist of the National Housing Fund (NHF), schemes for commercial/merchant banks and insurance companies. The N.H.F. will take two and a half per-cent contribution from the monthly salaries of workers earning N3,000.00 and above. It will attract 4% interest rate but contributions can be withdrawn as retirement benefit with commercial rate of interest paid when contributors do not use the housing loan facilities. The fund is to be administered by FMBN. Commercial/Merchant Banks are expected to invest 10% of their loans and advances in FMBN at concessionary interest rates. Insurance companies are also to invest a minimum of 20% of their non-life funds and 40% of their life funds in real estate development; not less than 50% of these allocation must be channeled through FMBN. All these noble aim of Government are presently being hindered by criticisms from Insurance companies and Banks. While the mandatory contribution from employers is trickling into FMBN at small pace thereby making the scheme presently ineffective. This scheme is not working. For example to date only 969 out of the 1.8 million contributors have so far applied for loans, while a total of N5.8 billion has been collected into the fund since its inception in 1992 to September 2000. Out of the total amount collected, N13million has been refunded to 4019 contributors who have attained the age of 60 years or become incapable of continuing their contribution. Only N375 million of the total fund of N5.8 billion in the kitty have

been disbursed through 20 primary mortgage institutions to 631 contributors to enable them buy or build their own houses.

2.11 EVALUATION OF HOUSING/MORTGAGE FINANCING IN NIGERIA An appraisal of mortgage financing in Nigeria shows that these measures have produced some salutary impact on the housing sector. Available information reveal that about N1.065 billion was granted as loans and advances by the insurance companies to the housing sector between 1990 and 1998. This represented an average of 39.4 percent of their total loans and advances during the period. The analysis of the PMIs operations also indicate that loans to customers amounted to N5.987 billion within the period 1992 2001, just as the number of operators rose steadily to a peak of 280 in 1995 before it declined. Available information also reveals that the supply of credit by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria is grossly 14 inadequate to meet the growing demand. With regard to cooperative societies and

state/municipal governments, evidence seem to suggest some increase in the level of funding although, there appears to be a lull in recent times owing to inadequate funds. In terms of fund mobilization, the national housing scheme recorded modest achievements as contribution to the scheme increased to over N20, 073.0 million by December 1997.

As at end September 2000, FMBN mobilised a total of N5.8 billion from 1.8 million contributors to the NHF while it granted N375 million loans to 631 contributors through 20 PMIs for the construction of houses. Overall, there is evidence of declining activities in housing finance generally. The average share of GDP invested in housing declined from 3.6 percent in the 1970s to less than 1.7 percent in the 1990s. In addition, between 1992 and 2001, the volume of savings and time deposit with the banks and nonbank financial institutions grew by 604.94 percent from N 54 billion to N 385.2 billion. However, the proportion held by the housing finance institutions declined from 1.4 percent to 0.22 per cent in 1998, indicating a fall in the flow of funds into the housing finance sector.

2.12 LINGERING OF MORTGAGE FINANCING IN NIGERIA The statistics given above is worrisome and underscores the existence of some lingering problems, which constrained adequate and efficient credit delivery to the housing sector. They include the following: Low Interest Rate on National Housing Fund The low interest rate level stipulated by law on investment on NHF makes the banks and insurance companies reluctant to invest in the Fund especially, as there are some more profitable investment avenues. Low Level of Participation in the NHF The number of contributors to the NHF has been relatively small compared with the national work force. There are about 9 million workers who are yet to be registered and are therefore not making any contributions. There are also alleged cases of diversion of workers contributions to the fund by employers to other investment purposes. Macroeconomic environment The hitherto high inflation rate negatively affected the macroeconomic environment. There is need to continue to keep the rate of inflation moderate as high inflation rate and structural bottlenecks in the economy do not encourage contribution toward the fund. Non-Vibrancy of some PMIs

The loss of focus by some PMIs in favour of non-core activities such as trading as well as the slow disbursement of NHF to the PMIs, made some of them to be competing with the banks in sourcing for funds for purposes other than mortgage financing. Cumbersome Legal Regulatory Framework for Land Acquisition The existence of a cumbersome process of title documentation of land ownership which is reinforced by inadequate cadastral system makes mortgage financing very difficult. This has been seen as one of the factors responsible for slow disbursement of NHF. The Structure of Bank Deposit Liabilities This is preponderantly short term, therefore, the deposit money banks tend to avoid fund mismatch i.e. borrowing short but lending long, which is required in mortgage financing. The key issue that emerges therefore revolves around how to ensure adequate long term lending by financial institutions rather than the current short term lending practice. This requires significant intermediation efforts, especially, since housing finance is very sensitive to inflationary environment. Another related issue is the inability of the financial institutions to mobilize resources effectively for low-income housing.

REFERENCES
SUSTAINABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA THE FINANCIAL AND INFRASTRUCTURAL IMPLICATION Joseph Segun AJANLEKOKO, Nigeria Assessing the Causes and Consequences of Loan Defaults and Workouts Forte, Joseph Philip. Real Estate Finance. New York:Fall 1992. Vol. 9, Iss. 3, p. 11

Capital market diversity challenges borrowers, lenders, and investors Muldavin, Scott R. Real Estate Finance. New York:Spring 1995. Vol. 12, Iss. 1, p. 8 (4 pp.)

Financing choice by equity REITs in the 1990s Chinmoy Ghosh, Raja Nag, C F Sirmans. Real Estate Finance. New York:Fall 1997. Vol. 14, Iss. 3, p. 41-50 (10 pp.) Adeniyi, E. O. (1996). Housing in Nigerian National Development in Housing in Nigeria by Adepoju Onibokun Bichi K.M. (1997). Housing Finance in the Context of Vision 2010. Housing Today. Enuenwosu, C.E. (1985): The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria: Its Objectives and Future Prospects. Central Bank of Nigeria Bullion July - September Falegan, S.B. (1980): Problems and Prospects of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria. Central Bank of Nigeria Bullion April June. Federal Republic of Nigeria (1990) - National Housing Policy Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. Feb. Okonkwo O. (1999). Mortgage Finance in Nigeria. Esquire Press Ltd. Onabule, G.A. (1992). Mortgage Banking in Nigeria Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Housing Today.

FED. GOVT. OF NIGERIA (1992) National Housing Funds Decree

The evolving structure of the commercial real estate capital Brueggeman, William B. Real Estate Finance. New York:Winter 1995. Vol. 11, Iss. 4, p. 12 (6 pp.)

Recent trends in real estate finance Muldavin, Scott R. Real Estate Finance. New York:Winter 1995. Vol. 11, Iss. 4, p. 7 (5 pp.)

The new world of real estate finance Scott R Muldavin. Real Estate Finance. New York:Summer 2001. Vol. 18, Iss. 2, p. 73-79 (7 pp.) The old and the new dominate real estate finance today Scott Muldavin. Real Estate Finance. New York:Winter 1998. Vol. 14, Iss. 4, p. 8591 (7 pp.)

CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter contains the method by which the data utilized in the study was sourced and analyzed. Among other things, it explains the sampling procedure/design and the questionnaire design. 3.2 RESTATEMENT OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS In relation to this topic, the relevant research questions include: What are the long-term effects of financing real estate development to the nation? Are there Nigerian banking institutions established for the sole purpose of financing real estate? Has there been sustainable development in real estate over the years? Are there other effective sources of financing real estate in Nigeria? How does real estate development lead to economic growth in Nigeria?

3.3 RE-STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESES To further give direction to the study and with due recognition to the statement of the research problem, the following hypothesis is formulated as stated below: Ho: Financial institution do not have a significant impact on the financing of real estate development in Nigeria. H1: Financial institutions have a significant impact on the financing of real estate development in Nigeria. Ho: Real estate development will not have a significant effect on economic growth of the country. H1: Real estate development will have a significant effect on economic growth of the country. 3.4 SAMPLE DESIGN The population study is made up of secondary data obtained about the major institutions involved in financing real estate development in Nigeria. From past researches, it has been shown that it is practically impossible to survey all the mortgage financing institutions.

3.5 DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE The researcher used secondary data in carrying out this research to a reasonable conclusion. In collecting the data the researcher visited the Nigerian Stock Exchange to use their library to obtain information on the relevant companies been researched. The survey would be done by obtaining data from central bank of Nigerias annual bulletin 2011. Also data from publications, journals , articles in the news papers and also documents from the internet.

3.6 METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS Data collected would be presented in tabular form and, the tables would show figures reflecting the economic indicators used in the course of this study. The study covers the period of 2001-2010, financing real estate development, the roles of banks and other financial intermediaries.In the course of analyzing the hypothesis, ordinary least square regression were used to analyse the first and the second hypothesis. 3.7 Limitations of the Methodology I. II. III. Inadequate fund to carry out the project effectively Inadequate data Time constraint

REFERENCES Asika, Nnamdi.(2009) Research methodology in behavioural sciences

CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS 4.1 DATA ANALYSIS

The data used for the analysis was obtained primarily from the National Bureau of Statistic (NBS). This was supplemented with information obtained from the publications of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and World Bank. The period of the analysis was between 2001 and 2010 which implied that 10 years of financing real estate in Nigeria was conducted in the course of this study. The study aimed at validating the a priori explanations for the variables by determining the causal relationships between the exogenous and the endogenous variables. The traditional test of significance of the parameter estimates is the standard error test, which is equivalent to the students ttest. The correlation coefficient (R) shows the relationship between the variables. The relationship could be of a direct, indirect or an outright zero correlation. The Durbin Watson test for conducted to verify the autocorrelation of the variables. The standard error is obtained by taking the inverse of the variance of the estimate. The standard errors for the estimate of , and will be

dealt with in this project, while the standard error for the estimates , and are left out. The coefficient of determination (R2) is used to determine the overall significance of the regression model i.e. to determine the extent to which the variations in the dependent variable can be attributed to changes in the explanatory variable. This test shall be used to measure the extent of the claimed relationship between the real estate developers, financial institutions and gross domestic product in Nigeria TEST OF HYPOTHESIS 1 Objective 1- To find out, if there is a significant impact of financial institution on real estate development in Nigeria Research Question 1- Is there a significant impact of financial institution on real estate development in Nigeria? Hypothesis 1- Financial institution do not have a significant impact on the financing and development of real estate in Nigeria.
TABLE 4.1 MODEL SUMMARY
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std Error of the Estimate

.606 .368

.356

0.232

Source: Researchers Field Summary Result (2011) a. Predictors: (Constant), Financial Institution Financing

Table 4.1 is the model summary. It shows how much of the variance in the dependent variable (Real Estate Development) is explained by the model (Level of Financing). In this case the R square value is .368. Expressed by a percentage, this means that our model (Level of Financing) explains 36.8% of the variance in real estate development. The adjusted R square shows .356, while the standard error of estimate indicates 0.232 which signifies the error term that was not captured in the model.
TABLE 4.2 ANOVAb
Model 1 Regression Residual Total Sum of Square 474.855 817.072 1291.927 Financing Real Estate Development df 1 53 Mean Square 474.855 15.416 F 30.802 Sig. 0.000

a. Predictor: (Constant), Fin b. Dependent Variables; RED


Source: Researchers Field Summary Result (2011) a. Predictors: (Constant), Level of Financing

b. Dependent Variable: Real Estate Development.

Table 4.2 shows the assessment of the statistical significance of the result. The ANOVA table tests the null hypothesis to determine if it is statistically significant. From the results, the model in this table is

statistically significant (Sig = .000) and hence, the null hypothesis should be rejected

TABLE 4.3
Model

Coefficients
Unstandardized Coefficients B Std. Error 1.892 .044 .606 Standardize Coefficient Beta 9.226 5.550 .000 .000 t Sig

Constant Financing

17.456 .243

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: Researchers Field Summary Result (2011) a. Dependent Variable: Real Estate Development

Table 4.3 also shows which of the variables included in the model contributed to the prediction of the dependent variable. The study is interested in comparing the contribution of each independent variable; therefore beta values are used for the comparison. This means that financial institution makes about 37% the contribution to explaining the dependent variable which is real estate development. Interpretation of results Findings from this research showed that financial institution have significant on the financing of real estate in Nigeria.

TEST OF HYPOTHESIS TWO

Objective 1- To find out, if real estate developers have significant impact Nigeria economy Research Question 1- Do real estate developers have significant impact on Nigeria economy? Hypothesis 1- Real estate developers have significant impact on Nigeria economy.
on

TABLE 4.4 MODEL SUMMARY


Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std Error of the Estimate

.521 .311

.3309

0.249

Source: Researchers Field Summary Result (2011) a. Predictors: (Constant), Real Estate Developers

Table 4.4 is the model summary. It shows how much of the variance in the dependent variable (Nigeria economy) is explained by the model ( real estate developers). In this case the R square value is .311. Expressed by a percentage, this means that our model (real estate developers) explains 31.1% of the variance in Nigeria economy. The adjusted R square shows .356, while the standard error of estimate indicates 0.249 which signifies the error term that was not captured in the model.
TABLE 4.5 ANOVAb

Model 1 Regression Residual Total

Sum of Square 474.855 817.072 1291.927

df 1 53

Mean Square 474.855 15.416

F 30.802

Sig. 0.000

a. Predictor: (Constant), RED b. Dependent Variables; NE


Source: Researchers Field Summary Result (2011) a. Predictors: (Constant), Real Estate Developers

Real Estate Developers Nigeria Economy

b. Dependent Variable: Nigeria Economy. Table 4.5 shows the assessment of the statistical significance of the result. The ANOVA table tests the null hypothesis to determine if it is statistically significant. From the results, the model in this table is statistically significant (Sig = .000) and hence, the null hypothesis should be rejected.
TABLE 4.6
Model Unstandardized B 1 Constant Real Estate Developers 16.456 .213

Coefficients
Coefficients Std. Error 1.592 .044 .521 Standardize Coefficient Beta 8.221 4.990 .000 .000 t Sig

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: Researchers Field Summary Result (2011) a. Dependent Variable: Nigeria Economy

Table 4.6 also shows which of the variables included in the model contributed to the prediction of the dependent variable. The study is interested in comparing the contribution of each independent variable;

therefore beta values are used for the comparison. This means that real estate developers can makes about 31% the contribution to explaining the dependent variable which is Nigeria economy. Interpretation of results Findings from this research showed that real estate developers have significant impact on the Nigerian economy.

You might also like