Dive Brief:

• An annual conference of builders, bankers and investors focused on the U.S. housing construction industry, and a roundtable of executives generally concluded that the economy is growing and the industry appears to be set to grow through 2017.
• Years after that were unclear, however, and some argued that rising prices for land and costs for labor and materials were shrinking profit margins and worrying lenders and investors, according to San Francisco attorney and conference planner Matt Wyman.
• The roundtable brought together 30 to 40 industry figures during PCBC in late June.

Dive Insight:

Wyman said participants reported that larger, better-capitalized investors are weathering the tightening credit situation, smaller companies are turning more to investors as institutions ant to make recourse loans because of the constrained profit margins.