CREF Bank Council
MBA's CREF Bank Council is an open forum for all MBA members from bank institutions or credit unions and professionals doing business with banks or credit unions in the commercial and multifamily real estate finance industry. The Council brings together participants from across the balance sheet lending ecosystem to discuss market dynamics, regulatory developments, and strategies impacting balance-sheet lending and portfolio management.
Key Areas of Focus: Balance sheet lending, regulatory trends, and market performance in CRE finance.MBA Staff Representative:
John Lammle
(202) 557-2789
[email protected]
Meeting Frequency: The Council meets virtually on a quarterly basis, providing regular opportunities for members to engage in peer discussion, hear industry updates, and share perspectives on emerging banking and market issues.
What You Missed - The CREF Bank Council convened on Wednesday, April 8, to discuss key implications involving loan workouts, broader economic trends, and Basel III’s implications for bank balance sheet lenders.
John Sadler and Chrissey Barba, of law firm Ballard Spahr, provided attendees with an update on common loan workout and modifications prevalent in commercial real estate (CRE) and multifamily markets today. Both presenters also noted that banks are often passing on acquiring non-performing CRE assets from other depositories, with an inclination to let debt funds and private credit participants pursue non-performing assets. MBA research staff provided an update to the Council highlighting that despite a strong 2025, delinquencies and vacancy rates continue to climb across some asset classes. The Council continues to remain engaged on assessing the implications from the Federal Banking Agencies’ recent capital Proposals, and MBA members are encouraged to join MBA’s Basel III working group.
With seventeen percent ($875 billion) of the $5.0 trillion of outstanding commercial mortgages held by lenders and investors scheduled to mature in 2026, loan modifications and workouts continue to remain a prominent topic amongst bank balance-sheet lenders.
The next meeting of the CREF Bank Council will be held on Thursday, June 18, at 1:00 PM EST. For additional information or interest in participating, contact John Lammle at [email protected].
Get Involved
If you would like to get more involved in MBA, consider volunteering for this or one of MBA's other Commercial/Multifamily committees. Any employee of an MBA commercial/multifamily member company or a select or premier level associate member company may join one or more of these committees.Get Started: Login to see a full list of committees and councils that you are eligible to join, as well as groups you have already joined. Scroll through the list of your options and click "Join" next to your selection to be added to the roster.