"Our emphasis remains on building relationships based on integrity, responsiveness and transparency," says Roger Crandall, chairman and CEO of Babson Capital, in a prepared statement. "[Ken] has worked closely with Rob for two decades, so we expect an exceptionally smooth transition."

REFG has five regional offices located in Chicago; Dallas; Newport Beach, CA; Springfield, MA; and Washington, DC. The capital provider has products that include permanent mortgages, mezzanine and high-yield products, affordable housing, fixed and floating-rate debt, portfolio lending, acquisition financing, bridge loans, forward commitments, Canadian financing, construction-permanent lending and public market REIT and CMBS debt investments, according to a release.

Little acknowledges uncertainty in the market, with no one knowing "how this stuck CMBS market becomes unstuck" but is confident that Babson's portfolio will not flag under his watch. Little notes that, generally in the market, "there was a lack of alignment of interest among players" and feels there will be a move away from this in the coming quarters. But as far as the Babson portfolio is concerned, "our basic focus won't change" Little tells GlobeSt.com. Babson will "continue to be in the commercial loan business and continue to have a local presence in markets."