Washington, D.C. - The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies APAICS and the Asian Real Estate Association of America AREAA will begin accepting applications today for a housing fellowship program, which they have jointly created to provide fellows with the unique professional and educational experience of serving as full-time staff in the U.S. Congress. The fellowship was established to develop a pipeline of leaders who are dedicated to addressing the diverse housing and community development needs of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

Applicants must have a strong commitment to public service, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, and must have demonstrated experience in the field of housing and community development. The AREAA Fellow will be placed in a congressional office and will work on housing and community development issues facing Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, along with other important issues facing the U.S. Congress. The fellow will also participate in special events hosted by APAICS and AREAA. The fellowship will be administered by APAICS and is sponsored by AREAA. The application and details are available online at http://bit.ly/AREAAFellowship; the deadline is March 1, 2012.

Registration is now open for the 2012 AREAA Global Real Estate Summit online at areaa.org/summit. This year's event will be held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York from April 1st through April 3rd.

The AREAA Global Real Estate Summit is a three-day event that focuses on innovative opportunities to reinvest in America's commercial and residential assets. Today, America needs new approaches and ideas that will bolster our housing market and stabilize communities. Investment capital augmented by a strong national policy can begin the needed real estate recovery process.

With a theme of "Reinvesting in America", the Global Summit program includes the latest information on how major hedge funds and investors are looking to participate in the US housing market and how you can help international investors navigate the regulatory, tax and legal issues of purchasing property in the U.S. Summit topics include the current state of global housing markets, distressed asset investment strategies and investment vehicles, community revitalization efforts focused on high foreclosure markets, and how to develop business relationships with international clients.

The event also offers attendees unparalleled business networking opportunities, including small group education sessions, and an evening cocktail reception at the New York Stock Exchange.

Join leading global property investors and influential housing market experts at the historic Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York for a unique conference that will prepare you to expand your business in today's housing market.

Register early to get the best discounts on registration and room rates. Conference registration includes all education and networking sessions, the International Welcome Reception on April 1, and the cocktail reception at the New York Stock Exchange on April 2. A separate ticket will need to be purchased for the Keynote Luncheon on Monday, April 2nd.

SAN FRANCISCO (Sept. 30, 2011)--The 2011 National Convention of the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) opened at the Palace Hotel last night, bringing together more than 1,000 real estate professionals, lenders and industry leaders, who serve Asian American consumers in the residential and commercial real estate markets.

With the organization announcing the launch of its first International Chapter in Canada, one of the key topics at the 2011 National Convention was the increasing globalization of the real estate industry.

Access the PowerPoint presentation and archived webinar from July 20, 2011 including:

- A brief overview of the current state of the global investment markets for commercial real estate

- An analysis of the rapidly increasing flow of real estate capital, both debt and equity, from Asia into North America and Europe including both the sources and targets of that capital

- A summary of the US investment markets for commercial real estate for each of the major property types, including an analysis of the buyers and lenders driving investment, the differences in trends in the gateway markets versus others, and the current status of the $300 billion of distressed properties and mortgages

- Specific analysis of Asian capital into US commercial properties and why US real estate is currently so attractive to foreign buyers

The number of U.S. businesses owned by people of Asian origin increased 40.4 percent to 1.5 million between 2002 and 2007, increasing at more than twice the national rate, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released today. These businesses also generated $507.6 billion in receipts, a 55.4 percent increase from 2002.