What Will the End of LIBOR Mean for the Multifamily Industry?

Learn what’s happening with the switch to a new loan index.

The multifamily housing industry is moving closer to phasing out its long-standing index for adjustable-rate loans and other financial transactions.

The London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), which covers five currencies and seven tenors, is on its way out after years of being a globally accepted benchmark. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee (ARRC), a group of private-market participants convened by the Federal Reserve and the New York Fed, has identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) as LIBOR’s replacement.

LIBOR was supposed to be retired by the end of this year, but that date has been extended to June 30, 2023, for most U.S. LIBOR values. The one-week and two-month LIBOR will still expire at the end of 2021.

“In commercial real estate, floating interest rates are commonly indexed off LIBOR,” says Steven Fayne, principal at Align Finance Partners. “However, its uses span far more than just mortgages. Corporate loans, government bonds, credit cards, swaps, and myriad other financial products currently use LIBOR as a benchmark.”