LOS ANGELES-Lenders large and small are trying to muscle their way into the busy multifamily market, yet Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac seem poised to remain the dominant lenders to the rental housing industry, according to industry experts at RealShare Apartments 2011 Thursday. The RealShare Conference Series is produced by ALM's Real Estate Media Group, which also publishes Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com.

Among those lenders are life insurance companies, commercial banks, bridge lenders, CMBS and small, local banks in “tertiary” markets. All are vying for a bigger share of the multifamily lending market, which is expected to reach $60 billion to $70 billion this year.

The continued starring role of Fannie and Freddie may surprise people who have been following the political firestorm surrounding the two mortgage-securitizing agencies, which were bailed at taxpayer expense in 2008. Both industry critics and elected officials have called for the privatization of the home financing agencies, to prevent further government rescues for the two agencies, which together represent about 70% of all multifamily financings.