Contents ...
1. Arthur Andersen's KnowledgeSpace
2. Got S&P and CMBS Info?

1. Arthur Andersen's KnowledgeSpace... Lisa Trosien raves about Arthur Andersen's KnowledgeSpace, a web-based knowledge service for business productivity: "The Business Radar feature alone is worth the money." Trosien is a consultant with ApartmentExpert.com (site under construction) in Chicago, who does training, marketing and consulting for the multifamily industry.

Here's how Trosien uses KnowledgeSpace: "First, I check the breaking news in areas of interest that I have pre-selected. (This service searches far more publications than I would ever be able to read or subscribe to.) Secondly, I have found their area called "Global Best Practices" to be invaluable. This area examines a discipline in business (for example Customer Service) and walks you through the process of improving your service. It includes case studies, benchmarks and interactive tools, just to name a few. ... Their Best Business Links and Discussion area (which lets you set up your own private group of Knowledge Space members) are both great..." KnowledgeSpace currently offers a 30-day free trial. A Basic Subscription is $365 per year.

2. Got S&P and CMBS Info?... Nick Pavonetti at Single Tenant Realty Advisors asks is an easy way to look up a company's S&P rating on the web, as opposed to a phone call? I poked around Standard & Poor's web site and could not find ratings online. (I think the number to call is 212-438-2400, the Corporate Ratings Desk.) Is anybody aware of an online source? ... How about CMBS information? Michael Sneden at ValuExpress, writes, "Does anyone out there know of a site that provides data on the current pricing of CMBS bonds in the secondary market? As a non-Wall Street conduit, I have to ask the traders at my investment bank for 10-year AAA bond spreads and swap rates. It's important for loan originators to watch this data to be able to tell mortgage customers the potential direction of commercial mortgage spreads." Anybody know of a source?

--Peter