Hotel Loan Delinquencies to Double by 2012, Fitch Ratings Says

Defaults on loans backed by hotels may almost double to as much as 30 percent by 2012 on declining cash flow and falling property values, Fitch Ratings said.

The delinquency rate for commercial mortgage backed securities linked to hotels is currently about 17 percent, representing about $8.4 billion of the total loan balance, Fitch said in a report today. Defaults will be most pronounced in 2011 and 2012 when the most loans mature, Fitch said.