Mortgage REITs’ plans to go public stall

A few months ago, real-estate companies that invest in mortgage securities were one of the hottest sectors among companies planning initial public offerings of stock. Now, however, they are among the least likely to go public anytime soon. Since the beginning of the year, nine real-estate investment trusts have filed to sell a total of roughly $2.5 billion in shares of new mortgage REITs, the largest volume of deals since 2009.