The B&T Weekly: March 3, 2023

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Real Estate Brokers Still Looking to Buy

By Jay Fitzgerald
Expect more real estate brokerage consolidations over the course of 2024 if last year’s activity is any indication. Brokerages that made acquisitions in 2023 are looking for more deals this year.

Commercial Interests: Be Careful What You Wish For, Madam Mayor

By Scott Van Voorhis
Don’t like the Boston Planning & Development Agency? Think it’s too close to developers and business interests and should be abolished? Just amp up the fractious Boston City Council’s influence on what gets built.

Mass. Banks, CUs Venture into AI-Powered Territory

By Nika Cataldo
A year after ChatGPT burst onto the national stage, Massachusetts’ banks and credit unions have begun adopting artificial intelligence-powered software tools in quests to enhance customer experience, offer new products or improve operational efficiency.

In Person: Amid Crisis, A Career Change Opportunity Emerges

By Steve Adams
Laura Lakin’s career in the Massachusetts Army National Guard is lending extra significance to her current role helping oversee the interior fitout of a new comprehensive brain health and trauma program for military veterans in Charlestown.

Hot Property: Cambridge Associates’ Offices

Cambridge Associates recently relocated its Boston office to Winthrop Center, occupying 115,000 square feet on the top three office floors of the 1.5 million-square-foot office-condominium tower developed by MP Boston.

The Gossip Report

Who says Nantucket has to be all beaches? The fifth home in this week’s Gossip Report trades that milieu for a spot next to one of the island’s farms.

Editorial: Pull Together to Fix Downtown Boston

Is Boston headed for a fiscal cliff or a fiscal hiccup thanks to falling office utilization? Two things are for sure: no one should take fears of a calamity lightly, and everyone should use this threat as an occasion to fix what’s long been broken.

Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon

Attorney General Andrea Campbell is paying a visit to Boston’s southern neighbor with a special delivery.

The Housing Scene: Watch Out for ‘Gotcha’ Clauses in Homebuyer Representation Contracts

By Lew Sichelman
Would you pay a 9 percent commission to buy a house? The scenario is a long shot, but it’s still conceivable, if you’re not careful, according to a review of buyer-broker contracts reviewed by the Consumer Federation of America.

Op-Ed: A New ‘Public Bank’ Can Be a Partner for Massachusetts’ Banks and Small Business

By Gerald Epstein
There is a potential new partner just over the horizon for Massachusetts’ community banks, community development financial institutions, small businesses, farms and underserved communities: a Massachusetts Public Bank.

Op-Ed: Driving the Best Bargain Now Isn’t the Best Long-Term Strategy

By Kate Vitasek
Conventional wisdom says that you should never leave money on the table when negotiating. But research in the field of game theory suggests this could be exactly the wrong approach.