As I’m writing this, I’m getting ready to attend CREFC’s 30th New York City Annual Conference and bacchanal.  Once again, we will enjoy the company of our confreres, we will network, we will get educated (yes, CREFC members do actually attend substantive sessions) and will all enjoy the curious joys of the Marriott Marquis (are

As many of you know, I am retiring from Dechert LLP but anticipate staying active in our industry in my advisory vehicle, Jackstay Investments, LLC.  The firm has graciously given me the domain name CRUNCHEDCREDIT and hence, I will begin to resume publishing my commentaries in CrunchedCredit on an ongoing basis.  You will also be

I’ve written extensively about the CRE CLO technology for a long time and why it is the best leverage technology across securitization markets.  With the sponsor typically holding up to 20% of the bottom of the capital stack, it represents the best alignment of interests between sponsor and investor.  For the sponsor, it provides unique

If the wisdom of crowds has any validity (and there’s no real evidence that it’s any worse than the pontifical huffings of the chattering class), then there’s hope for 2023.  Optimism did itself proud at CREFC.  We’ll see if that optimism is recapitulated at SFVegas and at the MBA CREF meeting coming up in the

On October 26, 2022, Dechert partners Laura Swihart and Stewart McQueen attended the CREFC Capital Markets Conference in New York City. Stewart gave opening remarks and Laura moderated a panel on the current housing market and its intersection with multi-family, single-family and build-to-rent properties. Laura and Stewart sat down with Law Clerks Jared Goldstein and

CREFC January 2022 – it was supposed to be the comeback conference. Everyone was pumped to spend a few days down south, getting together with their safely vaccinated clients, colleagues and friends. Meetings, mingling and mild mayhem were on the Miami menu. But days before the conference, the dreaded COVID, or more specifically Omicron, continued to rear its ugly head and put a damper on the plans of many. Emails with “Are you still going to CREFC???” were flying as the days counted down to January 9. Although many conference attendees chose to attend virtually, hundreds took a chance and made it down to Miami to enjoy the conference in person. Luckily CREFC is now well-versed in how to put on a virtual show, and those who were unable to attend in person were able to enjoy the panels from their office (or couch…or bed…).
Continue Reading Ahhh… Miami! Sun, Sand and Commercial Real Estate

Last week, over 4,200 of our closest friends met virtually for the annual January conference by the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council, which is usually held in Miami. While we have all learned to go without in the last year, going without seeing the “smart resort wear” of our colleagues was almost too much to bear. Thankfully, CREFC put together an informative and interactive conference – complete with a virtual lobby that played in between sessions featuring a guy on his cell phone walking in circles. Talk about realistic! Best of all, CREFC honored the real reason we attend conferences and provided a “virtual swag bag.” All in all, CREFC did the best they could under the circumstances and we agree that’s all we ask of anyone or thing at this point.
Continue Reading CREFC Annual Conference: The Virtual Edition

With apologies to Mr. Marquez for repurposing the title of his haunting book, it’s conference season here in CRE and ABS securitization-land and therefore a time to reflect (more Marquez) on the risks that the world will become more disorderly, or whether we will progress gently from a perfectly fine 2019 to 2020.  We attended CREFC in Miami, are currently attending MBA CREF in San Diego and SFA in Las Vegas (as mere vendors, we don’t get to go to Beaver Creek, more’s the pity). After having seen thousands of our best friends, we’ll have a pretty good sense of what the market thinks of 2020.  We’ve already published our outlook for the year, but now we test it against the wisdom of the crowd (or perhaps herd is closer to the mark).
Continue Reading Life in the Time of Conferences: CREFC, CREF and SFA

Beany & Cecil was a cartoon.  The Current Expected Credit Loss accounting rules, better known as CECL, which the FASB is insisting will go into effect at the beginning of next year for publicly traded banks and lenders and a year later for all other GAAP reporting entities is not.  Now, heaven forfend that I suggest that the work of the Financial Accounting Standards Board is cartoonish, but there’s a parallel in this pairing of harmless and obscured menace worth noting. 
Continue Reading Beany & CECL