1. Interest Rates on the Web. ... One question that I'm frequently asked is, "Where can I get commercial mortgage information on the web?" Usually these e-mails come from owners or brokers seeking a quick reference for interest rates. While there are great sources for this information for U.S. Treasury securities and residential mortgage rates, there are no really good sources for commercial real estate interest rates. I know that there are good reasons for this, e.g., complicated financing structures and limited public information.

But this week, using PikeNet, I poked around looking for interest rate information in a rather unscientific manner. So please don't hang me if I missed your favorite source. ... To get an overview of U.S. Treasury and residential mortgage rates generally, go to Bloomberg and look in the right-hand column at the various indices and rates. If you click on the "Interest Rates" section, you'll generate a table of rates and a terrific graphic showing the yield curve of U.S. securities (at the bottom of the page). ... Bank Rate Monitor tracks a wide variety of consumer finance rates and provides a free e-mail notification service called Rate Alert for a weekly e-mail on mortgage rates or changes in major interest rates.

Provident Mutual provides the best description of any web site that I browsed. You'll find a detailed outline of its mortgage rates, terms and underwriting criteria. Provident also shows the mortgage lending territory of its officers and includes their fax numbers AND e-mail addresses. ... GMAC Commercial at GMAC Commercial doesn't provide any rate information. But GMAC does announce that their new GEMS (GMACCM Express Mortgage Site) system will soon enable customers to log in and find the following information online: most recent payment, current bill, this year's loan history, late charges, loan profile, property profile and more.

Many firms, like McCary Stephens, a mortgage lender in Hartford, CT, publish loan pricing and underwriting parameters and loan underwriting terms at their web sites. ... Cambridge Capital at Cambridge Capital includes a page with their latest pricing, including fixed-rate spreads, debt service coverage and loan-to-value ratios. ... PW Funding, which specializes in multi-family lending, asks you to call or send e-mail to request current interest rates. (Not very friendly.) ... 1st AAA Commercial Mortgage Lenders Databank provides a searchable database of lenders.

My sense is that within the next couple of years there will be a dramatic increase in the quality of financial web sites. ... You should be able to initiate a transaction over the web, such as the ExpressQuote service offered by Kensington Realty Advisors at www.kra-net.com. ... And think of the time you'll save with the access to information on your loan that GMAC is preparing to offer. ... What are your favorite financial sites? ... Please send e-mail to me at .

Remember, if you're reading this on paper, that hyperlinks are included in the HTML version of the Dispatch. (See Paragraph 6 below.)

2. Web Success--199 Fremont's Web Cam. ... One of the first new buildings to be built in San Francisco in many years is coming out of the ground at 199 Fremont Street. You can check on progress by visiting their web site and looking at the web cam at web cam. Plus it's an easy way to check weather in the City. ... Do you have a Web Success story? Send e-mail to or use the following URL:

http://www.pikenet.com/pike?func=WebSuccess08

3. Knowledge Base--Demographic Information From NDS. ... Need a demographic report quickly? ... Visit the National Decision Systems web site and order a report online for electronic delivery. ... You'll find a wide variety of reports, including Full Data, Summary, Demographic Trend, Age by Income, Business Facts and Retail Reports starting at $39. ... One of the valuable features offered is the ability to manually move your reference point simply by clicking a map before generating your report. ... For step-by-step instructions, visit the PikeNet Knowledge Base (top of home page) under the Demographic Information section. The URL below will take you straight there:

http://www.pikenet.com/pike?func=showPublicPage&page=
questions/questions/question084

4. Sign Up Your Colleagues for the Dispatch! ... Remember, it's easy to sign up other people within your company as subscribers to the PikeNet Dispatch. ... Use the URL below or simply go to the PikeNet home page and click the link under the logo.

http://www.pikenet.com/pike?func=registerDispatch

5. HTML Option for Dispatch. ... Remember that you can now receive the PikeNet Dispatch in HTML format, so that it looks just like a web page with all web sites and e-mail addresses hyperlinked. ... Not every e-mail program can receive HTML mail, but Netscape, Eudora 4.0, Outlook 98 and Outlook Express can all receive it correctly. ... If you would like to receive future Dispatches in HTML format, edit your User Profile by going to the home page and clicking the "Edit User Profile" link under the PikeNet logo, or use the following URL:

http://www.pikenet.com/pike?func=emailRequest

--Peter Pike