Commercial mortgage group spent $140,000 lobbying

WASHINGTON

The Commercial Real Estate Finance Council, which represents buyers and sellers of investments backed by commercial property loans, spent $140,000 in the second quarter lobbying the federal government.

The trade group lobbied on accounting, bankruptcy and tax issues, credit rating agencies, regulation of the financial system, mortgage securities, taxes, terrorism and flood insurance, according to a July 20 filing with the House clerk's office.

The trade group was formerly known as the Commercial Mortgage Securities Association. It changed its name earlier this year.

Besides lawmakers, the group lobbied the Treasury Department, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

The group's second-quarter spending on lobbying was up from $100,000 in the same quarter a year ago and down from $160,000 in the fourth quarter of last year.