By Sam Greenblatt, CEO, Electra Capital Today, a growing number of risk-averse financial institutions are pulling back from the multifamily rental market, leaving owners and investors struggling to complete their transactions. Fortunately, however, private firms are stepping into the gap with alternative sources of debt and equity capital. As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the national economy this spring, banks tightened their standards on all types of loans, according to a recent Federal Reserve survey of senior loan officers. Nearly half the surveyed lenders reported that they had tightened standards on multifamily loans in the first quarter. That pullback can have a potentially crippling impact on multifamily transactions. Let’s say an investor seeking to purchase a $50 million multifamily asset has raised $12.5 million (25 percent) in equity with a bank loan due to provide $37.5 million (75 percent). But before the deal could close, the bank implements a tighter 60 percent loan-to-value (LTV) ratio limiting its senior financing to $30 million. Now, the investor or transaction sponsor needs to come up with an additional $7.5 million on short notice or the deal will fall apart. This is where alternative private capital firms can provide flexible, short-term financing solutions, including bridge …
