Multifamily Lending: Everybody Wants to Get Into the Act

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.