A&E Real Estate unveils new mortgage lending arm

Manhattan, NY A&E Real Estate has formed A&E Real Estate Finance (AEREF), a debt financing platform led by Joseph Fingerman, an industry veteran with more than two decades of experience across the sector.

AEREF will initially concentrate on issuing first mortgage loans for multifamily rental buildings located across the New York Metro region. Backed by large institutional investors and A&E Real Estate’s insights as one of the region’s largest multifamily owners and operators, AEREF will source, originate and service each of its loans from start to finish.

AEREF has built a 20-person team with industry-leading expertise in loan sourcing, underwriting and servicing.  The team is actively sourcing a number of first mortgage loans on multifamily buildings and portfolios owned by legacy owners and other long-time multifamily operators across the metro region.

Founded in 2011 by Douglas Eisenberg, John Arrillaga, Jr., and Wendy Eisenberg, A&E Real Estate has grown from a single 49-unit building in Fort Greene to more than 20,000 Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens apartments currently under management. Its extensive multifamily portfolio ranges from 10-unit rentals in Brooklyn to 1,200-apartment communities in Kew Gardens Hills and Harlem’s Riverton Sq.

“As a fully integrated real estate firm with a portfolio of apartments across a diverse range of New York City residential neighborhoods, we will bring real-time market data and insights to bear, which gives the AEREF team an inherent advantage as they source and underwrite deals,” said A&E Real Estate president Maggie Brun. “We have known Joseph and his team for more than a decade. The business they built was solid and highly respected. I believe that together, we are well-positioned to help fill the void left by the recent pullback in lending by regional banks.”

“This is an exciting moment in my career to connect our real estate lending acumen with A&E’s on-the-ground knowledge of running properties,” added Fingerman.  “There is a tremendous need for private credit as the banking system goes through its challenges, and AEREF is the next step towards transforming traditional real estate lending.”

Fingerman comes to AEREF from Signature Bank’s Commercial Real Estate Group, where he led a team of veteran professionals dedicated to lending for multifamily, mixed-use, retail and office properties as well as new construction and note financing.  Fingerman began his commercial real estate career at Commercial Bank of New York and later became a key member of the highly successful real estate lending group at North Fork Bank. He currently serves as a board member for a range of professional organizations and has received numerous awards recognizing his expertise and successes.