Latch Inc., a maker of smart locks and building-management software, plans to go public by merging with a special-purpose acquisition company. The merger will unite Latch with a SPAC sponsored by New York commercial real-estate firm Tishman Speyer Properties. The deal values Latch at $1.56 billion.
The federal eviction moratorium will be extended to March 31, 2021. Mr. Biden is also asking the Department of Housing and Urban Development to consider extending the foreclosure moratorium and continuing forbearance applications for federally guaranteed mortgages. As of early January, an estimated 2.7 million mortgages are in forbearance according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
A group of real-estate startups is aiming to cash in on the remote-work phenomenon. That situation is creating fresh demand for furnished housing on a short-term basis, a fast-growing niche that many property startups and their venture-capital backers are rushing to fill.
