Mortgage broker real estate loan

The commercial real estate finance industry has been a largely unrecognized, but nevertheless, fast growing sector of the U.S. economy, reports Shekar Narasimhan, a managing director at Prudential Mortgage Capital Co. in Vienna, Va., and a commercial/multifamily representative to the MBA's Board of Directors. "A local broker in any city can now say he or she is part of an industry that totals $1.561 trillion in mortgages. Maybe they couldn't even pronounce a trillion three years ago, and now they know they are part of a greater entity."

"That is extraordinary progress and growth in a relatively short amount of time," Narasimhan adds, "but years from now we will all look back and say we were babies and the industry was in its infancy."

That, of course, means there is a lot of expansion ahead and the MBA wants to make sure its members understand and are prepared for what they will eventually confront in the future. That is why the MBA's 2001 Commercial Real Estate Finance/Multifamily Housing (CREF) Convention ventures "beyond the horizon" to explore issues, deliver important information and provide extensive networking opportunities for commercial and multifamily real estate finance professionals.

By adopting the futuristic theme, "Beyond the Horizon," the MBA is taking the steps necessary to orient the industry to the vast changes that will evolve in the years ahead. Attendees to the 11th annual CREF/Multifamily Housing Convention will be able to attend panel discussions on such forward thinking topics as: The Capital Markets -- What's New on the Horizon and Beyond?; Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 21st Century; How Good is Our Credit? The Future Credit Fundamentals of Commercial Mortgages; and Property Investment Beyond the Horizon.

This premier industry event, and largest annual gathering of its kind in the nation, will take place this year (2001) at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina and will run from Feb. 4 through Feb. 7. Narasimhan predicts a record 4,000 to 5,000 industry executives, brokers and service providers will be attending the convention.

The convention affords attendees the opportunity to link investors with firms delivering mortgage banking expertise, assess the continuing convergence of technology and real estate, promote alternative financing for affordable multifamily housing, exchange ideas and strategies with colleagues, and provide one-stop shopping for products, services and information vital to the commercial and multifamily real estate finance industry.

As always, the convention's panel discussions will address key issues in the industry. Among the general interest topics this year:

* Valuation of Servicing. An exploration of various valuation methodologies and insight into the components of value for CMBS, Agency and Life Company servicing.

* E-Commerce & Commercial Real Estate Finance. Analysis of e-commerce effects on the commercial/ multifamily real estate finance industry.

* International. Dealmaking, activities and analysis of international players and global regions.

* Large Loan Trends. Preview of MBA's new co-lending guidelines.

* CMBS Post-Closing Servicing Requests. Explores the limitations and flexibility of CMBS loan documents when servicers process borrower requests.

* Commercial Mortgage Technology. Strategies, risks and rewards of doing business on the Internet.

For those attendees specializing in multifamily issues, a series of panel discussions will focus solely on topics relevant to that business:

* Multifamily Housing Production: A National Priority? A discussion of the private sector's role in addressing America's looming affordability crisis.

* Multifamily's Contribution to Urban Revitalization. The role multifamily housing can play in maintaining economically viable cities.

* Freddie Mac. What the future has in store for borrowers who chose a Program Plus execution.

* Fannie Mae Multifamily. An insightful look into the strategic changes instituted by Fannie Mae to focus on the changing needs of the industry.

* Ginnie Mae Update. What's new on the drawing board for Ginnie Mae multifamily.

* Financing Housing for the Elderly. What is the market for senior housing and how is it being financed.

* FHA Multifamily. The new realities of originating and servicing FHA multifamily loans.

The Opening General Session kicks off the business portion of the convention on February 5 with a talk by the Honorable Robert J. Dole, the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, 1996 presidential candidate and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. It's an intensely political world, and who better than Dole to address these issues and others such as leadership and values in the 21st century.

For the Second General Session, Tony Pierson, Managing Director of CIGNA Investment Management of Hartford, Conn., will deliver an informative and thought-provoking presentation on the outlook for commercial real estate investment in major markets in the United States.

During the Third General Session, Jonathan Miller, Senior Vice President of Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, Inc., will share his prognostications for 2001 based on research and surveys on the rapidly changing real estate landscape conducted by his company and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He will be followed by Yale Law School graduate, political satirist and musical comedian David Werner who will go beyond the horizon to the lighter side of commercial/multifamily real estate finance.

MBA's 2001 CREF Convention promises to deliver networking opportunities and information critical to the commercial/multifamily real estate finance professional's success.

For more detailed information about the convention, visit MBA's Web site at www.mbaa.org.