Checking In on Real Estate Funds

It's a natural time to put a spotlight on funds in the real estate sector.

Foreclosures abound, as homeowners walk away from properties whose values have imploded from their purchase price. The Mortgage Bankers Association reported year-end 2007 foreclosures at an all-time high and late payments at a 23-year high.

Real estate investment trusts, or REITs, and real-estate-focused financial firms that borrow money to buy income producing properties or mortgage-backed securities are teaching a risk-averse public the meaning of the term "margin call."

Carlyle Capital borrowed $32 for every dollar of equity capital to buy $22 billion in mortgage debt. When the value of its collateral went south, its Wall Street bankers issues a margin call to put up more money.

The failure to meet margin calls forces the liquidation of potentially illiquid mortgage securities. The fear is that this may further push down prices, triggering more margin calls and forced sales and leaving nobody willing to fund real estate purchases.

The worst-performing fund this week, iShares FTSE NAREIT Mortgage REITs Index Fund(REM Quote), amputated 28.57% of shareholder value in the five trading days ending March 6. The fund's 26.51% holding in Annaly Capital Management(NLY Quote) dropped 23.99% on lower estimates of this mortgage REIT's book value.

Down 83.09%, fund holding Thornburg Mortgage(TMA Quote) failed to satisfy a $28 million margin call, defaulted on lending agreements, and risks bankruptcy. Another holding, Deerfield Capital(DFR Quote), crashed 70.59% after being squeezed into the fire sale of $1.3 billion in residential bonds at a loss of $152.9 million.

The iShares DJ US Home Construction Index Fund(ITB Quote), off 14.25%, is the second-worst real estate fund this week. Every single holding fell for the period, with WCI Communities(WCI Quote) at negative 26.56%, Meritage Homes(MTH Quote) at negative 19.49%, Hovnanian Enterprises(HOV Quote) at negative 18.61%, and Pulte Homes(PHM Quote) at negative 17.91% leading the way down.

Even after laying off 575 workers in November, WCI Communities warned that its fourth-quarter pretax loss could hit $460 million.

Worst-Performing Real Estate Funds Ranked by returns for the week ending March 6
Fund	Ticker	Rating	Fund Type	1 Week Total Return
iShares FTSE NAREIT Mortgage REITs Index Fund	REM	U	ETF	-28.57%
iShares DJ US Home Construction Index Fund	ITB	E-	ETF	-14.25%
Fidelity Select Home Finance Portfolio	FSVLX	E-	Open-End	-13.68%
Ultra Real Estate ProShares	URE	E-	ETF	-13.49%
FocusShares ISE Homebuilders Index Fund	SAW	U	ETF	-13.21%
SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF	XHB	E-	ETF	-13.07%
ING Clarion Global Real Estate Income Fund	IGR	C+	Closed-End	-11.60%
Neuberger Berman Real Estate Sec Inc Fund	NRO	C	Closed-End	-10.61%
Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund	JRS	D+	Closed-End	-10.29%
ProFunds Real Estate UltraSector ProFund	REPSX	E-	Open-End	-10.04%
Source: Bloomberg, Read this for an explanation of our ratings, click here

The best two funds short the members of the Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Index. The UltraShort Real Estate ProShares(SRS Quote) returned 14.25% using 200% negative leverage. That's twice as much as 6.99% earned by the unleveraged ProFunds Short Real Estate ProFund(SRPIX Quote).

Holdings in Thornburg Mortgage, iStar Financial(SFI Quote) (down 30.76%) and RAIT Financial Trust(RAS Quote) (down 28.48%) contributed to the outsized performance of these funds.

The RMR Asia Pacific Real Estate Fund(RAP Quote) stayed above water. Though it's down for the year, it gained 0.54% this week by staying far enough away from the U.S. real estate market.

Also not doing too poorly this week was the Cohen & Steers European Realty Shares(EURAX Quote), which narrowly lost 0.23%. One of its holdings, Unibail-Rodamco, added 4.09% in the period after winning approval to develop a new shopping mall in Stockholm, Sweden.

Best Performing Real Estate Funds Ranked by returns for the week ending March 6
Fund	Ticker	Rating	Fund Type	1 Week Total Return
UltraShort Real Estate ProShares	SRS	C-	ETF	14.25%
ProFunds Short Real Estate ProFund	SRPIX	U	Open-End	6.99%
RMR Asia Pacific Real Estate Fund	RAP	E-	Closed-End	0.54%
Cohen & Steers European Realty Shares Inc	EURAX	U	Open-End	-0.23%
Adelante Shares RE Value Exchange-Traded Fund	AVU	U	ETF	-0.45%
Adelante Shares RE Kings Exchange-Traded Fund	AKB	U	ETF	-0.49%
iShares FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Europe Index Fund	IFEU	U	ETF	-0.54%
iShares FTSE NAREIT Real Estate 50 Index Fund	FTY	U	ETF	-1.58%
Morgan Stanley Inst - International Real Estate Portfolio	MSUAX	C-	Open-End	-1.94%
First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund	FRI	U	ETF	-2.21%
Source: Bloomberg, Read this for an explanation of our ratings, click here

David Seiders, the Chief Economist for the National Association of Home Builders, made the case this week that to save the U.S. economy from recession, we must first save the homebuilding industry. His organization is asking Congress for $15,000 tax breaks for new home buyers, in order to promote purchases.

In addition, home builders such as Pulte and KB Home(KBH Quote) are hoping the transition to environmentally friendly "green" homes may help revitalize the industry. However, they have yet to see a significant difference in sales.