Press Releases

Arbor’s Servicer Ratings Affirmed and Positive Outlook Rating Assigned by Fitch

Fitch Ratings Recognizes Arbor’s Commitment to Excellence and Innovation Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE:ABR) NEW YORK, NEW YORK – November 29, 2023: Fitch Ratings has reaffirmed Arbor Multifamily Lending, LLC’s (Arbor) commercial primary and special servicer ratings, further solidifying Arbor’s position as a trusted partner in the multifamily lending industry. Concurrently, they have assigned a Positive Outlook to each rating, reflecting an unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation. Commercial primary servicer rating at ‘CPS2’; Outlook Positive; Commercial special servicer rating at ‘CSS3+’; Outlook Positive. “The assignment of the Positive Outlook reflects Fitch’s 12–24 month view on the trajectory of Arbor’s primary servicer rating, noting that as the new borrower website is fully realized and deployed and turnover within the primary servicing function continues to stabilize, positive rating movement is possible.” – Fitch Ratings Read more from Fitch about the key rating drivers behind this announcement. Direct inquiries to [email protected]. About Arbor Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ABR) is a nationwide real estate investment trust and direct lender, providing loan origination and servicing for multifamily, single-family rental (SFR) portfolios, and other diverse commercial Read the full article…

Articles

Video: Special Report Fall 2023 Key Takeaways

In this video, Dr. Sam Chandan, Founding Director of the C.H. Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance at the NYU Stern School of Business and non-executive chairman of Chandan Economics, details the key takeaways of Arbor’s Special Report Fall 2023, which he co-authored with Ivan Kaufman, Chairman and CEO of Arbor Realty Trust.

Articles

FHFA Loan Caps for 2024: What Multifamily Borrowers Need to Know

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced a $10 billion rollback of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s volume cap for loan purchases for 2023 to $140 billion ($70 billion for each agency). This move aligns with industry expectations, given the anticipation of continued headwinds for the multifamily in 2024. Next year’s cap for the Government-Sponsored Entities (GSEs) is a reduction of approximately 7% from the $150 billion limit set for 2023 and a return to the level it was in 2021.

Current Reports

Affordable Housing Trends Report Fall 2023

With the cost of living climbing, the need for affordable housing has become more urgent. Although demand continues to outpace available supply, multifamily investment in affordable housing is fortified by Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), Project-Based Section 8, and the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs. Arbor’s Affordable Housing Trends Report Fall 2023, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, examines the supply-driven programs and policies designed to improve supply at a point in time when federal gridlock has stalled many funding increases.

Current Reports

Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q4 2023

Arbor’s Small Multifamily Investment Trends Report Q4 2023, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, is a snapshot of a strong and resilient subsector continuing to navigate ongoing market dislocation. The report shows that distress has remained limited, even with valuations and measures of risk pricing in flux. As conditions start to stabilize, there are signs that deal activity is picking up.

GENERAL: 800.ARBOR.10

FREDDIE MAC®

Early Rate Lock (ERL)

Eliminates interest rate risk early in the mortgage approval process and provides peace of mind for borrowers that are concerned about market volatility.

What is an Early Rate Lock? Ability to lock the interest rate for a fixed-rate mortgage or the spread for a floating-rate mortgage, establish the mortgage amount and set other key provisions of a proposed mortgage within two to five days after Freddie Mac’s preliminary underwriting review and long before the Arbor lender submits the full underwriting package.
Benefits of an Early Rate Lock Fast and efficient – Limited information needed for review of the preliminary underwriting package

Cost savings – Significant savings when interest rate or spreads are rising

Flexibility – Some aspects of the transaction can be modified after rate lock at full underwriting:

  • Loan amount can be increased by up to 10% if positive net operating income (NOI) growth is demonstrated
  • No breakage fee for decreases in the loan amount that are within 10% of the preliminary underwriting amount due to decreases in NOI, appraised values that are lower than the underwritten value, etc.
Eligible Products Conventional loans, including supplemental and refinances, and TAH loans.
How Early Rate Lock Works Preliminary Quote

  • Arbor submits the Loan Submission Template and requests quote with an ERL
  • Freddie Mac Production reviews the submission and obtains the pricing quote
  • Arbor reviews and accepts quote

Preliminary Underwriting Package
Arbor provides documents for ERL execution detailed in the Freddie Mac Multifamily Seller/Servicer Guide

Rate Lock

  • Mortgage amount and other key provisions must be set within two to five days after the preliminary underwriting review
  • After Freddie Mac’s preliminary underwriting and due diligence are complete and the loan has been approved for ERL, Freddie Mac provides Arbor with the maximum mortgage amount and all loan terms.
  • Freddie Mac provides the early rate lock application (ERLA) to Arbor for sign-off
  • After ERLA execution, Freddie Mac will lock in the submitted terms

After Rate Lock
Following the rate lock, Arbor retains a good faith deposit equal to 2% of proposed loan amount (if refinancing an existing Freddie Mac portfolio loan, borrowers may post a demand note in lieu of a good faith deposit and provide the nonrefundable application fee in cash).

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