Fearing Losses, Banks Are Quietly Dumping Real Estate Loans
If landlords can’t pay back loans on office buildings, the lenders will suffer. Some banks are trying to avoid that fate.
By Matthew Goldstein
For the last three years, I have focused largely on the food industry, writing about how consumers have been affected by food inflation; how companies have maneuvered around supply-chain disruptions; and how the pandemic changed how and where we eat. I’m interested in the challenges facing farmers and ranchers who grow our nation’s food. I’m curious about The Next Big Thing coming from food companies and restaurants. And I always have an eye on how our vast food system affects the climate and what is and isn’t working in attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water usage.
I grew up on a small, family farm in western Iowa where I daydreamed about life in the big city. After graduating from the University of Iowa with a degree in journalism, I landed in New York, where I have spent the past 30 years working as a business journalist.
I wrote about the ins and outs of the bond market at Dow Jones; covered the technology boom and bust of the late 1990s at Fortune Magazine; and was part of the team at The New York Times that followed the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008.
I live in New Jersey with my husband and two teenage sons.
In accordance with The Times’s ethics policy, I don’t have a direct financial stake in any companies I cover or write about. I don’t own individual stocks and while I very occasionally accept samples of food from companies, I don’t accept money or gifts from any companies or people who may factor into my reporting. I do not pay sources for information or interviews and always identify myself as a reporter for The Times in news-related conversations.
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: Julie Creswell
Anonymous tips: nytimes.com/tips
If landlords can’t pay back loans on office buildings, the lenders will suffer. Some banks are trying to avoid that fate.
By Matthew Goldstein
Cans packed with caffeine and branded with patriotic machismo have become an essential antidote to the stresses of war.
By Jeffrey Gettleman
The distress in commercial real estate is growing as some office buildings sell for much lower prices than just a few years ago.
By Joe Rennison and Julie Creswell
It said Pride merchandise would be available on its website and in select stores next month. In 2023, the retailer featured the goods widely.
By Julie Creswell
After the chain’s quarterly earnings missed Wall Street’s estimates, its shares fell more than 12 percent in after-hours trading.
By Julie Creswell
Many parents and nutritionists applauded stricter federal regulations, but food companies say the changes could increase costs and waste.
By Julie Creswell and Audra Melton
Delivery-only operations boomed during the pandemic. Now Wendy’s, Kroger and mom-and-pop food businesses are rethinking their operations.
By Julie Creswell
Many companies, particularly in the beauty and fashion industries, have boosted sales through the platform. They don’t really have a backup plan.
By Jordyn Holman and Julie Creswell
Hospitals, doctors and clinics expressed frustration that they will have to wait even longer for reimbursements after hackers paralyzed the largest U.S. billing clearinghouse.
By Reed Abelson and Julie Creswell
The hacking shut down the nation’s biggest health care payment system, causing financial chaos that affected a broad spectrum ranging from large hospitals to single-doctor practices.
By Reed Abelson and Julie Creswell
A lack of federal regulation and a mishmash of state laws have made selling products featuring the cannabis-derived ingredient not worth the trouble.
By Julie Creswell
The regulator is trying to stop the largest supermarket merger in history, arguing that the deal would eliminate competition and raise prices for consumers.
By Julie Creswell
While an increase in cost in parts of the country may surprise some cookie buyers, “Girl Scouts are not immune to the rising costs of life,” one leader said.
By Julie Creswell
The F.D.A. is investigating the sources of cinnamon and other ingredients produced outside the U.S. as the possible cause of lead poisoning in dozens of children. Advocates are urging mandatory testing of lead in food.
By Christina Jewett and Julie Creswell
The programs and the incentives that come with them will be critical for retailers hoping to attract cash-strapped customers over the next month.
By Jordyn Holman and Julie Creswell
It’s the busiest time of year in the retail and logistics industries. Here’s how employees at four of the biggest retailers pull it off.
By Jordyn Holman and Julie Creswell
Consumer spending has been strong in 2023 despite higher prices and waning savings. But some retailers have jitters heading into Black Friday.
By Julie Creswell, Jeanna Smialek and Jordyn Holman
American consumers are the biggest spenders in the world. For the companies that rely on them, the last few weeks of the year are crucial to making a solid bulk of their revenues and driving profit.
By Julie Creswell and Jordyn Holman
The business of offering offices on flexible, short leases will survive the company’s troubles, but commercial real estate experts say it will probably remain a niche.
By Peter Eavis
The fallout would be particularly hard for landlords already struggling with piling debt and companies scaling back their office footprint.
By Peter Eavis, Matthew Haag and Julie Creswell
Retailers are expanding their own private-label food and beverage offerings, attracting customers looking for less expensive options.
By Julie Creswell
The dye was banned in cosmetics after a study suggested it might be a carcinogen. Yet federal regulations still permit its use in foods, stoking concerns that helped build support for the new state law.
By Christina Jewett and Julie Creswell
Several of the world’s largest food and restaurant companies have not made progress on their goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Some are even producing more.
By Julie Creswell
Retailers in California, and pig farmers and processors thousands of miles away, are bracing for the impact of a state ban on some sources of the meat.
By Julie Creswell
After years of steady growth, many technology companies are laying off workers and giving up millions of square feet of office space in the city.
By Julie Creswell, Peter Eavis, Emma Goldberg and Matthew Haag
A health agency warned the artificial sweetener may be a carcinogen, but others say that risk is overblown and consumers flock to the taste.
By Julie Creswell
The brand is still struggling to win back customers. Nowhere is that more apparent than at stores, where cases of the beer sit untouched.
By Julie Creswell
More companies are pushing low-calorie, sugar-free beverages they say are healthy. Some servings have nearly the same level of caffeine as a six-pack of Coca-Cola.
By Julie Creswell
Target became the latest company to adjust plans for marketing supportive of the L.G.B.T.Q. community after it faced backlash from some customers.
By Jordyn Holman and Julie Creswell
Executives at the beer giant told analysts that Bud Light’s focus going forward will be on sports and music.
By Julie Creswell
The health of banks and cities and the nation’s economy could hinge on high-stakes negotiations over commercial real estate loans.
By Matthew Goldstein, Julie Creswell and Peter Eavis
Anheuser-Busch announced the moves after a conservative backlash over its association with the actress and social media personality Dylan Mulvaney.
By Amanda Holpuch and Julie Creswell
The case ends major litigation over claims about the marketing of e-cigarettes to adolescents, resolving thousands of lawsuits and amounting to billions of dollars in payouts to states, cities and people.
By Christina Jewett and Julie Creswell
Dog ownership surged during the pandemic. So did the options for fresh, human-grade dog food, an expanding market.
By Julie Creswell
After giving up the chief executive’s job (again), Mr. Schultz still casts a long shadow over Starbucks’ policy, not least in fighting unionization.
By Noam Scheiber and Julie Creswell
The chain’s situation shows the complicated legal and reputational landscape that it and its competitors must navigate in the post-Roe era.
By Pam Belluck and Julie Creswell
Recent changes to rewards programs at places like Dunkin’ and Starbucks mean customers must pay more before perks kick in. The companies blame inflation.
By Julie Creswell
As costs rise, many older Americans have changed the way they shop and eat out. For some, it could affect their health or leave them feeling isolated.
By Julie Creswell and Isabella Simonetti
Consumer advocates, unions and independent grocers are against a deal that would join Kroger and Albertsons, and be lucrative for investors.
By Julie Creswell
His opposition to a union isn’t primarily about the bottom line, friends say. It clashes with his image of Starbucks as a model employer.
By Noam Scheiber and Julie Creswell
Holiday costs from groceries to travel are up, and consumers have been willing to pay them.
By Roe D’Angelo, Zachary Bickel and Cari Vander Yacht
A few years ago, business was booming. That growth has slowed, with some wondering if the number of consumers has reached its limit.
By Julie Creswell
Hybrid work, layoffs and higher interest rates are leaving lots of office space vacant and hurting the commercial real estate business.
By Peter Eavis, Julie Creswell and Joe Rennison
Irving, the Nets guard, has faced backlash since he promoted an antisemitic film on social media last month.
By Tania Ganguli and Sopan Deb
Kyrie Irving’s relationship with the athletic apparel giant has been lucrative, but his recent post about an antisemitic movie has led the company to suspend its dealings with him.
By Julie Creswell and Jordyn Holman
The industry continues to fight efforts to restrict certain products, like spending heavily to urge California voters to overturn a law banning tobacco flavors.
By Julie Creswell and Matt Richtel
Some companies and restaurants have continued to raise prices on consumers even after their own inflation-related costs have been covered.
By Isabella Simonetti and Julie Creswell
Two of the largest U.S. supermarket chains hope to join forces as inflation pushes food prices higher and as Amazon and Walmart become more powerful.
By Lauren Hirsch
Trevor Milton was accused of boasting about nonexistent technology to inflate the stock price of Nikola, a maker of electric trucks.
By Jack Ewing
The deal, an effort to bulk up against deep-pocketed rivals Walmart and Amazon, is likely to invite serious antitrust scrutiny from regulators.
By Lauren Hirsch, Julie Creswell and Jordyn Holman
A deal could be the industry’s largest in years and would almost certainly invite antitrust scrutiny from regulators.
By Lauren Hirsch and Julie Creswell
Higher food prices are changing people’s behaviors at the grocery store and in restaurants. Let us know how they have affected you.
By Julie Creswell
The coffee giant intends to speed up drink-making and open thousands of additional locations in China over the next three years.
By Julie Creswell
While the situation has improved since mid-July, many families are still scrambling to find popular brands that remain out of stock.
By Julie Creswell and Michael Corkery
As supply chain delays and rising costs made individual ingredients harder to procure, food companies had to become very flexible.
By Julie Creswell
The largest coffee chain in the world said it saw no signs that consumers were giving up their nitro cold brews or iced espressos, despite higher prices.
By Julie Creswell
Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Unilever said some consumers were shifting their spending in response to rapidly rising prices, after Walmart rattled the market with a warning about unsold inventory.
By Jason Karaian, Isabella Simonetti and Julie Creswell
Some of the largest companies in the U.S. have pledged to adopt climate-friendly agricultural techniques. But some farmers say they haven’t provided enough incentive.
By Julie Creswell
CVS temporarily set a three-pack purchase limit to ensure “consistent supply on store shelves,” and Walgreens said it was pausing deliveries.
By Emma Goldberg and Julie Creswell
The company has struggled to attract younger shoppers who are choosing celebrity makeup lines like those from Kylie Jenner and Rihanna.
By Lauren Hirsch and Julie Creswell