Bed Bath & Beyond Triggers Loan Worries, S&P Gets Pickier With Ratings, Banks Tighten Lending Standards

Bed Bath & Beyond Triggers Loan Worries: Following Bed Bath & Beyond’s abrupt firing of both its CEO and top merchandising executive this summer, bond rating firm DBRS Morningstar issued an alert that there may be some risk for loans on properties with exposure to the home goods retailer. Specifically, DBRS tallied 126 properties tied to commercial mortgage-backed securities loans with balances totaling nearly $4.4 billion. Bed Bath & Beyond reduced its total store count to 995 in 2021 from 1,500 two years earlier — and it could shrink further, DBRS warned.