Tuesday, May 18, 2010

MBA Study: First Quarter 2010 Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Originations Increase from Year Earlier, Though Levels Remain Low


WASHINGTON, , DC (May 18, 2010) - First quarter 2010 commercial and multifamily mortgage loan originations were 12 percent higher than during the same period last year and 26 percent lower than during the fourth quarter of 2009, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Quarterly Survey of Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Bankers Originations.

"The results of the survey showed changes in commercial and multifamily origination levels varied significantly between investor groups.

"However, it's hard to draw conclusions based on first quarter numbers given seasonal effects, such as the industry's usual push to finalize deals before the end of the year, resulting in lower first quarter origination activity," said Jamie Woodwell, (top right photo) MBA's Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Research.

 "Based on surveys from the Federal Reserve Board and discussions with lenders, there appears to be increasing capital available for commercial mortgages, but only limited demand for new mortgages from commercial and multifamily property investors."

Among the key findings in the report are:

---New commercial and multifamily mortgages increased 12 percent from last year's levels.
---On an absolute level, volumes remain low, with significant variations between investor groups.
---Originations for CMBS conduits and life insurance companies increased dramatically on a percentage basis - coming off of very low bases.
---Originations for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which had remained robust through the credit crisis, fell by almost half.

For a complete copy of the news release, please contact:
 Carolyn Kemp, (202) 557-2727, ckemp@mortgagebankers.org

HFF named to market for sale 1.95 Million-SF industrial portfolio in Oklahoma


DALLAS, TX – The Dallas office of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) has been named to market for sale a 16-building, 1,950,000-square-foot, 99.7% leased industrial portfolio located in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The HFF investment sales team will be led by managing director Jud Clements (top right photo)  and director Robby Rieke (middle left photo)  who are marketing the portfolio on behalf of the seller, The Gardner Tanenbaum Group.


The Gardner Tanenbaum Group is based in Oklahoma City and is a fully-integrated real estate development company with more than 60 years of experience.

The portfolio is being offered in two separate sub-portfolios as the portfolio is encumbered with two attractive assumable debt options that run through March 2015 and January 2016 that will enhance the overall returns. The two portfolios are being offered individually or as a single portfolio transaction.

The portfolio is currently leased to 40 tenants with an average remaining lease term of approximately five years. Tenants include L-3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, ACS, Sherwin-Williams and Carrier Corporation, to name a few.

“The portfolio has had an average occupancy in excess of 99% since 2006, evidencing the strength of the overall portfolio,” said Clements.

Contacts:

Judson Clements, HFF Managing Director, (214) 265-0880, jclements@hfflp.com
Kristen Murphy, HFF Associate Director, Marketing, (713) 852-3500, krmurphy@hfflp.com

Industrial Team at Southern Commercial Completes 14,558-SF New Lease

ORLANDO, FL.(May 18, 2010) Principals Tom McFadden, SIOR and William “Bo” Bradford, CCIM, SIOR of Southern Commercial Real Estate Advisors completed a 14,558 square foot new lease at 4071-4075 Seaboard Road, Orlando, Florida.

McFadden and Bradford negotiated the 5 year lease, representing the Landlord, RREEF. The Tenant, Interline Brands, Inc. was represented by John McDaniel with Mohr Partners out of Dallas, TX.

Media Contact: Celeste MacKenzie Southern Commercial Real Estate Advisors, 321-281-8503 20 N. Orange Avenue, Suite 605, Orlando, FL 32801, cmackenzie@southerncommercialre.com

Morrison Commercial Real Estate Completes 3 Office Lease Transactions Totaling 16,520 SF in Orlando, FL

 ORLANDO, FL (May 18, 2010): Greg Morrison (top right photo), CCIM, SIOR, Principal of Morrison Commercial Real Estate, announced the completion of three office lease transactions totaling 16,520± square feet.

Damien Madsen of Morrison Commercial Real Estate represented the tenant, PlusOne Solutions in subleasing a 7,532 square foot space located at 11301 Corporate Blvd, Orlando, FL. Scott Bell of Jones Lang LaSalle represented the sublandlord in this transaction

Christi Davis of Morrison Commercial Real Estate represented the landlord at SunTech Commerce Park in leasing a 4,247 square foot space to Corporate Merchant Solutions, Inc. At 30 S. Magnolia Avenue, Davis represented the landlord in leasing 4,741 square feet to Revenue Consulting, Inc.

Contact: Buffy Gillette, Phone: 407.219.3500, Email: bgillette@morrisoncre.com

Arbor Named Top 10 Fannie Mae DUS® Lender for Third Year in a Row


UNIONDALE, NY (May 18, 2010) - Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC (Arbor) today announced that it has once again been named a Top Ten Fannie Mae Delegated Underwriting and Servicing (DUS®) lender for 2009.

Over the last three years, the company has continued to increase its ranking, rising to the number eight spot for its production in 2009.

"We are extremely proud of our business partnership and accomplishments with the Fannie Mae DUS® program," said Ivan Kaufman, (top right photo) Chairman and CEO of Arbor.

"We were one of the few companies to grow market share in 2009 and this increased ranking is a tremendous accomplishment. I want to congratulate our EVP, Director of Operations, John Caulfield, (middle left photo)  under whom we have grown our platform, as well as the dedicated Arbor family of employees who have worked so hard to help us achieve this milestone."

AmVest Capital Teams up with Arbor Commercial Mortgage to Deliver Multifamily Product Line to its Expansive Client Base

CHARLESTON, SC, May 18, 2010--- AmVest Capital, LLC, a leading provider of financial services and solutions to community and regional banks nationwide, announced today that it has partnered with New York-based national direct lender Arbor Commercial Mortgage to meet the growing demand for commercial/multifamily loan products.

AmVest will now offer a complete line of Fannie Mae DUS® products to its group of more than 100 banks across the nation.

“This new partnership allows AmVest to respond to the strong need of our bankers for off-balance sheet commercial/multifamily loans,” said Mark Kelley, (lower right photo) Chief Executive Officer. “Arbor’s market presence as a Top Ten Fannie Mae DUS® lender allows us to provide direct lending access along with the highest levels of execution and customer service in the marketplace.”

Loan amounts will begin at $1 million with no maximum.

“We are very pleased to partner with AmVest to offer our vast product line and pride ourselves in delivering swift execution and first-class customer service,” said John Caulfield, EVP, Director of Operations for Arbor. “We look forward to providing direct and seamless lending to AmVest and its growing client base.”

This partnership will complement AmVest Capital’s existing product offering which includes: FDIC Expanded Insurance, Cash/Treasury Management, Loan and Portfolio Purchases and Credit Card Services.

For more information, visit http://www.amvestonline.com/

Contact: for Arbor:  Ingrid Principe, Tel: (516) 506-4298, iprincipe@arbor.com
Contact for AmVest: Mark Kelley/843.682.3757

Jesse Gant Joins RealtyTrac as Vice President Product & User Experience


IRVINE, CA– May 18, 2010 – RealtyTrac™ (www.realtytrac.com), the leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties, today announced the hiring of technology and Internet veteran Jesse Gant (top right photo).

In his role as Vice President of Product and User Experience, Gant will lead a team to develop a product plan and vision, leveraging the company’s innovative applications and capabilities, to drive membership and revenue growth.

“We are delighted that Jesse has joined RealtyTrac,” said James J. Saccacio (top left photo) , chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. “Jesse brings the kind of forward-thinking online management experience we are looking for to help us grow our business.

"He has experience segmenting audiences with a strong focus on refining the customer experience. Jesse will help us take our vision to another level for the multiple audiences that use RealtyTrac. His expertise will help us create, define and articulate the RealtyTrac brand to all our customers.”

Gant brings more than 12 years of B2B and B2C product and user experience to RealtyTrac. He has held senior management positions in a diverse group of companies, including Ancestry.com, Omniture and Buy.com. He most recently was director of product management and user experience at Teradata, a data warehousing and enterprise analytics company.
Contact: Tammy Chan, Atomic PR, Direct: 212-699-3646, http://www.atomicpr.com/

Thomas D. Wood & Co. Arranges $1.55M Loan for Corporate Center of Middleburg in Ohio


MIAMI, FL, May 18, 2010— Thomas D. Wood and Company, a Strategic Alliance Mortgage LLC member, secured financing in the amount of $1,550,000 for the Corporate Center of Middleburg in Middleburg Heights, Ohio.

Steve Wood, Company Chief Operating Officer, along with Matthew Fuller of Biscayne Asset Management, secured financing for the Corporate Center of Middleburg through Thomas D. Wood and Company’s correspondent relationship with The Standard Life Insurance Company.

The fixed-rate loan has a term of seven years, with rate resets every seven years, based on a 25-year amortization and an interest rate of 6.90%. The loan-to-value is 50%. The 31,404 square-foot office was built in 1976 and renovated in 1988, and is home to tenant Sanford Brown College. The Corporate Center of Middleburg is located at 17535 Rosbough Drive, Middleburg Heights, Ohio.

For further information, please contact:

Steve Wood (305) 447-7836 swood@tdwood.com
Jessica Kinnee (407) 937-0470 jkinnee@tdwood.com