NEW YORK CITY-After a year-long search for a strategic partner, special servicer Helios AMC has acquired Houston-based global real estate advisory firm the Situs Cos. Following the merger, the combined company will operate under the Situs Cos. name and will employ more than 400 professionals across the United States and Europe.

The move will combine Situs’ multi-discipline commercial real estate services platform with Helios AMC’s experience in special servicing, asset management and distressed debt acquisition and resolution. “Helios is very well-regarded in the industry as a premier special servicer in the CMBS space, Situs has been one of the largest primary and special portfolio servicers and due diligence providers,” Steve Powel, who is now serving as president of Situs’ North American operations, tells GlobeSt.com. “We felt that the opportunity for the Situs brand was much greater which necessitated collaborating with a strategic partner. Helios was a perfect fit for us because there wasn’t any overlap, and the single-most important thing was that we were not going to lose our third party independence.”

In addition to Powel, the Situs principals will assume leadership positions with co-founder Ralph Howard serving as the president of Europe and co-founder Martin Bronstein serving as president of Situs Asset Solutions. Helios CEO D. Keith Johnson will serve as CEO of the combined platform.