Loans

SAN DIEGO — The U.S. economy is likely to take a hit this year from the effects of geopolitical uncertainty and a global recession in the manufacturing sector, according to Michael Fratantoni, chief economist for the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). His forecast calls for U.S. GDP growth of 1.2 percent in 2020, down from 2.2 percent in 2019, and for job growth to dip from a monthly average of 175,000 last year to 150,000 this year. The unemployment rate, which currently stands at 3.6 percent and is near a 50-year low, is expected to reach 3.9 percent by year’s end. The wave of tumultuous events on the world stage have come fast and furious, the veteran economist observed. “Just recently you had the situation with the assassination of [Iran’s General Qassem Soleimani] and ballistic missiles being fired across the Middle East. Now we have got the coronavirus. We just concluded an impeachment trial. We have a presidential election. The trade wars of 2018 and 2019 are perhaps simmering down a little bit, but still a concern and still impacting a lot of decisions by private actors out there.” Such conflicts pose a threat to what has been a “remarkable” run …

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Mark Fogel, ACRES Capital

Mark Fogel, president and CEO of ACRES Capital, believes alternative lenders can maintain their flexibility and creativity where perhaps more traditional lenders cannot. He believes this will be important as the country continues its unprecedented upcycle, with a potential downturn threatening in the next 18 months or so. Finance Insight (FI): As an alternative lender focused on the middle market, can you tell me a little bit more about alternative lenders and your specific areas of expertise in comparison with traditional funding sources? Fogel: Traditional lenders offer an important role in most communities as a source of funding. However, they are restricted by regulations that impede their ability to take on riskier transactions and go higher on the capital stack. In this regard, alternative lenders can step in and provide capital and opportunity for those projects that are going through a redevelopment or are repurposed from their original business plan. FI: Do you lend against all property types and pursue projects in all geographical regions of the U.S.? Fogel: ACRES seeks out opportunities on an asset-by-asset basis. We do not necessarily follow market trends, but rather identify alternative situations where, from a debt perspective, our basis is low and the …

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HUD Section 232 Summary Statistics - Fiscal Year 2019

Despite enduring a federal government shutdown for 35 days that temporarily put a crimp in loan processing, the HUD/FHA Section 232 mortgage insurance program used to finance seniors housing properties rallied to post a solid performance in fiscal year 2019. The volume of loans closed during the 12-month period that started Oct. 1, 2018 and ended Sept. 30, 2019 totaled $3.7 billion. That’s up from $3.6 billion the prior fiscal year. The HUD/FHA Section 232 program — more commonly referred to as the HUD Lean program — helps finance nursing homes and assisted living facilities, as well as board and care facilities. The Lean process developed by HUD in 2008 is a methodology based on the Toyota model to increase efficiency by reducing waste. In short, the goal is to eliminate historical inefficiencies in the processing and approval of HUD loan applications. Dissecting the data Although the government shutdown that occurred in late December 2018 and January 2019 resulted in the program’s loan count dropping from 317 to 288 on a year-over-year basis, the average loan amount increased 14 percent during the same period to reach a record high of nearly $13 million.  “This was driven not only by some …

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HOUSTON — LMI Capital, a Real Estate Capital Alliance (RECA) member, has arranged an $8 million bridge loan for the acquisition of a 150-unit apartment community in the Houston area. The loan was structured with an 80 percent loan-to-value ratio and 2.5 years of interest-only payments. The financing includes proceeds to fund a capital improvement program. Brandon Brown of LMI Capital placed the loan on behalf of the undisclosed borrower. The lender and property name were also not disclosed.

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GAINESVILLE, FLA. — NorthMarq has provided a $26.1 million Fannie Mae refinancing loan for College Park at Midtown, a 300-bed student housing community serving the University of Florida in Gainesville. The property offers one-, two- and four-bedroom, fully furnished units. Lamar Sarra of NorthMarq originated the financing, which features a 10-year term with a 30-year amortization schedule, on behalf of the undisclosed borrower.

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ALSIP, ILL. — American Street Capital (ASC) has arranged a $10.9 million bridge loan for the acquisition of a 144-unit apartment complex in Alsip, about 25 miles south of Chicago. Built in 1974, the 12-building complex is situated on 5.9 acres. The property features 288 surface parking spaces, common laundry facilities and tenant storage units. The asset was 95 percent occupied at the time of closing. Igor Zhizhin of ASC sourced the institutional bridge loan, which features a three-year term at 90 percent loan-to-cost. Deshe Real Estate was the borrower.

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MENOMONEE FALLS, SUN PRAIRIE AND NEW BERLIN, WIS. — Associated Bank has provided $8.6 million in three separate loans for the land acquisition and construction of early childhood learning centers in three Wisconsin cities. Bradford Real Estate was the borrower. Each of the standalone, 10,000-square-foot buildings will be fully leased by The Learning Experience, which provides childcare and educational services for children ages six weeks to six years. The centers will be located in Menomonee Falls, Sun Prairie and New Berlin. All three are slated for completion this year. Daniel Barrins of Associated Bank managed the loans and closings.

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NEW YORK CITY — M&T Bank has provided a $78.7 million acquisition and construction loan for the purchase of land in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn and development of a mixed-use project. The borrower, Two Trees Management, plans to build two mixed-use towers with 1,000 multifamily units, a 47,000-square-foot YMCA fitness facility, 57,000 square feet of office space and 30,000 square feet of retail space. Additional ground-level space will house amenities and a six-acre public park. The proposed project will be located along the East River on River Street, between Grand and North 3rd streets. Bjarke Ingels Group designed the project and James Corner Field Operations served as the landscape architect. Total cost of the project and the construction timeline were not disclosed, as Two Trees is seeking a rezoning.

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HOUSTON — JLL has arranged the sale of 2900 Weslayan, a six-story boutique office building located at the corner of Weslayan and West Alabama streets in Houston’s Greenway Plaza submarket. Houston-based Griffin Partners, using its investment vehicle Griffin Partners Office Fund III, purchased the 136,698-square-foot office building from Madison Marquette. Dan Miller and Katherine Miller of JLL represented the seller in the transaction. The office building was nearly 82 percent leased at the time of sale, including to retailers Baggy’s Grill, Apteek Pharmacy and Results Physiotherapy. Wally Reid, Cameron Cureton and John Ream, also with JLL, secured a three-year, floating-rate acquisition loan through Frost Bank on behalf of Griffin Partners. Janie Snider and Lee Moreland of Griffin Partners will manage 2900 Weslayan internally. The new ownership has retained Madison Marquette to lease the property.

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TERRELL, TEXAS — Dougherty Mortgage has provided a $35 million construction loan for Crossroads at Terrell, a 270-unit, garden-style apartment community planned for a 10.5-acre site in the east Dallas suburb of Terrell. Dougherty’s Fort Worth office closed the HUD 221(d)(4) loan on behalf of the borrower and developer, an entity doing business as Terrell MF Ventures LLC. The loan features a 40-year term and 40-year amortization schedule. The Class A community will feature a package center, resort-style pool, fire pit, outdoor cooking, business center, clubhouse with kitchen, game room, fitness center, bicycle storage, dog park and a pet spa. The developer plans to build Crossroads at Terrell to National Green Building Bronze standards. The 221(d)(4) product is HUD’s flagship loan program financing the construction and redevelopment of market-rate and affordable housing apartment communities. Details about the project’s construction timeline were not disclosed.

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