The Bank of the Ozarks, Little Rock, Ark., will be opening a commercial real estate loan production office in New York. This office is part of the company’s Real Estate Specialties Group based in Dallas.
The commercial lending business in the New York area has been a strong point as of late for area-based institutions like
Dan Thomas, vice chairman, chief lending officer and president of the Real Estate Specialties Group said that for many of the group’s transactions, “the equity dollars, subordinated debt or mezzanine financing comes from New York sources. As we’ve worked with these sources over the years, it became apparent that having staff on the ground in New York would allow us to better serve our existing relationships and capitalize on future business opportunities.”
The group already has offices in Austin, Texas, and Atlanta. It originates and services CRE loans.
Richard Smith joins Bank of the Ozarks as an executive vice president in charge of the new office. Smith has 25 years of experience in the real estate business, with experience in construction lending, bridge lending, mezzanine lending and loan administration.
