Bellwether Enterprise Real Estate Capital LLC (Bellwether Enterprise), the commercial and multifamily mortgage banking subsidiary of Enterprise Community Investment Inc. (Enterprise), had a strong finish to 2016, with an estimated $5.3 billion in loan volume and an annual servicing portfolio of $13.4 billion. Bellwether Enterprise closed approximately 700 loans on commercial and multifamily properties across the U.S. The total loan volume was $1 billion higher than 2015, about a 20 percent increase.

“Our loan estimates this year reflect not only the incredible work of our team across the nation, but also industry-wide growth, due to low interest rates, widely available capital through traditional funding sources, and low yields on alternative investments,” said Ned Huffman, president of Bellwether Enterprise. “Together, these forces boosted demand for real estate investment, providing us with an opportunity to leverage the depth and breadth of our expertise.”

The company’s surging growth over the past year is due in large part to Bellwether Enterprise’s team of originators who closed 2016 with:

  • More than 300 loans in the Eastern region totaling over $2.7 billion;
  • Nearly 135 loans in the Southeastern region totaling over $890 million;
  • More than 80 loans in the Central region totaling over $625 million;
  • About 30 loans in the Western region totaling over $280 million, and
  • The Affordable Group closing a total loan volume of nearly $800 million.

“Our originators have built trusted relationships and leveraged the environment to bring a customized approach to lending, which ultimately helped to achieve a highly prosperous year for the company,” explained Huffman.

Bellwether Enterprise’s success during 2016 was also bolstered by several new initiatives in key markets, including:

  • The continued development of the affordable multifamily lending group, which launched in May 2015.
  • The licensing of the Charlotte office to sell Freddie Mac products, which will improve offerings for borrowers in the Southeastern region.
  • The execution of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Green Initiatives, which create cost saving incentives to borrowers who invest in energy efficient improvements and developments.

“We’re honored to support our nonprofit parent company, Enterprise Community Partners Inc., which advocates for and creates affordable housing across the country. Each year, Bellwether Enterprise donates a large portion of its revenue to Enterprise Community Partners, which helps families in need have a home. Millions of Americans pay more than half their paycheck on housing or have no home at all, we’re grateful to be in a position to give back in this way,” added Huffman.

Bellwether Enterprise provides flexible financing solutions for clients covering the entire spectrum of commercial and multifamily real estate. For more information on Bellwether Enterprise’s services, visit us at: www.bellwetherenterprise.com

Bellwether Enterprise is a national, full-service commercial and multifamily mortgage banking company. As a subsidiary of Enterprise Community Investment, Bellwether Enterprise has production offices across the country and an integrated servicing platform based in Cleveland. With local market expertise, national lending relationships and financing structure experience, Bellwether Enterprise provides competitive, creative solutions to complex financing needs. Bellwether Enterprise has a wide variety of lending resources, including life insurance companies, pension funds, commercial banks and CMBS lenders and is a Fannie Mae Delegated Underwriting and Servicing (DUS®) lender, Freddie Mac Multifamily Licensed Seller/ Servicer for Conventional and Targeted Affordable Housing Loans, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) approved Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) lender and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Section 538 Rural Development lender.