American Financial Targets Community Banks

American Financial Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust based in Jenkintown, Pa., has announced an alliance with Chicago-based Bank Property Advisors LLC to promote a new program designed to help community banks manage real estate assets.Under the alliance with BPA, which customizes sale leaseback arrangements for community banks and thrifts, American Financial said it intends to expand its bank branch holdings leased to community banks. "We have helped many of the nation's largest financial institutions and are now extending, through this program, the same opportunity to the nation's community banks the ability to improve operations by redeploying capital that otherwise would be tied up in real estate." American Financial can be found on the Web at http://www.afrt.com.