MBA CREF 24, Natixis Lands Chris LaBianca, and Deals of the Week

MBA CREF 24, Natixis Lands Chris LaBianca, and Deals of the Week This week , Commercial Observer was on the ground in San Diego at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s annual MBA CREF conference, where experts noted that adaptive reuse projects are now the hot ticket for financing, since so many assets having fallen out of favor or just succumbed to age. There was also a dire warning from Mohamed A. El-Erian, former CEO of Pimco, who said the biggest risk facing commercial real estate is all the negative publicity and “noise” surrounding an industry that is more than just one troubled asset class (sorry office). On the bright side, CO also sat down Cabot Properties’ Franz Colloredo-Mansfeld, whose Boston-based private equity firm went big on the industrial space 20 years ago and is reaping the benefits today – the firm just raised another $1.57 billion fund devoted to investment and development. Speaking of industrial, there’s also a juicy piece about the symbiotic relationship between data centers and proptech in the mid-2020s internet-focused economy. If that’s not enough for you, we have several loans for you to munch on, including a pair of refinancings that exceed $300 million. In a special shoutout, [don't miss our editorial team's release of the "Deals of the Week,"]( featuring the must-see[Finance Deal Sheet](, highlighting a $600 million Miami construction loan. Till next week, dear reader! MBA CREF 2024: Office Sector Needs Reset, but Conversions Won’t Be a Savior Commercial real estate finance experts gave their take on the heavy barriers to converting a number of office properties at Monday’s Mortgage Bankers Association Commercial/Multifamily Finance Convention and Expo in San Diego. [Read More](   Top Deals Of The Week   - Walker & Dunlop [Refis]( Student Housing Portfolio With $380M Credit Facility - Barings [Provides]( $98M Refi for Luxury Apartment Tower in Milwaukee - MCR Hotels Refinances Hotel Portfolio With $333M [CMBS Loan]( - [Goldman Sachs]( Provides $395M Refi on Manhattan’s 70 Pine Street - [TPG Real Estate Credit]( Provides $79M ReFi for Puget Sound Multifamily   People Moves   Natixis Adds Chris LaBianca From UBS to Lead Conduit Origination Chris LaBianca, who spent nearly a decade heading up commercial real estate lending at UBS, has departed for a similar role at Natixis. [Read More]( Q&A   Franz Colloredo-Mansfeld Explains Cabot Properties’ Latest Expansion The Boston-based CEO’s private equity firm was one of the first to go big in the industrial logistics space, and it just raised another $1.57 billion fund. [Read More](   Other Stories From This Week   Finance Deals of the Week: Largest South Florida Construction Loan The top five financings from Feb. 5 to Feb. 9. [Read More]( MBA CREF 2024: Former Pimco CEO Warns of the Impact of Industry Noise Mohamed A. El-Erian, president of Queens College and former CEO and co-chief Investment officer of Pimco, said the biggest risk in the commercial real estate industry right now is the noise that exists within it. [Read More]( As NYCB Teeters, Private Lenders Corner CRE Lending Market As New York Community Bank grapples with big hits to its stock price after reporting pressures on its commercial real estate loan portfolio, market participants have fears that more hits to the regional banking universe could exacerbate tighter lending conditions. [Read More]( MBA CREF 2024: Adaptive Reuse Projects Driving Uptick in Financing Requests An increasing number of commercial real estate borrowers are seeking financing tools for adaptive re-use projects with certain properties, lenders said at the MBA CREF 2024 conference in San Diego. [Read More]( Data Centers Lean More on Proptech, and Proptech Leans Back In a world that increasingly relies on artificial intelligence and the promise of quantum computing, data centers capable of handling the exponential demand from such technologies are rapidly multiplying across the globe. [Read More]( Developers Confront Less Demand for New York City Industrial Space Industrial leasing has started to slow in New York City as e-commerce retailers pull back from their full-court press to find more distribution spaces in the region. [Read More]( What We're Reading This Week   - Tougher [rent laws]( are behind trouble at NYCB [WSJ] - [Cash-flush]( buyers dip into distressed commercial real estate [WSJ] - Student housing has a new mantra: [Bigger]( is better [NYT]   [View in Browser]( | [Advertise]( | [Forward to a Friend]( [Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe]( [Share your thoughts: Help us improve with our quick feedback survey!]( [Commercial Observer]( © Copyright 2024 [Observer Media]( 1 Whitehall Street, Floor 7, New York, NY 10004 This newsletter was published 02/15/2024