BY BILLY GRAY

Platinum Underwriters Reinsurance signed a 10-year, 26,206-square-foot lease at 140 Broadway, The Commercial Observer has learned.

The deal will bring the company to the entire 42nd floor of the building from its current space at Brookfield Place, the complex formerly known as the World Financial Center, where it had been a tenant for more than 10 years.

Studley Senior Managing Director John Johnson and Executive Managing Director Marc Shapses represented the tenant. Cushman & Wakefield Executive Director of brokerage Robert Constable and Willard Overlock represented the landlord, 140 BW LLC. Mr. Constable said that asking rents were in the mid-$50 per square foot range.

"The property is very well-located for mass transit, and having the entire floor was very appealing to Platinum," Mr. Shapses said. "Also, the views are phenomenal. All in all it was the right fit in a Class A building."

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BY AL BARBARINO

Kate Hudson, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, a consortium of post-college-aged women across the city—and real estate professionals looking to get down like rapper Wiz Khalifa—will presumably be pleased to hear that Hudson Jeans has bulked up its space at 231 West 39th Street.

The apparel company, which supplies department stores across the city with its clothing, has signed a 10-year, 6,973-square-foot renewal, adding 2,700 square feet to its showroom, as it grows in popularity among celebrities—and the men and women who admire them.

“The building really looks like a 25- to 35-year-old, post-college, women’s closet… every brand you would see in a department store or out at a bar or club at night,” said Jeffrey Buslik of Adams & Co., who represented the tenant and the landlord in the transaction.

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BY GUS DELAPORTE

Financial services firm Sterne Agee has inked a 9-year expansion for 23,000 square feet at 277 Park Avenue, Andrew Sachs, executive director at Cushman & Wakefield, who represented the tenant, confirmed with The Commercial Observer. Asking rents in the building range from $65 to $85 per square foot depending on location, he noted.

Currently, Sterne Agee occupies 46,000 square feet in the building on the 24th and 25th floors. The firm moved to its current location in 2011.

“[Sterne Agee] is a fairly opportunistic organization that is seeing growth across a number of different business lines,” Mr. Sachs said. “It was a shrewd move on their part.”

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BY MICHAEL EWING

Interested in retiring to Japan? Sumitomo Realty & Development Co. is hosting an information session about purchasing condominiums in Japan.
Japanese Real Estate Information Session, The Nippon Club, 145 West 57th Street; 7-8:30pm, contact Shintaro Hayashi at (212) 582-8020 or condominium@sumitomo-rd-ny.com for more information.

CoreNet Global is hosting an annual dinner at the American Museum of Natural History’s Rose Center for Earth and Science to bring together hundreds of its members, corporate real estate executives, service providers and members of the real estate community. Don’t forget to bring your checkbook! Silver membership starts at $7,000, gold at $9,000 and platinum at $12,500.
CoreNet Global NYC 2013 Annual Dinner, Museum of Natural History, 81st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue; 6:30-10:30pm, contact Jen Dang at (212) 450-7300 or jdang@bermangrp.com for more information.

Join prominent retail consultant and chairman of Douglas Elliman’s retail group Faith Hope Consolo at the NYC Real Estate Career Expo. Lawyer Adam Leitman Bailey and William Montana will join Ms. Consolo on the panel.
NYC Real Estate Career Expo, New York City Bar Association, 42nd West 44th Street; 8am-5pm, visit 2013.realestatecareerexpo.com for more information.

Join a few hundred professionals in the industry and Information Management Network (IMN) for its annual two-day special asset executive conference at the Conrad New York. Speakers will include Jamie Woodwell of Mortgage Bankers Association, Sharon Yore of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Bruce Weissberg of Coldwell Banker Commercial Alliance.
Fourth Annual Bank & Financial Institutions Special Asset Executive Conference on Real Estate Workers, Conrad New York, 102 North End Avenue; March 14-15, visit www.imn.org for more information.