This morning the web is full of all kinds of doom-and-gloom statistics, showing that we’re not out of the woods yet on this real estate crisis. In fact, there’s a loud chorus of voices saying not only are we not out of the woods yet, we’re actually still going deeper into them. Shiver me timbers!

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There’s also a lot more talk not just about the housing crisis, but the commercial real estate crisis, too. So far, the problems with commercial real estate loans are getting a lot less press than those generated in the residential mortgage market – but you can expect to hear more about troubled commercial loans in the months to come.

Today, for example, Bloomberg is reporting that the office vacancy rate in the U.S. climbs to a 17 year high. Nationwide, office vacancies stand at 17.4 percent, up from 16 percent a year earlier – and the article goes on to state that employers are hiring fewer people than economists had forecast. This is perhaps not surprising to you if you’re waiting in the unemployment line.