Mall Delinquency Rate Rising: Just The Beginning

This year has been a landmark one for America’s malls. The number of mall bankruptcies has spiked along with retailers filing for Chapter 11. Shares in some of the country’s largest department store chains and retail REITs have also taken a hammering. Most of the decline has been blamed on the rise of Amazon.com and the shift away from physical stores by consumers. However, there are other factors at play here. Many retailers have overstretched themselves and have been unable to refinance debt falling due this year, thanks to a lack of investor appetite. [reits[ The lack of investor support for…